NOVEL NEXT Chapter 81
Having confirmed that the final opportunity for an agreement had been rejected, we moved forward with decisive action.
Among all measures, the first was playing the media, but truthfully, we didn’t even need to take action ourselves.
Initially, we had been the ones ensuring the alleged terrorist and his family were kept out of public exposure as much as possible right up until the settlement conference.
The moment we removed that shield, journalists, like a swarm of piranhas catching a scent, began to swarm them.
“False Terror Threat”
“Perpetrator is a Minor”
This was, without a doubt, an event where two explosive keywords overlapped—a rare occurrence indeed.
Although their identities weren’t openly revealed, only their backs were shown to the media, which was more than enough for their identities to be pinpointed.
[Nickname: Anonymous]
[Title: Is the terror suspect currently on the news a kid from our school?]
It’s not from my class, but the kid from the neighboring class hasn’t been at school since the festival. It seems like it might be him?
The build and hairstyle—a typical perm cut that “cool kids” get—are pretty similar, so it looks like it’s certain.
He’s usually quiet, sitting somewhere at the back, just watching anime creepily—I never expected this much chaos from him.
[Comment List][Registered Order]
– No way, this is real lol
– Yong-san Hig School, dude, why would I make shit up like this lol
-Wow, seriously, this is nuts lol
-Is it true that the school cafeteria was threatened? Haha
[Nickname: Anonymous]
[Title: Heard from some kids at Hig High about this and it seems legit]
[FaceSpot Link]
Student from Class 5, Grade 2
Since I’ve already routed through a strong VPN, I’ll straight up leak this kid’s social media.
The rest is up to you guys lol
[Comment List] [Registered Order]
-What the hell, how’d the news even break and we’re already doxxed?
-Laol Gallery is turning into a schoolyard lol
-But isn’t this kinda dangerous?
-That’s why I have the VPN on lol
-Crazy guy lol
In less than half a day after appearing on the news, the suspect’s identity began to spread uncontrollably.
Do you know the term ‘Basement Gates’?
It’s the exact opposite of “Time is money.” It refers to freeloaders who have too much free time.
For those who have plenty of time, the internet and online communities are like best friends.
And to them, this case was like a prepared feast.
As they relentlessly dug through the suspect’s information, they eventually posted it on sites frequented by students.
Though the suspect was punished accordingly and faced harassment, it looked like they were pitiful, but just to a certain extent.
The case was already assigned, leaving no room to escape punishment, and online opinions were beyond my control.
There was nothing to do but to accept it quietly.
***
After some time passed without further issues, June arrived.
There were quite a few events during that period.
First, a groundbreaking match between an artificial intelligence program and a professional Go player took place.
Of course, I already knew the outcome from the previous timeline.
Seeing a human Go professional lose so comprehensively in a game thought to be beyond the AI’s grasp was a shock to many.
Next,
I had hoped this would be one of those events altered by the butterfly effect and not happen, but,
just like the previous timeline, it exploded.
It was the Gangnam Station protest incident.
The incident that sparked and escalated gender conflicts online and became a historical event.
Given this, it meant we were going through the same brutal gender conflict from the past timeline.
I hoped that none of the fallout would affect us anymore.
Regardless of gender issues, I didn’t want to be dragged into that again.
In any case, due to these significant events, the terrorism threat case faded quickly and was buried much faster than expected.
Just as the incident was forgotten by most, the suspect’s mother appeared in front of me.
On an ordinary weekday, at lunchtime.
I encountered her near the company while returning from lunch with Su-yeon.
Her appearance had changed significantly from the time we faced each other for settlement discussions.
Rather than the confident and commanding demeanor she had back then, she now looked unsteady, her gaze filled with venom.
And the change wasn’t limited to her demeanor; her attire had also shifted.
Rather than being neatly dressed as she had been during the previous meeting, now she looked unkempt, as though she hadn’t the energy to dress well, glaring at us.
I quickly moved Su-yeon behind me and asked her,
“What brings you here?”
In response, her eyes filled with blame as she glared and muttered.
