The Angel's Dark Face (천사의 어두운 얼굴).
Park Ki-tae walked slowly as if an enormous weight rested on his shoulders that overwhelmed him, and indeed it was difficult for him to take each step because it brought him closer to that place that he hated to visit, that place where his lost happiness lay forever, the place where death reminded him how vain and absurd had been the hopes that his heart harbored.
Sadness was adhering to his face like a second skin, and it peeked into his eyes, shouting to the world that a deep and dark sorrow nestled in that body. He walked with a bouquet of flowers in his hands, beautiful and colorful flowers, while he made his way through lush trees and the green that covered the ground, in that beautiful landscape, so beautiful that no one would suspect that it was a cemetery if it not for the austere but beautiful tombstones that marked the eternal resting places of those who lay there.
Park Ki-tae was approaching the tomb and the memories flocked to his mind, and he seemed to hear again the gloomy tolling of the church bells, the day the coffin left its inside to go to that place where the earth would house it within it forever. Her face, the radiant smile she wore the last time he saw her, was like a red-hot iron that burned his heart, torturing him. Their time together had been too short, and now he was tormented by the fear of forgetting every detail, no matter how small, of the days they had shared together.
Tears welled up in his eyes and he had to wipe them away with the back of his right hand. He was absorbed in his thoughts when a voice surprised him and shook him because that voice carried through the air to his ears words that Park Ki-tae knew very well, the words written by the woman who was lying in the tomb he was visiting, the woman he loved. But it was not her voice that transmitted them but the voice of another woman, a voice that was also sweet and melodious like the author's, a voice that infused serenity and beauty into those words.
Park Ki-tae approached cautiously and as he walked around some bushes he saw a very young woman, with a beautiful silhouette and elegantly dressed, standing in front of the grave that he was going to visit. The girl was reading a book, while under one arm she was holding a bouquet of flowers. She was reading with a voice increasingly choked with emotion, while a few tears ran down her cheeks.
She was so focused on reading it that she didn't seem to notice that Park Ki-tae was getting close to her. He stopped and listened to her attentively, somewhat enraptured by the cadence of the girl's voice as she read a passage from one of the novels written by his former beloved.
"... as the Sun finished setting and the night shadows gradually spread over the mountains before their eyes, she turned her head to look him in the eye, and the infinite understanding that had always existed between them returned to make words useless and irrelevant, and a smile lit their faces as tears fell from their eyes. Because at last their long, tortuous and painful road had come to a happy conclusion, and they could live the rest of their lives enjoying a well deserved peace and of that love so precious to both of them. Feeling moved they laughed like children, while they did not stop crying, and then they began to kiss on the lips, at first in a playful way and then with more and more passion, as the night was preparing to wrap them with its cloak, and give them the perfect setting to celebrate the beginning of a new life together, one that would only end in the grave," the girl read with emotion.
The girl closed the book and then bent down to place the bouquet on the grave, where a couple more bouquets were already resting. She got up and wiped her tears away with her hand.
"I hope you are happy where you are, Eonnim, and that you like my little tribute," said the girl tenderly, while she outlined a sad smile.
The young woman turned around and was startled to find herself face to face with Park Ki-tae, and she screamed with her fright, as she dropped the book that she was carrying in her hands.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!", Park Ki-tae exclaimed worried and somewhat embarrassed as he bent down to pick up the book, "I didn't mean to interrupt you while reading ... Please take," he added as he extended his arm to hand over the book the girl.
The young woman took the book shyly and bowed her head slightly, a gesture that he reciprocated.
"Sorry for my clumsiness, let me introduce myself, I'm Park Ki ..." he said in an embarrassing and shy way.
"Park Ki-tae ... Congressman Park Ki-tae ... I don't think there is anyone in Korea who doesn't know you, sir," the young woman said with a shy but kind smile.
"Yes, of course, you're right," Park Ki-tae replied with a wry smile, mocking his own clumsiness.
"Don't worry sir, I'm the one who should apologize ... It's normal for you to be here today, and I'm the one who has overreacted, but these days I have reason to be nervous ...", she said and in her last words her voice cracked a bit, "Excuse my manners, it was up to me to introduce myself ... my name is Lee Chae-Hee", she added making another little bow with her head.
