The End of the Line

Cheonmun Group headquarters, 9 AM. As the regular market opened, a large, beautiful bearish candle announced the crisp morning.

"What... what the hell is this?"

Oh Hyeon-seung, the second chairman of Cheonmun Group, muttered, pressing his throbbing temples.

"Park Jin-cheol... still no contact from Managing Director Park?"

When the documents were first leaked, he had tried to contain the damage before it reached his father's ears, making calls and throwing his weight around. But as more revelations poured out, all his efforts turned into meaningless wasted motion.

"I'm sorry, sir. All lines are dead. His staff and vehicle have vanished without a trace."

"What about his family?"

"We have people watching them, but there's no sign of contact with Park Jin-cheol. The police also notified us that a report was filed."

Of course, those police connections were useless now. With smoking-gun-level evidence flooding out, most of the connections his father had built up over the years were cutting ties faster than light, pulling a "Who are you again?"

"Can we stop the arrest? If he's not arrested, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we can catch Park Jin-cheol and figure something out..."

He asked his secretary with a trembling voice, clearly dreading being dragged to a detention center. But before the secretary could answer, the office door swung open.

Bang!

"Arrest? You think arrest is the problem now, you idiot!"

An old man with slicked-back white hair stormed in, throwing his cane aside. It was Oh Seong-moon, the founder and first chairman of Cheonmun Group.

"F-Father. What brings you here..."

"You couldn't even keep tabs on one Park Jin-cheol, and now you're talking about arrests?"

"W-Well..."

"Look outside, you pathetic fool! The very bastards who ate out of my hand are now leading the charge with knives at our throats, and you're spouting nonsense!"

After scolding his son, Oh Seong-moon sat down heavily, out of breath. Watching him, Oh Hyeon-seung started spouting baseless reassurances to calm his father down.

"Don't worry, Father. I'll handle everything."

Seeing his idiot son, who couldn't even think of how to respond to the first crisis, trying to reassure him only made Oh Seong-moon's headache worse.

Knock knock knock.

The office door opened, and the head of the strategy office walked in. He flinched upon seeing the former chairman but quickly composed himself and delivered his report.

"Chairman, the prosecution just contacted us. The warrant has been issued, and a travel ban has been imposed. Investigators will be here within the hour."

Oh Hyeon-seung's face turned ashen.

"They're... moving this fast?"

Watching his son mutter in disbelief, Oh Seong-moon felt his anger surge again.

"You still don't get it, you moron? The political circles are scrambling to make sure the fire doesn't spread to them."

Though he had been retired for quite some time, Oh Seong-moon's mind was still sharp. Seeing the speed of the investigation, he knew they were done for.

Tch... if only those old bastards who took my money were still alive.

It was a shame to lose the foundation he had built in Korea over decades, but Oh Seong-moon instinctively knew they would lose everything the moment they were caught. He sent everyone out and called for his most trusted subordinate.

"Director Kang. Prepare that thing."

At Oh Seong-moon's low voice, the man named Director Kang, who had been standing like a shadow behind him, bowed his head and left the office, making a call.

"Father, what thing...?"

"I have an escape route I've been maintaining for a long time. We'll get out of the country first."

"What? Are you running away? Abandoning Cheonmun?"

Seeing his son, who was too scared to go to jail but couldn't bear to give up the group, talk back, Oh Seong-moon shouted again.

"It's not running, it's a tactical retreat, you blockhead! Do you want to get caught, stand trial, and rot in prison? We get out, wait for things to calm down, and then catch that bastard Park Jin-cheol and kill him or whatever we have to do!"

"B-But... we still have assets in Korea..."

"Do you think this is the only thing we've done? Once the investigation starts, who knows how deep they'll dig?"

Ignoring his spoiled idiot son's ramblings, he stuffed the forged passports and bearer bonds stored in the safe into a bag.

"Leave your phone here. Use only this. Don't contact anyone."

As he was explaining the precautions to his son, Director Kang finished his call and re-entered the office.

