Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 878

◈ 878. Shin Jo-woon Side Story (3)

Kang Won-hee asked, flustered, “Did he just laugh at us?”

Dong Gu-jong also looked back and forth between Kang Won-hee and the Deputy Team Leader, equally bewildered.

“I think he laughed at me?”

The Deputy Team Leader stared intently at Shin Jo-woon without batting an eye.

As they stood there, they could hear the murmurs of the graduating students’ parents around them.

“Is that Jo-woon? Shin Jo-woon.”

From the tone in which they called his name, ‘Shin Jo-woon,’ the Deputy Team Leader realized that these people were friendly towards Shin Jo-woon.

“He’s really handsome. My child always talks about Jo-woon, Jo-woon, and I wondered who he was, but I can see why.”

“I heard he’s related to the XX Group. Is that true?”

“Really? Then wouldn’t XX High School be better? Why is he attending here?”

“I don’t know if it’s true or not, but they say he comes to school in a Rolls Royce.”

The people continued to whisper about the rumors they had heard from their children until Shin Jo-woon stepped down from the platform.

Dong Gu-jong, who had been listening to the conversation, subtly asked the Deputy Team Leader as the principal came up to give a speech.

“Deputy Team Leader, could you have mistaken the voice? I don’t think it’s Shin Jo-woon.”

Kang Won-hee nodded in agreement.

“I don’t think a student who is noticeable enough to ride a Rolls Royce to school would kidnap someone on the way.”

The Nakru [a shadowy organization] trio whispered among themselves, feeling uncertain.

In the meantime, the graduation ceremony seemed to have ended, as the students who had been standing in rows suddenly turned around and began to rush towards the auditorium exit.

The Nakru trio quickly stepped aside.

To find Shin Jo-woon among the numerous students, they stopped talking and focused all their attention on the students.

However, it was difficult to find one person in a place where students were all wearing the same clothes, and numerous parents and other people were coming and going with bouquets of flowers.

Then, the three of them were briefly distracted by a family carrying an enormous bouquet of flowers, walking towards the auditorium.

Others also glanced at the family holding two large bouquets of flowers, surprised.

The bouquets that the newly appeared group were carrying were so huge that the people holding them seemed buried.

They seemed to have come to find a graduate as well, and they scanned the students as soon as they arrived. One of the men finally shouted towards the inside of the auditorium.

“Jo-woon!”

As Shin Jo-woon’s name came from an unexpected direction, the Nakru trio’s attention, which had been stolen by the bouquets, immediately returned. Were they Shin Jo-woon’s family?

Soon after, Shin Jo-woon walked out from inside the auditorium.

Even though he had a striking appearance, he hadn’t been visible among the people. It seemed he hadn’t come out with the other students and had remained inside.

As Shin Jo-woon came out, people’s attention quickly focused on him.

The person holding the giant bouquet quickly approached and handed the bouquet to Shin Jo-woon.

“It’s too big.”

Shin Jo-woon burst into laughter as he accepted the bouquet. Soon, his upper body was hidden by the bouquet. Instead, the sound of him asking a question could be heard.

“But why two?”

“One is for Tae-ri. Where’s Tae-ri?”

“She’s probably with Tae-ri’s parents.”

The family laughing and chatting looked nothing but harmonious.

The Nakru trio glanced at them, then were pushed away by the people and moved to another side.

After reaching a quieter place, Kang Won-hee muttered again.

“I still don’t think it’s him.”

“He looked at us.”

The Deputy Team Leader retorted, but Dong Gu-jong sided with Kang Won-hee.

“Didn’t he just look to see if his family was coming? We don’t even know if he saw us or the entrance.”

“Maybe.”

The Deputy Team Leader muttered in a less confident voice.

At first, she didn’t think she had mistaken the voice.

However, as she watched Shin Jo-woon, she also began to think, ‘Could it not be him?’

It might be because of prejudice, but the thought that such a student wouldn’t kidnap someone on the way to school kept popping up unconsciously.

The Deputy Team Leader watched Shin Jo-woon move towards the main building with his parents from a distance before turning around.

“Now that we know his name, we’ll find out if we investigate. Whether he’s involved or I’m mistaken.”

The Nakru trio pushed through the crowded people and moved out of the school gates.

Because there were so many people, the three of them didn’t notice that Shin Jo-woon glanced at them one more time as he passed by.

* * *

After the graduation ceremony and the meal, Shin Jo-woon’s parents returned to their workplaces, which they had briefly left.

As the cars carrying his parents left in different directions, Shin Jo-woon went to his new home, not the house where he lived with his parents.

The driver offered to take him, but he deliberately took a taxi instead.

As he opened the front door and went inside, Joo Tae-yeol, who was sitting on the living room chair, woke up and looked around.

“You’re awake?”

Shin Jo-woon put his bag down in the living room and put on slippers.

Joo Tae-yeol seemed to recognize Shin Jo-woon as the person who had struck him, and he shook his body violently.

It was a gesture that he wanted to tear off the ropes and pounce on him immediately. But the ropes didn’t budge.

“I tied you up well, didn’t I?”

Shin Jo-woon also put the bouquet he was holding next to his bag.

Joo Tae-yeol, unable to shake himself free, shouted instead.

“Who are you? Who are you to do this!”

As soon as he shouted, Shin Jo-woon approached and mercilessly slapped him across the cheek.

Joo Tae-yeol’s face turned to the side, and he raised his head in surprise.

“You bastard—”

As soon as he raised his head, a large hand flew in again from the same direction.

Joo Tae-yeol fell sideways with the chair.

