Chapter 84
Im Hyeong-o calmed down abruptly at the mention of Jeong Yeong-jun. If it had been debt collectors hounding him, he would've thrown a fit, but this reaction suggested he hadn't borrowed money from Jeong Yeong-jun. So what was it?
"What does a lawyer want to know about that bastard Jeong Yeong-jun?"
Im Hyeong-o said, brushing off his shoulders. He swept away the scattered empty soju bottles on the floor and sat up straight. Kang Minjae glanced around, grabbed some newspaper, spread it on the ground, and sat on it. He offered me some too, but I waved it off casually and fixed my gaze on Im Hyeong-o.
"You seem to harbor a deep grudge against Mr. Jeong Yeong-jun. We've come to hear the story behind it."
"A grudge against Jeong Yeong-jun? Why do you ask?"
When I didn't answer right away, Im Hyeong-o nodded as if he understood.
"Ah, you're from the Yangjin Group side, right? I heard his wife might file for divorce. You're digging for dirt on Jeong Yeong-jun, huh?"
His attitude shifted to cooperative—he even switched to polite speech. He was clearly misunderstanding, but there was no need to correct him. If he learned we were defending Jeong Yeong-jun, who knows how this volatile man might flip. I answered with silence.
In truth, the fastest way would be to bluntly ask Im Hyeong-o if he'd filmed and spread Jeong Yeong-jun's video, then use my ability. But with Kang Minjae watching, if my judgment seemed unfounded, he'd grill me on how I knew. I regretted not coming alone, but even then, he'd pester me endlessly about my reasoning. With time to spare, I decided to hear the full story. Video or not, it might help the case.
"You probably know this already, but Jeong Yeong-jun and I were business partners until seven years ago."
"You mean the seafood restaurant in front of Korea University."
"That's right. But then he said he was marrying into a chaebol family and needed to wrap up the business. I'd taken out a loan using my mom's house as collateral—thinking of it as an advance on my inheritance—and poured in sixty million won. It gutted me."
"But I heard there were no major conflicts when he bowed out."
"Yeah. Converting the loan wasn't a big issue either. My credit wasn't trashed like it is now."
"So what sparked the conflict?"
Im Hyeong-o gave a bitter smile and pulled a crumpled cigarette from a mangled pack. He took a long drag, exhaling smoke and a sigh together.
"That bastard said he never expected things to turn out like this, that he was sorry. If pulling out caused me problems or I needed help, just call anytime. Marrying into a chaebol family didn't mean he couldn't help his brother-like partner, he said."
Im Hyeong-o mimicked Jeong Yeong-jun's words with a ridiculous chuckle. I hadn't heard that from Jeong Yeong-jun himself, but Im Hyeong-o was telling the [Truth].
"Anyway, about two years later, the lease was up. Turns out the building owner had changed. Suddenly, they jacked up the rent to an insane amount."
Sudden rent hikes were a small business owner's worst nightmare. Even in my past life, they'd become a growing issue over time, collapsing once-thriving streets overnight.
"That was around when Jeong Yeong-jun joined Yangjin F&B. I looked into the owner—it was a Yangjin F&B executive. I'm not family, but I had a connection through Jeong Yeong-jun, so I texted him for a favor. Not a big one—just asking to knock a bit off the increase."
"And?"
"No reply. I called, but it was a dead number. That's when the betrayal hit hard. I thought his words when we split were sincere, that I had a lifeline. Fuck, turns out I didn't."
Kang Minjae nodded sympathetically, understanding Im Hyeong-o's pain. Jeong Yeong-jun had said he hadn't contacted Im Hyeong-o after the marriage either. I'd chalked it up to circumstances, but this made it sound like deliberate ghosting. Still, I couldn't fully trust the unwavering [Truth] floating above his head. It was Im Hyeong-o's believed truth—even if Jeong Yeong-jun hadn't ignored him on purpose, the outcome registered as [Truth].
