Lawless Lawyer 8.1 The Shape of Vengeance

THE SHAPE
OF

VENGEANCE

THE SHAPE OF VENGEANCE Bong Sang Pil had been extravagantly invested in his mission to punish not only Judge Cha but also Ahn Oh Ju for having murdered his mother.  Choi Dae Woong had discouraged his nephew from his dogged pursuit. The gangster game had dramatically changed. There were now two powerful gangster bosses in Ki Seong.  Choi Dae Woong had been invited to have peace talks with Ahn Oh Ju at his company premises. With the uncovering of a conspiracy of corruption and injustice, Bong Sang Pil’s revenge obsession had snowballed. Ahn had been bombarded with too many troubles of late, all the doings of Bong and his associates. Choi Dae Woong brought along only one bodyguard. But Ahn Oh Ju had two bodyguards with him, including Seok Gwan Dong, an unconscionable minion who been trained to pounce and kill without thinking of the consequences. On hindsight, it did seem strange that Seok Gwan Dong had stationed himself right behind the seated Choi Dae Woong. He seemed to be lying in wait to attack Choi. It was a murder waiting to happen. Was Choi’s bodyguard not suspicious of it? Should the peace talks fail, Ahn Oh Ju would definitely be planning a death to be witnessed by his nephew.  The question is, did Choi Dae Woong wittingly or unwittingly walk into a trap? After the initial pleasantries, they settled down to their serious but controversial discussion. The preliminary discussion started out badly and thereafter, it deteriorated. With the downward spiral, there was no turning back. Ahn claimed that they had never met before but he felt that they could be friends. ‘Friends?’ Choi was sceptical. Ahn declared that they should first settle important issues. Without mincing his words, he tried to browbeat Choi,  ‘Go back to Seoul with Bong Sang Pil.’ Both knew the issue at stake. Choi was not any less direct. He asserted that Bong Sang Pil was carrying out his mission which he had been planning for 18 years. 'Scheming' would be more applicable to the young lawyer. Bong was too obstinate to change and it would not be easy for him to leave Ki Seong.  Ahn knew exactly what that meant. Bong wanted revenge. An eye for an eye. In an attempt to lord it over the Seoul gangster head, Ahn Oh Ju tried pressuring him to enter into a contract in order to keep the peace in Ki Seong.  But Choi would have none of it. The strong arm tactics did not scare him. In fact, he was intent on putting Ahn Oh Ju in his place. His chilling words, ‘Peace would only arrive over dead bodies - yours and Judge Cha’s!’ put an abrupt end to the peace talk. Enraged, Ahn who was raised in the fish market declared at once that it was a ‘gai tung aap gong’ or ‘chicken and duck talk’ since they were not speaking the same language. One was a Seoul city boy while the other a small-town fishmarket  boy. When Ahn Oh Ju stated, ‘We’re not going to be friends’, he had already declared war. Ahn Oh Ju had killed Bong Sang Pil’s mother and Bong Sang Pil wanted to even the score with Ahn. He couldn’t live with himself unless he got his revenge. Choi Dae Woong had advised his nephew to let bygones be bygones but the latter obstinately refused to let go. In order to drive home the point that it was not worth his time and effort to get back at someone as evil  and ruthless as Ahn Oh Ju, Choi Dae Woong had consented to the peace talks, which however went deadly wrong. Choi Dae Woong had become the sacrificial lamb. Anh Oh Ju was raised on the principle that no act of disrespect or opposition to him should go unpunished. His enemies need to be totally crushed to understand that he should not to be opposed. Violence was the best strategy to crush their wills but murder should come as no surprise. Seok Gwan Dong, who had already grown accustomed to his boss’s criminal ways, understood the nuances of his boss’ menacing words and took immediate action. He plunged a hypodermic needle into Choi’s neck. Choi’s bodyguard was also set upon, overpowered and stabbed to death. It was a chilling scene. What shape does vengeance take? Vengeance takes many forms. But, it was vindictiveness on Ahn Oh Ju’s part, to murder the uncle in order to punish the nephew who was hell-bent on making his life miserable. Bong Sang Pil was trying to destroy him, so he was going to destroy someone whom he loved. Choi Dae Woong, the Seoul gangster head should have been prepared but he was not. The needle plunged in. Although he managed to prise the needle from his neck, it was too late. The drug had already taken effect. He surged to his feet to confront the evil man but he collapsed after having taken a few steps.  The drug was amazingly effective. It was later revealed in the murder trial that it was procaine, an anaesthetic. Seok Gwan Dong was told to get rid of the body. Early the next morning, Choi Dae Woong was carried to the rooftop of a building which was designated for redevelopment. He was still suffering from the effects of the drug.   Seok Gwan Dong conveyed a phone message to Bong Sang Pil that he was sending his uncle to an early grave. Choi Dae Woong desperately warned Bong not to be tricked. It was a trap. Bong didn’t know that he would soon be saying his farewell to his uncle.  Before he left his office, he instructed Tae Kwang Soo to protect Ha Jae Yi. ‘Furiously fast’ should be an apt description of the speed of Bong’s supercar.  Once he gunned the engine, the sleek car zoomed towards the meeting place. The thought of his uncle being in danger shook Bong Sang Pil.  