Chapter : 48
“Looks like last week we wiped out some Mirae faction members who were secretly selling drugs in our Gangbuk district. A clash is inevitable now.”
“So you plan to take advantage of that clash.”
Taeshin nodded.
Leesul chewed over the story Taeshin had told her, swallowed hard, and cautiously spoke.
“…The fact that you’re telling me all this in such detail… does that mean you trust me?”
“Now that we’re on the same boat, whether you like it or not, I thought it would be good for you to know.”
“Thank you for telling me. Now I finally have a clear picture of how things are going.”
“…”
“I’m really glad there’s a way for me to get back to my place.”
Taeshin’s calm gaze lingered over Leesul’s face.
She wanted to talk all night.
She felt like she could talk about anything with him.
But she shouldn’t.
Right now, it was just the two of them in the house, and she was dangerously drawn to this handsome, dangerous man.
She restrained her impulses, sipping her beer.
“Even after paying off your debts, there should be money left. What do you plan to do with it?”
For the first time, Taeshin asked her a question.
“I… don’t know. It all feels so surreal, I still can’t believe it. When I had no money, I had so many things I wanted to do, but now that I do have money, I don’t know what I should do.”
“Think slowly. Nobody can take it from you now.”
Leesul nodded. Then, an idea occurred to her, and she looked at him.
“Perhaps…?”
“…?”
“If you need money… should I lend it to you?”
Taeshin started laughing, quite loudly.
As if he had just heard a funny joke.
Leesul blinked, confused.
“Why are you laughing?”
“What would I do with pocket money like that?”
“Well, it’s not really pocket money. Even after paying off the debts, I still have 1.3 billion won left. Isn’t that enough to help?”
With a smile still lingering on his face, he said:
“Use that to buy yourself something delicious, Yoon Leesul. Don’t worry about me.”
Leesul realized belatedly just how much money he must have—1.3 billion won would be like pocket change to him. Capital companies make money with money; he probably keeps massive amounts of cash somewhere. Or maybe gold.
Whether cash or gold, if it’s piled up like a mountain, 1.3 billion would be nothing to him.
Still, she wanted to show gratitude to the man who had been helping her all along.
“I’ll treat you. I’ll buy you something delicious, Taeshin. Really, anything you want. Just tell me.”
Taeshin’s expression stiffened as he watched Leesul act pompous while being generous.
“I want to take a shower.”
Had she said something wrong?
The atmosphere had been fine just moments ago. Was he tired?
“Oh, yes. You should. The bathroom is over there.”
Without a word, he got up and went to the bathroom Leesul pointed out.
After a while, she could hear the water running from the shower.
She brought the blanket and pillow to the sofa, cleared the cans, then went into the bedroom and lay on the bed.
Taeshin only came out of the bathroom after a long while.
With her eyes closed, she heard the door open and close, soft footsteps, and the flick of a switch.
Every nerve in her body was attuned to him.
His words kept echoing in her mind.
Hearing the details about Taeshin made her feel closer to him.
“Good night, Taeshin.”
She whispered softly with her eyes closed.
The door to the Diamond Hall room salon opened, and the two subordinates previously assigned to Yoon Leesul followed Director Lee inside.
Two women with heavy makeup and low-cut dresses sat beside Choi Mugwang, refilling his glass whenever it emptied.
“Branch Chief.”
One subordinate spoke cautiously, watching Mugwang.
“What are you crawling in here for?”
“Well… um…”
Mugwang raised an eyebrow, and the other immediately dropped to his knees.
“Sorry… we… lost him.”
“What?”
The last one knelt and bowed his head.
“Please kill us, Branch Chief.”
“We’re country bumpkins; we don’t know Seoul’s streets well… too many cars… they kept cutting in…”
“That’s right. The roads are so complicated, you can’t even describe it. We were going along fine, then suddenly had to swerve to the right, and the road was packed, we couldn’t follow.”
“On our way here, it was so confusing we almost ended up in Namyangju.”
“You useless fools. You dare make excuses with those gaping mouths?”
Director Lee kicked the subordinates.
“Enough. Get out.”
Unlike the quiet country roads, surveillance in the tangled streets of Seoul wasn’t easy, so he couldn’t scold them too harshly.
“Get lost. Don’t even think of coming back until you find Yoon Leesul.”
After the subordinates left, a knock sounded shortly after.
Director Lee opened the door.
A clean-looking man wearing a leather jacket and a flashy gold watch entered.
Choi Mugwang sent the women out.
“Long time no see, Branch Chief.”
“You look well.”
“You too, Branch Chief.”
“You’ve been in Seoul a few years; you’ve become a real Seoulite.”
“All thanks to you, Branch Chief.”
“Drink.”
Mugwang poured him a drink.
“What about the investigation?”
Last week, over a dozen Mirae faction members who sold drugs in the Gangbuk district were badly injured, and two died.
Clashing with Gangbuk faction is inevitable if one wants to establish a foothold in Seoul.
“Gangbuk is currently a bit chaotic. Chairman Lee Hyunil died, and his eldest son, Taeshin, became the next leader at a young age, not even thirty, but recently he seems to have gone missing.”
“Missing?”
“Yes. Rumor has it that Vice Chairman Kang Hansoo removed him to claim the chair for himself. With the powerful Hyunil dead, nobody would bow under such a young leader. They are even planning a shareholder meeting soon to dismiss Taeshin and put Hansoo in charge.”
Taeshin was mostly unknown.
He mainly handled JS Capital operations, few knew his face, and he rarely appeared in public.
Gangbuk’s operations were largely managed by Kang Hansoo.
Kang Hansoo. A cunning, sly old fox.
“So nobody knows if Taeshin is dead or alive?”
“Some say he drowned, others say he’s alive. Nobody knows for sure. The body hasn’t been found, and Gangbuk is desperate to locate him, so I think we can assume he’s still alive. Moreover…”
Mugwang emptied his glass at once, and the man refilled it while speaking.
“Taeshin has a younger brother, a prodigy who’s never lost first place in school. And there’s Ahn Jaehyuk, his right-hand man who shadows him like a shadow. Both are missing as well.”
Mugwang suddenly recalled the man who had beaten up subordinates at Yoon Leesul’s grandmother’s snack shop.
If he could take on multiple gangsters alone, he wasn’t ordinary. Could it be him?
He also heard that gangsters had caused chaos in Seoul the next day.
But after that, they hadn’t been seen.
“Gangbuk must be divided internally now.”
“Right. Many members still followed the late chairman. But since the late chairman was trying to clean up all illegal businesses, members opposed to that support Hansoo.”
If handled well, it could be an opportunity for revenge and a foothold to enter Seoul.
Early the next morning, Leesul woke and immediately went to the sofa to check if Taeshin was still home.
He was lying on the long sofa like a picture.
She felt relief knowing he was still there after spending the night together.
The new sunlight streaming through the curtains cast shadows on his sharp features.
Leesul sat on the floor right beside him and looked at his face.
It was a face she could never tire of.
Even with his eyes closed, he was excessively attractive.
She thought if he opened them, she’d see even more, but she remained rooted to the spot, captivated.
Her whole body felt bound to him.
Taeshin moved.
Startled, Leesul got up cautiously but was quickly held by his hand, forced to sit down.
Her heart raced.
He spoke with his eyes closed:
“Don’t look secretly. Look openly.”
