Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: VIP Ambush
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7 p.m. The upscale restaurant located in XX Hotel.
Deputy Lim straightened his clothes as he passed through the lobby's revolving door.
The luxury suit he'd scraped his soul to afford for a day like this, his hair neatly slicked back with pomade, and the R-brand limited edition watch gleaming brilliantly on his wrist.
"Perfect."
He gazed at his reflection in the elevator mirror, lost in self-admiration.
Anyone who saw him would peg him as a successful young businessman or a chaebol third-generation heir. (Of course, the credit card bill was dumped on next month's version of himself.)
- Oppa, I'm already in Room 3. Hurry up! ❤️
"Oh man, our goddess. You're really in a rush."
Deputy Lim hummed a tune as he strolled down the hallway.
When he'd offered to pick her up and she'd made excuses to slip away, he'd thought it was all over.
But who would've guessed she'd apologize and invite him to a place like this fancy restaurant? And on top of that...
'VIP room, huh? As expected of an influencer—totally different league.'
That's right.
VIP room!
She'd apologized and booked a VIP room, where she was waiting for him now. She even said it was run by someone she knew, so no worries about the bill!
Tonight, thanks to this watch, he had a strong feeling his life's class was about to change!
Knock knock.
Heart pounding with excitement, he opened the door to Room 3.
"Ji-yoon? It's me~ Did I keep you waiting...?"
Deputy Lim flashed the killer smile he'd prepared as he stepped inside.
But the moment he closed the door and looked up, that smile deflated like a punctured balloon.
"Uh...?"
There was no yoga-toned beauty with a killer figure in the room.
Instead, three burly guys with buzz cuts lounged on the sofa. On the table sat soju bottles and an ashtray instead of wine.
The atmosphere wasn't a date—it was heavier than a funeral parlor.
"Wha—wait, did I get the wrong room...?"
As Deputy Lim started backing away...
"Hey, 'Symbol of Success' guy. You got the right place."
The man in the middle grinned.
With stylish glasses and perfectly slicked-back hair, he screamed strategist. It was Jang Manager from the Son Boss Faction.
"N-no, I was supposed to meet Ji-yoon..."
"Ji-yoon? Oh, our cyber team's rookie? That's a guy. Dude's built like a bull but writes so pretty."
"Whaaat!?"
Deputy Lim's jaw hit the floor.
The Pilates goddess with 50,000 followers... was a dude?
"Sit down. Let's talk."
The buzz-cut bruisers on either side grabbed Deputy Lim's shoulders and slammed him onto the sofa.
"Gah! What the hell are you guys! Help! This is a VIP room! Get the manager!"
"Manager? Want me to call him? He's family."
Jang Manager blew a puff of cigarette smoke right into Deputy Lim's face.
Deputy Lim coughed and shrank back. He'd pieced it together. This wasn't a date—it was a kidnapping. By pros, no less.
"B-big bros... I got no money... For real. Car's leased, place is rented..."
"Who said anything about money? We just need to check the goods."
Jang Manager's gaze locked onto Deputy Lim's left wrist.
"Nice watch."
"Huh? Oh, this...?"
Deputy Lim instinctively covered his wrist.
Not this. It was basically his entire fortune!
"It's a fake! Top-grade knockoff, I swear! Picked it up for 30,000 won at the Dongmyo flea market..."
Smack—!
No time to explain.
One of the bruisers backhanded the back of his head with a palm strike.
"Ow! Why'd you hit me!"
"For lying."
"B-but it's real, I tell ya!"
Smack—!
"Aaaah! It is real!"
Smack—!
"O-okay! Fine! It's genuine! Genuine!"
"There we go. Was that so hard?"
Jang Manager flicked his hand. The bruiser yanked Deputy Lim's wrist and forcibly removed the watch.
Jang Manager checked the serial number on the back.
"Bingo. Park Sang-chul's for sure."
He pocketed the watch.
"Where'd you get it?"
"B-bought it! Legit!"
"From who?"
"Carrot! Carrot Market!"
"Carrot?"
The buzz-cut bruisers burst into disbelieving snickers.
A dead member's loot sold on Carrot Market. The world's gone soft.
"Seller's name. Who was it."
"I-I don't know! Just the nickname 'Happy Min-woo'..."
Smack—!
Another slap flew in. This one stung his cheek raw.
"Ow, why again! I don't know, so I said I don't know!"
"Describe him, asshole. Not the nickname."
Deputy Lim's eyes welled up with injustice.
It hurt getting hit, but losing a 25 million won watch hurt more.
But to survive, he had to spill.
"H-he... was a guy... but kinda weird."
"Weird how?"
"Looked like a girl, for sure. Short hair, super pale skin... big eyes... But he said he was a guy. If he was trans, he'd just pretend to be a girl full-on, right? But nooo..."
Deputy Lim racked his brain and blurted desperately.
"Oh, right! Looked kinda dumb! I said it was fake and he bought it? Total pushover, clueless about the world! Pretty face but empty-headed..."