"Miss Lee Chae-Hee, it's a pleasure to meet you", replied Park Ki-tae with kindness, "I suppose you are a fan of my late wife", he added sadly when referring to his wife.
"Yes, I am ... I have read almost all of her novels. I admired her a lot as a writer and as a person, for her work helping people who suffer from depression. In difficult moments in my life, when I had a very bad time, her books and podcasts gave me strength and hope, encouraged me to keep going. For me she was a very special person, I really saw her as my Eonni," said Lee Chae-Hee with sincere emotion, her eyes wet.
Park Ki-tae looked at her with interest and growing sympathy, and for the first time he noticed that she was a very beautiful girl, with a beautiful and angelic face. Her eyes were very dark brown, 'black', they were very beautiful, and at that moment being wet, with the tears about to come out again, they looked sweet in a sad and 'regrettable' way.
"I really appreciate your words ... It moves me to know that people remember her with affection, especially on a day like today," said Park Ki-tae and it was his turn to make his voice break.
"A lot of people really miss her ... And I felt that I had to be here, I wanted to visit her in her Jesa, to honor her and tell her everything that I couldn't tell her when she was alive ... I wanted her to hear from my lips what so many times I could only tell her in comments on social media," Lee Chae-Hee replied with barely contained emotion.
"My Chae-yoon is very grateful, I'm sure your words touched her heart", said Park Ki-tae with a pleasant smile, but a few moments later a gesture on his face revealed that he had remembered something by surprise, "Excuse me, but I could ask you how you knew that her grave was here ... By her express wish when we buried her we made sure that the location of her grave remained a secret to avoid crowds of fans visiting it," he added, in a curious but friendly way, preventing their words will sound like a reproach.
"Ah, that! ... Some time ago another fan told me on social networks, she ... she found out using paparazzi techniques ... I apologize for that, I should not have used information obtained from that way, or I shouldn't have come here if it could upset her family. Excuse me," said Lee Chae-Hee embarrassed.
Park Ki-tae saw her and instead of getting angry he couldn't help but feel sympathy for the girl.
"You should not apologize, I understand, and on the contrary, I must thank you for your gesture of affection. I only ask you not to share that information with anyone, surely there are many kind-hearted people like you who would come to honor her and show her their love, but other people with other intentions would also come, and in any case, the tomb would fill with crowds that would disturb her peace, which was what she did not want," said Park Ki-tae kindly.
"Oh, don't worry! I would never tell anyone ... I also don't want to disturb Eonnim's peace, and even if it wasn't her I wouldn't either, I would never disturb the eternal rest of a person precious for someone. Unfortunately, I know what it feels like when you lose someone you love forever," said Lee Chae-Hee holding back the emotion.
Park Ki-tae saw her and couldn't help but feel empathy for that unknown girl, that she looked as pitiful as she was cute.
But while they were talking, at some distance from them, two men, hidden behind a grove, were watching them, or rather they were spying on them. One of the men was young, appearing to be in his early twenties, while the other appeared to be around 40 years old. The youngest was quite skinny, while the forty-something was more or less fat. On the ground near them was a large black bag, and the young man was holding a professional camera with a zoom lens coupled.
"Sunbae, the congressman is talking to that girl a lot ... does he know her?" asked the young man.
"And how do you want me to know? I have no idea who the girl is, so how do you want her to know if Park Ki-tae knows her," replied the older one.
"Wouldn't it be wonderful if we just happened to discover a romance from the Widower of Korea?" the young man asked while photographing Park Ki-tae and Lee Chae-Hee.
"Aish! Being such a fool I don't think you have much of a future in this profession or any other ... Do you think that if he had a secret affair with her they would both have a date at the grave of his late wife? ... Don't you think that an apartment, a chalet or a hotel would be a better place to have a secret romantic date? Any place would be better than the cemetery where his wife is buried! ", Replied the older one in exasperation.
"Well, maybe it's some sick fantasy ... or maybe it's something romantic like that both decided to visit the grave to ask the deceased's permission to be happy together with her blessing," said the young man without stopping taking photos.
"Aish!", The young man's boss exclaimed as he made a gesture of slapping him with the palm of his hand, "You must decide if you are writing a porn movie or a romantic television drama! ... Little bastard stop talking nonsense, and focus on taking pictures! " the man added impatiently.
