CH 53

“… Mr. Lee Wooyeon!”

“Ah yes.”

“Wooyeon, are you listening? Have you even thought about which method is the best?”

“Well. I’m still thinking about it some more. I will discuss it with the CEO.”

“Okay. So let’s finish it up for today. Because it seems that Lee Wooyeon’s heart is somewhere else.”

Lee Wooyeon smiled and got up from his seat.

Seeing tManager Cha rising from afar, the PD tilted his head, saying, “What’s going on?”

“But where did the manager go? He has big eyes and looks stupid, but he is a good manager.”

“He quit.”

“Really? It’s a shame. He was a friend who was good at work and seemed sincere. Give me his contact information. I have an idea, I have to ask him to come and work at our company.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Is that so? Why? Are you sad that he suddenly quit so you don’t want him to work somewhere else?”

“Ha ha ha ha ha. No way.”

Lee Wooyeon smiled cheerfully and greeted director Kim. When Inseop said he was quitting and left, manager Cha accepted the job as his manager with a face like an old man carrying death on his back.

It was a company that wouldn’t change much if one person left. For the time being, even if it was not Manager Cha, he’ll just have to take someone temporarily and let them drive him.

When Choi Inseop said that he was quitting his job abruptly, CEO Kim or Manager Cha looked a little surprised at first, but said that they saw it coming. They had no doubt that Inseop quit his job because Lee Wooyeon had done something behind the scenes.

It was Lee Wooyeon who was the most shocked on the spot.

It was as if the sparrow he was holding in his hand suddenly bit off the back of his hand and flew off to a branch.

“After treating that person with kindness…”

Lee Wooyeon knew early on that Choi Inseop was not the same person as Choi Inseop on the paper. Either way, he didn’t say anything to CEO Kim because he thought it had nothing to do with changing him anyway.

It was the day that Inseop called him Phillip that changed his mind. Lee Wooyeon mobilized his connections to investigate who Choi Inseop was, who was the manager now. Not long after, he got a very annoying phone call. They said that no one could be found in Korea that matches the photo he sent. Lee Wooyeon hung up the phone asking for acceptable results.

And yesterday, while having sex for a long time, he got the result quickly. Thinking that there was nothing in the world that can’t be done with money, he looked at Inseop’s personal information in the envelope. If he had put his mind to it, he would have been able to find out about this easily, but it was clear that CEO Kim was a fucking idiot when it came to hiring people. Even if a person like Kim Haeshin came in to become a manager, he would readily accept her.

First, he went to the office to talk with CEO Kim, and he saw the back of a head going into the elevator, which he had seen a lot. Lee Wooyeon stopped the elevator and went up to the office with Inseop.

There, Lee Wooyeon made the last suggestion. Inseop looked very surprised. Lee Wooyeon thought that Inseop would naturally accept his proposal.

However, the answer that came out of Choi Inseop’s mouth was like smashing Lee Wooyeon on the back of the head and splitting it in half.

Choi Inseop, who acted as if he would never quit his job as a manager even if the earth was halfway, uttered the words of quitting too casually. The way he said it was so natural that at first, Lee Wooyeon even wondered if he had heard it wrong. CEO Kim tried to stop him suddenly, but Inseop expressed his intention to quit so firmly that it was as if he was hiding such a knife-like personality.

He even got rid of Kang Youngmo, who was bothering him, and put up with the fact that he got drunk and flirted with him, but suddenly he backstabbed him like this.

As he thought about it as he walked to the parking lot, Lee Wooyeon felt his anger rising. In practical terms, there was no loss to Lee Wooyeon. He was a one-time use manager, so it was enough to get someone else.

But he felt like he was losing money.

He smiled and asked to shake hands, but inwardly, he thought about breaking one of his wrists.

“I thought I would break it…”

Lee Wooyeon mumbled and got into the car, and Manager Cha turned around asking if he said something. The moment he saw the bearded face, Lee Wooyeon became irritated for some reason.

“I didn’t say anything to you”

“… okay. Did you finish talking to him well?”

“No. It’s fucking over.”

“…  Where should I go now?”

“The manager has to take care of that, so how should I know?”

