"The moment he gets caught, he will definitely be arrested."
"Is that so? Thank you for your hard work, Chief Prosecutor."
A dry laugh from Chief Prosecutor Yoon could be heard through the receiver.
"Hard work? Everything is so corrupt that I do not even know how he got away with it until now. On top of that, he is connected to several missing persons cases. It has gotten to the point where no one but the current president could cover it up, let alone Assemblyman Kim Se-young."
"It seems he was quite resourceful. Chief Prosecutor, I am doing something important right now, so I will call you separately tomorrow morning."
"Understood. Let us talk tomorrow then."
The call ended. I let out a silent sigh into the air. I was shaken for a moment by Hyeon-seong's words, but this was not something to drag out.
I called Park Dong-soo.
"This is Lee Sang-geun."
"This is Kim Mu-hyeok. Is Boss Park next to you?"
"Ah! Please wait a moment. I will hand the phone over."
A moment later, Park Dong-soo answered the phone.
"I am on. Little brother, what is going on?"
"I heard the prosecution is going to raid Geukseong Construction tomorrow. I suspect he will try to run away today. You put people on him, right?"
"I sent the boys to his house and the company."
"Quietly tail him and just figure out where his hideout is. I will go with you."
"You are coming with us? Do you not trust me?"
"No, of course I trust you, Boss Park. I just want to see it with my own eyes. Do not talk to me when we are there. I will wear a hat and a mask and just watch from the back."
"Got it. See you later."
I hung up the phone and went outside.
"Who was on the phone?"
"It was about work."
As the smell of food stimulated my nose, I unconsciously looked toward the kitchen and saw Hyeon-seong's mother busily cooking. A smile appeared on my face.
"She must be making kimchi stew. The smell is exactly the same."
I sat down and looked at Myeong-soo and Hyeon-seong.
"What were you guys talking about?"
"I was asking what that guy is planning to do now, but he is not saying anything. Frustrating bastard."
Myeong-soo said while shaking his head. I looked at Hyeon-seong.
"Are you not going to take a leave of absence from school?"
Hyeon-seong nodded.
"Is there anything you want to do?"
"No, I just want to rest for now."
It was understandable. What kind of thoughts would a guy have when he only did sports his entire life, aside from resting during the few years he wandered around.
"Yeah, take some rest and gather your thoughts. And help me with my work."
Hyeon-seong did not answer. I wondered what kind of change of heart he had. Right then, Hyeon-seong's mother called us.
"Come eat."
Everyone stood up at those words. Myeong-soo and I supported Hyeon-seong and sat him at the dining table.
"Wow, is this not the smell of kimchi stew filled with a mother's love~" "Stop talking nonsense and eat quickly."
We seated Hyeon-seong in a chair and then sat down ourselves. I picked up my spoon, scooped up some kimchi stew, and ate it first. It tasted exactly the same as when I used to eat at Hyeon-seong's house when we were young.
"Wow~ Our mother! This is killer! Your cooking skills are still top-notch!"
The pleasant mealtime ended as we talked about our childhood stories. We ate the fruits that his mother peeled for us while talking, and then I stood up from my seat.
"Mother, the food was delicious."
"Yeah, it feels good to cook and feed you boys after such a long time."
"I will be going now. You are heading down tomorrow, right?"
"I have to. Early in the morning..."
Hyeon-seong's mother stopped talking and stared at me.
"It is fine. You do not have to come see me off."
A laugh escaped me at the sight of her preempting me before I even said anything.
"Funny guy. Come down to Busan during the vacation."
"Yes, Mother. Have a safe trip down."
I bowed to his mother, who patted my shoulder, and then looked at Hyeon-seong.
"You should think things over properly too. I have not changed. I am still your friend Mu-hyeok."
Hyeon-seong did not answer. As I stepped outside, Myeong-soo, who had followed me out, casually asked.
"Did something happen to Hyeon-seong? Why is he acting like that?"
I was planning to tell him when it was all over... I hesitated for a moment before telling him everything that had happened.
"What? It was not an accident, but done on purpose? Just because of the national team?"
"Yeah."
"These sons of bitches, are they crazy?! Is this something a human being would do?!"
As expected, Myeong-soo got angry and jumped up and down in rage.
"Is that why Hyeon-seong is acting like that? Crazy bastard, he is spouting full-bellied nonsense. I cannot tell if that punk is overly honest or just plain stupid. Hey, you did well. If you were wronged, you have to pay them back a hundred or a thousand times over. You did the right thing a hundred times."
