Chapter 104

The sound of fabric rubbing together was so loud it was grating. Even without looking, I knew exactly what that sound was.

It was the sound of my brother shaking his leg.

Bom had noticed long ago that whenever things weren't going his way, he had a habit of violently shaking the leg that had been injured in the accident.

"Listen here. I heard the program was a huge hit. By selling out my daughter."

"……Well, that wasn't exactly the intention."

"I might have been on hiatus for decades, but I was a network-recruited actress. I still attend every Actors Association meeting. My connections are as alive as ever."

It was Mom. She was the one who had found this writer and called her here.

Bom was a little surprised. She had assumed her mother would feign ignorance to the public, even if she worried privately.

"You heard through our agency, right? That a star prosecutor-turned-lawyer has joined us to file a lawsuit. We’ve got a former chief prosecutor and former executives from Jung & Kim on the team. It’s a powerhouse. Does your production company have a lot of money? Because I certainly do."

Was the lawyer in charge of the lawsuit Choi Yi-jun? She had heard he’d opened a new law firm with his mentor, a former chief prosecutor, and it seemed the pieces were connecting like this.

"I, I… sigh… I’m sorry, ma'am. I’m truly sorry."

Overwhelmed by the pressure, the writer burst into tears and began her excuses.

She explained that when Hyun PD moved to the newly launched QBS station for a massive signing bonus, he had brought her along. There was no such thing as a free lunch. They had to produce results proportional to what they were paid, and as the program launch approached, the two of them were under immense pressure from the higher-ups.

"We had to make the show a hit immediately, but there were very few participants who caught the eye. And then the agency panelist said they liked Han-gyeol and wanted to sign him…."

They had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠set the stage in their own way, but when everything fell apart, they felt hopeless. The writer’s shoulders shook as she repeatedly apologized, admitting they had eventually resorted to methods they never should have used.

"I am truly sorry for using the fact that she is Jung Nan-hee’s daughter as clickbait. I didn't know the editing would turn out that aggressive. I was shocked myself by how severe the internet reaction was…."

As she listened quietly, Bom’s brow furrowed. Just as she felt something was off, Jae-gyu spoke up.

"You didn't know back then."

"……Pardon?"

"That Ms. Bom was the daughter of the actress Jung Nan-hee."

That was exactly what Bom found strange. Her head throbbed. When they had stormed the school, and even when they were filming at Pipi House, no one knew who she was.

"How did you find out, and who did you plan this with?"

In the silence, the sound of her brother’s leg shaking grew even louder. Bom began to feel uneasy. A terrifying hypothesis crossed her mind. Could it be that my brother…

‘He’s hated me for a long time.’

The things her brother had said to her over the years came back to her one by one.

[You know, don't you, Yoon Bom? If it weren't for you, Mom and Dad wouldn't have sent me to America. My life got twisted from that point on, but you sure are lucky.]

He had been sent to America alone as a child and had been severely bullied, so it was understandable that he had trauma. Even after returning to Korea, he had stayed holed up in his room for six months, claiming he couldn't adjust.

Of course, the fact that their parents sent him away at such a young age could be a wound, but….

Bom pulled out a buried memory.

[That brat Yoon-cheong caught a classmate with a spycam in the dorms. Help me settle this. We have to get him to graduate before we bring him back.]

She had once overheard her father on the phone in the middle of the night. That was when she first learned the real reason her brother’s stay in America was being extended.

It wasn't just that incident. Her brother tended to cause trouble in dark, sinister ways, and her father had to ask someone to clean it up every single time.

It was likely for the sake of the family image. If they kept the troublemaking brother tied down in America, no one here would know.

So, being in that situation was her brother's own fault. He must have known that, so why did he keep shifting the blame onto her?

This pattern continued even after he had supposedly adjusted to life in Korea.

[You knew I worked my ass off to get into Seoseong University, so did you really have to apply there? When you were going to go to Seohwa Women's University anyway? Who were you trying to show off to?]

Had he forgotten? Why she had applied to Seoseong University in the first place? It was because he had mocked her grades, sneering that she’d never get into Seoseong, so she had applied just to prove him wrong. When she actually received an initial acceptance from Seoseong, he started treating her like a psychopath.

She could endure all of that. She believed her mother’s words that he would change as the years went by. But Bom couldn't ignore the fact that the accident happened while he was driving her.

[You ran out there just so I could see you, didn't you? Because I'm a cripple. Just to show off. Am I right? Who do you think made me like this!]

Because that really was her fault. She felt so incredibly sorry for her mother, who looked as if her world had collapsed in despair.

So, she had lived her life in even greater compliance, becoming the target they could resent. She accepted her father’s oppression, her mother’s fussing, and her brother’s unreasonable demands.

