Chapter 50: It’s All Over

“You’ll be detained the moment you’re caught, no exceptions”

“Is that so? Thank you for your hard work Chief Prosecutor”

A hollow laugh echoed through the receiver from Chief Prosecutor Yoon

“Hard work? It’s all corruption, to the point where I don’t know how they’ve gotten away with it until now. Not only that, they’re also linked to several disappearance cases. Without the current President’s backing, not even Congressman Kim Se-young could stop this”

“Seems like he was quite the smooth operator Chief Prosecutor. I’m in the middle of something important right now, so I’ll call you back tomorrow morning”

“Alright then. Let’s talk tomorrow”

The call ended

I let out a silent sigh into the empty air

I was briefly shaken by Hyeon-seong’s words, but this wasn’t something to drag out

I called Park Dong-su

“This is Lee Sang-geun”

“It’s Kim Mu-hyeok. You’re with Mr. Pak, right?”

“Ah! Just a moment, I’ll put him on”

A moment later, Park Dong-su picked up the phone

“I’m on the line little bro. What’s up?”

“The prosecutors will be entering Geukseong Construction tomorrow. I think they might try to run today. You’ve got people watching, right?”

“Got some guys at his house and the company”

“Just have them quietly tail him and confirm his hideout. I’ll be coming along”

“You’re coming too? Don’t you trust me?”

“No, I trust you Mr. Park. I just want to see it with my own eyes. Don’t talk to me when we’re there. I’ll be wearing a hat and mask, just watching from behind”

“Got it. See you later then”

I hung up and went outside

“Who was that?”

“Work call”

The smell of food tickled my nose and I found myself looking towards the kitchen where Hyeon-seong’s mother was busy cooking. A smile crept onto my face

“Smells like kimchi stew. Just like old times”

I sat down and looked at Myeong-su and Hyeon-seong

“What were you guys talking about?”

“I was asking this guy what he plans to do now, but he won’t say a word. Frustrating bastard”

Myeong-su said, shaking his head. I turned to look at Hyeon-seong

“You’re taking a break from school, right?”

Hyeon-seong nodded

“Anything you want to do?”

“No, I just want to rest for now”

That was understandable. What thoughts could a guy who’d done nothing but train his whole life, except for a few years of wandering, have?

“Alright, take some time to rest and sort out your thoughts. You can help me with my work”

Hyeon-seong didn’t respond

I wondered what change of heart he was having

Just then, Hyeon-seong’s mother called us

“Come on, food’s ready!”

At those words, everyone got up

Myeong-su and I helped Hyeon-seong to the dining table

“Wow, this smell! It’s the scent of Mom’s love-filled kimchi stew, isn’t it?”

“Stop your sweet talk and hurry up and eat”

After settling Hyeon-seong in a chair, we took our seats

I picked up my spoon and had a taste of the kimchi stew first. It was exactly like the taste I remembered from Hyeon-seong’s house when we were kids

“Whew~ Our mom! You’re killing it! Your skills haven’t dulled at all!”

The enjoyable meal ended as we chatted about our childhood memories

After eating the fruit his mother had peeled for us, I got up from my seat

“Thank you for the meal, Mom”

“Oh my, I’m just happy to cook for you boys after so long”

“I should get going now. You’re heading back down tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, early in the morning…”

Hyeon-seong’s mother trailed off, staring at me intently

“It’s fine, you don’t have to come”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his mother’s preemptive strike before I could even speak

“Don’t be silly. Come down to Busan during your break”

“Yes, Mom. Have a safe trip back”

I bid farewell to his mother as she patted my shoulder, then turned to look at Hyeon-seong

“Think it over carefully. I haven’t changed. I’m still your friend Mu-hyeok”

Hyeon-seong didn’t respond

As I stepped outside, Myeong-su followed and quietly asked

“Did something happen with Hyeon-seong? Why’s he acting like that?”

I had planned to tell him when it was over, but…

After a moment’s hesitation, I told him everything that had happened

“What? It wasn’t an accident, but deliberate? Just because of the national team?”

“Yeah”

“These sons of bitches must be crazy! Is this something a human would do?”

