Chapter 23

Because there were so many people who had to go to the police station, only Woo Min-jae went with me as a representative. The class leader who hit me started a riot, saying that everyone should be rounded up even while he was down, but the police, who confirmed the identities of the others, agreed that we would go alone. Anyway, I'm the only one who committed violence. Organic members expressed their concern one by one as they watched the day he was captured.

'You have a problem with your temper.'

'Where on earth did it come out of nowhere?'

'You said you'd be quiet for a while, but that temper hasn't gone anywhere. I didn’t go.~”

The nagging from the organic guys was more annoying than cleaning up after the accident. I'm sure this will be reported to my uncle as well. I was more scared of being called by my uncle than the police in front of me. Moreover, the whole time I was sitting at the police station, I kept receiving texts from men.

[Heechan, I contacted my younger brother. Don't worry.]

[They say they will agree unconditionally. Don’t tell your temper to go to the end! Agree! We just need to add the money.]

[This is the phone number of a lawyer I know. Save it and if a lawyer comes from over there, don’t give up and call me!]

[If you are going to be arrested, please contact me right away! My regular friend’s son is a prosecutor. Don’t be scared, okay?]

As the men got older, like the aunts, their petty worries only increased. I turned my phone on silent as the text messages kept ringing. And I asked Woo Min-jae, who was sitting next to me after someone had finished talking on the phone for a long time.

“Did you call the organic members?”

"that's right."

“Why did you call me?”

“To wake up Taek-in. You said you have to feel your heart? I thought it would be more effective if there were more people who cared about you. Even though they are people Taek-in doesn’t know, you know. I thought you would feel something if you get worry and help from people you know. Then Taek-in. It will be passed on to this person as well.”

"..."

“Was it bad?”

Not really. I felt awkward giving compliments for no reason, so I responded appropriately.

“Pushing back with the number of people is a good humanitarian tactic.”

"..."

"why?"

“Just. I was surprised that it was a very accurate expression. In-ae tactics.”

of course. I am holding on tightly to the four idioms. At that time, Minjae Woo asked.

“Did it work?”

"..."

“Kwon Hee-chan.”

“Is that why Teacher Hakju called you too?”

huh. He answered lightly and glanced at me. I think I would like to hear the answer to the question I asked earlier. The heart's reaction was clear. Warmth spread through my heart more than ever before, and heat rose up to my neck. I don’t know if this is my reaction or Taekin’s reaction. We don't know yet whether it will be effective or not. If it works, Taek-in will wake up.

“Actually, I didn’t know that the head teacher would help you. I didn’t know that he would be so angry.”

​

 

“Are you angry?”

“Taek-in collapsed and he was extremely angry at the class president for provoking him to collapse. Didn’t you hear?”

I didn't know. I just wanted to beat up the class president, so all I could see was him. Still, the anger that had built up after hitting me hard subsided a little. Although it's a pity that I couldn't hit Taek-in when he was still alive.

“What happens now?”

"who?"

“Who is it, class president? It’s him.”

“The parents will take care of it.”

Woo Min-jae answered calmly. I looked at him rather frustrated. In fact, I shouted to the class president that my mother would not look after you anymore in an attempt to show off, but I was anxious. He can't abandon his child, no matter how much he messes up and disgraces him, can't he?

“What if I forgive you all because you feel sorry for me for lying down after being hit?”

“I’m probably more worried and angry about causing another incident than about getting hit by you.”

“Please, I want you to monitor me for the rest of my life like you said.”

“That’s right. I will do anything for my son’s future, so I have no choice but to keep a close watch.”

It's my son's future. Is it for the future of the son who humiliated him because he is his parent?

“That mother is amazing. She seems so proud that she will never admit to her son’s mistakes. This incident cannot be covered up. Besides, if you were a Kyohi, you would have been morally strict, but it spread to those people. And yet, she would do anything for her son’s future. ."

“I will. For my second son.”

"what?"

“I still have one more son to be proud of. My second son.”

