TWELVE 105

My connection with Jeon Juseok and my aunt and uncle ended with this final period. From now on, there would be no reason to encounter them unless it was at the courthouse.

Since I had blocked them, they had no way to contact me, and since I had moved, they had no way to seek me out. Or so I thought…

“Seung, Seungkyung! Woo Seungkyung!”

It was at the hospital that I realized I had been premature.

The voice calling me urgently was unexpected, which left me puzzled, and it would be a lie to say I wasn’t startled the moment I turned toward the owner of that voice.

My aunt and uncle, and even Jeon Juseok, rushed toward me.

“Seungkyung. Let’s talk for a bit, okay?”

My aunt grabbed my sleeve. I brushed off her touch and looked at them in bewilderment. My uncle looked like he had as much to say as my aunt, and the moment our eyes met, Jeon Juseok avoided my gaze, biting and then releasing his lower lip. It was a withered appearance I had never seen before.

“I have nothing to say.”

“Don’t be like that, Seungkyung!”

“This is a hospital.”

I could feel people’s eyes gathering at our small scuffle.

I had no way of knowing how Jeon Juseok’s family found out that I attended this hospital. However, since they had come all the way here, I naturally guessed they wouldn’t back down easily.

I couldn’t raise my voice in a hospital.

“Let’s go outside first.”

Of all days, today was a day Gi Seoin couldn’t accompany me to the hospital due to his trial schedule. The situation would have been the same even if he were here, but the thought of being alone made me feel needlessly intimidated.

No. There’s no reason for me to feel intimidated.

Steeling myself, I kept telling myself to calmly face Jeon Juseok’s family as they followed behind my back. They are the perpetrators, and I am the victim. The people who should hang their heads and feel uncomfortable were them, not me.

Coming out of the hospital building, I stopped near the funeral hall. I chose a place where people could rush over immediately if something happened to me, yet one that wasn’t crowded with foot traffic.

I turned around to face Jeon Juseok’s family again. They had expressions as if I were the one holding a weapon.

“How did you find your way here?”

I had no expectation that they would tell me truthfully, but I asked as it seemed appropriate for a question to start the conversation.

“You mentioned before that you were going to the hospital. So…”

This time too, my aunt stepped forward, bypassing the two men. I looked at Jeon Juseok and my uncle, who were standing back.

The one who committed the greatest wrong was Jeon Juseok, and the one who must be most desperate after being fired from the company was my uncle. Yet the only person opening their mouth was my aunt. Cowardly men. I felt my teeth grinding, but I didn’t feel any pity for my aunt.

“I had a feeling you’d be at this hospital. Your friend… Lawyer Gi Seoin’s house is in this neighborhood, right? This is the biggest hospital in this area.”

I don’t live there anymore, but since the hospital remained the same, my aunt and uncle’s deduction had hit the mark.

“Thinking we might run into you somehow, we came and just waited blindly. Even if you’re displeased, what can we do? From our position, we have to do something. Our insides are burning up because we can’t get in touch with you!”

“Did you not consider that there’s a reason why you can’t get in touch with me?”

“Fuck! Hey, Woo Seungkyung. Your way of speaking is…”

“You, stay quiet!”

My aunt blocked and shouted at Jeon Juseok, who had suddenly stepped forward. Jeon Juseok looked full of dissatisfaction, but he shut his mouth. He glared at me fiercely with his eyes. That gaze failed to pressure me.

“Seungkyung.”

My aunt grabbed my hand. I stared down at her silently.

“Can’t you somehow, speak well to the lawyer?”

“Which lawyer?”

“I mean Lawyer Gi Seoin…”

I slid my hand out of my aunt’s grip, and she continued, rubbing her two hands together as if embarrassed.

“Can’t you just drop the lawsuit this once, and help your uncle get reinstated just this once?”

It was a request so absurd that it went beyond being flabbergasted.

From what I heard from Gi Seoin, my uncle was a target of a “clean sweep” that had been implicitly planned within the company, and he was fired using the excuse that his son was caught up in a disgraceful incident. Therefore, my uncle’s reinstatement was not a problem Gi Seoin could help with, unless it were the lawyer who had been on the same team or someone above him.

“Why are you asking Gi Seoin for my uncle’s reinstatement? And I won’t drop the lawsuit…”

“What do you mean ‘why’!”

Suddenly, my aunt raised her voice.

“Are you really going to be like this? Is it cathartic to pretend you don’t know while making people bleed dry? You shouldn’t be like this. You shouldn’t be like this when it comes to a person’s livelihood!”

“Honey.”

My uncle grabbed the shoulder of my agitated aunt. Then, my aunt rubbed her bright red eyes and sobbed. My uncle let out a sigh and stepped in front of my aunt to face me.

“You knew, didn’t you?”

My uncle asked point-blank. A sigh surged up within me as well.

“What on earth?”

