Chapter 276: Oh Yun-ji
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 276: Oh Yun-ji
The visitation room looked exactly like the ones I’d seen in movies and dramas.
A transparent partition stood in the center, with a single chair placed on either side.
Since we were the visitors, we entered first. Yun-ji sat down and took deep breaths while waiting for her father.
If there was one thing different from the media, it was that a prison guard didn't stay inside the room with us.
While I was surprised they allowed a private conversation, it wasn't hard to guess that the room was likely being recorded.
Creeeeak!
The door opened, and Yun-ji’s father walked in.
His name was Oh Cheong-min.
Age: 56.
He was the man behind the Deungbaesan Serial Murder Case, a tragedy that had sent shockwaves through the entire nation, leaving numerous victims in its wake.
At a glance, he was on the thinner side and didn't have a particularly villainous face.
He had likely grown gaunt and aged during his time in prison, but otherwise, he had the kind of looks that would have earned him the title of a "refined middle-aged man" on the outside.
The moment her eyes landed on her father, Yun-ji’s eyelids trembled.
She seemed to be chewing over and organizing the words she desperately wanted to pour out.
“Fa...ther.”
That was the first thing she managed to say.
Father.
It was the first time in Yun-ji’s life she had ever called someone by that name. Amidst the coexistence of trembling and raw emotion, Oh Cheong-min blinked repeatedly, staring intently at her.
Then.
“You... you’re my daughter?”
He stared at Yun-ji with his mouth agape, looking as if he couldn't believe it.
“Ha... hahaha. Right, you’re my daughter?”
He welcomed her with shaking shoulders. Then, as if something finally clicked, he nodded.
“Right, right! I knew something was strange! I was wondering why you suddenly stopped contacting me! There was a reason for it!”
“...Excuse me?”
“No, no! It’s nothing! Oh, my daughter! Who would’ve thought you’d grow up to be this beautiful!”
What was that?
For a split second, I felt like he glanced toward me.
He smiled brightly and looked like he wanted to pull Yun-ji into an embrace, but the partition made that impossible.
“I came because there’s something I want to ask.”
“Hmm? Something you want to ask?”
Slightly flustered, her father cleared his throat a few times before nodding.
“Right, right! Ask me anything!”
“...”
I knew what she wanted to ask.
Why did you do it?
What was the reason?
Do you regret it now?
Do you want to ask for forgiveness?
Countless questions were likely perched on the tip of her tongue, but none of them could find their way out.
It seemed she was terrified of what kind of answer might come from the man who was her father.
“Hmm? Didn’t you say you had something to ask?”
He prompted her again, but in the end, Yun-ji couldn't respond.
Instead, her father smiled and asked a question of his own.
“How old are you now, my daughter?”
“Twenty... one.”
“Ah, that age! Haha! Dad is sorry. I’m stuck in a place like this, so I couldn't even see you.”
What is this?
“So, what are you doing these days? Are you in college? A good one?”
“Gahyeon University. But I’m on a leave of absence right now to work. It’s an MCN that manages internet broadcasters... like a management agency.”
“Ma-what? Haha! Dad doesn't know much about that stuff!”
“You can think of it as being the president of an entertainment agency.”
“...!”
His eyes widened, and he slapped his forehead before bursting into a cackle.
“No way! My daughter did all that?! See! I told you! I’m not the weird one! I just had bad luck, but I’ve got talent.”
My brow furrowed instinctively.
What did this man just say?
I almost snapped at him, but I didn't want to steal Yun-ji’s time.
“Then you must be making a lot of money! Oh, then you should send some outside food and care packages here often!”
“I can’t send outside food anymore. The law changed.”
“Really? Your mom used to come and send stuff all the time back in the day.”
“My mom did...?”
This was news to me. I had heard that Yun-ji’s mother had moved back to her rural hometown and lived a quiet life tending a small garden.
“Yeah, she’d come and give me all sorts of things. It was great. Back then, I could walk around the prison with my shoulders squared in front of the other inmates.”
Then, he glanced at me again and cleared his throat before asking.
“Is the guy next to you your boyfriend?”
“No, just a friend.”
“Ah, is that so? Then... could you give us a moment alone?”
“Excuse me?”
I frowned, wondering what he was playing at, but he just gave a sly grin.
“There’s a conversation a father and daughter need to have.”
“Before that, wait a moment.”
