A man dressed in all black attacked me, but another man came to help me. The room was pitch black so I couldn't see his face clearly, but I could guess who he was, though I also wondered why he was here.
"Hong Byeon, are you okay?"
That's him.
"Yoo Hee Jae? How did you get here at this hour?"
"I---"
"Watch behind you!!!" I screamed as the man in black struck back with his knife.
My scream made him manage to dodge the attack and attack back. The light in my office was on, Mrs. Jang turned it on. Mr. Lee and Mr. Tak also joined the fight area. And soon enough, the entire Cassano Geumga Family gathered in my office to gang up on that guy. The police finally came because I had messaged Mr. Nam before I attacked the man in my office.
Before he was taken by the police, I made sure that he didn't steal anything. My laptop turns on, showing a folder containing data on the Cheon So Jin case, including the CCTV footage hacked by Seo Miri. I think he wanted to copy the data, or maybe delete it. Luckily I always back up all important data.
"Byeonhosa-nim, are you okay?" Asked Mrs. Kwak.
"Are you hurt?" Park Seok Do showed me the first aid kit he was carrying on his shoulder.
"I'm fine."
"Who are you?" Seo Miri asked Yoo Hee Jae. She represented all of the Geumga family who seemed to be curious too.
I walked up to him, "Yes, I also want to know, who are you right now? Are you really helping me, or are you also planning to steal my data? Or maybe you even conspired with the intruder earlier?"
He chuckled softly, "Well, I can understand your exaggerated suspicion. But breaking into other people's offices, stealing, let alone attacking women, that's not my style."
He took something out of his coat pocket, "my way is like this," an envelope containing a wad of money.
All of this made me even more convinced that Cheon So Jin was not the real culprit.
"Put it back in, you know I won't take it."
His eyebrows raised, "I don't think you ever refused this at Wusang, in fact you did the same thing."
"Everyone can change for the better," I glanced at him sarcastically, "except you, I guess."
He put the money back in his pocket, "don't forget to lock the door tightly, in case there is another uninvited guest."
"Are you threatening me?"
"I warned you."
"Byeonhosa-nim, should I break all his bones?" Asked Mr. Lee who glared at Yoo Hee Jae who walked away. Mrs. Jang immediately hit him on the back.
I chuckled, "No need, Mr. Lee."
"Byeonhosa-nim!!!" I heard Mr. Nam's scream from a distance. He came with Mr. Seo, Ae Ra, Mr. Ahn and Mr. Cho.
"Where's the villain? Huh? Where?" Pak Ahn put up his stance, ready to fight even though it was too late.
"You're late, the police have taken him," said Chef Toto.
"Are you okay?" asked Mr. Nam full of concern.
"I'm fine."
"Uh, you're crying, Mr. Nam?" Mr. Tak mocked him.
"No, it's not tears, but sweat," Mr. Nam wipes his eyes, but then he hugs me and cries loudly, "I'm scared to death..."
"Oh, my uncle, don't cry..." I patted his back.
"Byeonhosa-nim, you should stay at the hotel tonight," suggested Mr. Cho.
"I don't think it's necessary. I feel safer here with the Cassano Geumga Family."
"That's right, we'll all take care of you," said Larry.
"I'll stay at your house, Eonni," said Seo Miri.
"Thanks everyone, but I don't want to bother you too much. I'll make sure my door is locked tight."
"Never mind. We are all family," said Monk Chaesin, to which the others agreed.
I am truly grateful to have them, a family who loves and protects me.
~~~
I still haven't heard from Prosecutor Park regarding my filing yesterday. So I went to the prosecutor's office again. My arrival was greeted with a thump of the table. She was angry with a prisoner. I approached her when the investigator took the prisoner out.
"Ahhh... stressed..." she complained. "Why are you here? Do you want to increase my stress level?"
"Perhaps," I sat across from her, "did you receive my application yesterday?"
"What application?"
