Season 3: Chapter 134: Pass It On (4)
"… What?"
Faced with an unexpected answer, Lee Kyung-Ho had no choice but to question it.
"Hand over the company?"
He had anticipated demands for compensation or an apology, but handing over the company? What was their intention behind that?
"Pay off the remaining debt and transfer the company shares to us. Then, you'll walk away unscathed. In fact, it's the only way."
Of course, that made sense. What value did a company that never generated any profit have?
"Sell it to Ji-Ah?"
Was that all? For all the threats, it seemed like they actually offered him a way out for the benefit of Ji-Ah. What was in it for her?
Lee Kyung-Ho, unaware of the internal situation, found it perplexing.
The business had more value to Ju-Hyeok.
‘It's cheaper than borrowing a name.’
Registering a business in cultural arts planning required several years of experience in the relevant industry.
Ju-Hyeok lacked sufficient experience to meet the criteria. He needed another two years and had no intention of spending those two years stuck in his manager role.
“You either borrow a name to register the business or someone who already has a business transfers their company to you.”
A legal consultant had told him this. Other methods existed, but were borderline legal. The proper and stable method was this one.
For Lee Kyung-Ho, it was the same.
"Ah… I understand. Let's do that."
In the end, Lee Kyung-Ho decided to pay off the remaining debt and transfer the company.
"You will no longer be a representative or a shareholder."
Swoosh.
Ju-Hyeok presented the already-prepared documents.
With trembling hands, Lee Kyung-Ho took the pen.
‘Fine. Let’s just forget it and move on.’
He had no other option. If they really started making profits with that company, he could lose his job and even face a lawsuit for damages.
Individuals would not pursue the issue that aggressively, but big companies could not be underestimated. They would go to great lengths to warn others.
‘I saw the preview earlier.’
He thought about the fake audit from earlier and considered this as getting off lightly.
With that thought, Lee Kyung-Ho signed the documents.
‘Wait?’
Why, after years of working, did it feel like this? Before signing any document, everything always seemed suspicious.
‘Wait a second. This isn't for selling it to Ji-Ah?’
The name on the document was Kim Ju-Hyeok.
"Hold on… Is this your name?"
"Yes."
"You said to sell it to Ji-Ah."
"Ji-Ah's side."
Ju-Hyeok pointed to himself and shrugged. He was implying that he represented Ji-Ah’s side.
"This... doesn't make sense. Did Seo Ji-Ah agree to this?"
‘What?’
Ju-Hyeok found this reaction odd. Whether Lee Kyung-Ho sold it to Seo Ji-Ah or him, wouldn’t Lee Kyung-Ho feel fortunate to get out of the business?
Lee Kyung-Ho was only paying half the debt, yet he seemed bewildered.
"This isn't right. Honestly, I can’t trust you. You deceived me from the start. I... I can't believe Ji-Ah would agree to this. It's strange."
Ju-Hyeok sighed and nodded.
"Then take your time to read it. Confirm it with your own eyes. I was going to get confirmation on a call anyway."
Ji-Ah was a co-representative, so Ju-Hyeok needed her mutual confirmation officially. He had already discussed it with her.
‘I didn’t expect him to be so suspicious.’
Ju-Hyeok hadn’t anticipated such skepticism regarding selling the company to him. He began explaining the situation to Ji-Ah via message.
Meanwhile, Lee Kyung-Ho read through the documents. However, he couldn’t fully grasp anything in this situation. Despite that, he forced himself to calm his racing heart and read the words.
The contract itself had no issues, but doubts lingered.
"… Sigh."
Was this correct? In this situation, could he read properly with a trembling heart?
‘Signing here would be madness.’
He thought about having at least a lawyer review the documents to ensure everything was in order.
"Have you been so deceitful that you suspect everything? Do you think everyone is like you?"
"… What?"
"You don’t have a choice anyway. I’m just speeding up the process to help. There’s nothing more."
With that, Ju-Hyeok picked up his phone.
A familiar voice came through the speaker, “I agreed to it.”
Hearing that voice, Lee Kyung-Ho’s mind went blank.
"J-Ji-Ah? Is that really… you?"
“Yes.”
Ju-Hyeok adjusted his glasses, watching Lee Kyung-Ho’s reaction.
‘This is unexpected.’
He didn’t think Lee Kyung-Ho had genuine feelings for Ji-Ah. It didn’t seem possible given Lee Kyung-Ho’s past actions, yet…
"W-When I called, you never… picked up…"
Lee Kyung-Ho seemed like a competent planning manager when talking to Ju-Hyeok, but he turned into a different person after hearing Ji-Ah’s voice.
‘So selling to Ji-Ah was fine, but selling to me wasn’t?’
It didn’t make sense to Ju-Hyeok.
‘Why did he do this then?’
It felt baffling. Romantic relationships often defied logic.
"Ji-Ah, let’s meet. Let’s talk. Okay? I can explain everything…" Lee Kyung-Ho almost begged.
“I don’t want to.”
"What? We’re doing all this and you won’t even meet me?"
“Meet? I don’t even want to talk to you. Do you think it's pleasant for me to converse with you in front of my boyfriend?”
"J-Ji-Ah?"
“I’m only talking now because you might claim I faked this conversation later!”
Ji-Ah panted for a moment, catching her breath.
“Ha... I'm saying this because you might claim something later. Anyway... I agreed to the contract. You just need to leave. Then there won't be any problems.”
"Ji-Ah, I'll pay off the debt...! I can send less money home. It'll be quick, okay?"
“Is it that simple? Then you should have paid it off sooner.”
"I didn’t pay it off on purpose! I was afraid our only connection would be severed! This way, you’d have to show up again! But now you’re sending this guy you’re seeing my way?!"