Manager Cha sighed deeply, took his cell phone out of his pocket and called the office. After talking to the staff in charge of the schedule, he looked at Lee Wooyeon.

“Is there no schedule after this?”

“Who said that?”

“… … .”

Manager Cha, remembering the face of CEO Kim who was crying and clinging to him telling what it means to be a good friend, gritted his teeth gently.

“Then go home.”

He started the car and slowly made his way out of the parking lot. Lee Wooyeon sat with his arms crossed and looked out the window.

Disliking the harsh silence, Manager Cha turned on the radio and opened the window. As the wind, which had now become quite cool, breezed into the van, the unpleasant feeling seemed to be relieved a little, so the manager hummed. But the hum didn’t last even a single verse.

“It’s fucking loud.”

“… ”

“Turn off the radio too.”

“…”

Motherfucker. He was really unlucky.

Manager Cha swallowed the fireball inside and turned off the radio. Again, the inside of the car was filled with a harsh silence that seemed to have swallowed them.

Manger Cha came up with regrets about his life as to why he was doing this at this age. The moment he saw the post-it that Choi Inseop had written on his to-do list next to the driver’s seat, manager Cha was moved by the gentleness of Inseop.

He opened his mouth and spoke to Lee Wooyeon.

“I mean, I wasn’t going to say this…”

“If you don’t want to say it, don’t say it.”

“… … .No, I still have to say it. You need to change your character. I wonder if Choi Inseop quit and left because of that.”

“… … .”

Seeing Lee Wooyeon shutting his mouth, Manager Cha asked whether that was true.

“I pretended to be nice to Inseop, and asked him to sign a three-year contract, and you’re saying I bullied him behind the scenes, but look. In the end, even that good Inseop quits and leaves. The CEO will call me later and tell me again, but in the end, no matter who you bring … ”

“Ah! Whoa!”

“… !”

When Lee Wooyeon slammed the car glass with his elbow, the glass in the back seat cracked with a popping sound. Lee Wooyeon smashed the car glass several more times with his fists one after another, as if that would relieve his anger. Manager Cha wondered how the car that was running next to them was reacting, so he opened the car door and checked the van. Manager Cha began to contemplate on whether or not to jump out of the driver’s seat.

“Hey, Lee Wooyeon… . People are outside… ”

“What about them?”

“… ”

“The nice Choi Inseop didn’t like it, so he left, but what do you want me to do?”

“Yeah, so it wasn’t that you were trying to get him out … ?”

“What a masterpiece. Fuck, that bastard did that and I tried to close my eyes.”

“What, what did you close your eyes for?”

“It’s fine. Cause it’s all over Drive straight ahead.”

Lee Wooyeon sat down with his arm crossed again.

His profile was as beautiful and elegant as a picture, but he never knew when he would turn into a vicious monster.

A gentle spring breeze blew in through the cracked glass. However, Cha took off his shirt and drove the car, feeling like a dog pulling a sled in the middle of the North Pole.

It was with one phone call from CEO Kim that the thin ice plate was broken.

[Lee Wooyeon. If you see this text, please contact me.]

[Lee Wooyeon, please call me when you see this text message.]

[Hey, you fucking bastard! Are you planning to fuck me over?]

[Please, Lee Wooyeon. Please, please, please.]

[Right now, as you said, I applied for an embargo to put the news on hold, but don’t you think I should explain the situation!!!]

[Lee Wooyeon, fuck you… If I don’t kill you today, I’m going to change my last name!!]

[Lee Wooyeon, please. Please give me a call.]

[Wooyeon! Wooyeon, Wooyeon!!!!!!!]

Since then, dozens of text messages from CEO Kim have continued. Lee Wooyeon roughly checked the text, turned off the phone, and put it back in his pocket. A man’s screams was heard behind him.

“Don’t cry.”

Lee Wooyeon spoke kindly and threw the tissue he got at the gas station into the back seat.

“If you get blood stains on it, it won’t come off well, so please clean it yourself.”

As soon as Wooyeon said that, the man began to frantically wipe the blood-stained leather seat with a tissue. Lee Wooyeon laughed softly. Holding a cigarette in one hand and turning the steering wheel, he stepped on the accelerator. The Ferrari borrowed from CEO Kim made a heavy sound and moved forward.

