Chapter 177
Chapter 177
Spill Everything You Know
In the lobby of a luxury hotel in Utah, Yu Yeon-seo sat as comfortably as if he were in his own living room, waiting for someone. Passersby would glance his way, drawn by his unique aura and striking looks.
“Why don’t you sit?”
“I’m more comfortable like this.”
Yeon-seo offered a seat to Im Seung-hyeon, who stood behind him, out of courtesy. As if his legs never tired, Seung-hyeon remained standing the entire time Yeon-seo was seated.
Not only that, but Yeon-seo’s bodyguards were also stationed around the lobby, surveying the area. They occasionally had to stop fans who recognized him and asked for photos, though Yeon-seo would wave them off and oblige his fans personally.
But now accustomed to this, he turned his focus back to his phone.
(Park Min-woo) Hyung! Are you feeling okay? Let’s meet up sometime! Happy New Year!
(Han-gyeol Hyung) You feeling alright? Happy New Year. The guys are getting discharged next month, let’s all get together.
(Shin Ye-won Nuna) How are you feeling? Don’t push yourself too hard. Happy New Year!
(Writer Jeong Da-hee) Yeon-seo, it’s been a while. I heard you were sick, are you okay?
Spending the New Year in the United States, Yeon-seo received messages from family and friends. They all wished him a happy new year, expressing concern for his health. It felt like he’d received even more messages than when he’d been in the car accident.
‘Replying to all of these is a chore.’
But he couldn’t just ignore them. Couldn’t he just invite everyone to a group chat and get it over with at once? As he entertained the silly thought, a hand gently touched his shoulder, and he looked up.
“You’re here?”
“I’m here. Why are you out here?”
“Came to meet you.”
Lee Tae-gyeom eyed Yeon-seo suspiciously. He wasn’t falling for that anymore. It definitely wasn’t to meet him… he was probably waiting for the Filicide team.
(Baek Seo-jun Hyung) You feeling any better? Happy New Year.
(Baek Seo-jun Hyung) Let’s make sure we catch him this year.
“Don’t you have something to tell me?”
“As it happens, Seo-jun asked me to pass something on to you.”
“Really?”
Only then did Yeon-seo break into a wide grin. Tae-gyeom took a hesitant step back and stood next to Im Seung-hyeon.
“What did the hospital say?”
“They couldn’t find anything.”
“Seriously?”
He was in such a serious condition, yet they found nothing? He thought it would be different in the U.S.… Seeing Tae-gyeom’s reaction, Im Seung-hyeon sighed.
“I’m just as frustrated about the results.”
“I can hear you.”
That was the point… Seung-hyeon didn’t make any excuses and shut his mouth.
“I meant for you to hear. If the results came out strange, you should take it easy. What if it’s some new disease?”
“I’ll handle it.”
Tae-gyeom voiced Seung-hyeon’s frustrations, but Yeon-seo wasn’t one to listen. The two men sighed in unison. Serving a stubborn boss was exhausting.
As Im Seung-hyeon watched the back-and-forth between Yeon-seo and Tae-gyeom, he noticed a familiar figure entering through the doors and bowed his head.
“Sir, they’ve arrived.”
“Oh?”
Yeon-seo shot up from his seat and walked toward them. The bodyguards on standby rose and followed him.
Director Kim Jae-ho and Park Seung-hwan of Filicide flinched at the approaching group, but then smiled in delight upon seeing Yeon-seo at its head.
“Hey, Yeon-seo!”
“You’re here, hyung? Director, it’s been a while.”
“Whoa… you startled me.”
When Park Seung-hwan opened his arms to approach Yeon-seo, the bodyguards standing behind him moved to block them.
‘What on earth did Grandpa tell them for them to still be acting like this…?’
Yeon-seo gave a slight wave of his hand, and they stepped back.
It’s moments like these that I really feel he’s in a different league than me… Park Seung-hwan smiled again and gave Yeon-seo a light hug. Then, he held Yeon-seo by the shoulders and looked him over.
