Big Life

Chapter 154: Tremble in Fear (13)

“You can wrap it up neatly, right?”

“Please’ don’t worry, President. I’ve even taken care of the CCTV.”

Department Head Kim replied, with his hands gathered in front of him. Inwardly, he thought to himself, ‘How many times have I dealt with such situations now?’

“What kind of petty security guard is that? How come he has no sense of association at all?” the president fussed. He was MPC Group’s President and Chairman, Jung Woo-Hyuk. He had just passed sixty, but his rough and rugged personality from his youth was still there.

“Is it that difficult to apologize after doing something wrong? They already got beaten up for it as well."

Jung Woo-Hyuk was currently at a luxury salon that he frequented. Ladies in smart-looking dresses flanked him on the seat.

As one of the ladies offered him a plate of accompaniment, Jung Woo-Hyuk said, "I offered to pay for his drink and let things go, but how dare he reject and report me! Department Head Kim, does that make any sense?"

"That's right. I find it ridiculous, too."

"That darn bastard. That's why he's still a security guard at his age. Ah, I'm tired."

MPC Group was a local Korean restaurant corporation. They were also listed on KOSDAQ, with a market capitalization of over 240 billion won. They were most known for their pizza franchise, Master Pizza.

Jung Woo-Hyuk pointed his finger at Department Head Kim and said, "Anyway, make sure you set things straight and make sure that what happened won’t affect me or the company."

"Yes, President. You know me."

"Why are you standing there? Sit down and have a drink."

"Thank you. Let me pour you a glass."

Feeling relieved, Jung Woo-Hyuk accepted the glass of drink. Soon, the room rumbled with excitement and laughter.

***

"He got hit twice."

"Where?"

"On the face…." Ha Jae-In swallowed her tears, her nose tingling. But her puffy eyes were soon filled with tears again.

"How did he get hit in the face?"

"At first, it was just a punch, but he's not sure if the second was a punch or a slap. He just said that he got hit twice."

Ha Jae-Gun felt like going crazy. He was on a test drive with Lee Yeon-Woo when Ha Jae-In called him urgently. Thankfully, Lee Yeon-Woo was the one driving instead of him. If he had heard such news while driving, he could have gotten into an accident himself.

"When did he start working there?" Ha Jae-Gun asked in a low tone.

He had no idea that his father had started working as a building security guard. The incident that started it all wasn’t really that big of a deal. It was time for his father to close the doors, and he closed them as instructed.

However, the President of MPC Group was still in the restaurant located in the building. The president called the management office, and his father hurried back to open the doors for him.

The interval between Ha Suk-Jae’s closing the doors of the building to the management office’s call was just a few minutes, but the President of the MPC Group grabbed Ha Suk-Hae by the collar and struck him twice in the face.

"I'm asking you. When did he start working again?" Ha Jae-Gun asked once more with a look of deep resentment. His low growl sounded like a beast, making Ha Jae-In flinch in fear. She had always thought that she knew her own brother like the back of her hand, but she felt that she had been mistaken.

"I-it's been a while. He said he was bored staying at home, so…"

"Why did you not tell me?"

"He made me not tell you. He knew you'd hate it—"

"Of course, I would hate it"

"Sorry, sorry, Jae-Gun…! I never thought that something like this would happen, sob…!" Ha Jae-In buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

Ha Jae-Gun looked up at the ceiling. The anger in his heart felt like it was going to explode anytime soon.

His father's injuries weren't that serious, but it would still take around two weeks for him to fully recover. As there were only tears around his mouth, he didn’t have to go to a hospital to receive treatment.

However, Ha Jae-Gun didn't think that was at all fortunate. His father got hit for no reason at all.

His father had been living all his life abiding by the rules, putting his family first. He was the type that found even spending a thousand won on himself a waste of money.

How dare someone lay their hands on his father? His father was supposed to be living a comfortable life now that he was about to step into retirement, but his father actually found work and got beaten up for no reason at all.

Ha Jae-Gun was furious about everything. He felt like he could finally understand the true meaning of the words murderous intent. His two fists were clenched and were trembling in anger.

"J-Jae-Gun…"

Ha Jae-Gun shot up from his seat. He went up to the second floor to where his parents' room was located. Ha Jae-In couldn’t stop him at all.

"Father, are you in?" Ha Jae-Gun asked and rapped on the door.

Hearing not a single response, Ha Jae-Gun grabbed the doorknob and said, “I’m going in.”

Ha Jae-Gun opened the door slowly. His father was sitting with his back facing him.

The sight of his father’s tiny back made Ha Jae-Gun feel like crying.

“Have you had dinner, Father?”

“Yes.”

