Manager Ma, as promised, caught Bae Won-chun the next day and dragged him to the factory.
Indeed, it seemed different from the reaction of the guys I saw yesterday, probably because he had a history of being a gangster.
There was a fierce look in his eyes.
This time, it might be a bit more fun.
“Take the tape off his mouth.”
Manager Ma tore off the tape from his mouth.
The moment the tape was removed, Bae Won-chun started to curse.
“You bastards! Who sent you? Don't you know who I am? I'm Bae Won-chun! Bae Won-chun, got it?”
“Right, you did a good job catching him. Bae Won-chun from Geukseong Construction, right? Nice to meet you. I really wanted to see you.”
I couldn't help but smile.
Bae Won-chun seemed to be gauging who I was, staring at my face.
“Who are you! Are you some punk who's lost his nerve!”
I couldn't help but chuckle.
“Is it important who I am now? Won-chun, get a grip. Do you think you can walk around with your head held high?”
“What? You son of a bitch!”
Thud!
Manager Ma kicked him without hesitation.
Bae Won-chun, tied to a chair, fell backward, and Manager Ma's punches and kicks rained down on him.
Even without any weapons, his face was quickly a mess of blood.
“Stop!”
Manager Ma dragged Bae Won-chun to his knees in front of me.
Blood was streaming from Bae Won-chun's nose and mouth, but he still glared at me with a defiant look.
“I'm only going to ask you twice. Who sent you? To push Park Hyun-seong into the car.”
Bae Won-chun seemed genuinely surprised that Hyun-seong had been brought here, looking flustered.
“Park Hyun-seong? Why is his name coming up now?”
He has some backbone, but he's not very perceptive.
I clicked my tongue and stood up.
“... I said I'm only going to ask you twice. Manager Ma, make him behave. I need to make a call.”
“Yes.”
I stepped outside the factory and called the hospital.
― Hello.
“Mom, it's Mu-hyuk.”
― Mu-hyuk? Should I let Hyun-seong take over?
“Have you eaten, Mom?”
― Yes, what time is it? Hyun-seong, it's Mu-hyuk. Answer the phone.
After waiting for a few minutes, I heard Hyun-seong's voice.
― Yeah.
“Phew... Just answer, since Mom is right there.”
― Yeah.
“I caught the guy who did that to you.”
― What? Really?
“I'll tell you the details later. Anyway, I'll make sure to do the same to him. Wait for me. And I'm sorry.”
Hyun-seong seemed at a loss for words.
“I'll come by tomorrow. I'm hanging up.”
As soon as I hung up, I suddenly craved a cigarette.
I quit after coming back, but I get these cravings when I'm in a bad mood.
Lifting my head, I saw the full moon and stars shining brightly in the night sky, oblivious to my mood.
‘This is all because of me. I feel really terrible.’
A moment later, the factory door opened, and Manager Ma came out.
“Did he lose his edge?”
“Yes.”
When I entered the factory with Manager Ma, Bae Won-chun was already lying in a pool of blood.
The men, catching Manager Ma's eye, dragged him to me.
“I'm asking you for the last time. Think carefully. Loyalty and all that, but whether Jo Hyun-gu ordered it or not, I'll strip him down to his underwear, so don't expect anything. Did Jo Hyun-gu order it?”
Unable to speak, he nodded a few times.
“Let me summarize. When Park Hyun-seong refused to give up his spot on the national team, Jo Hyun-gu gave you the order. You paid the kids lying there to push him into the car. Right?”
“Yes, yes...”
“Phew... This is really a mess.”
I sighed involuntarily.
As I stood up, I said to Manager Ma,
“Make sure none of these guys can ever get out. Disable a few of them and send them to the salt mines.”
“Understood.”
“I'll wait outside. Come out when you're done.”
While organizing my thoughts outside, Manager Ma soon followed.
“I've given the order to handle them as you instructed.”
I nodded weakly.
“I'm tired. Let's go home. I want to rest.”
I got into the back seat that Manager Ma opened for me. He sat in the driver's seat and slowly started the car.
“We've arrived, Boss.”
I opened my eyes at Manager Ma's voice.
I must have dozed off...
“Thanks for your hard work today. We'll talk about the rest tomorrow.”
I bowed my head and entered the room.
Too lazy to shower, I just took off my clothes and got into bed, falling asleep.
When I opened my eyes, the morning sunlight was already pouring into the room.
‘I feel strangely terrible...’
I had definitely had a dream, but I couldn't remember it clearly.
After having breakfast with my grandfather, I headed to the hospital.
When I opened the door to the hospital room, Hyun-seong was sleeping.
I sat down and quietly looked at the sleeping Hyun-seong.
‘What a stubborn kid. That won't solve anything. You should have told me.’
But I knew he wouldn't tell me, fearing it might interfere with me.