He seemed uncomfortable with my presence, but Yun-ji, having gathered her composure as the conversation went on, took a breath and looked at him.
“A long time ago... I mean, when you first came here.”
“...”
“You... murdered many people.”
The words barely left her lips. Yun-ji caught her breath and clenched her fists tight.
“You... you regret it, right? You know it was wrong?”
At the sound of Yun-ji’s trembling voice, her father’s eyes went wide.
And then.
“Are you kidding me? My fault?”
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
“What do you know that gives you the right to talk about regret? If you knew what those bastards did, you would’ve stabbed them to death too!”
“Fa-Father—”
“Shut up! If you’re family, you should know how to take your family’s side! I’m your father! How dare this bitch take the side of those dogs!”
“Ah...”
“Do you have any idea how much of the balance those bastards promised but never paid?!”
Without thinking, I pulled Yun-ji into my arms. Her eyes had gone vacant, as if the "blackout" she had described earlier had just hit her, turning her internal lights off.
But her father didn't stop.
“Fucking bastards. Even now, just thinking about them makes my blood boil. At least I managed to stash away the money I got from those pricks. Phew, sons of bitches.”
“Stop it!”
“Where do you think you’re cutting in when a father is disciplining his daughter?!”
“Th-Then...!”
Snapped back to reality by his shouting, Yun-ji asked desperately.
“What about the hikers?! The... the hikers who had nothing to do with it?! Why did you kill them?!”
“Oh, them?”
He gave a smirk and tapped his forehead with his finger.
“When you’re starving to death and someone’s eating kimbap right in front of you, don't you want to take it?”
“For... for a reason like that?”
This was information that had never been released to the media.
I had heard it was an impulsive crime caused by mental illness and separation anxiety.
I realized then that we probably shouldn't have come here.
Whether it was because of his shouting or because the visitation time was up, a guard stepped inside.
“Wait! Not yet! I still have things to say! The money! Did you find the money?! That’s why you’re here, right? To give it to me! You came to tell me you found it!”
Money?
“Your mom! Jin Mi-ae told you, didn't she?! That’s why you’re here! You found the money, right? Right?!”
Suddenly.
Yun-ji’s body began to shake violently.
As she nearly collapsed, I caught her just in time. With a ragged breath, she forced out an answer.
“M-My... mother is—”
With a surge of tears, she spoke a truth that was hard to believe.
“Shin Yoon-ah.”
The room fell into a sudden, heavy silence. Oh Cheong-min, who had been thrashing and screaming to avoid being dragged away, suddenly went cold, as if doused in ice water.
“What?”
He responded coldly, like spitting out a piece of chewed gum.
“You were Yoon-ah’s daughter?”
Seeing him turn his back and walk out on his own as if he had no more business with her, my blood boiled with rage.
“Yun-ji, let’s get out of here first.”
Right now, the priority was taking care of Yun-ji, who was in no state to think clearly.
* * *
Back inside the car.
I thought Yun-ji would cry a lot.
But she didn't.
Or perhaps, she just didn't want to show me her tears.
I wanted to give her some space.
But I felt like if I did, she would shatter completely.
So I couldn't leave her side.
Staring blankly at the prison, Yun-ji thumping her chest as if she were suffocating.
“Whew, haa!”
She struggled to keep her breathing steady, and after a long exhale.
“I’m okay.”
She comforted herself, saying it was fine.
“It doesn't matter. I never intended to have a proper conversation with a man like that anyway. I was just curious what kind of person he was.”
“Yun-ji...”
“Don't worry. I’m Oh Yun-ji. I was a bit flustered earlier, but knowing he was that much of a piece of garbage actually makes it easier to let go without any lingering feelings.”
“...”
“It’s okay, Woo-jin. Nothing has changed. I’ll go home, wash up, and go to work tomorrow. I’m... doing well.”
She comforted herself with those words.
And she was right.
She had achieved things most people her age couldn't even dream of, and she was earning a massive income.
Aside from us, no one knew whose daughter she was, and no one cared.
Yes, so it was fine.
It was okay—
Vrrr! Vrrr! Vrrr!
Yun-ji’s phone began to vibrate.
“Hello?”
— CEO! Right now—!
The urgent voice of an employee on the other end pierced my chest with an eerie chill.
And then.
I got a call too.
— Choi I-seo —
Since Yun-ji was on the phone, I stepped out of the car to answer. I-seo’s frantic voice hit my eardrum.