Shin Jo-woon looked down at Joo Tae-yeol and said softly.

“I’ll ask the questions. Is that okay?”

At this point, Joo Tae-yeol also sensed that something was wrong. ‘Is this guy crazy?’ He swallowed and looked up at Shin Jo-woon, who looked perfectly normal.

As soon as their eyes met, a kick flew in.

“Is that okay?”

Shin Jo-woon asked again.

Joo Tae-yeol coughed in pain and hurriedly shouted.

“Okay, okay! I’ll answer! I’ll answer!”

As he answered, Shin Jo-woon picked up a chair leg.

Joo Tae-yeol’s body naturally tilted over, and his vision slanted diagonally.

“What, what is it!”

Shin Jo-woon dragged the chair leg and walked away.

“About 10 years ago. He was about—in his mid to late 20s? Something like that. But he could have looked older or younger, so let’s say early 20s to late 40s.”

As he walked, he muttered quietly as if telling an old story.

“Ugh.”

However, it was not easy to understand Shin Jo-woon’s story.

Because his body was tied to the chair, Shin Jo-woon grabbed the chair leg and walked, causing his head and one side of his face to drag along the floor, making his skin sting.

It was even more difficult to understand the words because one ear kept being pressed against the floor.

“He had bleached hair. He was wearing a suit. He was a man who looked like he was about to die.”

Shin Jo-woon stopped only when he arrived in front of the stairs leading to the basement. He still held the chair leg and only turned his head to ask.

“Do you know who I’m talking about?”

Joo Tae-yeol, who had somehow managed to hear the characteristics he described, shouted in disbelief.

“What? I don’t know? How would I know that!”

Shin Jo-woon thought for a moment and then suggested.

“If you tell me, I’ll untie you.”

“I really don’t know!”

“That person is also a Nakru.”

At the mention of the name Nakru, Joo Tae-yeol reflexively flinched.

“I don’t know. I really don’t know. I wasn’t even here 10 years ago! And just because we’re Nakru doesn’t mean we know everyone’s face!”

But he insisted again that he didn’t know.

Shin Jo-woon frowned as if he was in trouble.

“Is that so?”

Because the atmosphere seemed like he might untie him, Joo Tae-yeol hurriedly nodded.

“Yes! I really don’t know!”

He gritted his teeth inwardly. ‘Just untie me right now, you son of a bitch. I will never let you get away with this.’

“Then I can’t untie you.”

However, the answer that came after the troubled expression was different from what he had expected.

“What?”

As Joo Tae-yeol blankly asked again, Shin Jo-woon was taking a step down the basement stairs while still holding the chair leg.

The moment the dark stairs leading down came into view, Joo Tae-yeol’s eyes widened in terror.

* * *

Jang Tae-ri had dinner with her parents and came home, picked up the remote control, and sat in front of the TV.

However, even though she turned on her favorite music show, her mind drifted elsewhere and didn’t return.

‘Jo-woon was definitely strange today. The thing about the criminal, and the way he kept dodging the questions, was weird.’

‘I need to hear more about it.’

Finally, Jang Tae-ri made a decision and called Shin Jo-woon. But no matter how many times the signal went, Shin Jo-woon didn’t answer the phone.

After hanging up, Jang Tae-ri forced herself to watch TV for about 30 minutes before calling Shin Jo-woon again. This time, he didn’t answer either.

Jang Tae-ri kept changing channels and couldn’t stand it anymore, so she called Shin Jo-woon’s mother.

[Ah, Jo-woon? Jo-woon probably went to his own house now?]

“His own house?”

But Shin Jo-woon’s mother’s expression was a little strange. Not ‘went home,’ but ‘went to his own house’?

[Shall I give you the address?]

“Yes?”

Jang Tae-ri naturally knew where Shin Jo-woon’s house was. But the fact that she was offering to give her the address meant… Jang Tae-ri immediately understood what Shin Jo-woon’s mother was talking about. He must have a place of his own.

“Ah, yes.”

As soon as she heard the address and hung up the phone, Jang Tae-ri put on a windbreaker and left the house.

* * *

Shin Jo-woon was looking down at the automatically running robot vacuum cleaner.

Joo Tae-yeol was still tied to the chair, but his condition was much worse than when he only had blood on his temples.

Joo Tae-yeol was exhausted and breathing heavily, checking the expression on the son of a bitch’s face.

Seeing the other person’s calm appearance, Joo Tae-yeol despaired. That bastard didn’t seem to have any guilt even while doing this.

As the fear subsided, anger and courage surged again, and he shouted.

“Do you think you’ll be safe after doing this? There are CCTV cameras everywhere! As soon as they know I’m gone, they’ll come looking for you right away!”

“I don’t think so.”

“What?”

Instead of explaining, Shin Jo-woon smiled. As if he knew that Nakru were neither punished nor protected.

It might be a guess, but looking at the other person’s uninhibited actions, it seemed clear that he knew quite a bit.

Joo Tae-yeol swallowed. A different kind of tension rose. ‘What is this bastard? How much does he know about Nakru?’

Joo Tae-yeol realized that the other person was not just a crazy guy.

“Think about it carefully. I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

Shin Jo-woon’s thoughts were cut off when Shin Jo-woon put his hand on his shoulder and gripped it tightly.

As he received a strong force on his shoulder, which seemed to have been broken while bumping down the stairs, terrible pain rose again.

“Ugh. Ughhh.”

Joo Tae-yeol gritted his teeth and screamed, then shouted in frustration.

“Even if you do this… what I don’t know, I don’t know. I don’t know why you’re looking for that person, but I don’t know!”