Chapter 19: The Price of a Hound

The case against Jang Ki-yong ended, as expected, with a final decision of non-prosecution due to insufficient evidence. The primary reason cited was the lack of any physical evidence or witnesses to prove the assault. Testimonies from acquaintances—claiming the victim, Lee Yu-jin, had been in a long-term secret relationship with Jang Ki-yong—played a significant role.

In a world where evidence and witnesses can be manufactured out of thin air, a case like this was easier than breathing. Everything returned to its original place, quietly, as if nothing had ever happened. To people like them, the victim’s resentment and sobbing carried no more weight than a speck of dust. In their world, this was the natural order; this was justice.

And in that world, Hyeonseo knew her place: a hound covered in the filth left behind by trash-like human beings. A hound that stood by and watched injustice while harmonizing with a rotten world. Just as it had always been.

“What did you call me for?”

Hyeonseo asked, doing her best to erase her troubled expression. Jang Ki-yong’s eyes were blurred and unfocused, whether from alcohol or drugs.

She knew from the start he hadn’t called her to see her face or to offer thanks. She was an entity that came when told to come and left when told to go; she was here to perform the duties for which she had been paid. Of course, that didn’t mean she had any intention of playing along with the whims of a spoiled, delinquent brat.

“I told you to come over here and sit.”

His intention was transparently foul as he dismissed the half-naked women surrounding him and barked at her to sit beside him. He had reached the point where he wanted to toy with the hound he employed.

Hyeonseo took a reluctant step and sat across from him. The heavy beat of the music thumping outside the room felt like it was hitting the back of her head.

He poured a glass of liquor until it overflowed and waved his hand for her to drink. Pitying his pathetic life, she downed the glass in one go.

“Aha. So our lawyer can drink, huh?”

Jang Ki-yong smirked and filled the glass again. Out of sheer defiance, she drained it once more, hiding her rising nausea.

“I heard you were a beauty, but you’re better than I expected.”

His snake-like eyes scanned her from head to toe, making her skin crawl. Convinced that she couldn’t have a rational conversation with someone already out of his mind, she pressed the side button on the phone in her pocket. Her fingertip felt a short vibration—a signal that Sol, who was on standby, had picked up the call.

“You said you’ve seen me before. When was that?”

“I saw you briefly at the JK anniversary ceremony a while back.”

It was when Jang Ki-yong had briefly returned to Korea while studying in the States. Though they had exchanged a passing greeting, there was no way he would remember her.

“Is that so? Why don’t I remember? I might forget a lot of things, but I have a killer memory for a woman’s face.”

Jang Ki-yong sniffled and took a drink. The hand holding the glass kept slipping, causing more than half the liquor to spill down his chin. If people didn’t know he was Jang Ki-yong of JK, they wouldn’t even recognize him in this pathetic state. He was utterly wretched.

Chairman Jang had three children. There was the eldest daughter, Jang Min-young, CEO of Winner Apparel, from his first wife who died early in an accident. Then there were the two sons from his current wife, Yang Jae-suk: Jang Ki-jun and Director Jang Ki-yong. The problem was that Yang Jae-suk’s sons lacked both the ability and the character of their older sister.

Jang Ki-jun, born with a weak and indecisive personality, always felt burdened by the weight of his responsibilities. Then one day, he found solace in a woman, suddenly declared a divorce, and entered a late-blooming stage of rebellion. He was completely infatuated.

The youngest, Jang Ki-yong, was even worse. He had caused trouble early on and fled to the States for “study,” where he continued to be a headache for Yang Jae-suk. Drugs, drinking, women, assault—the list and the scale were diverse.

With the succession issue already tense because of Jang Min-young, Yang Jae-suk was at her wit’s end dealing with her two sons. In that process, it was Hyeonseo who had cleanly removed Ki-jun’s woman and handled the cleanup for Ki-yong’s constant accidents. This also meant that Yang Jae-suk would not easily let go of Hyeonseo, who knew all the family’s dirty secrets.

If she said she would no longer handle JK’s business, would these people actually let her go? Looking at the “dog” that Jang Ki-yong had become, Hyeonseo felt a wave of anxiety.

“Goldstone? You’re with them now, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Aren’t they just a bunch of thugs playing with money?”

His drunken slurring was incredibly vulgar. As if you aren’t the one acting like a real thug, she thought.

