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Before coming home, Dojun had stopped by a sandwich shop. He placed a to-go order for Haejoo’s favorite menu and then stepped outside for a moment. A cold wind swept through Dojun’s heart as he picked up his phone. The worry that Haejoo might be exhausted by this whole situation, which he had been mulling over, came out as a sigh.
He immediately called Hyunseong. The ringing tone lasted for a while before the connection was finally made.
“...CEO.”
“Why did you do that?”
“...I’m sorry.”
This time, he really pushed Hyunseong. Dojun, who had been brooding over the tearful apology, finally spoke.
“At least you should have told me before you did it.”
“I just lost my temper...”
It was Hyunseong’s immature mistake, committed in a fit of pique. It was also true that he lacked the capability to bear the consequences of his mistake. Scolding him was pointless. From now on, damage control was key, and Chairman Yoo had to be worn down until he broke.
“Everyone is misunderstanding that Haejoo wrote that post.”
“I didn’t know it would turn out this way. I truly... made a mistake.”
Hyunseong had been subjected to violence by Youngjae. In that moment, the fear of death had gripped him so tightly that he almost lost consciousness. Dojun had arrived at the worst possible moment. Even when he dropped Haejoo off, Hyunseong thought he would be fine, relieved to be alive. However, after returning home, the aftereffects gradually appeared. Even when he was fine, the fear of being choked would resurface, making him feel suffocated and like he was dying.
“Did you go to the hospital?”
Unable to endure it any longer, Hyunseong visited the hospital before the weekend. He was diagnosed with panic disorder and PTSD and had been lying down, unable to do anything. Just thinking about it filled him with resentment and anger. He felt sorry for Haejoo, who had suffered innocently, and for Dojun, who was struggling to protect her.
“When I was choked, all I could think was, ‘I’m truly incompetent.’“
As a manager, he had to protect Haejoo reliably. But Hyunseong might have succumbed to Youngjae if it weren’t for Dojun. His self-esteem was utterly shattered by this incident. It was so brutal, as if it would never recover, and his mind was in a turmoil.
“It’s agonizing to think that this is all I am.”
“Hmm.”
“I shouldn’t have, but I had a drink and got carried away in the heat of the moment.”
“You also deleted the post, didn’t you?”
“Yes. When I finally came to my senses, it was a complete mess.”
“Yes. It’s a complete mess.”
“I’m truly... sorry.”
Just then, the sandwich order was ready, and a clerk called Dojun. He took the sandwich package he had ordered while still on the phone and walked out.
“Everyone has a foolish phase.”
“Even you, CEO?”
“When I was young, I believed the only way to protect Haejoo was to fight in her stead, so how foolish must I have looked to others?”
“...”
“If I had continued like that, I might be in prison now, or I might have been beaten to death by someone stronger.”
“Yes.”
“Everything takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight.”
Hyunseong was speechless. GN, thoroughly enraged, was fuming, and sparks could fly anywhere.
“I’ll talk to Haejoo. You just get yourself together.”
“I’ll take responsibility for what I’ve done.”
“Wait until I contact you again.”
After ending the call with Hyunseong, Dojun felt hollow. The strategy he had deliberated on for so long had become nothing overnight. It could easily escalate into a messy fight with Chairman Yoo. He had to stop that at all costs.
Upon returning home, Dojun ate dinner with Haejoo as usual. As he pretended not to know anything, Haejoo broke the silence, expressing concern for Hyunseong. She mentioned that he had caused trouble. Sure enough, Haejoo’s eyes were filled with complex emotions. Dojun embraced her, lost in confusion.
“Whatever happens, let’s see it through to the end. You and I, let’s go together.”
“I’m sorry, Dojun. Always because of me...”
“Don’t say that. You know I live because you’re here.”
Accepting Dojun, who delved deep into her every night, had become her daily routine. At some point, his touch became a lullaby, and his broad embrace became a warm blanket. Haejoo had no memory of when she was alone. Her world had changed so much that a world without Dojun was unimaginable.
“The ‘end’ you spoke of, Dojun, I almost wish it didn’t exist.”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to be happy like this.”
