Vernon Chwe

Occupation

Consigliere

A legal advisor or counselor of the Italian Mafia's Boss

Sipping the stone-cold bitter Terra with the transparent plastic straw on a rainy day should calm down any soul, but Hong Chayoung's mind was filled with unnecessary worries that she certainly did not ask for. She got herself into a major dispute with her only existing parent, bringing up her mother's demise was not the smartest thing the young eloquent associate of Wusang Law Firm could do. 

There was no way that Chayoung was ever going to admit this but despite her tendency to overreact sometimes, she felt bad for her father who believed that justice was above everything else and that he would never compromise his principals in any way possible. 

Mr. Hong had taught his dear daughter the idiosyncrasies on becoming a great attorney, yet he failed as a father to understand her values and to give her the support that she needed while walking on that road. 

Above of all, Chayoung was never going to forgive him about how he neglected her mother on the dying table, gritting her teeth while she cried her frustration out. 'Argh! Damn it, really! How can he not apologize?'

Numerous profanities left her mouth while the urge to bang her head against the table increased, non-intentionally ignoring her surroundings where a certain foreign man was found in. 

The black tailored suit with a navy-colored tie on his well-proportioned body looked exquisite, his deep brown hair was styled up while it revealed the pale skin underneath. He momentarily stopped his tracks, staring at the one who made his afternoon a bit brighter by bringing entertainment to Jipuragi Law Firm. 

Vernon Chwe, a Korean adoptee of a common Italian Family came back to his native country to reclaim the gold that was hidden inside the Geumga Plaza, simultaneously the same building where his new workplace was located. 

Nevertheless, Vernon Chwe was the Mafia's Consigliere who made multiple headlines while being a fear for most crime organizations in the European country. Two eventful weeks past by in a blink of eye, no plans or leads on how to transfer the treasure had been made. 

Vernon drifted away from his original purpose, helping Mr. Hong out in any way possible but the senior's personal issues got him rethinking the decision thrice.

Chayoung held her head straight up after feeling a gaze burning on her head, locking eyes with someone who she would not trust for a slight bit. Walking up to the entrance of the convenience store, the words that left Vernon's inner thoughts made the female attorney boil in anger. 'Stupida. Deficiente.'

Those words contained a huge amount of revulsion, making Chayoung screamed at his back while he had almost left the outside space. 'Translate!'

Her demand was faintly fulfilled, hearing the slight sarcasm in his voice while Vernon kept his cool posture. 'There is no translation for that.'

As the Consigliere disappeared behind the door, Chayoung's habit to talk to herself showed its true color again as she reasoned the Italian's usual behavior. 'My gut tells me that they were not good words. I bet he was cursing at me. Aish, he is so annoying!'

If the mood of that dreadful day was not already somber enough, the watery drizzle became a shower in a couple of seconds raining cats and dogs out of the sky. Vernon strode out of the grocery shop after buying a bottle of water, concluding that he had to take the measure in his own hands now as it could affect his aim. 

Setting the bought beverage on the table with a modest amount of force, Chayoung peeked up with annoyance at the one who caused the disturbance. 'What is it, Mr. Chwe?'

Avoiding her unyielding glare, Vernon's brown eyes checked the played weather thoroughly. 'Could you not have been more mature?

The frown on Chayoung's forehead wrinkled increasingly more upon hearing that impartial question, which did not align with her morals at all. 'What?'

Vernon gave his honest opinion about the father-daughter dual fight that he had to witness. 'Earlier, you did not sound like a hotshot lawyer. Actually, it was more like a spoiled brat which mirrored the girl in those childhood photos almost perfectly.'

Part of his advisor or better said foreign legal counselor job was to eat dinner with Mr. Hong in order to strengthen their alliance and teamwork. Vernon was immediately intrigued by the old pictures that he saw inside the CEO of Jipuragi Law Firm's house. 

Chayoung rattled through her defense, blinking her dark brown eyes a little extra. 'Do not play dirty. Why are you bringing up my humiliating past?'

She got her left hand through her long dyed brown hair as Vernon finally made his brown eyes meet hers. 'All the criticisms children give their parents will come back as anguishes. Do not do something you will regret eventually, because regret is the most painful thing in life. Your father and I will drink at his regular spot later. Come if you want to.'

A minuscular smile played on his lips, grabbing his water bottle as he prepared himself to walk away. 'Chayoung, you do not have to apologize. Just join us for leisure.'

Ans with all things considered at once, the Consigliere walked away while he left Chayoung in a difficult self-questionnaire again. 'Gosh, "Apologize"? As if.'

Puny raindrops were displayed on the fogged-up glass window of Namdo Auntie's Restaurant, blurring the outside view at sight. You could perceive it though. The gloomy weather did get worse by each second as the weak streetlights tried to light the dark scenery up. 

People walked alone or paired up with their acquaintances, being deeply engrossed in their conversations which made the perfect excuse for Vernon Chwe to be inattentive while he followed them with his grievous look. His concentrating attention was however disturbed by a loud grunt from the man in front of him.