"Running the business without loans was fine, but suddenly I had sixty million in debt. Interest piled up monthly, plus principal repayments. University spots can't charge premium prices—we aimed for cheap eats from the start. But ingredient costs soared, so I raised prices by 500 or 1,000 won here and there. Customers vanished. Then rent spiked too. What could I do? Shut it down."
"Is that why you hold a grudge against Mr. Jeong Yeong-jun?"
"It stung like hell, sure, but if that's enough for a grudge, I'd be petty. Fuck, I thought of that bastard as a real brother. Even after he married into money and cut ties, I still felt goodwill toward him."
He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and rubbed his forehead.
"He was probably swamped adjusting to his new world, bombarded with requests, changed his number in a rush, and forgot to tell me. That's what I told myself."
"How did things go after that?"
Kang Minjae asked cautiously, eyeing Im Hyeong-o's distressed face. Im Hyeong-o glanced up with a hollow laugh.
"How? Straight to hell. Sold the shop, paid off debts, had about fifty million left to start over. Then Mom gets critically ill. And fuck, no insurance for that rare shit."
"Aigoo..."
Kang Minjae, fully immersed, let out a short sigh. He'd momentarily set aside suspicions that this man might be our client's culprit.
"I'd sunk everything into the business—no more collateral loans. Selling the house meant homelessness. So I blew my fifty million on her bills. Ha, stupid move. She didn't last much longer anyway. Should've skipped the surgery and life support, not racked up more debt..."
"What kind of debts are we talking about?"
I asked, and Im Hyeong-o answered readily.
"Credit loans, card loans, cash advances—everything I could get. When that dried up, I borrowed from anyone who'd lend. Meanwhile, my idiot brother beats someone up—I had to pay settlements so he wouldn't go to jail. That punk... Fuck, life was hell. I was barely breathing, and money kept draining away!"
"You must've suffered terribly."
"Suffered? That's putting it mildly. Ha, enough—my mouth hurts."
"So what turned that into a grudge against Mr. Jeong Yeong-jun?"
"Heh, well... After getting royally ignored on the rent favor, my pride kept me from reaching out. But loans snowballed, I had no money, credit tanked fast. Mom clinging to life, brother's victim demanding five or six million in settlements. No options. So I went to Jeong Yeong-jun at Yangjin F&B headquarters. Since calls failed, in person."
"And?"
"Security blocked me at the first floor. I begged the lobby staff to let me see him—emergency, tell him it's Im Hyeong-o, he'd know. Just a minute, please."
Im Hyeong-o grimaced, dredging up painful memories.
"Know what they said back?"
"..."
"The executive director's office said they didn't know me and to leave."
Im Hyeong-o had never lied once, nor had Jeong Yeong-jun. But he'd remember something this big. I frowned. I'd have to ask Jeong Yeong-jun directly, but Im Hyeong-o's humiliation was clearly profound.
"I had no choice but private lenders without his help. Went back a few times—always 'he's not in.' Bullshit. Just fuck off. That's when I gave up and turned to loan sharks. Should've ditched Mom and brother sooner... Fuck."
Tears finally welled in Im Hyeong-o's eyes.
In truth, he hadn't gone to collect money Jeong owed him. He'd hoped for a favor and got rejected. Betrayal stung, but blaming it for ruining his life was a stretch. That was my third-party view—Im Hyeong-o felt differently.
"So... you wanted revenge on Mr. Jeong Yeong-jun?"
"Revenge? Yeah. Wanted it bad. That prick treats old ties like trash just 'cause he's chaebol son-in-law? Make him taste the same contempt."
Im Hyeong-o wanted Jeong Yeong-jun despised as he'd been. Had he filmed that video for it? From the moment it spread, Jeong became a national joke, scorned by all—perhaps beyond what Im Hyeong-o hoped.
"So, did you drug Mr. Jeong Yeong-jun and film a forced sex video?"