His words, “Let’s see it through to the end,” made Haejoo feel faint. Dojun already seemed to have laid everything down where he stood. What was she, that he had to suffer so much for her? Unbeknownst to her, Haejoo had become a faith to Dojun. Dojun breathed and lived each day as Haejoo herself.
“Why do you love me?” Haejoo asked. She brought her face close to his and warmly cupped his cheeks.
“When I first held you on the rooftop railing, I couldn’t believe it, I thought the sun was pouring down.”
“Really?”
“But when I met you again, it wasn’t like that.”
“What was it like?”
“Some days, you were a cluster of stars, then a flower petal floating on water, and these days, when I hold you every night...”
Dojun took a shallow breath. He stroked Haejoo’s moist eyes and murmured, “You’re just hot. So hot that the time I waited for you means nothing.”
“I wish I had waited for you too, Dojun.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Don’t do anything difficult. Only I should do that.”
“What kind of talk is that...”
“Just stay by my side, like this.”
Dojun pulled Haejoo’s phone, which was on the table, towards him. As if that wasn’t enough, he also pushed away the laptop he had used last night.
“No internet during the weekend.”
“...”
“Let’s watch movies we put off instead of TV. Today, we’re having our date at home.”
Haejoo let out a soft laugh. Dojun gently bit her lips.
“Today, let’s watch the movie you like, Dojun.”
The two gathered snacks and went to the living room. They chose a movie and leaned deep into the sofa. Naturally, Haejoo’s body leaned towards Dojun. Soon, a melody fitting the calm movie background enveloped the two.
________________________________________
A moment later, Haejoo fell asleep while watching the movie. When Dojun lifted her deeply slumbering head, his phone rang. He carefully reached out and checked the caller ID.
“Yes, Chief Secretary Song.”
“I’ve confirmed Choi Inho’s location.”
Choi Inho had gone into hiding, refusing to cooperate with the police investigation. His officetel had been empty for a long time, and the police were tracking him. After no progress for so long, they finally found him.
“Send me the location.”
“I’ll pick you up.”
“That’ll be too slow. Let’s meet there.”
“Understood.”
Dojun carefully laid Haejoo down. He fetched a blanket and covered her, then quietly whispered in her ear.
“I’ll be back from the company in a bit.”
“...Will you be late?”
Dojun gave her a vague answer as she asked in her sleep.
“It’ll be over quickly.”
He grabbed his car keys and left, still in the clothes he was wearing. Before starting the car, he frowned as he looked at the address Chief Secretary Song had sent.
“Seems he’s wandering aimlessly.”
The place where Choi Inho was reported to be was an internet cafe on the outskirts of Seoul. Moreover, it wasn’t far from Dojun’s house. Dojun drove quickly without further ado. He entered the bustling downtown area and found the old commercial building where the internet cafe was located. The internet cafe was on the 3rd floor of the building. Even though it was daytime, as he ascended the dark stairs, a customer emerged with a hunched posture.
________________________________________
At the same time, inside the internet cafe, a part-timer was sweeping the floor. Busy with his broom, he stopped at the seat of a customer who had been camped out for four days.
“I’ll clear the trash for you.”
“Just a coffee for me.”
The male customer didn’t even play games. If he got sleepy, he’d doze off in his seat, spending all day Browse internet news and various communities. He would type something in a Korean text document, and then he would have serious conversations with someone on the phone. He rarely washed, so if you got close, he smelled like an old bachelor. It had become such a problem that other customers avoided sitting near his spot.
“Customer, I’m sorry, but please go home now.”
The internet cafe owner was nagging the part-timer to get this customer out. It was already a dingy internet cafe, and if it smelled too, it was problematic.
“I’ll go later, just leave me alone.”
“Really?”
The man glared at the part-timer, annoyed. Then, as if he couldn’t stand it any longer, he grunted and got up from his seat.
“How much is it here?”
“Just a moment!”
The part-timer dropped his broom and ran to the counter. The man’s accumulated internet cafe usage was quite a lot. The man paid that money with a wallet full of cash, not a card.
“Keep the change.”
“Thank you!”
“By the way, who’s your favorite celebrity?”
“Lee Haejoo.”
“Why do you like her?”
“She acts well, she’s kind, and it goes without saying that she’s pretty.”
