Twisted Madness (3)
Kang Cheol-gu. That man's eyes. He'd definitely seen that gaze somewhere before.
Park Hyeok-cheol clenched his jaw tight. His gaze sank into the past.
'Sergeant Yoon, what the hell are those guys? Why are they acting like they own the place?'
Back when he was serving in the special forces unit, he'd participated in joint ROK-US special training. It was originally meant for NCOs and above, but as the top soldier, he'd gotten the chance too.
'Ignore those guys. Don't even make eye contact.'
Sergeant Yoon, rated as the regiment's ultimate combat machine, lowered his voice and averted his eyes. At the end of that gaze, six American soldiers without even unit patches were eating. The other US special forces kept their distance, stealing glances. In this vast mess hall, those six radiated a presence like they were the only ones there.
'What the hell are they?'
'They're guys who were operating in Afghanistan and came on leave. No ranks, no service numbers.'
Sergeant Yoon's voice dropped even lower.
'Special forces above special forces. Think of them as literal killing machines. Don't even look them in the eye.'
That explained it. A strange competitive urge welled up. I'm Park Hyeok-cheol!
'Hey! Where you going? Get back here!'
Ignoring Sergeant Yoon's hushed warnings, he strode toward them.
'What's up, man? Wanna have lunch with me?'
The knife slicing steak stopped. A black soldier who looked over 2 meters tall stood up. Just as he turned toward me, Hyeok-cheol suddenly found himself on the floor staring at the ceiling. The mess hall lights felt blindingly bright—then darkness rushed in.
The black soldier's face loomed closer. Thud! A dull dining knife grazed his ear and embedded in the ground. He muttered something, but nothing registered. Only those emotionless, hollow eyes—like an inanimate object—burned into his brain.
The eyes of a killer!
Kang Cheol-gu had the same gaze as that black soldier. Park Hyeok-cheol shook his head wildly. No, impossible! The guy's just some elite cop. No way he'd killed anyone!
But his instincts kept screaming warnings. He let out a long sigh. Amid the chaos, the intact intercom caught his eye. As if resolving something, Park Hyeok-cheol held down the button.
"Get me the Chief of Staff... no, the Head of Planning and Coordination."
- Yes, sir. Understood, Executive Director.
Geonwoo Group's secretarial office and planning/coordination division were essentially Park Hyeok-cheol's private hotlines. If the secretariat acted as his shield—managing media coverage and victims—the planning/coordination division was his spear: propaganda, agitation, investigations.
He'd chosen the spear over the shield.
* * *
Meaningless music droned in the car. He was heading home after his father's summons. No media coverage yet, but rumors from last night's party had spread like wildfire.
A fleeting regret—Should I have been more careful?—but he shook it off. Dodging a fight I'd already walked into wasn't my style. Beyond personal grudges, Taehwa and Geonwoo Group were destined for all-out war soon. Taehwa had won last time, but it was a pyrrhic victory. Stocks plummeted, taking two years to recover. Before that, Geonwoo heir Park Hyeok-cheol had to fall.
* * *
"Heard there was some trouble last night?"
His father's mouth opened heavily.
"Yes."
"Hmm. Park Hyeok-cheol of Geonwoo Group... Never crossed paths with the son, but back in my active days, I had dealings with his father, Chairman Park Jib-man. When I was dispatched to the Prosecutors' Office Anti-Corruption Unit, I investigated him. A tenacious, cold bastard."
His father's eyes deepened, lost in memory.
"In the end, he sacrificed one of his own men to slip the noose. A loyal subordinate of 15 years, used like a limb. We were one step short of exposing his corruption. After that failure, Geonwoo Group skyrocketed..."
A low sigh followed.
"Word is, Park Hyeok-cheol takes after his old man to a T. Especially his obsession with what's his—might even surpass the father. A guy like that got publicly humiliated. He won't let it slide. You prepared?"
"Yes. Trust me!"
Standing, he met his father's gaze.
"One more thing: Father's investigation wasn't a failure. Just delayed."
Park Hyeok-cheol wasn't the type to sit idle. Crush his provocations—and Geonwoo with him. My war had only winners and losers. No truces.
* * *
Pouring coffee from the vending machine next to Violent Crimes Team 3, he heard murmurs from the break room.
"Hey, you hear? Balbari case popped up in our district too?"
"Yeah. Not on the news yet, but got reported yesterday. Damn, this guy's slippery."