A car passed slowly sideways. Horns were honking at the Ferrari, which was zigzagging in all directions, as if it was doing acrobatics. The man behind him groaned and clasped his head with his palms.

“You won’t die. People don’t die that easily.”

Lee Wooyeon spoke in a light tone, opened the window and flicked off the cigarette ashes. A great roar echoed in his ears due to the speed of the car. As the glass of the car slowly moved upward, he heard the cry of the man sitting behind him again.

“Shut up before I rip your mouth open. I don’t want to hear you bastard squeal.”

Lee Wooyeon said firmly. The man nodded his head and said in a trembling voice, begging for help.

“Who said I was going to kill you? We’ve already finished talking.”

“But… that….”

Lee Wooyeon suddenly turned the steering wheel. Smoke was rising from the wheels of the Ferrari due to the sudden stop. Lee Wooyeon, who stopped the car, turned back from the driver’s seat.

When the man sitting behind him met his eyes, he trembled and put his hands together asking him to save his life.

“I said you would save you.”

“…Save me, please… ”

“Okay. But you have to do what I said.”

“But… then I…”

Lee Wooyeon said it wasn’t a big deal and shook his head as if annoyed. Holding the steering wheel in one hand, he thought for a moment, and then he said in a very relaxed tone.

“I’m going to bring your older brother who I hung up on the mountain before, and I’m going to hang you upside down again. You won the rock, paper, scissors and so I brought you back, but I think your brother will do better. By the way, when I hang you on the top of the mountain this time, I will only remember roughly where it is.”

Lee Wooyeon tapped his temple with his finger and said. In the dark car, whenever his white teeth could be seen, the man trembled like a leaf.

“I’ll just remember it roughly, so even after your brother does his job properly, it will take some time for me to find you. Do you understand what I mean?”

“… let me live please. Help me.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, soI’ll have to hang you somewhere around here.”

When Lee Wooyeon grabbed the steering wheel to turn the car, the man shouted.

“No. No. I’ll do everything you tell me. I’ll do it all, please, just that, please…”

The man, who had just been rescued from hell an hour ago, bowed his head, saying that he would do anything Lee Wooyeon told him to do.

“Then say it again. Who hit Kang Youngmo?”

“It’s me and my brother.”

“Why did you hit him?”

“Because I don’t want to see celebrities…  I just did it because I didn’t like seeing people making money and messing around on TV… I did it. I’ve done it to Lee Wooyeon in the past, but it feels good to tell people that I made him that way, so I want to hit a more famous person… ”

“Why are you confessing?”

“My, my brother said he was innocent…The two of us were fighting, and my older brother was going to report me, so the person who fights and confesses first gets a lighter sentence…”

As Lee Wooyeon taught, the man continued his confession by stuttering.

“Okay. You don’t have an alibi, it’s perfect.”

“… ”

“You’re upset? Because you didn’t do it, but you have to confess?”

“… ”

The man covered his face with both hands and said yes in a crawling voice. Lee Wooyeon burst into laughter like a crazy person.

“Hahahaha, what are you talking about? Hahahahaha.”

Whenever Lee Wooyeon’s laughter grew louder, the man shrugged his shoulders and pulled back. But in the narrow car, there was nowhere to back off.

He thought it was a dream and pinched his thigh several times, but to no avail. There was no nightmare like this.

He drank makgeolli in the morning with the daily allowance he had received a few days ago, and Lim hyung was sleeping, heavily drunk. The nightmare started when a man came to their single room without knocking. It took him a while to realize that someone had entered the room as he was drunk. By the time he felt something strange, he had already lost consciousness after a strong punch in his face.

When he regained consciousness, Lim Hyung realized that they had been dragged into the forest. Also the fact that the man who dragged them was the same guy who they had hit and pushed into the lake before.

The neat-looking man was holding a shovel in one hand. Wearing a high-quality suit, his expression was extremely gentle, and even though his hands and feet were tied, he did not feel a sense of crisis. Like an actor – later he heard that he was actually an actor – in a gentle voice he said he would make him regret being born. Lim hyung, who has been through all kinds of hardships in his life, laughed at the words of a man who had never experienced hardship.