Yes, there is a class president. But watching the oldest child for the class president?

"The only thing the class president's mother can endure now is that she has one healthy son left. So, no matter what happens, she will try to protect that son. However, she found out that the second child was also captured in the video taken by the eldest son who disappointed and embarrassed her. What if you knew? Your eldest son won’t even be seen as a child anymore.”

“I can’t believe you don’t even see me as a child…”

“Wait and see. Who do you think the class leader was crying and clinging to? His father? His older brother? Of course, his mother. He must have been scared and scared when he saw his embarrassed brother in front of school today. It could have been him. He would have run home and cried, holding on to his mother. Girl. I'm sure he gave the same advice I gave him. I'm scared that my life will be ruined because of my brother. The class president laughed and watched his brother's bad behavior, but it doesn't matter to his mother. Like the class president said, she's only worried that her only remaining son's future will be ruined. . Their mother will take stronger measures than their stubborn father.”

Woo Min-jae’s words strangely gave me goosebumps. There was something eerie about it. It may be because the speculation Woo Min-jae calmly makes seems too true. That family is strange. No, is it normal? I don't know.

​

 

“What action?”

“As a former temporary teacher, I have some advice for that father. It looks like the second son was filmed together in the video, but it seems to be the first son’s negative influence. Leave the first son away from the second son.”

The term former temporary teacher bothered me, but I asked what I was curious about first.

“Do you think they’ll send him somewhere else? He said he could just go abroad?”

“Not externally.”

“Are you actually saying that you will remain in Korea?”

“Yes. There are many facilities in Korea.”

facility?

“If you can’t put them in prison, you should put them in another prison.”

I later found out that the facility Woo Min-jae spoke of lightly was a forced sanatorium where people were confined in the name of treatment. In addition, the class leader's mother firmly believed that her son was sick and that she had been treated with strong psychiatric medication. She later heard that she had turned the class president into a mindless doll.

“Where did you hear that?”

“I spoke to your father.”

I think it was their father who went out and called earlier. But why doesn’t it seem like he was just giving advice?

“Did you put pressure on their father?”

“Maybe so, maybe not.”

Well, it was an unlucky answer. He asked if my expression was strange.

“What don’t you like?”

“You. In the end, only you, who have power and money, can solve the problem. If it wasn’t you, that bastard would be…”

He didn't even want to think about it. I realized once again that the world really sucks.

“It’s okay because I stepped forward. There’s no need for what-ifs. What’s important is the future.”

"from now on?"

“We’ll have to watch over their parents and class president.”

but. Because I don't know when I will release my son and his older brother.

“Okay. Anyway, it doesn’t matter as long as he doesn’t get noticed by high school students and doesn’t bother them. But did you drop out of school?”

“Yes. It was originally a one-semester contract.”

“So what are you going to do now?”

"..."

"why?"

“Let’s talk later.”

What is it, tell me later? I was curious, but the detective in charge was sitting in his seat with a tired face. I was ready to accept whatever came out of his mouth. There is no expectation that there will be an agreement on the other side. You want punishment unconditionally. I also have no intention of apologizing and demanding an agreement. Damn, if you go to jail, you'll be gone. Without such determination, I did not crack the cub's ribs. I wanted to smash my dick, but it's just a shame I failed. And when I was ready to accept everything, the detective said.

“You can just go.”

"why?"

“Why, you can just leave.”

Just like that?

“What about filing charges? You don’t want me punished over there?”

“Yes. They said the conversation was already over. They said that unless Kwon Hee-chan had anything to raise, they would end it as if nothing had happened.”

Nothing happened? I kicked that bastard's dick so hard that he became impotent? And he didn't say a word to me, the perpetrator, so when did the conversation end... Only then did I turn to Woo Min-jae sitting next to me.

“What did you talk about with your class president’s father?”

“I told you. I gave you advice as a former temporary teacher.”

“And maybe there was pressure, maybe not?”

“I know.”

I looked at him and thought about it. This kid may or may not be very unlucky, but should I beat him up or not?

