Free Web NovelA chilling silence followed the shocking sight. No one spoke.
The corpse was in a ghastly state. Several toes were missing, and the remaining ones were crushed beyond recognition. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Not only the teeth but also every fingernail had been torn out.
Even Lee Seongjae, who had served in the police for decades, muttered that he could count on one hand how many times he had seen a body like this.
Even Chief Ma, who had wandered through numerous war zones such as African civil wars, frowned deeply.
Only after some time passed did anyone manage to open their mouth.
Looking at the corpse—its face so disfigured it was impossible to tell whether it was Patrick or not—I asked Lee Seokmin,
“Is that man really Vice President Patrick?”
“Yes, it’s Vice President Patrick.”
So it ended like this. This was the result of approaching Seo Jaehun recklessly, not realizing how dangerous he truly was.
With a grim expression, Lee Seongjae let out a long sigh and asked,
“President Kim, who did you say that man was again?”
“An American named Patrick. He’s also the Vice President of Goldman Sachs.”
“What? Vice President of Goldman Sachs? And someone like that ends up here...”
Lee Seongjae’s face twisted. He ruffled his hair in frustration and muttered,
“This isn’t something I can contain on my level. There’s going to be diplomatic fallout too...”
An American—worse, the Vice President of Goldman Sachs—had been brutally murdered in Korea.
It was an incident that couldn’t possibly be covered up.
I knew Seo Jaehun was insane, but I hadn’t imagined he was this far gone.
He wanted to frame me, that much was obvious, but was there really any need to kill someone so cruelly?
“This is getting out of hand,” Lee Seongjae murmured as he pulled gloves from his suit pocket and slipped them on.
He approached Patrick’s corpse, looking around the area, mumbling to himself,
“This is more brutal than any scene I’ve seen in decades. The toes were sawed off, the crushed ones done with a hammer... and the weapons are just lying right next to him. Horrifying.”
While Lee Seongjae examined Patrick’s body, Park Jihoon came up to me and asked quietly,
“It couldn’t really have been Vice Chairman Seo Jaehun who did this, right?”
Normally, I’d say no. But Seo Jaehun wasn’t someone you could judge by normal standards.
I shook my head slightly.
“It was probably him.”
“What reason would he have to do something like this?”
“Because he’s insane. I’m sure he’s been doing things like this for years. There’s no physical evidence, but there have been several mysterious disappearances. Every time, Ilseong Group covered it up, and he was never punished. It’s only natural that you wouldn’t know.”
Park Jihoon stared at Patrick’s corpse, looking as though he couldn’t believe it.
“No matter how insane he is, to do this...”
“You can never understand a madman’s thoughts. But one thing’s certain—he wanted to kill me and then frame me for Patrick’s murder. If you and the General hadn’t arrived right on time, that’s exactly what would’ve happened.”
Park Jihoon frowned, confused.
“Ha, damn. I just don’t get it. What would killing you even accomplish?”
“If I die, the influence I hold becomes meaningless. That power only exists while I’m alive.”
The wealth and power I had would all vanish the moment I died.
No matter how hard Han Kyungyeong and Eva tried to help, without me, they wouldn’t be able to defeat Seo Jaehun or Ilseong.
Of course, loyal friends like Myungsoo and Hyunseong would fight to uncover the truth to the end—but who knew what the others would do.
“This place doesn’t belong to Seo Jaehun, but when I arrived, he came out of the basement with Han Jiho. So he’s involved somehow—whether he did the killing himself or ordered it.”
“It’s madness. How could he even think of using a police SWAT unit to kill you? That Team Leader Ahn guy—he’s Seo Jaehun’s stooge, isn’t he?”
“Yes. Probably one of those Ilseong scholarship dogs.”
“You think there are more in the military?”
The military, huh... not that I remembered.
Back during the dictatorship days, maybe—but now there was no profit in buying off generals.
If Ilseong were in the defense business, it would be a different story, but they weren’t.
“Probably not. Most of Ilseong’s military friends lost their positions during the last purge. They’re not in the defense industry, so there’s no reason to plant people in the army anymore.”
Park Jihoon nodded, his expression softening slightly.
Then, after finishing his examination, Lee Seongjae came back over.
“The body’s too damaged. At a glance, it looks like shock, but we’ll need the forensic team to know for sure. He must’ve died in excruciating pain. What the hell did that bastard do to deserve something like this...”
He shook his head, pulling off his gloves with a click of his tongue.
“I’ll have to call in the team.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
Lee Seongjae left the basement with Park Jihoon.
Once they were out of sight, I turned to Lee Seokmin.
“Did you see the killing yourself?”
“No. He was already dead when I arrived. But I’m sure the Vice Chairman did it. When I followed Manager Han Jiho down to the basement, he was alone. He took off his bloodstained gloves right then.”
“He took off bloodstained gloves in front of you?”
“Yes. His clothes had blood on them too. Han Jiho brought him a new suit, and he changed right there.”
He must have shown everything deliberately, intending to kill both me and Lee Seokmin afterward.
Even so, it was rash—too rash for Seo Jaehun.
“Maybe he’s desperate. His judgment’s slipping. Where are the clothes and gloves now?”
“Manager Han Jiho took them. Probably hid them somewhere.”
First thing—I needed to secure those. {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} Bloodstained clothes and gloves might not be perfect evidence, but...
