The Video That Broke Him
"Hello..."
"Is this Yoo Kang-soo's phone?"
"Yes... this is it..."
"Who is this?"
"I'm the man who's dating Hye-in."
Yoo Kang-soo had been receiving the call in his busy morning, half-listening.
But the absurd words coming from the phone...
He put down the documents in his hand on the desk...
Stood up abruptly from the chair.
And with one hand covering the receiver, rushed into the small meeting room attached to the office.
"Who the hell are you?"
"I told you, didn't I? It's Hye-in's lover."
"The man your wife is meeting."
"What kind of bastard... is playing pranks from the morning...
I'm so busy I can barely breathe..."
Kang-soo started spewing curses.
Too absurd...
No more words came out.
The man who had initially called with polite speech...
When vulgar curses came from Kang-soo's mouth...
Naturally responded with rough speech.
"Believe it or not...
That's your freedom...
It's already... two years.
Hye-in... became my fucktoy.
I'll send you a video file via text.
Look at it and judge.
I expected you wouldn't believe if I said it in words."
The man ended his sentence and hung up first.
Kang-soo... was so absurd... even laughed out loud alone.
And really... a few dozen seconds later... the text notification sounded.
A video was attached.
Kang-soo... played the video.
Kang-soo... was so shocked... almost dropped the phone.
The woman's face... was so vivid.
The woman in her underwear-less state... nestled in the man's arms...
It was none other than... his own wife... Ji Hye-in... there was no doubt.
Kang-soo's arms... were trembling.
* * *
Things weren't going well.
Yoo Kang-soo, who was investigating insurance fraud...
There was a mountain of overdue work piled up...
But now... it was burning him up...
He couldn't stand it.
He went out of the office.
And went all the way outside the building... to the place behind the building where he smokes.
It had been about 5 years since he quit smoking.
It wasn't to smoke.
He picked up the phone.
And called the number that sent the text earlier.
"Hello..."
"Who the hell are you?"
"Is this Yoo Kang-soo?"
"Don't call my name... you bastard...
Do you know what you've done?"
"I know...
I know very well."
When Kang-soo spoke rough, the other naturally responded with rough speech.
"You... where are you?
I'm going to find you right away...
Tell me where..."
"Why? Come hit me?
Is there any change by coming now and hitting me?
It's your fault for not properly guarding your wife..."
"Don't toy with my words..."
"Yeah...
Anyway... I don't really want to live.
Come hit me...
I'll send you the address via text..."
"Who are you?"
"Me?
I'm... Yeom Seong-bong...
And... I'm... two years older than you...
At least let's maintain some manners..."
"Is bragging about being old your thing...
The things you've done to me today...
I'll make you regret them for the rest of your life...
Send the address right away..."
"Yeah... got it..."
With the answer, Yeom Seong-bong hung up.
And really about 1 minute later... a text arrived.
It was not far.
Kang-soo looked at the text with the address...
Rushed to the parking lot and drove the car.
He entered the address into the navigation... and started stepping on the accelerator.
The building was shabby.
A small office on the 4th floor of the building.
It was an old building with many small private offices, debt collector offices, etc.
There was a sign "Hongjin Planning."
Kang-soo turned the handle.
The door was not locked.
About 10 pyeong small office.
A few desks... and a sofa...
A dirty office... and a man was sitting on the sofa drinking soju.
On the table... shrimp cracker bags were torn open.
It was still early, before lunch time.
"You...
Are you Yeom Seong-bong?"
Kang-soo sat on the sofa... while looking at the man drinking soju... spoke.
"Yeah...
It's me...
I know your face...
Although you don't know me..."
Kang-soo was so dumbfounded...
No words came out.
The man who had no one around... was in the arms of such a human trash...
Feeling deep betrayal and disappointment towards his wife Hye-in whom he had lived with for decades.
Kang-soo grabbed Yeom Seong-bong's collar with one hand and lifted him up.
Usually he would grab the collar, but Kang-soo was different.
Yoo Kang-soo had spent a long time in military police investigator job.
Moreover, Kang-soo was 5th dan in Hapkido.
From student days... trained Hapkido for long...
His whole body was trained.
Kang-soo grabbed Yeom Seong-bong's collar and pulled him up strongly.
Yeom Seong-bong stood up.
His height... seemed a few centimeters taller than Yeom Seong-bong.
But Kang-soo... was in a state where his eyes were rolled back.
Instantly... a "thud" sound was heard.
The Liver Blow... landed exactly on Yeom Seong-bong's liver...
And Yeom Seong-bong fell to the floor.
Yeom Seong-bong clutching his liver part hit by the punch... with a painful expression.
Crouched on the floor like a shrimp...
Lying there... breathing painfully a few times...
After that... he opened his mouth again.
"Kill me...
Yeah... I'm tired of it now.
Business failed... divorce too...
Wife and kids all left...
Now... the last thing left...
Hye-in was the only one...
Hye-in... said she wants to leave me too...
Now... I don't want to live...
Please... kill me with your hands..."
Kang-soo... while coming this far... had thought various things.
Why... the man who seemed to be cheating on his wife... committed suicide... and sent the video first...
He had to figure that out first.
Yoo Kang-soo had spent a long time in military life.
And most of that military life... had been as a military police investigator...
And after retirement... using that career...
He was investigating things like insurance fraud at the insurance company.
Kang-soo... did not hit the fallen Yeom Seong-bong anymore.
Because if he hit more, the case could become legally complicated.
The Liver Blow... left no traces.
It was honestly difficult to get a separate diagnosis.
Kang-soo... would never swing his fist wildly.
Because while investigating insurance fraud... he knew better than anyone how complicated and painful the law was.
* * *
"Why... not coming home...
You said to come out to the parking lot?"
Wife Ji Hye-in got into her husband's SUV parked in the underground parking lot with an astonished face.
"Yeom Seong-bong knows, right?"
Kang-soo... had no desire to rehash the situation or report it.
With that short question...
Ji Hye-in's face turned pale.
Hye-in was unable to respond immediately.
Kang-soo opened his mouth again.
"Pil-jun is 18 years old... so this year... already
Married... 19 years...
Time really flies.
At age 23... married a military guy...
Already lived nearly 20 years."
"To your late mother... you... in your young days... really
Cared for her with sincerity... that was also too grateful...
And marrying a guy with no two brains...
Working two jobs... raising our Pil-jun well... that was also grateful...
Well... that's how it is...
But this... is a bit too much."
Kang-soo... didn't get excited.
Because if he got excited, he wouldn't be able to speak properly.
"Two years, you said...
If it was just a mistake once or twice... I would think differently...
But this... isn't it.
Having sex with such a scumbag for two years?
Completely... crazy woman... pretending to be decent..."
Kang-soo eventually spat out the curses.
But... he was restraining himself as much as possible not to get excited.
"I tried to divorce.
I had been trying for a long time...
He kept blackmailing me saying he'd tell my husband...
I had no choice..."
Kang-soo shouted with a very excited voice.
He was unable to calm his anger.
Yoo Kang-soo was shouting like that, showing a slightly different appearance from usual.
"Are you stupid?
Does that make sense...
Tell me...
Instead of reporting to the police...
Were you sitting there taking it?
Who do you think would believe your words?
Among the cheating women... there are really no women who don't lie.
Don't make excuses..."