“By the way, Kwon Hee-chan.”

The police called me. When I turned around, he looked at my face and asked.

“Are you a famous person? By the way, this is the first time I’ve received so many calls from the police or the general public asking what happened to Kwon Hee-chan. Are you really a business person at the market?”

“That’s right. I’m probably getting a lot of calls because I’m an organic member.”

“Organic? What organization is that?”

“Early soccer club.”

​

 

"..."

“I am the lone striker.”

The police just looked at me in silence and motioned for me to go. As I was leaving the police station, I looked back and wondered if things had ended too easily.

“Do you regret leaving so quickly?”

“It’s a shame. The food we eat in the detention center is delicious.”

“You mean you tried it?”

“Maybe so, maybe not.”

“You ate.”

... What is it, why is this guy guessing right away? While I was feeling some kind of injustice, Woo Min-jae's cell phone rang. Perhaps because the call was urgent, he asked for understanding and spoke from a few steps away. Although the voice was audible, the content of the call was never known. It was English. Do you talk to Canada? Now that I think about it, what was it I was trying to say earlier? What he will do after being a temporary teacher. He seemed to have already decided what he was going to do. Is he really trying to go back to Canada? I suddenly felt depressed. After a while, he hung up the phone and spoke quickly.

“I have a place to go right after I drop you off. Are you going home?”

“It’s okay. I’m not a child going to daycare, so you don’t have to pick him up. And I’m not going home. I have to report to the mayor.”

Everyone will pretend not to worry and worry about me. And they'll swear. shit. Teacher Hakju plans to visit later with drinks. He was the teacher I thought of the most after I graduated, and I regretted not having called him once when he was a teacher. There were many people who received help from this incident. Be sure to say hello to everyone. As I was making my resolution, I suddenly became curious.

“That video.”

I looked around to see if anyone would listen and asked in a low voice.

“Who edited it?”

"why?"

“No, I think I did something very well. The class president’s face was crossed out in a cruel scene, and he looked like he was going to kill me. Well, I’m not saying this because I know very well.”

“No, I saw it correctly.”

Minjae Woo looked at me as if he was surprised.

“It was done by a professional.”

"expert?"

“Video artist.”

“Artist? Artist? How do you make art with video?”

“You can film it yourself and add other effects to it. Think of it like a commercial. You can actually do commercial things like that.”

“Aren’t you that kind of person?”

He looked away for a moment and opened his mouth just as I was puzzled.

"Andy."

"... ah."

​

 

“Andy is the only person I can think of that I can trust to do this.”

"..."

"Upset?"

What do I have to feel bad about? The words I needed to ask didn't come out easily. I turned my gaze elsewhere and asked what came to mind.

“So Andy, if there’s something important, you can take a video of it?”

“I’m going to keep it. I’ve filmed all my matches.”

"..."

"don't mind."

“I didn’t know you two were in contact again.”

“He didn’t do it. I did it. I was pressed for time, so I contacted him to ask for a favor. Fortunately, Taek-in was willing to help me because he said it was work.”

“I guess I should at least say thank you.”

“You don’t have to.”

He let out a cold sigh and stroked his hair as if he knew that Gon himself had a strong reaction.

“There’s no need to get involved with Andy.”

“You be careful.”

“It’s okay since I’m completely sorted out, but you…”

me? I looked at him to see what he was going to say, but Woo Min-jae kept his mouth shut and just stared at me.

“I hope you don’t see Andy. I really do.”

“I’m not going to fight.”

“It’s better to fight. I don’t want to be opposed.”

the opposite? If you're against fighting... I frowned.

“Are you worried that I might lend money to Andy? Does that make sense? I never do financial transactions, even with people close to me.”

“... First of all, I feel relieved.”

He said and looked at his watch. If there is anything urgent, go first. I spoke, but he looked at me as if he had something to say.

"why?"

“Originally, I was planning to stop by your store when I had time before departure, but the departure date has suddenly changed, so the only thing I can do before then is phone calls.”

