Chapter 97

In the apartment.

Park Ji-hoon changed into a casual outfit, put on a hat, and walked out of the bedroom.

"Min-ya, I have something to do and might not come back tonight. Don't call me," he said to Park Min-ya as he passed through the living room.

"What are you going to do, brother?" Park Min-ya noticed his slightly red eyes and asked urgently.

"Nothing, just meeting a friend at a bar," Park Ji-hoon replied.

Park Min-ya frowned. Although there were no obvious signs, her intuition told her he was lying.

"Relax! It's not some shady friend," Park Ji-hoon said with a forced smile.

"Drink less and come back early if you can," Park Min-ya's frown eased as she softly reminded him.

"Okay!" Park Ji-hoon waved to both of them and turned to leave.

A fire seemed to burn in his chest, and if he didn't vent, he feared he would be consumed by it! Everyone treated him like the villain, making him feel a deep sense of betrayal.

Fine! Kim Heechul had known them longer and had a closer relationship. What was he? Just a pitiful guy whose girlfriend didn't even stand by him!

One call after another, plus Taeyeon's final remark, made him feel as if a heavy stone was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Naturally, he chose the bar.

Drinking alone.

The lights were dim, the music loud, and the air filled with a dizzying atmosphere, as if it were another world. Men and women mingled and danced, their shadows intertwining.

Park Ji-hoon had no intention of dancing. His identity would cause trouble if he were recognized.

He let his thoughts run wild, drinking one glass after another.

To avoid affecting future filming, he needed to sort out his emotions tonight.

When he was half-drunk, his phone rang.

He pulled out his phone and stood up to leave the booth, looking for a quieter place. However, just as he was about to check the caller ID, a few drunk young men passed by without giving way. One of them bumped into him, knocking his phone out of his hand.

The ringing stopped abruptly!

It was a cheap phone, and he hadn't replaced it yet.

"Hey! Are your eyes for decoration?" The guy who bumped into him suddenly stopped, turned around, and glared at him with bloodshot eyes, shouting and reaching to lift his hat.

A surge of anger erupted, and the fire in Park Ji-hoon's chest, combined with the alcohol, burned fiercely. In an instant, sweat appeared on his temples, forehead, and palms. His dazed head cleared, and he dodged the other man's hand.

Then, he pressed his hat down lower and, amidst the curses, threw a solid punch at the other man's chin.

The feeling of the fist hitting flesh made him feel a surge of relief, as if he had taken a sip of cool well water.

The curses stopped abruptly, and the man fell straight to the ground, his friends unable to catch him.

"Hey! You..." The other three looked at Park Ji-hoon, cursing and closing in.

However, before they could act, Park Ji-hoon stepped forward, swinging his fists wildly, seemingly forgetting his identity.

In less than a minute, all three were on the ground.

Drunk and hit hard, the four of them couldn't get up for a while.

"Is this a movie?" The onlookers were stunned, watching Park Ji-hoon pick up his phone with shocked eyes.

It was completely broken and wouldn't turn on.

"What happened?" The bar manager and security guards finally arrived.

Park Ji-hoon glanced at them, pressed his hat down, and prepared to leave.

"Sir, please don't go!" The bar manager stopped him.

"Hmm?" Park Ji-hoon didn't think he could just leave easily. He was just putting on a show, wanting to see how the other party would handle it.

"We've called the police and hope you can cooperate," the bar manager said. He didn't want to, but the four guys who were hit had complicated backgrounds. To prevent them from causing trouble in the bar when they sobered up, he had to call the police.

"Oh." Park Ji-hoon wasn't a naive student. From the other party's attitude, he vaguely guessed something and frowned, saying, "Find a quieter place!"

The bar manager would do that anyway.

The security guards escorted the four groaning young men, along with Park Ji-hoon and the bar manager, to a quiet room.

"Hey!" The four young men tried to threaten Park Ji-hoon, but they all shut up when he glared at them coldly.

Though drunk, they weren't old men. Being taken down by one person without even knocking off his hat, they knew he was formidable.

They needed to wait until they had the upper hand before making any moves!

"Phone!" Park Ji-hoon waved his broken phone at the four.

The four looked at each other. Was this guy trying to trade his cheap, broken phone for theirs?

Park Ji-hoon took a step forward.

The young man who bumped into him quickly handed over his phone. He was genuinely scared! His head was still ringing from the punch to his chin, and he could barely walk. All he wanted to do was go to the hospital for a check-up!

