Chapter Text
Life was, disappointingly, filled with too little luck on his side.
While he went back to focus on the gold problem, Hong Cha Young decided to deep dive into the Babel cases that Prosecutor Jung would use to threaten said company. She finally introduced him to her funny intel who were so good at imitating Parasite characters before their hospital visit, in which the lady got new pills into her medicine collection and the mafia member spilled more secrets to his own mother.
“Was it easy to fall for her?” Ms. Oh Gyeong Ja asked gently while knitting the scarf. It was way longer than their last meeting.
“Way too easy,” he smiled back. “She was too vibrant, too loud to go unnoticed.”
“And is it easy to keep loving her?”
He shook his head. “Everyday, I grew more and more afraid to leave her behind.”
“Then you can just stay, right?”
The boy fiddled with his suitcase. “She would be a mere memory, eventually. I would have to leave, even if I don’t want to.” He looked straight at his mother. “Just like how I’m gonna leave you behind.”
Ms. Oh Gyeong Ja stopped knitting. “Oh.”
He blinked thrice. “Oh? I thought you knew?”
“I thought the doctor was joking when he said he had an appointment with Miss Lawyer...” Her eyes turned softer, almost mirroring his own heartache. “Oh, Mr. Lawyer, I did not know, really...”
Vincenzo raised up and pointed his finger to the abandoned knitting project. “The scarf is waiting, Ms. Oh.”
Life marched on, nonetheless.
Hong Cha Young dismissed the topic about her rainbow-colored medicine box that grew heavier. She only pointed towards the fish-shaped bread in front of the hospital and pulled the sleeve of his suit, dragging him towards the snack stall and made him bet whether Jang Han Seo would win or Jang Han Seok would tramped all his enemies (“but Jang Han Seok was facing you, the almighty mafia lawyer, how could Jang Han Seo lost, then?”) and whether it was bungeoppang or ingeoppang.
They made another finger flick bet, and Vincenzo predicted that he would lose, but she did not have to know about it.
The self-proclaimed Geumga Mafia gave them a life-threatening, free hot air balloon ride and Hong Cha Young asked him to ride it together even though he kept refusing her wish while secretly planning a safer hot air balloon ride, but she did not have to know about it.
(“It looked so fun! And deadly! A fun way to die! Maybe I was destined to die while having fun!”
“I thought you'd prefer a heroic death?”
“Nah, that was before I worked in Wusang.”)
There was also a pile of gold in the basement that he would take after he was bored of playing with Jang Han Seok’s life, but she did not have to know about it.
She ended up knowing the gold pile’s actual worth, and if he were being honest, it was the most annoying way to reveal the truth about the treasure.
Mr. Nam and Miss Lawyer were kind of riled up after watching the news of another Babel and Wusang victim.
“Is that what she meant by ‘classic’?” Whoa, Choi Myung Hee was really consistent with her love for trucks of doom, the way he absolutely adored his golden lighters. She had successfully gotten rid of the key witness and also clicked the trigger for Hong Cha Young’s anger; he had to applaud the senior lawyer for her tricks.
Before he could calm her down, Mr. Tak and Ms. Lee already visited them, making claims that turned his workmates’ annoyance into confusion. “Good morning,” the dry cleaner greeted them haughtily, “We won’t bother you anymore about finding that gold.”
Cazzo, these tenants were tenfold smarter than he expected—right when he thought he already got their heart from taking care of Babel Chemical, they rebelled against him again? Were Mr. An and Mr. Lee the only ones who were loyal to him, after all he had done?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Vincenzo said as he rose up from his seat, “but do whatever you want.”
And Hong Cha Young caught his arms. “What are they talking about.”
“What? Didn’t Lawyer Vincenzo tell you guys?” Mio Dio.
“How did you two not know? Everyone in the Plaza knows about it!”
Hong Cha Young smiled sarcastically. To be honest, he got scared. Even the snackbar lady’s laugh was not as scary as Miss Lawyer’s upset smile that was directed to him. She had been angry towards him, yes, but never an upset smile! Oh no, he fucked up, didn’t he?
Ms. Lee said her famous last words while giggling. “Don’t you dare fight over this, okay?”
Jipuragi members would not fight, no worries.
They would beat Vincenzo into pulp.
The tenants left and Hong Cha Young finally realized that he was actually a real Mansour Cassano. “You should’ve told me it was true!”
“I did tell you that it was true!”
“Anyhow,” Mr. Nam sighed, “I’m the only one who didn’t know.”
He was also the only one who didn’t know that his new boss was dying; should he coax the boss to tell her paralegal everything? Mr. Nam looked so dejected to be the only one in the dark.
“I’ve gone through the good and the bad with you, for several months now.” Well, Vincenzo did not plan to spend more than a month in Geumga, either.
“I’m so hurt,” the paralegal said, “I thought of you as my family!”
Oh no, they’re bringing the family card.
“My brother.”
Oh no, he hugged Vincenzo too tight.
“Oppa!”
Oh no, they group-hugged him too tight.