The Ferrari Owner's Heavy Heart
The owner of the Ferrari felt his heart grow heavy. Kim Do-hoon kept dry-washing his face repeatedly.
"Haa."
A sigh escaped his lips. The friends who arrived late also fell silent after hearing the situation.
"Still, isn't this self-defense at this point?"
"It's an evasion that happened in an emergency situation, so with that... Hey, what happens in cases like this?"
Who here knew the law? Of course, they vaguely remembered what they'd learned. But what they'd picked up was just general knowledge, not even on a professional level.
And the police had just left after declaring Kim Seon-woong the victim.
'Even so, could something like this really end up guilty?'
'Looking at how our judiciary works, it might...'
The deep-seated distrust toward Korea's judiciary and investigative agencies ran through them all. Everyone scratched their heads furiously.
"That's one thing, but... now Dad's got to compensate for most of the goods he was transporting since they're all damaged. Haa. What the hell are we gonna do?"
Kim Do-hoon vented his frustration in a slumped state. Park Ji-hwan, sitting beside him, silently draped an arm around his shoulders. Even though they bickered the most usually, Park Ji-hwan was always the most loyal in times like these.
"...Hang in there."
His father was on the verge of going to jail. On top of that, the company would suffer losses covering the goods, and now hospital bills too (Kim Do-hoon still didn't know Shin Jaewoo had already prepaid them).
"Now we even have to hire a lawyer, but the company's in chaos on top of that... and I don't even know where to find one."
The situation was a chain of frustrations.
Shin Jaewoo watched it all, feeling uneasy himself.
'Can we resolve this as quickly as possible?'
If it were his own issue, he could've waited. But seeing his friend like this made it impossible.
So he sent a text.
If the Director wishes it, I'll make arrangements to process it right away.
Shin Jaewoo paused at the reply.
'This... probably isn't the standard procedure, right?'
It seemed like it would be handled through some non-standard channel. But Shin Jaewoo didn't dwell on it long.
'Please handle it.'
He wanted to resolve his friend's troubles quickly. Getting this incident settled fast would allow them to move forward with everything else.
And that wasn't all. The money his friend's company had to pay out.
'I'll help with that too.'
It wouldn't be a big sum for him anyway. Still, he didn't mention it to Lee Jinmyeong. He figured he could quietly cover it himself.
This wasn't something he could use corporate funds for anyway.
'If I tell the Chief Secretary, he'd probably find a way to use foundation money, but... that doesn't sit right.'
For this, using his personal funds felt proper.
Shin Jaewoo turned to Kim Do-hoon.
"...Don't worry too much. Hang in there. It'll be sorted out soon. Everything... will be okay."
Kim Do-hoon frowned at the words. His friends' comfort didn't sound all that sweet right now. But then he let out another sigh.
'They're saying nice things—getting pissed at them would just make me the bad guy. Damn, all these negative thoughts keep coming.'
The situation was that frustrating.
Still, one thing was clear.
"Right now... honestly, no words really comfort me."
That was his conclusion.
Shin Jaewoo said nothing more. He just hoped Lee Jinmyeong would handle it swiftly.
And Lee Jinmyeong, having received the Director's special instructions...
"...Quickly."
His eyes gleamed. Just securing a legal team might not cut it. For now, assembling the team proceeded as planned. Shin Jaewoo had requested all of the top 10 law firms. It was like summoning the Avengers of the courtroom.
This wasn't just about scale.
'A single firm can't take the same case.'
So the other side couldn't possibly secure any of the top 10. That was the rule.
But in this situation, where swift resolution was desired over textbook methods...
"...Then we should handle it our way."
There was no direct line to the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency yet. But that was fine. They had a line to move the National Police Agency itself.
Connections forged from the Kim Dong-su incident.
Now was the time to use them. Through the National Police Agency to the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency. And from there to the Daejeon Western Police Station—it took only a few hours.
The result...
"Yes, you bastard! You've finally tarnished your old man's name! Hey, you little shit! Get over here!"
Kim Eojun swung his golf club furiously. Whoosh, whoosh—the club whistled menacingly through the air. Getting hit by that would hurt like hell.
