BRF Chapter 9
by lily plum“Idiot.”
Startled by her own vulgarity, Sarang glanced around her empty office. She cleared her throat and called the person who had sent her the message.
– Yes, this is Im Yongwon.
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Sarang frowned slightly at the rough voice, devoid of any intellectual nuance.
Yongwon, a former heavyweight wrestler, was officially employed as Chairman Cheon Soo-an’s personal bodyguard. However, his real role was handling tasks that couldn’t be dealt with officially.
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“Didn’t you say the cafe had CCTV? The police should have obtained contact information for witness interviews.”
Sarang’s voice was laced with feigned concern for her friend.
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It wouldn’t look good for the company to officially investigate an incident involving a reporter who had exposed the wrongdoings of a Seocheon Electronics subsidiary. It would only fuel accusations of corporate bullying against the media.
Yongwon had been working for Chairman Cheon for over fifteen years. After Sarang joined Seocheon Group, he had subtly suggested that she contact him if she ever needed anything.
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Sarang, who aspired to be a different kind of leader than her ruthless father, had wanted to avoid Yongwon and his shady dealings. Seeing her lack of response, he slithered closer, like a snake.
– I’ll handle it without the Chairman knowing. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns. I’ll protect you.
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Remembering how his words had made her heart flutter back then, Sarang felt a twinge of shame.
Despite being a chaebol heiress, the youngest daughter born to Chairman Cheon Soo-an’s third wife, she wasn’t particularly loved within the family.
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The Seocheon Group family tree was incredibly complicated. Chairman Cheon’s first wife had passed away from an illness decades ago, and his second wife, who had been his secretary, was currently the chairperson of the Seocheon Foundation.
The deceased first wife had three sons, the second wife also had three sons, and Sarang was the daughter of the third “wife,” who was the same age as Chairman Cheon’s third son and hadn’t even officially registered their marriage.
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The chairperson of the Seocheon Foundation was legally married to Chairman Cheon but lived separately, while Sarang’s mother lived with him. Sarang’s legal mother was the chairperson of the Seocheon Foundation.
Calling her the third wife was a euphemism; Sarang’s mother was, in reality, a concubine. Sarang had to constantly strive to avoid being ostracized by her six half-brothers and her legal mother. That was why Yongwon’s offer to protect her had resonated so deeply.
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Until now, she had never had a reason to contact Yongwon. But because of Kang Eunseong, she had sought help from the snake-like Yongwon.
– The police confiscated all the CCTV footage. The contact information they provided belongs to the man’s legal representative.
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“Legal representative?”
The man who had saved Kang Eunseong had done nothing wrong.
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– It’s the lawyer he hired.
The fact that he had hired a lawyer was suspicious. Sensing Sarang’s silence, Yongwon expressed his concern.
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– I don’t think we should investigate any further.
“Thank you for looking into it. I was worried because my friend almost got hurt because of our company, so this was a great help. I’ll contact you again.”
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Sarang ended the call pleasantly, as if some of her questions had been answered. However, a strange spark ignited within her. It felt like rough flints striking each other, about to explode.
She scrolled through the comments on Kang Eunseong’s news report again, her eyes darting around, her heart beating ominously fast.
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Just like the day Kang Eunseong’s existence had been imprinted in her mind, the same mix of curiosity and jealousy resurfaced.
That day, a tunnel connecting southwestern Gyeonggi Province to southern Seoul had collapsed during rush hour. Cell phone service had been cut off due to damage to the base station equipment inside the tunnel, leaving people frantically trying to contact their families, friends, and loved ones.
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Fortunately, the rescue operation was swift. Although there were about ten casualties, including the truck driver at the point of collapse and passengers on the bus behind it, the number was relatively low considering the scale of the accident.
Gong Taeyoon, a rookie video journalist at ABS, had been in the car behind the bus. He was returning to the station after an early morning assignment.
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Gong Taeyoon had turned on his camera inside the collapsed tunnel. However, the reporter, who should have been in front of the camera, was trapped inside the car with a leg injury.
“I can’t get out! Gong, you film!”
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The rookie Taeyoon, his hands trembling, had steadied the ENG camera and filmed the dust-filled interior of the tunnel.
Then, they heard a cough. The reporter had spotted a woman who had escaped the bus ahead of them, her face buried in her arm, catching her breath.
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“Ask her! Ask her what she saw!”
The senior reporter had yelled from the mangled car door.
