MJ | Chapter 2

The loud alarm blared, and Jungin pulled the blanket over his head. It stopped for a moment, then started again. He stuck his face out from under the blanket and reached for his phone. It was 7:30 in the morning. He wanted to sleep a bit more. For someone who felt the cold, getting out of bed in winter was torture.

After burying himself in the blanket for five more minutes, he stumbled out of bed without fully opening his eyes. He went to the bathroom, took off his clothes, and turned on the shower. The boiler was old, so since last year, hot water didn’t come out immediately. Even after telling the landlord, nothing changed. After waiting a while, he quickly finished his shower and came out.

The sudden drop in temperature made steam rise from his body. After drying his hair, he applied skin lotion and put on a black short-sleeved T-shirt and a gray hoodie. Pulling back the curtains, he saw snowflakes starting to fall. The weather forecast had predicted heavy snow overnight, but the ground was still clear.

After getting dressed, he quickly made toast for breakfast. Opening the fridge, he found expired milk but poured it into a cup anyway. Maybe because he wasn’t fully awake, it wouldn’t go down his throat. In the end, he drank only half and went outside.

When he tried to move his car, he saw the guy from upstairs had parked terribly again. He couldn’t even push it because the handbrake was on, so he called him. About ten minutes later, the guy came down leisurely with his hands in his pockets. Even from a distance, the smell of alcohol was strong. He always said sorry, but his expression didn’t match his words.

As he drove out onto the road, he noticed the streets were quiet due to the holiday. It was sad to work when everyone else was off, but it was a big client, so he couldn’t refuse. To wake up, he opened a bottle of water next to him and took a sip, turning up the music volume.

His long fingers tapped the steering wheel to the upbeat music. His eyes glanced at the clock. It was tight. He should have gotten out of bed when the first alarm rang. Regretting it, he sped up, but a foreign car zoomed past him. At the incredible speed, Jungin clicked his tongue.

“You’ll get yourself killed like that.”

As he opened the window to circulate the air, something hit the side mirror with a spark. Jungin’s brows furrowed. It was definitely from the car that had just passed. If it had hit his face inside the car, it could have caused a major accident.

Jungin’s car stopped at a red light. The white foreign car was right next to him. Without hesitation, he rolled down his window and gestured to the other driver. After a moment, the window of the other car opened, revealing a man with a thick gold necklace in the passenger seat. Thumping club music spilled out of the car.

Jungin leaned out and frowned.

“How can you just throw a cigarette butt like that? It almost caused an accident.”

Contrary to his expectation of an immediate apology, the man looked annoyed and tried to close the window. Jungin raised his voice toward him.

“Excuse me.”

The rising window stopped, and the man looked back at him.

“Aren’t you going to apologize?”

“Why should I?”

“I almost had an accident because of the cigarette butt you threw.”

“Do you have proof I threw it?”

Jungin’s expression turned incredulous. Did he think a pigeon flying by smoked it and threw it? He asked if he could see anyone else around besides the two of them, and the man glanced around before making a frustrated face.

“So what?”

“I’m asking you to apologize.”

“Why should I keep apologizing? Did an accident happen? No, right?”

The man looked at Jungin’s car and openly sneered, adding one more comment.

“Driving a car that looks like it was picked up from the junkyard.”

Then he sped off before the light even changed. Jungin gritted his teeth and gripped the steering wheel. His day was off to a rough start. Should he chase after and crash into him? As he contemplated, the car got further away.

Forget it, let it go. He sighed deeply and drove off as soon as the light changed.

After driving for a while, he arrived at the hotel and entered the underground parking lot. He took the elevator to the 15th floor and stood in front of the room he had an appointment with, pressing the bell. After a moment, a rough-looking man appeared. He looked Jungin up and down before stepping aside.

As he entered, he heard voices from the bedroom, and a man in a gray robe came out, talking on the phone. He had just finished showering, as his hair was still wet.

“Get rid of it. Why ask twice?”

The man, known as President Choi, was more of a thug than a businessman. He nodded at Jungin and went inside. Jungin hung his coat in a suitable place and went to the bathroom to wash his hands. After drying his hands, he came out, and President Choi smiled brightly at him.

“Sorry. I bothered you on your day off.”

“It’s fine.”

President Choi had known Jungin for three years and was one of his regular clients.

“Shall we start right away?”

President Choi smiled, put out his cigarette, and untied his robe.

“Sure. Make it exciting.”

Jungin smiled.

“Do you want to do it in the living room or the bedroom?”

“Doesn’t matter. Whatever you prefer.”

President Choi signaled to his subordinate at the door. After the subordinate greeted and left the room, they were alone. Unlike outside, the air inside the hotel was particularly warm. Jungin took off his hoodie over his head and approached the man in a black short-sleeved T-shirt.

***

Chairman Kim’s hand trembled. In his hand was a tablet the size of a notebook. The sensational headline read, [Actress K, Secret Meeting with a Businessman?] Below it was a photo of a man and woman entering a hotel in broad daylight, arms linked. Even with the mosaic, rumors spread quickly.

The article described how actress K, who married young last fall, was enjoying a secret meeting with the head of an entertainment company just a day after her divorce. Chairman Kim’s neck veins bulged with anger.

“That bastard!”

Secretary Yoon bowed his head, feeling ashamed and watching for any reaction.

“I’m sorry, Chairman. I’ve arranged for the article to be taken down.”

Chairman Kim placed the tablet on the desk with a thud and grabbed his neck with his hand. As Secretary Yoon tried to approach, Chairman Kim raised his hand to stop him. The election was just around the corner, but his son wasn’t helping.

“Call Hajun.”

“Well….”

“Well? What?”

“He’s not answering.”

As if waiting, the intercom in the secretary’s office rang. Secretary Yoon answered it.

[Assemblyman Park’s office called. Should I transfer the call?]

Secretary Yoon barely swallowed a groan. He was about to say the chairman wasn’t available when Chairman Kim took the phone.

“Transfer it.”

After a moment, a rough voice with a metallic tone came through the receiver. It was Assemblyman Park Jeongchan, a powerful figure in the ruling party. He was the one who had readily supported Chairman Kim’s desire to leave management and enter politics. His call this morning was likely related to the newspaper article. Avoiding it wouldn’t solve anything.

“It’s me, Assemblyman Park. How have you been?”

[Do I look like I’m doing well?]

Chairman Kim’s expression darkened at the cold voice from the other end. His brows furrowed deeply, and his large, thick hand eventually rested on his forehead. Despite his dark expression, his voice remained hearty.

“Of course not. Haha. It’s just a misunderstanding. My son is just overly friendly with everyone, which led to this misunderstanding. Yes, yes. Don’t worry. Yes. Of course, we must. We can’t mess up something important right before the election. Haha. Right.”

Secretary Yoon watched the situation unfold with his lips tightly sealed. Chairman Kim had left his long management career to enter politics. His family had all opposed it, but his resolve was unwavering.

Securing a nomination within the party was a feat, but there was still much talk about Chairman Kim. People gossiped about his late father being a former gangster, and his son’s constant scandals provided ample fodder for journalists.

“Let’s have a meal together soon. Yes. Yes. That place is nice. Yes. See you then. Haha.”

As soon as he hung up, Chairman Kim’s smile froze coldly. He stood up abruptly and threw the phone to the floor. With a crash, the phone shattered into pieces. Secretary Yoon closed his eyes tightly. Still not satisfied, Chairman Kim placed his hands on his hips and gritted his teeth.

“Bring that bastard Kim Hajun here. If he doesn’t come, break his legs and drag him here!”