Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Translator: Penny
Episode 8: Killing Yoon Seongho [End] (Subtitle: Merry Christmas)
Episode 8: Killing Yun Seong-ho [END] (Subtitle: Merry Christmas)
The long drive of an hour and twenty minutes was made comfortable by the autonomous driving system, allowing me to sleep soundly.
I was fortunate that the car alerted me five kilometers from my destination; otherwise, I might have slept for another thirty minutes after arriving at the meeting place.
Even though they were terrible parents, the car they gifted me is pretty good.
So money really does make things right, huh?
In the game, Yuseong Group had secured an overwhelming advantage in potion manufacturing technology, monopolizing the global potion market.
I suddenly wondered what would happen if other guilds organized a price-fixing scheme... but as the text records showed, they had already suffered significant losses due to price collusion.
Still, they at least covered the cost of raw materials and labor. It's structured so they don't lose money with each sale—their business acumen is truly impressive.
"Well, you've become so weak that even the other guilds look down on you."
"Yun Se-a, you bitch..."
Bang!
"Ughhh!!"
Five bullets left.
Using psychokinesis, I lifted Yun Seong-ho's car into the air, leaving him wide-eyed with shock.
A search of Yun Seong-ho's smartphone revealed a trove of corruption records and shocking revelations that, if leaked, could bring most major guilds and the Yuseong Group crashing down.
He had even commissioned an ability user hunting group in Africa to assassinate the guild leader of the Naseon Guild, one of the major guilds, for allegedly leading a potion price-fixing scheme.
What a pathetic man.
All I needed to do was handle this like this.
The Yuseong Group holds the patent for Potions. This means they could temporarily endure some losses and cut off Potion supplies to South Korea's major Guilds...
While this might spark public outcry about the Yuseong Group exporting Potions abroad instead of selling them domestically, considering the potential for overseas exports... ultimately, it would be the major Guilds who would be left crawling on the ground.
"Bodyguards? No. Forming the entire research team with nameless orphans was truly innovative. Since they don't even have resident registration cards, it would be so convenient to just kill them all if things went south, wouldn't it?"
In reality, most of Yun Seong-ho's bodyguards were indeed without official identities. This made them easy to dispose of, and even if one managed to escape and expose him, who would believe the word of someone without a resident registration card? Everyone would just dismiss them as mentally ill.
They were likely orphans, brainwashed relentlessly from a young age. If I had been hypnotized for much longer, I would have been completely indoctrinated by Yun Seong-ho and followed the same path as these guards.
"Alright, you over there, get up. Your name is...?"
"Ah, my name is Kim Deok-bae."
"You've worked hard, Mr. Deok-bae. Did your father ever take his anger out on you unfairly?"
"Kim Deok-bae, you bastard...!"
Using telekinesis, I lifted the driver and placed him in a safe spot. Yun Seong-ho stared at me with eyes pleading for salvation.
Even in this desperate moment, he was still trying to hypnotize me—a truly pathetic sight.
"Se-a, what will happen if you kill me now?! The suspicion will immediately fall on you! Spare me, I beg you!"
"Hmm~? There are no CCTV cameras around here, and I've already tampered with Father's car. The world will believe he died in a sudden acceleration accident caused by a malfunction. All thanks to Mr. Deok-bae's hard work."
If I kill Yun Seong-ho now, Lee Yu-hyeon, the protagonist in the later half of the story, won't be able to obtain the enhancement materials he needs to upgrade his weapons.
But what does that matter? I can just "find" them and toss them to him.
My maternal and paternal relatives are probably salivating over the prospect of seizing Yuseong Group without Yun Seong-ho... Too bad Yuseong Group is a company where Yun Seong-ho holds a 65% stake all by himself.
Thanks to Yun Se-a's biological mother, who completely withdrew from business, I'll be able to inherit the full 65% stake.
I like how straightforward the inheritance laws are in this world. Since Lee Seol-hwa ran away, I can easily claim half her shares. Yun Se-a's biological mother, tired of the company's political infighting and other issues, has been holed up in her room like a recluse... so the remaining shares will likely revert to me entirely.
After that, I just need to set up a figurehead CEO to deflect any nonsense from busybodies about me being underage.
Mr. Kim Deok-bae is crucial.
I plan to use him for that role.
As for the risk of betrayal, continuous brainwashing will eliminate that. And since I'll be handling the actual operations, it's not really my problem anyway.
"It'd be a shame to let you go like this... let's play a simple game. If you win, I'll spare you."
"......!"
Yun Seong-ho's eyes widened at the promise of being spared.
"This gun has four bullets left. With my Demonic Eye, I can make you feel the same pain I endured during all those experiments. If you can withstand all four shocks, I'll forgive you."
"..........."
Yun Seong-ho's face turned ashen at the thought of experiencing the pain of the experiments he had subjected me to. But before he could react, I slammed the first bullet into his shoulder.
