Bring It On! - Chapter 55

Chapter 55.

…Grateful for the great grace of salvation, I pledge my loyalty with all sincerity, and resolve to devote my whole body. Grant me unshakable courage.

This is not a filthy and vile revenge, but justice to protect the world righteously. Envelop me with Your wings as You have promised, and guard me so that my faith remains firm. Bestow upon me the strong will to pursue peace and goodness. Amen.

This was a diary entry found on the missing Yoo Ga-young’s cellphone.

Due to heavy rain, the soil softened, exposing the phone where it had been buried. With no plastic bag or cover to protect it, the phone, left directly in the ground, of course would not turn on. The investigators immediately brought it to a private repair shop, and two days later, they were able to unlock it.

On Yoo Ga-young’s phone, there was only a single contact saved. Presumed to be Cha Seong-hwan, it seemed she used the phone exclusively to communicate with him, as there was no record of conversations with anyone else.

Among the various files, what drew the production team’s attention was the diary in the memo app.

Filled with long and short prayers, it conveyed in detail Yoo Ga-young’s inner struggles and turmoil from shortly after meeting Cha Seong-hwan up until just before her disappearance.

An innocent child left for the Lord’s embrace before taking their very first steps in this world. Please guide them warmly so their path may not be lonely or cold.

From the diary entries and the text exchanges with a person saved under the punctuation mark “.”, it became clear that Yoo Ga-young had been forced into an unwanted abortion. The production team inferred with high probability that “.” was Cha Seong-hwan.

Having loved him and cherished the child, Yoo Ga-young fell into immense grief and depression. Yet her even greater sense of betrayal pushed her to prepare to bring Cha Seong-hwan down.

Do not forsake the powerless who cry out in agony under the false accusations and agitation of the corrupt elite. Forgive me for my cowardice in turning away from the truth, even though it was always right there.

After examining all the contents of the phone, the production team fell silent. Seo Na-rae set her glasses down on the table with a sharp tap and sighed deeply. They had known this was no ordinary missing person case, but things were turning out far more serious than expected.

“Are we going to blow this open?”

Kim Woo-jung asked nervously.

Inside Yoo Ga-young’s phone was a report about the safety of J Group’s upcoming premium brand car, scheduled to launch later this year. According to the report Yoo Ga-young had seen, minerals emitting natural radiation were detected in the seats of all models in the premium line.

Since J Group had poured enormous capital and manpower into elevating their automobile line into a luxury brand, expectations for the launch were high. Having already suffered once from issues with their electric vehicles, this was a crucial moment for J Group to reshape its public image. 

Moreover, private showroom exhibitions had already been held, with over 10,000 preorders placed daily. The cars were already in production at factories worldwide, and the release date could not be postponed any further.

If this document were to leak, J Group’s cars would suffer irreparable damage and fall behind in competition. And for Cha Seong-hwan, as the project’s chief director, it would mean publicly admitting his incompetence and failure. An outcome he surely dreaded.

“How can we go up against them with just Yoo Ga-young’s phone? My dream is to live long.”

Seo Na-rae said skeptically.

“But look here… it says Yoo Ga-young separately backed up the report file from Cha Seong-hwan’s laptop. Couldn’t that serve as evidence?”

“Should we search Yoo Ga-young’s house, then?”

Seo Na-rae suggested.

But Kim Cha-young shook his head.

The last messages exchanged between her and Cha Seong-hwan were filled with vulgar, explicit curses. They were language unthinkable between lovers. 

Clearly, Cha Seong-hwan had realized that Yoo Ga-young had stolen the report from his laptop. He would have been frantic to recover the file, so there was no way he would have left her house untouched.

“…Here’s what I think.”

After a long silence, Kim Cha-young finally spoke.

“I think the key lies with Cha Yoon.”

“…Cha Yoon?”

Sliding his wheeled chair closer to the table, Kim Cha-young leaned in.