"Argh! Dad, one wrong swing and you'll kill someone!"
"You deserve to die! Yeah, drop dead, you punk. Just die already! Dying would be your filial duty!"
"What the fuck? What parent kills their own kid!"
"With the resolve of General Gyebaek who slew his own family, I won't forgive you! Where do you think you're running? Get back here!"
Daejeon was Baekje territory. In that spirit, Kim Eojun swung with the fury of a Baekje hero. Of course, his son had no intention of offering his neck meekly.
Even so, the outcome didn't change. Everything happened with shocking speed.
Ding-dong.
He was still fuming, stomach churning, when it happened.
"...What is it?"
Kim Eojun's second wife checked the intercom. And froze.
There were three men outside.
"We're from the Daejeon Western Police Station. Is this the home of Mr. Kim Ji-hoon?"
Too fast. For investigating a simple traffic accident...
'Just how big a player got involved?!'
Kim Eojun's eyes widened. It was just a traffic accident—no direct collision, just causing it through reckless driving. Police didn't usually go out of their way like this to visit the perp's house.
Yet here they were.
And as the door opened...
"Grab him!"
"Pardon the intrusion."
They showed no regard for Kim Eojun's face or position. They charged in like they were after a murderer.
"We need you to come with us for the investigation."
And they dragged his son away. It was utterly unreasonable police work.
"Wha-what is this? This unprecedented behavior..."
I drink with your station chief. I play golf with your station chief...
He couldn't say any of that.
But there were laws and procedures. This didn't follow any.
For mere reckless driving, you'd get a fine at most, maybe civil suits from victims. End of story.
So why were the police moving like this? One reason.
'Just how big a shot did you piss off?'
This was insult on top of injury. He'd drawn the wrath of a true heavyweight.
And if things escalated, it wouldn't stop at just his son getting hauled in temporarily.
"Haa."
Kim Do-hoon was still sighing. He'd gone into the office.
The gathering had fizzled out that day. Thinking back, he felt bad for Shin Jaewoo, who had come down to their hometown after so long.
'Come to think of it, that Jaewoo guy... rides around in an insanely nice car.'
Recalling Shin Jaewoo brought the Ferrari to mind. He never imagined the unemployed guy would be driving a sports car like that.
'Where'd he get the money for a Ferrari?'
Not even severance pay would cover one.
His mind swirled with complicated thoughts when someone entered his office.
"Huh...?"
At first, he thought it was Song Jin-ho. But no. Strangers—a man and woman in crisp suits.
'What's this all of a sudden...?'
As he panicked, one stepped forward as the representative.
"Hello. I'm Lee Jin-woo, attorney at Law Firm KJ."
"Uh?"
"From Law Firm Hanla..."
They all handed over business cards and greeted him.
Kim Do-hoon was dazed.
'Why are lawyers suddenly here? Wait, could it be...'
The recent accident came to mind. That's when the lawyers spoke.
"We've been commissioned by a client to assist with the accident on Gyebaek-ro. We checked the station, and criminally, they've already decided no charges and won't prosecute."
"Uh?"
Kim Do-hoon hadn't even known that. He'd been weighed down, thinking his dad was the perpetrator.
But that issue had resolved without him even worrying.
And it didn't end there.
"However, civil proceedings remain. Medical bills from the accident, vehicle repair costs, compensation for undelivered or damaged goods to customers, lost wages from being unable to work... You need to claim it all, right?"
"Y-yeah, that's true, but..."
"Since we've received funds from the client, we have to step in. Just leave it to us. We'll ensure full compensation."
Each firm had its reputation. Failing this case with them united would be disastrous.
"Lawsuit costs are already paid by the client, so just sign the power of attorney, and we'll handle everything—updating you on progress only. Oh, you can attend court with us if you want... but it's not necessary."
"Um..."
Kim Do-hoon, still struggling to keep up, trailed off. Then cautiously asked,
"So... who is this client?"
Who would go this far to help them?
"...Ah, the client asked us not to disclose."
At that moment, the Ferrari's owner from his earlier thoughts flashed in Kim Do-hoon's mind.