Ha Jae-Gun nodded, and then he mustered the calmest tone of voice possible and said, “I see. You did a great job getting a medical certificate and reporting the incident. You did great.”

“...” Ha Suk-Jae didn’t respond. He also didn’t turn around to look at Ha Jae-Gun. He remained sitting in a cross-legged position.

Ha Jae-Gun suppressed the words he very much wanted to say. He was able to understand the pain his father was going through, who found it hard to face his own son. Instead, Ha Jae-Gun said something else.

“I’ll be staying here for the time being, so don’t be worried about anything else. I’ll handle the rest, Father.”

“You should continue working. How can you concentrate here?”

Tears eventually welled up in Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes, and he burst into a chuckle.

Despite getting hurt himself, his father was still worried about Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun concealed his pain and replied indifferently, “I have a room, and I brought my laptop along. Plus, this is originally my house, too. There’s no way I’d feel uncomfortable here.”

“Okay…”

“Please rest well then,” said Ha Jae-Gun.

He retreated and was about to close the door when his father called out to him. “Ha Jae-Gun.”

“Yes, Father.”

“I apologize. I’m sorry.”

“...!”

Ha Jae-Gun shut his eyes. He closed the door behind him and left. His father shouldn’t have said that. Ha Jae-Gun decided to pretend that he hadn’t heard it.

***

— Something happened at home, so I don’t think I’ll be able to attend the planning meeting three days later. I called to apologize personally.

“Ahh, I see…” Nam Gyu-Ho replied as his eyes twitched. One of his eyes would always twitch whenever he was annoyed.

— I was just going to make sure that the final chapter of the scenario was well-made, anyway. I’m sure you and the planning team have done a great job.

“Yes, but as I’ve mentioned before, it’s a meaningful day, and I’d like to have dinner with you, Writer Ha. I wanted to bring you to a good restaurant, and the team is looking forward to it as well. It’s slightly disappointing to hear that you can’t make it.”

— I’m thankful just hearing about it. Let’s treat it as if I had enjoyed a great dinner with you.

It seemed that Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t be persuaded. Nam Gyu-Ho decided to give up and let out a small sigh. He nodded to himself before asking out of courtesy, “I’m worried about what you said. I hope it’s not something huge.”

— Yes, it’s fine.

“I understand. I hope it’ll get resolved soon. Let’s reschedule another meeting next time.”

— Thank you. I’ll be contacting you again in the future.

Nam Gyu-Ho put down his phone after the call. He loosed his necktie and mumbled, “Ah, seriously. This Jae-Gun, I’m really not fond of him.”

Nam Gyu-Ho tapped his finger on the table, lost in his thoughts. He suspected that something huge had to have happened back at home.

‘If it was something so serious that he had to call and apologize to me personally… Something feels off.’

If Ha Jae-Gun had said that something had cropped up, Nam Gyu-Ho wouldn’t have been so concerned about it. However, Ha Jae-Gun mentioned that something had happened at home, and Ha Jae-In was part of it.

‘It’s bothering me… bothering… it’s bothering me a lot…’

Nam Gyu-Ho tilted his head sideways and paced around his office mindlessly. He suddenly looked at the time and found that it was ten minutes before noon.

Most of the employees had to have already left the office for lunch.

‘I don’t have another motive for looking for him.’ Persuading himself, Nam Gyu-Ho picked up his phone and wallet. ‘Ha Jae-Gun is the author of the original work for our game. I have to take good care of him. I have to be worried and look out for him. He didn’t spell it out, so I need to look for his family. It’s just an extension of my job.’

Chauffeur Kim was summoned, and Nam Gyu-Ho immediately headed for the car park. Chauffeur Kim opened the door for Nam Gyu-Ho, who sat in the back passenger seat.

“I’m sorry for calling you back after asking you to rest,” Nam Gyu-Ho said.

“No, it’s my job,” Chauffeur Kim replied with a smile.

It had been four years, and he hadn’t been treated unfairly while working as Nam Gyu-Ho’s chauffeur. Nam Gyu-Ho had actually been taking great care of him. If he could choose, he would love to continue working as Nam Gyu-Ho’s chauffeur for the rest of his life.

“Where are we going, Director?”

“To Suwon.”

“I understand.”

Chauffeur Kim was quick-witted. He didn’t ask for a specific location, and he didn’t write any address to the navigator. He started the car and grabbed the steering wheel before stepping on the accelerator.

“The traffic is smooth, I think we should arrive in forty minutes.”

“Alright. Then let’s grab some gifts on the way there. Wasn’t there a bakery near the academy?”

“Yes, there is. I think some bread is good.”

