Chapter 93
Chapter 93
93.
The Ultimate Influencer
In a corner of the spacious party hall, Kwak Chi-young, the head of TSF's Korean branch, stood with Oh Han-sung. They chatted with business associates, observing the increasingly agitated movements of the KITE security guards.
Chairman Myung Joong-hwan, after receiving some news from Gu Sang-ho, suddenly left his seat. However, the owner's family seemed oblivious, continuing to enjoy the party.
'But why is it quieter than I expected?'
If Im Hee-yeon had been murdered, there should have been a bigger commotion. The plan was also to disrupt the MH Group's 40th-anniversary party.
That was the reason he had ordered Im Hee-yeon's death on the day of the party.
Soon after, the man he had sent to check on the situation returned. He approached Oh Han-sung to deliver the news, and Kwak Chi-young could see Oh's expression hardening.
"What happened?" Kwak Chi-young asked.
Oh Han-sung replied quietly, "The Three Fiends failed."
"...What?"
"Lim Do-hwa was captured by Im Hee-yeon's bodyguards and has just been handed over to the police. The other two are nowhere to be found."
"What the hell happened?"
The Three Fiends were expensive but reliable assassins. They were especially known for driving their targets to death in stages, and they had never failed a commission before.
However, they were frequently used by the Seven Circle Society, so if TSF's involvement was revealed, it could become a headache. That's why he had planned to clean them up neatly after the job was done.
"We'll need to secure the police's findings after the investigation to know more details."
"...They really failed?"
Kwak Chi-young still couldn't believe it.
"What should we do with the surviving Lim Do-hwa? Should we take care of her immediately?"
Lim Do-hwa, now in police custody, might not talk easily, but if news of her reached the Seven Circle Society, the severity of the problem would change.
The Seven Circle Society would naturally start investigating the source of this commission.
Although Oh Han-sung, who had placed the order, had taken precautions to leave no trace when transferring the down payment, the money had still changed hands, and a trail could be uncovered somehow.
An even bigger problem would arise if the TSF's Chinese branch found out about this. Dorothy McDaniel, the head of TSF's Chinese branch, would not stand idly by.
"Is it possible?"
"It's easier with the police involved."
"Check the situation and, if it's safe, take care of it."
The incident could escalate further. But even if it was a stretch, it was much better than getting caught.
Meanwhile, Baek Shin-woo, who had been missing earlier, reappeared. Lillian Foster, who seemed to be his partner, was nowhere to be seen, and he stood alone at a table.
Kwak Chi-young sighed deeply and approached Baek Shin-woo with Oh Han-sung.
"You seem very busy, Mr. Baek Shin-woo. I apologize for the late greeting."
Shinwoo smiled at the greeting, sensing even more brazenness than his own.
"Our KITE is in charge of security for this 40th-anniversary party, so there's a lot to take care of. Have you been enjoying yourself, Director Kwak?"
"I don't usually enjoy these kinds of atmospheres. But since I'm involved in the business, I couldn't avoid attending."
Shinwoo smiled back, but inwardly, he found Kwak Chi-young's behavior even more amusing.
'He must be feeling quite anxious. He's managing it well.'
If Yakuza Weishuan hadn't informed him, he wouldn't have been able to prevent Im Hee-yeon's assassination. Of course, the information fee for that was all included in the Ray Sung Group's slush fund, so he didn't mind.
"I see. You're working hard."
"...By the way, the atmosphere outside seems a bit chaotic. Is something going on?"
He was clearly probing. Kwak Chi-young's intelligence network could probably inquire with the police, but this was evidence of how anxious he was.
"There was an incident, but fortunately, it was resolved, so there's no problem."
"So, there really was a problem?"
It was a question asking for an explanation of what the problem was. Normally, they should remain silent until the news was released through the police.
But Shinwoo chose a different option. He carefully approached Kwak Chi-young and said in a low voice, "Actually, Executive Director Im Hee-yeon was almost in danger."
"...What? Is that true?"
The sight of a middle-aged man pretending to be surprised...
