Free Web NovelWhile I was talking with Jiyoung, the sun began to set beyond the bus window.
An employee who’d been guarding outside came into the bus and whispered into Manager Ma’s ear.
When he stopped what he was doing and turned around, Manager Ma approached where I sat with Cheon Jiyoung and said:
“The manager is safe.”
“Really?”
“Yes. He will need surgery, but fortunately his life is not in danger.”
Hearing the conversation from the side, Cheon Jiyoung brightened and asked:
“Ajusshi, my manager oppa is safe?”
“Yes, miss. That’s the message we received.”
“Ah...”
As her tension finally loosened, Cheon Jiyoung let out a small sigh and leaned back against the seat.
“Put him in a single room and provide every convenience. He’s someone who got hurt protecting Jiyoung. Also, make sure the bodyguards who were injured protecting her all receive the best treatment possible. Ah, also contact Black Secret and pay out bonuses. And if there are any deaths, make sure compensation is delivered to the family in addition to the money from Black Secret.”
This kind of thing had to be compensated properly. Only then would they risk their lives to protect my people.
A thin loyalty bought with money can be solidified with money.
If things like this happen repeatedly, one day they’ll give me their loyalty themselves.
“Understood.”
Manager Ma bowed and left the bus to make the call.
A moment later, he returned and came close to whisper.
“Boss, he has arrived. The people who came with him are cleaning up the scene. They said they will wait in front until the president comes out.”
I checked the time on my wristwatch.
He said he’d arrived in Shenzhen—he came even faster than I expected.
“He arrived early. Tell them to wait for now.”
Manager Ma bowed again and stepped out of the bus.
I turned my head and looked at Cheon Jiyoung. I intended to explain a bit so she wouldn’t worry needlessly.
“Jiyoung, I’m going to go out and finish the cleanup now. Once things are settled here, we’ll go to Guangzhou. We’ll stay there a few days and figure out how to secure your safety. You understand me?”
Cheon Jiyoung nodded.
This time I turned my gaze toward Zhao Mi. She still hadn’t left and was sitting there.
“It seems things are about to be settled. Shouldn’t you be on your way now?”
“What? You’re going to leave after making this mess so big? Are you telling me to die?”
Zhao Mi stared at me with wide eyes.
What is she even talking about? I gave a small laugh and answered:
“Do I have an obligation to protect you? I don’t care if the triads control the Chinese entertainment industry. If you have complaints, take them up with your agency. I only dealt with them to protect my sister. You were saved by coincidence.”
My indifferent reply made Zhao Mi bite her lip as if humiliated.
Glaring at me resentfully, she spoke again.
“If you leave like this, they’ll come for me! My life is in danger because of you, so take responsibility!” fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
I lifted one eyebrow and answered casually:
“And if I hadn’t shown up, you wouldn’t be in danger?”
“T-that’s...”
Say it properly.
Neither begging nor threatening worked, so Zhao Mi changed her target to Cheon Jiyoung.
Maybe because her Korean wasn’t very good, she spoke awkward Korean to Jiyoung.
“Jiyoung.”
Cheon Jiyoung looked between us with an awkward, troubled expression.
“Jiyoung, Jiyoung, say something for me. If I go back like this, I’ll die.”
“...Unni.”
Unable to refuse, Cheon Jiyoung just fidgeted helplessly with her hands.
But pretending not to notice—that wasn’t like her.
“Oppa. I’ll stay with Zhao Mi unni, okay? That’s fine, right?”
Such a sweet, naive girl. A laugh escaped me without realizing it.
In both her past life and this one, she felt sorry toward me. That’s why I was always grateful to her.
I nodded a little and asked:
“Won’t it be uncomfortable staying together?”
“It’ll be better. I think I’ll be more anxious if I’m alone. And it’s not like oppa can stay with me the whole time...”
She was right. I wanted to stay, but I was also worried she might see something terrible.
If Jiyoung wasn’t uncomfortable, I didn’t care whether Zhao Mi was with her or not.
“Okay. Do as you want.”
“Thank you, oppa.”
Smiling, Cheon Jiyoung looked relieved. I left her and stood up.
“Wait here a little more. Someone came to help me clean things up. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay. Got it.”
Just then, Zhao Mi, who was looking out the window, muttered to herself:
“What the—why is he coming here?”
Those words made my steps stop.
“You know Hao Xun?”
“What are you? Why is he here...?”
Making me repeat myself twice again.
Her constant off-topic answers were getting irritating.
“I asked if you know him.”
“Of course I do. He’s the Vice Leader of Heilonghui, one of the top three triads in China. He has considerable influence in the entertainment industry. There are rumors he’s connected to top Communist Party officials. Someone like him wouldn’t come all the way out here...”
I frowned. Considerable influence in entertainment?
“Does that man also kidnap actresses or something like that?”
“What? No. He only invests. No matter how much actresses try to seduce him, he never budges. That’s why actresses line up to appear in films or dramas funded by Heilonghui.”
“Ah, is that so? That’s good.”
As if she still couldn’t believe it, Zhao Mi looked out the window again and asked me:
“What kind of person are you?”
“I don’t think you need to know.”
I answered firmly and turned to °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° walk toward the bus entrance.
“Jiyoung, Jiyoung! What does your oppa even do?”
I heard Zhao Mi running over to Jiyoung and asking her something, but I didn’t care anymore.
When I stepped off the bus, Hao Xun hurried toward me in big strides.
“President Kim. It’s been a while.”
