Chapter 96

Chapter 96: Chapter 96

Jina’s voice was heard along with the noise from the opening ceremony of Sola House.

“Sorry. Another veteran reporter is going there to cover it, not me.”

“Why? Are you sick? Did you…”

“I resigned.”

“Really? Good decision. Were you fired? Did you see the article?”

Jina’s voice was strange. She must have smelled a rat, too.

“What are you talking about?”

“You didn’t see the article yet. Let me come to your house right after I get off work this evening. You stay there, okay?”

“What is it?”

“You should never google it, okay?”

She hung up the phone.

“What the heck is it?”

She suddenly got curious.

Do you think I can’t surf the internet if you ask me not to?

She immediately checked out the internet.

The hottest search word on a real-time basis was Soran Cho.

<Second daughter of Sola Electronics’ CEO divorced!>

<She was seen meeting her ex-boyfriend often recently!>

<Soran Cho’s suicide attempt!>

<Soran’s secret trip to France with her ex-boyfriend!>

Most of the articles were written by reporters of the subsidiary papers of Miracle Woman. She was bothered when her editor told her this morning.

Miracle Woman magazine wrote it. Soran’s divorce is a fact anyway.

She couldn’t find out which was right.

Though she tried to think logically, her hands were trembling.

In particular, she couldn’t help but click on the article <Soran’s secret trip to France with her ex-boyfriend!>

What the heck is this article?

Her brief sense of relaxation instantly disappeared. She reminded herself that it didn’t matter as she broke up with him.

Suddenly not only Arum but also the editor and other relevant people received a flurry of calls as well as text messages asking about Soran. Most of them were reporters.

Arum turned off her cell phone and then turned it on again.

I don’t have any reason to avoid their inquiries.

Manager Kyong called her.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m alright. Resigning is not a big deal. I think I’ll be alright after a few days of rest.”

“That’s not my point. Did you see that video on the internet?”

“Who?”

“About you.”

Arum couldn’t understand her point.

“Call me back after you watch it,” said Manager Kyong, hanging up the phone.

Arum surfed the internet again. She clicked on the search word ‘The Woman Who Stormed Soran Cho.’ She couldn’t figure out what it was at all. But one place in the video was familiar to her.

Obviously, she was in front of Hojoon’s house.

She clicked the video.

It contained the video clip of her ugly act before his house on the first day she met Hojoon after she was drunk.

She closed her eyes and spaced out.

Her legs were wobbly when she came out of the police station. After confirming it was her in the video, she called the portal site and asked them not to spread it. Then, she went to the police station in person and reported the leak of the video.

When she was asked about any likely suspect, just one person came to her mind.

“Hojoon Lee, my ex-boyfriend.”

He’d taped it, but she couldn’t figure out who leaked it.

She headed for a hotel instead of her house.

Hojoon might come to her house, and she might have to listen to his excuses.

If he was responsible for the leak, she could not forgive him.

He told me he erased, so how was it leaked?

She could not find out the answer to the question.

When she entered a hotel room and closed the curtain, she was shrouded in total darkness. She curled up on the bed.

Did everyone see that video? Even people who knew me?

She was scared, her heart was beating and she shivered.

Who the hell posted that video?

She was full of resentment, but it was obvious that the woman in the video was herself.

Tears kept falling down her cheeks, no matter how hard she tried to fight them back.

When can I leave this room? Can this video leak case be solved well? Even if this case is solved, can I live in this small land of Korea?

Instead of her cellphone, she used the hotel landline to call her mother in Japan.

She tried to talk with her as naturally as possible as if nothing had happened.

“Mom? How is your life in Japan? I envy you. In fact, I resigned. You wanted me to quit, right? I’m going to travel to Japan first. I’m planning a travel essay book project. Japanese? I can speak some Japanese. I majored in it as my second language in high school. Sure. Tomorrow night? Okay. I’ll see you then. Nothing particular. Got it. I’ll see you then.”

When she hung up the phone, she began to shed tears again.

Though she said she would fly to Japan, she wasn’t sure if she could ever get out of his hotel room. She was scared that someone would recognize.

***

When he was about to head to the opening ceremony of Sola Electronisc, Hojoon checked the video.

It was the video he’d taken.

“What the heck is this?”

“It’s just appeared on the internet portal site.”

Hojoon double-checked the video on his cell phone. He saw ‘Soran Cho’ ‘Soran Cho Divorced’ right after the search word.

And he remembered that he lost his cell phone some time ago. He hastily went to the hospital where Soran was hospitalized after she attempted suicide, and he lost it at that time.

Come to think of it, he didn’t lose it but had his pocket picked.

He drove directly to the headquarters of Sola Electronics and stormed into her office.

“You came?”

As if she was waiting for him, she laughed.

“Did you find my gift interesting?”

“Soran!”

“I didn’t know you thought the world of her!”

“Do you know how mean you are? What did you do?”

“That’s why I told you to look at me only. Only me!”

“Do you know what you have done?”

“Of course I know, Hojoon.”

“You did it knowingly? You’re the worst tramp!”

Soran sneered, “Didn’t you know I was a bitch?”

“You!”

“Don’t you think it’s so unfair if I only feel victimized and unfortunate.”

“You should have got revenge on me with that despicable trick. Why did you do it to her, who had nothing to do with us? What in the world are you doing?”

Hojoon got furious.

“Why doesn’t she have anything to do with you? She is your woman. It wouldn’t be interesting if I do it to you.”

“Do you think the police won’t get you?”

“Nope. I’ve already taken measures. There are many more things I can do with money than I think.”

Hojoon didn’t want to talk any more with her. He didn’t regard her as a human anymore.

“Thanks for helping me forget you forever.”

He left her office.

Soran bit her lip. She felt it was great fun, but she got tired of it.

The moment he closed the door with a bang, she threw away all kinds of stuff.

She couldn’t vent her anger after throwing everything she got her hands on.

She lost his love.

***

Hojoon kept calling Arum, but he couldn’t get through to her.

He headed for her villa.

Bang, bang!

“Arum!”

No matter how hard he knocked on the door, she didn’t open it.

He couldn’t figure out where she went into hiding.

After she called it for the day, Jina raced to a business hotel in Kwnaghwamoon.

Jina was the only friend that Arum could turn to for help. Jina came to her hotel room, carrying lots of stuff in both hands, ranging from a cell phone charger to light snacks.

With only the bedside light on, she greeted Jina in the dark hotel room.

“What the heck is all this?”

“Are you okay?”

“What about today’s open house event?”

“Are you crazy when you’re talking about the event? As soon as the news about Soran Cho broke, I was busy all day long. The event was drastically scaled down. Of course, Soran didn’t come to the event.”

“You must have read that article, right?” asked Arum.

Arum was curious. Jina nodded.

“It looks like somebody took the measure to stop that video from spreading further. I see no more spreading of the video because anybody caught spreading it will be fined. By the way, what happened? Was Hojoon responsible for this?”

“I don’t know.”

Tears welled in Arum’s eyes.

Patting her on the shoulder, Jina hugged her and said, “Why is it so hard for us? Why?”

Jina had to fight back tears while comforting her. Others dated and loved each other so easily. But these two women who were so clumsy in dating held back their sad tears.

“I’m going to go to Tokyo,” said Arum as she stopped sobbing.

“Good decision. This is nothing, and it will pass anyway.”

“Sure. I think it was good that I resigned today. By tomorrow, I would be really ashamed.”