"But Sunbae, what will you do with the photos of Park Ki-tae with the girl? That was not the report you originally planned to do," said the young man as he took pictures of the couple again.
"That is a problem, indeed ... the friend thanks to whom we are here would not be very happy if we publish the images of the congressman with the girl ... but on the other hand, it is too great a temptation, a news scoop of that kind ... Now I have a dilemma, maybe I should call that friend to ask him if he has any idea who the girl is, but on the other hand, if I do I will put him on alert and he will start to pressure me to bury the photos ... It's better that I wait a bit before doing anything, let's wait to see what happens to these two," said the man while scratching his head.
Meanwhile, Park Ki-tae and Lee Chae-Hee kept talking.
"Well, it has been a pleasure meeting you Miss Lee Chae-Hee, and believe me when I tell you that on a day as sad and hard for me as this one you have given me some comfort and encouragement. With your permission I must pay my own tribute to my wife ... I would like to talk to you a little more, but a congressman is a slave to his duty and has limited time," said Park Ki-tae with a mocking half-smile as he pronounced his last words.
"Of course, excuse me for taking your time. I must go too, my mother is waiting for me," Lee Chae-Hee replied with a sweet smile.
"Have a happy day, see you later Miss Lee Chae-Hee, I hope we'll see each other again one day," Park Ki-tae said reaching out to shake her hand, and Lee Chae-Hee shook it gently.
Park Ki-tae smiled charmingly and after bowing slightly he passed by Lee Chae-Hee to go to the grave. She turned around slowly and then a gesture appeared on her face that made it appear that she had forgotten something.
"Excuse me Mr. Park Ki-tae!" Lee Chae-Hee exclaimed and then Park Ki-tae turned around, "Let me give you my business card," she added as she took out a card from her bag and holding it with both of her hands she extended her arms to hand it over to him.
Park Ki-tae smiled kindly and took the card while extracting his own card from his wallet that he handed to Lee Chae-Hee.
"Thank you very much, see you later," Lee Chae-Hee said with a slight bow and turned to leave.
Park Ki-tae watched her as she left and he was better able to appreciate the beauty of the girl. She was around 1.68m (5 ft 6 in) tall, she was mostly slim but not so much as to avoid having a beautiful body with sexy measurements that could be guessed under her dress. Her hair was straight and more or less long, reddish-brown. She had a beautiful skin tone, typical of a Korean beauty. And the angelic face of her like of little girl had been etched in his mind. She certainly was the type of girl that he would have wanted to seduce or even fall in love with in the past before his heart broke into pieces. He smiled sadly and walked in the direction of the grave.
"This is your doing, right? One of your twisted jokes ... To make that beauty with the face of an angel, beautiful body and sweet voice come to your grave this day, to make fun of me ... and don't bother darling , do not be jealous, despite everything I still have eyes ..." said Park Ki-tae trying to sound joking and laugh, but he could not erase the sadness from his face as he played with the bouquet of flowers that he had in his hands, "... remember that I was a womanizer until you reformed me ... But you like to play with me, you like to show me what one day I would have liked to have but now even if I would want, I can't have ... because your departure left me incapable of love or even ... well, even feel pleasure ... You are very bad my love, you have a very cruel sense of humor," he added with a sad smile and unable to prevent a couple of tears from falling from his eyes.
Lee Chae-Hee walked slowly away from the grave. At one point she turned her head to see Park Ki-tae who was bending down to place the bouquet of flowers on the grave. Her face reflected a compassionate and sad gesture, which seemed to reflect that the empathy she felt from him for it reminded her of her own sorrow. Lee Chae-Hee looked forward again and then her face clouded with a strange and harsh gesture, even one of tension, and she inhaled hard, as she redoubled her pace. And then a shadow fell upon her ...
A man who was hiding behind a tree, jumped on her and wrapping his arms around her, held her tightly and dragged her violently behind the tree, while Lee Chae-Hee struggled and kicked. She screamed loudly but the man covered her mouth with a hand to silence her.
"What is that? Hell!", Exclaimed the alarmed young photographer.
"What happened?", Asked his boss with interest, stopping typing a message on his cell phone.
"A guy ... a guy came out of the trees and jumped on the girl and dragged her towards them," replied the nervous photographer.
"Are you sure?", The chief asked in amazement and some anguish.
"Yes, I'm sure ... but now I can't see them because they're behind those trees," replied the young man.