“My mother said she offered you a spot on the JK legal team, but you turned it down. Isn’t JK better than working like a dog for thugs for pocket change? I actually like you, Lawyer.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s not pocket change. I get paid quite a bit at Goldstone.”

At her small rebuttal, Jang Ki-yong let out a creepy, unpleasant laugh.

“May I ask again why you called me here?” she asked, no longer able to stand looking at him. She wanted to leave.

“I told you. I called to see your face.”

He filled her glass again. It was the third one. Fixing her eyes on the swaying liquid, she spoke calmly.

“Then your business with me is finished.”

“What?”

Jang Ki-yong frowned and glared at her. Undeterred, she continued.

“Three glasses are enough for a greeting. I’m sorry, but I’m not very good at sitting around for long without a purpose.”

She picked up the final glass, downed it, and grabbed her handbag.

“Thank you for the drink. I’ll be going now.”

“Going? You’re going? On whose authority? I was being nice, but you’re getting pretty arrogant, aren’t you?”

His words came out slurred and incoherent. He probably didn’t even know what he was babbling.

Suddenly, Hyeonseo remembered the things she had done for a man of this low caliber. She thought of Lee Yu-jin, who had slapped her while venting her fury, and the victim’s mother who had sobbed, begging for mercy just once. And another victim who had screamed, asking how she could do this. Because of this piece of trash, she had driven stakes into the hearts of innocent people and committed unforgivable acts.

It was staggering. An indescribable emotion surged within her, and her chest burned with self-reproach.

“Ah. Right. Business. Business! That’s what you needed?”

Jang Ki-yong stood up and pulled out his wallet. Staggering, he approached Hyeonseo, who stood glaring at him.

“Here. They say you’ll do anything if you’re given money.”

He pulled out a handful of high-value checks and waved the bundle in front of her face.

You crazy bastard, the words nearly escaped her lips. It was only a few days ago that he had been sued and almost ended up with a criminal record for beating a woman while high on drugs. And now he was doing this to the lawyer who had cleaned up after him. He was trash beyond recycling.

“This won’t be enough,” she said, looking down at the bundle of checks.

“It’s true I’ll do anything for money, Director. But my price is quite high.”

“Whoa. What did you just say?”

“The Madam is very worried about you. I think it would be best if you didn’t do anything you’ll regret, at least for a while. If another complaint goes in before the ink on the settlement is even dry, the burden will only increase.”

It was the strongest threat she could manage—a declaration that she wouldn’t just take it. Even in his drunken state, Jang Ki-yong noticed her resolve, and his brow furrowed deeply.

“What?”

“I’m telling you to act with some moderation. Isn’t it time you woke up?”

She stopped short of asking how long he planned to live like trash and be a nuisance to everyone. She didn’t expect a piece of trash to reform, nor did she have a shred of affection for JK, which had been a purely business relationship. He wasn’t the type to listen to bitter advice or a lecture anyway. Thinking she had expressed enough of her anger, she looked away.

“I’m leaving.”

Jang Ki-yong, looking somewhat dazed, could only watch as she gave a curt bow. He looked stunned.

Suppressing the urge to slap his disgusting face, she walked out. Through the closed door, she could hear the faint sound of him snickering and cursing.

She walked down the hallway, her heels clicking firmly. She pretended to be composed, but her fingers were trembling as she pulled her phone from her handbag.

“It’s me. The situation is over.”

— “Wow… Lawyer Cha.”

On the other end of the line, Sol, who had been listening to and recording the entire situation, marveled.

“Why? Was I too harsh?”

— “Yes. Very.”

Hyeonseo put her hand to her forehead and exhaled. She realized then that she had lost control of her emotions and overstepped.

— “What now? Can you handle the aftermath? Jang Ki-yong is a total psycho. What if he holds a grudge and tries to hurt you because you provoked him?”

Hyeonseo regretted it. She had seen this kind of behavior for years, so why did she react that way now?

“Even if you let her hit you, that woman’s feelings won’t be resolved, and you won’t be forgiven. You know that. Why do you do such useless things?”

Perhaps she had wanted to refute those words. Even knowing it was useless and futile, she wanted to say that this was her own way of atonement. It was a pointless bit of pride.

— “Are you really planning to cut ties? Do you think those people will just say okay and let you go?”

“I don’t know. Someone will take responsibility.”

— “Who?”

“There is someone… who doesn’t really like other people touching his things.”

Hyeonseo answered dryly and got into her car.