Chapter 76
Translator: uly
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Caught Red-Handed
Late at night.
Lee Myung-jun pulled up to a building on the outskirts of Seoul in his personal car.
The building had once served as a dorm for an idol group that JU Entertainment was preparing to debut.
But it was no longer in use.
After the idol group disbanded due to lack of profitability, the structure had been left abandoned.
Lately, preparations were underway to demolish it and build a new facility in its place.
The reason he had come here so late at night was a single text message.
[Come here. We need to talk about your severance pay and other matters.]
It was from Seo Jae-yoon.
Seo Jae-yoon had ignored Lee Myung-jun's suggestion to talk tomorrow.
Using the prosecutor's investigation as an excuse, he had summoned him under various pretexts.
Screech—!
Lee Myung-jun stopped the car and scanned the parking lot.
One car was parked there.
It belonged to Seo Jae-yoon.
But it wasn't the luxury sports car he usually drove.
It was an old Genesis he had bought as a hobby ages ago.
Something felt off.
It was suspicious that a car he would never normally drive was parked there.
But having come this far, he couldn't just turn back.
Lee Myung-jun got out of the car and headed toward the building.
Soon, a man emerged from the building.
"You're here?"
It was Sung Seung-won, who held the same executive position as him and served as Seo Jae-yoon's right-hand man.
"Yeah. You here too?"
"Of course I have to follow wherever big brother goes. Come on in. He's waiting."
Sung Seung-won seemed the same as always.
Yet there was a subtle sense of incongruity in his demeanor.
"What are you doing? Come on."
"Yeah, coming. Right now."
He followed behind the urging Sung Seung-won into the building.
It looked almost like a ruined abandoned structure, as if demolition work had already begun.
Construction materials were scattered here and there.
As he entered, he spotted Seo Jae-yoon sitting in a chair.
"You made it?"
"Yes, sir."
"What 'sir'? I'm quitting the company soon, so just call me big brother."
"No, sir. Your resignation hasn't even been accepted yet."
"Sigh..."
Seo Jae-yoon let out a sigh at Lee Myung-jun's persistent defiance.
"Whatever. Do what you want."
"Thank you. So, what did you want to talk about...?"
"In a hurry?"
"Pardon? No... It's just so late."
"It is late. Anyway, let's get straight to the point. I need to wrap this up early so I can rest before tomorrow's questioning."
At the mention of questioning, Seo Jae-yoon smirked mockingly.
Lee Myung-jun felt a chill from that smile.
"I'm talking about the ledger leak."
"Yes."
"I've thought it over carefully, and the only ones who could access that ledger are me, Seung-won here, and you."
A shiver ran down Lee Myung-jun's spine.
"But Seung-won says he wouldn't do it even if he died."
"I-I didn't do it either!"
"Yeah, of course you'd say that. But rationally speaking, you're the prime suspect."
"It might not have been an inside job. Maybe someone hacked in from outside..."
"Ha! Myung-jun."
Seo Jae-yoon cut him off.
Lee Myung-jun looked up, glaring at him.
He could even sense murderous intent in those eyes.
"You think I wouldn't have checked that? The top guys in the industry already came and verified everything. No signs of external intrusion."
"E-Even so, there's no proof it was me!"
"True. At first, I didn't think it was you. But on April 7th, at 2 p.m., you stepped out, right?"
"Pardon? April 7th..."
Lee Myung-jun racked his brain.
He had to recall what he was doing at that time, no matter what.
Otherwise, he could be pinned as the culprit.
"Ah! Th-That day, I got a call that someone had hit my car, so I went to the parking lot for a bit!"
"Sigh... Really? So you got it fixed?"
"Pardon? Oh, no. It wasn't damaged when I got there."
"Ha!"
Seo Jae-yoon let out a scornful laugh.
"So someone called you saying your perfectly fine car was broken? A false report?"
"Pardon? Y-Yes..."
"And right at the time when the guy who leaked it—the one I think did it—called me."
"What?!"
Lee Myung-jun exclaimed in shock.
"You were out exactly when I was on the phone with that bastard. And your car was fine. What a coincidence, huh?"
Lee Myung-jun realized something was wrong.
The pieces fit together too perfectly.
Anyone hearing this would think he was guilty.
"Sigh... But! Sir! No, big brother! If the ledger goes public, I'd be under investigation too as an executive! Why would I risk that...!"
"Yeah, you'd face investigation. But you have no direct involvement, so at worst, it'd be a suspended indictment. Or more likely, no punishment at all."
"Th-That's..."
It was true.
He had no rebuttal.
All the circumstances pointed to him as the culprit.
"You know how fucked this situation is? They're closing in from all sides. No way out. And you do this for a few billion won? Resignation?!"
Seo Jae-yoon shot up from his chair.
His face had twisted into a goblin-like scowl.
"B-Big brother! It's not true! I-I'm innocent! I never took the ledger...!"
Clack—!
It was then.
Lee Myung-jun's head whipped around at the sound of high heels from behind.
His eyes filled with terror as he stared into the pitch-black darkness.
"Wh-Who...?"
"Big brother, shall we get to work?"
A man stepped out from the shadows, straightening his clothes.
As the man's face emerged from the veil of darkness, Lee Myung-jun's face drained of color.
"Brother Myung-jun, long time no see."
"H-Hyeong-beom..."
The man from the shadows.
It was Choi Hyeong-beom.
Lee Myung-jun knew him well.
