Octopussy Gate (9)
“You said there are two situations where he does drugs, right? When's the other one?”
“Ah! Well, you see.”
Bang Gyu-tae giggled as if picturing something at Maeng Seung-woo's question, then continued.
“Park Seung-hyun's a perfectionist. He can't stand it when his plans go off the rails. Whenever something happens he doesn't know about, or his influence doesn't work, that bastard loses it and hits the drugs. The most recent time was last year when he didn't win the Entertainment Awards.”
“Kang Sae-rom took the Entertainment Awards last year, right? The idol-turned-actress who was blowing up at the time.”
Hwang Woo-sik jumped in eagerly since it was a familiar story, but his eyes suddenly widened.
“But didn't Kang Sae-rom get busted with Hiropon in her car trunk? N-No way...?!”
“Yeah. Objectively, Park Seung-hyun was the frontrunner for last year's Entertainment Awards. But when he didn't win, he sabotaged Kang Sae-rom.”
“What a fucking psycho!”
“Even if you hate someone, there's a line you don't cross. Park Seung-hyun? No line. Once he sees you as an enemy, he'll destroy you no matter what—even if it wrecks him too. That's the kind of maniac you're dealing with, Detective Kang.”
The rundown flophouse fell silent once more.
* * *
– The number you have dialed is no longer in service.
No matter how many times he tried, the mechanical voice repeated the same message. Park Seung-hyun hurled his phone across the room in a rage.
The broker who connected him to the Vietnamese syndicate for his orders had gone radio silent since yesterday. He'd checked the news obsessively, but it was like someone had scrubbed it clean—no reports on the incident at all.
In desperation, he'd reached out to his own lines, but they'd started dodging him at some point. Bang Gyu-tae, who'd gone in for police questioning, had been MIA for days too.
Something's happening that I don't know about!
His eyebrows twitched as ragged breaths exploded from his chest. His vision darkened, the room spinning wildly around him. Tinnitus rang in his ears, and an unbearable itch crawled over his arms and legs like a swarm of ants. Even the digital clock's second hand ticked deafeningly loud.
Park Seung-hyun clawed at his limbs frantically before staggering to the display case. He yanked the hidden latch inside, his trembling hand snatching a baggie of white powder—one dose's worth.
Haaa!
With a deep inhale, his world slowly steadied.
After all they've taken from me!
Fury surged anew at his usual suppliers' sudden caution. Behind their faces loomed Kang Cheol-gu's.
Everything went to shit once that bastard got involved!
The drug haze he'd thought was calming roared back through his body. This raging thirst wouldn't be quenched by booze or women.
I need to chew on human flesh.
With shaking fingers, Park Seung-hyun punched the intercom.
“Yeah, it's me. Get the car ready. Heading to the gym.”
– The gym...! Yes, sir.
* * *
What was happening on the ring wasn't sparring—it was a massacre. Park Seung-hyun relentlessly hammered his opponent, who had already lost the will to fight.
“Sh-shouldn't we stop that? He's gonna kill the kid!”
“You see the look on his face when he came in? When that guy's eyes roll back, no one stops him!”
The MMA gym coaches averted their eyes and turned away.
The LSD-amphetamine combo ramped up his central nervous system. Heart pounding, breaths heaving, space warping. Staring into his terrified opponent's eyes made laughter bubble up uncontrollably.
Thwack!
One punch from Park Seung-hyun sent the guy flying across the ring to the opposite side.
“Stop! Enough already!”
His opponent yanked off the headgear, refusing more sparring. Park Seung-hyun grabbed his ankle with bloodshot eyes.
Crack!
A jiu-jitsu leg lock—toe hold—exploded. The gym filled with the fallen fighter's screams.
“Sorry about that. I got a little carried away today. This should cover the medical bills.”
Panting heavily, Park Seung-hyun tossed a check onto the unconscious man's face and strode out.
In the back seat of his luxury sedan, he pulled out his phone.
“Yeah, it's me. Tomorrow's party goes as planned. Invite a few new guests too. Make it flashier than ever.”
Time to clean house on these money-grubbing cowards who ghost me when shit hits the fan. Open some new lines while I'm at it.
His thick eyebrows twitched.
* * *
In front of a three-story villa in Jeonghyeon-myeon, Gyeonggi Province. Young women in their early twenties poured out of a large van. Thirty minutes later, luxury cars worth tens of millions began rolling in.
“Detective Kang, you sure we can do this?”
Senior Inspector Hwang Woo-sik brushed leaves off his jacket roughly, asking me breathlessly.
Park Seung-hyun's bodyguards had locked down the only road to the villa, making entry tough. We'd detoured over two kilometers of mountain path, and white vapor puffed from Hwang's mouth. The ten-plus riot squad cops beside us heaved for air too.
“Gwang-il and Gyu-cheol don't even have warrants. If we raid the office and house and come up empty, we're fucked.”
“If clothes come off, I'll strip too. Don't worry about it, Inspector Hwang.”
