#165. Peace. 1
-… … .
Lee Hye-rim's voice was not heard from the phone, and she seemed to be still hesitating.
Woojin waited quietly for her.
How many seconds passed like that?
-Woojin.
“Haha. This is really it. I got caught up in it.”
Lee Hye-rim's voice was heard again as Chairman Lee spoke while looking at the Go board.
-Are you with your grandfather now?
“Yes, you may speak.”
-… … Woojin. I don’t want to go that far. I can’t go that far.
Lee Hye-rim's voice was trembling and gradually turning into a sob.
-You've helped me so much so far… I'm really grateful, thank you so much. I really do. But I'm sorry. I really… I really can't do that. Aren't I so useless? I'm sorry… I'm really sorry… I'm sorry, Woojin.
Woojin nodded slowly.
“I respect your opinion. Okay. I’ll get back to you later.”
Woojin finished the call calmly and put the phone back in his pocket.
At that moment, Chairman Lee, who had been fixating his gaze on the Go board, opened his mouth.
“Is the business story not going well?”
“It seems like my partner has changed his mind.”
“Change your mind. That’s the case with any business. There are times when you have to push forward if you think your idea is right. If you think too much, you’ll end up going up the mountain. When you have to push forward, you have to act like a bulldozer.”
If he had said, 'I want to put Shinwha Group in Hye-rim's hands,' those words would never have come out of Chairman Lee's mouth.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Woojin made a quick decision.
Helping an acquaintance or friend means giving them advice or action to help them overcome their desires or difficulties.
This is all Hye-rim wants.
Even if he were to give up now, he would have already obtained more than he wanted in monetary terms and would have nothing to lose.
Actually, what I wanted wasn't money.
In the process of helping Hye-rim, I just wanted to meet the head of a conglomerate, experience his children, and the environment.
I didn't have any regrets about stopping.
Because there were more important things I wanted to do.
Woojin immediately spoke to Chairman Lee, who was quietly lost in thought while looking at the Go board.
“If you put it right next to me on the left, I think the path will open up.”
The chairman smiled and nodded.
“That’s right. There was a road like this.”
“This is also a number that the chairman has previously placed.”
The chairman raised his gaze as if to ask what was being said.
“That’s the number I put in?”
“Yes. This situation was created several times during the fight.”
The chairman frowned slightly as if he did not understand.
“I think this is the first time you’ve done something like this?”
“That is possible. The chairman is currently suffering from an illness.”
The chairman looked at Woojin as if to say something nonsensical.
“What are you talking about?”
“People often call that disease dementia.”
Suddenly, the chairman's face turned red with disbelief.
"what"
“You used to go hiking on the property every morning, but you didn’t do it today. You must have had indigestion, so you ate some porridge. You seemed to have stayed in the study for about three hours. You made a lot of payments. Do you have a habit when you sign? You tap the pen on the desk as if you were tapping your fingers.”
The blood vessels in the chairman's eyes appeared.
I don't know how many years it's been since I've been this surprised.
Aren't you completely aware of your daily routine as if you were watching a CCTV camera?
Chairman Lee, who had been staring at Woojin as if he had turned into a statue for a few seconds, picked up the phone.
“Come now and check if there are any wiretapping devices or small cameras installed in the house.”
Chairman Lee put down the receiver and said, sinking deep into the sofa.
“Is that why you asked to see the study? I thought it was a rabbit, but it was a fox. Do you know what will happen if a fox like you enters a tiger’s den?”
From Woojin's perspective, he gained a lot.
Because I was able to gain experience and help Hye-rim Lee.
Woojin opened his mouth without changing his expression.
“I didn’t do anything that the Chairman is worried about. Miss Lee Hye-rim didn’t even ask me to do it. However, it wasn’t a coincidence that I was able to sit across from the Chairman and play Go.”
“It’s not a coincidence?”
The chairman's body and face looked quite relaxed, but his eyes were unusual.
The majesty of the predator at the end of the food chain was clearly evident.
“Miss Lee Hye-rim had a request.”
Of course, there was no such request.
Woojin wanted to lay the groundwork for Lee Hye-rim before letting go.
So that the chairman can think more positively about Lee Hye-rim.
Woojin continued speaking.
“Mr. Chairman, I have the ability to see people well. In other words, I have become good at seeing people in order to survive. Just like a grandmother lifted a car to save her grandchild who was hit by a car, I have gone through a similar process and I think I have been enlightened in some way. If no wiretapping devices or cameras are found in your house, I think it can be evidence to support my claim. And today, Mr. Chairman, you will go out once.”
The chairman will not have any schedule today.
There was something I did every time I had a schedule.
The point was that I would unconsciously and periodically glance at the wall clock.
But even though I didn't have a schedule, I was supposed to go out today.
The chairman smiled as if he found it funny.
“It sounds like a god has descended.”
“That’s not the case. Let me add more, Miss Lee Hye-rim told me that the chairman was showing some strange symptoms. Occasionally, his hands would tremble, his speech would be slurred, and his memory would be impaired.”
Woojin spoke with a little emphasis every time he mentioned Hye-rim's name, as if he was instilling it in her.
This was because the same words were shown repeatedly in the media or advertisements, and it was possible to hypnotize people into humming along without realizing it, like the hook of a song.
If it is something that is beneficial to you, its power is further amplified.
