episode_0331

“Kang Ho-chul, that guy must have finished it all, right?”

Receiving a late-night call from Jun-ho along with Kang Ho-chul, Ji-hye Choi headed to the bar Jun-ho called her to with light steps. It had been a while since Jun-ho, the prey, had come. Ji-hye Choi, a professional seductress of Seogwang Construction, also known as Seogwangipa, had been in a cheerful mood for days since landing a big deal after a long time.

“Kang Ho-chul said he would give all the money he got from the prey to me and if he succeeds, he will give an extra 5 million won, so that’s 40 million won. And if he succeeds in that job I asked about, let’s say he gives it as a percentage… How much is that? Quite a good deal for a side job, isn’t it?”

The day of liberation was approaching when the six-month construction project would finally end. Along with a lump sum of 40 million, money would start coming in pension form. Ji-hye Choi pushed open the door of the bar with light steps.

“Wow!”

“Try to stop him a bit!”

“How do I stop that!”

As Ji-hye entered the bar, she witnessed a scene where one man was sitting on top of another, swinging his fists. Such a scene was commonly referred to as a mount.

“Oh, he’s quite handsome, isn’t he?”

The man swinging his fist from above had a fairly handsome face. Despite his tousled hair, his firm features, angular jawline, and an unbelievably charming smile around his lips as he asserted himself without caring about his disheveled appearance exuded masculinity. However, what caught Ji-hye’s eye was not just that.

“How much is all that worth? Both the top and bottom.”

It wasn’t the man’s face but the clothes draped over his body that captivated Ji-hye’s eyes, believing that faces are temporary but wealth is eternal. As her gaze naturally shifted towards the fist being swung, she couldn’t help but be astonished.

“Wait, is that a Patek Philippe on his wrist? Is he really wearing that while throwing punches?”

Approaching the direction of the fight to confirm what she saw, Ji-hye was taken aback. In modern society, flaunting such a watch while beating someone implied more than just being a gangster; it suggested being wealthier than imagined.

“It seems real, doesn’t it?”

Trained by her years as a seductress, Ji-hye’s keen eyesight indicated that the gold watch on the man’s wrist was genuine. Though without a thorough inspection, she couldn’t be certain if it was authentic or a replica, she couldn’t fathom a person dressed like that and beating others wearing a fake.

“Should I talk to him after the fight ends? Teasing him might spice up life. It’s a man’s instinct to want sex after a fight.”

With such thoughts in mind, Ji-hye glanced at where the man’s fist was directed and was taken aback. The limp guard of his arms, blood splattered on his face, scattered hair, and as she furrowed her brows to look closer, she recognized a familiar face.

“Kang Ho-chul…?”

Upon hearing Ji-hye’s voice, Jun-ho reacted.

“Ji-hye noona?”

“…Huh?”

Confused by the situation, Ji-hye found herself in a mount position, hitting Kang Ho-chul, while the man’s gaze turned towards her. Caught in that beastly stare, Ji-hye froze.

“It’s you?”

“……”

Jae Min-ho walked steadily towards Ji-hye.

“I asked if it’s you.”

“Hyung, wait…!”

“What’s with that look….”

Even Jun-ho, momentarily frozen by that fierce gaze that seemed to pierce through a person, found himself immobilized. And in that moment, Min-ho grabbed Ji-hye by the hair.

“Yes?”

“I asked if it’s you. Can’t you grasp the situation?”

“Ji-hye noona!”

Although Kang Ho-chul confessed to match-fixing, Ji-hye might not be involved. Well, there might be some connection, but Jun-ho, for the woman he had passionately loved for months, took a 1% chance and gathered the courage.

“Hey, you bitch, not gonna answer?”

“Hyung, hyung, just wait a moment! She’s a woman, she’s a woman! Let’s hear what Ji-Hye noona has to say too…!”

Jun-Hu summoned the courage to embrace and restrain the fierce Maeng-Ho, but the strength he felt in his arms was overwhelming.

“What the hell kind of strength is this…!”

Being a pitcher himself, Jun-Hu was confident in his physical strength, but the power emanating from Maeng-Ho’s arms was beyond imagination.

“Oh, one, two…”

As Maeng-Ho’s arm slowly approached, the counting voices awakened Choi Ji-Hye’s senses.