"A re-examination regarding the Cheon So Jin case. I entrust it to your assistant."
She turned to her assistant who looked pale. The bespectacled girl rummaged through the pile of files on her desk.
"Ah, never mind," Prosecutor Park waves her hand, "why am I doing a re-examination? The defendant has confessed and the trial is almost over. Later, just file an appeal."
"My client confessed in court under coercion from her husband. And last night I was attacked by someone who wanted to destroy the evidence I found. This is enough to prove that there is something wrong with this case. Then there are a lot of odd things about the evidence you have. There are minutes deleted from the CCTV footage. I have the footage recovered, but since I obtained it illegally, I can't use it in court. So I want you to recover the footage via digital forensics. And I also found tampering with evidence and flaws in the autopsy report. I don't know if you weren't careful enough in examining the evidence or if you were covering it up on purpose."
"Hey, Hong Cha Young!" She looked offended. "Are you insulting the South Korean prosecutor?"
"That's not an insult but a fact. I never trusted all South Korean government and law enforcement officials. But to you, I still have some trust, because you handled the corruption case of high-ranking officials and cleared the Rising Moon case a few years ago. This time, I put my trust in you, Sunbae."
"Do you know what the consequences will be if I admit the flaw in my indictment?"
"Yes, I know. Credibility, even your position is at stake. That's why I submitted a request for re-examination, so that you yourself will reveal the truth. I could reveal all that at the next trial or in the media, but I respect you as my senior and the only South Korean prosecutor I can still trust."
Prosecutor Park takes a deep breath, "Miss Kim, where's the application letter?"
Her assistant immediately went back to unpacking the files on her desk that she had just arranged.
"Hey, why are you being so careless? Why didn't you give it to me since yesterday?"
"Sorry, Ma'am," the girl hands the envelope from me to Prosecutor Park.
"Hong, you have to support me if I get suspended or take a pay cut, okay?" She said as she signed my application.
"Ah, maybe you will only be scolded by your superiors."
She gave me a sharp look.
"Okay, okay, I will!"
~~~
The sound of the digital door lock being pressed from outside made me stop feeding Inzaghi.
Who's coming? If it was a guest, they'd ring the bell instead of the digital lock password, right?
And I'm even more scared because whoever pressed the password lock managed to get in in one try. I took the frying pan from under the bed.
Why is there a frying pan in the bedroom? I did prepare it since last night just in case I was attacked again. It's a better than a rock.
"HIYAAAA!!!" I came out of the room while swinging the frying pan.
But I stopped. My body froze. Not out of fear, but...
The man who is now standing in front of me with a surprised look on his face...
Am I hallucinating?
"Cha Young-ah..."
Heol... I can even hear his voice.
"Is this your welcome to your lover who came all the way from Italy?"
I hit myself on the head with the frying pan, to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
"Ouch!" It hurts. I'm not dreaming! He's really real in front of me!
My love, Vincenzo Cassano!!!
"Cha Young-ah, why did you hit yourself in the head?" He grabbed the frying pan I was holding, then kissed my head that I hit earlier.
I wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. Even though I made sure that I wasn't dreaming, I still felt that I was in between dream and reality. But the warmth of his body and the smell of his perfume was real.
"I missed you so much, Sweety," he said in the middle of his kisses on the top of my head.
"I missed you too, Darling, but..." I looked up, "how did you get here? And why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
"I've told you many times that I'm going to Seoul."
"I thought you were joking."
"I'm never kidding. I even brought you your order of bolognese sauce."
"How did you come? Did you sneak through the embassy group again?"
"No. I came alone using a fake passport and slipped among a group of tourists from China who were on tour in Italy. I went to Shanghai first, then to Korea."
"Isn't this very risky? I should just go to your island."
"I can't wait to meet you. Especially after I saw you get pelted with eggs. I'm mad, mad at myself for not being able to protect you?"
"Hey," I caressed his cheek, "it's just an egg, and I'm fine."
