Chapter 93…
Tribute Received
“They say it’s a subcontracting and heavy equipment rental company, but the local precinct reports the guys are of bad character.”
“Would anyone in that line of work have good character?”
The police commander overseeing the field search spoke, and the officer who had handled the earlier inspection nodded.
“What was their reaction?”
“They pretended it was nothing, but they did look a little nervous. Although… the look of confusion did seem genuine.”
“Any prior records?”
“Couldn’t check everyone in the vehicle, but fortunately the precinct had a file. A lot of them—violent crimes, mainly.”
“Drugs?”
“No, nothing like that.”
They had checked the vehicle plates right after letting them go. Normally, heavy machinery is transported on a separate carrier truck, but these men had followed directly behind the van, as if heading straight to a job site. They’d said they were going to another construction site, but something about it had seemed off, so the officer ran the plates.
Then suddenly, from among the workers digging nearby, came a startled voice.
“Huh?”
“What? Did you actually find pottery or something?”
At the sound, everyone turned toward the source.
“This looks like… a bone fragment.”
“What kind of bone?”
They called it a bone, but who could tell if it belonged to a chicken or a pig?
“I’m not sure—it’s all crushed up. But… these fragments feel unsettling.”
The on-site commander frowned and examined the pieces closely, then muttered,
“These look like cremated remains…”
“What?”
Everyone’s faces hardened instantly.
The officers who had been complaining that there couldn’t possibly be drugs or treasure buried here suddenly got busy, almost as if they’d been waiting for a signal.
“No wonder I felt uneasy about this order…”
The commander muttered again, frowning.
His superiors had only told him vaguely, “There might be something—dig and see.” The talk of drugs or treasure was just to justify acting first and reporting later. In truth, it had seemed like they already had a specific suspicion.
Since it was private property, conducting a search without a warrant was risky, so they’d created the pretense of responding to a report. But if something had actually turned up—like bones—then that might have been the real target all along.
Just then, a man who had been resting in another vehicle came over, examined the find, and spoke with certainty.
“These are human remains. There are teeth here too. Some were deliberately broken—but this part’s from a skull.”
“You… know this for sure?”
“I’m a forensic scientist.”
The detective who came with him confirmed it quietly, and the commander finally nodded.
Why else would a forensic expert have been sent along to a supposed “drug or treasure” scene? That had just been a cover.
This was a homicide.
“But couldn’t these just be cremated ashes?”
“Possible—but why dump cremated bones here instead of a nice scenic place? And look, these haven’t been ground.”
Grinding the bones—“fragmentation”—is the process done after cremation.
The forensic specialist continued,
“Also, I don’t think this was done in a crematorium. The temperature there reaches up to 1,000°C…”
He trailed off as he inspected more bones being unearthed.
“We’ll need to check further, but this may not be from a proper cremation.”
A detective asked carefully,
“If it’s cremated, can you still get DNA? I heard it’s nearly impossible.”
“The real answer is—we’ll have to try. If the cremation was done properly, yes, it’s difficult. But if even trace tissue remains, it’s possible. Judging by this state…”
The forensic expert’s eyes lit with a spark of hope.
“I can’t say it’s impossible.”
At that, the officers’ pace quickened.
“Those guys from earlier—pull the CCTV and track their route. They said they were heading to a job, right? I bet they’ll circle back to where they came from. Just me?”
“No, I think so too. We’ll tail them.”
“Good. Also, verify the property owner. Move fast!”
The police, now with a clear target, began to mobilize quickly.
Meanwhile
CEO Jang Sang-su stared at the open safe and clenched his teeth.
“Damn it… I thought this kind of thing only happened in movies.”
He let out a bitter laugh, then began transferring cash and gold bars into a bag.
“Yeah… just in case. Always have a backup plan.”
Grinding his teeth again, he hissed,
“That bastard Woo Soo-han stabbed me in the back? What grudge does he have against me?”
He remembered a call from a police chief he was close to—
“Hey, Mr. Jang. Do you have some problem with Baeksan Group?”
That was when it clicked. It had to be Woo Soo-han.
“How the hell does that punk make Baeksan move? Is he someone’s hidden heir or what?”
Even as he packed his bag, Jang’s body trembled with rage.
He hadn’t been directly implicated yet—but the only two calls he’d received that day were from the police chief and a senior official at headquarters. Everyone else—from the prosecutor’s office, for instance—was “unavailable.”
His instincts told him: something was seriously wrong.
He had always survived on intuition and cunning.