But that smirk didn’t last a minute, and it turned into a terrifying astonishment.

If there was a demon in human disguise, it would have a face like that.

The man smiled and beat up two people to death with a shovel. The man did not bat an eyelid even when he saw that his legs were broken and his knee was torn out. That’s what he thought when the grinning man cut off the second knuckle of his brother with the tip of a shovel.

There was no use in crying out, ‘Why the hell are you doing this, and why are you doing this now?’ He used a shovel to cut off the tattered fingertips of his older brother, which had not been properly cut.

The two screamed in fright. But there was no one to hear the sound from the hills and save them.

The man told them to choose. Will you be buried in the mountains or will you be hung on a tree? Getting buried sounder better, but after seeing the side profile of the man that muttered, the face no longer looked kind.

When he began to bow his head and beg for his life to be spared, the man said with a smile that he would now understand.

When he saw hope that he could live, Lim hyung frantically clung to the man.

‘Just let live. I will do anything, I will do anything if you spare my life.’

The man told him to pay for his crime.

‘Wha, what’s the crime?’

‘The penalty for killing me.’

‘That’s…  but not, not dead but alive!’

He said so, holding his bloody finger. But the man didn’t seem to like the answer. Seeing that he smashed his brother in the face with a shovel.

The older brother, who had a broken nose bone, fell to the floor with a strange sound. The man spoke in a firm but soft tone.

‘At that point, I was dead. So you have to pay for your sins. There are other people who saved me, so that’s not your problem.’

The man was asked to choose whether to pay for his crimes legally or privately here. Lim hyung, who knew the hidden meaning of the word “paying for his sins privately,” had no choice but to reply that he would pay it legally.

As a result, Lee Wooyeon was driving on the highway with the older brother hanging from a tree and the younger brother in the car.

“Ha ha ha ha ha. You are really fun people.”

Lee Wooyeon, who had been smiling for a while, stopped laughing. The difference in that bizarre change made the man feel his heart froze with fear.

“You are both murderers. Because I died once.”

“…”

“Obviously, you made a choice and I brought you here. If you are sad, tell me. I’ll take you back to the mountain right now.”

“Oh, no. No. I will pay for my sins.”

The man put his blood-stained hands together and bowed his head.

“I like that. Then we will be on our way.”

Lee Wooyeon straightened his body. To the man trembling behind him, he said another thing.

“If you have other thoughts or want to run away, you better quit.”

“I, I am not thinking of that!”

“Okay. You made the right decision. What will you do when you run away? You’ll be caught again wherever you go anyway. It’s better to come out cleanly and start a new life than to live your whole life trembling about when I’ll come to catch you, and then get caught again and be buried.”

Lee Wooyeon smiled and continued.

“Don’t even think about saying anything at the police station. Even if it’s not me, there are many people that can catch you and destroy you.”

“Ugh…”

“Let’s go.”

Lee Wooyeon stepped on the accelerator. The red Ferrari started running again, making a heavy engine noise.

“If Lee Wooyeon comes, I will kill him.”

“… kill him. Be sure to kill him. Kill him twice, no, kill him three times.”

“Really, if I don’t kill him, I’ll have my hands full… so just come. I really won’t let you go!”

CEO Kim screamed and collapsed on the sofa. This morning he got a call from the director of the entertainment department of M Company. Kim Haeshin was preparing an article, but the content was not serious. Reporter Kim Haeshin, who visited Kang Youngmo, who had just been able to speak, showed him a picture of Lee Wooyeon from a nearby CCTV and asked him to check if there was anything strange. ‘You may not remember the culprit, but if you think about it, he was dressed like this, wasn’t he? You won’t be able to see who this person is from a distance, but didn’t you feel like this is the culprit?’ She persistently planted a connection between Lee Wooyeon and the criminal in Kang Youngmo’s mind, and eventually drew an answer from Kang Youngmo saying that a man with a physique similar to Lee Wooyeon attacked him. She said that it was strange that the person who reported to the police used a payphone and made a call, and said that she had an interview with a man who was believed to have made the call. Obviously, the reporter had a close relationship with the criminal, so he accidentally saw the scene and reported it, but the article ended with the statement that he could not proceed. And the director said that there was a CCTV picture that looked like Lee Wooyeon. The problem is that there is a file of an interview of Kim Haeshin with a man who has a voice that is very similar to the reporter, and today Kim Haeshin said that she would finish the article and publish it after the interview.

