Free Web NovelAt Kim Muhyuk’s order, Yoo Seongjin first tracked down Gong Seungyeon’s movements.
Fortunately, the bar he frequented happened to be one of the establishments they managed.
A burly man opened the door and stepped into the room where Yoo Seongjin was waiting.
“Is Gong Seungyeon here?”
“Yes, hyungnim.”
The man’s attitude was stiff with discipline. Yoo Seongjin gave a short laugh, poured liquor into the glass before him, and downed it in one gulp.
“You told the girls to keep pouring drinks for him, right?”
“I told them, hyungnim.”
“Sit down too. Have a drink.”
At Yoo Seongjin’s order, the man who had been standing like a wooden post walked over and sat.
“Take it.”
Yoo Seongjin lifted a bottle of whisky and handed it over. The man received it politely with both hands.
After tossing the liquor back in one go, he set the glass down. Hesitating, he carefully opened his mouth.
“Hyungnim, isn’t this too dangerous?”
“What is?”
“Representative Gong Seungyeon is too big of a figure. He isn’t someone lowlifes like us can lay hands on.”
Yoo Seongjin, who had just set down his glass, glared at the man across from him.
“Jongsik.”
“Yes, hyungnim.” fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
“Guys like us do as we’re told from above. That’s all.”
Even with Yoo Seongjin’s firm words, the man—Park Jongsik—pressed on.
“But hyungnim, asking you to handle something like this directly isn’t right, is it? Chairman is going too far...”
But before he could even finish, Yoo Seongjin rose from his seat and hurled the glass in front of him at Park Jongsik.
The glass narrowly missed his face, shattering against the wall.
“You bastard!”
At the voice seething with rage, Park Jongsik quickly lowered his head.
“What the hell are you dissatisfied about! It’s not like you guys are living rough like before! You’re all stuffed and fat now. Do you want to go back to Yeongdo’s back alleys and live like thugs again? Is that it?”
“......”
Even when berated, Park Jongsik only kept his head bowed in silence.
If even Park Dongsu’s faction thought like this, then the other factions would certainly be worse.
Yoo Seongjin slumped back down with a bitter shake of his head.
“Dongsoo hyung entrusted things to Sanggeun hyung, and he’s done his best in that seat. Has Sanggeun hyung ever abandoned you? No. He gave you all the important shops and positions. And now you want to pick and choose which orders you’ll follow?”
Park Jongsik raised his head, worry etched across his face, but Yoo Seongjin pretended not to notice.
“Hyungnim! If this goes wrong, you’ll spend the rest of your life in prison. Prosecutors often come along when Gong Seungyeon visits those bars.”
“So what then?”
“I’m asking you to stop this, hyungnim.”
Letting out an incredulous sigh, Yoo Seongjin fixed him with a lethal glare.
“Don’t want to do it? Then quit. But then go back down to Busan and live like a dead mouse.”
“Hyungnim!”
“You dogshit bastard! What you’re doing right now is betrayal! We do what we’re told, that’s all!”
It was absurd that the man acknowledged by Park Dongsu was not recognized by others.
Recalling what others had said when they came to him, Yoo Seongjin spoke even more harshly.
“If Sanggeun hyung orders me, I obey unconditionally. So if you’re going to pull some half-assed trick, go back to Busan. I don’t want to be the one to kill you myself.”
After finishing, Yoo Seongjin filled a new glass with ice, poured liquor, and drank again. His face betrayed his tangled feelings.
Park Jongsik lowered his head once more and said,
“Hyungnim, I’m sorry. I only spoke out of concern. Even if I die, I’ll die alongside you.”
Yoo Seongjin let out a low sigh.
It was frustrating. Even after Park Dongsu had set things straight, people still did not genuinely follow Lee Sanggeun.
“...You guys think Sanggeun hyung looks weak, don’t you? You probably think he only sits in that seat thanks to Dongsoo hyung’s shadow. But if he were really just that, could he have eliminated all the big bosses?”
“That’s not what I think, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ hyungnim.”
“Remember this: one careless word from you could cost not only your life but also your brothers’. Drink up. And I apologize.”
Pouring him a drink in apology, Yoo Seongjin passed it over. Park Jongsik downed it in one go, set the glass down, and answered.
“No, I misspoke.”