“You're crazy. Please see a psychiatrist. The money I've already paid off is not something you need to repay. It's cheap compared to the cost of dealing with you.”
"How... how can you say that to me!? Never mind. I'll repay the money! So—"
Click.
The call ended.
Lee Kyung-Ho remained silent and hunched over. Only his quivering jaw could be seen.
Ju-Hyeok proceeded to the final phase of their interaction.
"This call is the maximum mercy you can expect. There's nothing beyond this other than the preview."
Lee Kyung-Ho raised his head.
"Who... who are you? Why, why are you doing this? It doesn’t seem like you need money!? What...?"
Facing a man in his thirties covered in tears didn’t feel pleasant to Ju-Hyeok.
"Because loose ends need to be tied up. From my standpoint, wouldn’t you do the same?"
"..."
Indeed, no current lover would want a past ghost lingering around like this. However, this wasn’t just a simple ex-boyfriend eviction.
Ju-Hyeok wouldn’t go to such lengths for such a matter. Reporting stalking, filing charges, and even showing up to give a stern warning would have been resolved quickly. Although troublesome, it would have been nothing compared to the time spent preparing this scenario.
‘I have my own gains.’
He was looking at something different.
Lee Kyung-Ho felt the same disparity. He seemed to have good instincts.
However, it was useless. Lee Kyung-Ho was just an extra trapped in the elaborate scenario that Ju-Hyeok had designed.
Ultimately, he had no choice but to pick up the pen and start signing.
Scratch.
Scribble…
After several verifications, the contract was completed.
Thud.
Ju-Hyeok snatched the documents and put them in his bag. Then, he stood up.
"Good choice, Mr. Lee."
It was over. All of it.
‘We won't meet again.’
Lee Kyung-Ho sat still, seemingly dazed.
Even though much time had passed, no contact came from the colleague who had gone in earlier. They probably thought it was really the audit team and cut ties with him.
‘I wanted to punch him at least.’
Ju-Hyeok thought about kicking him too, but beating a man who had already lost his will and was shedding tears didn’t match Ju-Hyeok’s preferences.
‘A fitting punishment has already been prepared.’
A kick would be a mere accessory compared to the gift awaiting Lee Kyung-Ho.
***
"Alright, Almond! Great. Let’s take one more shot from here and we’ll be done with this scene."
"Yes, yes."
In the meantime, the shoot was nearing its end.
Sang-Hyeon had become much more proficient since his first advertisement.
"Ah, looking good! I think we can nail it in one go!"
This ad featured Sang-Hyeon alone, so there was no waiting time.
Lee Kyung-Ho came in during the shoot and sat quietly with a vacant expression.
A colleague couldn’t stand it anymore and asked, "… Mr. Lee, what happened?"
"Nothing. It's nothing."
He didn't explain. Who could he possibly talk about this with?
"Everything seems to be going well with the shoot. Sorry, but can I leave early?"
"Oh, sure. I have an appointment nearby, so I’ll stay a bit longer."
Seeing his utterly deflated state, the colleague readily agreed.
"Yes, then…"
Thanking him, Lee Kyung-Ho gathered his things and left. He massaged his stiff neck and got into the back seat of his car.
Thump.
"Ha…" he sighed and looked up at the ceiling for a moment.
"The Harrison Hotel. The usual place."
“Heading to the Harrison Hotel parking lot, your frequently used destination.”
The car started on its own and headed to his favorite hotel.
After parking, he retrieved his golf bag from the trunk.
"Hello, sir."
"Yes. A day pass, please."
He nonchalantly pre-paid everything with his company card at the counter and headed to the sauna.
After a long soak, he took his golf clubs and went to the indoor golf range.
"Oh, Mr. Kyung-Ho, you’re back! You’re getting better every time."
"Ah, yes. If I lack talent, I must work hard. Haha."
"How’s business these days?"
"Not well~ I came here to relieve some stress."
"Come on, there’s no one who frequents this place whose business isn’t doing well. Haha."
He chatted with familiar and friendly acquaintances about otherworldly matters. Soon, he forgot all about it.
Afterward, he peacefully returned to his office. About a week passed like this.
"What? What’s going on!? What is this?"
He was having a peaceful morning at the office.
"We’re from the audit team. We need to take some things."
"What, what?"
The real audit team began dismantling his desk. This was the real face of an audit team.
"No…"
Only then could Lee Kyung-Ho distinguish between the real and the fake… He never could have made such distinctions in the first place, but facing the real thing was even more disastrous.
"No, no, you can't!"
Thunk.
A slightly older man grabbed his shoulder to stop him.
"We received a report and it checks out. Please come with us. Or should we discuss everything here?"
His subordinates, colleagues, and seniors all stared in their direction.
"What’s going on? What did Mr. Lee do?"
"Didn’t he join not long ago?"
"Something must have come up. Oh dear…"
"Man, don’t drag us into your mess…"
Few could endure such scrutiny.
"… Let go. I’ll go."
With his head hung low, Lee Kyung-Ho followed the audit team almost like he was fleeing.
***
"What? He was dragged away? How?" Sang-Hyeon asked.
His eyes sparkled with curiosity.
The green bottle on the food stall’s red table remained untouched.
Since a while ago, he had been listening intently to the story of Lee Kyung-Ho and forgot to drink. He thought everything had ended with the company transfer, but felt surprised to hear that it ended with disciplinary action.
Could this have been Ju-Hyeok’s doing?
"Was it you?" Sang-Hyeon asked again.
Ju-Hyeok nodded.
"Yes, it was me."
He grinned with his face flushed with alcohol.
"Leaving it like that would’ve been too lenient. We were just cleaning up his mess. I had to teach him a good lesson."