The Day My Peace Was Shattered
The accident happened at 9:00 AM. I’d woken up early, prepped for the day, and headed out, but I couldn’t stop smiling.
"Are you that happy?"
"Of course. I’m so happy I could go crazy."
I felt fantastic thinking about returning the favor to the guy who used to giggle while shaving my head when I was heading off to the army.
Since the morning rush hour was already over, I drove down the clear road and arrived in front of my friend’s house.
"Yeah, yeah, Min-jae. It’s pretty shitty, right?"
I’ve known these guys for over ten years, but this was the first time I’d ever seen them make faces like that. One guy was laughing his head off because he got assigned to public service, one was forcing a bitter smile as if he could already see his bleak future, and the last one looked like his world had just collapsed.
"Min-jae... do you really think the 'XX' years will pass?"
That was exactly what my senior told me the moment I was deployed to my unit. Throwing those words back at him felt so exhilarating I could die.
"Ha... I just want to kill myself."
I watched him sit in the back seat of the car, rubbing his freshly buzzed head.
"Aren't your mom and dad coming with you?"
"Nah. They said they'd come for the completion ceremony."
"That’s fine. My parents didn’t come when I enlisted, either."
The sudden self-deprecating joke lightened the mood a little. After confirming that two vehicles with my men were following at a slight distance—unlike usual—I headed toward Nonsan.
"Leaving home~ on a train~"
I ate lunch at the same restaurant I’d visited when I enlisted. Having returned after finishing my service, it tasted completely different.
"Wow... this isn't half bad? I didn't even know what I was eating when I first enlisted."
Back then, I couldn't even tell if the food was going into my mouth or my nose, but now that I’m a civilian, it’s actually edible.
"...I don't know what it tastes like."
"Of course you don't, you idiot."
The guy going to public service was relentlessly teasing him from the side, and his expression was truly a sight to behold.
After eating and chatting for a bit, 2:00 PM approached quickly.
"Take care. Don't get hurt."
I’d been teasing them mercilessly until just a moment ago, but now that it was time for them to go in, I couldn't help but worry, telling them repeatedly not to get hurt.
"Should I adjust things so they get better unit assignments?"
'Are you crazy? Absolutely not. If I sent them to the GOP, fine, but no "cushy" positions. Never.'
Some things are better left to flow as they will. I suffered through it, so it would feel a bit weird to watch my friends have it easy.
"When are you going to the army?"
Since he’s public service, he won’t suffer as much as the active-duty guys, but he’s still wasting the same amount of time.
"Who knows... probably after this year? I already screwed up my first-semester midterms."
"You’re such a smart guy, why don't you study?"
"What’s the point of being smart? I can’t even get a job."
I was sitting in a cafe with Hyeon-seong for the first time in a while, talking, when he suddenly started looking around.
"What’s wrong?"
"No, that car. That black SUV over there."
I wondered what he was talking about, but it was the vehicle my men were in.
"What about it?"
"I think I saw it in Nonsan, too? Or maybe not?"
He’s always been sharp; he remembers a car he saw just once in passing.
"You think so? There are a lot of them in Korea, it’s probably just a similar car."
"Is that so?"
'Crazy guy... his observation skills are annoyingly good.'
"Doesn't it matter if he finds out?"
'Still, isn't it better if he doesn't know?'
"Oh, right. Hyuk. Do you invest in stocks?"
"I do. Why?"
"No, I bought Cheonmun last time."
"...Don't tell me you sold it? When it dropped last time?"
"No. I bought the dip, and it went up, so I’m basically printing money right now."
If he’d lost money because of me, I would have felt bad, but I’m glad he made some.
"I’m returning to school soon, what do I do? I’m already regretting it."
I decided to return to school because I was bored being cooped up at home, but the closer the date gets, the less I want to go.
"You’re going to end up buried in exam prep just like me."
We giggled over nonsense until our coffees were empty.
"I’m heading home. What about you?"
"I have somewhere to be. Want a ride?"
"Forget it. I’ll walk to get some exercise."
I’d been feeling a bit depressed for the last few days, but seeing my friends really cheered me up.
On the way to Gangnam after seeing Hyeon-seong off, I was humming a song while driving when the steering wheel suddenly jerked.
"Whoa?"
I was startled when the wheel turned on its own, but the car suddenly swerved sharply to the left and accelerated at the same time.
Thud-!
At the same time, a loud noise erupted from the back of the vehicle, and I felt the impact shudder through my entire body.
"Ah, shit. What the hell?"
I was humming along, cruising comfortably, when a car accident suddenly happened.
"Master, are you okay?"
"Yeah. My head rattled a bit, but I’m fine."
Flabbergasted, I turned my head back to see a silver SUV stopped, having slammed into the rear right door of my car.
"...You swerved to avoid this, right?"
"Yes, but I couldn't avoid it. I’m sorry."
"Why are you sorry? Just looking at him, that guy is clearly a lunatic."
