I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 131



Only Noblemtl

Episode 131: Come Find Me

‘This can’t be happening, right?’

In the past, I was a drinker. I could drink five bottles of soju without getting drunk, and I could drink a bottle of whiskey alone and go to work the next day feeling fine. However, since my body changed and I threw myself into the world of cooking, I have never drank too much. In America, even when I drank alcohol, I enjoyed beer or wine lightly. It seems that my body is not able to effectively break down alcohol.

“Are you okay?”

“You’re weaker at drinking than I thought.”

Two people look at me with concern. I put my hand on my head and try desperately to catch my breath, but my consciousness is fading away.

* * *

I am flying in the sky. It is a strange feeling. My body floats as I think and moves freely. Suddenly, a strange thought comes to me and I look around. What is this feeling that is familiar yet strange?

After watching for a while, I realized that this was Seoul in the 2020s, before I became Shin Je-hee.

Beep beep.

I hear the sound of an ambulance somewhere. The sound gets closer and closer, and soon an ambulance turns a corner and appears. It turns sharply and increases speed, as if it is an emergency. I turn my head and look at the direction the ambulance is headed. It is in the direction of the house I used to live in. I follow the ambulance, flying through the sky as if I am possessed.

As expected, the ambulance slowed down and stopped completely in front of the single-family home in Pyeongchang-dong where I used to live. Then the door opened and rescue workers hurriedly got out. Then the back door of the car opened, a stretcher was taken out, and they started running with it.

The front door was already open. I followed them in and saw Joo-hee doing CPR. Her body was soaking wet with sweat, as if she hadn’t just started. She put her weight on the patient with a desperate gesture.

‘Who?’

I looked back. On the desk was a bottle of Glenfiddich 30 years old, empty all the way to the floor. The floor was littered with shards of broken glass. Joo-hee’s feet were covered in blood, as if she had stepped on glass. However, she seemed to be in a trance, doing CPR without feeling any pain.

‘Ah! I was dead.’

I’ve always wondered: Why did I come back?

“Honey! Wake up!”

Joohee continues to perform CPR while crying, but I am lying on the ground and not moving at all.

The paramedics stop Joo-hee and begin to move me on a stretcher. Joo-hee quickly puts on some clothes and follows the paramedics. The blood trail that follows her feet onto the living room floor is heartbreaking.

I ended up squeezing my eyes shut.

The scene changes.

Employees wearing black ties and suits are carrying condolence wreaths. One by one, gorgeous wreaths with the names of company representatives who are demanding domestic donations are arriving and starting to fill the empty spaces at the entrance. I slowly walked down the hallway and looked around. Several employees whose faces I recognized were gathered at the back of the hallway and chatting.

“What the hell is going on?”

Manager Park of the Human Resources Department speaks to Manager Seong of the Planning Department.

“What’s so special about life? Someone like the chairman who seems to have it all just leaves like this in an instant. I cancelled my savings. I don’t know when I’ll lose it, but the 10-year maturity is a total bummer. I’m going to live my life enjoying it.”

Director Sung was an employee I trusted. He seems to have been quite shocked as well. I can’t help but smile bitterly.

“But wasn’t it true that you and your wife weren’t on good terms? Why were there such rumors?”

“I don’t know what’s going on either. I heard that the chairman hasn’t eaten anything since he left, so I wonder if we’ll end up in a long line of mourners.”

‘what?’

I quickly moved to the funeral home. Joo-hee, dressed in black mourning clothes, was greeting the mourners. Her face was pale. It seemed like her body wasn’t getting enough moisture. Next to her, her older sister and Soo-min were receiving the mourners together with their red eyes.

The political powers that be came to pay their respects. Outside, reporters gathered and flashed their cameras, broadcasting the funeral scene as breaking news. However, Joo-hee’s expression did not change as she greeted them. Her empty eyes were looking somewhere, not looking directly at the other person.

The funeral lasted for three days. Many people came to pay their respects and express their condolences.

They all wore clean black suits with no dust at all and bowed to the ancestral tablet with solemn expressions. Then they carefully offered chrysanthemums. Then, in a somber tone, they offered words of comfort to Ju-hee and her family.

After that, they go to a restaurant and enjoy a delicious bowl of beef soup, drink some soju, and leave the funeral home with flushed faces.

The funeral is over, but I’m still here.

Why can’t I go back? Was my life as Shin Je-hee nothing more than a mirage? Was it God’s consideration to let me dream the happy dreams I couldn’t achieve while I was alive before I die and leave without regrets?

What will happen to the company? According to the inheritance law, Joo-hee will inherit all of the assets. However, she has never been involved in Shinsung’s management. Furthermore, since we have no children, the calculations become even more complicated. I walked down the familiar hallway and found my sister’s office.

“You should sue! Does that make sense to give it all up?”

I hear a voice I don’t want to hear.