“Think about it. Isn’t it strange that Yoo Ga-young even got on the cruise ship in the first place? How much must she have dreaded and feared running into Cha Seong-hwan?”

“…Exactly. If he could threaten her like this through messages, who knows if he might strangle her the moment they met.”

“Right. And yet Yoo Ga-young still boarded that cruise, even at that risk. There had to be a reason.”

“To meet Cha Yoon?”

“In her judgment, Cha Yoon was influential and trustworthy enough that Cha Seong-hwan wouldn’t dare touch him carelessly.”

“…Then could it be that Cha Seong-hwan saw them together and, in a fit of impulse, silenced her right then and there?”

“With no CCTV on the cruise, no witnesses, and no body to be found, it would’ve been the perfect place to make someone disappear.”

Indeed, it was strange. Even if the incident had happened out in the middle of the sea with no witnesses or evidence, the fact remained that the second son of a conglomerate family had gone missing. 

Yet the investigation showed no progress. They had only put on a show, sending out helicopters and search parties, but it was actually the production team who first investigated Cha Yoon’s movements on the day of the yacht party and questioned the people around him.

In the darkened conference room, the staff sat around the long table, their faces faintly lit by sunlight seeping in through the windows, listening intently to Kim Chayoung’s voice. Heavy shadows hung beneath Kim Woojung’s angular face, as if echoing the dark circles under his eyes.

“Even if what you say is true, that Yoo Gayoung handed the file over to Cha Yoon, he’s still missing, isn’t he?”

“Honestly… I can’t imagine he’s still alive. With all the uproar like broadcasts, social media over Cha Yoon’s case, not a single person has claimed to have seen him, or even someone who looks like him.”

“That’s the problem.”

In other words, without evidence or Cha Yoon, the production team knew the truth but had no way to broadcast the story. They knew they would have to give up, and yet, the lines from Yoo Gayoung’s prayer kept surfacing in Kim Chayoung’s mind.

Forgive me for cowardly turning away from the truth, even though the truth has always been there.

Was there really no other way to turn the situation around? Kim Chayoung leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and sank deep into thought. At that moment….

“Huh? What’s this?”

He opened his eyes at Seo Narae’s voice. Turning his head, he saw her frowning hard, Yoo Gayoung’s phone held close to her face.

“What, what is it?”

Kim Chayoung stretched out a hand toward her, motioning for the phone.

“This app. Doesn’t it seem weird to you?”

When she tapped the arrow-shaped icon, a map appeared with coordinates.

“Huh? When I tried it earlier, nothing happened.”

Kim Woojung, who had been the first to handle the repaired phone, spoke in surprise.

“Must be because of the Wi-Fi.”

“Hey, doesn’t this look like a GPS signal?”

Seo Narae’s voice rose with excitement. And indeed, a red dot was blinking steadily on the map. It was even near the North Sea, where Cha Yoon had gone missing. Seo Narae’s head shot up. The once lifeless eyes of the staff widened in shock.

“Could it be… the item Yoo Gayoung gave Cha Yoon had a GPS tracker in it?!”

***

Blue sky stretched overhead, with clouds drifting lazily by. The sun broke through, pouring down so bright it almost blinded. The rosary wrapped around Jay’s wrist caught the light, flashing briefly. 

He adjusted the loosened beads and stretched out his arms with a languid yawn.

“You still have a fever.”

I cupped Suho’s cheeks and forehead in turn, stroking them gently. Having spent a night alone in the cave without us, Suho tossed and turned, clearly having slept poorly.

“Come here. I’ll carry you.”

I crouched down with my back turned. But before I could say more, Jay darted forward and crouched beside me in the same position.

“You want to ride on your sister’s narrow, bony back? Or would you rather ride on mine? Spacious, comfortable, with more height and thrill?”

Without hesitation, Suho climbed onto Jay’s back. Jay shot me a triumphant grin as if to say he had won.

“Unbelievable.”