"Sir, Incheon Coastal Pier by 11 o'clock."

Hearing Director Kang's words, Oh Seong-moon grabbed his idiot son by the scruff and dragged him towards the back door ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the office.

He had weathered crises worse than this during his active years, so he was confident he could make a comeback.

I was spacing out, imagining how I'd torment them, when Athena delivered the delightful news.

"Make sure the police can't catch them. We pulled the strings, so I don't want some random asshole taking the credit."

I feel a bit bad that I've only been giving them field work since they were hired, but they all seem happy earning their pay, so I can't really complain.

"And... should we stop shitting on Cheonmun for now? If it's in too bad a state when it comes into our hands, it'll be a pain."

Of course, I'm not buying it to make money. I'm buying it to screw over the owning family. Still, I should make sure it doesn't go completely to shit.

"Hold onto it for now. We'll release it a bit later."

Their reputation is already in the gutter, but to use it more deliciously, I think we need to let it age a bit.

"Oh, and when I build the house, I'm putting a basement in just for them. Whenever I'm stressed, I can use them as punching bags."

I accidentally avenged my parents and relieved my own stress at the same time. Killing two birds with one stone.

"I didn't want to be like this either. But what can I do now that I know? I received something, so I have to give it back."

I'm pretty stressed, but I avenged my parents, and if I just hold on a little longer, my punching bags will be here, so I can manage.

"Let me know when they're caught. Until then, I'll just lurk on the forums."

"Oh? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It hit the daily limit down?"

I wasn't looking at the stock price, just the community, and a post said it hit the daily limit.

I was a bit surprised it crashed harder than I expected, but knowing it's part of Athena's plan puts my mind at ease.

Negotiating with the banks is Arthur and his team's job, so I can just sit back and relax.

"Anyway, time flies. It's already 3 PM."

Watching the sun, which had been at its zenith, slowly descend, I felt that the time to meet Oh Seong-moon and Oh Hyeon-seung was drawing near.

10:55 PM, a dock on the outskirts of Incheon Coastal Pier.

Three men stood in a dark area with almost no streetlights.

"Sir, we're ready. Just get on that boat and transfer to a larger vessel in the open sea, and it's done."

Director Kang whispered in a low voice from the darkness. Oh Seong-moon nodded, then poked his trembling son in the side with his cane.

"Snap out of it, boy. We're safe now."

Oh Hyeon-seung, who had been floundering all day in a sudden storm after living his whole life in a greenhouse, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"F-Father. We just need to get on this boat, right?"

"Yes. I've never been betrayed on this route in my entire life. Let's go."

The father and son hurriedly boarded the boat. On the deck, sailors in pulled-down hats greeted them impassively.

"Long time no see, Captain Kim."

"It's been a while, Chairman."

After exchanging greetings with the captain, Oh Seong-moon plopped down in a seat inside the cabin.

As he sat catching his breath, the boat began to vibrate and pull away from the dock.

Just as he was relaxing, the boat suddenly slowed down.

"What's going on?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, Chairman. The GPS is acting up. I'll turn it off and on again, and we'll get going."

He was startled, but the explanation about a mechanical failure calmed him down. He closed his eyes, but then he heard a strange sound.

Splash.

The sound of something falling into the water made him open his eyes again. The atmosphere had changed.

...What the hell.

The hairs on his body stood on end, a chilling sensation he hadn't felt since his younger days. The feeling of standing between life and death.

Feeling that sensation for the first time in decades, Oh Seong-moon's breathing became ragged.

Hoo... Hoo...

He ignored his son, who was grabbing his arm and asking what was wrong, and stared at the cabin door. After a series of thuds, the boat fell silent.

Creeeak.

The old cabin door creaked open, and fully armed soldiers entered, guns raised.

"W-What is this..."

Before he could even properly panic and stammer, the soldiers strode over, bound the father and son, and injected an unknown syringe into their arms.

Struggling against the absurd situation, they twisted their bodies in resistance before losing consciousness.