“This kind of job is only done with those I truly trust. That’s why it’s a small crew. If anything happens, I’ll take full responsibility. But if cops try to trip you up and lead you on with questions, don’t fall for it. Act like you don’t know anything. Understood?”
“......”
Instead of answering, Park Jongsik gripped his glass tightly. Seeing this, Yoo Seongjin shook his head and kept drinking.
After a long while, the door opened and another man entered.
“Hyungnim, Gong Seungyeon is heading home now. What should we do?”
Draining his glass one last time, Yoo Seongjin stood.
“What do you mean what? Give me the car keys.”
“You’ll do it yourself?”
Park Jongsik jumped to his feet.
“Hyungnim, let me do it.”
But Yoo Seongjin raised a hand to stop him. Since it was a direct order from Kim Muhyuk, it had to be handled cleanly with no loose ends.
“Driving is something I can handle. Just follow behind properly. Watch closely if anyone tails us.”
Outside, Yoo Seongjin received Gong Seungyeon’s car key. He drove the car to the front of the bar and waited quietly.
Soon, Gong Seungyeon emerged, supported by waiters.
They opened the backseat door and helped him in. Unaware of the situation, the waiters simply stepped back and bowed as usual.
“Please get home safely, sir.”
The door closed, and the car carrying Gong Seungyeon headed for its destination.
Checking the rearview mirror, Yoo Seongjin saw Gong Seungyeon sprawled drunk in the backseat.
The car raced down the dark road and eventually arrived at an abandoned factory on Ganghwa Island.
Still unaware of where he was being taken, Gong Seungyeon remained fast asleep.
Getting out, Yoo Seongjin entered the factory first, instructing his men.
“Wake him and bring him in.”
Park Jongsik opened the back door and slapped Gong Seungyeon’s cheek lightly.
“Hey, hey!”
“What the—!”
Rubbing his stinging cheek, Gong Seungyeon groggily woke. His eyes were hazy, still not fully conscious.
“What do you think this is? Grim Reaper’s here for you, bastard!”
“What the hell are you babbling about, lunatic!”
Whether still drunk or half-asleep, Gong Seungyeon flailed in confusion.
Park Jongsik grabbed him by the suit collar, yanked him out, and flung him onto the ground.
Rolling several times across the dirt, Gong Seungyeon finally snapped awake and looked around.
The abandoned factory, swallowed in deep darkness, was silent.
Terrified, Gong Seungyeon raised his voice on purpose, shouting at the men standing around him.
“You bastards! Do you even know who I am?”
“Still don’t get the situation, huh? Drag him inside. Hyungnim is waiting.”
At Park Jongsik’s order, the men hauled Gong Seungyeon up by his arms.
“Let go! Let me go, you bastards! Ghhk...!”
As he struggled, one of the men drove a hard blow into his stomach.
The heavy pain froze his movements. The men dragged the groaning Gong Seungyeon inside.
He was dumped before Yoo Seongjin.
Sitting in a chair, Yoo Seongjin jerked his chin at him. The men stepped back.
Clasping his hands under his chin, Yoo Seongjin leaned forward and called to the still-dazed Gong Seungyeon.
“Representative Gong Seungyeon.”
Gong Seungyeon raised his head. His eyes were full of confusion.
“Let’s make this easy.”
“You! Who the hell are you?”
“If you want to live, shut your mouth. From now on, answer only the questions I ask. Say nothing else.”
Humiliated, Gong Seungyeon glared at Yoo Seongjin. His eyes held both fear and rage.
“Still got fire in your eyes, huh. Let’s dim that a bit before we start. Boys!”
Straightening his posture, Yoo Seongjin gave the signal.
At that, the men surrounding them closed in on Gong Seungyeon.
* * *
Yoo Seongjin carefully set an icebox on the table.
“There’s something in his suit pocket for you, boss. May I take it out?”
He clearly remembered the warning not to move carelessly.
Ha Myeonghun looked toward me for approval.
When I nodded, only then did Yoo Seongjin take out a key from his inner pocket and hand it to Ha Myeonghun.
I received the key from Ha Myeonghun and examined it.
“It’s the key to Gong Seungyeon’s safe. His villa is in Sanbon, Gyeonggi-do.”
A villa, huh. More interesting than I expected.
I nodded and shifted my gaze to the icebox on the table. Yoo Seongjin, noticing, opened it.
“This is Gong Seungyeon’s left hand.”
He showed the inside.