"Hmm."
Jang Manager's eyes gleamed.
He glanced at Choi Boss's subordinate (the loan shark).
"Hey. You said there was a debtor in that neighborhood where the car got ditched? Pull the files."
At Jang Manager's order, the loan shark goon pulled a binder from his briefcase.
He spread about five photos across the table.
"Any of these the guy who sold you the watch?"
Deputy Lim clutched his swelling cheek, sniffling as he peered at the photos.
But his face stayed blank.
"Uh... um... not sure..."
Smack—!
"Aaaah!"
Frustrated, the bruiser slapped him again. Deputy Lim screamed and bowed his head.
Then the loan shark goon pointed to one photo.
"Wait, Manager. You said the ID was 'Happy Min-woo,' right? One of the guys here is named Min-woo."
The photo showed a scrawny young man with shaggy hair and a listless expression. An old photo of Kang Min-woo.
"Hm... This him?"
Jang Manager shoved the photo at Deputy Lim.
Deputy Lim squinted, then shook his head.
"Nah... kinda different. The 'not-a-girl' guy was way prettier... uh, more refined. This dude just looks like a total nerd."
"What? This fucker..."
As the bruiser raised his fist again, the loan shark goon jumped in frantically.
"Hold up! Come to think of it, when we went to his workplace a few days ago, he looked different too. Skin all pale unlike the photo, and... like he was dead set on ditching the old look, face got kinda handsome."
"Hmm."
Jang Manager's eyes gleamed again.
He adjusted his glasses and leaned deep into his chair.
It was like detective BGM was playing.
'Hmmm...'
He closed his eyes and pieced together the clues so far.
Feeling like a manga genius detective.
Truth be told, his childhood dream was a boy detective in a bowtie with a tranquilizer gun. Reality turned him into a debt-chasing thug with a bat instead.
Still, he took pride in this job.
The thrill of finding evidence, pinpointing the target, and nabbing them.
'Let's sort it out.'
1. Kim Manager and Park Deputy's car found in Kang Min-woo's neighborhood. Money untouched. (Murder likely.)
2. Kang Min-woo sold Park Deputy's watch. (Perp confirmed.)
3. Kang Min-woo's looks changed drastically. (Disguise? Plastic surgery? Or...)
"This Kang Min-woo guy's the culprit, looks like."
Jang Manager muttered. But doubts lingered.
'How, though?'
The photo Kang Min-woo looked nowhere near a killer. Skinny, no killer instinct in his eyes, typical everyman face.
Plus, witness accounts painted him turning girly like some trans case.
'That kind of guy took out two organization members? Without a trace?'
Accomplices?
But who'd commit murder for a loser like that—against organization guys, no less.
And the guy's bold: no running, still going to work, even selling the watch openly.
Doesn't add up.
Something... some variable I'm missing.
Bzzz— bzzz—
Then Jang Manager's phone vibrated in his pocket.
Caller ID restricted.
"What."
He answered irritably. He'd been deep in deduction.
"Who is this? I'm working, so hang—"
[Jang Manager? It's me.]
The thick voice on the line made Jang Manager's face stiffen.
This voice... only an outsider wouldn't know it in this scene.
"Ah, Executive Kwak? What brings you to call personally...?"
[Got an urgent job. Drop what you're doing and come to us.]
It was Viper Faction's number two, Executive Kwak.
The monster underground fight ring raked in massive cash—leagues above loan sharking. He basically ran the fight biz, making him a real power player.
And a direct request from them?
"S-sir, I have principles. I've got a prior client..."
[Ten times your current rate. 50% upfront.]
"..."
Jang Manager swallowed hard. Ten times. Rep takes you far, but cash is king.
But he was a pro. Biting too quick killed his cred.
"Sorry, but the guy's I'm chasing now is complicated..."
[Look at the photo first. It'll change your mind.]
Ding.
A text arrived.
No room for refusal—just a one-way demand.
Jang Manager frowned at the screen.
Seemed like fight ring CCTV capture. Grainy quality, but face identifiable.
"Huh?"
The peeking buzz-cut's eyes went wide.
"That's... Kang Min-woo, ain't it?"
"What?"
Jang Manager looked closer.
Yeah. Different vibe from the ID photo, but features and jawline matched.
A tall woman stood beside him arms crossed, but the guy's face was definitely Kang Min-woo.
"Y-yeah! That's him! The bitch—or dude, whatever!"
Deputy Lim, crumpled in the corner, yelled after seeing the photo.
The pretty pushover he'd dealt with.
"Fuck... what the hell."
Jang Manager let out a hollow chuckle.
The guy who iced Kim Manager and swiped the watch.
And the one Viper Faction wanted bad enough to pay ten times over.
Targets overlapped.
Perfectly.
"Heh heh..."
His lips twisted into an uncharacteristic smirk.
This case... way bigger and funner than he'd thought.
He put the phone back to his ear.
"Executive. Sending you the account now. Let's get started."