"... Departure?"

"Canada."

He said just one word and turned around. That was it. I turned around only after his car left, but for a while I had no idea where I had walked. When I stopped and looked around, it was a place I didn't know. But I didn't mind the unfamiliar place. The thought of Woo Min-jae leaving continued to linger in my mind.

When I returned to the store after saying hello to all the mayors, I got a call from Namsu.

[Hey, are you okay?! What on earth is going on?]

The guy asked bluntly. what? When I asked again, Namsu spoke quickly.

[A video was posted of a dog fight in front of a school, and it was someone unilaterally beating up one person. I couldn't see your face clearly because it was covered by people, but the back is just you! And I see that the school is your alma mater? That's you, right? uh?]

“Everything is coming up.”

[It's you, after all. uh? Then you are in detention now!]

“It’s a store.”

​

 

[why?]

Why?

“Would you like your friend to be locked in a cell?”

[That's not it...]

“The person across from me didn’t want to be punished. I just left without an agreement.

[Actually, if you open your lid that much, it seems like the other person is a huge bastard.]

“You are an unthinkable son of a bitch.”

Namsu wondered what the situation was, but decided to explain in detail later.

[Well, I'm glad nothing happened. By the way, there was one of our members in the video too? The teacher is your friend, right?]

huh. When Woo Min-jae's story came up, my voice sank without me realizing it. However, because the answer was short, Namsu could not understand it and continued talking about Woo Minjae.

[Well, he said he is no longer a teacher. I heard from his trainer that he doesn't know if he will go to Canada again.]

"..."

[Well, rehabilitation is now complete.]

“Rehabilitation?”

[huh. Your friend originally got hurt while exercising. There is a trainer at our health club who is famous for rehabilitation. That's why he went to our club on purpose. I've been going since the beginning of this year, so I guess it's been over half a year? My trainer said I thought I might not be able to compete again, but he said I could do it with my current body. He said he worked very hard. Later, I take care of my body by controlling my diet.]

“Dietary control is food?”

[huh. At our gym, we set up a separate simple food bar for guests who are on a diet. He exercised there every day and ate breakfast.]

“No. I ate stir-fried pork and pork cutlet every morning.”

[Oh, no way. When it comes to diet, how picky are you when it comes to food? And who eats stir-fried pork and pork cutlet in the morning?]

"me."

And Minjae Woo. Namsu laughed and hung up the phone, as if he thought I was telling a funny joke. I looked down at the hung phone for a long time. Woo Min-jae said he even went on a diet, so why did he eat that kind of food with me?

“President Kwon, are you okay?”

I raised my head in response to Chungyeon’s question. He was looking at me with worried eyes, wondering when he had arrived. Even though he knew there was no problem because he was the first to come out of the police station and report the situation. I blurted it out while looking at him.

“Woo Minjae is going to Canada.”

“Really? When are you coming?”

"I don't know."

“It would be nice to come quickly and play soccer with us again.”

He grinned and admired Woo Min-jae's soccer skills again.

“At first, I thought he was a harsh person, didn’t smile, and was a really unfriendly person, but now that I’ve experienced it, I see that he’s a very genuine person.”

"is that so?"

“That’s right! Taek-in helped me so much with my work, and you were nice to President Kwon. He asked me seriously once before. When President Kwon was sharing half the day with Taek-in, when President Kwon falls asleep, we sit here on the narrow sofa. “We asked if he was lying down for 12 hours. Then he asked us to give him a massage because no matter how much he tosses and turns, his muscles would become stiff. President Kwon gave it to him while he was sleeping at the hotel he was staying at, and he said that his shoulder muscles were particularly tense.”

“I’ve never heard you say that before?”

“Really? I guess I didn’t tell you because Min-jae is quiet. It’s Jin-guk after all.”

Now that he thought about it, he remembered feeling unusually light when he woke up in that guy's hotel. He felt strange. Why was this guy so nice to me? And why don't I want him to go to Canada?