"Try to zoom in ... try to see if they come out from behind the trees ... Do your best, we have to know what happens," the man ordered the photographer.
Park Ki-tae had heard Lee Chae-Hee's scream, and he turned to look around, trying to find the source of the scream. He got nervous because he was convinced that it was the voice of the girl he had just met. He turned away from the grave and walked cautiously, looking from side to side.
Meanwhile, Lee Chae-Hee was fighting desperately with her attacker, a tall and stocky man, about 30 years old, dressed in black, using a cap and a mask that covered his face. The man was holding her from behind, and in the middle of the fight, he lifted her off the ground a little, causing her to kick in the air, and with it the high-heeled shoes that she was wearing fell off, leaving her barefoot. But Lee Chae-Hee gained momentum and managed to kick back a calf of the man, also elbowed him in the ribs and bit his hand. The man had to free her and she took the opportunity to run, while she screamed for help.
But the man ran after her and caught her holding her again, but could not prevent them from coming out from behind the trees and Lee Chae-Hee from giving several loud screams.
Park Ki-tae saw them then and ran towards them to help her.
"My God!", Exclaimed the young photographer as he contemplated the scene, while he continued taking photos.
"Damn it! ... I'm going to call the police! ... Film it on video!", Exclaimed the older reporter.
"Stay away!", The man yelled at Park Ki-tae as he pulled out a clasp knife and held it out in a threatening manner, still holding Lee Chae-Hee with his other arm, who fought desperately.
"Stop!", Park Ki-tae exclaimed stopping his run upon seeing the clasp-knife and standing in front of them, "Let her go!", He added.
"She's mine, you hear it! ... She's mine!", The man yelled, waving the clasp-knife violently.
"I'm not yours! ... I don't know you!", Exclaimed Lee Chae-Hee between scared and furious.
"Liar!", The hysterical man yelled.
"I don't know who you are! ... Why are you doing this to me?", Replied Lee Chae-Hee crying, upset, and on the verge of hysteria.
"Don't lie! ... I saw it in your eyes! ... You seduced me you fucking bitch!", The man yelled as he closed his arm around her neck trying to choke her.
"Let me go! ... Please let me go!", Lee Chae-Hee screamed and then began to cough loudly as she choked between hysterical crying and the man's arm lock on her neck that wouldn't let her breathe well.
"Let's all calm down!", Park Ki-tae yelled trying to calm the man down.
"This is between her and me! ... Get out!", Exclaimed the attacker.
"I'm afraid that's not going to happen," Park Ki-tae replied with a wry smile but a tough look on his face that showed determination and promised violence, "So the sooner you relax and start talking to me, the better it will be for all," he added in a calm but firm tone.
Meanwhile, the photographer and the reporter continued to monitor the situation from a distance.
"Sunbae, this is getting very ugly! ... Did you call the police yet?", Said the young man while still shooting video, with one knee planted on the ground.
"I'm on it, you dedicate yourself to filming ... Film everything!", Exclaimed the reporter who was standing behind the young man, while he had the mobile phone in his ear, "No, I am not talking to you ... yes, I tell you that I am reporting a criminal assault ... yes, I am a reporter and I was following Congressman Park Ki-tae ... yes, the famous congressman ... it is no joke, miss ... it is in danger of the life of two people! ... That crazy man has a knife and is threatening a girl and the congressman! Please send the police soon ... Yes, I'm in the cemetery ..." said the reporter while he continued talking to the operator of the emergency telephone line.
Park Ki-tae kept confronting the man, trying to protect Lee Chae-Hee, as he drew the man's attention, he surreptitiously pressed a button on his wristwatch. Some distance away a man who was leaning in a dark luxurious car heard the alarm activated on his cell phone and ran off. But the attacker became increasingly violent.
"Who is this bastard? ... Is he your lover? ... Did you fuck him, bitch?", The man yelled at the frightened girl.
"No, I don't ...!", Exclaimed the scared girl.
"Don't lie damn bitch!", The attacker shouted again.
"Hey, stop! The girl doesn't know me, leave her alone ... hey, you're still on time, if you stop here the consequences will not be so serious, but if you hurt the girl you will go to jail for a long time... We all make mistakes, you just have to ..." Park Ki-tae tried to reason with him.
