IWSF – Ch 225

Even as this was happening, the number of likes kept climbing. Hollywood stars and all sorts of celebrities were enthusiastically clicking and sharing the post.

What are these people doing, not sleeping at this hour?

Ah! It must be daytime in the US right now.

Unlike my bewildered reaction, the airline services students from Se-in University sitting across from me were squealing with delight.

“What are the odds? For such a famous person to like it!”

“Lucky you! Your followers are going to increase like crazy.”

“What if entertainment agencies start contacting you?”

“…….”

Is this something to be happy about?

Seeing them so delighted even though millions of strangers they don’t know are looking at their pictures, it seems like all four of them have a serious attention-seeking streak.

Why are there so many people in the world so desperate for fame?

I said to her, “Give me your phone.”

“Huh? Why?”

I took her phone almost by force and deleted the post.

She cried out in surprise, “Why did you delete it?”

I handed her phone back and said, “You shouldn’t upload pictures of other people without permission.”

Even though the original post was deleted, the situation was already out of control. Once something is released in the digital age, that’s it.

Hopefully, Ellie didn’t see it.

I talked to her before coming here, and she said she was tired and would go to bed early. So, she’s probably asleep right now… but she’ll see it when she wakes up.

Ah, damn it…

I downed the soju in my glass.

Min-young asked curiously, “Have you ever met Mike Goldenberg?”

“No.”

There hasn’t been a reason to meet since our business areas don’t really overlap. But we do have a sort of connection.

Facenote’s headquarters were located in Menlo Park, Silicon Valley. It was a new building, only a year old.

When the US government pushed for forced relocation due to the risk of a major earthquake, Mike Goldenberg joined other business leaders in criticizing me and Ronald.

And then, when the Big One actually hit, the headquarters were destroyed. But almost all of the thousands of employees who worked there survived, and Facenote is still doing well.

Afterward, Mike Goldenberg and the Facenote employees publicly apologized and expressed their gratitude to me.

And this is how he repays that gratitude!

I felt a deep sense of betrayal.

The people inside the pocha were now all staring at our table.

Most of them were students from nearby universities. I could hear murmurs from all around.

“That guy must be Kang Jin-hoo.”

“Wow! I’ve never seen a chaebol before.”

“Amazing.”

“I heard he went to Korea University. I can’t believe we’re seeing him here.”

True to its reputation as an IT powerhouse, everyone had already seen the Facenote post. The only saving grace was that they hadn’t included the exact location.

If they had, even more people from nearby bars would have flocked here.

Being famous comes with a lot of hassle. How do top stars even live?

Kyeongil patted me on the shoulder and said, “He came out without any bodyguards, so it’s difficult for him if too many people recognize him.”

The women nodded in understanding.

“Ah, I see.”

“Well, he is a celebrity.”

“Can we take a picture with you later?”

Kyeongil said to me in a low voice, “Please, just stay a little longer.”

“…….”

Ugh, this soldier…

I’m about to get caught by my girlfriend!

“What’s life like as a chaebol?”

“Do you take women to luxury brand stores and tell them, ‘I’ll take everything from here to there’?”

“Do you travel overseas on private jets and rent out entire hotels for parties?”

“That sounds amazing. Can we come too?”

“…….”

They seem to have a big misunderstanding about chaebols. And strictly speaking, I’m not even a chaebol. I just have a lot of money.

More than that, what if Ellie wakes up and sees the picture? Shouldn’t I contact Gooble and the CEO of Facenote right away and take some action?

“Alright, let’s all have a toast.”

As we clinked our soju glasses, my phone rang. With a trembling heart, I pressed the call button.

“Hello?”

A cold voice came through the line.

[Where are you right now?]

“Well, that’s….”

[You don’t have to answer. I can see you now.]

“Excuse me?”

The call ended, and a woman walked into the bar.

Over 170 centimeters tall with a slender figure, long brown hair, light brown eyes, and flawless skin.

The Western beauty, looking like she stepped out of a fashion magazine, wore skinny white pants, a silk blouse, and a Burberry coat.

She walked straight towards our table.

“Hey, Jinhoo. What are you doing here?”

“…….”

It would be great if I were just drunk and hallucinating.

The Se-in University students’ eyes widened at the sudden appearance of the Western beauty. She turned her head and said, “Nice to meet you. Am I interfering your enjoyment?”

Her British accent and extremely polite tone suggested otherwise. Choosing to speak in English instead of good Korean probably meant she was angry.

They stammered, “H-Hi.”

“H-Hello.”

That was it. There was no answer to her question about whether she was interrupting their fun. Don’t they teach English in the airline services department?

Min-young said to Ellie with a surprised expression, “You’re the person who came to the university with Jin-hoo before, right?”

Kyeongil also said, as if just remembering, “Ah, that’s right! Golden Gate’s lawyer!”

Ellie said with a smile, “Yes, it is. It’s been a long time to see you both.”

At that moment, Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous quote flashed through my mind.

Is this why he said social media is a waste of time?

***

Ellie’s appearance naturally brought the drinking session to an end.

Before getting up, Kyeongil asked the girl he liked for her contact information. Emphasizing how close he was to me helped him successfully get her number.

I paid the bill and went outside. While Ellie went to the restroom, the two of them, having heard the news, were shocked.

“What? You guys are dating?”

“Since when?”

“It’s been a while.”

Min-young and Kyeongil looked at me and said, “I’m so jealous.”

“I’m more jealous of this than you making a lot of money.”

Then they patted each other on the shoulder and said, “Let’s make a lot of money too.”

“I’m going to work really hard from now on.”

“…….”

Don’t get the wrong idea, guys.

Just because you make a lot of money doesn’t mean you’ll automatically get a girlfriend like her.