Nam Gyu-Ho soon arrived at his destination without delay and entered the building with a large bag of handmade bread. He felt happy as soon as he saw the sign—Jae-In Academy—on the second floor.

“Hmm, is anyone in?” Nam Gyu-Ho opened the door and asked. Oddly enough, the lights were off.

‘But the door is open.’ Nam Gyu-Ho stood blankly in the middle of the reception area.

Just then, Ha Jae-In stepped out of the toilet in the corridor outside.

She saw Nam Gyu-Ho and muttered, “Director?”

“Ah, Principal. Hello.” Nam Gyu-Ho spun around immediately and greeted.

He was worried that she wasn’t around, so he was happy to see her.

“Why are you here? Ah, I’m sorry, let me turn on the lights.”

Ha Jae-In quickly turned on the lights in the reception area. Nam Gyu-Ho looked around the quiet academy and asked, “Is it a rest day for the academy today?”

“Yes… Something happened at home, so I decided to make up for three classes that had to close. I came back to take a few things so…. Oh, would you like some coffee?”

“Yes, please. Please have these later.”

“Ah, please don’t buy things every time you visit. Thank you, Director. Please have a seat.”

Ha Jae-In made a cup of coffee and placed it on the table.

“...?”

Nam Gyu-Ho took the coffee and took a look at Ha Jae-In. She didn’t look energetic like usual. Her grim face looked quite similar to a sick person.

“Did something happen?” Nam Gyu-Ho recalled his conversation with Ha Jae-Gun earlier. His gut was telling him that something huge had happened to Ha Jae-Gun’s family.

“I was on the phone with Writer Ha Jae-Gun earlier. He said something happened at home, and he will be unable to attend the meeting. Ms. Jae-In—no, Principal’s face doesn’t look good either.”

“Thank you for your concern, but it’s nothing much.”

Nam Gyu-Ho noticed something and added, “I don’t think it’s nothing much, so I decided to ask you.”

“...”

“Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s words made it feel like it wasn’t a small issue. He sounded quite grim.” Nam Gyu-Ho lied, trying to get the truth out of Ha Jae-In.

Actually, Ha Jae-Gun’s voice sounded as polite and as calm as usual.

“I hope you’ll share with me and not think that I’m just poking my nose into your family’s business. Writer Ha Jae-Gun is extremely important to us at Nextion. It’s natural for me to show concern and ask.”

“Um… Actually…” Ha Jae-In had been twiddling her fingers for a while and finally decided to confess.

Nam Gyu-Ho’s expression remained the same as he listened to her in silence.

“There was nothing on the CCTV… and the other party only said that it was just an argument and claimed they knew nothing of my father’s injuries…”

“They’re covering it up, huh? I understand.” Nam Gyu-Ho said and smiled momentarily. He took a sip of his cold coffee and stood up. “The truth will always prevail. Please do not worry too much, and wait for the time being.”

“...Thank you for your words.”

“You haven’t had lunch, right? I’ve been starving since morning. Even if you have no appetite, I’d appreciate it if you could join me for lunch.”

Ha Jae-In frowned and nodded with a smile. She appreciated Nam Gyu-Ho showing his concern and stood up as well.

“You’ve come all the way here, so of course, I should; shall we go back to that same restaurant?”

“Sure. The food there was great.”

After they got a table at the restaurant, Nam Gyu-Ho excused himself to the toilet and stepped out. His smile he had kept on for Ha Jae-In had disappeared without a trace. He took out his phone and made a speed-dial call.

— Hello, Director.

“Department Head Ko, I’ve got a favor to ask.”

— Please don’t say that. What is it?

The man sounded energetic. He was Nam Gyu-Ho’s subordinate, but he wasn’t Nextion’s employee.

“It’s about MPC’s Jung Woo-Hyuk…”

Nam Gyu-Ho stole a glance at Ha Jae-In in the restaurant while explaining.

Department Head Ko soon replied.

— I’ll do my best. I’ll look through all the black boxes of the cars parked nearby first, and I’ll give you a report as soon as possible.

“I’ll leave it to you then.”

— Yes, Director.

Nam Gyu-Ho ended the call and smiled bitterly. Jung Woo-Hyuk’s character wasn’t news to him. Jung Woo-Hyuk would trample on the weak and portray himself as weak before the strong. Putting it nicely, he was a smart person, and putting it badly, he was a despicable snake.

“The chairman’s brain had turned into dough after making pizza for too long. He has no idea just how dangerous the world has become. He ended up messing with the wrong people,” Nam Gyu-Ho mumbled and turned around.

A gentle expression found its way back on his face as he looked at Ha Jae-In.

Nam Gyu-Ho received Department Head Ko’s report on that very same day.