Chapter 61: Better Be Careful
Despite the mention of Kim Seonuk, Kang Chahyuk just stared blankly at Dohyuk. His expression suggested he couldn’t understand why Kim Seonuk was suddenly being brought up.
“The previous sniper incident, that bastard was the one who hired the contract killer.”
“Wow, really? What about reporting it? Shouldn’t we report this to the police right away?”
Kang Chahyuk jumped up as if it were his own issue. Dohyuk gave a dry laugh as he watched Chahyuk pretend to take out his phone to call the police.
“Kim Seonuk wanted me dead, but there was someone else who instigated him and even provided the contract killer…”
His voice trailed off as he stared at Chahyuk’s face. Chahyuk continued to blink, maintaining eye contact with Dohyuk. Dohyuk’s eyes darkened as he stared at Chahyuk.
“It was you, I hear.”
Chahyuk’s facial muscles tensed at the quiet voice, but he didn’t avert his gaze from Dohyuk.
“That’s a false accusation.”
Chahyuk turned serious. He looked genuinely wronged.
“That bastard is slandering me to drive a wedge between you and me, hyung.”
The trademark smile completely disappeared from Chahyuk’s face. Seemingly frustrated about how to explain, he repeatedly opened and closed his mouth before finally letting out a deep sigh and pushing back his fallen bangs.
“It’s not true. Really, it wasn’t me!”
Dohyuk’s expression remained unchanged as he watched Chahyuk repeat his denial.
“You know me, hyung. How much of a pacifist I am. I don’t have any ambition, really! Okay, honestly, I don’t care whether it’s you or Sunhyuk hyung. I admit that. Either one is fine with me. As long as whoever it is runs the company well, I plan to live comfortably just receiving my salary like now.”
Chahyuk pleaded for Dohyuk to believe him. Dohyuk internally swallowed a scoff. Of course, there was a possibility that Kim Seonuk had lied. But what would Kim Seonuk gain by coming to see him and driving a wedge between him and Chahyuk after being terrified by witnessing how Dohyuk dealt with the contract killer? Simple revenge? Kim Seonuk seemed too cowardly for that.
Chahyuk seemed to have chosen the wrong profession. He’d heard that Lee Miseon lived for the thrill of sponsoring young entertainers, but it looked like she should have sponsored her own son first.
“Don’t tell me you believe Kim Seonuk, a complete stranger who’s always been on bad terms with you, over me? Your own brother?”
Brother? Nothing could be more laughable than that. Although they shared half their blood, Dohyuk had never once considered Kang Sunhyuk or Kang Chahyuk as brothers. If anything, they were worse than strangers.
“I don’t care whether you’re family or a stranger. I don’t trust anyone anyway.”
At this cold response, Chahyuk’s expression became the most serious Dohyuk had ever seen.
“You shouldn’t accuse an innocent person without evidence.”
At first glance, it sounded like he was pleading his innocence, but the conclusion was essentially asking what Dohyuk could do without evidence. Only then did Dohyuk smirk and stand up. Chahyuk followed Dohyuk with his eyes, unable to hide the tension in his rigid expression.
Dohyuk approached Chahyuk and placed a hand on his shoulder. He could feel Chahyuk’s body tremble slightly, though imperceptibly.
“You’d better be careful.”
He brought his face close to Chahyuk’s ear and whispered softly.
“When evidence comes out, there will be no mercy even if you beg for forgiveness then.”
“Kim Seonuk’s gossip doesn’t count as evidence!”
“I know.”
Dohyuk cut off Chahyuk’s protest with a short response.
“That’s why I’m telling you to be careful. The moment irrefutable evidence emerges, your life will be in danger too.”
Dohyuk stepped back and turned to leave the director’s office. Left behind, Chahyuk finally took a deep breath and glared at the closed door. His tightly clenched fist trembled, but he wasn’t foolish enough to chase after Dohyuk and attack him. Instead, he took out his phone and made a call.
“Find out where that bastard Kim Seonuk is, right now!”
At Chahyuk’s shout, the person on the other end asked him to wait a moment before trailing off with a troubled “Well…”
“What is it? Speak clearly!”
[“He’s scheduled to board a flight to New York today. It departs in an hour, so he’s probably already at the airport.”]
“Ha, fuck. What about K? Has his location been tracked?”
When he asked about the contract killer who had been hired to kill Kang Dohyuk, the person on the other end hesitated again.
[“He’s completely erased his traces and disappeared. Even the child K was sponsoring is gone.”]
“Are you sure he disappeared on his own? No one got to him?”
He couldn’t shake off the suspicion that Kang Dohyuk might have found out and taken action.
[“I’m not sure about that. There’s a rumor going around that K’s right hand was smashed recently, but no one has actually confirmed it…”]
“What the hell am I paying you for!”
Chahyuk yelled and ended the call, throwing his phone. His anger rose to the top of his head, making his breathing rough. After the failed shooting at the Yeouido project presentation, Kim Seonuk had tried to back out, but Chahyuk urged K that he wouldn’t receive the remaining half of the payment if he didn’t complete the job. K had agreed and promised to finish it, but things had been too quiet since then.
