Chapter 106

A shiver ran through my entire body, making the fine hairs on my skin stand on end. Only then did the identity of that vivid scent within my hazy memories finally click into place.

It was the alcohol...

The pungent smell of perfume that had stung my nose was meant to mask the stench of booze. That ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was why. As the memories fell into place like puzzle pieces, my head began to spin.

One by one, the details slowly aligned.

His slurred speech that day, his unusually aggressive tone, and the hangover cure sitting in the cup holder...

"What the fuck are you talking about? Kim Seung-won, did you hit your head or something?"

Even as he raised his voice, my brother’s legs were shaking uncontrollably. I began to let go of the heavy weight of guilt I had carried for so long.

I had endured it. I had been a fool and just endured it. I felt an overwhelming sense of futility, but at the same time, a strange sense of relief washed over me.

"Alright, you two can head out now. We’ll be in touch separately. Make sure you pick up your phones."

Jae-gyu sent the writer and Seung-won outside first, having fulfilled their roles.

"You know there’s no evidence for what that bastard just said, right? Mother, it really wasn't me. It wasn't."

My mother, who had been calm until a moment ago, remained silent as if she had lost her words.

"Yoon Bom set this whole thing up, didn't she? Call her out here. Fuck, I’ve got nothing to hide."

As if terrified by my mother’s silence, my brother screamed even louder. As if he had any right to.

"You see this arm?"

Clack. Jae-gyu set his frappe spoon down inside the tall glass.

Reflected in the window, Jae-gyu rolled up his shirt sleeves. His bulging triceps and biceps were thicker than Yoon-cheong’s thighs. Jae-gyu flexed his thick forearms a couple of times.

"My body is so stupidly big that if I hit someone, it’d be a disaster, so I don't even touch people. I loathe violence, too. That’s why I’m asking you politely. Please apologize to Bom."

"..."

I was grateful for Jae-gyu’s gentlemanly request. However, I felt a pang of regret that he had said those specific words. My brother was the quintessential type who was "strong against the weak and weak against the strong."

He was especially helpless against men with superior physiques. On top of his naturally small frame, the experience of being lynched by large Westerners during his time in the States seemed to have left him traumatized.

That was why I had noticed him avoiding direct confrontation with Jae-gyu, choosing instead to vent his rage at the writer or Seung-won.

Now, my brother might actually try to push his luck with Jae-gyu. After all, Jae-gyu had just declared himself a pacifist who couldn't bring himself to hit anyone.

I’ll have to step in depending on how things go.

I tensed up, having been momentarily dazed by the succession of truths coming to light.

"Ha... I’m not apologizing."

With those words, Yoon-cheong slowly stood up and buttoned his jacket.

"You have to do something wrong to apologize. I haven't done anything wrong."

Incensed by his brazen attitude, Jae-gyu stood up abruptly, huffing through his nose.

"Hey, you said you didn't do anything wrong!"

"Even if you all gang up on me like this, I didn't do anything. Sue me if you’re so pissed off. But she won't be able to, will she?"

Yoon-cheong brushed back his bangs and moved away from the table. A furious Jae-gyu strode over and stood right in front of him.

"..."

There was a height difference of nearly 30 centimeters between them, and the difference in the thickness of their torsos was just as stark. It was a truly intimidating sight.

"W-What? You gonna hit me?"

"Despite how I look, I couldn't even kill an ant."

"Ha, then why are you crowding me like that? Get out of my way!"

As the situation reached this point, the people who had been quietly eavesdropping while pretending not to notice began to murmur.

"Fuck, is this a show for you people?"

Only then did Yoon-cheong become conscious of his surroundings, a look of regret crossing his face.

"Move. I’m leaving."

"I can't do that."

Every time Yoon-cheong tried to bypass the massive frame, Jae-gyu blocked him with his body. After this repeated several times, Yoon-cheong’s face turned bright red as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he screamed.

"Ah, seriously! Move! Get lost!"

"I said you can't go."

"Fuuuuck, seriously!"

Losing his temper, Yoon-cheong shoved Jae-gyu’s chest with all his might as he tried to block him again. It happened then.

"Ugh!"

"...?"

I was certain it wouldn't do anything. It should have been like a feather landing on a boulder.

But when Yoon-cheong shoved him, Jae-gyu literally flew through the air and went tumbling backward with a loud crash, landing hard on his backside.

As he fell, he knocked over a nearby potted plant, leaving his pants covered in dirt and leaves, making the "damage" look even more severe.

The murmuring in the cafe grew louder. Several people stood up to check on the fallen Jae-gyu.

"Jae-gyu!"

I cried out in shock.

I had never seen him look so weak. Had my cornered brother found some hidden strength, or was Jae-gyu not feeling well? Or had something happened back in China? Why did he suddenly go down like that?

In the short moment it took to run to him, all sorts of thoughts raced through my mind.

Jae-gyu, who was groaning, saw me running toward him and his eyes widened in shock. Seeing his familiar face, my eyes instantly filled with tears, which soon began to fall in droplets.

"Are you okay? Jae-gyu, why can't you get up!"