When he heard this story, CEO Kim’s head went blank. he called manager Cha and Lee Wooyeon and yelled at them to come back to the office quickly. After hearing the explanation at the office, Lee Wooyeon tried to stand up from his seat, saying okay, with an expression like it was no big deal. However, after hearing the voice in the file that CEO Kim had heard, his expression hardened.

Usually, the reporter’s voice was legally protected and goes through voice alteration when it goes on air, so nobody cared about it.

‘This… Isn’t it similar to Mr. Inseop’s voice?’ As Manager Cha said cautiously, CEO Kim said, “Yeah,” and nodded.

Lee Wooyeon remembered that Choi Inseop returned home with the key that day, and manager Cha showed up very late, waiting for him the next day.

Why did Choi Inseop, who was so meticulous, who wrote everything down in his notebook, didn’t come back that day, even though he took the key with him? In fact, after returning, he might have returned without leaving the key.

Lee Wooyeon’s eyes gradually darkened.

CEO Kim, who felt  that the atmosphere was unusual, tried to call Choi Inseop. Lee Wooyeon stopped him. If Choi Inseop knows something, it’s no use calling him now.

Then, to CEO Kim, who was screaming what to do, Lee Wooyeon asked him to give him only six hours.

‘I’ll get everything sorted out in six hours, so apply for an embargo.’

Having said that, Lee Wooyeon searched the office warehouse, found a rope and a shovel, and put it in his bag. To CEO Kim, who was thinking about what he was going to do with it, Lee Wooyeon asked to borrow his fastest car.

“Are you crazy, are you crazy?” CEO Kim shouted like a whale, but Lee Wooyeon told him to shut up and asked for the car key with a smile on his face.

That was the reason why he waited eight hours for Lee Wooyeon, who took a shovel and borrowed a Ferrari.

He applied for an embargo, but he didn’t know how long it would work. Unless Kim Haeshin brought something far greater than the story she was going to expose, Lee Wooyeon was over.

“Is it only for Lee Wooyeon? Shit, but is it over? Our company is going public next week, so what do you think?”

CEO Kim jumped up again and vomited his anger as he walked around the room.

“I shouldn’t have taken him in. Black-haired beasts should not be taken in recklessly, but I’m crazy. I’m possessed by that shiny face, oh my gosh, I’m crazy.”

“Now, there is no use in regretting what happened years ago. Let’s just turn ourselves in first.”

Manager Cha came up with the most realistic alternative.

“Surrender? That bastard, I’ll turn myself in to see if that bastard was right! I’m sure he ran away in my Ferrari. You crazy asshole, my Ferrari! My Ferrari! My Ferrari that I haven’t ridden even 10 times yet!”

“Your Ferrari is here.”

CEO Kim snatched the car key flying from behind his back in the air.

“Hey, Lee Wooyeon?!”

“I’m late. It suddenly rained.”

Lee Wooyeon said as she shook off the water that had fallen on his clothes. CEO Kim grunted as if he was about to run out of breath and grabbed his clothes.

“Where were you and what are you doing now? Huh?! And where did you go and what did you do… What is this, blood?”

CEO Kim became pale as he saw the blood on the end of Lee Wooyeon’s suit sleeve.

“Don;t worry. It’s not my blood.”

“Hey! This! You bastard! It’s not your blood, that’s why I’m worried!!!!”

When CEO Kim collapsed by grabbing the back of his neck, manager Cha quickly approached him and supported him.

“CEO. Then, before you kill Lee Wooyeon, the CEO will die first.”

“Hey, Manager Cha, him, kill him.”

“The president has to kill him.”

“I don’t know. You bastard, someone please kill him!”

Lee Wooyeon made a disappointing expression and folded his arms.