— Woo-jin, where are you right now?
“Huh? I’m...”
— Are you with Yun-ji?
“Yeah, yeah.”
I expected a scolding, but that wasn't it.
— Take Yun-ji’s phone away! Right now!
“What?”
I didn't understand what she meant.
But the sheer urgency in Choi I-seo’s voice made me rip the car door open immediately.
Yun-ji was already looking at something on her phone.
A man’s voice I’d never heard before was coming from her device.
— Is this right? The daughter of a serial killer is living the high life with the money her father earned, even founding a company and acting as its CEO.
— Meanwhile, the families of the victims are still living in trauma, unable to forget the deceased, crying every single day.
— Is this justice in South Korea? Is this right? There are even rumors that this woman has connections with a certain major corporation.
— Here’s the shocking part. The company this woman founded is the agency for the famous internet broadcasters we all know—!
Snatch!
I was too late.
I should have grabbed the phone immediately, but my timing in getting out of the car had been poor.
Yun-ji let me take the phone without any resistance.
She sat there, frozen.
Without a word.
I couldn't even tell if she was breathing.
She just sat there, her eyes closed in a deathly silence.
* * *
Inside the hospital room.
Looking down at Yun-ji, who hadn't regained consciousness, I was watching the "call-out" video on Neutube.
I had the sound off and only the subtitles on, fearing she might hear it.
— Is this right? That a death row inmate who stabbed people and sucked their money dry, and his daughter, are living much better lives than the vast majority of you hard-working middle-class citizens?
— Even many of the broadcasters we know are sucking up to her, calling her 'CEO.'
— As someone in the same industry, I’m truly ashamed. Have you people never heard the voices of the victims? How can you be so shameless?
— And finally, you. Hah, I usually don't mention real names, but I’m speaking my mind today.
— Oh Yun-ji! Are you really that proud? With the money your serial killer father, Oh Cheong-min, swindled—!
Click.
“Sigh.”
I couldn't watch any more.
According to the doctor, Yun-ji had lost consciousness temporarily due to extreme mental stress.
They said she would wake up soon, which was a relief, but...
What awaited her when she woke up?
A biological father who was a sub-human monster who didn't even recognize her, and her company, which now had to shoulder the weight of that father’s sins.
I slowly stepped out of the hospital room.
Closing my eyes tightly, I pulled out my phone and made a call.
The person on the other end picked up after a few rings.
— What now? Is it about the event?
James asked with a heavy sigh.
“You have people who do background checks and stuff, right?”
— ...What’s going on?
“Among your rich friends, there must be some who deal with those kinds of people often.”
— I mean, yeah, there are.
“Send me their numbers.”
— Why? I know someone personally too.
“Whatever it is, send them all.”
— A-Alright.
Hang up.
I immediately placed the next call.
— Hello? Woo-Woo-jin! Are you okay? The woman who came to the house last time—!
I cut off Choi Jin-ah, who was rambling about how surprised she was.
“Jin-ah, you’ve been on variety shows, and you said you’re close with people at the stations because you do interviews and documentaries often.”
— Ah? Yes... I am.
“Please help me.”
— What? So suddenly?
“I’ll explain when I get to the house. Before that—”
After a brief explanation, Choi Jin-ah swallowed hard and replied.
— I’ll ask around for now.
“I’m counting on you.”
My phone was busy today.
I made another call immediately.
This was the last one.
It was my Big Hyung.
— Woo-jin.
His voice didn't sound great either; he likely already knew.
“Hyung, help me.”
I got straight to the point.
— Sigh, I want to. But Un is connected to this. The corporate image itself is taking a hit, with claims coming in that we’re supporting a murderer.
— It’ll probably get worse. From our perspective, we need to cut ties quickly.
“I’ll handle it, so please. I need your help, Hyung.”
— Woo-jin...
“Just maintain a policy of no response regarding Yun-ji.”
— There’s a limit to that too. If we stay silent, the rumors on their side will only grow wilder.
“It’s fine.”
— I really want to take your side.
“I know.”
— But... even if I make that decision, Father won't allow it.
In the end, the Chairman was my father.
But.
“Give me a chance, Hyung.”
My body was tense, and my mind was racing with strange speed.
“In the end.”
At the end of all this.
“Father will be the one to protect Yun-ji himself.”
The man who cast her out would be the one to step forward and protect that girl.
“Because I’m going to make it happen.”