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“Y-you just got off the bus, right? W-what did you see?”
Taeyoon, startled by the collapse and worried about his sunbae, stammered as he asked his questions. The woman wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her windbreaker and straightened up.
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“The truck heading towards Seoul suddenly stopped. It was around 7:57 a.m., when the traffic report started on the radio. I think the tunnel collapsed in front of the truck. The bus was full, and I was standing near the door, so I managed to get out.”
The young-faced woman calmly explained the situation.
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“Because the bus spun when it stopped suddenly, I think most of the injured are in the back seats. Some of the other passengers also got off the bus with me.”
The woman pointed to the seven or eight people sitting on the tunnel floor.
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“Since cell phones aren’t working, I assume the signal transmitter inside the tunnel was also affected by the collapse.”
That day, the woman’s interview was exclusively broadcast on ABS News. She was remarkably composed in front of the camera, delivering the report like a seasoned reporter. She also attracted attention for her striking beauty, sparking rumors that she was an aspiring idol.
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That woman was Kang Eunseong. A media studies major, she had been a quiet student. Unlike Sarang, who was the star of the university broadcasting station. Sarang hadn’t even known she had a classmate named Kang Eunseong.
Then, overnight, Kang Eunseong had become the rising star of the Media Studies department. Sarang had frequently overheard comments about how Eunseong was on a completely different level than her, a pretty parrot simply reciting lines at the university broadcasting station.
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Sarang had been curious about Kang Eunseong. And annoyed that they were being compared.
But envying Eunseong was a waste of emotion, considering Sarang was about to enter the corporate world, a pack of wolves eager to tear her apart.
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Her silent resentment had exploded on graduation day. Chairman Cheon Soo-an hadn’t been interested in his youngest daughter’s graduation ceremony, her mother couldn’t attend public events freely, and there was no way the chairperson of the Seocheon Foundation, who saw Sarang as a thorn in her side, would show up with a smile and congratulations.
As Sarang was leaving the university in the chauffeur-driven car after receiving her diploma, she spotted Kang Eunseong taking pictures with her family in front of the university’s symbolic rock. Kang Eunseong was smiling brightly, placing her graduation cap on her father’s head and her gown on her mother’s shoulders.
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A male student in a school uniform, who had been taking their pictures, handed the camera to a passerby and ran over to join them. The four of them smiled at the camera, their faces mirroring each other. Their warm family bond seemed to bind them tightly together.
A lump had formed in Sarang’s throat.
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She had been curious about Kang Eunseong. That was all. And she was still curious.
What did Kang Eunseong possess that she didn’t?
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* * *
Eunseong’s eyes were bloodshot. She had only slept three or four hours a day for the past week. There hadn’t been any major incidents since the Chageon Electronics report.
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Yesterday, heavy rain had pounded Seoul, forcing her to spend the entire day reporting from the flooded streets.
“Achoo!”
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Taeyoon sneezed as he prepared to leave.
“Kang Eunseong, aren’t you going home?”
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His voice was hoarse, almost painful to hear.
“I’m about to.”
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“Want to grab a drink?”
Eunseong frowned and scolded Taeyoon.
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“Sunbae, go to the hospital. Get a shot and go straight home to bed.”
“I think a hot bowl of al tang and some soju would cure me.”
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Eunseong shook her head in exasperation and stood up.
“And I have plans tonight.”
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“With whom?”
“A friend.”
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“Which friend?”
Taeyoon continued in his raspy voice.
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“Someone I know?”
“Someone you don’t know.”
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“Hey, are there any of Kang Eunseong’s friends that I don’t know? I’ve met them all at our drinking parties!”
He wasn’t entirely wrong.
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“There’s one you haven’t met. I’m leaving now.”
As Eunseong grabbed her bag and walked out of the office, Sungchan, the AD, called out,
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“Is it a boyfriend that Reporter Gong doesn’t know about?”
Eunseong left the office, firmly resolving to report Hong Sungchan to HR if he made another comment like that.
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Leaving the ABS building, Eunseong walked briskly towards the bus stop. She checked her phone, confirming that her bus would arrive in less than a minute, and looked up.
“Oh!”
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She almost slammed her forehead into a sudden black wall.
There wasn’t a wall here before.
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Eunseong tilted her head back further, following the dark shape upwards.
“Where are you going in such a hurry, Ms. Kang Eunseong?”
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The man smiled at her.
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