"I don't like anyone hurting my woman, even if it's just an egg."
Aigoo, how will he react if he finds out that yesterday I was attacked by an intruder?
"By the way, you grew a mustache huh?" I just realized there was something different about his appearance.
"It's a disguise. How do I look with a mustache? Am I ugly and untidy?"
I shook my head, "you look more manly and sexy."
He kissed my forehead, cheeks and nose. Then he devoured my lips greedily. The tiny hairs that grew under his nose tickled my skin.
I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me up. He led me into the room after kicking the door. He sat on the bed, still with me on his lap.
"I want you, Cha Young-ah."
"Aren't you tired after traveling that far?"
He shook his head and muttered in his deep, sexy voice. I want him too. Really.
We were about to kiss again, when Inzaghi interrupted by flying over our heads. I forgot that I hadn't closed the window.
"You damn bird!!!" I swear.
"You still haven't changed, Inzaghi. You always annoy me," Vincenzo grumbled to the dove now perched on top of the cupboard.
And we laughed together.
~~~
One by one the Geumga Family hugged Vincenzo. Mr. Ahn as the chairman of the "oh my consigliere" fanclub who hugged him the longest.
"Where have you been hiding all this time, Consigliere?" Ask Mr. Ahn.
"He's no longer a consigliere, but a boss," I corrected.
"Oh, wow..." Mr. Ahn was stunned with sparkling eyes.
"Nice to meet you again, Mr. Cassano. You hide very well. But your appearance in Seoul is quite risky, you know, considering your status is still a fugitive," said Mr. Cho.
"That's what I said," I pinched Vincenzo's cheek, "but this mob boss is too stubborn."
"Can't you guys remove his name from the wanted list?" Pak Tak asked these two intelligence agents.
"It's not that easy, because the case has reached an international level and the file has now been submitted to the Italian Interpol," Pak Cho explained.
"But we will try our best to solve it," continued Pak Ahn.
"That's why we have been looking for your whereabouts for a year, Mr. Cassano. We plan to change your identity using your first name before adoption. But Park Joo Hyeong's personal data was burned when a fire broke out at the orphanage where you were entrusted," said Mr. Cho.
"I still have my birth certificate and adoption file. I'll send them later when I get home. Thank you Mr. Ahn and Mr. Cho," said Vincenzo.
"Never mind." They said.
"Let's celebrate Mr. Vincenzo's arrival at my restaurant! No need to pay!" Invite Chef Toto.
"It's better at my shop. Mr. Cassanova doesn't like your cooking," said Mrs. Kwak.
Chef Toto became sullen.
"Hey Vin, it's up to you to choose, do you want to eat at Chef Toto's restaurant or Mrs. Kwak's shop?" Ask Park Seok Do.
"Aigoo, don't bother."
"We didn't feel bothered. We are very happy to see you again," said Mrs. Kwak.
"That's right, Mr. Vin. Don't be shy, that's not your style," said Mr. Nam.
"Then we will have dinner at Chef Toto's restaurant because it's wide there," said Vincenzo, which made Chef Toto's smile widen.
"But the dinner menu is kimchi fried rice," added Vincenzo.
Chef Toto pouted again, accompanied by laughter from all of us.
~~~
While I was working, Vincenzo was languishing in his rented room. He can't roam. Geumga Plaza is not the same as it was a year ago. This plaza is now crowded with traders and buyers after the cancellation of being evicted by the Babel Group.
Today I'm quite busy preparing for Mrs. Cheon's next trial. We also received two new cases that will be handled by Mr. Seo and Choi Ae Ra.
In the midst of busyness, I took the time to go home to have lunch with Vincenzo. I thought he might be bored at home alone, but he wasn't. He was playing go stop with the men of Geumga Family while eating Bindaetteok (mung bean pancake) and drinking makgeoli (rice wine). He even had lunch already. Mrs. Kwak cooks him gamjatang (potato soup) and various side dishes.
Well, I don't have to worry about him being lonely and can continue my work in peace.
