Big Life

Chapter 155. Tremble in Fear (14)

“Is this the place...?” A man in his thirties with a backpack muttered as he looked outside the detached house.

His name was Joo Sang-Yeol. He was a reporter for a regional online news agency and was here to do an in-depth cover of Ha Suk-Jae’s assault.

Seeing an unfamiliar man loitering outside their gate, Myung-Ja approached him from behind. She held all the bags in one hand, then called out, “Who are you?”

“Ah, excuse me. Is this Mr. Ha Suk-Jae’s home?”

“Yes, but who...?”

“Apologies for the late introduction. I’m Joo Sang-Yeol, a reporter with the online news agency, Good Suwon,” Joo Sang-Yeol said and politely handed her his name card.

As Myung-Ja took his name card, he added, “I understand that you must be very upset. As a fellow person, I’m also deeply regretful that tyrannical acts are still happening in this time and age.”

Myung-Ja’s expression turned complex.

It had been a few days since Ha Suk-Jae’s assault, and the mental pain she was suffering from grew day by day.

“Can I ask what he did wrong? He only locked the doors as instructed at the stipulated time, so how could the president hit someone over that reason alone? The president even tried to shirk responsibility by claiming that he knew nothing about the incident. How can there be a victim without an assault person? This is ridiculous.”

Myung-Ja’s eyes eventually turned red with tears.

Joo Sang-Yeol then softened his tone and asked earnestly, “The responsibility as a reporter brought me here. I understand that it’s difficult and exhausting for you, but please give me some time. I will do my best until more people come across this incident and the truth is revealed.”

“But now my man is having quite the hard time...”

“I won’t take up too much of your time. 30 minutes—no, even just 15 minutes is fine.” As expected of a reporter, Joo Sang-Yeol did not give up easily.

Just then, the steadfast gate opened behind him.

“It’ll be tough today.”

“...?!” Joo Sang-Yeol’s eyes widened in shock as he turned around.

The man before him looked extremely familiar. Meeting countless people was his job, and he quickly recognized the man standing before him.

“A-are you Writer Ha Jae-Gun?” Joo Sang-Yeol stuttered.

He had seen Ha Jae-Gun on TV and the internet numerous times, and even read quite a few of his novels that he remembered how the man looked like.

“I’m right, right? You’re Writer Ha Jae-Gun—no, Mr. Ha Jae-Gun, right?”

“Yes, I am.”

Joo Sang-Yeol’s jaws dropped, unable to speak. It was the author who sold millions of copies of his novel, and swept the largest literary awards. As Ha Jae-Gun had also just recently won the screenplay award at the Baeksong Arts Awards, he had become one of the most famous writers in Korea.

Joo Sang-Yeol never expected that he would meet one of Korea’s most famous writers, who was entering overseas markets here. Joo Sang-Yeol was shaking all over in astonishment and joy.

With an expressionless face, Ha Jae-Gun said, “My father is still unwell. If you could leave your name card, I will contact you as soon as possible.”

“Your... father?” Joo Sang-Yeol asked, stupified at the confusion.

His mind was trying to piece the puzzles together. The son of the man who was the victim of a tyrannical act was Ha Jae-Gun? This wasn’t the normal picture he’d get.

“Goodbye then...”

“M-Mr. Ha Jae-Gun!”

Joo Sang-Yeol held onto Ha Jae-Gun, who came out to bring Myung-Ja in.

“I’d appreciate if you could leave a comment about this lamenting situation. I won’t put up the article without your consent. I’m confident that I haven’t done anything against my conscience in my eight years as a reporter. Please trust me, and...”

“You may publish the article,” Ha Jae-Gun cut in.

Ha Jae-Gun held onto Myung-Ja’s hand while looking down and said, “I won’t let things go easily...as the son of my father.”

No further explanation was needed. Ha Jae-Gun added strength into his grip.

“Goodbye.”

