Chapter 63: The Yi Ho-kyung Banquet (1)
Phone spoke up from the driver's seat on the way back.
"Congratulations on cleanly erasing even a part of your past."
"Thanks."
The four-man team in the back compartment chimed in unison.
"Congratulations."
"Yeah."
Jang Cheon smiled at them. He was truly grateful for their unwavering dedication, always handling their tasks without a word.
Of course, his gratitude wasn't just in words. He compensated them with the best treatment in the industry.
"This incident will bring seismic change to Korean Murim."
He had deliberately left the bodies at Yang Do-hwa's house untouched.
Even if they were identified as connected to Dae Jeong San Jang, there was no evidence linking them to her kidnapping or murder.
They could always claim they sent people to help, only for them all to end up dead.
But Jang Cheon had the irrefutable proof: footage capturing everything, complete with audio from the bugs—evidence that left no room for denial.
Jang Cheon dialed Bishop.
Everyone cared about Jang Cheon's past as if it were their own.
"Make Dae Jeong San Jang and Gangnam Il-mun believe the other side did it. They're already suspicious of each other, so it won't be hard to push them over the edge."
"Understood. I'll leak the info through multiple channels."
And with Yang Do-hwa—the very heart of the grudge—dead, the odds of the two major sects targeting Jang Cheon had plummeted to near zero.
Her wayward son might kick up a fuss, but that could even be turned to their advantage.
"This works in our favor."
"And there's another gain."
Jang Cheon mentioned recruiting Actor as a subordinate.
"Got it. I'll inform everyone."
No jokes or quips from Bishop, as expected. He knew personnel decisions were critical, and he trusted Jang Cheon's judgment on talent implicitly.
"Oh, and Queen has advanced to the final four."
Jang Cheon hadn't caught the quarterfinals, so he asked,
"Any injuries?"
"None. They say she's in such peak form, she doesn't even look like she's in a tournament."
"Okay."
"Boss, switch to speakerphone for a sec."
Jang Cheon toggled speaker mode.
"Nice one, Bishop."
"What?"
"Queen's heading to Korea soon."
Phone grinned. He knew Bishop was teasing, but he couldn't hold back his joy at the news of Queen coming.
"I know why you like Queen."
"Why?"
"In chess, a pawn that reaches the opponent's back rank can promote to any piece, right?"
The pawn, the weakest piece—like the pawn in Korean chess—could transform upon reaching the enemy's final line, usually into the strongest: the queen.
"So you like queens because pawns turn into them?"
Phone burst out laughing at the absurdity, jolting the car. Protests like a flock of sparrows erupted from the four in the back.
Jang Cheon slipped into the banter.
"Not quite, Bishop."
"Then what?"
"Maybe 'cause she's pretty?"
Bishop spiked the toss perfectly.
"Ah, of course! So Brother Phone's a man after all. Oh, the tragic hero pining for the boss's woman?"
Under his sunglasses, Phone's mouth curved in a smile. He was simply thrilled at Queen's impending arrival, banter or not.
Jang Cheon didn't know why Phone fancied Queen either.
There had to be some trigger or reason, but Phone never shared, and Jang Cheon never pried.
After hanging up, Phone switched tracks. The gentle melody shifted to a triumphant anthem of hope.
Early morning. An Bae-su stared darkly at his phone.
No word from the subordinate he'd sent to handle Yang Do-hwa. It was unprecedented; something had gone wrong.
Still, the man was a pro, so An Bae-su clung to hope that contact would come, even if late.
He couldn't tell U Myeong-hwan. Officially, the lord had never ordered Yang Do-hwa's death.
U Myeong-hwan sipped his tea quietly, inwardly anxious. By now, An Bae-su should have hinted obliquely at the outcome—but silence.
Then Gwon I-tae arrived at his quarters. He downplayed himself as the mountain keeper of Dae Jeong San Jang, but he was a key strategist fulfilling a military advisor's role.
"Lord."
"What brings Advisor Gwon here so early?"
"You need to see this."
Gwon I-tae grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.
U Myeong-hwan was stunned.
"Yang's wife missing?"
He was thrown into confusion.
He first assumed An Bae-su had handled it, but bodies found? No way.
"I know Yang's wife visited you recently, Lord."
"She came about old matters."
"I'm worried rumors might link her disappearance to our sect. We should preemptively muzzle the media."
"Handle it yourself."