~~~
The impact of the re-examination is not only experienced by Prosecutor Park, but also the forensic team, detectives, and everyone involved in the case. Even though she is scolded by her superiors and will be punished, Prosecutor Park remains determined to uphold justice.
After the CCTV footage was restored, one by one the truth began to be revealed. The head of the forensic team apparently hid the original copy of Oh Yeon Hee's autopsy results. The DNA in the skin tissue contained in the victim's nails does not belong to Mrs. Cheon. Upon further inspection, it was also not Eun Byeol's. So there is a possibility that it belongs to the man with glasses who entered Mr. Ha's house after Eun Byeol came out.
The digital forensics team identified the man's face and bring up a name, Jo Dante, a businessman who invests in real estate. The forensics team matched the DNA with Jo Dante's, and the results matched. Unfortunately the man is no longer found in Korea. He is known to have bought a plane ticket to Moscow and left the day after the incident. He was also added to the wanted list.
•••
The actual chronology of events...
A letter calling for parents from school came to Mr. Ha's house, because Eun Byeol was the bully against her classmate. At that time, Mr. Ha was out of town, so it was Oh Yeon Hee who received the letter and reprimanded Eun Byeol who didn't go to school by pretending to be sick. Eun Byeol has hated her stepmother from the start who is considered a destroyer of her family. She countered her stepmother, then called her mom to pick her up, but Mrs. Cheon, who was in a meeting at that time, didn't pick up the phone from her.
Oh Yeon Hee scolds her again, it makes Eun Byeol hysterical and threatens to commited suicide. They fight over a knife until it accidentally stabs Oh Yeon Hee's stomach. Eun Byeol who was scared immediately ran away without taking anything. Her hair clip accidentally fell near the door, preventing the door from closing tightly. She almost collided with a man with round glasses who just got out of the elevator. She wandered aimlessly and didn't know where to go. Her feet took her to the house of one of her school teachers, Shin Soo Ryeon who finally called Mr. Ha.
Meanwhile, the man with glasses entered Mr. Ha's house and approached Oh Yeon Hee who was lying on the floor. He checked Oh Yeon Hee's pulse, which was still throbbing. Oh Yeon Hee grabbed the man's wrist, asking for help. They know each other, not only because the man is Mr. Ha's neighbor, but also because they have been in business together for many years.
Oh Yeon Hee is one of the marketing staff at Mrs. Cheon's real estate company. She has an excellent and satisfactory track record in the sale of land and buildings. What the company didn't know was that she herself bought several properties under Jo Dante's name, then resold them at much higher prices as the value of the land and buildings rose.
After she was caught being Mr. Ha's mistress, Oh Yeon Hee was fired. She became unemployed. Even though Mr. Ha finally marry her and she was able to enjoy the man's wealth, she still felt lacking. She asked Jo Dante for a share of the profits from the sale of the land for 70:30, because according to her she was the one who worked harder in selling the land. Jo Dante argued that Oh Yeon Hee had already received a salary and incentives for 10 years working at the company. Then Oh Yeon Hee threatened to reveal their actions to the public. The threat would not only harm Jo Dante, but also some of the public officials they bribed using land and buildings. Moreover, Jo Dante has plans to run for the board of directors in the coming period.
So when Jo Dante saw Oh Yeon Hee helpless, he used this opportunity to take her life. Then he went to the control room to remove himself which was caught on CCTV.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ha who heard Eun Byeol's confession that she accidentally stabbed Oh Yeon Hee, then heard the news of the woman's death, he immediately bribed one of the detectives to exchange the actual murder knife for the knife he took from Mrs. Cheon's house. He also bribed the head of the forensic team who autopsied Oh Yeon Hee, making sure there were no fingerprints or Eun Byeol's DNA. Then he reveals this to Mrs. Cheon so that she protects their daughter by confessing that it was her who killed Oh Yeon Hee.