"Damn bastard, don't talk to me like I'm a fool! ... Now I know you've slept with her! ..." exclaimed the attacker speaking to Park Ki-tae "You seduced me and you sleep with bastards like this one! ... But you'll never sleep with a man anymore, bitch! ", the man yelled speaking to the girl.
Everything happened very quickly, the man traced an arc in the air with the hand with which he held the clasp-knife, and in a quick movement, he stabbed the girl two times, one in the side and another in the thigh making Lee Chae-Hee uttered a cry of pain and terror.
"No!", Park Ki-tae yelled and ran to stop the man from further stabbing Lee Chae-Hee.
The aggressor pushed Lee Chae-Hee, throwing her to the ground, and attacked Park Ki-tae with the clasp-knife, who partially dodged the attack, but could not prevent the clasp-knife from brushing him, cutting his abdomen a little. In turn, Park Ki-tae attacked the man managing to punch him in the face that made him stagger, but he recovered quickly.
The aggressor tried again to attack Park Ki-tae with the clasp knife, but he moved with agility and dexterity avoiding the stabbings, and in one of the attacks of the criminal Park Ki-tae managed to kick him in the face with great violence causing the man to drop the clasp-knife. Both men began to exchange punches and kicks, both being very skilled in martial arts.
Park Ki-tae lunged forward and elbowed the assailant in the face causing him to spit blood and stagger. Park Ki-tae then tried to throw a punch at him, but the man blocked the blow with his arms and then launched a front kick against Park Ki-tae's chest making him fall backwards to the ground. The criminal went to launch himself on Park Ki-tae but he, in a feline movement, projected himself with half his body upwards and using his legs as pincers he imprisoned the man's head between them, applying a headlock to him.
The criminal was in trouble for an instant when he felt the pressure of the headlock, but he immediately defended himself and grabbing Park Ki-tae's legs with his hands and prying with all his strength he managed to lift Park Ki-tae into the air and then he fell backwards to the ground, and both men took a heavy blow. Lying both on the ground, the criminal tried to grab Park Ki-tae's leg, but Park Ki-tae kicked him in the face, a moment that Park Ki-tae took advantage of to stand up, although the aggressor did it too right away.
Park Ki-tae lunged at the criminal, but he blocked the attack and delivered two strong blows to both sides of the face at Park Ki-tae, who staggered in a daze. But when the attacker went to give him a third blow, Park Ki-tae blocked it with an elbow, and turning on himself he kicked the attacker in the head. Taking advantage of the moment when the man was stunned by the kick, Park Ki-tae threw himself on him, but the criminal reacted and grabbing Park Ki-tae's arm applied a judo move, and threw him to the ground. When he was going to attack Park Ki-tae on the ground, someone kicked him in the side and knocked him down, causing him to fall to the ground.
The man who attacked the criminal was the one Park Ki-tae had called with the panic alarm button on his watch and who had come running from the car. He was a very tall and strong man, almost a giant.
Wasting no time the man addressed the criminal who was standing up and gave him a succession of brutal punches in the face that caused him to fall again. As the criminal lay on his back on the ground, the giant raised one foot and stomped on his face with a terrible impact. Then he dropped into a crouch on the criminal's chest and with his huge fists, strong like sledgehammers, he struck over and over the man's face, smashing the assailant's face until it was almost unrecognizable. Soon the criminal was unconscious, and then the giant grabbed him and, as if he were a rag doll, turned him over on the ground and turned him upside down, and taking some cable ties out of his pocket, he tied the criminal's hands behind his back.
Meanwhile, Park Ki-tae had rushed to go to Lee Chae-Hee's side, and kneeling beside her, he looked with concern at the girl's injuries, and taking out a handkerchief, he placed it on the wound on her side where it bled the most and pressed with his hands.
"Please don't leave me!", The crying girl begged.
"Easy, I'm not going to leave you alone ... now calm down, the nerves will only make things worse", said Park Ki-tae with a kind and reassuring smile, trying to hide the concern.
The man who helped Park Ki-tae walked up to him and knelt beside him and looked him in the eye.
"Are you okay, Congressman?", The man asked with concern.
"Yes, but we have to take her to the hospital", replied Park Ki-tae trying to sound calm so that the girl would not be scared more, but reflecting fear in his eyes.