As expected, Myeong-su flew into a rage

“So that’s why Hyeon-seong’s like that? That crazy bastard is talking nonsense. I can’t tell if he’s being stubborn or just stupid. Well, you did the right thing. If we’d been on the receiving end, we should pay them back a hundred, no, a thousand times over. You did absolutely right”

Myeong-su’s reaction was quite different from Hyeon-seong’s

“Remember what happened with that Jinpyo bastard before? What would’ve happened if you didn’t have any power back then? This is Korea, isn’t it? It’s stupid not to use power when you have it”

“Thanks”

“Cut the crap, Kim Mu-hyeok. Since when did youstart watching your step? Do whatever you want. You know what you’re doing. Shit, you’re going to take care of all those bastards, aren’t you?”

Myeong-su added with a snort

“You told me to go to college, so I went. You told me to prepare for the bar exam, so I’m doing it. I trust you. Hyeon-seong probably does too”

I nodded slightly with a faint smile

“I’ll handle that Hyeon-seong bastard. Don’t worry about it and just keep doing what you’ve been doing”

“Alright. Go on in”

“See you later”

“Yeah”

With Myeong-su seeing me off, I got into the car

Manager Ma drove silently towards home

The next night

Manager Ma and I drove along the dark road to the location Park Dong-su had told us about

We were going to catch Jo Hyun-gu, who was hiding in a villa in Taean, Chungcheongnam-do

We parked the car at a spot where the villa was visible in the distance. Park Dong-su and his men were already there waiting

When they saw me, everyone except Park Dong-su bowed their heads in greeting

“Welcome, sir”

“…Mr. Park, you don’t need to do this”

“No, no, we gotta do this right”

Reluctantly nodding, I looked towards the distant villa

“He’s in there?”

“Yeah. Went in yesterday and nobody’s come out since. Looks like there’s about ten young guys with him. Should be easy”

“Then go ahead and push in. I’ll enter once it’s cleared. You don’t need my help, right?”

Park Dong-su chuckled as he spoke

“Little bro! I’m Park Dong-su. Just wait ten minutes”

Park Dong-su split his men between a van and a car

I watched silently as the vehicles moved one by one towards the villa

“Shall we go slowly too?”

“Yes”

Manager Ma and I followed at a distance behind them

By the time we arrived and parked in front of the villa, they had already crashed through the main gate with a car

Loud shouts could be heard from inside

As we waited in the car, Lee Sang-geun approached, covered in blood

“It’s all taken care of. You can go in now”

I put on the hat and mask I had in the car and went inside

In the chaotic living room, Jo Hyun-gu was on his knees with Park Dong-su sitting in a chair

I quietly observed the situation from behind Park Dong-su’s men surrounding the living room

“Brother Hyun-gu, how long has it been? Since that event in Incheon, right?”

“Park Dong-su, you bastard! It was you?”

I couldn’t help but smile a little at his glare towards Park Dong-su, even as he bled

Park Dong-su looked down at him leisurely, resting his chin on his hand

“Look here, brother. Let’s make this easy. Hand over all your shares in Geukseong Construction. Then you can go to the prosecutor’s office in one piece. Sang-geun, you brought the papers, right?”

“Yes, boss”

Lee Sang-geun handed Park Dong-su an envelope, apparently containing a pre-prepared transfer agreement

“Come on, stamp it”

“Are you crazy? What nonsense are you spouting? Why should I hand that over? Park Dong-su, you crazy bastard! Are you in your right mind? Was it Chanseong who set this up?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? Who’s Chanseong? I don’t know what you’re on about. Just hurry up and stamp it”

“…”

When Jo Hyun-gu didn’t respond, Park Dong-su scratched the back of his head in irritation

“Sigh… Brother, if you keep this up, I’ll really have to bring in your family. Is that what you want? Should I make the call? The boys are on standby”

“…Let’s not do that. Let’s talk this out. Just don’t touch my family”

Jo Hyun-gu crumbled rapidly at the mention of his family

Park Dong-su gave a cold smile

“That’s why I said to listen when I was being nice, brother. You want to live the rest of your life limping after getting stomped on by your juniors? Just stamp it”

“Hah…”

Jo Hyun-gu let out a miserable sigh

Seeing him hesitate, Park Dong-su’s face turned fierce

“Sang-geun, the phone”

“Yes, boss”

As Lee Sang-geun took out his phone, Jo Hyun-gu shouted urgently

“I’ll do it! I’ll do it! Where? Where do I stamp?”