A little while later, Ellie came back, said goodbye to the two of them, and got into the Ferrari first. I said to Min-young and Kyeongil, “Let’s see each other again soon. I’ll let you know whenever I change my number from now on.”

“Okay. Drive safe.”

“Contact us later.”

I got into the passenger seat, and Ellie started the car.

Once we were alone, a cold silence filled the car. The music wasn’t playing, so only the loud roar of the engine echoed in the quiet.

I started making excuses, trying to gauge her mood. “As you saw, the guys said they liked some of the women. They’re both in the military, and you know how you’re supposed to grant the wishes of soldiers on leave…”

“But it looked like Jin-hoo was having fun too.”

“No, that’s not it. I was just sitting there to support my friends. I barely said a few words.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Of course. You can ask them.”

While the car waited at a traffic light, Ellie stared intently at my face. I tried my best to look innocent.

“Okay, I’ll believe you.”

I let out a sigh of relief.

“But you have to do whatever I want this weekend.”

“Okay.”

Once the crisis(?) had passed, I became curious.

“But how did you get here so quickly?”

“I woke up from a nap and suddenly missed you, so I was getting ready to go out and was about to call you. That’s when Taek-gyu contacted me, saying there was a post on Facenote.”

So that’s why she was able to come so quickly.

“How did you know I was here?”

“Taek-gyu told me.”

“…….”

Oh Taek-gyu, you bastard!

I should have expected it. When Taek-gyu comes to hang out near the university, this is where we usually drink, so he probably recognized the location just from the picture.

Then that jerk should have at least warned me.

But even considering that, she arrived way too quickly. She didn’t drive at 200 kilometers per hour, did she?

“Did you drink a lot?”

“I think so.”

Maybe it was because I was meeting my friends after so long, but I drank without worrying too much.

Ellie said casually, “Those women were all young and pretty.”

I definitely shouldn’t just brush past this comment.

I shook my head firmly. “What are you talking about? Ellie is much prettier and looks younger.”

Ellie pouted and puffed up her cheeks slightly. “Tch, liar.”

“It’s true. Did you see how jealous Min-young and Kyeongil were? Anyone can see that Ellie is the prettiest.”

“Whatever.”

She said that, but I could see the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.

“But where are we going now?”

I thought we were heading towards Gangnam, but the car was speeding along the Gangbyeonbuk-ro (North Riverside Expressway).

Ellie said while driving, “To the East Sea.”

“Huh?”

“I suddenly wanted to go see the ocean with Jin-hoo. In Hong Kong, it was right there if you just turned your head.”

Central, the financial center of Hong Kong where Golden Gate’s Asia branch is located, is right next to Victoria Harbour. The view from there is truly spectacular.

“You don’t want to?”

“Of course I do. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the ocean, so I wanted to go.”

Tomorrow is a holiday anyway. It might be nice to get away for a bit and clear my head.

The Ferrari sped down the wide-open road.

***

President Heo Chang-min and the New Politics Party continued to strongly push for a special prosecutor investigation into Park Si-hyeong. The Free National Party vehemently opposed it but, pressured by public opinion, had no choice but to concede.

According to the agreement between the ruling and opposition parties, a special prosecutor team was formed. Park Si-hyeong denied all charges, claiming it was political retaliation.

Park Si-hyeong hired Jung & Kim, the largest law firm in the country, and a response team was formed with prominent former judges and prosecutors.

The special prosecutor was confident in proving the charges.

Since investigating a former president multiple times carries political weight, the investigation first focused on his close associates.

Park Si-hyeong’s side focused on keeping his associates quiet. But for some reason, everyone who was summoned by the special prosecutor would disappear afterward.

With more than enough testimony and evidence already secured, it was difficult to deny the charges. Since someone had to take responsibility, and it wasn’t ordered by the president, someone else had to take the blame. Unfortunately for Park Si-hyeong, not many people were willing to go to prison for him.

Even among the lawyers, there were talks of admitting to some charges and fighting the rest in court, but Park Si-hyeong ultimately chose a strategy of denying everything to the end.

As the saying goes, one lie begets another.

Having consistently denied everything until now, it was difficult to admit anything at this point.

As the situation became more unfavorable, Park Si-hyeong delayed the investigation, posting messages online to rally his supporters.

Protests by Park Si-hyeong’s supporters were held in various places.

However, the scale of the protests was paltry compared to before. The leadership of pro-Park groups like the Parents’ Federation and the National Salvation Soldiers Association had been dismantled due to the issue of paid protesters.

Park Si-hyeong, having refused to be investigated again, made a rare appearance before the media.

“The special prosecutor has fabricated a fictional scenario and is conducting an illegal personal background check and a forced investigation accordingly. This is political retaliation and a conspiracy to destroy the conservative forces of South Korea. As President of the Republic of Korea, I have devoted myself solely to the nation and its people, and I have not done anything to be ashamed of. Of course, there may have been shortcomings in meeting the public’s expectations, but I am confident that my administration was morally impeccable. Therefore, I ask that you stop harassing those around me with this forced investigation. Finally, our security and economy are in a very precarious state. I ask that the people of South Korea unite for the sake of our nation.”

In short, he was choosing political struggle over legal battle.

Faced with this situation, the special prosecutor, who had been conducting the investigation without detention out of consideration for the former president, was in a difficult position. In a situation where the suspect denies the charges and refuses to be investigated, detention was the only option.

The court issued an arrest warrant, and Park Si-hyeong was imprisoned in the Seoul Eastern Detention Center.

As I watched the scene on TV, Taek-gyu said to me, “In the end, it’s your fault that the former president was arrested.”

“…….”

Why is that my fault?