Bring It On! - Chapter 12

Chapter 12.

“Hello. I’m Song Ihyun, host of ‘Tracking to the End’. Last month, our program covered the mysterious disappearance of a fourth-generation chaebol heir at sea. Whether you were already aware of the incident or learned about it through our program, many of you showed great interest. In response to numerous requests from viewers who trust us and asked for follow-ups, we continued our investigation even after the previous broadcast ended.”

The studio scene transitions to a panoramic shot of the deep blue South Pacific. A small boat company is shown on the coastline. A man wearing a brown checkered shirt appears for an interview. Through a glass window behind him, several boats can be seen cutting across the ocean.

[Ji Youngdu (alias) / CEO of W Boat Company]

“I’ve worked here for over 30 years, and I’ve never had anyone make such a bizarre request. He just demanded that a yacht be delivered to the middle of the ocean. At first, I thought it was a prank call.”

[PD]

“What did the caller’s voice sound like?”

[Ji Youngdu (alias) / CEO of W Boat Company]

“He started in English but switched to Korean when he heard me muttering in Korean. He sounded like a young man. Maybe late 20s to early 30s. But when I saw the copy of his ID, he looked much older.”

[PD]

“Do you remember the name on the ID?”

[Ji Youngdu (alias) / CEO of W Boat Company]

“Park XX.”

[PD]

“Park?”

[Ji Youngdu (alias) / CEO of W Boat Company]

“Yeah. He seemed suspicious, but… when he offered to pay double or triple, how could I say no? My daughter’s getting married soon. Any parent would want to help out. He wired the money immediately, without even checking the yacht’s condition. So what could I do? Once the money’s in, you’ve got to deliver.”

[PD]

“To the middle of the ocean?”

[Ji Youngdu (alias) / CEO of W Boat Company] 

“Yes. Delivering a yacht normally involves a lot of procedures and takes time. Ordering from the manufacturer, test sailing… But Park XX insisted we bring it quickly or the deal would be off. So we had no choice but to skip the shipping company and send our own staff. They had to sign the contract on site too.”

[PD]

“So it wasn’t a brand-new yacht?”

[Ji Youngdu (alias) / CEO of W Boat Company]

“No way he was getting a brand-new one with how he was pressuring us. It was one we used for promotion, and when we asked if that was okay, he said yes. So our staff set out with the yacht… but we haven’t heard from them since. They’re not answering their phones.”

[PD]

“Did the staff show any unusual behavior?”

[Ji Youngdu (alias) / CEO of W Boat Company]

“They were just thrilled they’d landed a big job. One of the drivers had been planning to return to Korea to support his younger brother’s education, but he postponed his flight because of this job. Said he needed the money to send his brother to school.”

The scene cuts back to the studio, where host Song Ihyun adds commentary.

“Neither the CEO of W Boat Company nor his staff had any known connection to Mr. Cha. The missing yacht, which was expected to provide crucial leads, vanished before it could even meet with Mr. Cha. At present, the two incidents appear to be separate disappearances with no confirmed link.

“Our investigation team began to suspect that Mr. Cha may have been caught up in the J Group succession battle.”

The camera pans upward from the base of a towering skyscraper that looms even among a cluster of tall buildings.

“At J Group headquarters, our team unexpectedly ran into someone familiar.”

[Jin Sucheol (alias) / Unemployed / Victim’s friend]

“Huh? You really are the PD. You brought a camera. Did you get permission for that?”

[PD]

“What brings you here?”

[Jin Sucheol (alias) / Unemployed / Victim’s friend]

“The hell, am I not allowed to be here? Why are you here? If it’s about that bastard Cha, give it up. That soft-bellied idiot’s probably dead by now. He’d freak out if the water he washed his face with was different from usual. Every time he goes overseas, his lackeys clear out whole supermarket shelves of Evian for his bathtub.”

[PD]

“So you believe Mr. Cha is dead?”

[Jin Sucheol (alias) / Unemployed / Victim’s friend]

“Do I really need to say it? Don’t you need to be smart as hell to become a TV producer? I get it, you want your ratings, but stop poking around. Hey, security! These people are filming without permission. Kick them out.”

As black-suited guards rush toward the crew, the camera shakes and points to the ground. Just then, someone approaches.

“It’s okay. They’re my guests.”

A deep and resonant voice was heard before the screen returned to the studio.

“The person who assisted our production team was none other than the CEO of a J Group affiliate and the older brother of the missing Mr. Cha. While we were unable to record an on-camera interview, Mr. Cha’s brother expressed his full cooperation with the investigation. Through him, we learned that Mr. Cha had officially relinquished his claim to J Group’s management succession. It is said he had long expressed no interest in taking over the business. If this is true, it is difficult to view this case as part of a power struggle within the chaebol family.

“Just as our investigation hit a dead end, we received a phone call at the production office.”

[Anonymous Informant]

“I’d like to report something regarding the J Group disappearance case.”

A voice distorted through a modulator played, and the host’s narration immediately followed.

“The anonymous informant, who started speaking without even a greeting, sounded like a woman. She was nervous and desperate.”

[PD]

“Yes, please go ahead.”

[Anonymous Informant]

“This is confidential, right? You’ll protect my identity?”

[PD]

“You don’t need to worry.”

[Anonymous Informant]

“The truth is… that day, there was another person who went missing along with Director Cha.”

[PD]

“By ‘that day,’ do you mean the night of the fireworks party?”

[Anonymous Informant]

“Yes. They weren’t normally like that, but something felt off even before we boarded the boat. They seemed distracted and barely responded when spoken to.”

[PD]

“Who exactly are you referring to?”

Suddenly, loud background noise poured through the receiver, and without any further words, the anonymous informant abruptly hung up.

***

September 24, 20XX. Day 97 of Drifting.

I stood still and simply lifted my head to watch the sky. Something felt off. Dark clouds were always drifting over the island, but lately, they came far too frequently. The ocean was warm, and the humidity was higher than usual.

“We need to hurry.”

If a typhoon were to hit, our current shelter would surely be torn apart, and we wouldn’t survive unscathed.

The site for our new shelter had already been packed firm and leveled over a long time. Wooden stakes had been driven in according to the plans I had drawn. Now we just had to assemble everything tightly and carefully.

“Hey, hyung! You’re supposed to wedge it first and then strike it to split cleanly!”

“I know that. Stop backseat building.”

“Man, this is frustrating. You keep relying on brute force, so the shape comes out ugly.”

“Don’t you have work to do?”

Jay and Suho were still bickering over the same log after several minutes. If they just shut up and worked, we could’ve finished ten more pieces by now. I was the only one growing anxious.

I was worried about the incoming typhoon, yes but what truly made me uneasy was something else. The rescue team that had gone radio silent for nearly two months.

The idiots who left on the lifeboat were far from reliable, but right now, they were our, mine, Suho’s, and Jay’s, only lifeline. No matter how often I looked up, that lifeline never seemed to descend.

Had they forgotten us, or had they run into pirates during the voyage? Either way, things weren’t looking good. Still, I didn’t want to share my unease with Jay and Suho. People say that sharing a burden halves it, but I don’t believe in that.