"Yes, sir."
As Gwon I-tae left, U Myeong-hwan bellowed,
"Captain An!"
No reply from behind the screen.
An Bae-su had already slipped out and was calling another subordinate.
"Find out what happened. Now."
If his man had failed and it traced back to Dae Jeong San Jang? It'd be a catastrophe beyond salvaging, even with his life.
The news blared in Gangnam Il-mun's inner sanctum too.
Click.
Seo Tak-hyeon, lord of Gangnam Il-mun, had shut it off.
Seo Tak-hyeon.
Master of one of Korea's two major sects. Despite his massive build, plump flesh kept his skin taut, making him look far younger than his years.
Like U Myeong-hwan, an absolute expert at the pinnacle of white path martial arts, one of Korean Murim's twin peaks.
"What the hell happened?"
Before him stood Kim Gwon, his right-hand man and chief military strategist of Gangnam Il-mun.
"Contact with our man is cut?"
"Yes."
"He's skilled, isn't he?"
"Of course."
The dispatched operative was one of Gangnam Il-mun's secret elites, groomed for off-the-books jobs—sent alone because he could handle it. Yet, radio silence.
"Was it a trap from their side?"
The "their side" meant the other major sect: Dae Jeong San Jang.
"Possible. Or it could be the ones who contacted her offering help."
"Who are they?"
"Probably the crew targeting the Murim Alliance leader, but unconfirmed."
Gangnam Il-mun had a sharper read on the secret organization's moves tied to the Murim Alliance than Dae Jeong San Jang, which saw it as mere political collusion with Geom-myeong Inc.
"Cheon Myeong-jin reclaimed real power in the Alliance?"
"Yes. It's fully in his hands now."
Displeasure crossed Seo Tak-hyeon's face.
Relations with Cheon Myeong-jin had never been warm.
It suited them better when he was distracted fighting unknowns.
"Things are shifting daily. All because of Jang Cheon?"
"Yes, he's the eye of the storm."
"Could be an opportunity."
Kim Gwon nodded in agreement.
"The bodies at Yang Do-hwa's are definitely Dae Jeong San Jang's, right?"
"Almost certain."
"Push it. Expose them as the culprits. Leak to the press."
"Not hard, but one of ours is missing too……."
Kim Gwon was always defensive, cautious—testing bridges a dozen times. The opposite of Seo Tak-hyeon's bull-rush style.
That's why Seo had him as chief strategist: their contrasts balanced, averting disasters.
This time, Seo charged ahead bull-like.
"Say a third party grabbed or killed our guy.
Then they could frame us too, right? That's your worry?"
"Exactly."
Seo waved it off loudly.
"That's why we push harder. Pin it on Dae Jeong San Jang first—later, we claim it's their ploy to drag us in.
Who'd believe them?"
"Your keen insight enlightens this fool once more."
It sounded like flattery, but Kim Gwon called bullshit when due. He agreed: time to press.
"I'll mobilize everything to prove it's Dae Jeong San Jang."
"Let them know we're pushing. If roles reversed, we wouldn't hold back."
"Yes. Full force."
As Kim Gwon exited, Seo Tak-hyeon called,
"Chief Kim."
"Yes, Lord."
"Two major sects, two major sects—boring now, right? Gangnam Il-mun as the top sect. Time we claim Korea's number one."
Sing soaked in the hot spring, gazing at the rising steam.
The footsteps of the approaching kimono-clad woman were quicker than usual.
"Bulldog hasn't contacted the liaison."
"What? Did something happen?"
"Yes. He's missing."
Sing was shocked, flustered.
"Is there a black hole in Korea? Why do we keep losing people there?"
The woman named one.
"There is. Jang Cheon."
"Right, Jang Cheon. His doing?"
"Seems so. Vanished after reporting plans for deeper investigation."
Sing recalled the ABSS test report he'd seen—flagged as error, but still nagging.
"Special Inspector will deploy."
"Already assigned."
"Who?"
"Team 3 Leader."
"Sending a team head means higher-ups see the gravity. If this inspector gets sucked into the black hole too?"
She replied with a mix of worry and excitement.
"Probably declare Code Orange on Korea."
"Hm."
Her words darkened Sing's expression.
"And given the stakes, they might send the Asia chief directly."
"Damn! Just when my twilight years were smoothing out."
She smiled.
"Enjoy the baths while you can. Might have to escort you to Korea soon."