Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 376

377. Emergency Arrest

Left alone in the office, Cha Tae-cheol, consumed by his pent-up emotions, committed a crime fueled by twisted lust.

Yu Hyun-jin tried to stop him, but she was physically overpowered.

Click-

‘Senior Seung-woon!’

Just as she was desperately resisting, Go Seung-eun, a colleague, arrived at the office.

‘Senior, please help me!’

‘Hey! Tae-cheol, what are you doing?’

The fragile hope that she had, the belief that she might survive this ordeal, was shattered by the ensuing conversation between the two devils.

‘Why? You like her too, don’t you? Or are you going to pretend you don’t?’

‘That’s right.’

The friend she had hoped would help her instead joined in the horrific act, betraying her trust.

The two men’s depravity didn’t end there. They even filmed her illegally and threatened to use the footage to silence her.

They threatened that if she spoke out, her entire family would lose their jobs. They even threatened to harm her family, using the illegal filming as leverage to keep her compliant.

Realistically, there was nothing she could do.

Day by day, Yu Hyun-jin’s heart withered, like a dying flower. She felt like she was merely existing, not truly living.

She tried several times to confide in her parents and her brother, Yu Hyeok-jin, but ultimately couldn’t bring herself to do it.

She was terrified by their threats, but even more so by the thought of her family’s reaction to this devastating news.

Having lost all hope, Yu Hyun-jin made a final decision. Before carrying it out, she visited Cha Tae-cheol one last time.

She dreaded facing the beastly man, but she mustered the courage to expose their crimes.

She bought a small recorder, hid it on her person, and provoked him into revealing the truth of their actions, which she recorded. Anticipating that Cha Tae-cheol might come to her house, she deliberately hid the recording at Oh Chang-gyu’s house.

Like a beautiful flower subjected to a cruel winter, she endured a painful ordeal and departed the world.

Oh Chang-gyu, upon learning the truth, attempted to resolve the situation himself instead of informing the family.

He felt immense regret for not being able to help the woman he admired. He also lacked the courage to burden her family, already grieving her death, with this horrific truth. That’s why he pretended to know nothing when Yu Hyeok-jin came to his house seeking answers.

‘How! How could something so terrible happen…?’

Yu Hyeok-jin, overwhelmed by the truth, was speechless and felt his heart breaking.

‘No way. Ha!’

Screaming and wailing like a madman, Yu Hyeok-jin barely contained his rage and headed home. He wrestled with his decision all the way, but ultimately resolved to tell his parents.

It concerned his sister, and it was such a grave matter that he believed the entire family deserved to know.

‘Oh, Hyun-jin! Oh my god!’

‘How pitiful is my baby… How scared must she have been? How afraid she must have been all alone? Ah!’

‘Yo, honey!’

‘Mother!’

As expected, her parents were deeply shocked. Her mother, overwhelmed by the sudden news, cried uncontrollably and collapsed.

Fortunately, her mother regained consciousness, and the family went to the chairman’s house together. Initially, they considered going to the police, but they decided against it.

They reasoned that a police investigation would inevitably take time, so they opted to confront the perpetrators directly.

It was late, but when he thought of his sister who died unfairly, that didn’t matter anymore.

‘Auntie? What brings the whole family here at this hour?’

‘We have something to say to the madam and the chairman.’

The madam, puzzled by the family’s unusual demeanor, led them into the house.

‘I think Cha Tae-cheol should hear it too?’

‘Tae-cheol hasn’t arrived yet. What’s going on?’

‘Then please call the chairman as well.’

Instead of waiting for the person involved, they recounted the entire story to his parents, the chairman and the madam.

They shouted, screamed, and cursed, unleashing their fury and vowing revenge.

‘Your son killed my sister.’

‘……!’

The madam, upon hearing the story of Yu Hyun-jin’s death and Cha Tae-cheol’s involvement, was shocked into silence.

‘Ugh! I won’t let it go. I will never let it go!’

Yu Hyeok-jin, staring at Cha Tae-cheol’s picture in the family photo hanging on the living room wall, screamed in unbearable anger and smashed nearby objects. Then, barely regaining his composure, he threatened legal action.

‘My parents and I will sue Cha Tae-cheol.’

The family waited for Cha Tae-cheol, but he didn’t arrive.

‘I am deeply sorry and feel terrible. As a parent with a daughter, I am ashamed. I will do everything I can to resolve this without protecting my son.’

The chairman, his expression suddenly somber, apologized and promised to contact them after speaking with his son. He vowed that if the allegations were true, he would not shield him, even if it was his own son.

Yu Hyeok-jin, wanting to believe the chairman’s words, took his parents, who were eager to leave the house, home.

The family spent a sleepless night, preparing to go to the police station when the chairman arrived at their house.

‘It’s me.’

The chairman, who had promised to bring Cha Tae-cheol and not protect his son, arrived with a lawyer instead.

‘Since you have worked in our house for a long time, I initially believed your account of yesterday’s events.’

The chairman, adopting a subtly different tone from the previous day, began to spout blatant lies without hesitation.

‘However, after speaking with Tae-cheol, his version of events differs significantly from what you described. It seems Yu’s daughter was heartbroken because she had feelings for our son. Our lawyer will elaborate further.’

‘What happened in the office that day was a consensual encounter between two young adults. It has no connection to your daughter’s death. Therefore, please refrain from spreading false information about Cha Tae-cheol. If you persist, we will be forced to sue you.’

The lawyer echoed the chairman’s lies, infuriating the family.

‘Honey! What are these people saying?’

‘Hey! Are you even a father? Is covering up your child’s mistakes what being a father means?’

