BIE 95

Chapter 95…

Come on, come on!

“…Damn it. I should’ve realized when I saw the plastic.”

Once the plastic sheet was spread out, it was all neat and clean.
Even if blood splatters, it lands on the plastic—just roll it up afterward and it’s done.
Too bad the blood’s mine, though.

“So, why the hell are you doing this to me? Honestly, I can’t think of any real connection between us.”

Wow, listen to this guy talk after beating me half to death.
There’s not a single part of my body that doesn’t hurt.
At least nothing’s broken.

“Can I… ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

He suddenly sounds generous.
I tilt my head up—yeah, generous my ass.
That’s the look of someone humoring a dying man’s last words.

“You said you were going to make it look like I killed myself with pills. But, uh, if you burn me along with that incinerator thing… won’t it look more like murder? It doesn’t make sense story-wise.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll put drugs in your stuff and on your clothes. The pills I mentioned? That’s what I meant.”

“Oh…”

“And when Ye Siyeon handles the cleanup, we’ll leave some baggies and pills with your fingerprints nearby.”

Ah. A meticulous bastard.

“But if you do this now, won’t it cause problems for the company you’ve built your whole life?”

“The problem’s one you already made. Enough talk—give him some water.”

Good cop, bad cop, huh?
Talks about killing me, then gives me water.

“Drink up. Might be your last.”

Chief Gu really has no warmth at all.
You called me your little brother and all that, and now you can’t even say something nice at the end?
Still, after a few sips, I felt a bit alive again.
My mouth was bleeding, so it tasted salty—seasoned, even. Sweet, in a weird way.

“You’ve got quite the intel network.”

“I make friends in all the right places. Plenty of people who’ll pass on a little info.”

Damn it. Movies and dramas weren’t exaggerating—there really are guys like this.

Anyway, time to get things rolling.
I flash a smirk.

“Heh. You know, in movies, this is the part where the villains spill everything… then cops burst in from outside. Don’t you think?”

As I grin, the room freezes.
Then chaos—some rush to check outside.
Chief Gu starts patting me down.

Ah—no, not there…

“No recording devices or anything!”

“Outside’s clear too!”

And they believe that?
Still, thanks.
All that patting loosened the ropes a bit.

Earlier, I’d taken a few hits on purpose to try to loosen them, but it didn’t work.
I couldn’t take more—I’d end up dead for real.
And with all eyes on me, there was no chance before.

Now, after they confirmed I wasn’t hiding anything, their focus slipped—just a bit.
This was my moment.
Like I said before, I’m pretty damn flexible.

While their guard was down,
I slipped my bound hands from behind my back, tucked my legs, and pulled my arms forward.
Then I bit through the loosened rope and stood up.

“Ugh, you sons of bitches…”

Every part of me ached.
No idea about broken bones, but I sure felt wrecked.

“That bastard?”

“Block the door!”

“Ha, look at that teamwork.”

They moved fast—blocked the exit like they’d practiced it.
About ten of them total.

“I’ve handled three or four before…”

I mutter as I stretch.
Back in the street fights, I’d taken on up to three or four guys.
Not because I was strong—because losing meant dying.
But I’ve got the skills of that action actor who died before debuting. That should count for something.

“Feeling confident now that you’re untied?”

“No confidence—just logic. If I stay put, you’ll kill me anyway, Director Jang, you piece of shit.”

“Not bad. You know, if we’d started off on better terms, this could’ve been fun.”

Now that’s a villain line.
Guess running an entertainment company taught him drama.

“You asked earlier why I’m doing this?”

“Finally in the mood to talk? You could’ve just stayed quiet and died, but fine, let’s hear it. What’d I ever do to you?”

“Yeonju.”

“Huh?”

At that name, Director Jang tilts his head.

“The girl you beat so badly she died from it.”

“…Oh, Jo Yeonju? How do you know her? No—wait, of course. Ye Siyeon’s got a big mouth.”

Yeah, I did hear the details from my senior Ye.
But Jang looks genuinely confused.

“And you’re doing all this over that? Seriously? You’re making this mess over one side of the story? You still playing games?”

