Chapter 321: Giant's Footsteps
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 321: Giant's Footsteps
I decided to settle the matter of who would stay in the dormitory today once and for all.
"Why don't all three of you just stay!"
As I spread my arms with a bright smile, Seo Ye-rin hugged me tightly, her posture making it clear she wasn't letting anyone else have me.
"Ugh, typical Woo-jin Normal Faction bullshit, holy shit."
"Why... always at the end..."
Yoo Ah-rin and Choi I-seo spoke up, their expressions hardening as if their affection had instantly cooled.
Whatever the case, I couldn't just pick one of them, so I was sticking to this direction for now.
"Woo-jin, are you in there?"
A knock and a greeting came from outside. It was Oh Yun-ji.
"Let's pretend we're not here," Yoo Ah-rin suggested immediately.
"I heard you."
The soundproofing here wasn't as good as one might hope, and Oh Yun-ji swung the door wide open and stepped inside.
At this point, does this room even have a door? I wondered if the sound had leaked out like this when I was having sex with the girls, too.
"I'll have to be careful tonight~"
Seo Ye-rin, still clinging to me, must have had the same thought as she muttered under her breath.
"Wow, look at this sight."
Entering the room, Oh Yun-ji looked at the three girls and pulled a face of utter disbelief.
She had seen plenty of this in Hawaii, but she must have thought that was only because we were on a trip. In reality, this was pretty much our daily life.
"What are you here for?"
Yoo Ah-rin, not wanting anyone else to join the fray, reacted sharply, but Oh Yun-ji handled it with a sly smirk.
"I came to say thanks. Because of you, Popo and I managed to avoid something terrible."
In truth, since Popo was already a celebrity, it was impossible to completely prevent her image from being exploited like that. However, that didn't mean we had to tolerate illegal filming in real life.
"Thanks. I saw the video. You were really cool."
"Emergency! Emergency! A female has appeared!"
As Seo Ye-rin shrieked from my arms, Yoo Ah-rin stepped forward to block Oh Yun-ji, who was trying to approach.
"Get lost! I'm already in a foul mood because they want to redo the rock-paper-scissors! Don't you dare add anyone else to the mix!"
"What rock-paper-scissors?"
"Well, you see—"
When Yun-ji asked what she meant, Choi I-seo gave her a brief explanation. I wondered why she was even bothering to explain, but after hearing it all, Oh Yun-ji grinned and held out her hand.
"Alright, rock-paper-scissors, shoot!"
"I said I'm not doing it! I already won!"
Yoo Ah-rin, who had already defeated Choi I-seo in the restroom, shouted in annoyance.
But just as the other three were about to start a round, ignoring her completely...
A cold voice drifted in from the entrance.
"Whew. I came here after receiving a report that girls had entered the male dormitory."
It was Senior Ju-hee, standing at the door with her arms crossed, glaring at us.
The atmosphere was so heavy that everyone fell silent, knowing she wouldn't tolerate a single excuse.
"Everyone, out. Now."
Winter break was over. She was no longer a bodyguard but a senior student again. Everyone had no choice but to shuffle out without a word. After all, being here was technically against the rules.
"Ahem. Thank you, Senior Ju-hee."
"..."
I tried to act like a victim, but her gaze remained fixed on me until the end.
"Be careful. This isn't Hawaii. This is Korea."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"And I'm not your bodyguard anymore. I'm your senior."
"Yes! Understood!"
"Sigh. Right. If you have any questions while doing your assignments later, feel free to ask."
"Ah, of course."
"And if you're curious about how to fight, ask me about that too."
"...Did you see it?"
"It was clumsy, but it was cool."
Getting a compliment actually made me feel a bit proud.
"One more thing."
The senior glanced outside. After confirming the girls were all gone, she cleared her throat and asked, "Who is Moderator No. 1?"
"...Why?"
"No, it's just... he plays pranks sometimes, and it's getting a bit annoying."
"I'll make sure to warn him."
If I told her who it was, those two might actually end up in a real fight.
"Right, I'm counting on you."
After she left, I was finally able to lie down on my bed.