“Lee Haejoo is kind?”
“She suffered because of some trashy reporter, didn’t she? If it were me, I would have torn that guy apart and killed him.”
This was the problem with kids these days. To talk like that in front of the very reporter without any sense.
“Hey, give me back my change!”
“...Tsk.”
“What ‘tsk’?”
The person who took back the change given to the part-timer was Choi Inho. He ran a hand over his unkempt, unwashed face and finally stepped outside. Just then, someone with an exceptionally pleasant scent blocked his path. He was a full head taller than him. Choi Inho, who had raised his head wondering if it was him, found himself face to face with the grim reaper.
“P-Park Dojun, CEO?”
“Shh!”
Choi Inho took a step back, trying to escape. But his body, which hadn’t moved for days, wouldn’t obey. Before he could even straighten his hunched back, he was grabbed by the nape of his neck. In a flash, he was dragged down the stairs as if tumbling.
“Aah, let go of me!”
“Don’t open your mouth. You stink.”
Dojun frowned at the pungent stench. As he dragged Choi Inho, who was trying to resist, Chief Secretary Song arrived.
“CEO!”
“Contact the담당 investigator.”
Passersby glanced over in surprise. The more they did, the more Choi Inho cried out as if he was being wronged, wailing.
“Oh no, I’m dying! Please save me, okay?”
“Shut up.”
Just as Chief Secretary Song was about to call the investigator, Choi Inho forcefully wriggled out of his thin windbreaker and bolted. Dojun followed. It was as they passed the commercial building and approached an alley with a back road. Even as a 1-ton truck sped towards him, Choi Inho ran, afraid of being caught.
“Choi Inho!”
Honk!
The moment the horn blared, Choi Inho narrowly dodged the truck. The truck briefly obscured Dojun’s vision. In just a few seconds, Choi Inho vanished. Dojun searched the surroundings but couldn’t see him, so he reluctantly turned back.
“I lost him.”
“He couldn’t have gone far.”
As Dojun turned around, someone hidden in a car parked on the roadside watched him. After Dojun had completely left, the man let go of the steering wheel and looked around. He then spread his hardened lips into a faint smile and approached Choi Inho, who was hiding in an opening in a building.
“Are you reporter Choi Inho?” the man asked in a dry voice, with a smile on his lips.
Choi Inho, now tear-stained, snapped back angrily, “Are you sent by CEO Park Dojun?”
“No. I am Chief Secretary Han Jintae, serving Chairman Yoo of GN.”
“H-Han Jintae, Chief Secretary?”
“You seem to be in need of help.”
Han Jintae took a step back. Only then did Choi Inho, with his crumpled body, stumble out and stand up.
________________________________________
Over the weekend, news broke that Hwang Gyeong-ok was preparing for a divorce lawsuit. If she divorced Chairman Yoo, there would be an astronomical division of assets, not to mention. The media reported that the GN affiliates in which Hwang Gyeong-ok had a high stake might be separated. Chairman Yoo, upon hearing this news, dismissed the divorce rumors as false reports. However, at home, Hwang Gyeong-ok had already informed him of the divorce.
“By whose authority are you divorcing me!”
“I’ll disappear, and you can live your life rolling around dirtily with young women forever.”
Chairman Yoo’s rise to his current position was thanks to his father-in-law. Hwang Gyeong-ok’s father, who had no sons, passed on his business to his son-in-law, Chairman Yoo. However, not only did he cheat, but he also resorted to violent behavior, such as throwing objects during arguments. She had meticulously collected all the evidence, which made her position favorable in the lawsuit. Legal experts unanimously stated that Chairman Yoo would be at a disadvantage in this divorce lawsuit. To anyone, it looked like he was being discarded in his old age.
________________________________________
Meanwhile, Dojun watched Chairman Yoo’s misfortune with satisfaction. He gathered his legal team upon arriving at work on Monday morning. Director Kwak was also present.
“All preparations are complete. Now it’s our turn.”
Currently, Chairman Yoo was being hit by successive waves. Dojun decided to turn these waves into a tsunami and overturn everything. Although Hyunseong had caused trouble, it wasn’t bad. Fate always begins its history with coincidence...
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