The New Groom Chapter 13

Lee Jeongrok took a quick look around the quiet parking lot and shuffled toward the elevator. He didn’t even look back at his driver, Secretary Yoon, or even Chief Joo, as he stepped straight into the elevator. As soon as he pressed the button for the second floor, he slumped to the floor in a pathetic state. The elevator was chilly because of the air conditioning. The fabric of his clothes, damp and cold, clung to his skin.

He was terrified.

Lee Jeongrok wasn’t even angry at what he had endured. He was just afraid. He was scared to the point where his whole body trembled. The elevator arrived at the second floor, but he couldn’t bring himself to stand up. It felt as if the hands that had choked him and shoved him underwater, the overwhelming strength he couldn’t escape no matter how much he thrashed, were pressing down on him once again. The ruthless violence he had experienced for the first time in his life dominated his mind, and his heart hammered in his chest. The moment he had been suffocated and death had approached was suddenly and vividly brought back to life.

Suddenly, the elevator felt unbearably narrow and claustrophobic. Lee Jeongrok urgently pressed the button for the basement floor. Even when he was leaving the villa, he had desperately wanted to be alone. He had wanted to crawl into a hole due to the peak of his shame. However, now that he was truly left alone and had brushed away that intense shame, a terrifying fear was waiting for him there instead.

He wanted to be with someone until his wife returned home. He didn’t care if it was Chief Joo, or if Chief Joo wasn’t there, Secretary Yoon—with whom he didn’t have a good relationship—or even the driver. He wanted to have a conversation. He wanted to escape reality by babbling about anything at all.

Lee Jeongrok, who had hurried down to the basement, was disheartened. There was no one in the parking lot anymore. Even Chief Joo, who usually idled about the mansion for no reason, was nowhere to be seen. However, there were always security personnel, including guards, on standby at the mansion at all times. Even if it weren’t his own attendants, there were plenty of people to talk to. Lee Jeongrok didn’t even realize that he looked like someone who had lost his mind as he ran out of the parking lot.

Just then, the sound of murmuring voices came from the garbage collection area set up behind the parking lot. Lee Jeongrok hurriedly tried to head in that direction, but his legs tangled, and he almost fell over. Staggering, he finally approached the collection area, but he reflexively stopped his feet at a word he overheard.

“It’s obvious without even looking. The young master didn’t know his place, acted like a jerk, and got properly beaten up.”

It was Secretary Yoon’s voice. It was obvious that “young master” referred to Lee Jeongrok himself. A bitter smell of cigarette smoke drifted from the collection area. Lee Jeongrok stood dumbfounded, inhaling the smell of the cigarettes.

“Eh. His face looked fine, though? Didn’t they just have an argument?”

This time, it was the driver’s voice. He was a young, green thug who still had acne scars on his face. He had heard that he was hired as a driver immediately after being discharged because he was formerly a military driver.

“Did you not see properly? His face is swollen. It looked like he was slapped, and by tomorrow, it’ll be quite a sight, won’t it?”

“Really? I didn’t see it? Your eyes are sharp, Secretary Yoon. Was he really hit?”

“I’m telling you, it’s for real. Looking at it, he wasn’t just slapped; it looked like he was beaten with a fist.”

“Wow, what do we do. Our young master cares so much about his image. Isn’t he going to be too embarrassed to come out tomorrow?”

The driver said lightheartedly. Secretary Yoon laughed lightly before speaking in a feigned serious tone.

“That’s not the problem right now, Inho. The lady was also at the villa earlier, wasn’t she? If he was hit in front of the lady…”

“Eh. That can’t be. If I got beaten like that in front of my wife, oh, fuck, I’d probably just kill myself right there.”

“But looking at how his mentality was shattered, don’t you think that’s the case? Earlier, when he came, he was throwing up and it was a mess. Man, looking at that, Chief Joo’s stomach is really something. Why would he insist on watching him while he’s puking?”

“Seungchan hyung is funny too, usually, people pat someone’s back in those situations. He never touches him and just watches. That guy is also truly a headache.”

“Now that you mention it, where did Chief Joo go?”

A nonchalant voice came from behind Lee Jeongrok.

“Oh, I’m here.”