The scent of Seo Ye-rin still lingered on me, and the medicine Choi I-seo had applied was still wet on my hands. I turned on my phone to find a text from Yoo Ah-rin saying I was really cool today.
A grin spread across my face as I read it, but I couldn't just stay idle. Still lying down, I called Ahn Hyun-ho.
He picked up immediately.
— I should have been the one to catch him. I would've looked way cooler.
"Stop talking shit."
Hearing him spout nonsense the moment the call started, I could tell he was in a good mood.
— Gyu-a told me I was so cool. Hahaha! Things have been a bit awkward between us lately, but I think this incident changed everything.
He didn't even do anything.
Anyway, he brought up exactly what I wanted to talk about. As I had thought earlier, there was one thing bothering me. And it was related to Ahn Hyun-ho.
"Hey, is Gyu-a with you?"
— Right now? She went to the restroom. We're out for dinner.
"Then listen carefully to what I'm about to say. Don't tell Gyu-a; just keep it to yourself."
— What is it? Isn't it all over? We just have to leave the rest to the police, right?
"Yeah, the police will handle it."
However, it would take a long time. The police have procedures, and since the video had spread on social media, the open chat rooms would have sensed the danger and already disbanded or moved.
"It takes time. I can accept the things I can't reach, but I want to crush the bastard I can reach."
— ...What are you trying to say?
"There's one more person."
It wasn't a suspicion; it was a certainty. Honestly, I wasn't sure if it was just one. But it was certain that there was another person involved with the chat room at Gahyeon University.
— There's more? Why?
"Because."
It was a bit awkward to tell him this directly, but Ahn Hyun-ho was the one who would move the most diligently, and I needed help.
"In the folder I saw, there were no photos of Gyu-a."
But Gyu-a had said she felt like a stalker was taking photos of her. Which meant...
"The guy who took photos of Gyu-a is someone else."
— That motherfucker—!
Ahn Hyun-ho exploded in a fit of rage.
* * *
Faces I hadn't seen in a while filled the table. Starting with Ahn Hyun-ho, there was Jeong Chan-woo, Kang Han-gang, and even Pyo Jin-ho. Aside from Ahn Hyun-ho, I hadn't seen the other three since returning from Hawaii.
"You guys look like you've changed a bit?"
Jeong Chan-woo was as handsome as ever, but Kang Han-gang and Pyo Jin-ho had grown strangely bulky. It wasn't an overwhelming change, but it was obvious compared to before.
"We're just living like slobs before we head to the military."
"Our date got pushed back to November. God dammit!"
The guys were suddenly trying to turn the atmosphere into a military send-off party.
"Stop talking nonsense. We're gathered here for something important."
"Look at this prick, acting all high and mighty just because he became an SNS star."
"If I desert, you're the first one I'm shooting."
"You bastards."
Look at how sensitive they are just because they're heading to the army.
I let out a deep sigh and waited for them to calm down. Jeong Chan-woo looked around the cafe and spoke up.
"Why did you pick a cafe like this? Isn't it a bit weird for us to be here?"
The interior was decorated very brightly. The coffee was expensive and didn't even taste that good. The decor was clearly tailored to women's tastes, so four gloomy guys sitting here did look a bit out of place.
"Senior Han-gang picked it. He said places like this are full of girls, so it's easy to balance the numbers."
"Who thinks about hunting for girls at a cafe?"
He really was a piece of trash. Thinking that a man like him was part of our national defense made me feel like our country was in peril.
"Now isn't the time for that!" Ahn Hyun-ho shouted, slamming his hand on the table. His expression was dead serious. "There's still a voyeur at our school. A bastard who has photos of Gyu-a!"
"Can't we just leave it to the police? You said the investigation started."
Jeong Chan-woo's logical point. It would certainly be better to leave it to the police, but...
"But that might be too late! They aren't just investigating Gahyeon University; they'll be looking at other colleges too! It's better if we catch him first!"
"And we can do things the police can't. Things that are... slightly illegal."
When I said that, the atmosphere turned chilly. There was a hint of fear in everyone's eyes.
"Holy shit, hearing the youngest son of Uju Group say that is terrifying."
