Free Web Novel“Ugh······. Ngh······.”
Hong Seokgeun let out a groan as his heavy eyelids twitched.
When he forced his eyes open, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted him.
“Where······ is this?”
He had absolutely no memory of where this place was, or how long he’d been here. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Even the slightest movement sent a splitting pain through his head.
“Ugh······.”
Clutching his head, Hong Seokgeun slowly scanned his surroundings. The spacious room was completely empty.
No sooner had he looked around than an intense, burning thirst surged up his throat.
Barely managing to get out of bed, Hong Seokgeun staggered toward the refrigerator.
He downed two bottles of cold mineral water, but the thirst wasn’t relieved in the slightest.
He opened the fridge again, only to find it completely empty.
Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Hong Seokgeun dragged his heavy body back to the bed and collapsed onto it.
“······What the hell is wrong with me?”
No matter how much he might have drunk, his condition felt far too strange.
His body felt limp, and everything felt like too much effort.
He just wanted to crawl back into bed and fall asleep again.
After wrestling with drowsiness for a long while, he slightly pulled back the curtain.
It was dark outside. If he’d slept and woken up, it should have been morning—or at least daytime—but it was unnaturally pitch-black.
A vague sense of unease crept over him, and Hong Seokgeun instinctively searched for his phone.
But his phone was nowhere to be found.
While frantically looking around, Hong Seokgeun noticed something hidden beneath the bed.
“What’s this?”
Reaching deep underneath, he pulled out a black duffel bag.
Was it already in the room? He’d never seen it before, and curiosity stirred.
Hong Seokgeun cautiously began to unzip the bag.
Inside were numerous white, brick-like bundles wrapped tightly in plastic.
Confused, he picked one up—and instantly realized what it was.
“Gasp!”
The moment he dropped the item with an involuntary scream—
The front door suddenly burst open, and armed men poured into the room.
“Don’t move! Hands up, now!”
“Huh? Wh-what?”
With black gun barrels aimed at him, only dazed sounds escaped his mouth.
When they raised their guns again, his frozen body moved on its own.
As Hong Seokgeun shakily raised his hands, the men shouted again.
“Get down! Get down on the floor!”
Following the armed man’s orders, Hong Seokgeun’s thoughts raced.
‘What is this? What the hell is going on?’
He had no idea what was happening.
A man who had approached him spoke up.
“You are under arrest for illegal possession and distribution of narcotics. You have the right to remain silent, and······.”
What? Drug possession? Hong Seokgeun’s mouth fell open in shock.
“What are you talking about? I—I’ve never done anything like that!”
“Shut up!”
When Hong Seokgeun instinctively turned his head to protest, the man slammed his head down with a brutal grip.
As cold handcuffs snapped shut and he was rendered completely immobile, his breath hitched and fear surged up.
While Hong Seokgeun lay flat on the floor, trembling uncontrollably, a clear female voice rang out.
“Secure the suspect, and collect the evidence. Run a blood test immediately.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Don’t take him to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Bring him to our safe house. Prepare everything and move him.”
When the man hesitated instead of answering right away, the woman removed her sunglasses and spoke firmly.
“This involves national security. We’ve already coordinated with the Drug Enforcement Administration. You’ll receive separate instructions later. Understand that and proceed.”
“Ah······. Understood.”
The woman who slipped her sunglasses into her suit pocket—Jessica—let out a long sigh.
“Good grief.”
She shook her head as she looked around.
Kim Muhyuk’s absurd request, delivered so suddenly, resurfaced in her mind.
— Jessica, I have a favor to ask. I want you to detain the man I’m about to mention. Handle it however you like, but release him when I tell you to.
It was a ridiculous request—one that couldn’t, and shouldn’t, be made.
In a country ruled by law, a liberal democracy like the United States, detaining someone unilaterally was unthinkable.
And releasing him just because someone said so? If this ever leaked, it could explode into a massive scandal.
— I know my request is dangerous. In exchange, I’ll give you information. Something that will help U.S. national security. For example······ Al Qaeda’s next target.
The bait Kim Muhyuk offered was far too tempting to refuse outright.