“Because of you, everything fell apart…”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Because of you! My son is going to juvenile detention, and my husband left the house!”
She screamed, her voice filled with resentment, looking even more hideous than I had imagined.
“If you’ve only slightly reduced the compensation amount back then… it wouldn’t have come to a divorce.”
“Even then, I mentioned that the crime committed was by your son, and I wasn’t planning on showing leniency.”
“Why don’t you show leniency? Are you heartless?!”
“This was all explained before, and I have nothing further to say. Please leave.”
Since I had no intention of continuing this conversation, I finished speaking and immediately entered the head office building with Su-yeon.
From behind, I heard her yelling insults about family destruction and other accusations, but soon the noise stopped, indicating that she had been stopped by the head office security personnel.
Seeing this exchange, Su-yeon, with a disturbed look on her face, asked me,
“Why are you so calm in a situation like this, Ho-jin?”
In response to Su-yeon’s question, I shrugged and answered,
“Since we did nothing wrong, there’s no reason to feel guilty or regretful after hearing such stories from her.”
“Amazing…”
“In fact, I anticipated that the legal representative would show up.”
“Anticipated? How?”
“Yesterday, I received a call from the lawyer in the legal team.”
“Call?”
“Yes, they informed me that the first-instance civil trial had been decided, and they expected the mother to come visit soon, so it turned out to be accurate.”
“Ah, I see… hmm.”
While Su-yeon seemed to be reflecting on what I said, we soon arrived at the elevator leading to the office.
“Anyway, does this conclude the matter?”
“Yes. Unless the case is overturned in the second trial, it looks like that will be the end. The lawyer also said that the chances of reversal don’t seem high.”
“Yeah… Ho-jin and the legal team will manage, but if you need any help, let me know anytime.”
Looking at me with a trust-filled gaze, Su-yeon, I nodded and replied,
“Understood.”
***
The final judgment for the second-instance trial of the terrorism suspect was pronounced.
The verdict was Protective Disposition No. 10 for two years.
A juvenile detention referral decision.
Considering that most minor offenses are decided by probationary measures, this judgment clearly demonstrated how serious the court viewed this crime.
Not only was it the diligent work of the legal team, but the fact that the civil judgment came out two weeks prior to the criminal trial officially marked the conclusion of this case.
Throughout this long process, the case that had caused us so much distress was finally coming to an end, and I was sitting in the conference room brainstorming the summer peak season event concept with Yena.
Anyway, as the terrorism alert case was already handed over to the legal team, I had no desire to further involve myself.
For the current situation, deciding the summer event concept responsible for the first-half sales far outweighed considering the judgment received by them.
Currently, three concept arts were on the table before us:
First, the golden rule of summer—swimsuits.
Then, in line with subcultures, the Japanese-style Matsuri (festival).
Lastly, the intriguing spy theme of infiltrating a cruise ship gathering of villains dressed as bunny girls.
If only one concept stood out, we could’ve picked it easily without hesitation, but unfortunately, all three concept arts were of exceptional quality, significantly increasing our difficulty in choosing.
“It’s difficult.”
“Definitely, even our senior feels that way?”
“Indeed. Yena, your choice?”
Upon my question, Yena contemplated for a moment before choosing one of the concept arts.
“I think this one is the best?”
The choice Yena selected was the last option—the bunny girl.
As it was clearly a more niche choice compared to the first two, I gently inquired why.
“The swimsuit theme was already used in last year’s event, and matsuri seems a bit vague to focus on as the main theme. Plus, don’t bunny girls somewhat embody men’s fantasies?”
“Fantasies… yeah, they do.”
The high-legged style and bare shoulders of bunny girls have always been the epitome of men’s fantasies.
Yena, as if having read my thoughts, confidently asked me,
“Shall we decide on this concept then?”
I momentarily considered choosing the second concept out of spite at her confident expression, but,
In the end, I couldn’t help but pick the bunny girl concept as well.
It was clear that the other concepts wouldn’t be able to surpass the bunny girls’ revenue potential.
Of course, seeing Yena’s triumphant expression after my choice left me a little regretful.
This was an event two months ahead of the start of the summer high season.