The older gentleman, who Vernon has been working with for these past two weeks, glimpsed the other one in the eye, making sure he did not zone out as Vernon tends to do. 'Should I congratulate you for diving headfirst into hell? I am fighting against Babel because I am stupid, but you are surely not Vernon.'

Babel Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of the most influential company in South Korea was rolling an advanced painkiller out called "RDU-90", which is in fact an illegal narcotic drug. The test subjects had severely died during its experiments, leaving the next of kin clueless about their loved ones' demise. 

Mr. Hong was drinking the immense guilt away with his favorite rice wine called makgeolli, overseeing that this case was growing increasingly hard. Vernon had been buying the veteran one some time with the help of Chayoung. 

Still, the uncertainty lingered around for days now. Clicking his tongue, Vernon knew that if he was going to dive into this unrelated topic that the response might be expected. 'By the way Mr. Hong, are you also a public defender?'

Mr. Hong answered at once with a nod, grabbing his metal chopsticks between his fingers to tear the jeon. 'I am. For one person who I truly pity.'

Restraining his far deeper emotions while twirling his shallow bowl with the traditional liquor that Vernon learned to drink from the elder, Mr. Hong continued his story about the afflicted individual. 'She was falsely charged with murder. And yet, she accepted the accusations and made peace with her pancreatic cancer.'

The Consigliere hold himself back from sighing and visibly feeling sorry for the unknown woman by biting the inside of his cheek. 'And why would she do that?'

Harsh reality was told in the next couple of phrases that Mr. Hong conveyed, watery streaks forming on the elder's lower eyelids. 'She believes she is being punished for abandoning her son in the past. The guilt that the woman is carrying with her is not enough according to her. Vernon, there are people who readily accept their punishments. And there are those who are shameless even after committing cold-blooded crimes. In any case, only the kindhearted and the weak suffer. I know you will not get it.'

Vernon took a sip from the sweet makgeolli, pouring himself and the senior lawyer another drink after hearing the woman's story. 'For the past two weeks, I experienced firsthand on how the weak suffered. I could not do anything to help them. It is horrifying to see this in front of our eyes, you know? And because I felt so helpless, I even became more furious.'

Bending a bit forward with his arms folded over each other, Mr. Hong spoke the universal truth again. 'Those who are truly weak endure the feeling of helplessness and rage until the day they die. God made the world like this.'

There was one inquiry that the Consigliere had not asked yet, getting it off his thought immediately. 'I have a question I should have asked way earlier. What is the story behind your law firm's name?'

Mr. Hong put a big bite of the best rainy-day snack into his mouth, munching on it while keeping the serious mood going. 'I do not defend my clients. I become their last straw, a jipuragi. When they do not have anyone else to lean on, they can still grab onto me.'

A clenched fist appeared next to his face, visualizing what he was trying to say to Vernon. 'I am their last straw of hope.'

Silence surrounded the two legals for a moment, them being the only customers at this time of the night as the elder is a regular after all. Vernon Chwe wanted to abstain himself from digging deeper into the pro-bono case, but curiosity was a guilty pleasure. 'The lady you were talking about earlier, is she going to survive?'

Mr. Hong noticed the ambiguous emotion in the Consigliere's brown eyes, sighing for the umpteenth time that rainy night. 'She is not unfortunately. The doctor's concluded that she has only six months left.'

Taking another big chug out of the metal bowl, Vernon let the drink slip out on the table while showing his toughness through his words. 'If she is in the final stage, she must be in a lot of pain, right?'

Mr. Hong squinted his eyes at the suited guy, going off-topic momentarily while expecting a decent answer. 'Aren't you truly a strong one?'

Clueless to what the elder's question was referring to, Vernon still answered for his own sake. 'I am not that strong or good, if I have to say it myself.'

The next words that Mr. Hong spoke shot a vital bullet straight to Vernon's heart. Unfortunately, the killing weapon strayed away from the artery. 'Weak people do not go to the trial of their parents if they were abandoned by them. Vernon, if you were that curious, you should have asked your mother yourself. Why do you not go and visit her next time?'

One revealed secret. 

Vernon Chwe had many, yet this one would be one of the major reasons why he had not stepped foot in this country for years. A mocking snicker was let out of his breath, keeping a straight look at his drink. 'How did you know?'

Rolling his eyes underneath his rounded specs, Mr. Hong explained his findings with interest. 'I have been a lawyer for over 30 years, earning quite a hunch over the long span of time. And why do you think I dragged you to the hospital the other day? You are really a slow one, aren't you? Vernon, it was that day. The day of your mother's trial, and even when I visited to tell her that it was going to be a hellish period of time. Do you not want to visit your mom? I will not ever force you, neither will I ask you to forgive your mother for the adoption. But you should not let your yearning turn into regret.'

The unfamiliar feeling Vernon got was something he did not achieved in an exceptionally long time. A nagging father who tried to teach his troubled son some sense in life. 'I only went to see how miserable she was.'

Mr. Hong did not believe a single word that the Consigliere was spewing as the elder was a father of a child himself. 'Do you mean that?'

The heartless replies came back as they were never gone, Vernon picking his chopsticks up to eat his late-night snack. 'Yes, so do not give Chayoung the same reason to check how miserable you are.'

