Chapter 57
Right. I kept feeling a sense of déjà vu, and now I knew why—it was strangely similar to Bill Otera’s end. Bill Otera had also looked completely ruined by the end. He said Medea had threatened him and that was why he called me, but his appearance didn’t look like it was caused by Medea alone. Even back then, I found it strange, and that was why I checked Bill Otera’s financial records. That had been the beginning of everything.
…Yes. I really needed to question Frank about who was behind all this.
At that moment, Franklin made a loud click as he racked the shotgun and returned the barrel to position. It looked like his long reload was finally over.
“Look at what you’ve done! You! Do you really think you can become CEO?! After stealing my dog!”
Franklin Dow shouted and fired the shotgun at the closed door.
“I’ll kill everyone! You! Your mom too!”
If they both died, wouldn’t that be perfect?
I honestly thought so.
If he really killed them all, it would actually be very good for me. If both Marta O’Fail and Keith O’Fail—my biggest rival right now—disappeared, I would naturally be one step closer to the CEO position of O’Fail Pharmaceuticals. The only outcome I wanted to avoid was Keith O’Fail surviving while Marta O’Fail died.
But Franklin Dow talked like that, and in the end, instead of shooting Keith O’Fail, he would definitely shoot Marta O’Fail.
…With a sigh, I raised my pistol. One great thing about the P226 was the three-dot sight. It made aiming much easier and improved accuracy a lot… like this.
Bang!
I aimed precisely at Franklin Dow’s shoulder and fired. Just as he was about to eject the shell, he screamed and staggered, his arm shaking violently. He turned toward me and roared.
“Who the hell are you?!”
It’s me, you bastard.
I shot his other arm as well. I still had things I needed to hear from him, so injuring him first was the plan. He screamed again and finally dropped the shotgun. His cries of pain echoed down the empty corridor.
The moment I confirmed the shotgun had fallen, I sprinted forward, planted myself beside him, and drove a full body blow into him with all my momentum. It landed better than expected—Franklin was sent flying down the hallway.
I kicked the door open with a loud bang.
Inside were Keith and Marta O’Fail, both wearing faces that looked barely human anymore.
“Mother! Keith!”
“My—my goodness… Kyle, Kyle…!”
“Kyle!”
I was sure of it. This was the most sincere they had ever been when calling Youngseo’s name. They were that desperate, calling my brother’s name with the brightest, most joyful voices imaginable. Had my brother ever heard his name called like that before?
“Get out, now! Come on! Run!”
“K-Kyle… Kyle!”
Marta O’Fail, who had been breathing the hardest, saw my face and immediately closed her eyes, collapsing on the spot. Keith, who had been holding her as her body trembled, instinctively tightened his grip and hurried out of the room.
“Kyle! How did this—”
“What are you doing? Take Mother and get out now! People will be here soon. Tell them I’m here!”
Holding Marta tightly, Keith nodded and rushed down the corridor the way I had come. Listening to his footsteps fade away, I slowly walked toward Franklin. It seemed there were no CCTV cameras in this part of the hallway.
Good.
“Ghh… gghhh…”
Franklin lay there groaning in pain. I nudged him with my foot.
“Hey. Hey.”
“Wh-who…”
“You’re really strange. Are you possessed or something?”
“…What?”
Yeah. Since things had come this far, this guy deserved to know the truth. Still aiming my gun, I pressed my shoe firmly onto the bloody bullet wound in his shoulder.
“I’m the one who called you. Why are you grabbing the wrong guy?”
“What?”
“I kidnapped your dog too. So why are you suddenly going after Keith O’Fail?”
“…Huh… what?”
Wow, he still didn’t get it.
“Hey.”
Annoyed, I fired a shot straight into his knee.
“Aaaaargh!”
“It’s me, Frank. Me. The guy who took your computer when you were doing filthy things with Anna at night.”
At that moment, a vicious light appeared in Franklin’s eyes as he gasped for breath. He stared at me like he couldn’t believe it. But there was no way I’d be scared by that look.
“You… you?”
“Yeah, me. Surprised because I’m Asian or something?”
“You… you’re… Kyle… Why would Kyle…?”