"Whoa, we're not burying people or anything, right? I'm not down for that."
"Is this guy gonna crush us later too?"
Despite their words, it seemed they were all willing to help. Before we started...
"Senior Han-gang, give me your phone."
"Me? Why all of a sudden?"
"I need to check if you're in any of those open chat rooms."
"Just me?! That's not fair! I don't even use the Bamboo Forest!"
"Are you sure? If we catch the suspect and it turns out to be you, I'll really regret it."
"It's not me! Seriously, do I have that little credibility?"
"The fact that you're thinking about hunting even in a cafe is... well..."
Chan-woo's parting remark silenced Senior Han-gang. After checking Han-gang's phone, we moved on to the next step. Jin-ho raised his hand as if asking for the floor.
"But do we only need to settle things at Gahyeon University? We don't need to worry about other schools?"
"Are we the FBI? We just need to catch the guy who took Gyu-a's photos."
"I just wondered if there was more to it, since Woo-jin said he was going to hunt down and crush everyone involved."
At those words, all eyes turned back to me.
"Well, I've already taken care of that."
Of course, I didn't intend to stop at Gahyeon University. But that wasn't an area I needed to get my hands dirty in.
"We just need to handle Gahyeon University."
The other places would be taken care of on their own.
* * *
A high-rise building with a panoramic view of Seoul. In the center of the chairman's office, which occupied an entire floor, sat a wrinkled man. With his eyes closed, he was the head of Uju Group, a titan of South Korea, and the father of three sons.
"Chief Jeong."
With just a few words, he could influence the lives of countless people.
"Yes, Chairman," replied Jeong Tae-yoon, the Chief Secretary, as if he had been waiting.
However, the words that followed were somewhat unexpected given the heavy atmosphere.
"My youngest son... he called me for the first time."
"You mean Young Master Kim Woo-jin."
The boy was impossible not to notice. Somehow, even after stepping away from company affairs, he was the one most noisily appearing in the media.
"He said photos of someone who could become his wife are being spread."
"He's still a college student; he's just being hot-headed."
He was only twenty-one; talk of marriage was premature. Chief Secretary Jeong Tae-yoon offered a comforting reply, but it wasn't the answer Chairman Kim was looking for.
"He said if those spread, it would damage Uju Group's image. He asked if it was okay for the owner's family to be mocked by the public."
"That is..."
It was a threat. Even if he was his son, he was just a college student. From the perspective of the loyal Jeong Tae-yoon, it was enough to make him frown.
"He's a fellow who knows how to blow things up."
On the contrary, a deep smile played on the Chairman's lips.
"He doesn't hesitate, his judgment is bold, and he doesn't care about hierarchy for the sake of efficiency."
"...You seem to be enjoying this."
The boy was treating the Chairman of Uju Group like a piece on a chessboard. It was an obvious move. But Chief Secretary Jeong Tae-yoon had to admit there was a clear benefit. No, it would be a huge benefit.
One of the owners of Uju Group would be seen intervening to stop a socially unacceptable criminal case. The corporate image would skyrocket.
In that case...
"Shall I contact their headquarters?"
The moment the Chairman of Uju Group exerted his influence, they would know exactly what to do. He thought that would be enough, but...
"They were in the metropolitan area, weren't they?"
The titan rose from his seat. Despite his age, the strength in his stride was still there.
"Have the car ready."
Chief Secretary Jeong Tae-yoon's eyes widened as he watched Chairman Kim step forward.
"A-A-Are you planning to go yourself?!"
Even though a simple phone call would suffice, he was shocked by the Chairman's gesture to visit in person.
"Chief Jeong, this is a lesson."
How to truly escalate a situation. What bold judgment really looks like. What it means to treat even oneself as a chess piece.
Chairman Kim intended to lead by example and teach Kim Woo-jin.
Watching the back of Chairman Kim as he headed toward the headquarters of the company operating the open chat rooms, Chief Secretary Jeong Tae-yoon thought to himself:
'Like father... like son.'
The giant's footsteps were so heavy and aggressive. Soon, the ripples from those footsteps would sweep across all of South Korea.