The terrorist attack that had occurred in Madrid, Spain not long ago.
Over 200 people had been killed, and nearly 2,000 injured—an enormous human toll.
Spain, all of Europe, and even the United States had been shaken, with renewed fears of secondary attacks.
— Have you still not found who was behind the Madrid attack? That was Al Qaeda’s operation.
It was something they already knew. But it was top-secret information, not yet disclosed to the public.
The media and the Spanish government were still insisting it might have been ETA, yet Kim Muhyuk knew everything.
Various Islamic terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda, had claimed responsibility, but Spain refused to budge.
They continued pushing the narrative that ETA was responsible, seemingly intent on further destroying public opinion against them.
But the United States didn’t believe it, and through investigation had already confirmed Al Qaeda’s involvement.
This process had only unfolded very recently—so how Kim Muhyuk knew all of this was deeply unsettling.
— The mastermind is Jamal Zougam, a Moroccan. He’s probably still in Madrid. That should be a decent down payment, don’t you think?
Without giving her a moment to think, Kim Muhyuk kept dangling the carrot.
In the end, Jessica let out a deep sigh.
— Fine. Tell me. Who is it?
— A man named Hong Seokgeun. He’s studying abroad at Princeton University. Ideally, I’d like him tied up in a drug case······ but if there’s a better method, feel free to use it.
— Who is he? Who on earth is he that you care this much, Charlie?
— Something’s about to happen in Korea. I need a joker to shake the other side. Ah, he’s the eldest son of Hong Jinwoo, a lawmaker from the Progressive Party.
What? Detain and lock up the son of a Korean National Assembly member?
Jessica barely managed to suppress the urge to scream.
— You’re telling me to frame a sitting lawmaker’s son using illegal methods? Do you hear yourself right now······?
— You’re free to refuse. Then our relationship ends there. And the information I provide will stop as well. ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) I can always find another way, even without your help.
Kim Muhyuk spoke lightly, as if he had nothing to lose.
That only made Jessica agonize more.
If this ever came out, her position could be in serious danger.
But losing her connection with Kim Muhyuk was an even bigger problem.
After a moment, having finished her calculations, Jessica spoke.
— ······I’ll report it upstairs and get back to you.
In the end, Kim Muhyuk’s request was approved.
The prevailing opinion was that Kim Muhyuk mattered more than a single Korean lawmaker, and thanks to the intelligence he provided, the mastermind behind the Madrid attack was captured.
If they could also learn the location of the next attack, they could prevent it and arrest the terrorists in advance.
That was why Jessica herself had come all the way down here.
“······I can’t believe I’m personally doing something like this.”
All the evidence had already been fabricated.
Illegal drugs had been “discovered” in the room Hong Seokgeun was staying in alone.
Fake witnesses had also been recruited to testify that he had distributed narcotics.
Hong Seokgeun had fallen into a trap he could never escape.
* * *
“You’d better take the call. Otherwise, you’ll regret it.”
Seeing the deep smile on Kim Muhyuk’s face, Hong Jinwoo asked reflexively,
“What do you mean by that?”
“Answer it. Isn’t that a call from the United States?”
“How would you even······?”
“Pick up. Then we can continue our conversation.”
Instead of answering the question, Kim Muhyuk gestured again.
Hong Jinwoo glanced back and forth between his phone and Kim Muhyuk, then finally pressed the call button.
“······Hello?”
— Assemblyman. This is Park Hyungsoo.
“Attorney Park? What’s going on?”
— Your son has been arrested by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“What?”
Hong Jinwoo’s voice rose sharply in shock.
“What are you saying? What happened to Seokgeun?”
— I just received the call myself and I’m heading there now. I haven’t met your son yet. He seems extremely shaken and incoherent, so I haven’t been able to grasp the full situation.
Park Hyungsoo’s voice continued through the receiver, but Hong Jinwoo felt as though his mind had gone completely blank.
At that moment, a quiet chuckle came from in front of him. Only then did Kim Muhyuk come into focus.
Staring at him as if he wanted to kill him, Hong Jinwoo spoke again.