And now, a darker thought filled him.
“How should I deal with this bastard…”
Venom.
Jang Sang-su was consumed by it.
Instead of hiding, he was already plotting revenge.
He picked up his phone.
“Where are you?”
—“Near the target. But there’s a problem…”
Chief Gu Bong-han’s voice carried hesitation.
“What is it?”
—“We keep seeing the same cars nearby. Looks like he’s got protection.”
“Really?”
Rather than alarm, Jang’s voice held confidence.
—“Yes. I even checked my dashcam. Same vehicles show up repeatedly. And the guys we sent to Yeo Si-yeon’s office reported seeing them too.”
“So that’s why he hasn’t been going to his lawyer’s office.”
—“Seems our men were exposed. I’m sorry.”
Jang sighed, bitterness dripping from his voice.
“He’s the one who caused this damn mess.”
—“What should we do?”
Jang paused.
“Bring him in.”
—“Understood. But where to?”
“To the old site.”
—“But that place got dug up today.”
He meant the abandoned warehouse grounds.
But Jang waved it off.
“The police line’s only around the site itself. Technically, that land isn’t even ours.”
—“True.”
It was adjacent to his factory but legally someone else’s property. He’d planned it that way for situations like this.
“Everyone’s eyes are focused over there right now. Best hiding spot’s under the lamp. It’ll do. The cops aren’t guarding it anyway.”
—“Understood.”
When the call ended, Jang’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
“You damn beggar bastard… you dared mess with me?”
He muttered angrily and left the office with his bag.
Later
After the old man’s call, I felt amazing.
“Everything’s falling right into place! The old man’s connections are top-tier. Days like this call for some sundae (Korean blood sausage)!”
[“With innards too!”]
“Ha!”
My steps felt light as I went to buy food. The investigation had begun—CEO Jang wouldn’t easily escape suspicion.
I’d already told Secretary Yoo what I’d heard from… well, the ghosts.
Not living witnesses, but former people—the actual victims. That should count, right?
“Ah!”
“Huh?”
A kid—maybe elementary school age—pointed at me.
How rude, pointing at an adult like that…
“I’m a fan!”
“Oh ho! You recognize greatness when you see it.”
Well, since he’s a fan, I’ll let it slide.
“Want to take a picture?”
“No.”
…He just said he’s a fan though?
Then the kid came closer and handed me a drink.
Wait—was this one of those tributes?
“A gift?”
“Yes! You should drink it all at once!”
Kid needs to work on his Korean—“please drink,” not “drink it all at once.”
“Thanks!”
As a former beggar, refusing gifts isn’t my style.
I peeled off the foil from the strawberry milk and downed it in one go. Cool and smooth. Delicious.
“Goodbye!”
“That’s it?”
No autograph? This kid’s cooler than me.
Maybe shy. He just handed me the drink and ran off, holding a 50,000-won bill. Probably on an errand.
“Lalala~”
My steps bounced along too.
A fan had given me a tribute!
These days fans even gift luxury bags. I’d accept everything—fill my office with presents.
But then… something felt off.
“Huh? What’s this weird feeling?”
My stomach turned, my head spun a little.
“It wasn’t spoiled food…”
I prided myself on knowing spoiled food better than anyone.
This one wasn’t that kind of “edible spoiled.”
“Then why am I dizzy?”
“Are you okay?”
No, I wasn’t.
But at least there was still kindness in the world—someone came to help as soon as I stumbled.
“Just need to rest a bit…”
“You should go to a hospital!”
“Eh, no need for that…”
…Actually, I should. The sky’s spinning.
“Are you saying we should just leave?”
“Yes. What, you’re gonna tow a car when there’s someone inside?”
“Great. Just my luck.”
“Funny, coming from you.”
Baeksan Group’s secretary staff grumbled as they sent away the tow truck driver.
“What was that about?”
“No idea. Even showed our visitor pass but he didn’t care.”
“We were told to stay under the radar—now we’ll have to rotate shifts.”
Thanks to that little scene, people now knew someone was stationed in the car.
“Let’s report in and request a changeover.”
They slipped back into the vehicle, watching the apartment entrance again as if nothing had happened.
Chief Gu Bong-han watched them from afar and smirked.
“Clean work.”
He saw his men swiftly load the limp Woo Soo-han into another car and followed.
His gaze toward the vehicle was ice cold.
“To think you’d betray the boss… I didn’t take you for that kind of man.”
Gu’s eyes burned with fury born of betrayal.