The other man saw how Park Ki-tae pressed with his hands the girl's wound, which was still bleeding, and then he saw again the fear in Park Ki-tae's eyes that contrasted with the apparently serene expression of his face, and with a significant gaze, he expressed understanding of the situation.
"We can get to the hospital in just over ten minutes, maybe less," the man said confidently.
At that moment police sirens were heard and a couple of minutes later several cops in uniform arrived at the site wielding their firearms.
"He is with me", said Park Ki-tae to the cops referring to his bodyguard, "The aggressor is the one who is bound, he has tried to kill this girl and he has attacked me," he added in a firm tone.
After a brief exchange of words with the police officers in which he asserted his status as a congressman, Park Ki-tae picked up Lee Chae-Hee and held her like a baby, as he hurriedly walked behind his driver and bodyguard, and he was followed by two policemen. The other cops were in charge of handcuffing and lifting the attacker, who was slowly beginning to wake up but was very stunned.
From their place, the reporter and the photographer ran trying not to lose sight of the movements of the group in which the congressman was going.
The clerk opened the car door and Park Ki-tae got into the back seat with Lee Chae-Hee and pulled her onto his lap. The man scrambled into the driver's seat and started the car, following a police patrol car ahead with the siren blasting through traffic once they left the cemetery.
Park Ki-tae hugged Lee Chae-Hee, while he kept pressing her wound on her side. The girl rested her head on his chest, while she was sweating and it seemed that she was trying not to lose consciousness.
"Excuse me for having this trust with you, Congressman," Lee Chae-Hee said weakly as she smiled with a mixture of mockery and shyness, in a touching effort to appear strong and evade fear.
"Don't worry, I'm the one who must apologize for my daring ... Believe me when I tell you that I don't usually sit a girl on my lap as soon as I know her", replied Park Ki-tae with a smile that tried to be mocking, hiding the concern he felt, as he tried to distract Lee Chae-Hee.
"If my mother saw us ... I don't want to imagine it, she is very conservative and strict ... I think she could exaggerate a lot and persecute you to demand that you repair my honor by marrying me", said Lee Chae-Hee with a nervous giggle and mischievous, muffled by her weak voice.
Park Ki-tae and the driver laughed too, as the car followed the squad car at high speed.
"Overprotective mothers are my specialty, in the end, they don't resist my charms," Park Ki-tae replied jokingly.
"She is not that easy", replied Lee Chae-Hee smiling slightly, but her pale face was covered with a look of fear and pain, "My mother ... please tell her that I love her", she added with a broken voice, as she spoke her eyes were streaming tears.
"You will tell her yourself ... you just have to put up with a little more, young lady", said Park Ki-tae putting all his effort in transmitting calm and confidence to Lee Chae-Hee.
"My mother ... I need her ... Mom ..." Lee Chae-Hee said in a barely audible voice and then passed out.
"Lee Chae-Hee ... Lee Chae-Hee! ..." Park Ki-tae exclaimed anguished and desperate, "Wake up please!", He added while slapping gently Lee Chae-Hee's face trying wake her up, but she couldn't, "Accelerate ... we have to get there now!", he added desperately and almost shouting, addressing the driver.
"We're almost there!", Replied the driver, trying to calm his boss in a tone that in the background denoted a certain closeness more typical of friends than of boss and employee.
A couple of minutes later the patrol car and the car stopped with sudden brakings at the emergency entrance of a hospital, and with great agility, the driver got out of the car and ran to open the back door for Park Ki-tae to get out, carrying Lee Chae-Hee in his arms.
Park Ki-tae ran into the hospital yelling for help, and soon some stretcher-bearers and nurses came with a stretcher, on which he delicately deposited the girl.
"She has two clasp-knife wounds on her side and thigh! She's bleeding a lot from the side and lost consciousness a couple of minutes ago," Park Ki-tae quickly explained to a doctor who came to check on the girl.
The doctor gave orders to the team around him and they pushed the stretcher into a corner of the emergency room where first aid and examination of the wounds began, while instructions were given to prepare an operating room for the surgery.
Meanwhile, a car was heading at high speed to the hospital avoiding the traffic, and inside was the paparazzi couple.
"Have you finished sending the video yet?", The reporter asked, almost shouting while driving the car.
"Yes, Sunbae, but please drive carefully," replied the young photographer who was in the back seat with a laptop on his lap.