“······Go there and contact me immediately. Do you have any connections at the DEA? Can we get him out somehow?”
— Assemblyman······. In the United States, the DEA is an agency where lobbying simply doesn’t work. They care only about stopping drug trafficking, and they don’t hesitate to conduct military-style operations overseas. They’re not people you can reason with.
“I understand. We’ll talk again later.”
— Yes. I’ll find out exactly what’s going on and contact you again.
After ending the call, Hong Jinwoo silently stared at Kim Muhyuk.
Kim Muhyuk, arms crossed, met his gaze with an indifferent expression, and silence hung in the room for a long time.
“CEO Kim Muhyuk.”
“Yes, Assemblyman. It seems something has happened to your son. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overhear.”
“Y-you······.”
He opened his mouth, but no words came easily.
Seeing Hong Jinwoo hesitate, Kim Muhyuk let out a faint chuckle and asked,
“Ah, I think I know what you want to ask. Whether this was my doing. Do you want to know what kind of situation this is?”
At the smile tugging at Kim Muhyuk’s lips, veins bulged on Hong Jinwoo’s forehead.
Slamming his hand on the table, Hong Jinwoo shouted,
“What the hell did you do! How dare you! How dare you touch my son······!”
Kim Muhyuk showed no sign of agitation and replied casually,
“Didn’t you already hear? Your son was arrested on charges of illegal possession and distribution of narcotics. In the United States, drug crimes mean prison time—no suspended sentences, none of that. Terrifying, isn’t it?”
“Seokgeun would never get involved with drugs! What did you do, you bastard!”
Hong Jinwoo tore off his mask, spewing curses and informal speech.
His face was flushed crimson with rage, and blood vessels stood out in his eyes.
“Well, if he didn’t illegally possess drugs, he wouldn’t have been arrested. The DEA isn’t some neighborhood police force. Do you think they’d just arrest someone without cause? Of course not. If it means eradicating drugs in America, they’re people who would sell their very souls.”
At Kim Muhyuk’s calm words, Hong Jinwoo ground out,
“You······! You must’ve pulled some kind of trick.”
“Assuming the worst about people isn’t a good habit. Do you have any proof that I pulled a trick? Are you saying I manipulated the DEA and fabricated a case? Then go ahead and tell the U.S. government exactly that. They’ll probably treat you like a madman.”
“I have close friends in the U.S. Congress! Both Republicans and Democrats! This could escalate into a diplomatic dispute! Do you even realize what you’ve done?”
Hong Jinwoo shouted again, but Kim Muhyuk only scoffed.
A deep sneer crept onto his face as he looked at Hong Jinwoo, who still hadn’t grasped reality.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
The person was Manager Ma. After receiving permission, he entered silently and placed a laptop on the table.
“Make sure no one comes in.”
“Yes. The restaurant has already been cleared.”
“No major disturbance?”
“No. Everything’s fine.”
“Leave.”
Manager Ma didn’t even glance at Hong Jinwoo. He bowed only to Kim Muhyuk and exited the room.
Once the door closed, Kim Muhyuk turned on the laptop and connected to the internet.
Opening his inbox, he pulled up several photos on the screen and turned the laptop toward Hong Jinwoo.
They were photos of Hong Seokgeun screaming as he was being arrested.
“When you look at it like this, America is a strange country. They claim to value human rights so much, yet they treat criminals’ rights like dog shit. Meanwhile, in our country, because of lawmakers from a certain party who value criminals’ rights more than victims’, we can’t even freely reveal a criminal’s face.”
Kim Muhyuk sneered sharply, but none of it reached Hong Jinwoo’s ears.
He only dragged the laptop closer, staring desperately at his son’s image.
“There are more. Go ahead and flip through them.”
Kim Muhyuk gestured with his chin, arms still crossed.
Moments later, after viewing all the photos, Hong Jinwoo’s face had gone completely pale.
Hearing about it and seeing it with his own eyes were entirely different matters.
“Does it feel real now? The moment the crime is proven, prison is guaranteed. Don’t even think that American prisons are anything like Korean ones. That place is real hell. How long do you think your precious son can endure it?”