When he hears that Hong Cha Young is applying for a re-examination, he tells Yoo Hee Jae to negotiate using the money.
Jo Dante also has an 'ear' at the prosecutor's office, it's Prosecutor Park's assistant, Miss Kim. So he sent someone to erase Hong Cha Young's evidence, as well as finish her off.
•••
Cheon So Jin's second trial.
Vincenzo was also present at the trial to see me, though I had told him not to.
"You look sexy in the courtroom," he said which made me melt and allow him, but on the condition that he had to disguise himself. Pak Nam dresses him up so his skin looks darker and draws a big mole on his cheek. During the trial I did not look at him at all so as not to break my concentration with my laugh.
Mrs. Cheon was found not guilty and released. But my job is still not finished. As my promise, I will accompany Eun Byeol who still has to accept the lawsuit for the assault on Oh Yeon Hee even though she did it accidentally. She was also sued for bullying her classmate, Min Seol Ah. Her parents reported the case to the police after the case of Eun Byeol's mother surfaced.
Meanwhile Mr. Ha must also receive punishment for bribery and tampering with evidence. For their divorce case will be handled by Mr. Seo. Thankfully, I don't have to face Yoo Hee Jae in the court room.
Yoo Hee Jae as Mr. Ha's lawyer is actually also involved in bribery. I am sure of it. But he was not touched by the law at all. I'm not surprised. We all know the power of insiders.
~~~
All this day, Vincenzo silenced me. He didn't want to talk to me at all. Even tonight he sleeps on the sofa. He sulked.
This is all because of a summons from the prosecutor's office for me to be a witness for the attack on me a few days ago. The intruder, who has admitted that he was Jo Dante's man to destroy the evidence I've found, will be put on trial. Unfortunately, Vincenzo read the contents of the letter.
I dragged the rollaway bed into the living room and lay down.
"Ouch, it's covered with a mattress, but my back still hurts," I complained with loud voice, deliberately so that he, who was already lying on the sofa with his eyes closed, could hear.
"Bbbrrr... it's cold..."
"Cough... cough..."
"Ouch, looks like I caught a cold..."
Silence.
I peeked, was he really asleep or was he just pretending to be asleep and deliberately ignoring me?
I snuggled under his blanket, lying on the narrow sofa with him. Suddenly his butt nudged me until I rolled off the couch.
"Ouch! My head hit the table! It is bleeding!!! It hurts!!!"
He immediately got up and checked me who was covering my forehead with both of my palms. He took my hands and...
"You were just pretending to be asleep, huh?" I smirked.
Suddenly he flicked my forehead very hard.
"Ooouch!!! It hurts!!! How could you! You said you didn't like it when I was hurt, but you were the one who hurt me!"
"You're the one who prank me!"
"Otherwise, you don't want to talk to me."
"Do you know why I'm angry?"
"Because I was attacked by someone."
"If it was just for that, I wouldn't have silenced you."
"Hmm... because I didn't tell you about the attack?"
"Exactly. Why?"
"Because I don't want you to worry."
"If something bad happens to me, won't you worry?"
"I'll worry, but not as much as you are. I know you're worried because you love me, but even watching me get pelted with eggs makes you angry. If you knew this, you might burn that guy with your lighter."
"Of course."
"Look!"
He sighed, "Okay, I promise I won't overreact again. But you have to promise, whatever you're going through, good or bad, you have to tell me."
"Yes, I promise."
He got back on the sofa and lay down.
"Didn't we make up? Why are you still sleeping on the couch?"
"Come here," he spread his arm.
"The bed in the bedroom is too small for both of us, now you want us to squish on the sofa?"
"You don't want to?"
"I want." I climbed onto the couch.
He shifts to the side, letting me lie on the inside of the sofa. He didn't want me to roll over. I always feel touched by all his attention, even if it's small things like this.
.
.
.
To be continue...
This is for you imagine Song Joong ki with mustache
Cameo:
Uhm Ki Joon as Jo Dante