At Park Dong-su’s glance, Lee Sang-geun approached Jo Hyun-gu to show him where to stamp

Soon, Lee Sang-geun collected the stamped documents and stood up

“It’s all done”

Jo Hyun-gu stared blankly at the documents being handed to Park Dong-su, looking dejected

After scanning the documents with his eyes, Park Dong-su muttered

“If you embarrass yourself by saying something different at the prosecutor’s office, I’ll really kill all your family members. I’ll take care of your wife’s shares too, so don’t worry about it”

He stretched and stood up, glancing briefly in my direction

I nodded and stepped forward

Jo Hyun-gu, who had been staring at the documents, turned his head at the sound

Thwack!

Caught off guard by a sudden kick to the face, Jo Hyun-gu fell backwards

The blood he spat out stained my sneakers

“…What the fuck!”

Jo Hyun-gu spat out blood-tinged saliva and looked up at me with a dumbfounded expression

Manager Ma stepped forward and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him up

“Manager, we need to send him to the prosecutors. Take it easy”

“Yes, boss”

He quickly became a bloody mess under Manager Ma’s hands

I sat down in the chair in front of Jo Hyun-gu and muttered towards him as he glared at me

“You’re probably thinking you’ll kill all these bastards later, right? If you’re counting on Kim Se-young, don’t bother. You’ll be meeting him in the detention center”

At that, Jo Hyun-gu’s head snapped up

“Everyone connected to you will lose everything because of you. They’ll resent you”

“Who… are you…”

“A friend of someone whose life you ruined. Mr. Park, you can withdraw now. The police and prosecutors will be here soon. I’ll contact you later”

Park Dong-su looked at me and nodded lightly before heading out with his men

The trashed villa quickly fell silent. Only I, Manager Ma, and Jo Hyun-gu remained

“You thought you had it all, didn’t you? Cops, prosecutors, and a friend who’s a ruling party congressman. Even being called the president of a mid-sized company. You must have been so happy”

“Why… are you… doing this… to me…”

He didn’t seem worth talking to anymore

Soon, Jo Hyun-gu slumped down, his face swollen beyond recognition

I didn’t feel satisfied at all

I wasn’t even angry at his lack of will to resist

It just seemed absurd that a guy like this had ruined Hyeon-seong’s life

The silence in the quiet villa was broken by the arrival of police and prosecutors

As they entered the scene, they looked back and forth between me and Jo Hyun-gu, seeming unsure of what to do

Then a young man who had been at the back came forward

Seeing the prosecutor’s ID badge on his chest, he looked like a new prosecutor

“Can we take Jo Hyun-gu now?”

I nodded silently, and the investigators dragged Jo Hyun-gu away. He was half-unconscious as they took him

As everyone left, the prosecutor approached me

“I received word from the Chief Prosecutor. I look forward to working with you”

I bowed at a 90-degree angle and watched his back as he left before standing up

“Let’s go too”

“Yes, boss”

I took one last look at the villa before leaving with Manager Ma and heading back to Seoul

“Manager Ma”

“Yes?”

“You can handle it in the detention center, right?”

“Of course”

“Once everyone connected to Congressman Kim Se-young and Geukseong Construction is caught, quietly handle it as a suicide then”

“Understood”

“I’m going to get some sleep. Wake me up when we arrive”

With those final words, I closed my eyes

The revenge was over, but I just felt empty

For several days, the names of Jo Hyun-gu and Kim Se-young kept appearing in major newspapers and TV news

The opposition party called it a government scandal, targeting the Blue House, while the ruling party drew a line, calling it individual corruption

And Chief Prosecutor Yoon made an impression on the public as an upright prosecutor who didn’t bow to the administration

But those in power all knew the truth… that without the President’s permission, it was absolutely impossible to arrest a ruling party congressman…

And by the time the new year of 1994 dawned, Jo Hyun-gu’s name was no longer on people’s lips