“What is it?”
“You were sick, weren’t you?”
“I’m fine now.”
In truth, after being discharged, he had tried soul-tuning again and was unable to sleep due to the sensation of his soul being wrung out… Yeon-seo forced an awkward smile.
Park Seung-hwan’s suspicion didn’t fade. Fine ‘now’?
“What did the hospital say?”
“Just, you know, overwork and stuff.”
“Really? You should have been resting instead of running around.”
“If it were you, would you spend your long-awaited vacation cooped up in a hospital room?”
“Well, no.”
Director Kim Jae-ho and Park Seung-hwan were well aware of which hospital Yeon-seo had been admitted to and what he had been up to. Yeon-seo had been relentlessly advertising it on social media.
“Anyway, it’s not something to make a big fuss about.”
His words weren’t very convincing. Park Seung-hwan and Director Kim Jae-ho had personally witnessed Yeon-seo’s strange behavior during the filming of Filicide. They seemed to believe the rumors of psychological trauma that were circulating.
“I’m glad it’s nothing serious.”
“I heard the news. You won an award, right? Congratulations.”
“You should be congratulated too, Yeon-seo.”
He had already received a report from Cha Yun-ho, who had arrived the day before. To submit Filicide to film festivals, they had poured money into post-production, significantly shortening the schedule. It premiered abroad before it did in Korea.
Thanks to that, it was nominated for various critics’ association awards, press association awards, and film festivals. It was no exaggeration to say that Filicide swept nearly all the Best Foreign Language Film awards.
“This is the award you received…”
“Ah, give it to me.”
Lee Tae-gyeom took the trophy the director held out. Yeon-seo had also been nominated for Best Actor, receiving a total of three awards.
- Filicide shows the dark side of our society, both East and West, and the old and young who walk a precarious line within it.
- At first, you are struck by his handsome face, but soon his face disappears, and only his acting remains. Before your eyes is not a handsome actor, but a wounded boy.
- Filicide points out the limits of welfare and poses philosophical questions about the meaning of life…
The reviews for Filicide were generally positive.
The consensus was that Director Kim Jae-ho’s deft direction, which calmly portrayed the life of a family, combined with Park Seung-hwan’s flawless performance as an old man and Yeon-seo’s acting, created a powerful synergy.
Though it lacked commercial appeal, its numerous awards were enough to open the wallets of the bourgeoisie. Director Kim Jae-ho would likely have no trouble securing funding for his next film.
“You must be tired from your journey, and I’ve been holding you up.”
“Not at all. Thanks to the arrangements you made for us…”
Director Kim Jae-ho and Park Seung-hwan looked around at the magnificent hotel lobby. They had attended film festivals a few times in the past, but never with such a luxurious itinerary.
“You still haven’t seen our movie, have you?”
“No, I was planning to watch it here.”
“Perfect. Let’s go watch it together. It turned out great.”
Yeon-seo’s eyes sparkled. He had been so disoriented because of the soul-tuning that he hadn’t had a chance to see it yet. How did the final product turn out?
A man was running down an alley, escaping a commotion. Though he limped as if injured, his pace was surprisingly fast. He was being chased.
‘Dammit, if only I hadn’t lost that money back then.’
The man, Park Gyeong-won, glanced back anxiously. The burly men who had been relentlessly pursuing him spotted him and shouted.
“There he is!”
“Get him!”
Park Gyeong-won broke into a run again.
‘Which bastard snitched?’
He couldn’t immediately think of who it might be. There were too many possibilities. Drifting from casino to casino, his gambling debts had piled up until he maxed out his loans, and now he was on the run from debt collectors.
‘As if I don’t have enough to worry about…!’
A suspicious phone call had left him on edge. He was even worried that a past he had tried to forget was coming back to haunt him.
Screech!
After running for some time, a black van screeched to a halt in front of Park Gyeong-won. The passenger door opened, and Baek Seo-jun held out an official ID.
“Police. You’ve been chased by someone for a while now. Do you need any help?”