All the fingernails had been torn out.
I couldn’t help but smirk. The job was more thorough than I thought.
“Did he have the key on him too?”
“Yes. According to him, every case he handled is recorded in that villa.”
“Cases?”
“Yes. I don’t know what he was thinking, but he confessed everything readily.”
If those cases included Ilseong-related matters, this could be useful.
Rubbing my chin, I handed the key back to Ha Myeonghun.
“Send people. Bring everything there.”
Ha Myeonghun accepted the key with a bow. Yoo Seongjin added,
“One of the boys outside will go with you. He knows the exact location.”
Ha Myeonghun summoned a staff member and gave the key.
“Go with the men outside. Collect everything inside the safe. Search for anything else while you’re there.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll step out to give instructions to the boys.”
With a nod, Yoo Seongjin followed the staff member out.
“Manager Ha, handle that on your own.”
“Yes, boss.”
Ha Myeonghun closed the icebox, lifted it, and carried it away.
After giving his men orders, Yoo Seongjin soon returned.
I still had one last question. He stood stiffly, nervous.
“How did you handle him?”
“I inflicted as much pain as possible, cut his wrist while he was alive, and finally sealed him in concrete and dumped him in the West Sea.”
I could almost hear Gong Seungyeon’s screams. Satisfied, I smiled.
“Well done. Cleaner than I expected.”
Yoo Seongjin bowed lightly, then hesitated.
“Please... let me bear full responsibility. The others only followed my orders.”
“Responsibility?”
“With someone like Gong Seungyeon gone, there must be someone to answer for it, right?”
Responsibility, huh. He hadn’t questioned the order before—but now he worried about this.
“Did you leave any evidence?”
“No. But if they trace Gong Seungyeon’s steps, it’ll lead back to our bar where he drank last. That’ll inevitably trigger an investigation.”
“That will not happen.”
At my firm tone, puzzlement flashed in Yoo Seongjin’s eyes.
He still didn’t really know me.
“I only ordered this to test Executive Director Yoo. Did Chairman Lee tell you nothing?”
“No, Sanggeun hyung said nothing.”
So Lee Sanggeun intended to wait until everything was certain. Thorough man, as always.
“Then call Chairman Lee. Let’s have dinner and talk about what’s next. Manager Ha, tell him to come alone, driving himself, to the Secret Courtesan.”
“Understood.”
I rose. Though still full of doubt, Yoo Seongjin asked nothing.
“We’ll head out first. Executive Director Yoo, you’ll come with me. Send the others back.”
Taking Yoo Seongjin with me, we moved to the Secret Courtesan.
He must have been bewildered by all this, yet he didn’t complain once. I liked that.
“This is your first time here?”
“Yes, boss.”
“You’ll be coming often.”
The server led us to the innermost room.
Food was already prepared inside. I slipped off my jacket and handed it naturally to Ha Myeonghun.
“Let’s sit before Chairman Lee arrives. Manager Ha, stay here and eat with us.”
I sat at the head seat. Yoo Seongjin took the left, Ha Myeonghun the right.
Lifting the liquor pot before me, I smiled and offered it to Ha Myeonghun.
“Come to think of it, I’ve never had a drink with you, Manager Ha.”
Not in my past life, nor in this one.
Ha Myeonghun nodded, politely offering his glass.
After pouring for him, I passed the pot to Yoo Seongjin.
“Executive Director Yoo, I look forward to working with you.”
“No, I look forward to it.”
I poured my own glass and raised it. Both men waited, glasses in hand.
“Let’s down the first one simply. We’ll talk in detail once Chairman Lee arrives.” freēwēbηovel.c૦m
After drinking, I set my glass down and asked Yoo Seongjin,
“Until Chairman Lee arrives, tell me about Dongsoo hyung’s youth. What was he like?”
“Dongsoo hyungnim? He was just a man crazy about fighting. Back in high school...”
I listened as Yoo Seongjin spoke about Park Dongsu’s past I hadn’t known, finding it quite interesting.
We kept refilling the drinks while waiting for Chairman Lee.
After some time, the door opened and Lee Sanggeun entered.
“Sorry I’m late, boss.”
He bowed deeply, but I waved it off.
The meeting was sudden anyway; lateness was expected.
“No worries. Have a seat, Chairman Lee.”
Lee Sanggeun sat down beside Yoo Seongjin.