If we could get DNA, it would be decisive. I didn’t expect much, though.
“It’s not much, but it’ll be enough to tie him in. Once the media starts and the police and prosecutors move, it’s over.”
Then, Lee Seokmin took out a small recorder from inside his jacket and handed it to me.
I looked at him, puzzled.
“A recorder? What is this?”
“It contains everything that’s been said since we got here. You can edit it as you see fit. The Vice Chairman didn’t confess directly, but as circumstantial evidence, it’s more than enough.”
Of course it was Lee Seokmin. Recording the conversation even while walking into a deathtrap.
I pressed play. The recorder captured everything from the moment Lee Seokmin was kidnapped by Seo Jaehun’s men.
I fast-forwarded until I heard Seo Jaehun’s voice.
When he didn’t answer the question about whether he killed Patrick, I was slightly disappointed.
But then came the part where he said Lee Seokmin wouldn’t leave alive—and told him to bring a change of clothes. I smirked and pressed stop.
“This is more than enough to hang him. Even releasing the transcript to the media will end it. You’ve put the leash on properly, Chief Lee.”
With Seo Yonggeon possibly dying any day now, if Seo Jaehun’s killings started surfacing one by one, Ilseong would crumble fast.
“You might have to testify too. About the old incidents that got covered up.”
That meant he could take some damage himself—but his testimony would be the strongest evidence of all.
Having served as Seo Yonggeon’s secretary for decades, there was no better witness.
“I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong. Just tell them everything you know. And if the court calls you to testify, you’ll attend.”
“...Understood.”
Lee Seokmin seemed fully determined to side with me now.
As he nodded, I guided him.
“Let’s go upstairs. I can’t stand the stench any longer.”
I glanced one last time at Patrick’s corpse and headed up with him.
The cool air outside greeted me as we exited the basement.
The wind brushed past, washing away the scent of blood clinging to my clothes.
“Hey! Tell me the truth—did you know about what was in the basement or not?”
“...”
“Answer me, you bastard!”
The outside was in chaos.
Lee Seongjae kicked Ahn Hyunsu, shoving him in the chest with his fist. But Ahn only hung his head, saying nothing.
“If you knew, you’re an accomplice! What the hell did you gain from this? Even if I wanted to cover for you, I can’t! Thanks to you, every SWAT officer who came here without knowing anything is about to lose his badge!”
At the mention of his men, Ahn Hyunsu lifted his head.
“The team isn’t at fault. I brought them. I’ll take full responsibility.”
Lee Seongjae let out a laugh of disbelief.
“You crazy bastard! ‘I’ll take full responsibility’? What is this, a movie? Don’t be ridiculous! This isn’t something you can take responsibility for alone. An American—an American executive vice president of Goldman Sachs—has been murdered. And you think it ends with you saying you’ll take responsibility?”
Watching the scene for a moment, I walked toward Han Jiho, who was kneeling on the ground, restrained.
Seo Jaehun glanced my way, then closed his eyes as if deep in thought.
When I stopped before Han Jiho, he lifted his head.
Then, looking at Lee Seokmin standing beside me, he said,
“You won, Chief.”
“...”
“Why can’t I ever be like you?”
“I’m sorry. I—”
“Ha. Don’t give me that crap. I made my choice. I chose my master. That’s all there is to it.”
There was a strange tension between the two. I was curious, but this wasn’t the time.
Looking down at the hollow smile on Han Jiho’s face, I asked,
“Cut the nonsense. Where did you hide the clothes Seo Jaehun was wearing and the gloves he used to kill Patrick?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Of course. I’d expected that, but hearing it still made my irritation flare.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I glanced around.
“Fine. Don’t answer. They’ll turn up soon enough.”
“...I’m the one who killed him.”
“Sure you are. But no one’s going to believe that.”
There were too many eyes watching for me to use force anyway.
And honestly, I didn’t need to—not when I had this in my hand.
“Chief Lee gave me something interesting. Know what this is?”
I pulled the recorder from my inner pocket and waved it.
Han Jiho looked confused.
Smirking, I pressed play.
—You knew what I was, didn’t you? Manager Han did the cleanup, but you were the one who covered it up from the media and police, weren’t you, Chief?
As Seo Jaehun’s voice came through the recorder, Han Jiho’s eyes trembled.
When I turned my head, Seo Jaehun was glaring at the device with murderous eyes.
—You’re going to die here today, Chief.
Seo Jaehun’s voice again—saying he would kill Lee Seokmin.
—Enough. Bring me a change of clothes.
Then his order to Han Jiho.
—Here’s the change of clothes you asked for.
And the sound of him changing.
Everything was on the recording.
“The clothes Seo Jaehun changed into are somewhere around here. You don’t know where?”
“...”
He stayed silent till the end, lips tightly sealed. I nodded.
“That’s fine. You don’t need to talk. Once we search, everything will come out anyway.”
I turned around.
Seo Jaehun, eyes open now, was staring at the recorder in my hand.
I changed direction and walked toward him instead of Lee Seongjae.
“What’s wrong? Didn’t expect there’d be something like this?”
“How... When did he record—”
“You said it yourself. Chief Lee’s good at his job. Even walking into his own death, he had this ready. You’re finished, Seo Jaehun.”
A cold wind from the mountains blew between us, slicing through the space like a blade.