He had hoped it wasn’t the case, but had Kang Dohyuk already taken action? It didn’t seem like his name had come out of the contract killer’s mouth. That much was clear from Dohyuk’s reaction. If it had, Dohyuk would have come for him long ago, brandishing that black knife he always carried.
What kind of crazy bastard carries around a dagger used by the French special forces while being a civilian?
Once, quite by accident, he had seen Kang Dohyuk subdue an attacker by taking out that knife and pinning his palm. Curious because it looked different from a regular jackknife, he had looked it up and clicked his tongue. It was a multi-tool dagger called Glauca, used by French special forces, capable of cutting handcuffs and breaking windows.
How many people would carry such a thing in everyday life? Others gossiped that Kang Sunhyuk, who often lashed out, was dangerous, but Chahyuk thought differently. The most dangerous one was Kang Dohyuk, who pretended to be a perfect elite on the surface.
Indeed, Kang Dohyuk should have been the first to eliminate. Kang Sunhyuk could have been dealt with later.
***
Baek Hyeri canceled all her schedules and headed to the funeral hall. The funeral hall with the sign “Late Kim Yumin” was not just sparse but desolate. Kang Sunhyuk’s subordinates had already visited the night before, and business associates were expected to visit after work hours since it was still the middle of the workday.
Even for a weekday afternoon, it seemed too empty. Kang Sunhyuk, wearing a black suit with a mourning band, sat blankly staring at Kim Yumin’s portrait.
“You’ve come.”
Lee Seojin stepped forward to greet Baek Hyeri.
“Is he okay? No, he doesn’t look okay.”
Baek Hyeri started to ask about Sunhyuk’s condition but immediately shook her head. Seeing his state, asking if he was okay seemed meaningless.
“Why are you alone? Where are the others?”
At her question looking for other people, Lee Seojin showed an expression of incomprehension.
“Chairman Kang and the other brothers?”
“Well…”
Lee Seojin shook his head with an awkward expression. Kang Dohyuk and Kang Chahyuk, who were never on good terms to begin with, were needless to say absent, and even Chairman Kang was nowhere to be seen.
“Even if he had many women, she was still the mother of his child!”
“It might be different from what you think, Director. To the Chairman, the three madams are essentially strangers. Even on paper…”
On paper, Kang Mansik had no spouse. He had only registered his three sons as his children on the family register. So Kang Mansik and Kim Yumin were effectively strangers.
“But she’s still Kang Sunhyuk’s mother!”
As a person with common sense, Baek Hyeri couldn’t comprehend this at all. Even if someone died, shouldn’t you at least show your face, if not act as the chief mourner?
Her voice must have been a bit loud, as Kang Sunhyuk turned to look. Only then did he notice her presence and staggered to his feet to approach.
“What brings you here…”
“Of course I had to come.”
At the word “of course,” Sunhyuk smiled bitterly. It seemed bitter that what was obvious to others wasn’t obvious in this family.
Baek Hyeri took off her shoes, went up to the altar, placed incense, and bowed her head for a few moments in silent prayer instead of a formal bow, then raised her head. While she was contemplating what words of comfort to offer Sunhyuk, someone entered the funeral hall. It was a face Baek Hyeri knew well.
“Director Choi…”
At Lee Seojin’s call, Sunhyuk turned around but then turned away disinterestedly. He didn’t go into a rage at least, perhaps because they were before his mother’s memorial and it wasn’t Kang Dohyuk himself who had come.
Director Choi held out a condolence money envelope with Kang Dohyuk’s name on it. Lee Seojin looked at Sunhyuk with an expression of uncertainty about how to proceed, but Sunhyuk didn’t even glance in Director Choi’s direction.
“You can record it as being from the Managing Director’s office.”
Director Choi offered a solution to Lee Seojin. If Sunhyuk didn’t want to personally accept Dohyuk’s envelope, they could process it as an official condolence gift from the Dragon Holdings Managing Director’s office. Lee Seojin nodded and took the envelope.
Director Choi bowed to Sunhyuk, then went to the altar to place incense and bow. Throughout, Sunhyuk never once looked at him. Only Baek Hyeri, caught in the middle, looked back and forth between Sunhyuk, Director Choi, and Lee Seojin.
Director Choi also came down without saying anything more. Just before leaving the funeral hall, Director Choi gave Lee Seojin a look suggesting he should follow. Lee Seojin slightly checked on Sunhyuk before giving a small nod.
“Could I trouble you to stay with the Executive Director for a moment? I need to use the restroom.”
When he asked Baek Hyeri, she readily agreed.
Leaving the funeral hall, he saw Director Choi waiting at the end of the corridor. Soon, a text message came in.
– Basement level 2 parking lot.
It was from Director Choi. When he looked up, Director Choi had already gone down and disappeared.
Chewing his lip in contemplation, Lee Seojin took a deep breath and got on the elevator heading to the basement parking lot. He couldn’t shake the tension, given that he could predict who was waiting for him below.
Ding. The mechanical sound announced the elevator’s arrival, and the doors opened. As he took a step to exit, a fist came flying. With a dull thud, he doubled over, clutching his stomach, and collapsed on the spot.
