Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 383

384. The Villain’s End

The next day, evening…

Koiji, accompanied by her parents, entered a luxury hotel in Seoul.

“Mom, Dad, I need to tell you something. I won’t marry Cha Tae-cheol, and there won’t even be an engagement ceremony.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?” her mother asked.

Koiji, who had returned home the day before with swollen eyes, revealed everything – all the facts that Cha Tae-cheol and his family had hidden. Her parents were naturally furious at the shocking truth. Her father even had his trusted chief of staff discreetly investigate and confirm the information with a former employee of the Cha household.

Enraged by the unbelievable facts, Koiji’s parents immediately hired a lawyer and vowed to hold Cha Tae-cheol and his family accountable.

“Dad! Just a moment,” Koiji interjected. She wanted to expose their deceit in front of Cha Tae-cheol and his parents.

When her parents questioned why she insisted on meeting with them, Koiji explained that she would only find peace seeing those shameless people in despair.

And so, she arrived at the hotel, honoring the prior dinner engagement.

As the transparent elevator ascended, Koiji’s mother gently squeezed her daughter’s expressionless hand.

She worried about her daughter’s demeanor, a stark contrast to her usual bright and energetic self.

“Iji, are you really okay?”

Her father echoed the sentiment, concern etched on his face.

“You don’t have to push yourself.”

“Yes. Maybe it would be better if you stayed here, and your mom and dad meet them alone.”

“No. I came here with a purpose. I can’t live with the injustice if I turn back now. And I’m stronger than you think, so please don’t worry too much.”

The elevator doors opened, and with a determined expression, Koiji led her parents toward the restaurant.

“Oh, my!”

Following the staff’s guidance, they entered a private room. Cha Tae-cheol, ever the charmer, stood up to greet them.

“In-laws, welcome! Welcome, madam, and our Iji.”

He extended his hand for a handshake, a happy smile plastered on his face. However, Koiji’s parents remained frozen, expressions unreadable, as they took their seats at the table.

“…”

Cha Tae-cheol, his wife, and Cha Tae-cheol were visibly taken aback by the cold reception. They masked their surprise and sat down.

“Traffic was terrible during rush hour. Was it difficult getting here?”

“Indeed. I didn’t realize it would be so difficult to come to this place today. How could you do something like this with a straight face? Oh, my…”

“In-law, it seems something unpleasant happened to you on the way here.”

“Something unpleasant? Please. I don’t want to waste precious time, so let’s get straight to the point. Our Iji will not be marrying into your family.”

“Yes? What are you talking about?”

“…!”

“Father?”

“Who’s your father, you bastard?”

Amidst the surprised reactions of his parents, Cha Tae-cheol, equally stunned, called out to Koiji’s father, only to be met with a harsh rebuke.

“In-law, why are you doing this? Marriage isn’t child’s play, so what on earth is the reason for this…?”

“Child’s play? Yes! You said it perfectly. Marriage, the most important event in a person’s life, is not child’s play. How dare you try to marry our precious daughter to the son of a criminal? Huh! You are truly awful people.”

“A… a criminal? You’re going too far.”

“What! Am I going too far? Is this real…?”

“Dad. Let me speak,” Koiji said, stopping her father’s outburst. She turned to face Cha Tae-cheol and his parents, who looked utterly bewildered, as if genuinely unaware of the accusations.

“Everyone knows Yoo Hyun-jin, right? She’s the one who tragically died because of someone here.”

“…!”

The mention of Yoo Hyun-jin sent a wave of unease across the faces of the three individuals across from her.

Cha Tae-cheol’s expression underwent the most dramatic change, and he visibly struggled to maintain his composure.

“Yoo, Yoo Hyun-jin? We’ve never heard of her…!”

“What! You son of a bitch?”

At that moment, Koiji’s father erupted in anger, throwing the water from his glass onto Cha Tae-chon’s face and unleashing a torrent of curses.

“Never heard of her? Are you even human? Huh! What your son did is a crime! A crime! You beasts are trying to deceive my daughter and my family! Trying to hide the truth. Can it be covered? If my child is precious, so are other people’s children. Money and power should be used to help others as much as you have it. You have more money than others, so you cover up your criminal son and destroy a family? You’re worse than beasts.”

