Boom!

“Kuhk!”

A dull sound could be heard, and a short scream rang out. Then, the sounds of someone moaning in pain followed.

It was Gangam. The skyscrapers looked as if they were holding up the sky. It was a majestic sight. In contrast, there was a man fallen atop the bumpy sidewalk.

The man looked to be in his mid to late 30s, and he looked quite handsome. Still, his age was quite evident. Small wrinkles had started to appear on his face. The wear and tear of time was starting to show. However, this made him look mature. He looked like a dignified and attractive middle-aged man. The only blemish was the little bit of belly fat on his lower abdomen. Most middle-aged Korean men had a beer belly.

However, his handsome face couldn’t mask his current state. He was truly a mess.

His hair was greasy as if he hadn’t showered in many days. It had grown long, making one wonder when he had gotten his last haircut. His beard was also unkempt. His appearance was a visual representation of his current mental state. At least, he was wearing a sharp suit, but even that was dirty and wrinkled. He looked like a homeless person. If someone saw him, one would distance oneself from him. He was beyond looking bad. He looked dirty.

“Ooooh!”

He raised his upper body. He had been thrown to the floor, and the impact made his back burn as if it was on fire. He was having a hard time breathing due to it. At that moment, he wanted to go lie down somewhere, but he couldn’t do that.

He clumsily stood back on his feet. He looked like a hero that had arrived at the Demon King’s castle despite all the hardships and sacrifices that he had to suffer. He looked forward with hate in his eyes.

He was in front of a high-rise building. The clear sky was in the background, and the sunlight was reflected by the many glass windows of the immaculate building. The building looked the same, but the eyes of the person watching the building had completely changed. In the past, he had looked at the building as a close and trustworthy friend. Now, he looked at it with hateful eyes as if it was his enemy.

He once again took a step forward. He didn’t hide the rage in his heart as he quickly moved towards the building. His feelings were reflected in his footsteps.

However, he still couldn’t enter the building. 

Sssk!

Two bots were in his way. He looked up at the men that blocked his path.

He’d never been called short before. He was pretty tall at 182 cm. More often than not, he had to look down on people. The men barring his path were much bigger than him. They were at least 190 cm tall. They looked slim on the outside, but their bodies were full of hard muscles. They were wearing decent suits, and they were built like a brick house. They looked to be from the mob, but they weren’t hired for such an illegal profession. In fact, they were hired to stop illegal and violent groups. They were the security guards of this building.

“Get out of my way!”

He was obstinate as he tried to push his way past the security guards. Of course, they would never let him pass. They looked a bit annoyed as they pushed him back. He was slowly pushed backward. Fortunately, he wasn’t thrown to the ground like before. However, he didn’t look thankful at all.

“Fuck! Get out of my way!”

As if he was making a heavy assault, he heedlessly charged forward. However, his effort was in vain. The two security guards were hired to protect this expensive building, so, of course, they were well trained and skilled at their job. When he made his desperate charge, one of the security guards used a foot sweep. A slight push to his shoulder broke his balance. He rolled across the ground as he was sent back to his original spot.

“Ughh!”

This was the second time he had been sent flying to the sidewalk. He was becoming fast friends with the ground. He screamed once again when he felt the pain.

However, his humiliation and pain at being sent to the ground couldn’t stop him. He got up again.

The security guards let out a sigh. They were beyond annoyed and tired by his act. One could see the anger rise in their eyes. As security guards, they had been through all sorts of experiences, and they had met countless people like the man in front of them. This didn’t mean they got used to dealing with such people. In reality, they became annoyed when faced with such a situation. 

They thought about calling the police, but the owners of the building had forbidden it. The owners said the image of their company would be tarnished if people saw police cars in front of the building. In the guards' opinion, the company’s image would inevitably be tarnished by having a man like this hanging around the building. However, they had to do whatever their superiors wanted them to do.