“That Lawyer Gi Seoin is the CEO’s son.”

“I knew. But what about it?”

At that, my uncle let out a hollow laugh.

“What about it, are you really asking because you don’t know?”

My education might be short, but it seemed I wasn’t so lacking that I couldn’t figure out what this situation was. My uncle was currently saying that Gi Seoin had pulled strings at the company to have my uncle dismissed.

“…Uncle. That is something unrelated to Seoin.”

I spoke while looking at the bridge of my uncle’s nose, where wrinkles were deeply and roughly carved, my aunt’s red eyes, and Jeon Juseok’s eyes, which were turned up fiercely to the point of being pitiful.

“Neither uncle’s business nor hyung’s business has anything to do with Seoin. It has nothing to do with me, either.”

“How can it have nothing to do with you! How!”

I ignored my screaming aunt and continued.

“All of that is a result created by uncle, aunt, and Juseok hyung.”

“What do you know to be babbling like that!”

My aunt screamed repeatedly, and my uncle just stood there silently with a vacant face. And Jeon Juseok…

“This motherfucker. Are you done talking?”

He finally grabbed my collar.

“You made that piece of shit Gi Seoin do all of this so we’d be fucked, didn’t you?”

A hollow laugh escaped.

“Think about the things you’ve said to me until now, hyung.”

I stared straight at the guy.

“According to you, I’m an orphan and a beggar bastard, so by what means could I manipulate a lawyer to even get my uncle fired?”

“This son of a bitch…!”

Jeon Juseok pulled my collar. I grabbed and twisted his wrist.

“Ugh…!”

Having let go of me, the guy held his wrist and panted, then screamed at the top of his lungs, unable to contain his rage.

“Agh! Fuck! You’ve really lost your mind, haven’t you?”

Jeon Juseok fumed with all his might, yet he couldn’t bring himself to rush at me again rashly.

I felt it the moment I gripped his wrist. I win by strength. I thought he was strong because he bragged about his muscles so much normally, but that must have been a bluff too.

For nearly ten years, I have worked carrying 30kg cement sacks on my back while going up and down several floors of buildings. During lunch breaks, I arm-wrestled with middle-aged men whose functional muscles were tightly packed, and I worked hard on push-ups to try and beat Gi Seoin.

I don’t know how much Jeon Juseok has exercised, but I was confident I would win even if we fought again.

Since I had no reason to use my strength unless I was working, and hadn’t even thought to use it, I hadn’t realized it until now. If I had traded blows with Jeon Juseok sooner, I would have known.

“Woo Seungkyung, you’ve really flipped because you want to die, huh?”

“Can you only threaten people like that, hyung? If there’s something you want, you should have a conversation, not threaten, curse, and throw a tantrum.”

“What? This fu—, wow, ha!”

Jeon Juseok, placing both hands on his waist, let out a huff.

“You can’t see anything right now, can you?”

“Didn’t you come here to ask me to drop the lawsuit, hyung?”

“Even if I get shot in the head, fuck, I won’t ask a guy like you!”

“Jeon Juseok!”

The person who called out to the guy as if scolding him was my uncle.

“Is now the time to be raising your voice? Who is it that caused things to end up this way!”

“What do you mean ‘who,’ it’s because of that brat Woo Seungkyung…!”

Jeon Juseok was shrieking, but this time he couldn’t continue. With a face fallen into shock, the guy covered the cheek my uncle had slapped with his palm.

“Dad… did you just hit me? Dad!”

My uncle didn’t answer and grabbed Jeon Juseok by the scruff of the neck, dragging him and placing him in front of me.

“Jeon Juseok. Apologize to Seungkyung. Apologize and beg!”

“Is Dad really crazy?”

Jeon Juseok shook off my uncle’s arm, and my uncle slapped Jeon Juseok’s cheek once more. No, it was twice.

Staggering, Jeon Juseok’s cheek swelled up red. The guy looked at my uncle with eyes that looked like they would cry. I suppose this is his first time being hit. If he had been scolded like that sooner every time he did something wicked, he wouldn’t have grown up to be that mess; it was simply a shame.

“Jeon Juseok. Come here. Come and do as you’re told.”

“Will he do it now?”

“This brat, still…!”

“Mom!”

Jeon Juseok cowardly hid behind his mother.

“Stop Dad, would you!”

To that, my aunt said in a low voice.

“Listen to your father.”

“Uh, what?”

“I said listen to your father.”

“Is Mom crazy too?”

It was then. My aunt grabbed Jeon Juseok and smacked his back.

“If I tell you to listen! Listen! Just! Listen!”

Honestly… it looked much more painful than when my uncle slapped his cheek.

Now, Jeon Juseok looked as if tears would come falling down if he were just poked.

I lowered my head and fiddled with the bridge of my nose, holding back a laugh. Because one shouldn’t laugh while watching a person getting hit and feeling sad. Especially not in their face.