“Yoo, Chairman Yoo. First, calm down and listen to me…”

“Listen to what? My daughter is hurt, so what am I going to listen to! You and that guy are all trash.”

Koiji’s mother, who had remained silent until now, could no longer contain herself. She raised her voice and glared at Cha Tae-cheol’s mother.

“If your husband and son can’t tell the difference between right and wrong, you should have corrected them, even as a wife, right? You’re pretending to be noble, but you’re just as guilty as a bystander.”

“You will pay the price for deceiving our family,” Koiji warned.

Koiji and her parents left the room, leaving Cha Tae-cheol and his family reeling from the confrontation.

“Hey! You son of a bitch?” Cha Tae-chon turned his fury on his son, his face contorted with rage.

“What the hell are you doing? Did you go around blabbing about it?”

“No.”

“Did you drink again and accidentally let it slip?”

“No, Father. I never did that. Iji doesn’t even know I drink. I really don’t know!”

Cha Tae-cheol, his face a mask of confusion, left the room, desperately chasing after Koiji.

“Damn it! Everything was fine until now, so why is this happening now! Which rat is talking!”

Smash-

Cha Tae-chon, his plan to elevate the company through his son’s marriage shattered, hurled his glass against the wall in frustration.

The shattered glass on the floor mirrored the current state of the Cha chairman’s family.

“I think I should call Kim the lawyer to prevent things from escalating. And Chairman Ko seems very angry today, so let’s stop here. You, let’s go to Chairman Ko’s house tomorrow and apologize.”

“…”

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you listening to me?”

“Hah! Apologize? Apologize?”

Cha Tae-chon’s wife, who had been silent and seemingly in shock [넋 나간 person – a person who is in a state of shock or daze], laughed hysterically as she rose from her seat and approached her husband.

Creak-

“What apology? Our son killed someone else’s precious child, so should we apologize for it being a mistake and ask them to forgive us? Or should we apologize for the family being ruined because of our house?”

“Ye… Yeobo [term of endearment for wife]? What are you talking about?”

“At that time! We should have persuaded Tae-cheol to turn himself in. It’s all because of your twisted greed. We are not qualified as parents. I resent you.”

“…!”

Cha Tae-chon was speechless, stunned by his wife’s unprecedented outburst.

“If you are a real parent, correct it now with dignity.”

Kim Nan-i had lived with shackles in her heart for the rest of her life because of her son.

In the meantime, she had no choice but to pretend not to know because of her child and her husband’s pressure, but on the other hand, she always wanted her son’s wrongdoings to be revealed.

“This is your last chance to live like a human being, so don’t even think about doing dirty tricks again.”

Kim Nan-i resolved to confront the truth she had long suppressed and take her son to the police station the next day, before leaving the room.

Cha Tae-chon, completely bewildered, could only stare at his wife’s retreating figure.

* * *

“Where is she?”

Cha Tae-cheol, emerging from the room, rushed down to the hotel parking lot like a man possessed [정신없는 person – a person who is not in their right mind].

“Iji? Iji!”

He frantically scanned his surroundings, finally spotting Koiji as she was about to enter her car. “Wait a minute… I have something to say. It’ll only take a moment.”

Koiji, seeing Cha Tae-cheol’s desperate state, stepped out of the car and approached him.

Her parents had warned her against speaking to him, but she was curious to hear what he had to say.

“My parents are waiting, so I can’t stay long. What do you want to say?”

“I’m… I’m sorry, Iji. I’m really sorry. It was my fault.”

Unlike Cha Tae-cheol, who was so desperate that he wanted to hold her, Koiji’s expression remained cold and detached.

“Sorry? What are you sorry for?”

“Everything! I’m sorry for not telling you in advance, for deceiving you, and for deceiving your parents. It was my fault. But Iji, there’s some misunderstanding.”

“What?! Misunderstanding?”

“I don’t know what you heard from where, but it’s not true. There are some parts that were conveyed incorrectly. Just, just young men and women met and broke up…”

“You! Don’t you have any conscience? How can a person be like this? Well, you were always this kind of person.”