“You’re too much. To those who have been working hard to solve the case.”

“Solve? What are you trying to do? In the first place, you didn’t know Kang Youngmo … this wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t hit him!”

Even in the midst of yelling in anger, CEO Kim himself adjusted the volume of his voice. Lee Wooyeon took off the jacket he was wearing, threw it on the sofa, and began to untie his tie.

“What are you doing?”

“Changing my clothes. Do you have one more suit here?”

“… I only have the mourning clothes you borrowed last time.”

“That’s fine.”

Having said that, Lee Wooyeon took off his shirt and threw away the pants he was wearing. No matter how manly he was, he had no hesitation in wearing a brief. Wearing a hanging black suit, Lee Wooyeon spoke with an unconcerned face.

“Call Kim Ha-shin and tell her to go and do exclusive coverage of the culprit who hit Kang Youngmo in the head, because he is now at the Gangnam Police Station.”

“What?”

“The culprit has been caught. No, he didn’t get caught, but he went to confess.”

“Wha, what are you talking about? Are you going to confess? In,in mourning clothes?!”

If that was the case, the situation in which Lee Wooyeon was wearing a black suit made sense. However, Lee Wooyeon, who heard the words of Manager Cha, put on a serious expression, asking what he meant.

“Why me? When did I say I hit Kang Youngmo?”

“… … .”

“… … . … … .”

You did it you bad bastard.

When the two looked at each other with strange eyes, Lee Wooyeon said with an innocent face which had no shame in it.

“There is no evidence. You can’t do that to someone who doesn’t have proof.”

“… … .”

“The criminal went on his own feet to confess, so contact Kim Haeshin. It will be the best scoop.”

“Who is the culprit?”

“From that time, it was the Korean-Chinese who smashed my head in Gangwon-do and threw me into the lake.”

“… … .”

“Hahahahaha. They said that they hit Kang Youngmo’s head like that. It’s such a coincidence that it seems like a lie. Oh right. Later, when the police call to investigate what happened before that, just tell the truth as it is. That’s what happened then.”

“… … What did you do to those Koreans?”

Recalling the blood stains on the cuffs, CEO Kim barely asked.

“You haven’t done anything yet?”

“… … .”

“Anyway, I am so glad that the culprit has been caught. It’s just that he’s ready to confess.”

While looking in the mirror and wearing a tie, Lee Wooyeon opened his eyes slenderly and smiled. It was such a pretty smile that it would be enough to exclaim that it was a really beautiful smile if someone was watching the scene right now and muted the sound.

However, it was only a creepy smile to CEO Kim and Manager Cha, who had to listen to all of Lee Wooyeon’s rotten words in an enclosed space.

“If that bastard with Kim Haeshin is that one now, he’ll shut his mouth for a while.”

“Wh, what if someone hears you, haha… please be careful.”

“Do I look like I’m going to talk prettily in this situation?”

“What the hell is wrong with you and Kim Haeshin? Have you ever touched her? I wonder if she is doing this with a grudge.”

“Who touches whom? Even if you give me a bitch like that, I won’t eat it.”

“… … .”

Someone shut his dirty mouth. up

CEO Kim glared at Lee Wooyeon with an expression that looked like he was about to collapse at any moment.

“Lend me a car. This time, something hard to notice.”

“Which car is inconspicuous among my cars! There is no such car!”

It was CEO Kim, who had already suffered a lot with the Ferrari. Of course, the most comfortable car he had was the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, so his words were not entirely false.

“Get in my car.”

Manager Cha took the car key out of his pocket and threw it at Lee Wooyeon. Lee Wooyeon took it and put it in his pocket and winked. At the look that he gave him, which looked like it was straight out of an ad, goosebumps began to appear. Manager Cha wiped his sweaty palms on his clothes.

“Where are you going… ”

CEO Kim, who did not have the energy to be angry now, asked with a gloomy expression. Lee Wooyeon answered, wiping his ruffled hair with his hand.

“To the person who I think knows me best in the world. I don’t think he knows the most important thing yet.”

After speaking, Lee Wooyeon put on a black mourning jacket and left the office before CEO Kim caught him.