Free Web NovelLee Seokmin followed Han Jiho down the basement stairs.
At the bottom, a thick iron door appeared.
Han Jiho opened it and stepped inside without hesitation.
Lee Seokmin followed after him, but without realizing it, his eyes shut tightly.
The basement reeked of blood. It was pure chaos.
As the door closed behind them, Seo Jaehun turned around.
His face and clothes were soaked in blood.
“Director Lee Seokmin, you’re here.”
“······.”
Lee Seokmin cautiously opened his eyes.
Only then did the hellish scene before him come into focus.
The floor and walls were lined with plastic sheets drenched in blood. Patrick, tied to a chair, hung limp, not moving an inch.
“Vice Chairman, what is this······.”
“Why? You knew, didn’t you? That I was this kind of man. Manager Han did the cleanup, but it was you who blocked the media and police, wasn’t it?”
“······.”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t know.”
Lee Seokmin sighed and looked at Seo Jaehun.
There was no emotion in Seo Jaehun’s eyes.
“Is Vice President Patrick dead?”
“Well, why don’t you take a look yourself?”
Seo Jaehun stepped aside and smiled.
Only then did Lee Seokmin clearly see Patrick’s condition.
It was indescribably mutilated—hard to even look at.
When he instinctively lowered his gaze, he saw the shredded flesh and blood pooling on the plastic.
There was no doubt he was dead.
Biting his dry lips, Lee Seokmin spoke.
“Vice Chairman, Vice President Patrick is unlike anyone we’ve dealt with before. Even for Ilseong Group, cleaning this up will be······.”
Lee Seokmin stopped mid-sentence at the chill in Seo Jaehun’s gaze.
“Why did you do it?”
Seo Jaehun’s voice was low and flat, colder than ever.
“Why did you hand over company secrets to Kim Muhyuk?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb. You handed the materials to him—summaries of everything Ilseong Group has done up to now.”
“You think I did that?”
When Lee Seokmin asked calmly, Seo Jaehun’s smile deepened.
But only his lips smiled; his eyes did not.
“I never imagined that you, who’ve worked with my father for decades, would betray Ilseong Group. I doubted it at first. But when I went through the list of people who could have accessed those documents—less than ten in the whole company—you were the last one left.”
He was certain now. In Seo Jaehun’s mind, Lee Seokmin was guilty.
“My father and I both treated you well. I just don’t understand why.”
His tone was casual, but his eyes were feral.
After a long silence, Lee Seokmin finally nodded.
“You’re right. I gave him the data.”
“Why?”
“For Ilseong Group.”
“For Ilseong Group, you say······. Does that mean I’m unfit to lead it?”
Seo Jaehun’s eyes narrowed.
“So my father’s fit but I’m not? What’s the difference between us?”
“There is a difference. You’re unfit to lead Ilseong Group.”
Lee Seokmin turned his head, glancing at Patrick’s ruined body, then continued firmly.
“A man who does things like this cannot be the owner of Ilseong Group. Even without Kim Muhyuk, the Group would have fallen eventually. There are no secrets forever.”
He knew he wouldn’t walk out of here alive. So he might as well say what needed to be said.
“You’re talented, Director Lee. My father always praised your precision. You never failed to carry out his orders—until Kim Muhyuk showed up.”
“He’s······ he’s not like us. What Ilseong Group spent decades building, he accomplished in less than ten years.”
“Hm······. You’re unusually talkative today.”
Seo Jaehun stretched out his hand, and Han Jiho handed him a towel.
The clean white towel instantly turned red.
Wiping the blood from his face, Seo Jaehun spoke again.
“To be honest, I never wanted Ilseong Group that badly.”
The ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) shocking words made Lee Seokmin’s eyes widen.
“What do you mean······.”
“But my father always told me from childhood: You’re the one who must inherit Ilseong Group. Never give anyone a handle to grab you by. The world will laugh if you fall behind. That’s how he crushed me.”
Lee Seokmin knew Seo Jaehun’s childhood well. He couldn’t deny it.
“I grew up believing Ilseong Group was mine. I endured all the humiliations for that. And now you say it isn’t? That I’m beneath Kim Muhyuk?”
Murderous intent flickered in Seo Jaehun’s eyes.
The countless eyes that had watched him, the whispers that had hoped for his failure—they had stabbed his young heart for years.
He endured all of it, waiting for the day he would rule Ilseong Group. But everything had gone wrong.
Twisting his lips into a crooked grin, he looked at Lee Seokmin.
“Director, my only comfort was Jindong. Remember Jindong?”
“······Yes. I remember.”
“I was so happy when I got Jindong for my birthday. That little thing wagged its tail and clung to me—it was adorable.”
Jindong had been the Jindo dog gifted to Seo Jaehun when he was eight.
How had that dog ended up again? While Lee Seokmin tried to recall, Seo Jaehun went on.
“One day it suddenly growled and snapped at me, so I killed it. That’s when I realized—something that looked so strong could die so easily. And no one said anything to me afterward. They just bought me another pet and told me to love that one.”
A memory long buried came back to Lee Seokmin—Jindong’s death. The dog had been beaten until it was unrecognizable.
“So I did love the next one. Loved it dearly—then killed it myself. People and animals are the same. Even if I kill them, no one will blame me.”
Lee Seokmin remained silent.
He’d known all along. Chairman Seo Yonggeon hadn’t punished the boy; he’d simply bought him a new pet, brushing it aside.