“Don't say it like that—it hurts! We'll all strip together. But Park Seung-hyun into drugs and lobbying the political and business elite...? I swore after teaming up with you that nothing would surprise me anymore, but this is a big one.”
Peering through binoculars at the villa, Hwang swallowed dryly over and over.
“Sun's setting soon. I'll call the entry timing.”
If we didn't nab him today, he'd fabricate and hide every trace. Raiding his base without a search warrant could backfire on Strong Team 3.
Lips clenched—
Park Seung-hyun emerged from the villa lobby in a sharp suit, flashing a bright smile. Unlike the stone-faced guards at the gate, the vibe inside heated up instantly. Through slightly parted curtains, flesh-toned masses writhed in a sticky haze.
“Now! Riot squad, move in!”
“Yes, sir!”
* * *
“Ha! I'd heard about Chairman Park Seung-hyun, but I didn't know he was this straightforward! Should've linked up sooner.”
“Better late than never. Sorry for the delay in paying my respects, Superintendent Jang.”
“Haha, you're not like the young bucks these days!”
Superintendent Jang, a mid-50s man in his underwear, guffawed nonstop. One hand emptied glasses with Park Seung-hyun; the other groped the half-naked 20-something beside him.
“It's not much, but I prepared a little gift. New bills are too risky, so I stashed crisp old ones in your trunk, Superintendent.”
“Ha! No need to go that far.”
Blushing at Park's low voice, Jang kept laughing.
“...More than that, the police personnel shakeup coming up.”
As Park leaned in—
“Who the hell are you?!”
A scream tore through from outside. The door splintered with a boom, combat boots thundering after.
Everyone inside froze. Black-clad riot squad burst past the guards, flooding the villa.
Jang gulped hard. These were lowly beat cops who'd never glance his way normally—but right now, those black uniforms felt like the Grim Reaper.
High-ranking officials who'd partied with him were strung up like dried fish on a line. Hands that had roamed women's bodies now clicked into cold cuffs.
“Ch-Chairman Park! What the...!”
Jang whipped his head around wildly, but Park Seung-hyun was nowhere.
* * *
Ragged breaths exploded on the quiet mountain path. He'd lost count of the falls and scrambles back up. As the booze and drugs wore off, chills enveloped Park Seung-hyun.
How the hell did the cops know about this place!
Even mid-flight, questions chained endlessly. Biting his lip, shaking his head violently—
“First time seeing the real deal, huh?”
“Wh-who's there?”
A man in a military jacket rose, backlit by moonlight.
“Bang Gyu-tae was right. Only escape route's here.”
Kang Cheol-gu dropped Bang's name. Park Seung-hyun's eyes blazed red—he knew everything.
“...You waited here alone?”
“Why drag a posse for some drug-pushing hack?”
Drug-pushing hack!
The chill vanished in an instant.
Subdue him, get out. In 24 hours, no drug test catches traces. Without being caught red-handed, no one in Korea can pin shit on me!
Resolved, Park Seung-hyun bit his lip and stepped forward. A straight one-two sliced the air at Kang Cheol-gu—no wind-up, pure speed. Low kick swept after, gauging distance. Fallen leaves rode his foot upward.
Stand-up striking textbook techniques poured from Park's body. No wonder Maeng Seung-woo had shuddered in terror thinking of him.
But that was the limit.
Just two days ago, he'd tangled with a Southeast Asian human butcher and edged blades. Kang met the flying fist with his forehead. Bone-crack vibrated through his brow, not his ears.
Park's face drained white. Clutching his fist, he backpedaled. Desperate kick flew, but his base foot buckled, dumping him clumsily. His pampered white face smeared black with dirt and leaves.
“Show me everything you've got. Arresting you like this feels too easy for me.”
This bastard had toyed with countless lives like playthings. Kang wanted to etch their despair into him.
“...Heh... Acting all high and mighty!”
Park spat blood from his mouth and rose. Even in his broken body, the venom lingered.
“First, my apologies. I pegged you as some ordinary cop. I'd be pissed too if treated like that.”
The venom evaporated. He grinned like an old pal.
Borderline personality disorder—mood swings like a patient, he'd heard. But this extreme...?
“From now on, I'll treat Kang Cheol-gu as my equal. You know it all anyway, so no tricks—I'll show you everything.”
His hand dipped into his suit pocket, pulling white powder. Enough for dozens.
“This isn't heroin or morphine relaxing you out. Hits the central nervous straight—turns you into a rabid dog. Honestly, this much is dangerous...”
His breaths quickened. The air shifted.
“Even if caught here, my life's done anyway, right? So...!”
No time to stop him—Park snorted the powder with all his might. Too much crammed into narrow nostrils; he curled up, groaning in agony. Asthma-like coughs hacked through the air.
Unused powder glittered white as mist under moonlight.
Shoooo!
Midwinter mountains still buzzed with night bugs. Tears and spit drew them to his face in clusters, but he ignored them.
Zombie-like, he rose—pupils burst with blood vessels, pure red.
“I'll gouge out those eyes. That look-down-on-everyone gaze? Mine alone!”
Spouting nonsense, Park stepped forward. The temperature plunged.