Chapter 35: People from Muryeong
On the evening of the Yeouido business presentation, Kang Sunhyuk visited Chairman Kang Mansik’s house. He had once lived there with Sunhyuk’s mother, but now he lived separately in a detached house he’d bought in Samcheong-dong. That’s why Sunhyuk’s mother was even more upset. Though not daily, he used to at least show his face occasionally, but after buying the house in Samcheong-dong, he completely cut off contact.
“What brings you here without notice? If it was urgent, we could have met at the company.”
Kang Mansik showed his displeasure at his son’s unannounced visit.
“There are too many eyes at the company.”
Sunhyuk nervously clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly. The impressions etched in childhood were not easily erased.
‘Don’t close your eyes, watch carefully. This is the world you’ll have to live in.’
It was when Kang Sunhyuk and Kang Dohyuk were in middle school, and Kang Chahyuk was still in elementary school. Kang Mansik had called his three sons and executed a traitor in front of them. The man crawled on the floor, begging for his life and promising never to betray them again, but Kang Mansik’s men beat him with steel pipes. The man’s face was torn and swollen until it was eventually unrecognizable.
They didn’t even allow him to lose consciousness. When the man tried to pass out, they poured cold water on him to bring him back to consciousness, then the assault continued. Only after cutting off both of the man’s wrists did that hellish scene end.
Sunhyuk didn’t know whether the man had died or survived. What remained with Sunhyuk from that day was the realization of how cruel Kang Mansik was and the consequences of betrayal.
Since then, he would unconsciously become tense whenever he stood before Kang Mansik. This was even more so because he knew well that Kang Mansik didn’t embrace his sons with affection like other fathers.
“What do you think about today’s incident?”
At Sunhyuk’s question, Kang Mansik frowned as if to ask what he meant.
“All the key figures from politics and business were gathered there. Kang Dohyuk was shot at in such a setting. What do you think people will think? Won’t they be anxious about the Yeouido project led by Dohyuk?”
“So?”
Kang Mansik’s gaze sharpened, as if he was beginning to grasp what Sunhyuk was getting at. At times like these, it was clear that Dohyuk resembled Kang Mansik the most. That chilling look when staring at someone was identical.
“The marriage with Baek Hyeri—please give me a chance too.”
Sunhyuk knew it would be unreasonable to ask to take over the Yeouido project immediately. Though his position in the company was higher than Dohyuk’s, he lacked Dohyuk’s knowledge and expertise. So, demanding that Dohyuk be completely excluded from the Yeouido project was an absurd request.
“You want a chance?”
“Dohyuk can continue doing what he’s been doing. But if someone who has received death threats continues to work at the forefront, wouldn’t investors, partner companies, and the government be anxious? The same goes for Kangsan Construction. How can we guarantee that this will be a one-time incident?”
Kang Mansik’s eyes narrowed further.
“Was it your doing?”
Sunhyuk jumped at the question asking if he was behind the attempt on Dohyuk’s life.
“No, absolutely not!”
Despite his strong denial, Kang Mansik made a sound of doubt with his lips tightly pressed.
“You seem to think I don’t know anything.”
Sunhyuk gulped at the meaningful words.
“Until now, I’ve turned a blind eye because your actions have been petty and not too disruptive, but I won’t let it go if it interferes with our business.”
He came seeking what he wanted but ended up receiving a warning instead. Sunhyuk bit his lips inward and moistened them with his tongue. He couldn’t back down now. If he did, he would never escape from Dohyuk’s shadow.
“It won’t happen again. But please give me a chance too.”
He waited for Kang Mansik’s answer with his waist deeply bowed. The few seconds felt excruciatingly long.
“Will it suffice if I arrange a meeting with Baek Hyeri?”
At the long-awaited answer, Sunhyuk quickly nodded. While Dohyuk was meeting with Baek Hyeri regularly under the pretext of work, Sunhyuk didn’t even have a chance to meet her. So he thought that Baek Hyeri was only considering Dohyuk as a marriage prospect.
“If I arrange it? Are you confident?”
Kang Mansik asked with a tone that suggested he wasn’t quite convinced.
“Of course!”
Sunhyuk answered confidently. Given Dohyuk’s personality, he couldn’t have been kind to women. Women are ultimately attracted to men who are devoted to them. He was certain that he would be more gentle and kind to women than Dohyuk.
***
Even after being moved from the hotel to the villa, Yeon didn’t regain consciousness. A doctor visited again in the evening to check his condition and administer an IV drip. He advised that hospitalization would be better to properly monitor his condition, especially since he had lost a significant amount of blood.
Dohyuk agreed that hospitalization would be better. However, there were too many complications for that. Without a resident registration, if Yeon was hospitalized, the police would immediately investigate him as an illegal alien. What came after was the problem. Muryeong didn’t want to be exposed publicly, and Dohyuk couldn’t reveal that he had brought someone from Muryeong.