His uncle’s fatherly ways sprang to mind. Wonderful and touching memories were stirred up. Choi Dae Woong constantly worried over Bong’s obsessive diligence. Bong even studied during mealtimes.  His uncle's sage advice to him to quit fighting had been ignored. Bong Sang Pil’s face was a mixture of sadness and anger. Tears sprang from his eyes. When he arrived at his destination, he saw, to his horror, that his uncle was hanging precariously from the rooftop of a high building. His life was in a limbo.  But, Bong Sang Pil could not ignore the fact that he might be walking into a trap. He was vigilant and cautious. The grim-faced lawyer somehow got to the rooftop but gangsters preyed on him. He was prepared for their ambush.  When one of the gangsters lunged at him, Bong involuntarily drew back. But, he sprang forward suddenly to land him a flurry of punches. The man was thrown to the ground. Bong's huge rage was leaping up. Moving with the supple ease of a big cat, he turned towards his uncle but was compelled to charge at another assailant who had waylaid him.  The steel of a knife flashed. He clenched his teeth, bracing himself for the attack.  Somehow, Bong got the upper hand and was able to wrest the blood-stained knife from him. Bong not only swung his leg at him but also threw a few punches to destabilise him. The man was sent toppling and sprawling to the floor.  Ahead of him was his uncle in a perilous situation but Seok Gwan Dong suddenly appeared. Bong had played right into Seok Gwan Dong’s hands. He was caught like a mouse in a trap. His anger was replaced by horror. Seok Gwan Dong swiftly severed the rope, his uncle’s lifeline. He sarcastically wished Bong luck in saving his uncle.  The cut rope quickly snaked its way forward bringing his uncle with it. Instinctively, Bong, darting forward, leapt to grab the rope. His uncle had almost vanished from his sight but no one could have moved half so quickly as Bong. He was just in time to grab hold of the end of the rope. Everything happened so fast and he soon found himself being pulled violently along as well. One wonders how a small-time gangster like Seok Gwan Dong could be so easily corrupted by Ahn Oh Ju. Seok’s worse-to-worst transition seemed so seamless; he had effortlessly graduated from violence to murder. Bong Sang Pil was no spider man and neither was his uncle. Choi Dae Woong’s life was literally hanging by the rope.  Bong’s body was also hanging dangerously over the edge of the building. The rope jerked. Uncle and nephew were on different ends of the rope. Gasps of panic. With his gloved hand, Seok Gwan Dong quickly picked up the knife that Bong had flung away. The knife had been smeared with his uncle's blood. Evidently, Ahn Oh Ju had planned to frame Bong Sang Pil for murder if his uncle plunged to his death from the rooftop. It seemed Ahn Oh Ju’s clever plans were succeeding. Bong lurched forward. All muscles in his body were tense. His face was scrunched up as he tried to drag his uncle's limp body up. His gaze was fixed on his uncle’s body, never shifting for a moment.  The air grew quiet. There was only a hint of motion from his uncle. He gripped the rope and pulled. It seemed forever but finally, he got hold of his uncle’s wrist. The fear of his uncle dying on him was more than he could endure. Choi Dae Woong knew the risks and pleaded with him. Either Bong let go or they would both plunge down together. Chagrined by his uncle’s plea, Bong would not but gripped tighter onto the rope. His face, by now, was a fearful mess. His eyes were just two slits as he cried out in anguish. The scene was gut-wrenching. Choi Dae Woong was ready to die but Bong was not ready to let go of his beloved uncle. His uncle stared up at him and told him that he was already a dead man and Bong would wind up killing himself also. His advice to Bong Sang Pil: First, he shouldn’t think about getting revenge. Second, he must promise to be a good lawyer. Third, he should find happiness with the girl he loved. Conventional wisdom. The dominant tone of his uncle’s advice was the unpleasant things in the past should be forgotten. The words rushed like a blow to his head. It was probably impossible for him to digest his uncle’s advice as his mind was all muddled up. With that, his uncle wrestled his hand free from his grasp. Bong screamed horrible screams. His cries wracked his whole being.  The event seemed surreal - it drowned out everything around him.  The death of his uncle was a twist that nobody had expected. The story had headed in a wholly different direction. The audience have not expected the tale to take such a shocking turn.  When the police arrived, Bong Sang Pil was still lifelessly hanging over the edge, numbed by his uncle’s plunge to his horrible death. An engrossing look at death and loss. It is heart-breaking to watch how the death of Bong Sang Pil’s uncle had affected him. It had robbed him of all his faculties. Bong must have felt an overpowering sense of unreality.  Bong's mind seemed hopelessly clogged. The police ordered Bong Sang Pil to put his hands up. On reaching the edge of the building, the police found a very dazed man whose frozen nerves would not thaw. At close range, the police were flummoxed to see his dilated, glazed eyes. When the detective slapped the handcuffs on him and read him his rights, he seemed oblivious of his presence.  Perhaps his mind was still spinning round and round like the Whirling Dervishes.