She had lived as a member of a kind, quiet family, but was it still not enough for him?

"The person who told me that the female teacher was the actress's daughter was…."

The writer, who had been hesitating and stammering, let out a groan and pointed her finger directly in front of her.

"This person."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Yoon-cheong slammed his fist onto the desk. Startled by the noise, people nearby began to glance over.

"Fuck! This is total bullshit. Hey, do you even know me? You’re saying I tipped you off?"

"……."

"Mom, do you believe this person? Wow, I’m speechless."

Agitated, Yoon-cheong’s veins popped as he glared at the writer.

"I swear on everything, today is the first time I’ve ever met this person. Am I wrong? Tell them!"

Yoon-cheong growled, leaning his upper body halfway across the table. The writer flinched in surprise, pressing herself closer to Jae-gyu as she mumbled.

"T-that… is correct. It is true that we met for the first time today."

"See!"

As if feeling vindicated, Yoon-cheong let out a heavy snort and finally sat up straight. Trembling with fear, the writer took the cup of water Jae-gyu handed her, drank it, and caught her breath. Then, she spoke clearly again.

"But we spoke on the phone several times."

"What…?"

"You were the one who first gave me the idea that it would be good to edit it this way. You were the one who suggested not to mosaic everything. You said you’d take full responsibility!"

The writer protested in a strained, aggrieved voice. Bom felt a surge of nausea she couldn't suppress. No matter how much she hated him, he was her flesh and blood. How could he have become such a monster? Was it because of the steel pins in his leg?

"What kind of bullshit is that? Do you have proof?"

"Is that why you used a voice modulator and a burner number?"

"Mom, you don't actually believe this person, do you? Think about it logically."

Yoon-cheong, now calmed down, seemed to have regained his confidence.

"How would I even know they filmed Bom for this show? Also, I’m not an employee, so how could I have obtained the raw ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠footage from the station to tell them how to edit it?"

The brother’s relaxed facade crumbled instantly at the appearance of a new figure. Bom quickly lowered her head as she recognized the person approaching the table.

"Cheong. I’m the one who showed you the raw footage."

Bom had suspected that Seung-won might be involved. However, she hadn't given it much thought, assuming there was no evidence and that he would just deny it. But here was Seung-won, appearing of his own accord to expose the truth.

"What the fuck. Kim Seung-won, you son of a bitch. What do you think you're doing?"

The curse was harsh, but his voice was noticeably trembling. Seung-won looked around and suddenly stepped right in front of her.

"If you're not using this chair, could I borrow it for a moment…?"

Coming face-to-face so suddenly, Bom could only blink in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠confusion. Seung-won seemed surprised for a moment, then pulled the chair away without a word.

‘He didn't recognize me, right?’

Taking his seat, Seung-won sat directly across from Yoon-cheong, whose breathing had become heavy with rage, and began to speak.

The beginning was a story everyone knew. About Jae-gyu appearing while they were filming Han-gyeol’s video letter at Pipi House in Shinsu-eup. But the story that followed was about what happened after they had left.

"The writer here overheard me calling Cheong."

Why was he spilling everything so easily? She didn't know the reason, but given the atmosphere, this had all been coordinated in advance. Otherwise, they couldn't have appeared one by one with such perfect timing.

"And then you asked me. If that female teacher earlier was really the daughter of the actress Jung Nan-hee."

The writer nodded at Seung-won’s words.

"I said no."

Then how did she find out? Bom, listening intently with a racing heart, suddenly realized that everyone in the cafe, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not just her, was focused on this conversation.

When had it started? People were gathered in small groups, but no one was talking to each other. Elegant classical music flowed through the cafe, and only the voices from that table echoed through the space.

Since this was a cafe in front of a broadcasting station, it was naturally filled with people from the industry. Moreover, it was lunchtime, and the seats were packed.

Why had Jae-gyu chosen this place of all places? Could it be… on purpose?

"Then how did you find out?" Jae-gyu asked.

"As soon as we packed up and went back to Seoul, Cheong contacted me. He asked to have a drink at his office. When I went and told him about it, he asked to see the raw footage. Well, I showed him. I thought it was natural for him to be curious since his sister was meeting a man who looked like a gangster… sorry. Anyway."

Having obtained the footage, Yoon-cheong had naturally seen everything. Not only the faces of the PD and the writer, but also the desperate atmosphere as they tried to extract usable footage.

"I didn't know he would ask for the writer's number and contact her separately like that behind my back."

"Seung-won, do you have proof for any of this?"

"That…."

"That I got the writer's number from you, that I watched the raw footage, that the person who called the writer was me. Do you have proof? Can you take responsibility for what you just spat out?"

"……."

Why wouldn't there be proof? Bom took off her hat and ran her hand through her messy, cascading hair.