“Who were you? It’s been so long since I last saw you that I can’t remember, but we knew each other?”

My older sister looks at Choi Sung-jin with a cold expression.

“Honey! I told you this isn’t the time. If you just sit still, LK will take over.”

He came to my sister’s office in person, as if he was in a state of shock. I couldn’t even tell if this was real or a dream, but I was amazed by the frighteningly realistic reality.

“Why do you care about that? You should mind your own family. It’s obvious that we’re not family. How long has it been since I sent you the divorce papers and you still haven’t responded?”

My sister has been asking for a divorce for a long time, but as is the case with all conglomerates, there are complex interests involved. It will take years just to unravel them.

“Why are we getting a divorce? You have to make sense. Even if I die and come back to life, that won’t happen. If you really want to get a divorce, then give me what I want.”

As I kept listening, I started getting angrier. My sister wasn’t the type of person to be treated like this…

“Do you really have to go through all the hassle of a lawsuit? That’s not what I want my kids to see.”

“I told you I’ve never had a separate life. That’s all a misunderstanding!”

“You can say that in court. The evidence is overwhelming. But when Su-ho left like that, don’t you have the least bit of humanity? You don’t even tell me to mourn. But couldn’t you just leave me alone for a little while?”

bang.

Seongjin Choi roughly slams the door shut and walks out, grumbling. Looking at his mean face, I miss Minhyuk Seo. When I pass through the door and go inside, I see my older sister pouring alcohol into a glass.

“Even my father died because of alcohol. Are you an idiot? Shouldn’t you be careful?”

My older sister downs her alcohol in one gulp.

nice.

Then he fell on his desk and began to sob in a low voice. How many people have I hurt? I couldn’t bear to watch any longer, so I left.

Joo-hee is sitting in my study. Her feet are bandaged. Beside her are letters I wrote when we were dating. She looks at them for a while, then snickers and opens the next letter to read.

Ding dong.

Joohee slowly gets up, goes out to the front door, and opens the door.

“How long are you going to be like this? Are you even eating properly?”

Chairman Seo looks at Joo-hee with a tired face and gets angry.

“Dad, I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.”

Joohee tried to soothe him with a soft voice, but it didn’t seem to be working.

“I came here because it seemed like you couldn’t do it on your own. Stop complaining and just pack your bags. Let’s go home together.”

As if he had made up his mind, there were people waiting behind Chairman Seo to help him pack his luggage.

“I’ll stay here. This is my home. Where would I go?”

“Wake up. There are more than a few guys out there who are going to come and eat you. The rumors I’ve heard are so horrible that I can’t even begin to describe them.”

The chairman of the largest company in Korea has suddenly died. Normally, the next heir should quickly take care of the company and make efforts to normalize it, but Joo-hee doesn’t seem to have any intention of doing so. If there is a gap, there will always be trouble. Many people who have figured out the situation by now will be waiting for an opportunity.

“It’s okay. The company will go to the people who need to go.”

What does she mean by this?

Time goes by.

I stand like a stone statue and watch Juhee. She is getting thinner day by day. One day, my mother comes and cooks for me, and another day, my brothers come and scold me in anger. But Juhee just smiles at them.

One day, she was rummaging through a drawer, took out a cell phone that didn’t seem to be in use anymore, and played a video on it.

On the screen, I was cooking.

– Joohee, I learned cooking from a professional chef. It will be delicious.

Tata tata.

I see myself chopping vegetables with a clumsy knife. My expression is quite serious, but I know what’s going to happen next.

-Hey!

When you toss the pan, the ingredients fall to the floor.

-ha ha ha.

Joohee laughs out loud when she sees my embarrassed expression. Joohee, who is watching the screen, also raises the corners of her mouth as if she is happy about something. After many twists and turns, the dish is completed and pasta is placed on the table.

-How is it? Is it delicious?

-It’s much more delicious than it looks.

“To be honest, the pasta you made back then was really bad. How could I have said anything else when you asked me with such a serious expression on your face how it tasted? But you must have really thought you were a good cook, because from then on, you made me pasta every week.”

Joohee’s voice trembles as she speaks.

“It’s just a memory now. When I think about it, I made a lot of mistakes. Now, all I can think of is regrets about not expressing myself more and trying harder to understand you.”

Tears fall from her eyes.

“I have so many regrets, but if there is a next life, please come see me then too. If possible, practice cooking a little more.”

She laughs quietly.

Her hand is reaching out to touch me on the screen. I take a step without realizing it and grab her hand. But my feeble gesture just brushes the air. I grab her hand again. This time, it doesn’t fail. She takes my hand. I can clearly feel her warmth in my hand.

“Are you in your right mind, oppa?”

My eyes open. I’m in my room. I turn my head.

Joohee holds my hand tightly and looks at me with worried eyes. Unable to control my emotions, I pull her into my arms and cry quietly.