Lee Jeongrok, who had been listening with his soul out of his body, hiccuped. Turning around while trembling, he saw Chief Joo standing crookedly; he didn’t know how long he had been there. Lee Jeongrok was so shocked he almost sat down. Chief Joo walked past him, gasping like a startled rabbit, without a word. Unable to bring himself to follow Chief Joo as he entered the collection area, Lee Jeongrok leaned against the wall and peeked inside.

“Hyung, you’re here. Want a cigarette?”

Chief Joo, who had approached swaggeringly with his umbrella slung over his shoulder and one hand in his pocket, kicked the driver without warning instead of answering. The driver tumbled to the ground from the unexpected attack. Chief Joo didn’t hesitate to lift his toes and kick him in the abdomen repeatedly. The atmosphere froze in an instant. Secretary Yoon dropped the cigarette he was smoking and stepped back, stumbling.

Chief Joo didn’t say a word. After kicking him for a while, he suddenly folded the umbrella he had on his shoulder and beat him ruthlessly with it. The driver, curled up while shielding his head, made pained pleas like “Hyung-nim, please, I’m sorry.” Chief Joo, who assaulted him until the umbrella ribs were bent and tattered, threw the rag of an umbrella at Secretary Yoon. Secretary Yoon instinctively caught the umbrella but threw it away, startled.

“Ah, cigarette, fuck.”

Chief Joo, who had beaten the driver until his breathing was heavy, gestured with a pant.

“Give me a cigarette.”

“…Ugh, huff, I, I’m sorry…”

“A cigarette, fuck, Inho.”

When he kicked his face, the driver scrambled to his feet. Covered in blood in the blink of an eye, he trembling like an aspen tree and offered the cigarette pack with both hands. Chief Joo took a deep breath only after lighting his cigarette.

“Inho, our Inho, making me waste my energy in the moonlight, you fucking bastard.”

“I, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, hyung-nim.”

The driver, standing at attention, sobbed like a child. Chief Joo, who was watching while smoking, suddenly slapped him. It was a sound so loud it was hard to believe it was flesh hitting flesh. It sounded like he had been hit with a blunt object, not a palm. The driver, who collapsed as if a tire had burst, barely managed to stand straight.

“Hey, Inho.”

“Ye, yes, hyung-nim.”

“Man, this fucking rude bastard, the more I look at you, the more pissed off I get.”

“Argh!”

Chief Joo, who slapped him twice in a row, clapped his hands to dust them off. Perhaps because he was excited, he inhaled the long cigarette in an instant and tossed the butt. The butt, still glowing bright red, hit Secretary Yoon’s chest. Startled, Secretary Yoon flinched, brushing off his shirt.

“Secretary Yoon.”

Secretary Yoon was too terrified to even answer. Chief Joo flicked his hand.

“Secretary Yoon, come here too. Why are you watching like it’s someone else’s business?”

“I… Chief Joo. F, first, please calm down…”

“Oh, don’t double the hits you’re going to take, just come here quickly. I’m not going to go easy on you.”

“W, what on earth is this about, at least tell me that…”

“You’re asking what this is about.”

Chief Joo belatedly took off his wristwatch and shoved it into his pocket. Instead of answering, he strode up to Secretary Yoon and slapped him. Secretary Yoon rolled on the floor after falling.

“I scratched ten lottery tickets this week, and just now I saw that not even one worth 5,000 won hit.”

“Chi, Chi, Chief Joo, n, no, why…”

“My lottery, fuck, my 1st prize lottery, what are you, going to do about it, you fucking bastard.”

Chief Joo, who was kicking the fallen Secretary Yoon, suddenly picked up the bent umbrella. He swung it until the umbrella was broken clean in half. Only when the umbrella became garbage that no longer resembled its original form did the assault stop. In the garbage collection area, where the sound of tearing flesh had ceased, only panting breath and sobs hung in a dismal way.

Chief Joo, who had turned two people into a pulp in an instant, took a rough breath. He rubbed his neck to wash off the sweat, indifferent to the blood on his hands. When he spat on the ground and flicked his finger at the driver, the man handed him a cigarette like lightning.

“Ah, shit, you bastard.”

Chief Joo clicked his tongue before lighting the cigarette. His voice was soft, completely different from just a moment ago.

“What are you going to do about your face. It’s a bloody mess. Hold still, is your nose broken?”

“I, it’s fi, fine, hyung-nim.”