“M-Mr. Ha.”

Ha Jae-Gun closed the gate firmly on Joo Sang-Yeol.

Joo Sang-Yeol then stood on tiptoe and yelled, “I’ll be waiting for your call, Mr. Ha! Please do give me a call!”

However, he didn’t get a response.

Joo Sang-Yeol digested Ha Jae-Gun’s words and slowly turned around. The astonishment in his face was still lingering.

***

[Victim of recent tyrannical assault act, the security guard, turned out to be famous Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s father]

[Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s anger, ‘As my father’s son, I will not let it slide’]

[Reiterating Ha Jae-Gun’s past thank you speech, full of love for his parents]

[Phone interview with Ha Jae-Gun’s long-time friend, ‘A friend who has a special family love since university’]

[Actor Park Do-Joon’s Twitter, ‘Ha Jae-Gun, I’m with you too,’ earns explosive retweet counts from netizens]

[MPC Group’s President, Jung Woo-Hyuk, ‘There was yelling, but not a single trace of violence. I’ll gladly accept any punishments if I am found guilty’]

“What’s... all this?!”

Jung Woo-Hyuk was sitting in his office reading the news online with a dark red color on his face. The sudden addition of Ha Jae-Gun into the mix brought the assault controversy to a new level.

“Just who is this guy? Isn’t he just some ink slinger?”

“Um, president... I don’t think we should gloss it over that easily.” Department Head Kim mumbled hesitantly, his hands gathered in front of him.

Jung Woo-Hyuk gave a side scowl.

Department Head Kim shook his head and continued, “You should have read it in the news, but Ha Jae-Gun is a famous local writer. Actor Park Do-Joon is not only an avid fan of his, but also a close friend, and so Writer Ha Jae-Gun also has a huge fan base. The company’s image might be damaged if things roll out of control under the public’s opinion.”

“Just tell me the conclusion! What is it?!”

“S-so... I think that it’s best if you could meet with him and come to an amicable settlement...”

“Amicable settlement? I did my best, didn’t I? Didn’t you call them and even went to their house a couple of times already?”

“What I mean is that to resolve this earlier, it’s best if you could go down personally and show your sincerity...”

Jung Woo-Hyuk leaned back into his chair and glared at Department Head Kim. He gave a ridiculous scoff and burst into a snort.

“Department Head Kim. Did you eat something wrong?”

“No, president.”

“Then why are you spouting nonsense? You want me to visit them personally and apologize to that old man? Are you telling me to go down on my knees and beg him to come to an agreement?”

“I-I definitely did not mean it that...ugh!”

Department Head Kim yelped and grabbed his abdomen. He was hit by a golf ball, which rolled onto the floor.

“Make sure you think before speaking. Otherwise, this will be served to you next.” Jung Woo-Hyuk handled the glass ashtray in his hand.

Department Head Kim replied with a groan, nodding profusely.

“I’m already bursting at my seams and yet you want to add oil to fire? You haven’t been in your right mind, huh? Has it been a while since you tasted the wrath of my golf club? Do you want to try it again?”

Jung Woo-Hyuk stood up from his seat and went into a corner of his office. He pulled out a golf club and swung it around, scaring Department Head Kim, his face turning white as ghost.

“Tell me. Shouldn’t I only apologize if I’m guilty of a crime?”

“Y-yes, President.”

Jung Woo-Hyuk tapped the golf club lightly on Department Head Kim’s forehead and asked, “Am I guilty? Do they have any evidence?”

“No. You’re not guilty, nor is there any evidence for them to get their hands on. I haven’t thought it out well. Please forgive me, President.” bowed down deeply, begging for forgiveness.

Jung Woo-Hyuk’s irritation had eased to a certain level and put down the golf club in hand, then clicked his tongue.