Koiji was stunned. She had expected Cha Tae-cheol to admit his past, offer a sincere apology, and take responsibility for his actions.

The Cha Tae-cheol she once knew no longer existed in her heart or mind.

“It’s not true? Can you take responsibility for that? Then! What about that person and their family who died unfairly because of you? Should I remind you of everything about what kind of person you are?”

Enraged, Koiji played the recording file on her phone.

-Are you going to expose what I did to you? What power do you have? Who do you think will listen to you? I liked you because of your pretty face, but you’re climbing on me, and you’re really going to get hurt. Shut your mouth and live quietly.

-Cha, Cha Tae-cheol… I won’t let you go even if I die. Someday, I will reveal everything you did to the world.

-Do it if you can!

His own mocking voice and Yoo Hyun-jin’s terrified voice echoed in the parking lot.

Cha Tae-cheol, startled, his pupils dilated, instinctively took a step back.

“No, it’s not! It was a mistake. In my young mind… I didn’t know because I liked that friend…!”

Slap-

Unable to endure his continued lies, Koiji slapped Cha Tae-cheol across the cheek with all her might.

“Shut up with your bullshit. You! Did you like me because I look like that woman?”

“…!”

“You disgusting bastard! Think about atoning to that person and spending the rest of your life in prison.”

Koiji turned and left, leaving Cha Tae-cheol standing there like a statue. He returned to the hotel, drank heavily, and wandered aimlessly through the streets.

In fact, after Yoo Hyuk-jin’s younger brother passed away, Cha Tae-cheol couldn’t fall asleep easily without alcohol that day. He didn’t even have nightmares if he drank even a sip.

He drank quite a bit of alcohol, but unlike usual, he wasn’t drunk at all, so he went into a convenience store and bought soju [Korean distilled rice liquor].

“Sir, you should take your change.”

“I don’t need it.”

He threw 50,000 won [Korean currency] on the counter, downed a large amount of tranquilizers and a bottle of soju, and stumbled out.

“Damn it! Why are you doing this to me!!”

Cha Tae-cheol staggered down the street, shouting at the top of his lungs.

“Why are you doing this!!”

Passersby, thinking he was deranged, gave him a wide berth.

“It’s already over! I’m going to live happily now, so why are you doing this! I, Iji?”

Cha Tae-cheol, lost in his drunken haze, chased after a woman’s back, grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around.

“I’m sorry. Iji? Iji!”

Intoxicated, he mistook another woman for Koiji.

“What is it?”

“Iji, I’ll beg you like this. Don’t abandon me. It was my fault. It’s already over, right?”

The woman’s companions, a group of men, expressed their displeasure, but Cha Tae-cheol, oblivious, continued to plead with her.

In the meantime, Cha Tae-cheol often suffered from nightmares, dreaming of Yoo Hyun-jin.

“I was in pain all my life too! I was also in pain…! Huh! What! Why are you here?”

Cha Tae-cheol, suddenly seeing Yoo Hyun-jin’s face superimposed on the woman who resembled Koiji, recoiled in horror, as if he had witnessed something unspeakable.

“Me! No! It was your choice!”

“If you’re drunk, don’t pick a fight and go home.”

“Oppa [term used by females to address older male friends or siblings], don’t deal with people like that and just go.”

The woman and her companions continued on their way, but Cha Tae-cheol remained frozen, his face etched with terror, as if a ghostly presence lingered nearby.

“It wasn’t like I told you to die! I didn’t push you, so why are you bothering me!”

Cha Tae-cheol, completely unhinged, stumbled backward, unaware that he was stepping into the street.

“I’m going to live better as if to show you. I’m never going! Never…!”

Crash-

At that very moment, with a deafening crash, Cha Tae-cheol was struck by a speeding car, thrown into the air, and slammed onto the asphalt.

“Oh my gosh! Someone got hit.”

“He was shouting earlier, so I guess he drank and jumped in.”

On the blood-soaked pavement, Cha Tae-cheol lay broken and unrecognizable, devoid of any sign of life.