Myeong-soo's reaction was different from Hyeon-seong's. "Remember the issue with that bastard Jin-pyo back then? What would have happened if you did not have power at that time. This is Korea.
You are an idiot if you have power and do not use it."
"Thanks."
"Stop with the bullshit. Kim Mu-hyeok, since when did you walk on eggshells? Just do what you want. I know you will handle it well. Fuck, you are going to destroy all those bastards anyway."
Myeong-soo added with a snort.
"I came to college because you told me to, and I am preparing for the bar exam because you told me to take it. I trust you. Hyeon-seong probably feels the same way."
I nodded and gave a slight smile.
"I will take care of that punk Hyeon-seong. Do not worry about it and just focus on what you were doing."
"Got it. Go back inside."
"See you."
"Yeah."
I got in the car with Myeong-soo seeing me off. Section Chief Ma drove the car home without saying a word. The next night.
We drove along the dark road and moved with Section Chief Ma to the location Park Dong-soo had told me about. It was to catch Jo Hyeon-gu, who was hiding in a villa in Taean, Chungcheong Province. We stopped the car at a place where the villa was visible in the distance.
Park Dong-soo's group had arrived early and was waiting. As soon as they saw me, everyone except Park Dong-soo bowed their heads in greeting.
"Welcome."
"...Boss Park, you do not have to do this."
"No. We have to do things properly."
Nodding helplessly, I looked at the villa in the distance.
"Is he in there?"
"Yeah, he went in yesterday and not a single bastard has come out. Looking at it roughly, there are only about ten young thugs. This should be easy."
"Then push through them. I will go in once it is cleared up. You do not need my help, right?"
Park Dong-soo chuckled and said.
"Little brother! I am Park Dong-soo. Just wait exactly ten minutes."
Park Dong-soo took Lee Sang-geun and the rest of his subordinates and split up into a van and a sedan. I stared blankly at the cars moving one by one toward the villa.
"Shall we go slowly too?"
"Yes."
I followed far behind them along with Section Chief Ma. By the time we arrived and parked in front of the villa, the front gate was already smashed, as if they had simply rammed their cars through it. Loud shouts could be heard from inside.
As we waited in the car, Lee Sang-geun walked over with blood smeared all over him.
"It is all cleared up. You can go in."
I put on the hat and mask that were in the car and went inside. In the wrecked living room, Jo Hyeon-gu was kneeling while Park Dong-soo sat on a chair. I quietly watched the situation from behind Park Dong-soo's subordinates, who were surrounding the living room.
"Elder Brother Hyeon-gu, how many years has it been? Is this the first time since that event in Incheon?"
"Park Dong-soo, you bastard! It was you?"
A small laugh escaped me as I saw him glaring at Park Dong-soo despite bleeding. Park Dong-soo looked down at him while leisurely resting his chin on his hand.
"Look here, elder brother. Let us make this easy instead of arguing over seniority. Hand over all the shares you have in Geukseong Construction. Then you can go to the Public Prosecutor's Office in one piece. Sang-geun, you brought the documents, right?"
"Yes, Boss."
As if he had brought the transfer contract in advance, Lee Sang-geun handed a document envelope to Park Dong-soo.
"Here, stamp your thumbprint."
"Crazy bastard, what are you talking about? Why would I hand that over? Park Dong-soo, you crazy son of a bitch! Are you out of your mind? Did you set up Chan-seong too?"
"Huh, what are you talking about? Who is Chan-seong? I do not know about that, so just hurry up and stamp your thumbprint."
"..."
When Jo Hyeon-gu did not answer, Park Dong-soo scratched the back of his head in annoyance.
"Hah~ Elder brother. If you keep this up, I really will drag your family here too. Do you want that? Should I make the call? My boys are on standby."
"...Let us not do that and talk this out. Do not touch my family."
Jo Hyeon-gu quickly crumbled at the mention of his family. Park Dong-soo gave a cold smile.
"See, you should have listened when I treated you like an elder brother and tried to settle it with words. Do you want to live the rest of your life limping after getting trampled by my younger brothers? Just stamp your thumbprint."
"Huu..."
Jo Hyeon-gu let out a sigh with a miserable expression. Park Dong-soo's face turned fierce at his hesitation.
"Sang-geun, call."
"Yes, Boss."