It was definitely a peaceful day until some psycho ruined my peace.
Fuming, I opened the door and stepped out. The rear door hadn't been severely damaged because I’d reinforced it, but given the difference in vehicle size, the wheelhouse and the door were still dented.
"Hey, why is a young friend like you driving so recklessly? You should have hit the brakes back there!"
Looking at the face of the middle-aged man who stepped out of the car, I could smell the villainy.
"Mister, I was going straight, and you came out from the side. Doesn't common sense dictate that you should have stopped?"
"Ha! This is why young kids these days... Gangnam roads are all like this. You’re supposed to go while yielding to each other. And looking at this car, it looks expensive, so can’t you just handle it through insurance?"
Seeing him crash into me, offer no apology, and then turn the tables on me made my blood boil.
It wasn't a company car, but my own personal vehicle, so I called the insurance company and waited. Soon, someone arrived.
"I’m from Daesung Fire & Marine Insurance."
The insurance agent looked at his tablet, listened to the circumstances of the accident, and then walked toward me with a troubled smile.
"Um... Customer Kwon Hyuk? It’s certain that the other party is the at-fault vehicle. However, since this accident occurred while driving on the road, a 100-to-0 split is difficult."
The man in front of me was clearly speaking Korean, but my brain refused to understand it.
"A 100-to-0 split is difficult? No, that guy came and slammed into me while I was going straight, so how is there any fault on my part? I even tried to avoid it, but he didn't hit the brakes, so I ended up getting hit."
As I tried to argue with the insurance agent, the man who caused the accidentted in, full of bravado.
"See! What did I say? Gangnam roads are all like this. A young friend like you should have driven defensively. Mr. Insurance Agent, in my opinion, 7-to-3 is right. My neck is feeling stiff, so I need to go to the hospital."
The insurance agent in front of me started explaining as if he were lecturing me.
"Customer, under our country’s traffic laws, it’s not easy to get a 100-to-0. It’s not like you were sitting still when the accident happened, so it’s hard to say you have zero fault. I think about 20% fault will be assigned for failure to watch the road ahead or insufficient effort to avoid the accident. Since the other party is also requesting personal injury coverage, it would be best to settle for around 8-to-2..."
I burst out laughing in disbelief. He hadn't even been in my field of vision, so where did "failure to watch the road" come from? Even if it was Athena who tried to avoid it, the fact that I accelerated to avoid it should be on record, yet the insurance company was trying to pin fault on me. It was laughable.
"Settle for 8-to-2?"
I swallowed my laughter and checked the insurance agent’s name tag. Daesung Fire & Marine Insurance, Compensation Team, Assistant Manager Kim Cheol-su.
"Do not settle. If you agree here, it will be annoying to deal with later, so first refuse the fault settlement and take it to litigation."
As I listened to Athena’s advice, the man who caused the accident, thinking I’d been intimidated, shouted loudly with a triumphant expression.
"It’s because a young punk like you is driving a car you can’t afford on a lease that this happens. Let’s just settle and go our separate ways. Since you’re young, I’ll let the personal injury claim slide."
Seeing the man spewing such absurd nonsense, I was once again flabbergasted.
"You said 100-to-0 was difficult, right?"
Sensing the conversation heating up, I could see Jacob and my men stepping out of the car and walking toward me.
"I refuse to negotiate the fault for this accident. I’ll be filing a lawsuit, so keep that in mind."
"A lawsuit? It takes a long time, and the lawyer fees will cost more than the damage... are you sure about this?"
"I’ll worry about the money, so Assistant Manager, you should worry about your own future."
The man who had been raising his voice triumphantly went quiet in an instant, perhaps pressured by the atmosphere of my men.
Assistant Manager Kim, who had been watching my firm attitude, seemed flustered and stammered. The man next to him also seemed momentarily taken aback by the large men, but then raised his voice again.
"Hey! Are you threatening me? Who are all these people? Should I call the police? Why are you holding a show of force in front of me when I’m the victim!"
Of course, my men hadn't done anything; they were just standing next to me, but he was cowering on his own, shouting about threats and whatnot.
"Customer, if you do this, you’re the only one who loses. Even if you go to court, there are precedents, so the result won't change. That gentleman is even saying he won't file a personal injury claim, so just be reasonable."
Had this man taken a handful of drugs? He was spewing nonsense about that psycho having spoken reasonably.
"I’m not interested. Mister, just give me your contact information."
I’d already taken photos and received the representative’s business card, so I took the number from the man, who was red-faced and just shouting, and left the scene.
"What a shitty day. Is there something in the air this year?"
"I’ve finished securing the nearby CCTV footage. The evidence is clear, but the insurance company is handling this in a truly novel way."
I knew insurance companies were famous for doing a shitty job, but now that I was the victim, I realized they were no different from robbers.
"What did he say earlier? Money? Time? I have plenty of both."
I’ll have to teach this psycho—who has too much time, too much money, and nothing better to do—what happens when you mess with the wrong person.