Nevertheless, Shinwoo maintained a serious expression and continued, "Upon investigation, it was an assassin who spoke Chinese. Judging by the circumstances, it must be related to something in China."
"Ahem... How could that... So, it was sent by the mastermind behind the abandoned factory incident."
"The police will have to investigate to know for sure. Of course, I'll be moving as well. I spotted a suspicious waiter earlier but lost him while chasing him."
Kwak Chi-young was well aware of Shinwoo's level of intelligence. He still hadn't figured out the source, but he couldn't take it lightly, so he needed to take some precautions.
"If you don't mind, may I offer my assistance?"
"From TSF?"
"I have informants in China. I don't use them often, but if it's to identify a dangerous individual, it might be possible. Of course, I don't mean to disregard the level of Mr. Baek's information network, so I hope you don't misunderstand."
He had ordered the assassination himself and was now offering to find the culprit.
Of course, Shinwoo knew his intentions well and responded without showing it.
"Then I'll ask for your help. Of course, Azure Feather Group will also be moving since it involves Executive Director Im Hee-yeon, but the more information lines, the better."
For a moment, Kwak Chi-young's expression slightly hardened before relaxing.
He hadn't considered the existence of Azure Feather Group until Shinwoo mentioned it. The problem was that Azure Feather Group was deeply involved with the underworld.
If Azure Feather Group traced the Three Fiends back, Kwak Chi-young's involvement could be revealed.
"Things... might become easier than I thought."
"Indeed. Anyway, the party will continue without any problems, so I hope you enjoy it. And I'm counting on you for what happened earlier."
Shinwoo greeted him and left.
Meanwhile, Kwak Chi-young's expression turned cold as he said to Oh Han-sung, "Are there any traces left at the commission site?"
"There's a record of the account used to send the down payment, but it's untraceable."
"Nothing else?"
"There might be CCTV at the commission office."
Kwak Chi-young didn't take long to make a decision. If he could change the flow of information, he could turn the situation to his advantage, even if he hadn't managed to kill Im Hee-yeon.
"Have it all erased. And the remaining members of the Three Fiends seem to have escaped, so find them and take care of them for good."
It was because of the waiter story he had heard from Shinwoo earlier.
"I'll move immediately."
Not long after, Im Hee-yeon, who had almost died, recovered and returned to the party with Song Tae-hoon.
The party continued as if nothing had happened.
* * *
In the mountains somewhere in southern Gyeonggi Province.
Shinwoo had safely (?) finished the party and arrived there. It was the hideout where he had dealt with Nam In-hwang and Moon Tae-beom, the 666 Unit members, last time.
As he entered, Wen Wei and Jang Man-soo, who had arrived earlier, were sitting at the table in the center.
"Where's Lillian?"
Lillian, who had left first, was nowhere to be seen.
"She said her clothes were uncomfortable and went to change."
"Huh? Boss! You're here?"
Just then, the inner door opened, and Lillian walked out in her familiar red tracksuit.
"Isn't that Man-soo's clothes?"
"It's the only thing I could wear right now."
Lillian wore a very unpleasant expression.
At the same time, Jang Man-soo was also in a bad mood.
"If you don't like it, take it off!"
"Oh my! Are you a pervert? Why are you telling me to take off my clothes?"
"Do you want to die?!"
Shinwoo sighed at the two of them starting to fight again.
On the other hand, Wen Wei watched the scene with a pleased expression.
"What are you so happy about?" Shinwoo asked.
Wen Wei's smile deepened. "It reminds me of the old days. Honestly, I didn't think I'd see this again."
"If things had gone according to the original timeline, it would have been another seven years."
"That's right. Ah, where are you living now? And what's with being an assassin called Ghost?"
While Shinwoo had returned to the party, Jang Man-soo had sent a message to Weishuan in China to receive information about Ghost.
His name in China was Ghostly Reaper. An assassin who suddenly appeared in the mercenary market and had never failed. But like the name Ghostly Reaper, no one knew his identity.