It happened when the security guards wanted to let out their frustration and irritation. They had been ready to cause a bit more damage.

“That is enough, Mr. Woo Sungyoon.”

A person came out of the building.

The security guards looked to be at their wit’s end. They were lowly employees, and they hadn’t been able to wrap up their work. It had caused one of their superiors to appear. They weren’t able to get rid of a crazy man. When the team leader came out of the building, the security guards glared at Sungyoon as if they wanted to kill him.

However, Sungyoon didn’t care about their feelings. In fact, he rejoiced at the fact that someone finally had come out to listen to him.

“Team leader Che!”

Sungyoon quickly approached the man called team leader Che. The security guards moved to block Sungyoon, but team leader Che waved them away. The security guards looked disappointed as they retreated. It was quite evident from their reaction that they had been about to escalate the force used on him. However, Sungyoon couldn’t afford to think about such things. He clung to team leader Che.

“Please let me in! I have to meet Jaeho!”

Sungyoon spoke desperately as if team leader Che was his last hope. However, team leader Che dashed his hope by slapping away Sungyoon’s hand.

“The president is busy. If you want to meet the president, you shouldn’t do this. You should make an appointment. You should agree upon a time and location to meet.”

“Time is of the utmost importance! Also, he isn’t returning my calls! I tried to make an appointment with his secretary, but he just put me on hold!”

“Then you should wait.”

“I told you I don’t have the time to do that!”

Unlike Sungyoon’s burning insides, team leader Che’s attitude was cold. It was reminiscent of the winter fields of Siberia. At a glance, it was evident that he wasn’t going to help Sungyoon. Sungyoon had realized that. It hadn’t been too long ago that team leader Che had bowed towards him with respect. The change in attitude only reaffirmed his new position in life. Of course, he felt humiliated and miserable. He wanted to spit and cuss out the man in front of him before he left. 

However, he couldn’t do that. 

“Move! I have to see him no matter what! How can he do this to a friend!”

Sungyoon started to push his way forward.

“Why are you acting like this! Didn’t they teach you any manners!”

Team leader Che yelled as he got in the way of Sungyoon.

“Let me go! Let me go!”

Sungyoon struggled. However, he couldn’t escape team leader Che’s iron grip. When he was young, Sungyoon had been an athlete. However, he was already in his late 30s, and he had partaken plenty of alcohol and cigarettes. His social life required it. It had made his body soft. On the other hand, team leader Che’s body had been molded through exercise. Sungyoon couldn’t escape his grasp. He was sent flying like a piece of paper by the hands of team leader Che.

“Koohk!”

This was the third time he rolled across the ground.

“You are a president in charge of a company… Ah! I guess you're no longer a president.”

Team leader Che ridiculed him as he laughed.

“Still, you were once a president of a company. You should show more manners and situational awareness.”

“Y... you guys don’t have the right to talk about manners and situational awareness!”

Sungyoon breathed roughly as he turned his death glare towards team leader Che.

“Do you really think this will be the end?! I’ll sue all of you!”

As if he was making a last-ditch effort, Sungyoon screamed out his words. However, his threat held no weight. He was dirty and in a sorry state. Who would be afraid of a threat from an older man with no backings? Moreover, they were security guards for a building owned by a premier conglomerate acknowledged even on the world stage.

“Do as you like.”

Team leader Che crossed his arms as he arrogantly spoke.

For a brief moment, Sungyoon turned his death glare towards team leader Che, the other security guards, and the high-rise building. However, that was all he did. It wasn’t as if the team leader Che and his security guards would be afraid of his glare. He couldn’t smash the building just with his looks.

In the end, there wasn’t much to be gained here. He was barely able to accept this fact. Sungyoon turned around in a huff.

He stood under the clear sky that was supposed to refresh the hearts of people. Sungyoon turned his back on the imposing building. The building looked down on him as if it was a despot looking down on its subject. He retreated without making a whimper. He looked like a miserable loser.