Chapter 222: The Signatories Were Lee Jeong-chan and the Driver Himself

The signatures on the contract belonged to Lee Jeong-chan and the driver himself. The handwriting matched Lee Jeong-chan's as well. In his previous life, he'd seen a similar contract from a live-in housekeeper at a chaebol household, and now, seeing all these clauses tacked on again, he couldn't help but frown.

"I've confirmed it."

"Before we talk further, sir, may I ask why you decided to tip us off? We all need to be certain about this—both for us and for you."

At Choi Jonghyeon's question, the driver spent about an hour spilling everything about his time working as Lee Jeong-chan's chauffeur. He'd started as a model taxi driver, then got an offer from a chaebol butler who'd been a passenger, which led him into private chauffeur work. He quit briefly due to personal circumstances, but soon after, through that same household's introduction, he ended up at Lee Jeong-chan's place.

He drove Lee Se-hyung's van for his commutes. But contrary to appearances, Lee Se-hyung was incredibly hot-tempered, constantly taking out his frustrations on the driver—even though they only saw each other during commutes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and outings.

Still, to pay for his college daughter's tuition, he'd gritted his teeth, telling himself to endure just until she got a job. Before he knew it, three years had slipped by.

"Then one day, Lee Se-hyung said he was going to Germany for surgery. He said it'd take a month or two, and he probably wouldn't need a driver anymore after that. I was already stressed out from the job, and my daughter had just started working, so I decided to quit. In the end, I drove him to the airport on the day he left for Germany, and we agreed I'd clock out and that would be it."

"When exactly was the day Lee Se-hyung left for Germany?"

"Last Friday."

"...So you're saying Lee Se-hyung didn't go to Germany for surgery a month ago?"

"No. He never went to Germany at all. He didn't have any surgery here either—he just carried on as usual."

Jo Bongjun and Choi Jonghyeon let out incredulous chuckles.

"Looks like they coordinated with the foundation. Bet they wiped the commute logs and slapped a gag order on their people."

Choi Jonghyeon tapped the contract with his pen as he spoke. The driver nodded in agreement.

"And, just in case it might help..."

He dumped the contents of the paper bag he'd brought onto the table. Several voice recorders tumbled out.

"What's this, sir?"

"Just in case, I recorded every commute with Lee Se-hyung from May this year until I quit."

The unexpected bombshell left Choi Jonghyeon and Jo Bongjun stunned—half shocked, half thrilled. Cha Juhan felt the same.

"As I mentioned earlier, I endured years of his constant verbal abuse. At first, I let it go in one ear and out the other, but over time, every insult made me feel pathetic, like a loser, like trash. It was like brainwashing... Honestly, there were more times than I can count when I wanted to die because of him. So I thought, if I ever did, someone should know who was responsible. That's why I recorded it..."

Tears welled up in the driver's eyes as he finished. Jo Bongjun grabbed a few tissues from the nearby box and handed them over.

From May until he quit—that meant it included the conversation Cha Juhan had overheard with Taesik's bug. When Taesik suggested releasing that transcript, Cha Juhan had said no, even though he'd wanted to more than anyone. Publicizing it risked ethical and legal backlash that could muddy the core issue. But now, opportunity had knocked.

"Sir, we're thrilled you're exposing this and letting us air it, but are you sure you're okay? There's a nondisclosure clause here."

Once the driver had calmed a bit, Jo Bongjun pointed at the contract.

"My kids are all grown now anyway, and I've sworn off driving for others. The penalty for breaching nondisclosure... I asked around, and no one who's done interviews on current affairs shows has ever had to pay up..."

He trailed off.

"I was thrilled when you journalists exposed Lee Se-hyung's true face. I didn't know his leg was fine, so I was shocked too. Finally, his mask was coming off—or so I thought. But all my old buddies around me bought into Minwoo Party's explanation. Some even pitied him. It made me so frustrated."

"I understand completely. I get why you've made this choice."

Cha Juhan cut in there, sparing the driver further pain. He didn't want the man feeling like he had to justify himself or prove he had no ulterior motives. He was a brave informant, not someone who owed them excuses.

"The contract probably has no legal force anyway, at least on first glance. Especially in your case—Lee Se-hyung and Lee Jeong-chan clearly broke the law, and you're exposing it to set things right. But if they try to make an issue of it based on this, I'll handle it as your representative. No fee."

"Really? But even so, a fee..."

The driver looked flustered, staring at him.

If it bothered him that much, fine.

"They'll cover the fee. Thanks to your tip, we can nail Lee Se-hyung's fraud even harder. It's the least they can do, right?"

Cha Juhan glanced at Jo Bongjun and Choi Jonghyeon, who jumped in like they'd been waiting.

"Of course, sir! We'll take care of it. You showed real guts coming here—we've got your back. If you don't trust us, we can even write you an affidavit!"

Choi Jonghyeon blustered, but shot Cha Juhan a sly look asking if he was really charging them. It had started as a way to reassure the driver, but now Cha Juhan found himself thinking maybe he should let them buy him a meal sometime.

He shrugged noncommittally.

After handing over the evidence, they sifted through for broadcast-worthy clips. Plenty exposed Lee Se-hyung's true colors—utterly devoid of manners—but the priority was his fraud. They wanted to air everything eventually, but for now, they selected the conversation Cha Juhan had bugged.

* * *

"Lee Jeong-chan, Lee Se-hyung, and everyone at Minwoo Party—we gave you plenty of time. Honestly, we wanted to air this sooner, but this wasn't a snap decision, so we held off out of courtesy. What we got back was the silent treatment, so here we are, going public."

"Everything's cause and effect. The puzzle's complete. Lee ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Se-hyung never had surgery—he faked going abroad for it. But the scandal blew up, so even that got canceled. We're journalists, after all—or B-list ones, anyway. Our job ends here. Next up: the investigators. They can confirm if this evidence holds with a quick check of his flight booking."

"Thanks again to our brave chauffeur. That's it for today. Hopefully next time we can celebrate the authorities launching a full probe."

"Yep. And that's our segment. Kids, hyungs are signing off. Oh, and last but not least, thanks for the thousand balloons from jonghyundungkkeun-nim. I said no reactions, but you keep sending them. Alright, broadcast over. Bye!"

Kim Jeongu hit the end button, and Choi Jonghyeon and Jo Bongjun stretched in unison.

"Ahhh, I'm dying."

"Lawyer Cha, check the reactions? What do you think?"

"Tons of articles already. Oh, Kim Jeongu-ssi, better upload today's audio clips to the station archive so they spread."

They didn't fully utilize the station's features, but plenty tuned in. The free bulletin board was plastered with posts clamoring for Jo Bongjun and Choi Jonghyeon on off days.

"Uploading now."

"Wonder if the sir saw us drop the files."

"He probably did. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠We told him the air time. Maybe his daughter showed him on her laptop?"

"First overseas trip in ten years—hope he forgets all this and relaxes."

A few days earlier, as the reveal date loomed and the driver grew anxious, Cha Juhan had handed him tickets to Thailand. After all that suffering, the least he deserved was ten noisy days vacationing with family. Roaming was pricey in 2010 anyway, but Cha Juhan had insisted he turn it off just in case—Lee Jeong-chan's side would surely bombard him with calls once the broadcast aired.

Kang Minjae had pulled strings with his global hotel group membership for a prime resort, so Cha Juhan hoped he'd unwind without worry.

He glanced at the two glued to their laptops checking post-broadcast buzz, then stepped out and called Park Younggi.