“Yes, yes. Yes. That’s right! I’m sorry for a moment! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please, ease up on the punches. Ugh, please. I’m sorry.”

“Ah, this bastard.”

“Noona, I trusted her… I trusted her!”

As the two men surrounded the woman, shouting, sirens began to be heard from outside at an opportune moment.

“Mr. Ji Maeng-Ho!”

And a dignified voice followed. A middle-aged man, dressed formally even at this late hour, approached Maeng-Ho.

‘Who is this?’

With the arrival of the new person, Maeng-Ho’s menacing demeanor gradually softened. In fact, he had been regaining his composure since he knocked Kang Ho-Cheol down and started hitting him.

“I’m Kim Jung-Hoon, head of the Legal Team at AT Group. Nice to meet you.”

“AT?”

“Yes, sent by Chairman Cheon of the baseball team.”

‘So-Yeong did? She saw the message…!’

Feeling relieved at So-Yeong sending someone, Maeng-Ho unknowingly let out a sigh of relief. In truth, he had been worried since he regained his senses.

‘Did that punk grab that woman by the hair?’

‘It’s all staged. Staged. To make Jun-Hu come to his senses. Who else would go this far for a junior? Ah, I’m too nice, that’s my problem.’

Approaching Maeng-Ho, who was contemplating how Jun-Hu would react if he knew, Kim whispered to him.

“I roughly understand the situation. The man lying down is involved in match-fixing, this woman is an accomplice, and the situation has been recorded from the beginning. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Understood. The police will likely arrive soon. Please remain silent and stay put.”

“Understood.”

“Our legal team will assist you with this matter, so you don’t have to worry about it. As for league discipline, I’m not sure either. Haha.”

Despite Kim’s attempt to lighten the mood with an awkward joke, the atmosphere remained tense, and the police arrived unnoticed.

“We received a report and came. Fight… Oh, Ji Maeng-Ho? Hello…”

The police officer, upon seeing Ji Maeng-Ho, Korea’s most famous sports star, was initially surprised, and upon realizing that Ji Maeng-Ho was the victim of assault, he was once again taken aback.

“Shouldn’t we handcuff him?”

“No, not… for now, let him sit. It was a fight, right?”

“Yes.”

“The victim is…”

“Over there.”

“Oh dear, this is a mess. If this continues…”

“From now on, talk to me.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Kim Jung-Hoon from the AT Group Legal Team. Here’s my business card.”

“Ah.”

“Then both of you come with us as witnesses.”

“Yes.”

“Ugh, yes, understood. Ugh.”

“Then please move that person to the emergency room for now.”

“Understood.”

And so, the police escorted Jun-Hu and the crying Choi Ji-Hye outside the bar, cooling down the heated atmosphere inside caused by the fight or rather the one-sided assault.

“Wow. It really was Ji Maeng-Ho. This has to be posted.”

-[Exclusive] Sports Star A Causes Disturbance at Bar!

…Famous sports star A causes a scene at a bar in Sincheon…

-Who is it?

-I don’t know.

-Famous sports star = Still don’t know who it is

-Baseball player A! Causes a commotion at a bar in Sincheon.

…A famous sports star from a metropolitan team, causing a stir at a bar in Sincheon, creating a buzz…

-Metropolitan? AT, Hanchul, Shinla, UG, JT where is it?

“No, looking at the way they act, it seems like they’re from Jamsil, right?”

“No, it seems more like they’re from AT.”

“No, Hancheol was at the Jamsil game and AT was at the Gocheok game.”

“The protagonist of the pub brawl is a rookie star from Team A?”

“…The rookie infielder B from Team A…”

“Huh? Earlier you said it was a sports star, now it’s a rookie infielder?”

“Rookie infielder, sports star from Team A. Isn’t it just Jimaengho?”

“No way haha, he’s the guy with only one game left in his career, why would he hit someone haha. Probably not Jimaengho.”

“There was a rookie in the capital region, right?”

“A sports star who was a former league MVP, involved in assault?”

“…Meanwhile, A received good results to win the league MVP…”

“Rookie, infielder, sports star, former league MVP. Just Jimaengho, right?”

“Haha, if it’s this obvious, it’s probably not real, right? Haha.”

“Haha, those AT guys are always causing trouble, how amusing haha.”

“Wow, is that really Jimaengho? A bit disappointing.”

“Jeez, where did his habit of swinging fists at the baseball field go?”