“Yes, yes!”
Relieved to have finally found a way out, Park Gyeong-won quickly climbed into the van. Baek Seo-jun grinned and showed his ID to Park Jeong-ho.
“See? I told you. There’s nothing you can’t do with this ID.”
“How did the Senior Managing Director end up with a friend like this…”
Park Jeong-ho sighed softly at Baek Seo-jun’s flippant tone. Once inside the van, Park Gyeong-won saw the large men flanking him and stammered in alarm.
“Wh-what’s this?”
“For now, why don’t you get some sleep?”
At Park Jeong-ho’s signal, the man sitting next to Park Gyeong-won knocked him unconscious.
“Good work. You can head back now.”
“Yes, sir.”
The men who had been chasing Park Gyeong-won a moment ago bowed respectfully to Park Jeong-ho. They had been posing as debt collectors to lure him in.
“My, my, we’ve done something illegal.”
“It’s fine as long as we don’t get caught. Let’s go.”
They took the unconscious Park Gyeong-won and confined him in a safe house that Yeon-seo had prepared in advance.
“When did you prepare something like this?”
“I didn’t know either. Yeon-seo did it all without us knowing.”
For the time being, they decided to provide him with minimal food and water and see what his intentions were.
A few days passed like this, and Yu Eun-ho, who had been busy with work, arrived at the safe house.
“What’s the situation?”
“No progress yet. He thinks we’re debt collectors.”
“We can’t just keep watching him like this.”
Reading Eun-ho’s mind, Baek Seo-jun clicked his tongue. Right, he’d forgotten this one wasn’t all there either. What else could you expect from Yu Yeon-seo’s older brother?
“…I know. But you know that evidence obtained through violence isn’t credible.”
“We can make it credible enough.”
“Well… that’s true.”
He knew Juseong had the power to do so. But some criminals never confessed, no matter what, so he was just being a little cautious.
“First, let’s try to figure out what this guy is hiding.”
In Baek Seo-jun’s opinion, Park Gyeong-won looked like he would spill everything if they just coaxed him a little. They were done analyzing his behavior via CCTV; it was time to make a move.
“Leave this to the police for now.”
Baek Seo-jun confidently took a file and sat down across from Park Gyeong-won. After screaming his lungs out to be let go, Park Gyeong-won had slumped his head in exhaustion. He recognized Baek Seo-jun and his eyes widened.
“Wh-who are you? Weren’t you a cop?”
“I am a cop, and I’m here to question you.”
“D-do you think locking me up like this will solve anything?!”
“Mister. Wouldn’t you rather be locked up here than chased by debt collectors? Just satisfy our curiosity, and we’ll let you go right away.”
Of course, they wouldn’t let him go that easily. Baek Seo-jun concealed his true intentions with a wide grin. Unable to refute his words, Park Gyeong-won opened his mouth to protest, then clamped it shut.
“You know this person, don’t you?”
Baek Seo-jun slid a photo of a young Lee Hui-seo toward Park Gyeong-won. Watching from behind, Yu Eun-ho saw Park Gyeong-won’s shoulders flinch and crossed his arms. He felt like his fists would fly otherwise.
“Why did you kill her?”
“I-I didn’t kill her!”
Baek Seo-jun smiled dangerously. See, after a few days of no food and psychological pressure, he sings so easily.
“Oh? I thought she committed suicide?”
“Th-that’s…”
Park Gyeong-won pressed his lips together. Behind him, Yu Eun-ho let out a small sigh and uncrossed his arms. He brought his right hand to the back of Park Gyeong-won’s head…
“Let’s just take the easy way.”
“Hey, wait a minute.”
Thwack!
He slammed Park Gyeong-won’s face into the desk.
“Shame if his face gets messed up…”
Baek Seo-jun clicked his tongue in disappointment. Then, he patted the shoulder of the groaning Park Gyeong-won.
“Mister, you haven’t passed out yet, have you?”
“Ugh…”
“Spill everything you know before things get ugly.”