“Even if he’s famous, he’s still an ink slinger. You want me to come to an amicable agreement with the old man just because you’re scared of him? Am I the boss of a random convenience store? Public opinion? I’m not scared of them at all, so let him come at me!” Jung Woo-Hyuk yelled.

Immediately after, Department Head Kim’s phone rang, and the man hurriedly pulled out his phone.

“Hello. Yeah. What...?!”

Department Head Kim glanced anxiously at Jung Woo-Hyuk. He then covered the receiver on his phone and asked shakingly, “P-President... Um, now...”

“What is it that got you trembling like that?”

“Um, Director Nam Gyu-Ho would like to meet you...”

Jung Woo-Hyuk’s eyes widened and he stiffened like a stone statue.

There was only one person he knew with the name and title Director Nam Gyu-Ho.

“Nam Gyu-Ho...? Why would he...?!”

“I’m not sure either. They said he’s already here.”

“Already here?!”

Jung Woo-Hyuk’s one leg gave way unknowingly. Nam Gyu-Ho was someone he couldn’t even bluff about before his confidante. Despite being the president of a large corporation, Nam Gyu-Ho was someone who could still show up unannounced and no one could question him.

‘There’s no way he’d come here just to see me!’

Why would Nam Gyu-Ho come to him? Jung Woo-Hyuk could not make an educated guess as he had more than one weakness held in Nam Gyu-Ho’s hand.

“What shall we do, President?”

“What else? Bring him here first.”

While Department Head Kim stepped out, Jung Woo-Hyuk quickly fixed his clothes.

A knock on the door came a few minutes later.

“P-Please come in.”

The frightened Jung Woo-Hyuk even thought he sounded pathetic. The door flung open, and a tall man in a gray suit entered the office.

“It’s been a while, President Jung.”

“Aigoo, welcome.” Jung Woo-Hyuk chuckled and greeted Gyu-Ho.

Gyu-Ho’s eyes shone like glass, a faint smile showed on his face.

“Please take a seat. How has the President been?” Jung Woo-Hyuk asked about the chairman, who was none other than Gyu-Ho’s father.

They might hold the same title, but they weren’t of the same level. Gyu-Ho’s father and Jung Woo-Hyuk were on entirely different levels, similar to the comparison of convenience stores versus departmental stores.

“He’s healthy,” Gyu-Ho replied briefly as he sat down on the sofa.

Another knock came, and a female secretary brought in two cups of coffee. As she placed down the cups, Gyu-Ho said, “I have something to talk to you personally about, President.”

“Of course. Department Head Kim, please leave us.”

As Department Head Kim left and closed the door behind him, Gyu-Ho raised a finger firmly at Jung Woo-Hyuk and asked, “Do you know what I loved the most amongst everything that my father has told me about before?”

“W-what kind...?”

“To be a good person indefinitely to another good person. Similarly, be the worst person one can be to someone otherwise.”

“...?!” Jung Woo-Hyuk gulped nervously.

He was afraid of Gyu-Ho, realizing that the man was not here on friendly terms.

“I’d like to ask you one thing, President.”

“Yes, sure. Please ask away.”

“Did you hit him, or not?”

“...Pardon?” Despite being fear-struck, Jung Woo-Hyuk was bewildered. Gyu-Ho slowly looked up, and their eyes met.

“U-um... Are you... possibly asking about that incident right now?”

“That? Do you mean that you’ve hit more than one person?”

“U-uh no... I meant to ask... if you’re asking about that security guard...”

“Not the security guard.”

“What?” The smile on Gyu-Ho’s face had disappeared.

The glare from Gyu-Ho was enough to suffocate Jung Woo-Hyuk. Gyu-Ho added, “He could be my future father-in-law.”

“...?!” Jung Woo-Hyuk thought Gyu-Ho was just messing with him.

How could a mere security guard be his father-in-law? It didn’t match with his family background at all.

“And his son, Writer Ha Jae-Gun, is currently working with me.”

“A-aah...!”

“So, did you hit him?”

