Chapter 28 : Insurance

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.

I don’t know what state of mind I was in, standing there amidst a rhythm that felt like it was splitting my brain.

I returned to the room with a dazed expression.

But Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon was the same. He had collapsed right into his seat.

“Yes.”

Lawyer Yoon, who slowly roused himself, picked up a whiskey bottle and filled a glass with ice.

Then, he gulped it down coolly and opened his mouth.

“Why are there so many strange people here? They just cling to people they’ve never met before.”

“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, Lawyer Yoon, I would have been quite flustered.”

“Hmm, well, if you understand, buy me dinner next time. And make sure to call me when there are no ruffians around.”

As Lawyer Yoon said, when I went out onto the stage, all sorts of people swarmed around me.

Of course, I had heard that clubs were like this, but experiencing it firsthand was so bewildering that my mind went blank.

At that moment, Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon truly sacrificed himself to ward them all off. That’s why he collapsed as soon as we got back to the room.

The more I thought about it, the more grateful I was.

“Of course. If this case goes well, Lawyer Ahn will treat us to a solid meal.”

Lawyer Yoon handed me a glass mixed with sparkling water and alcohol.

“How much money did we spend here? Drink up. It’d be a waste to just leave it all behind.”

“Yeah. That’s true.”

Indeed, with how much money was spent, it would be a shame to just drink beer and leave.

I took a sip of the drink Lawyer Yoon gave me, and my eyes widened.

It seemed to have been made quickly, but it tasted quite good, clinging to my palate.

“Wow, this is delicious. Can you make me one more glass?”

“Of course. But be careful. If you keep drinking this, you might get completely wasted at some point.”

“Indeed, since it goes down so easily, it could be dangerous. I’ll drink in moderation.”

“Yep. I’ll make it right away and bring it over.”

So we drank, recharging our energy.

Because to get our money’s worth, we had to go down to the stage at least one more time.

‘Lawyer, our concept today is troublesome VVIPs. That’s the only way to find what we’re looking for.’

‘Troublesome? Are you going to go lie down or something?’

‘Something similar. It might be difficult for me because of my clothes, so if that situation arises, I’ll need your help, Lawyer Yoon.’

‘Indeed, if you lie down in those clothes, it’ll be a big problem.’

Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon glanced at my scantily clad outfit, then squeezed his eyes shut and said.

‘It’s a real relief I have this cardigan. Otherwise, I would’ve just worn what I prepared.’

‘You’re right. With that, at least my upper body is well covered.’

‘Yes…….’

I felt disillusioned, wondering if we really had to go this far, but there was nothing we could do.

Because in the current situation, Cha Kang-hyuk’s unfair protest alone wouldn’t attract enough attention.

After all, the reality that the victim is in the intensive care unit hasn’t changed.

He won’t wake up for several months.

If so, there’s only one way.

Woo Jin-gon needs to cause an incident commensurate with this one.

Something that, when combined with the footage secured from the black box, will maximize the synergistic effect.

I came to the club to find that.

And if my hunch is right, it’s in this room.

“Yoo-hee, want another drink?”

“Yes, please.”

I sipped the glass Lawyer Yoon gave me, scanning the room once more.

Because looking around while drinking is the most natural thing to do.

‘There’s no way there’s nothing.’

What is a club?

It’s a place to drink and dance.

Especially among them, VVIP rooms, like this one, are stacked high with alcohol. Because the room fee is essentially the alcohol fee.

But is that all there is to it, just calmly drinking a few glasses and leaving, like us?

‘No way.’

I briefly saw people coming and going on the VIP floor as we arrived.

Many were men and women mingling.

And in that same state, they entered the sealed VVIP room.

“Lawyer, it’s rare for people to just calmly drink alcohol in a sealed space like this, right?”

“Come on, if that were the case, why would anyone pay this much money to come to a club? They could just go to a regular bar and drink.”

“Right?”

“Of course.”

Lawyer Yoon opened a new bottle of alcohol and answered.

“It’s normal for various things, big and small, to happen, isn’t it?”

“You’re stating the obvious!”

Lawyer Yoon’s complexion, which had been pale on the stage, gradually returned to normal as he tilted back one drink after another.

It was an amazing experience where alcohol seemed to revive someone (?).

‘As expected, the possibility of problems occurring in a place like this is high. But the club doesn’t keep anything?’

No way.

They must have some kind of insurance.

“Lawyer, let’s go down one more time and then check on the ‘insurance,’ shall we?”

“Ugh. I hope they’re a little less aggressive this time.”

“What can we do? It’s all because of these clothes.”

“I don’t think so. From what I saw on the stage, Yoo-hee’s clothes were among the tamer ones here.”

“…By my standards, I’m practically naked.”

How can this be considered clothes when half my thighs are exposed?

I couldn’t bring myself to say that.

The only fortunate thing was that Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon was desperately trying not to let his gaze fall lower.