Bang!
".........Aaaaaaah!"
The second bullet tore through Yun Seong-ho's right knee.
As if determined not to give him even a moment to process the pain, I fired the third bullet, which pierced his left knee. Yun Seong-ho's agonizing screams echoed through the room.
Not even the main course yet. What a fuss.
"Alright, get up. You still have one bullet left, remember?"
I uncapped the Supreme Potion Mr. Kim Deok-bae had prepared in advance and forced it down Yun Seong-ho's throat, then hauled him back to his feet.
"Here's the fourth bullet. Tell me if it hurts? I'll listen, at least."
BANG!
"Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!"
The fourth bullet tore through Yun Seong-ho's abdomen, eliciting a scream of a magnitude far beyond anything he'd uttered before.
His howls were so deafening they could be heard in districts over five kilometers away, a primal, earth-shattering roar.
If he'd been any louder, it would have been dangerous.
Any hero with keen hearing might have been drawn to investigate the screams.
As I contemplated severing his vocal cords, Yun Seong-ho finally seemed to have endured the pain simulation. He began pleading for his life.
"Alright, I've withstood all four shots! Hurry up and save me!"
"..........."
"What are you waiting for? Release me now!"
"Did you really think you've experienced all the pain you inflicted on me?"
As I spoke, I reloaded my gun. Yun Seong-ho's face turned deathly pale.
There were always five bullets. The four I fired at Yun Seong-ho were merely appetizers.
If the total pain I've endured so far were quantified as 100, the first four bullets had been calibrated to inflict only 1%, 1%, 1%, and 2% respectively—a mere 5% in total. This fifth bullet, then, would deliver the remaining 95% of the pain.
Click!
"Se-a... Please, just once, spare me..."
Beep!
Merry Christmas, Chairman Yun Seong-ho.
Just then, an alert chimed from Yun Seong-ho's car, announcing that it was December 25th.
"Mr. Yun Seong-ho, Merry Christmas. I'm sending your gift in place of Yun Se-a."
Bang!
Hit by the fifth bullet, Yun Seong-ho slumped lifelessly. It might have looked like he died of shock from the impact, but... he would have experienced every ounce of the pain I had felt before he passed.
Using telekinesis, I held Yun Seong-ho's limp body in place and reached out to Mr. Deok-bae, who was watching me from the side.
"As I told you, you're wearing your gloves. Shall we begin the cleanup now?"
I placed Yun Seong-ho's corpse in the driver's seat and erased all traces of his presence from the back seat.
Splash!
Using psychokinesis, I hurled Yun Seong-ho's car forward with such force that it pierced the guardrail and plunged over the cliff, as if it had suffered a sudden acceleration.
Watching the crimson blood seep from the wreckage below, I was momentarily lost in complex thoughts. But I quickly regained my composure.
I still need to clean up the bodies in the lab. So busy.
There's still much to do.
Come to think of it, this car is a two-seater.
I turned to glance at the car I had just arrived in.
There were seats in the back, but they were so cramped that only someone of a child's height could ride comfortably.
Whoosh!
"Let's see your driving skills."
"Y-yes!"
Left with no choice, I had Mr. Deok-bae take the driver's seat while I sat in the passenger seat for the return trip.
If I'd known it would be like this, I would have brought the SUV, I thought, regretting my decision as we endured an awkward hour-long drive. When we finally arrived at what was now my home—the Main Residence, formerly Yun Seong-ho's—I sensed something was amiss.
"Mr. Deok-bae, did you happen to leave the air conditioner on or the refrigerator door open when you left?"
"Hmm... even if the refrigerator door were open, I don't think it would cause this much ice to form."
"Well, leaving the refrigerator door open wouldn't freeze the entire mansion, would it?"
"Haa... I left her alone because she always hid in her room, no matter what I did to her."
It's not even an anomaly; knowing exactly who caused this makes it even more infuriating.
I forgot to brainwash Yun Se-a's birth mother to keep her quiet.
I thought she'd be cowering in her room, trembling like she did when Yun Seong-ho was gleefully conducting human experiments, or during those moments when Lee Seol-hwa, back when she was Yun Seol-hwa, disguised her cruel training as discipline. But it seems she called Lee Seol-hwa, begging to be saved.
Lee Seol-hwa knows the entrance to the research lab. Even if it's locked with a password, she could easily bypass it using her abilities.
This is getting complicated.
Even if I explain the circumstances, there's a high chance they've already reviewed the CCTV footage.
I never thought the ice not melting in winter would be this inconvenient.
In summer, I could have estimated when someone arrived by observing the extent of the ice's melting.
"Could you please take me to the parking lot?"
"Yes, Young Lady."
I returned with the intention of parking the car first and then assessing the situation in detail.
"...Se-a?"
Damn, I'm too late.
Unfortunately, I ran into Lee Seol-hwa at the worst possible moment.