“Wow, this is shocking.”

“But Jimaengho could also be the victim. It was just reported as a brawl, the situation isn’t clear yet.”

“No way Jimaengho hit someone. I trust our Maengho player.”

“Maengho oppa, please say it isn’t true?”

“Wow, thought they were contenders for the championship this year, but things turned out like this. Damn.”

“Hmm… From what the news is saying, it seems to match Jimaengho, but since the situation hasn’t been clarified yet, I think it’s best to remain neutral.”

“I agree. We don’t know how it will turn out.”

“Ah, Maengho, why did you do that…”

“Well, this is a bit…”

“Well, among baseball players, it’s not just one or two who have committed crimes haha. After a stern warning, they’ll probably return.”

“Haha, that’s true. As long as it’s not murder, right?”

“Still, there’s hope. Assault, brawl. The wording is a bit off, but it’s not confirmed that he’s the perpetrator. I believe in Maengho player.”

“Wow, did you all see this? Just uploaded? It’s a video of Jimaengho.”

(Roughly, Jimaengho making Kang Hocheol eat dirt in the video.)

“Wow, he fights well. Doing a takedown like that isn’t something you try once or twice.”

“For real, is that Jimaengho? The video quality is a bit poor, but it does seem like Jimaengho.”

“Just Jimaengho, right? There aren’t many with that physique in Korea.”

“Who’s the guy getting beaten up? He’s almost dead?”

“Haha, Maengho C DA C”

“Wow, he’s beating him up so skillfully haha.”

“Isn’t that guy dead?”

“Wow, that’s intense haha. Usually in baseball fights, it’s pushing or a couple of punches, but he’s making him eat dirt haha.”

“Haha, that’s some serious beating, he might actually face jail time haha.”

“Wow, those bastards boasting after winning, disgusting but hilarious haha.”

“But still, if Maengho Ham is a tough guy, it’s okay!”

“It’s okay!”

“It’s okay!”

“When I saw that guy, he seemed like someone who learned how to fight. From the way he was doing the takedowns and mounting, it’s definite.”

“He’s from Hanchego High School. He must have tried almost every sport at least once, right? Considering Maengho’s athletic abilities, this should be easy haha.”

“But why did the person who got hit fight with Jimaengho? Jimaengho wouldn’t have started it. I’ve seen Jimaengho in person at the baseball field, he’s really big.”

“Yeah, the pressure was intense, why did that guy pick a fight with Jimaengho? What was he thinking?”

“Why do you think Jimaengho started the fight?”

“Do you think someone with only one game left in their career would start a fight first?”

“No matter what the issue is, violence is not acceptable. I hope Maengho player deeply reflects on this incident.”

“No matter what anyone says, I support Jimaengho. Honestly, unless it’s murder or rape, what’s the big deal haha.”

“Me too haha.”

“How can you give up 60 home runs with a 40% chance

“Understood. Miss. Seogwang Construction, also known as Seogwangipa. How should we handle this?”

“Well, please handle it yourself. I don’t want to hear about it.”

“Got it. So, whether it’s legal or not doesn’t matter?”

“Well, suggest it within reasonable bounds. If not, well, they’re the ones living illegally, right?”

“Understood. I’ll take care of it by tomorrow.”

Although Director Choi’s words sounded quite intimidating, Soyoung didn’t pay much attention. Her only concerns were Maengho and the baseball team.

“Yes, Director. I’ll take care of it.”

After responding to Director Choi as usual, Soyoung hung up the phone and let out a deep sigh.

“Ha, Maengho needs to be a bit more patient. Tsk.”

However, Soyoung’s expression as she sighed didn’t seem too dark. That was because so far, there had been nothing that Director Choi couldn’t resolve. The meaning behind her sigh was simply due to the absence of Maengho to spend the lonely night with.

“I should get some sleep.”

With Maengho absent, all that remained was to sleep well. As Soyoung was about to lie down on the bed, she heard the doorbell ring, and Jo-eun from the upstairs apartment entered her home.

“Sister! Did you see the news!? Mr. Maengho…!”

And the vibrating phone.

“Sis! What’s going to happen to Maengho?”

“Oh… Jo-eun, don’t worry. I’ve taken care of everything.”

That night, Soyoung could only fall asleep after comforting and reassuring the women who came to visit or contacted her late at night.