The Big Shot Makes His Move
"Thank you. I won't forget this, and I'll make sure to repay the favor."
"Haha, what are you saying? If anyone overhears, they'll get the wrong idea, Representative Kim. I'm just... doing things by the book."
The police chief's sly response came through the receiver. The man addressed as Representative Kim smiled.
"Even so, if it weren't for our chief, I might've been in a world of worry. You've lifted a huge burden off my shoulders."
"Haha, isn't easing the worries of us citizens exactly what a cop like me is for?"
"Ha! Chief Go is one hell of a policeman. We need more cops like you in this country."
"Hahaha, I'm grateful for the kind words. I'll come visit you sometime. When's good for you out in the field?"
"You bet. I'll treat you to a meal there."
"Come on, Representative Kim, you know I can't accept that. No way. Dutch pay it is."
Their warm, cordial call came to an end. Representative Kim, who had been laughing moments ago, twisted his face into a scowl.
"Pathetic bastard."
He spat the icy words at the young man in front of him. His eyes betrayed his utter disappointment in the boy.
"I told you to lay low, and you couldn't even hold out that long before causing another mess? Drunk driving and crashing? Hah."
"I didn't cause the accident. That idiot truck driver did..."
"You still haven't learned a damn thing!"
Representative Kim raised his voice in anger. His son flinched at the outburst. This was the Lamborghini driver at the center of Kim Sun-woong's accident case.
"Keep your car in the garage for a while—no, sell the damn thing if you can."
"No, Dad! It's brand new—I waited forever to get it. Sell it already?"
The young man, hands raised like a petulant child, protested to his father. Representative Kim clutched the back of his neck.
"Aigoo, what kind of son is this..."
It burned him up inside. But he couldn't just disown the boy. He was his only son.
Nothing's going right lately. Ngh.
At least that much was a relief. The other guy was just some nobody truck driver, so he could probably bury it for good. The one lingering worry had been the truck's black box...
But the police said they'd handle that. Lucky break.
He'd gotten a firm promise from the chief that it'd be quietly removed before it reached the prosecutors. That should put his mind at ease—unless an even bigger power than his own got involved.
"You'd better hope that truck driver has no other connections. If things go south, being my only son won't save you—the company goes to your little sister."
"Huh? What're you talking about?"
The young man jumped in shock at his father's warning. He had every reason to.
"Didn't you say you'd never let a girl take over the company?"
"You think I'd hand it to a disappointing daughter like you? Your sister doesn't cause accidents."
"But she's still just a kid..."
"A kid who outdoes you, and you've got the nerve to talk back?"
"Still..."
His younger sister right now—a 16-year-old middle school girl. And for the record, she didn't share the same mother as him.
Hand the company to a girl like that?
And the real shocker: she wasn't even his blood sister. His stepmother had brought her in from outside. So this was just Representative Kim talking tough—he had no real intention of passing the company to some non-blood stepdaughter.
But there was a reason for the threat.
I can always have more kids.
His current wife, the middle schooler's mother, had recently announced her pregnancy.
Here's hoping it's a boy in there.
That's why he wanted to instill some fear in this hotheaded son of his. Age gap or not, he was still vigorous enough.
"So if you don't want the company going to your sister, clean up your act."
"...That won't happen."
His son pushed back without backing down. The boy's eyes had changed from earlier—meek obedience gone, replaced by a beast's glare.
At least he's got some greed in him. Good.
Representative Kim was quietly pleased with his son's attitude. Someone who couldn't defend or hold onto what was theirs wouldn't survive in the wild world.
"Hm?"
Something odd. A call from Police Chief Go Seong-sik, whom he'd just hung up on.
Did we miss something?
He picked up. "What's up, Chief Go?"
"R-Representative Kim... I think we have to pretend that last conversation never happened."
A trembling, flustered voice.
What the hell? What's this all of a sudden?
Representative Kim was thrown by the sudden shift. He started to press for details, but the chief spoke faster.
"I-I'm calling to let you know. Anyway, gotta go—busy."
"Hey! Jo Chan-woong!"
The chief's voice dripped with urgency. Hearing it sent chills down Representative Kim's spine. He'd planned to bury this with brute force, so he could sense it now.
Someone... has made a move!
A heavyweight scarier than him. They'd started pulling the strings on this case.
Daejeon Western Police Station. The station handling this case. And its chief, Go Seong-sik, had planned to sweep it under the rug.
Why's he calling?
A call came in. He'd just finished chatting with local bigwig Representative Kim and taken only a few steps when it rang. About to get in his car, he answered in surprise.
"D-Deputy Chief. What brings you to call?"
His senior from police academy by a year—the Daejeon Police Agency deputy chief. A man still hard to deal with. And his next words flustered Go even more.
"Hey."
"Yes, Deputy Chief."
"There was an accident on Gyeryong-ro today, right?"
"Gyeryong-ro...?"
There had been. He'd just gotten word about it.
But Go misunderstood his senior.
"Ah, yeah. I got the call from Representative Kim. Don't worry, Deputy Chief—I've got it handled..."
His senior was the one who'd set up the meeting with Representative Kim in the first place. He must know the son was involved, which is why he was calling.
But Go's assumption shattered at his senior's furious yell.
"What Representative Kim out of nowhere? You mean Representative Kim Eojun? Why the hell is he involved here? Him too?"
He could tell from the words. He'd guessed wrong.
"N-No...?"
"Whatever. Anyway, that truck driver in the accident—"
"Yes..."
He'd just ordered it sent to the prosecutors.
"Touch that truck driver and you're dead."
"Huh?"
"You deaf? The trucker was just swerving to avoid that Lamborghini that ignored the median and came roaring over from the opposite lane, right?"
"Y-Yeah, but..."
The Lamborghini's driver was Kim Eojun's son. That's why he'd gotten the friendly nudge earlier.
"Nail the Lambo, clear the truck. No charges."
"Huh?"
"Argh, why can't you get it? Send it to the prosecutors and it'll never stick anyway—bury it!"
His voice brimmed with certainty. What was this about?
No conviction possible?
Sure, if they could prove the Lamborghini's wrong-way driving, the trucker could claim self-preservation. But where to find proof? No witnesses, and the only evidence—the black box—he'd planned to ditch himself.
"You have no idea what's going down right now in the dead of night, do you? That's why you're so chill."
Frustration laced his senior's tone.
"If you don't know, just do as you're told. Bury it. That accident? Truck's fault. Anyone can see the Lambo screwed up."
"True, but..."
He hadn't even checked the black box footage yet. But Kim's call alone told him the Lambo was likely in the wrong.
"So what's the problem?"
It was exactly what he'd told Jo Chan-woong earlier. Of course— he'd learned it under this man.
And now Go Seong-sik started to sense it too.
No way...
Why else would his senior be yelling himself hoarse?
A big shot had moved. Still, he had to confirm.
"Deputy Chief, that... Lamborghini driver is Representative Kim's son."
"What? Shit."
Frustrated reaction from his senior. He seemed to deliberate, but the conclusion was the same.
"Doesn't matter. Mess with the trucker and it won't just end with you dying."
A heavy thud.
"Kim? Let him pay for not keeping his kid in line."
Go Seong-sik's face went pale. The call ended. He bolted back to the station.
Jo Chan-woong was baffled.
"Argh, why make me do it twice? What the hell's going on?"
The chief had flipped his attitude in an instant. Truly, in the blink of an eye.