"Whichever team gets it steps in shit. High-profile case—solve it, you're even; fail, you're the enemy. Sigh..."
This differed from the history I knew. The real culprit in the Injing-gu Balbari case was 29-year-old Park Si-woong. Five priors for violence and rape. Called Injing-gu Balbari because he only struck there.
Why the sudden variable? History was warping somehow.
* * *
Throughout Detective Lee's briefing, Violent Crimes Team 3 stayed silent. Only Team Leader Hwang's occasional fake coughs filled the office.
"As you heard, the serial rape case—aka the Balbari incident—has been assigned to us."
"This is bullshit! We got four guys including you, sir. The capital's major crimes unit can't crack it, and they dump it on us?! Our team's hot streak got Teams 1 and 2 pissed. Fuck 'em. This it?"
Detective Kim Gwang-il shook his massive frame, ranting red-faced.
"What can we do? Assigned, so cooperate with major crimes and solve it."
"Yeah, when have we gotten easy ones? Calm down..."
Team Leader Hwang Woo-sik and Detective Lee Gyu-cheol soothed him.
"Lieutenant Kang, bro, say something. I'm pissed..."
"I'll step out for a bit. Got something to check."
He stood, leaving Detective Kim Gwang-il's grumbling behind.
* * *
A black Jeep Wrangler pulled into the public lot at Pung-san Electronics Market. Not as booming as the early 2000s, but still a mecca for hardware and game software, buzzing with crowds. Hawkers shouted from the stairs.
"Come on in! Skills like NASA, service like Bukchang-dong, prices like Costco. We'll serve you with sincerity."
"Boss, support the local economy!"
From the words alone, who knew what they sold?
[Universe Computer]
In the small shop under the sign, a slick-looking guy in his mid-20s tinkered with a computer. He looked like a diligent programmer at first glance.
Park Jin-tae. In 2015, I'd personally busted him for distributing illegal programs and unauthorized copying. Not a huge offender, but caught up in the IP crackdown push. Kinda pitiful prison stint.
Middle school dropout, but a genius in computers, electronics, circuitry. Self-taught hacking via YouTube pierced the National Intelligence Service firewall—front-page news later. And childhood neighbors/seniors with Park Si-woong.
"Welcome. Looking for something?"
He flashed a grin at me.
"Here for a deal."
"A deal...? Ha! Fuck, we look same age, but banmal on first meet? You think I'm some easy mark, Yong-pal? You little..."
"Shut up and sit. We'll talk."
Flashing my badge, I grabbed his shoulder and sat us both.
"P-P-Police? What brings you here?"
He deflated fast.
"Exactly that. Here for a deal. You help me, I help you. Deal?"
"What? Help me how? I got nothing to do with cops."
"You're copying FineCom Tele services for pocket money lately. Black market virtual accounts..."
His face paled.
"Enough. Don't freak. No biggie between us. I'll bury it. But..."
"But... what do I do?"
Quick on the uptake.
"You know Park Si-woong? Grew up same hood..."
"...Yeah, Si-woong hyung. Why? He in trouble?"
"Said deal, not chit-chat. Spill everything on Park Si-woong. Likes, hates, smokes, drinks, even underwear size."
His eyes darted, calculating what to say. I stood, pulled up the curtain to the mini break area. From between old PC towers, I yanked a black external drive.
His eyes widened.
"Knew it all. This alone gets you three years. Let's play nice."
The drive was hidden same spot as last bust. Resigned, Park Jin-tae bowed his head and spoke.
* * *
"So, to sum up: neighborhood senior-junior, hooked up with girls a few times, drank together. Nothing else?"
"Yes. You seem to know it all already. What am I hiding?"
"Park Si-woong, that fucker fought and raped some too? Never caught."
"Yes. And hyung's got this weird quirk."
"Weird? What?"
I leaned in unconsciously.
"Si-woong hyung's kinda paranoid. Local boy, born and bred here. Dunno why, but he never pulls shit outside the hood—places he doesn't know."
"Details."
Clues emerging.
"Hyung only acts where he knows everything—where he controls it. Says even seeing a hot girl elsewhere doesn't get him hard. Goes limp. Fights too—skips unknown turf. Even if provoked, with that temper..."
"Even a mutt eats half when home... Matches perfect."
I downplayed to draw more out. Show interest here, and info warps conscious or not. But my mind raced.
As expected, Gangcheon-gu's Balbari wasn't Park Si-woong. A third player emerged. I felt their gaze, smirking from somewhere.