I Was Sent Into A Shitty Urban Novel-Chapter 21 - .

It was the day after the verdict.

News of Lang and Park’s conviction had hit the city like a thunderclap. Jason didn’t even need to check trending topics—he already knew. From street corners to office break rooms, their names were on every tongue.

Social media was ablaze:

"Life in prison. Good."

"How the hell did this case move so fast? Someone powerful wanted this buried or exposed. No in-between."

"Vanessa Clark deserved better. I hope her family can rest now."

"I swear, seeing Park cry on the stand was the highlight of my week."

"Lang really thought he’d walk with an apology. LMAO."

Jason scrolled casually through the comments while seated in the back of a quiet, chauffeured car. The sky outside was overcast, clouds hanging low over the skyline. It made the entire city feel subdued—as if it were collectively processing what had just happened.

Jason clicked on to a new live stream.

Across the city, people tuned in.

On a small platform flanked by reporters and microphones, Hendricks faced the world.

At the center of the broadcast stood Hendricks.

Not the trembling man Jason had pulled from beneath the bridge, but someone reborn. He wore a fitted navy-blue suit, sharp against the backdrop of cameras and flashing lights. His posture was steady. His expression firm. And in his eyes burned a quiet determination—the kind that couldn’t be faked.

Daisy had helped him prepare. The media knew nothing of that, but Jason did. He could see it in every breath Hendricks took, every pause he let linger before his next word.

He stepped up to the podium and took a slow breath as camera shutters clicked around him.

"Good morning," he began. "Before I say anything else, let me first introduce myself. Some of you watching may know me. Some of you... may not."

He looked directly into the cameras now, his voice steady despite the weight in it.

"My name is Hendricks Sang. A few months ago, I was living under a bridge with nothing but the clothes on my back. I was homeless. Jobless. Forgotten. My name meant nothing to anyone—not even to myself."

The murmurs in the crowd hushed. Reporters leaned in.

"About a year ago, I was just another name on the payroll," Hendricks Sang began, his voice steady. "I showed up on time. Did my work. Never caused trouble. But sometimes... trouble finds you anyway."

He paused, letting the words settle.

"I didn’t go looking for anything. I wasn’t trying to be a hero. I just happened to see something—something that didn’t sit right. And for that... I was cast out. Silenced. Framed. My name was blacklisted, my record wiped clean of anything good. I lost my job, my home, and for a long time, I lost myself."

"What I went through nearly broke me... but even that doesn’t come close to the cruelty Vanessa Clark experienced."

"Vanessa was not just a colleague—she was a friend. A kind person. Someone who didn’t deserve what happened to her. What Lang and Park did to her...

He glanced down, then back up.

"But someone did something no one else ever did. They helped me. Believed in me. And gave me a second chance. Because of that—because of him—I stand here today."

A slow hush fell over the press row.

"The company formerly under the leadership of Gerard Lang and Dae‑Hyun Park no longer exists. In name, in structure, or in spirit. It is gone. And in its place is something new."

He adjusted the mic slightly.

"Effective immediately, the company will now be known as V. Clark Creative Solutions. Not just in remembrance—but in defiance. This name carries the memory of someone who paid the ultimate price for speaking truth to power. We carry it forward to ensure that never happens again."

Flashbulbs fired. Some reporters even lowered their cameras, struck by the gravity of his words.

"This rebrand is not just cosmetic. It’s structural. Ethical. We are rebuilding from the foundation up. New policies. New oversight. A new board. And a renewed commitment to integrity."

He exhaled slowly, then offered the smallest of smiles.

"I’ll be serving as the new face of the company. Not because I’m perfect—but because I’ve seen the worst. I’ve lived it. And I know what it means to claw your way back from the bottom."

He folded his hands briefly, then gave a final nod.

"This rebrand isn’t just a change in name or leadership — it’s a commitment. To the people who were hurt. To the ones still trying to do right. And to the promise that what happened under Lang and Park will never happen again."

He stepped back from the mic as the room erupted—not with shouts, but with applause. Reporters calling his name. Cameras clicking in a frenzy.

Jason leaned back in his chair, tablet still streaming the press conference.

He didn’t smile. He simply nodded once, as if checking off a box.

Jason closed the tablet, the press conference having ended minutes ago. He leaned back in his chair, silent for a moment.

His mind drifted to the conversation he’d had with Hendricks earlier.

They were in a meeting room just off the main floor—simple, quiet, no suits, no board members. Just him and Hendricks at a round table.

Daisy had brought them coffee, then quietly left. Hendricks held the cup like it might break in his hands, clearly still adjusting to this new world.

Jason leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"I’m planning to take over Nova form Studio."

Hendricks blinked. "You’re... what?"

"After the trial," Jason said, "Lang had no leverage. His reputation’s destroyed, and the shareholders scattered. I already bought up most of them. This morning, he handed over the rest of his shares—for free."

Hendricks stared at him, stunned.

Jason continued. "The company’s worthless in name, but the infrastructure? The staff? The license rights? That’s value. And it’s mine now."

He paused, then looked Hendricks square in the eye.

"I’m rebranding it. New name, new direction, new leadership. And I want you to be the face of that shift."

"Me?" Hendricks asked, eyebrows raised.

"You were part of the company when it was at its worst," Jason said. "You got burned for trying to do the right thing. That gives you credibility I’ll never have. When people see you up there, they’ll know this isn’t just some PR stunt."

Hendricks looked down at his hands. "I still don’t think I’m that guy. I’m not some poster boy for redemption."

Jason shook his head. "You don’t need to be polished. You just need to tell the truth. They fired you. They ruined you. And you still got back up. That’s what people will listen to."

There was silence for a beat.

Then Hendricks gave a short, quiet nod. "Alright. I’ll try."

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