A shaman in this day and age… If his business partners found out, they would surely use it as his weakness.
‘Do you have any idea what your face looks like right now, Kang Dohyuk-ssi?’
Baek Hyeri’s words came back to him, and he couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. The fact that his face had hardened because of Yeon might mean that this guy had already become his weakness.
Ha, as if that could be true.
Even as he denied it, looking at Yeon lying on the bed made him feel uneasy. Maybe I should just kill him with my own hands. Then there won’t be any complications.
He approached the bed and placed his hand on Yeon’s white neck. But he couldn’t bring himself to squeeze. Even the faint remnants of the wound he had inflicted with a knife bothered him. If only he had cut properly back then. Then he wouldn’t have to feel this inexplicably unpleasant feeling now.
His gaze shifted to Yeon’s bandaged shoulder. What expression did he have when he jumped in front of him? It was too brief to remember clearly. Instead, the image of him collapsing was vivid.
Thinking about it made his insides boil again. But it became increasingly unclear whether he was angry because someone had hired a professional to kill him, or because Yeon was injured.
If it was the latter, that reason was hard to comprehend. Why…
He reached out toward the pale face but hesitated just before touching it. What was he trying to do? He frowned and then exhaled deeply. Even hesitating was laughable. It’s not like the world would turn upside down if he touched him.
Yeon’s cheek met his palm. As he had felt before, his skin was cool. Others had called Dohyuk a cold-blooded man, questioning if blood actually flowed through his veins, but Dohyuk felt a similar emotion when looking at Yeon. It was a different kind of coldness. Yeon showed no enthusiasm or passion for anything except the tasks he was commissioned for. Even for the most basic human needs like eating and sleeping, he was the same. It was a coldness that felt as if everything had been frozen, beyond mere indifference.
That’s why he often thought Yeon was like a doll. Not because he was beautiful like a doll, but because he seemed to look with eyes that couldn’t hold anything, like a doll’s. The strange satisfaction he felt when those mineral-like eyes wavered because of him was because that was the only time Yeon felt like a living person.
“Now you’ve become like a corpse again.”
A bitter smile escaped as he used the term “corpse” rather than “doll.” If he were to dress him in the white shaman’s clothes he usually wore, it would look exactly like funeral attire.
He’s alive, so it’s fine. Though he tried to let it go with that thought, the idea that scars would remain on that white skin made him feel unpleasant again.
I will definitely catch both the shooter and the one who commissioned it. And when I do, I won’t let them off easily.
“Managing Director.”
Director Choi’s voice calling from outside was heard.
“What is it.”
He looked toward the door while sitting on the edge of the bed. Director Choi opened the door and briefly glanced at Yeon.
“You should come out.”
He gestured toward the outside with his eyes. Dohyuk wondered if his mother had barged in again. He was about to ignore it, not in the mood to deal with her today, but when he heard people murmuring through the gap in the door, he turned to Director Choi.
“People from Muryeong have arrived.”
“Muryeong?”
Dohyuk’s voice rose. Those who had been so elusive despite his attempts to find them had come directly here?
When he came out to the living room, he saw security guards standing at the entrance and several people in white clothes outside. He could tell at a glance that they were from Muryeong.
“They say they’ve come to take Yeon away.”
Director Choi explained beside him. Ha, Dohyuk let out a short laugh.
“Step aside.”
At Dohyuk’s instruction, the security guards moved to the side. Two men from Muryeong bowed their heads to Dohyuk.
“We’ve come to take our person back.”
“Why?”
“We believe the commissioned task is complete.”
“Complete?”
His mother’s commission to Muryeong had been to protect Dohyuk from people trying to harm him. Today, Yeon had taken a bullet meant for Dohyuk, so from a certain perspective, the commission could be considered fulfilled.
However, Dohyuk had understood that Muryeong typically only moved when the client first contacted them to declare that the job was done, so this was unexpected.
“Besides, we cannot leave a child with a gunshot wound here.”
The person from Muryeong offered another reason. That wasn’t wrong either. Dohyuk couldn’t take Yeon to a hospital. He had called a doctor for emergency treatment, but anything beyond that was impossible. If it had been for a different reason, he might have taken him to a hospital run by the Baekwha Foundation and found a way to help. But because it was a gunshot wound, the police would have to be notified.
Even so, it was unexpected. Dohyuk had assumed that since Muryeong received a substantial sum to send a shaman, the shaman’s life was also entrusted to the client. According to what he had heard from Yeon, quite a few shamans had not returned.
So why had they come directly to retrieve Yeon?
“And if I refuse?”
At Dohyuk’s calm question, they seemed slightly taken aback. It seemed they had thought he would step aside apologetically since Yeon had been shot.