Can’t I?
From his point of view, maybe I look like I’m mocking him.
But from mine—this is justice.
And honestly… I’m glad.
Because I’ll end this myself.

“She’s gone?”

“I’m sorry, Chairman Yang.”

“Sigh…”

Chairman Yang Mansik looked defeated as he stared at his bowed chief secretary, Yoo Jigwang.
Then, with growing anger, he snapped again.

“What the hell were you thinking! You bragged about handling it—and now you’ve only put the kid in danger!”

“We’re searching the nearby areas. As soon as we get any information—”

“Damn it… what now…”

He barely heard the rest.
This wasn’t the old days when bribed cops did your bidding.
Now they couldn’t even keep up with the police.

“Ask the police for help.”

“Sir? But the film—”

“Screw the film.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yoo bowed again and hurried out of the room.

“Haah…”

Only his sigh echoed in the empty space.

Director Jang Sangsoo couldn’t believe it.
Even now, the punk was throwing random names at him—obviously trying to provoke him.
He wanted to know the real reason behind this before killing him, but the kid’s smirk just made his blood boil.

“Hm?”

Something felt off.
There were ten men inside the warehouse, counting Chief Gu.
And yet, the guy facing them didn’t look afraid.
He looked… seasoned. Not a fighter per se, but desperate, dangerous.

“You bastard!”

Two of his men lunged.
The guy grabbed the edge of the plastic sheet beneath him and yanked.

“Huh?”

They stumbled—he fell on his butt.

Rip!

“…What the hell?”

If this were a movie, pulling a tablecloth might work—but a plastic sheet? It just tore, making him fall harder.

“Stomp him!”

“Argh!”

The two who stumbled started kicking him.
Jang sighed.

“Guess my instincts were wrong. Tried to reason with a maniac.”

But the stomping didn’t last long.
He suddenly grabbed one of their legs and twisted.

Crack!

“AAAHHH!”

“Son of a—!”

The other kicked, but the guy rolled backward and swung a leg up.

Thud!

“Damn…”

Jang grimaced.
The second man was down, clutching his crotch, mouth wide open in silent agony.

“Huff! What’s wrong? Come on—come on…”

Whack!

He leapt to his feet, motioning them forward—but got clubbed from behind.
He staggered, clutching his head, only to take another blow to the body.

Crunch!

Another dull thud—another man down.

Jang clicked his tongue.
One thug had a twisted ankle, another rolled around holding his groin.

“Guess my instincts were right after all. Tough bastard.”

Joint locks? That’s no easy feat under pressure.
Twisting someone’s bones like that takes a certain kind of mind.
And that kick? Brutal precision—he swung from under the knee to stop the guy from dodging.
No mercy. None.

“This crazy son of a—!”

Another thug rushed in with a club, beating him relentlessly.
Then came another scream.

“Argh!”

The thug dropped his weapon and hopped back, clutching his foot.
A rusty nail was sticking out of it—God knows where it came from.

Clang.

“Ow… my head…”

The guy used the fallen club as a cane to stand—but then wobbled and fell again.

“Ugh, maybe that hit to the head was worse than I thought… what’s happening…”

His speech slurred.
Jang sighed.

“The drug’s kicking in. The water you drank earlier—it was laced. Should’ve chugged it properly. Just a few sips, so it’s hitting you slow.”

“Damn… no wonder the water tasted… sweet…”

There were still seven men left.
No way he’d win now.
But without the drug, it might’ve gone very differently.
He’d been dangerous enough that the kidnapping itself could’ve failed.

“So you’re an action guy with a mean streak. Figures you wouldn’t talk. Doesn’t matter—Ye Siyeon will.”

“Ha… you think I’d let them… get away… with this…”

His words were slurred—consciousness fading fast.

“Guess I can’t risk the investigation straying off track. I’ve already gathered everything I need…”

“You…”

He tried to stand but collapsed again.

“Once we’re gone and you’re dead, they’ll find drugs in your place. You think Baeksan will still protect you—or that woman?”

“…Damn you…”

“Then we’ll finish the rest later. Find out what we need afterward.”

Jang was turning to leave when he heard a faint voice.

“Sangsoo…”

“What?”