Seo Jae-yoon's fixer.
The guy who handled problems that money or law couldn't touch—with violence.
Lee Myung-jun knew exactly what the presence of a gangster boss who ruled Gangnam meant.
"B-Big brother! It's really not me! I'm innocent! I swear I didn't do it!"
"I can't trust your words, so I called in Hyeong-beom."
Seo Jae-yoon spoke coldly, then looked at Choi Hyeong-beom.
"Handle the rest."
"Don't worry."
Choi Hyeong-beom raised his hand.
Two burly men emerged from the darkness.
They carried steel pipes, ropes, and towels.
"B-Big brother! Big brother!!"
Despite his desperate cries, Seo Jae-yoon turned away.
* * *
Thirty minutes later.
Lee Myung-jun, slumped in the chair, was a horrific sight.
His eyes were swollen, blood streaming from his mouth and nose.
"Ugh..."
Thwack!
"Gah!"
A steel pipe swung at him again as he groaned.
He lacked even the strength to scream, managing only a strangled gasp.
It was astonishing how they had reduced him to this in mere thirty minutes.
"Whew—! You're one tough bastard."
Choi Hyeong-beom exhaled cigarette smoke as he approached Lee Myung-jun.
"Brother, time to come clean? You took the ledger, right?"
Lee Myung-jun nodded weakly.
Violence trumps all.
Even though he hadn't done it, he had no choice but to submit.
"See? Feels good to admit it. Now, tell us who you sold it to..."
It was then.
Thud—!
A noise came from the darkness.
Choi Hyeong-beom straightened up and looked toward the sound.
He then glanced at Seo Jae-yoon.
"Brother, anyone else supposed to show up?"
"What? No way. It's just us."
"You're sure?"
"I said yes. Why?"
"Nothing. Hey, go check it out."
"Yes, boss!"
One of his underlings bowed and headed toward the noise.
The moment he entered the darkness.
Crack—!
"Guh!"
A short scream rang out, and the underling flew back out, tumbling across the floor.
"What the—?!"
As Seo Jae-yoon shouted in alarm.
A man emerged from the darkness.
Choi Hyeong-beom's face twisted at the sight of the man with unkempt, rugged stubble.
"Detective Kim..."
"Hey, you big bear. Been a while?"
"You bastard... This a trap you set?!"
"Trap? Nah, just responded to a tip. Anyway, you're caught in the act, you know that?"
"Fuck! You think you can take me alone?!"
"Moron, you think I'd come solo to nab the Bear Gang boss? Get 'em!"
At Detective Kim's shout, plainclothes cops burst from the shadows.
"Damn it! Beat 'em!"
"Kill 'em!"
Choi Hyeong-beom swung his steel pipe at the charging detectives.
He was the boss who ruled Gangnam with his fists alone.
Though he'd stepped back from the front lines, his skills hadn't rusted.
Detectives fell one after another to his punches.
But even Choi Hyeong-beom couldn't defy sheer numbers.
Crack!
"Guh!"
He finally dropped to his knees from a detective's punch from behind.
His other underling, Seo Jae-yoon, and Sung Seung-won too.
Handcuffs clicked onto everyone.
Detective Kim approached Choi Hyeong-beom.
"You're under arrest on multiple charges, caught red-handed. Got it, Hyeong-beom?"
"You son of a... bitch..."
Detective Kim sneered at Choi Hyeong-beom, who bared his teeth to the end, then stood.
"Haul 'em all in!"
"Yes, sir!"
The commotion ended.
* * *
Come the weekend, Tae-seong stopped by his parents' house for dinner.
"Son! That was delicious again today."
"Good to hear."
"Of course! Food made by my boy is always the best!"
Tae-seong smiled at his mother's words.
"I'll peel some fruit. You rest."
"No, Mom'll handle the fruit. You go relax, son~"
"Got it."
Tae-seong emerged from the kitchen with a grin and sat beside his father on the sofa.
"Dinner was great."
"Glad you enjoyed it. How's the shop these days?"
"Not bad. Following the setup you did, customers find things easily. Headquarters guy came by recently and took photos."
"Photos?"
"Yeah. Said they had a lot to learn from it."
"Good to hear."
He was relieved it had helped his father.
[Next up in the news. Seo, the CEO of JU Entertainment, who has been embroiled in sex trafficking allegations, has been emergently arrested.
Mr. Seo is accused of commissioning violence from Choi, the boss of a violent gang operating in Gangnam, shocking the public.]
The news reported on the JU Entertainment incident.
The coverage was detailed.
They mentioned the on-site arrest and that Lee Myung-jun, the assault victim, had filed charges against them.
"Those damn murderers! Making other people's kids cry blood, and now contract killings! Oh man..."
His father thumped his chest with his fist.
"At least they're arrested now."
"What's the point? Rich bastards always buy their way out."
His father was right.
Money could turn guilt into innocence.
But.
[Meanwhile, the victim, Mr. Lee, has been revealed as an executive at JU Entertainment, adding to the shock.
Mr. Lee admitted during police questioning that the sex trafficking ledger was real and stated that Mr. Seo, believing him to be the leaker, orchestrated this to hold him accountable.]
That was why Tae-seong had made preparations.
One was the insider's testimony.
Another was catching them in the act.
With these and more, they had no moves left.
"Sounds like they won't get out this time."
"R-Really?"
His father scratched his head sheepishly at Tae-seong's words.