But hearing it in Seo Jaehun’s own words, he felt a chill.
If the Chairman had disciplined him back then, maybe he wouldn’t have become this broken.
“Well, anyway. You’ll die here today, Director.”
“I expected that. I knew this would be where I die.”
Lee Seokmin nodded calmly.
His composure made Seo Jaehun frown slightly.
“Aren’t you afraid?”
“I am.”
“Doesn’t look like it. Hm······. I’ve never had someone react like this before.”
Seo Jaehun looked at him with the curious delight of a child who’d found a new toy.
At that moment, a ringtone buzzed from Han Jiho’s inner pocket near the entrance.
“What is it?”
— The men guarding the entrance are down. Several dozen vehicles are heading this way.
“What?”
Han Jiho’s shout drew both men’s attention.
“Stop them! Whatever it takes!”
— We don’t have enough men!
The mountain lodge was a secret site, guarded only by Seo Jaehun’s most trusted people.
Naturally, manpower was scarce. Han Jiho hesitated briefly, then barked,
“Use guns.”
— Yes, understood.
After ending the call, Han Jiho rushed to Seo Jaehun.
“Vice Chairman, you need to move.”
“Looks like all the stars are here tonight. Forget it. Bring me a change of clothes.”
“But······.”
One cold glare from Seo Jaehun stopped him mid-sentence.
“Yes, sir. Right away.”
Bowing, Han Jiho hurried out. Seo Jaehun sat down on a chair and lit a cigarette.
“Looks like Kim Muhyuk has arrived—to save you.”
“······You expected this?”
Seo Jaehun nodded, exhaling smoke.
“Of course. He’s the finale of tonight’s show.”
He chuckled faintly and filled the basement with thick cigarette smoke.
* * *
“Is that the entrance? There’s no other way in?”
The car stopped at the foot of the mountain. From inside, I looked at the barricaded entrance.
“Yes, that’s the only way.”
“Then break through. No delays.”
Manager Ma gave the order over the radio.
Immediately, dozens of vehicles surged forward toward the entrance.
With a loud crash, the barricades collapsed, and guards from the sentry post rushed out—only to be subdued within moments by Black Secret agents.
Leaving a few men behind to secure the post, the rest got back into the cars and began climbing the winding mountain road.
“They sure made this path long on purpose.”
As we wound up the slope, gunfire erupted.
The cars screeched to a halt.
“Find out what’s happening.”
Manager Ma grabbed the radio. Moments later, a voice replied:
— We’ve reached the lodge, but they opened fire without warning. Orders?
Since when was Korea this lenient with guns?
Gunfire would draw attention, but there was no time to hesitate.
“Tell them to fire back before we take unnecessary losses.”
Better a brief commotion than casualties in a drawn-out firefight.
Time was critical.
“Use our guns too. Report once it’s over.”
— Yes, sir!
Gunfire echoed through the mountains.
I closed my eyes as the relentless shots rang out.
It was taking too long. Was Lee Seokmin still alive? What about Patrick?
— The enemies are down.
“Move in.”
Before long, we reached the mountain lodge entrance.
Manager Ma rolled down the window and asked the guard posted there,
“What’s the situation?”
“All hostiles neutralized.”
“Did you capture Seo Jaehun?”
“He’s not inside the lodge.”
Manager Ma turned toward me.
Lee Seokmin had been brought here—but Seo Jaehun wasn’t inside?
“He’s here. He has to be······.”
Then, a side door of the lodge opened. Seo Jaehun, Lee Seokmin, and another unfamiliar man emerged.
“There he is.”
Black Secret operatives raised their guns, aiming carefully—because the unknown man was holding a pistol.
“President Kim Muhyuk!” freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Seo Jaehun called out loudly to me.
When I reached for the car door, Manager Ma stopped me.
“It’s dangerous, Boss.”
“It’s fine. Director Lee is there.”
I stepped out and walked toward Seo Jaehun.
Manager Ma followed, drawing his own pistol and keeping guard.
“Vice Chairman Seo Jaehun.”
When I called to him, he turned and smiled.
It wasn’t far, so his crooked grin was easy to see.
“What are you doing here? Where’s Vice President Patrick?”
Still smiling faintly, Seo Jaehun glanced toward the door he’d come from.
My eyes followed.
“He’s in the basement.”
“Alive?”
He didn’t answer—just smirked. Patrick was dead, then.
“······You lunatic. Killing him like that means you’re finished.”
“I’m already finished. Do you know how long I’ve waited for this stage?”
A sigh escaped my lips.
I’d known he was insane, but not this far gone.
“So what now?”
“Before that, answer me something. What did I do so wrong for you to drive me this far? The people behind your parents’ deaths—they’re all gone. My father’s barely alive, lying in bed. Why still treat me like an enemy? I even reached out to reconcile first.”
Grumbling, Seo Jaehun reached into his jacket.
Manager Ma immediately stepped in front of me, shouting,
“Freeze! Don’t move.”
Seo Jaehun paused.
“I just want a smoke. That okay?”
He pulled out a cigarette pack, raising both hands.
I gave a small nod, and Manager Ma stepped aside slightly.
The man beside Seo Jaehun lit the cigarette for him.
Drawing in the smoke deeply, Seo Jaehun exhaled a heavy plume and said,
“Let’s end this cursed tie tonight.”
He clearly intended to die here.
My face hardened.
“Seo Jaehun, what the hell are you thinking?”