“The money you put into Bill Otera’s virtual account—whose account was that? I’m really curious, so hurry up and tell me. I didn’t put on this whole damn show just to chat with you.”
As I snapped at him, Franklin’s chest heaved as if he were thinking hard.
“…Heh… hehe…”
And then…
He started laughing.
What? Laughing?
Franklin Dow’s body shook violently, and soon he burst into wild laughter that echoed through the hallway.
“Kahahahaha! It was you? It was you! I looked down on you so much… but that person was right… I should’ve killed you sooner… sooner…!”
“…That person?”
“I thought you were dead, but you bastard came back to life! Hehehe… They were really right to worry! How did you even find out about me…!”
“Talk properly. Yeah?”
Annoyed, I aimed at his other knee and fired again.
“Gaaaah!… Hah… hah… You think I’ll tell you? That Bill Otera and I were connected? Why would I tell you? Hahahaha! Whether it’s Keith or you, what’s the difference? You won’t hear it anyway! You ruined my life!”
Though Franklin screamed in agony after being shot again, he quickly returned to manic laughter. Still, there was no way I was giving up.
“How did I ruin your life? If we’re being precise, that person ruined your life.”
“…What?”
I had no intention of backing down. I didn’t know who “that person” was, but I was going to bite down and not let go.
“That person ruined your life. You ended up like this because you didn’t want to tell who that great ‘person’ was. Did they help you? Didn’t Bill Otera also die because of that person?”
“……”
Franklin Dow’s eyes went wide. He looked like someone who had never once thought about it that way before.
Good.
Seeing his reaction, I pressed harder.
“Think carefully. Keith O’Fail didn’t ruin you. I didn’t ruin you either. The one who did this to you was that person.”
I widened my eyes and locked gazes with him relentlessly. Since he was pinned beneath me, he couldn’t easily avoid my stare.
“You have to pay them back, don’t you? I’ll help you do it. You’re in this state, but that person is still doing great, right?”
Franklin’s face twisted violently, like it might crack. He stared at me blankly, unable to believe it.
“That can’t be true.”
“What do you mean, can’t be true? That person moved you and Bill Otera onto the board, didn’t they? Then that person must be a board member too, right?”
Franklin’s pupils shook.
Impatient, I glared at him.
“Talk, idiot.”
“Th-that person is…”
<System: Skill ‘Demon’s Persuasion’ activated>
<System: Kyle Youngseo Yoon O’Fail’s lifespan increases by +12.725 days>
The system message appeared, and Franklin lightly moved his lips toward me.
And then—
I heard footsteps entering the hallway. I could even hear radio chatter from far away. I didn’t need to see them to know who it was.
The police.
“…What kind of damn timing is this.”
They were so noisy that I noticed them right away, so in a way I was grateful. I threw my gun aside and lay flat on the ground, then grabbed Franklin by the collar and pulled him on top of me. From far away in the dark, it would look like a wounded Franklin Dow desperately clinging to me.
“Khk…!”
Whether Franklin groaned in pain or not, I kept holding him above me. There was no time. The people coming in were definitely a tactical strike unit. They had probably already run into Keith and Marta O’Fail on the way in.
“Say it!”
I shouted—
Bang!
At that moment, something warm and sticky splashed across my face.
Blood.
Franklin’s blood.
The one place I had never hit, no matter how many times I shot him—his head.
“Franklin!”
I shouted desperately, but his head lolled to the side. He coughed, spat out blood, and slowly collapsed sideways.
He was dead.
They killed him. Right in front of me.
Just a little more—just a little more, and he would have talked.
“Don’t move!”
Those useless bastards…
Damn them…
Americans are really never helpful to me. Not a single one.
Wearing bulletproof vests marked SWAT, the tactical unit cautiously approached. Watching Franklin’s lifeless body slide off me, I pushed myself up.
Three flashlights converged on me at once.
“Alpha, target neutralized. Hostage found.”
“Requesting operation termination.”
“Bravo, halt insertion. Operation terminated, copy that.”
“Hostage secured. Signs of life confirmed.”
Hostage, my ass.
As the noisy radio chatter instantly sorted out the situation, I squeezed my eyes shut.
I was screwed.