Seeing Lee Sang-geun take out a cell phone from his pocket and hand it over, Jo Hyeon-gu shouted urgently.
"I will do it! I will do it! Where? Where do I stamp?"
Receiving a glance from Park Dong-soo, Lee Sang-geun approached and showed Jo Hyeon-gu where to stamp his thumbprint. Soon, Lee Sang-geun collected the thumbprint-stamped documents and stood up.
"It is all done."
Jo Hyeon-gu stared blankly at the documents being handed over to Park Dong-soo, seemingly dejected. Park Dong-soo scanned the documents with his eyes and muttered.
"If you embarrass yourself and say something else at the prosecution, your entire family will really die. I will take care of taking the shares you and your wife hold, so do not worry about it."
He stretched as he stood up from his seat and casually glanced in my direction. I nodded and stepped forward. Jo Hyeon-gu, who had been staring at the documents, turned his head at the sound of my movement.
Thwack!
Kicked in the face out of nowhere, Jo Hyeon-gu fell backward. The blood he spat out soaked my sneakers.
"...What the, fuck!"
Fallen on the ground, Jo Hyeon-gu spat out blood-mixed saliva and looked up at me with a dumbfounded face. Section Chief Ma stepped forward, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him up to his feet.
"Chief, he has to go to the prosecution. Go easy on him."
"Yes, Boss."
He quickly became covered in blood at the hands of Section Chief Ma. I sat on the chair in front of him and muttered to Jo Hyeon-gu, who was glaring at me.
"You are thinking in your head that you will kill all of us later, right? If you happen to be trusting Kim Se-young, do not get your hopes up. You guys will meet each other at the detention center."
At that, Jo Hyeon-gu jerked his head up.
"Everyone connected to you will lose everything because of you. Those people will resent you."
"Who... are... you..."
"A friend of the person whose life you ruined. Boss Park, you should withdraw now. The police and prosecution investigators will arrive soon. I will contact you later."
Looking back at me, Park Dong-soo gave a light nod and then walked out with his subordinates. The ruined interior of the villa quickly fell silent. The only ones left were me, Section Chief Ma, and Jo Hyeon-gu.
"You felt like you had the whole world, right? You knew police officers and prosecutors, and your friend was a ruling party assemblyman. While being called the boss of a mid-sized company. You must have been very happy."
"Just... why... to me..."
It seemed there was no value in saying anything more. Soon, Jo Hyeon-gu slumped over, beaten to a bloody pulp. I did not feel refreshed at all.
Seeing him completely lacking any will to resist, I could not even feel angry. I was just dumbfounded that a bastard like this had ruined Hyeon-seong's life. The silence of the quiet villa was broken by investigators from the police and the prosecution.
Entering the scene, they looked back and forth between me and Jo Hyeon-gu, seemingly troubled over what to do. Right then, a young man who was at the very back stepped forward. Seeing the prosecutor ID hanging on his chest, he looked like a rookie prosecutor.
"May we take Jo Hyeon-gu away?"
When I nodded silently, the investigators dragged Jo Hyeon-gu away. Jo Hyeon-gu, who was half unconscious, was dragged out by their hands. Once everyone else went outside, the prosecutor approached me.
"I was contacted by the Chief Prosecutor. I look forward to working with you."
I watched his back as he gave a 90-degree bow and walked outside, and then I stood up from my seat.
"We should get going too."
"Yes, Boss."
Leaving the villa behind, I set off for Seoul together with Section Chief Ma.
"Section Chief Ma."
"Yes."
"You can take care of it at the detention center, right?"
"Of course."
"Once Assemblyman Kim Se-young and everyone associated with Geukseong Construction are caught, handle it quietly as a suicide then."
"Understood."
"I am going to get some sleep. Wake me up when we arrive."
With those words, I closed my eyes. The revenge was over, but I only felt empty. For several days, the names of Jo Hyeon-gu and Kim Se-young were continuously mentioned in major daily newspapers and broadcasting station news.
The opposition party aimed at the Blue House, calling it a regime scandal, while the ruling party drew a line, claiming it was personal corruption. And Chief Prosecutor Yoon made his mark on the public as a principled prosecutor who did not bow to the regime's pressure. However, the people in power all knew.
The fact that a ruling party assemblyman could never be arrested without the president's permission... And when the new year of 1994 dawned, Jo Hyeon-gu's name was no longer spoken by the people.
< It is all over. > The End