Hao Xun bowed deeply. I let out a small sigh without meaning to.
“I told you before—don’t greet me like that.”
“...I apologize.”
He straightened up quickly and bowed his head slightly again.
“Be careful next time. Still, it’s nice to see a familiar face. Let’s walk.”
I wanted to get as far from the bus as possible so Jiyoung wouldn’t see. I headed toward the filming site and said:
“Manager, tell them to bring that bastard.”
Manager Ma signaled with his eyes to an employee. One of them moved quickly.
“Hao Xun, did you get Chairman Hu Jintao’s approval?”
“Pardon? Ah! Yes, I did.”
“What did he say?”
“...”
Hao Xun hesitated and didn’t answer.
Predictable. I gave a faint laugh and said what Hu Jintao would have said.
“No need to hear it. If the Shanghai faction is involved, he told you to step aside, right?”
“I’m sorry.”
“No. I would’ve said the same. It’s not time for Chairman Hu Jintao to go to war with Jiang Zemin yet.”
“But still...”
Hao Xun looked ashamed, but I hadn’t expected anything from the start.
I knew better than anyone what Hu Jintao’s future would be.
If he were someone who could decisively draw the sword at the crucial moment, he wouldn’t have been pushed around by Jiang Zemin for ten years.
An employee brought Wei Dabao.
“This is the one.”
“Vice Leader! It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Wei Dabao!”
He must have received treatment—Wei Dabao had bandages wrapped around his arm.
The moment he saw us, he bowed deeply and shouted so loudly my ears hurt.
Watching him bend his waist as if it would snap, I let out a dry laugh.
“President, let me ask him a question.”
When I nodded, Hao Xun asked Wei Dabao:
“Is it true that Zhou Zhuohua is the boss of 14K now? Did Wan Kuok Koi hand the seat over to him?”
“It wasn’t officially passed on, but after Boss Wan Kuok Koi was arrested, most of the organization started following Boss Zhou Zhuohua.”
Even as he answered, Hao Xun still looked doubtful.
“...Does Zhou Zhuohua have the right to do that? I heard he’s opening a new casino business in Macau. And yet he’s doing this too?”
“I don’t know details someone like me shouldn’t know. We just follow orders.”
Nodding, Hao Xun continued the questions.
“Did Zhou Zhuohua give the order directly? Did he personally command you to bring Actress Cheon Jiyoung and Zhao Wei here?”
“No. Deputy Boss Gao Jun told us. He said he received the boss’s order and sent us here.”
“Gao Jun? That bastard is 14K? Since when? No, that bastard—why is he in 14K?”
Frowning, Hao Xun muttered. The inconsistency between their claims was interesting.
Had the power structure shifted quickly, or was Hao Xun’s intelligence network lazy?
“I don’t know the exact details either.”
“What do you even know? Want to die?”
“I’m sorry!”
“You know exactly where the deputy boss is waiting, right?”
“Yes, I do! Once we kidnapped and brought them, he would personally check and edu—”
Before Wei Dabao could finish, Hao Xun kicked him.
He clearly knew what “education” meant.
“You filthy bastard! Even if you live in the shadows, there are lines you should NEVER cross.”
Rolling on the ground, Wei Dabao fell to his knees and lowered his head.
“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Panting heavily, Hao Xun turned toward me.
“What should we do with this bastard?”
What should we do... I thought for a moment.
I could see the trembling in Wei Dabao’s eyes as he looked at me.
“If the place he gives is accurate, cut off one arm and send him back. I promised to let him live. But if even one word he said is false, kill him on the spot.”
“Understood.”
“Are you short on manpower? Tomorrow, people from Korea and Russia will arrive. Should I lend you some?”
“President, are you really planning to start a war? This isn’t Korea.”
Manager Ma had already sent word to the Black Bear branches in Korea and Russia.
Except for those deployed elsewhere, every available person would gather in Guangzhou.
“If necessary, we’ll have to go to war.”
If Hao Xun could resolve everything neatly, those who arrived would get a short vacation...
If not, a real war would be the only thing left.
“Hao Xun, I said I would erase 14K from the world. They tried to kidnap my family.”
“But they probably didn’t know what they were doing. They couldn’t have known your identity. Even I didn’t know Actress Cheon Jiyoung was your sister.”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is the fact they tried to kidnap her. If you’re scared, should I step in? If not, then settle everything properly so I don’t have to.”
When I said it firmly, Hao Xun swallowed hard.
But he quickly composed himself and answered:
“I will catch both Zhou Zhuohua and Gao Jun by tomorrow. I will prepare everything so you can speak to them yourself.”
Hao Xun was brimming with confidence. He boasted that he could tidy up even the triads based in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau in a single night.
“And the drama currently being filmed—do you know which broadcasting network it belongs to?”
“Yes. I checked before coming. What should I do?”
“First, keep everyone silent about what happened today. If a news article comes out, or if rumors spread online...”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of silencing everyone.”
As expected—quick on the uptake.
Even though nothing had happened, it would be bad if an actress became the center of gossip.
“Replace the drama’s director and all the staff.”
“I’ll take care of that as well.”
I liked how quick he was.
Satisfied, I nodded and lightly tapped his shoulder.
“Thanks to you, Vice Leader, things are comfortable. Then I’ll head to Guangzhou first. Contact me when everything is finished.”
I left Hao Xun behind and took Cheon Jiyoung, heading to Guangzhou first.
Not long after, I got a call from Hao Xun.
— President. We’ve caught both of them. But... things are turning a bit strange.