Shinwoo had never imagined that Wen Wei would be doing such activities, so he couldn't help but be surprised.
"It just happened."
"Was that something you did in the original timeline too? But I don't remember hearing that name."
If he was as famous as Ghostly Reaper, he should have known about it even before the regression.
"I was just a gangster in this timeline. So, I had people to take care of, and I had to make a living, so I did it."
Originally, Wen Wei's personality was cheerful and talkative. But Shinwoo was worried about how calm he had become, unlike before.
"What's going on in this timeline?"
"You know I'm from an orphanage, right?"
"Of course, I know. The place you stayed... Ah...!"
Shinwoo was about to continue speaking but remembered a past story that Wen Wei had told him before.
Wen Wei continued to explain, "Some guys who were after the orphanage land set a fire, and all my siblings died. The guys didn't intend to kill my siblings either, but the gas tank on the first floor exploded, and my siblings couldn't get out."
That was the future that was supposed to happen. At the same time, it was a very painful past for Wen Wei, so even though he was a colleague, he couldn't ask more about the location or situation of the orphanage.
Of course, Wen Wei wouldn't have let that future happen.
"So, what did you do?"
"I crushed the guys who were after the land first. But I needed money to buy the land... and there was only one thing I could do right away."
In the original timeline, he had lost his siblings, who were like family, and wandered around the back alleys before joining the Seven Circle Society. Even after that, he couldn't settle down and continued to wander until he became a colleague of Triad Eye.
In that life, the only thing Wen Wei did was hold people's lives in his hands.
"He only targeted bad guys, though."
"Did you already investigate me?"
"It was an investigation into Ghost, who is called Ghostly Reaper. But was the orphanage completely resolved?"
"Almost. The orphanage land issue was more complicated than I thought. There was also some real estate crisis recently."
He was referring to Ray Sung Group's real estate development.
Shinwoo let out a sighing laugh at the sight of Wen Wei scratching his head.
"Don't worry about that. Man-soo will take care of it."
Wen Wei looked at Jang Man-soo. The argument that had started earlier had escalated, and Lillian was putting Jang Man-soo in a cobra twist.
"Are you still going to act up?"
"Aaaah—! My back! My back!"
Shinwoo felt sorry for him, and he patted Wen Wei on the shoulder.
"He'll take care of it. Trust him."
"...Are you sure?"
Wen Wei also looked like his trust had plummeted.
"He may look like that, but he's a manager at our company now. Lillian is a general manager. And of course, I'm the CEO."
At the same time, Wen Wei brought up a question he had been curious about.
"Ah, speaking of which, I also saw that you were the CEO of a company called MH Future Security, along with information about your biological mother. What's going on? Honestly, if it hadn't been for the photo they sent me from there, telling me never to touch you, I would have thought it was just someone with the same name."
Jang Man-soo and Lillian had thought so too.
Naturally, Wen Wei also knew Shinwoo's past to some extent, so he was puzzled.
"There were some circumstances. I had to enter the company to find you and the others."
"I also tried to find you and the others. I even tagged words we knew on SNS."
"Huh? SNS?"
At the same time, Lillian and Jang Man-soo, who were in the middle of a cobra twist, stopped at those words.
"Don't you know SNS?"
Wen Wei went to his SNS called Goodstagram and showed his account.
Shinwoo, Lillian, and Jang Man-soo went closer to look at the screen.
Underneath a photo of his upper body, taken without revealing his face, was a photo of an eye tattoo drawn below his left wrist.
【Workout Complete for Today!】
【#Theordealisnotover #TRIEDEYE】
Shinwoo tilted his head as he looked at it.
"What's 'Workout Complete for Today'?"
"What, Boss... you don't even know this? It means 'Workout Complete for Today.' I wrote it because it's a popular saying in Korea, and I wanted you to recognize it."
At the same time, the number of followers was visible next to Wen Wei's account photo.
【103 Posts / 1.834 Million Followers】
For the record, Shinwoo, Lillian, and Jang Man-soo didn't even know the 'S' in SNS.