"Do you have it, editor?", Asked the reporter now speaking through his mobile in a hands-free function.
"Yes, we are already seeing it," answered a middle-aged woman over the phone, as she looked at a computer screen over the shoulder of a girl who was sitting behind a desk in the newsroom of a media, "Make sure you get to the hospital before other reporters, we will launch the news scoop on our website in a couple of minutes when we finish editing the video ... I want you to be like a hound on a bone when you get to the hospital, get all information you can, I will call my sources in the police," added the woman.
"You don't have to tell me editor if I haven't arrived before it's because they were behind a patrol car that opened the way for them with the siren ... but I'm not going to drop the bone, I'm your best bloodhound, boss", the reporter replied.
"That if you doesn't kill us sooner, Sunbae!", Exclaimed the photographer, scared by the way his boss was driving.
The editor gave orders to all her subordinates in the newsroom, setting in motion the machinery that made the news scoop jump to the front page of all the media in minutes.
Just over half an hour earlier, in another part of Seoul, in Gangnam, in a luxury jewelry store, a mature but very beautiful and elegant woman was talking to a customer while she was showing her a very expensive necklace.
"It's wonderful!", Exclaimed the client, a plump woman in her 60s who was obviously a wealthy woman from her dress.
"I rightly assumed that it would be to her liking, ma'am," said the woman behind the counter, who looked about 45 years old and looked polite but somewhat cold.
"How do you know my tastes, dear! ... it has been love at first sight ... How much does it cost?", Said the enthralled client admiring the necklace.
"29,700,000 won, ma'am," replied the saleswoman.
"Okay, I'll take it," said the wealthy lady.
A few minutes later the customer left with her new purchase in a bag and went to a car where her driver was waiting for her with the door open, while the saleswoman at the door of the store said goodbye with her head bowed in a formal bow. The saleswoman only raised her head when the knock on the car door announced that the customer had already boarded the car. With a serious face, the saleswoman turned to enter the store.
Minutes later the saleswoman was eating in a restaurant with two other women, one of them about 35 years old and the other about 25 years old, both beautiful and elegant.
"Aren't you hungry, Sunbaenim?", The younger woman asked the fortyish saleswoman.
"No, my stomach is a little upset," replied the woman with kindness but very seriousness.
"Eonnim, do you want us to stop by the pharmacy before we go back to work?", Asked the third woman, with affection and concern.
"No, that's not necessary, I'll get over it," replied the first woman with a friendly smile.
"Sunbaenim, what is the secret of your success? I want to become as good a saleswoman as you are," asked the youngest.
"Maybe think less about discos and dates and observe more to clients," interrupted the third woman mockingly without allowing the first to respond.
The three women laughed a little and continued talking. They then walked out of the restaurant together until they passed a giant screen attached to the facade of an office building, where a TV newscast was being broadcast, and a large group of passers-by watched the broadcast.
"... Congressman Park Ki-tae, nominated for President, has been involved in this violent altercation in which he had to defend himself from an assailant who has seriously injured a young woman ... The young woman has been identified as Lee Chae-Hee ..." narrated the anchor of the newscast while the image of the girl appeared on the screen.
"No! ... My Chae-Hee!", Exclaimed the oldest of the group of women with anguish and despair.
On the news, they reported the name of the hospital where Lee Chae-Hee was staying, and as soon as the first woman heard it, she ran out without saying a word to the other women.
"What happened to Sunbaenim?", Asked the amazed and concerned young woman.
"She is her daughter! ... The girl who was injured is her daughter," replied the anguished thirty-year-old as she tried to see in which direction the third woman had run.
"My God!", Exclaimed the horrified young woman.
After dropping off her co-workers, Lee Chae-Hee's mother managed to hail a taxi and board it. After indicating the direction to the taxi driver, the woman closed her eyes and tears ran down her cheeks.
Meanwhile, at the hospital Park Ki-tae watched with great concern as the medical staff pushed the gurney with Lee Chae-Hee in the direction of the operating room. As it passed by his side, he saw the face of the girl, who remained unconscious and a chill ran through his body. He watched as the gurney was carried to the operating room area and then looked down to see the blood on his hands. He felt his legs give out and had to sit in a nearby seat and lowered his head, still looking at his bloody palms, on which two tears soon fell.