Alcohol is made for sharing, and for breaking your braincells as the limit must have reached Mr. Hong, spilling all of his feelings over the table. 'I did stay strong, but days like these get to me. I mean when those jerks torture my daughter. No matter how much I scold Chayoung, she is still my precious little girl. How dare they?'

This was one of the reasons the parent-child duo had fight this afternoon, fearless as she got herself into a nasty semi-physical fight which made the father worried. Vernon saw this approach somewhat differently as he was there firsthand, having experienced much more horrifying situations. 'Chayoung will get through it. She is a strong woman.'

Nicotine could get some things out of the elder's mind as the wet arctic weather did not make the circumstance any better. 'Sir, can I get a cigarette?'

A dark green hooded came into the vision of Mr. Hong, shielding his face which could be unintentionally because of the darkness. 'Sure. Here you go. Do I need to light it for you?'

Mr. Hong was a kind person indeed, helping his fellow citizen out was the least he could do after a terrible time of the year. The strange looking man vaguely drilled his stare into the intoxicated elder, screaming his greeting back while vanishing behind the block. 'Enjoy your dinner Sir!'

As the elder decided to go out for smoke, Vernon was left dry inside in the balmy restaurant. The mobile phone of Mr. Hong however kept on bugging the Consigliere's leisure time. At first, he did not want to interfere in the senior lawyer's practices, but his desire to know more made his right hand go to the device. 

Picking it up from the table, Vernon's brown eyes sparked interest at the caller's ID. "RDU-90" The trials' drug. 'My goodness. It is pouring.'

As Vernon Chwe wiggled his feet underneath his black slacks, the elder sat himself down on the seat after grabbing a can of beer from the fridge. 'Mr. Hong, are you hiding something from me?'

Mr. Hong's eyes glared up as he grunted loudly. 'I am. My sincerity which no one knows about.'

Starting deep conversations contagiously was a drunk habit of the elder that Vernon had perceived thoroughly, drinking on various occasions in two weeks.

"Un Diavolo Scaccia L'Altro. (It takes a devil to drive out another devil)."

The native language that came flowing in the air made the Consigliere's brown eyes spark up at instant while Mr. Hong explained why he used it. 'That is the only Italian proverb I know. Remember what I told you? Only monsters can beat monsters. I cannot be a creature however. I wish a real monster would appear and deal with all these evil men, whether it is legal or not.'

Chuckles filled the moist air around them, gazing with severeness into Vernon's brown eyes. 'But that is not possible in real life. Vernon, you cannot be that monster, right?'

An intense stare contest ran its during, both knowing the answer to this aggravating question but no could voice it. Breaking the intensity, Vernon picked up his shallow bowl while chugging the rest of the makgeolli. 'Someone has been calling you.'

Shrugging up, Mr. Hong frowned his brows together while showing the aged wrinkles on his face. 'What? Who?'

Vernon clicked his tongue while bluntly answering his questionnaire. 'RDU. RDU-90. Isn't that the researcher?'

The senior lawyer looked rather stunned but ignored the question Vernon wished to be answered. As if the higher ups did not want to listen, a bright blinding light shone through the side window of the restaurant. 

The Truck of Doom rammed its whole surface straight into the front of the building, bursting through the storefront glass. Both men were sent flying back by force. Vernon was barely conscious. His vision was tattered on impact, but Mr. Hong's status was shown laying on the ground several feet away, bleeding profusely from his head. 

The red fluid spread like an impetuous stream on the ground as the ear-deafening sounds slowly disappeared from the Consigliere's hearing...

The outside air's water did not stop pouring from the sky at all, as if it was the last day that it would rain. 

A crowd of colored umbrella's and shadows formed around the demolished building, one silhouette distinguishing itself from others. The female attorney, whose jaw fell open at the sight of her father's body on the ground. As Chayoung let her transparent umbrella drown on the ground, a shady figure passed by her with a specific object in his hand. A lit cigarette...

Two white busses were driving up on sinuous roads. Their windows were lit up by the sight of hell. Devilish flames were going up to the evening's sky, as the dark cloud tried to find its way above. 

One of the vehicles had the window rolled down, a thickly clothed arm sticking out with a golden lighter that was clicked open and close by a manly thumb. Little womanly chuckles were heard from the middle seat, which could be interpreted as evil in some cases. 

The Consigliere, Vernon Chwe, recalled a precious memory in his head, which may had pursued his decision.

"I do not care if I go to prison. I want to burn them down. All the drugs!"

BREAKING NEWS

The Babel Pharmaceuticals' supply warehouse has been demolished illegally...

TO BE CONTINUED.

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I mean, I could not help myself to make this imagine. Vincenzo is and will probably never be topped by any Kdrama whatsoever. I also wrote this one for a writing assignment in school (not even for myself lol), and used Vernon back then too as he fitted the aesthetic.

So, do me a favor and watch this drama if you have not ;-)

Vernon, you are too goofy for your own good and that is why I love you <333

Push the vote button guys and see you soon <333

Love,

dahliainjeolmi01