The bar manager just watched coldly. Since the police had been called, as long as both sides didn't fight again, he wouldn't intervene.

Park Ji-hoon examined the new phone, inserted his SIM card, and made a call. He didn't forget to return the SIM card to the other party, clearly intending to keep the phone.

The other party, though angry, looked at Park Ji-hoon with disdain.

"Joon-joon!" The phone was quickly answered by an excited woman's voice.

"Hmm." Park Ji-hoon pursed his lips and softly replied, "I'm... wait a moment." He asked the bar manager which police station was nearby and then told the other party. "Joon-joon" was his nickname, which hadn't been used for a long time.

"I know! Are you okay?" The other party only asked about Park Ji-hoon's condition.

"I'm fine," Park Ji-hoon said.

"That's good. I'll be right there." The other party hung up hurriedly.

Shin Hye-young! Park Ji-hoon's mother. If it were just this incident, there would be no need for her to come personally. But Park Ji-hoon had initiated contact, and she was very happy to see him.

After the call, Park Ji-hoon checked the missed call and saw it was from Krystal. He sent a text: "Busy. Will contact you tomorrow."

After the previous release of emotions, he had calmed down a lot.

"Got it! Take care, oppa. Don't stay up too late. Good night!" Krystal quickly replied.

After doing this, Park Ji-hoon put the phone in his pocket.

"Cough! Sir, that's not right, is it?" The bar manager, who had recognized his identity, kindly reminded him. At the police station, it would be evidence.

"Thanks, it's fine," Park Ji-hoon smiled faintly.

"Hmph!" One of the young men snorted disdainfully but immediately pretended to be indifferent when Park Ji-hoon turned his head.

Park Ji-hoon then examined the four.

They looked to be under 30, but it was hard to tell. They seemed wealthy and influential. The clothes on each of them were worth millions of won. This was just the basics; few people wore such expensive clothes unless they were celebrities or nouveau riche. What really made him think this was the bar manager's attitude and the four's confident demeanor.

However, at their age, still acting like this, they probably had no future. Park Ji-hoon wasn't interested in them. After a brief look, he closed his eyes and rested.

Seeing Park Ji-hoon's calm demeanor, the bar manager felt an impulse to tell him about the four's identities, as they weren't people a minor celebrity could afford to offend. However, it seemed Park Ji-hoon was also confident.

The four began to glare at him.

Soon, the police arrived, heard the account of the incident, and, seeing the four unwilling to reconcile, took all five of them away.

"He stole my phone!" The young man whose phone was "stolen" said before getting in the car.

Park Ji-hoon didn't say anything, just handed the phone to the police, surprisingly cooperative.

The four were somewhat relieved.

With their identities and the right on their side, they didn't believe the other party could do anything—Park Ji-hoon was a stranger to them—and were already planning their revenge.

The police didn't pay much attention to them, just wanting to finish their duty quickly. It was a sleepy time, and it wasn't a major case.

At the police station, they got out of the car and saw a black car parked at the entrance and a group of people standing there. The two leaders were one in a police uniform and one in a neat business suit.

"Chief!" The police officers immediately recognized their superior and hurried to greet him.

"Hmm!" The leader nodded and started asking about the incident right there.

The man in the business suit came to Park Ji-hoon and said, "Mr. Park, please rest assured, this incident will not affect you in any way!"

"Thank you." Park Ji-hoon didn't ask about the man's identity, just nodded and glanced at the car.

"You can go," the police chief, who had heard the account, said to Park Ji-hoon.

"My phone!" Park Ji-hoon held out his hand to a police officer.

"Hmm?" The police chief's face darkened.

"Sorry!" The police officer, recognizing Park Ji-hoon's unusual status, apologized and handed him the phone.

The original owner of the phone didn't say a word. The four, who had been watching the scene, were now silent when they saw Park Ji-hoon about to be released.

It wasn't their first time at the police station. While ordinary police might not recognize them, the chief knew their identities! The fact that he made this decision meant they had run into a hard wall.

Fortunately, it was just a minor conflict, and the other party hadn't suffered any losses—strangely, the four were actually relieved that the other party hadn't suffered any losses.

Park Ji-hoon ignored them and walked to the quiet car, opened the door, and got in.

The car slowly drove away.

"I am Mr. Park's lawyer. I will now represent Mr. Park in negotiating this incident with the four of you," the man in the business suit said to the four, neither humble nor arrogant.