“Uuhhh...”

Jung Woo-Hyuk groaned, his teeth chattering in fear. The relationship between Gyu-Ho and the security guard was an issue for later. He had now provoked someone close to Gyu-Ho, and was also closely related to the famous writer.

“A-about that, Director Nam... What exactly happened was...”

“Forget it.” Gyu-Ho didn’t not want to listen any further, and took out his phone.

He accessed the internet and soon looked up a piece of headlines. He opened it and showed it to Jung Woo-Hyuk, who was too shocked to breathe.

[(Part 1) Assault black box video between president of large corporation and security guard secured!]

“T-this is...?!”

“I had a hard time finding this.”

Gyu-Ho stood up from the sofa and walked to the desk.

After going through the articles, he spotted an autobiography published by Jung Woo-Hyuk himself and picked it up.

“To think I’ll be seeing President Jung’s autobiography here. I enjoyed it a lot. I remember that it sold pretty well after you removed the advertising fee and forced them to sell the book. Anyway, I was able to learn that you were a good person from this book.”

“D-Director Nam...!”

“Whether I’ll be a good or bad person, is entirely on you, President Jung. Do you understand?”

Gyu-Ho’s eyes laid on the golf club on the floor.

Jung Woo-Hyuk had forgotten to put it away after scaring Department Head Kim with it earlier. Gyu-Ho picked it up and put it in Jung Woo-Hyuk’s hands, who was now shaking like a man who had contracted malaria.

“I’ll give you a minute. Decide whether you’ll go with me along with this, or continue staying here.”

It was a proposal that Jung Woo-Hyuk could not refuse. Jung Woo-Hyuk broke down, slowly falling to the ground.

Meanwhile, Gyu-Ho called Department Head Ko on the phone.

***

“I’ve committed a grave sin...! I made an irreversible mistake after drinking, and not even ten mouths could explain myself. Please forgive me just this once...!”

Ha Jae-Gun was at his parent’s home in Suwon. Jung Woo-Hyuk stood in the lit foyer, bowing ninety degrees to Ha Suk-Jae and Myung-Ja, along with Jae-In, who stood with them looking shocked.

‘What is happening...?’

Behind Jung Woo-Hyuk was Ha Jae-Gun, stunned.

He never imagined that the president of a large corporation, who had been so brazen and ignorant up until now, would beg for forgiveness in front of them now. Although video evidence had spread like wildfire, it still didn’t help him understand the man’s actions.

Just then, Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes met with Gyu-Ho, who stood by the door.

Gyu-Ho looked quite cool, his mouth shut tight and signaled Ha Jae-Gun with a nod of his head. Ha Jae-Gun finally realized that Gyu-Ho had used his authority to reveal the truth.

“I-I’m not purely asking for forgiveness. I’m also here to apologize and I’m willing to do my best until you find it satisfactory.”

“I don’t need your money!” Myung-Ja yelled, angry at his words.

Jung Woo-Hyuk then handed the golf club in his hands to Ha Suk-Jae.

Ha Suk-Jae had no thoughts of taking it and only stood there blankly. Jung Woo-Hyuk forced the golf club into the older man’s hand and knelt down on the ground, his butt raised high.

“P-please hit me...! I’ll accept it..!”

Jung Woo-Hyuk’s voice raised a tone higher, and his butt also was raised along with it, trembling slightly.

Ha Suk-Jae only looked down at the pathetic sight and threw the golf club into a corner.

“If I were like you, my son would not have grown up so well-educated.”

That was all Ha Suk-Jae said. Lacking stamina, Jung Woo-Hyuk fell flat to the ground on all fours.

“Dad...” Jae-In held Ha Suk-Jae by his elbow and looked at Gyu-Ho.

Gyu-Ho did not acknowledge her gaze as a call came in at the same time. She finally saw Gyu-Ho in a new light, and found it hard to forget this fateful night.