I held his cheeks with my hands, checking to see if he was alright while he continued to moan in pain, and tried to help him up. My falling tears dampened his neck.

"...is."

"What? Jae-gyu, what did you say?"

Jae-gyu whispered something. Unable to hear him clearly, I brought my ear close to his lips.

"This is a Hollywood action."

"..."

I didn't know tears could dry up so instantly. I quietly let go of Jae-gyu’s face and tried to pull away.

Wait, maybe?

A sudden thought struck me, and I grabbed Jae-gyu’s shoulders, shaking him as I wailed loudly.

"Oh no! How could you beat a person into a pulp like this! Jae-gyu, wake up! Are you okay?"

"...I’m a bit dizzy."

"How could you hit such a frail man! Are you crazy, brother?"

Someone pushed through the crowd that had gathered around the sudden brawl. He handed me a business card.

"Excuse me, I’m a reporter from the news bureau. I’ve been watching this for a while."

I knew it. In a cafe that had been quiet all along, someone was bound to be watching and recording. It was exactly as I expected, but I didn't let my guard down completely, eyeing the reporter with suspicion.

"You’re the teacher who was victimized by the Nakega broadcast yesterday, right? I was furious because I felt it violated broadcasting ethics. I happened to witness the whole truth today, so if you’re okay with it, I’d like to help."

"How?"

"I’ll actively publish a rebuttal article and upload this evidence."

Exactly. With the accounts of multiple witnesses, the reporter’s record of the incident, and the cafe’s CCTV, everything was secured.

Jae-gyu, who had been listening to the reporter, slowly pushed himself up and cracked his neck from side to side. He thumped his lower back and shrugged his shoulders, making a show of being injured.

"Ah, well, I don't mind."

Brushing himself off as he stood up, Jae-gyu asked with a smirk.

"You don't mind if it’s not an exclusive, right?"

"Pardon?"

Only then did I notice several cafe customers nodding and greeting Jae-gyu. He had called people here in advance. Among them, I saw someone giving Jae-gyu an 'OK' sign while packing away a camcorder. Since it would have recorded audio as well, it would be better than the CCTV.

And they weren't the only ones.

"I saw everything too!"

"Me too. I heard it all. I’m the editor-in-chief of Current Affairs Journal Now. I’ll help in any way I can!"

"Let us know if you need witnesses!"

The people who had watched the whole situation unfold began to vent the anger they had been suppressing, stepping forward to help. My mother’s manager, who had appeared out of nowhere, began collecting their business cards.

"Great teamwork."

Jae-gyu took a breath and looked after me. And so, the situation inside ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the cafe was settled.

What remained were purely personal matters.

My mother, who had caught my brother as he stormed out of the cafe, arranged a spot inside the van. I wanted to follow them in and listen, but Jae-gyu shook his head.

"Let’s give them a little time. Your mother must be in a lot of shock."

Jae-gyu had shared all the other information he’d gathered while traveling back from China, but no one had known about the accident caused by drunk driving.

"...She completely broke down when she heard that. I was shocked too, so imagine how she feels. Still, she’s been brave and helped us actively the whole time."

I see. My heart swelled at the thought of the two of them going to such lengths for me. I had almost lost everything because of my brother, but I had gained things far more precious. Should I actually be thanking him?

"There he comes."

It hadn't been long since I started talking with Jae-gyu in front of the van. Yoon-cheong stepped out of the vehicle, his expression unchanged from when he went in, and walked right past us.

"Brother."

I was the one who called out to him first. Yoon-cheong, who had been ignoring us, suddenly pulled a U-turn and stood in front of me.

"I might not have done everything right, but you’re the one who brought this on yourself."

"..."

"And you’re the one who made this such a big deal."

"Are you seriously saying that right now?"

More nonsense. It was a mistake to even try to have a conversation. I was about to brush him off when his next words startled me.

"Because of you, our parents are fighting and Mother is in a difficult position. Do you even realize that?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Mother might get a divorce."

I heard a short laugh from him. Is this funny to you? I didn't think he could sink any lower, but seeing him show his true colors like this gave me chills.

"Father is very angry."

Yoon-cheong added that after his father, Yoon Jung-gi, had checked the disgraceful news that had broken overnight, he had smashed several ceramics and gone looking for their mother, who hadn't returned home because of filming.

"Ah, and he mentioned disowning you. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I tried to stop him, but Father is a very stubborn man."

The van door opened again. My mother, whose eye makeup was smeared from crying, approached us, blinking slowly.

"Did that man really say that? That he’s disowning Bom?"

"Yes. And Mother, why didn't you pick up Father’s calls? He’s furious, so it would be best if you kept a low profile today."

My mother let out a long, heavy sigh that seemed to sink into the ground. The sound made my heart pound.

Is it because of me?

No matter how much she had changed, my mother had basically lived her life submissively toward my father. I didn't want to care about my father, but I couldn't help but worry about my mother having to endure his harsh words again because of me.

After exhaling the long sigh, my mother wiped her smeared eyes with the back of her hand. Then, she gave a slight shrug.

"Then I'll just get a divorce."