He probably did it because there was no benefit for either of us, but I decided to highly value his loyalty.

…This was our tearful effort to become naturally problematic club-goers.

Because to check on the “insurance,” we absolutely needed time to leave the room and go down to the stage.

“Alright, shall we go again?”

“Just one more drink, then we’ll go. Everyone was so energetic; I need this to endure.”

Lawyer Yoon shook the golden bottle, filled his glass, and emptied it in one gulp.

Then, with a determined look, he headed toward the stage.

We, with our souls further drained, returned with determined expressions and began our act.

“My luxury handbag disappeared while we were out of the room!”

“Are you sure you lost it in the room? Could you have taken it out to the stage or left it somewhere else…?”

“Who takes a handbag when they go dancing? You just go down and dance.”

At my words, the club waiter only wore a perplexed expression, unable to find anything to say.

Then, Lawyer Yoon, who was next to me, chimed in.

“I bought it for her as a birthday present. How could she forget it?”

“How much is this room? Did you think it was managed so poorly?”

“That’s true. The security is terrible.”

“Our club, if nothing else, has excellent security. So, would you mind checking the room carefully again, or perhaps checking your car, as you might have left it there?”

“I’ve already searched the room more than ten times. I even touched up my makeup here, so there’s no way I left my bag in the car. Someone definitely came into this room and took it.”

“With so many guards outside the room, how could that be?”

“So, you’re saying we’re lying?”

Lawyer Yoon’s voice grew agitated.

He waved his arm, adorned with a luxury watch, towards the waiter.

“What kind of person am I, to receive such treatment here?”

“No, I didn’t mean that…”

“Oh, I don’t care. That handbag I gave her is really expensive, so find it.”

“How expensive is it, exactly?”

“Well, about the price of a car.”

With those words, Lawyer Yoon confidently placed his car keys on the table.

The waiter’s eyes widened.

“Oh, no, this!”

Right. That’s the price of his car’s jeonse (long-term lease deposit).

I hadn’t realized it, but Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon’s acting as a difficult customer was superb.

To the point where anyone would genuinely mistake him for a real nuisance.

Lawyer Yoon even threatened to lie down on the table if things didn’t go his way.

…It was truly an amazing passion.

“That’s difficult. There’s no proof that you lost it here.”

“And there’s no proof we didn’t lose it here, either?”

“!”

“That’s true.”

The waiter’s face turned pale.

Because Lawyer Yoon’s words weren’t wrong.

Finally, I pretended to mediate and appeased the waiter.

“It’s not just about the money; that bag is really meaningful to me. So I really want to find it. Isn’t there any way?”

“There isn’t no way, but…”

I knew it.

There must be CCTV somewhere, monitoring the rooms.

As insurance for when problems arise within the club, especially in VVIP rooms.

“If you really can’t find it, then pay for it. Why is there a way, but you’re not trying to find it?”

“Exactly. If you just check our room, we won’t say anything more.”

“…You only need that confirmed?”

“Yes, of course. I really want to find that bag. No, at least I’d like to know who the culprit is.”

“Then, I need to look into it, so please wait a moment.”

The man who briefly bowed and disappeared returned almost 30 minutes later.

With a man in a suit.

“I’m the head of the guard team. You said you wanted something confirmed, so I’m here.”

“No, we don’t need a person; we just want our room checked.”

“It’s not easy just like that; it’s a procedure that requires identity verification.”

“What? I just want to confirm who entered the room I paid for, and you’re asking for identity verification? More than anything, my very existence is my identity! I’ve never experienced such rudeness before.”

Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon pointed to himself, adorned in luxury goods from head to toe.

Managing Director Cha Kang-hyuk had personally lent him his attire.

‘I can add some luxury accents to an extent, but a full outfit is different.’

Many people at Lee & Yeon had luxury ties or wallets.

That’s possible if you spend a certain amount of your salary.

However, covering oneself from head to toe in luxury brands—clothes, watches, and even shoes—was on a different level.

It was no different from wearing the price of a house.

Moreover, they were Cha Kang-hyuk’s.

That meant he only wore high-end luxury products, and there weren’t many in Korea who could wear them.

“Hmm. That’s true, but.”

A guard team leader at Korea’s best club would have some eye for luxury goods.

Because of the type of people he encounters.

Besides, hadn’t he nonchalantly placed his car keys on the table for all to see?

He chewed on his lip for a moment, lost in thought. Then, he motioned for the waiter to leave.

“This is linked to our club’s reputation, so it’s not easy to just allow it.”

“I could go out and spread rumors to my friends, and that reputation would likely drop just like that.”

“That’s why. It would be a bit problematic if it got out.”

“We’ll make sure it’s not problematic, so let’s just see it.”

Lawyer Yoon made a zipping motion over his mouth.

“Otherwise, I’ll spread a rumor that anyone can just come into these VVIP rooms and open the doors.”

At his words, the guard team leader’s face turned white.

Because VVIP rooms rely on strict access control.