Closing my eyes, I pondered how to talk to Hyun-seong.
“Did you come?”
Hyun-seong had already woken up and was looking at me.
“Just now. Did you sleep well?”
Hyun-seong sat up.
“Can I move?”
“Yeah. What's up?”
The stubborn kid was quick to notice.
“Is it obvious?”
Hyun-seong nodded silently and stared at me.
“What? What is it?”
I looked back at Hyun-seong without saying a word.
“What do you do now that you can't do intense exercise? You can't even follow me around like Manager Ma, can you?”
“There's still a lot to do. But you're unusually talkative today?”
“...”
Hyun-seong immediately shut up.
I laughed.
“Still, I'm going to do the same to the guy who did this to you. No, I'll make sure he can never get up again. This isn't just for you, but for me too.”
Hyun-seong, knowing my stubbornness, didn't say anything more.
“I'm leaving. I'll come back tomorrow.”
“Don't come anymore. Myung-soo said not to.”
“Shut up!”
Outside the hospital room, Manager Ma was waiting.
“Find out everything about Geukseong Construction. Ongoing construction sites, financial status, shareholder list, everything.”
“Understood.”
“I'll go to school for a bit. If you get a call, come pick me up then.”
Manager Ma looked at me with a concerned expression.
“I don't think you should go to school alone anymore.”
“It's not that well-known yet. I just want to go to school a bit more comfortably.”
“...”
“Just for a while.”
“Understood.”
“I'll take the car. You take a taxi.”
After sending Manager Ma away, I arrived at school.
A cool breeze, free of summer's heat, brushed past me.
It was the first time I had seen the school in a while.
“Mu-hyuk!”
As I entered the lecture hall, Oh Hyun-woo raised his hand to greet me. Everyone was already gathered.
I sat down next to Myung-soo.
“Did you go see Hyun-seong?”
“Yeah.”
“Who is Hyun-seong?”
“We've been friends since we were kids. We were the Three Musketeers.”
“If he's your friend, he's my friend too. Introduce him to me sometime. I'd like to meet him.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Oh Hyun-woo's words.
“Is everyone's bar exam preparation going well?”
“We often gather to study together. But the person who suggested forming a study group hasn't shown up once.”
Yoon Jae-ha said jokingly, and Han Min-kyung picked up on it.
“Well, that person must be confident enough to pass without studying. Though he's a bit unlucky.”
“He's been busy since he came back from the U.S. I'll try to join the study group when I have time.”
“Great. Studying with the top student makes me feel deprived.”
Everyone laughed, and I poked Myung-soo's side.
“I'll be a bit busy for a while. I've been hanging out with the guys and building rapport. When Hyun-seong is discharged, my mom will cook for your family. I'll come by then.”
“Really?”
“Things have gotten a bit complicated. I'll tell you later.”
Myung-soo didn't question me further.
“Got it. Don't worry about my social skills. I hang out with them almost every day. It's better than studying alone.”
“That's a relief.”
After attending two classes, I left school early.
When I got home, I called Prosecutor Yoon.
“Prosecutor Yoon. It's Mu-hyuk.”
― Junior, it's been a while.
“Are you doing well?”
― Thanks to you.
“I heard you're the most popular prosecutor among the junior prosecutors these days.”
― Hahaha, so they say.
I started the conversation with a casual laugh from Prosecutor Yoon.
“To the point, remember the favor I mentioned last time? The one we promised... I think I need to use it.”
― You want to use the favor?
“Yes, it's a personal matter. And it's something I really need you to do.”
― Hmm, go on. Tell me about it.
“There's a company called Geukseong Construction. I plan to take it over soon. I want the prosecution to step in as soon as my preparations are complete.”
― Geukseong Construction? What kind of company is it? I've never heard of it.
Prosecutor Yoon asked, puzzled.
“It's not a large corporation. But it's a well-known construction company in the Chungcheong region. The headquarters are in Seoul. I'm still gathering information, but I'll meet you and provide the details when I'm ready.”
― Isn't that a waste? You could use this favor for something bigger later. Like when I become the chief prosecutor.
Honestly, I never thought I'd have a use for it.
Back then, I just wanted to build connections in the court and owe a favor to Prosecutor Yoon. My original plan was to make my gain his gain.
“It's that important to me. Just understand that. First, it's a company that a gangster has laundered into a legitimate business. I want to strip the real beneficiaries and turn the CEO into a beggar and send him to jail. Tax evasion or something, it should be easy with the right information, right?”
― Even without the information. Let's talk about the details next time.
“Yes, I'll hang up now.”
I ended the call with Prosecutor Yoon.
Looking at Manager Ma, who was standing in front of me, I said,
“Find out as quickly as possible. I need to take everything from him and send him to jail. Inside, anything can happen.”
“Understood.”
Of course, before that, I planned to put his son in the same position as Hyun-seong.