‘Yu, you seem to be under some delusion. My son has done nothing wrong. As the lawyer stated, do not blame your daughter’s death on a brief, consensual relationship between two young people.’

‘Are you even human!’

‘Yu? My wife and I have always treated you well, so you seem to have forgotten your place. Stop this now.’

Smack-

‘Shut up!!’

Yu Hyeok-jin, unable to endure the chairman’s shameless words any longer, punched him in the face, disregarding his parents’ pleas.

‘Does this add false information and assault charges to the list?’

The chairman, his lip bleeding, mocked the family until the end before leaving the house. Witnessing this absurd scene, the mother fainted and was rushed to the emergency room by paramedics.

Yu Hyeok-jin, after hearing from the doctor in the emergency room that his mother’s life was not in danger, went directly to the police station to report the entire story and file charges against Cha Tae-cheol.

‘All the complaints have been filed, and we will proceed with the investigation promptly.’

‘Detective, please ensure that this evil man is punished. Please.’

‘I will do my best.’

Yu Hyeok-jin left the police station, submitting his sister’s diary, which contained a detailed account of the events, as evidence.

He attempted to submit the audio recording as well, but it was not immediately found. Fortunately, the recorder was later discovered in the emergency room where his mother was hospitalized.

‘How did things go at the police station?’

‘Yes, Father. The detective assured me that they would investigate thoroughly, so please don’t worry too much.’

He waited anxiously for the detective’s call, but there was no progress. He only received repeated assurances to wait.

Sensing something amiss, he discovered that the detective had abruptly terminated the investigation, claiming that Cha Tae-cheol was not involved in his sister’s death.

The chairman, Cha Tae-cheol’s father, had bribed the detective. He went to other police stations, but the outcome was the same.

It was virtually impossible for an ordinary family to fight against a wealthy and influential conglomerate chairman.

Even when he sought help from other police officers, lawyers, or media outlets, the chairman’s family intervened, and all his efforts were thwarted.

Yu Hyeok-jin’s parents also tirelessly sought justice for their daughter.

Unlike the chairman, who was focused on protecting his guilty son, they believed the madam might be different. They spent days trying to meet her, waiting outside the skin shop she frequented, and finally managed to speak with her.

‘Madam! It’s me.’

‘Yo, how did you get here…?’

The madam, surprised to see Yu Hyeok-jin’s parents, struggled to speak.

‘We waited here to meet you, madam.’

‘Madam… You know what kind of person our daughter was, right?’

‘Hyun-jin never liked Tae-cheol. Please look into the case properly, even if it’s just for our sake.’

‘When a child does something wrong, it’s a parent’s duty to correct them and guide them on the right path.’

‘You’re right. But I’m also a mom. So I have no choice but to believe my child’s words. I’m sorry.’

The madam didn’t act or speak like the chairman, but she was still protecting her son. However, rather than conviction, there was fear in her eyes.

His parents suspected she was acting under her husband’s instructions.

‘Still, this is not right. No matter how important my child is, it’s not right to protect a son who killed someone else’s child.’

‘Hey! What are you doing to our madam?’

‘Madam!’

He tried to reason with the madam further, but the driver and security guard rushed over and forcibly separated Yu Hyeok-jin’s parents.

No matter how hard the family tried, they couldn’t find a way to achieve justice.

In the end, Yu Hyeok-jin, consumed by rage, decided to take the law into his own hands and avenge his sister’s wrongful death.

He spent days tracking them down, searching for an opportunity. He followed the two men when they finally appeared at the office after a long absence.

‘Hey! You bastards! Die!’

Yu Hyeok-jin mercilessly attacked Go Seung-eun, who was the first to appear, and ended his life.

Meanwhile, Cha Tae-cheol, who was in the bathroom, managed to escape but was caught by Yu Hyeok-jin and dragged out.

‘You son of a bitch. I’m going to kill you today and see the end of it.’

Cha Tae-cheol’s reaction, sensing that Yu Hyeok-jin was truly going to kill him, was strange.

‘What! You’re crazy to want to die? Let’s see if you can keep wagging that dirty mouth until the end.’

It wasn’t a plea for mercy; it was the opposite.

‘You son of a bitch! Can’t you shut that mouth!’

Click-

‘Right now! Drop the knife!’

While wildly swinging the weapon, the police, who had received Cha Tae-cheol’s report from the bathroom, rushed in, and Yu Hyeok-jin was apprehended.

‘Yu Hyeok-jin, you are under arrest for murder and assault.’

‘Let go of me! I can’t go anywhere until I kill that bastard. Let go of me!’

Cha Tae-cheol, covered in blood and severely injured, was barely breathing.

Yu Hyeok-jin, seeing this, regretted not killing him and screamed.

Having already accepted his own death, he wasn’t afraid of being arrested. He was simply enraged that the devil was still alive.

Subsequently, the trial commenced.

Cha Tae-cheol’s family, with their wealth and connections, colluded with the family of the deceased Go Seung-eun, completely absolved their children of any wrongdoing, and branded Yu Hyeok-jin as a brutal murderer, ensuring he received a lengthy prison sentence.

Cha Tae-cheol was in critical condition due to his severe injuries but survived the surgery and spent six months in the hospital.

The father, devastated by the news of his son Yu Hyeok-jin’s imprisonment, went to protest at the chairman’s company and house but was always forcibly removed. Overcome with grief and anger, he drank heavily and was struck by a car while crossing the road, resulting in his death.

It was a truly senseless death.

The mother, left alone, succumbed to illness and grief and passed away five years ago.

‘I couldn’t even be there for my parents’ death.’

Yu Hyeok-jin closed his eyes for a moment, remembering his deceased parents.