Woojin did not hesitate to use these things on anyone, regardless of who they were.
This was because everyone was viewed as the same regardless of their social status.
“Miss Lee Hye-rim thought it was strange. The chairman’s doctor also insisted that he was healthy. She thought it was even stranger that her family didn’t mention it even though she could see it. That’s why she asked me to look after him because she was worried, and that’s why I’m here today. If the doctor was persuaded to hide this fact, and if the family is hiding the fact and using it… … Miss Lee Hye-rim is really worried.”
Of course, it was so subtle that even the attending physician missed it, so no one noticed.
“Do I have dementia?”
“I’ll say this again carefully. I think it would be a good idea for you to get tested by another doctor for suspected dementia. You can think that I’m crazy. People always see what they want to see, and they tend to close their eyes and ears to things they don’t want to see.”
I linked arms with the chairman.
Crossing arms is usually a nonverbal way of saying that you do not think positively of the other person.
“Okay. Let’s see if what you say is credible.”
Woojin nodded slowly.
* * *
Among the men who were thoroughly searching the chairman's house, one approached and spoke politely.
“Mr. Chairman, nothing was found.”
“Are you sure? It wouldn’t be fun if it was discovered later.”
“Yes, that’s for sure.”
The chairman nodded, fixing his gaze on Woojin, who was sitting there.
“Okay, go and take care of things.”
They left the house, careful to even listen to the sound of their footsteps.
So, a moment of silence fell on the living room.
“He has other amazing talents besides playing baduk.”
If there were no hidden devices, then the information that would have been completely unknown came out of Woojin's mouth.
“I think it would be a good idea to get tested as soon as possible.”
Woojin got up from his seat.
“Well then, let’s go back, Chairman.”
Woojin bowed his head and moved to the front door.
The chairman didn't catch it and was recalling what Woojin had said.
'If the attending physician was involved to hide this fact, if the family was trying to hide the fact and take advantage of it… … .'
If that is true, then the saying that raising children is useless becomes a reality and comes to me.
He also said that the only person who thinks of him is his granddaughter.
The chairman picked up the phone and made a call to someone.
“Find another doctor. We’ll leave right away, secretly.”
He hung up the phone again and let out a hollow laugh.
You have dementia?
There is a saying that goes, "You have to lose to get what you want."
There was a need to relieve this nerve-wracking anxiety.
But if it's true.
The chairman burst into laughter again.
'The chairman will be going out once today.'
Woojin, what he said is exactly right.
The chairman looked down at the Go board.
How many times have I had this exact same fight… … .
I really don't remember.
* * *
The next day.
Woojin was sitting in a coffee shop with Lee Hye-rim.
She smiled awkwardly.
“You said you would wear a mask and transform as if you were going to take down the entire Shinwha Group, and then you said you were giving up. Are you really disappointed in me?”
Because Woojin's help was absolute, Hye-rim couldn't raise her head properly.
On the other hand, Woojin's expression was the same as before.
“No. I think that could be possible.”
When Hye-rim and Bora first met in the old neighborhood, Hye-rim had changed a lot as she crossed the line.
This is because hormones help us to empathize more with the pain and sadness of others.
“I’m so embarrassed I can’t even raise my head.”
Woojin said, slurping down his caramel macchiato.
“Hye-rim, you don’t have to feel sorry for me, and you don’t have to think that you took up my time. It was a very useful time for me.”
At the word “beneficial,” Lee Hye-rim couldn’t help but chuckle.
As expected, I couldn't get a handle on it.
Of course, it could have been a considerate remark.
“More than that, Hye-rim. Yesterday… … .”
Woojin began to tell the story he had with Chairman Lee yesterday.
Lee Hye-rim's eyes grew bigger and bigger.
“I, I said what I said?”
Woojin nodded his head.
“I didn’t want you to use this chairman. You’ll get the test done quickly, and you can solidify your position. I thought it would kill two birds with one stone. That’s why I did what you said.”
At that moment, Lee Hye-rim's cell phone vibrated.
"hello."
-Miss, this is Director Choi. The Chairman would like to see you quietly right now.
Lee Hye-rim said in a trembling voice.
"that's right?"
-Yes. I heard the definitive answer from the doctor.
"……all right."
A trembling breath escaped her lips as she finished the call.
As always, this was the moment when Woojin's words became reality.
Woojin opened his mouth.
“I don’t think anything will change just because you think a lot, and I don’t think anything will change just because you worry. You have to do what you can do now. Go ahead. Don’t forget to hold my hand a lot.”
“Woojin-ah. Later, no, in the future. I’ll pay you back. For all the help you gave me. I’ll pay you back.”
“Then, can you just pay for one piece of cake and leave?”
Hye-rim smiled faintly.
“One will do?”
"huh."
After calculating the cake slices, Lee Hye-rim left at Woo-jin's words, and Woo-jin opened his mouth and watched her back as she walked away outside the window.
“There’s no need to go from one, two, to three. If Hye-rim wants it.”
Woojin, who finally received the cake, picked a piece of cake with his fork and brought it to his mouth.
Woojin shook his head as if the world was so tasteless.
And as time passed, I started going to large bookstores and looking through books as if I was reviewing them.
Criminal law, criminal procedure law, administrative law, police science, introduction to police science, criminal law, etc… … .
