Kidnapped
I’m Go Yeong-gwang.
Back in my days eating police rice, I carved out a legend in the Violent Crimes Unit of the Gangdong Precinct before retiring. Some people confuse a detective’s gut with a shaman’s divine descent, but they’re completely different.
If a shaman’s divine calling is like getting a DM from a ghost or something similar, then a detective’s gut is the stench that comes from experience and years on the job.
‘There’s no way they changed their testimony for free, especially since they’re not blood-related. Obviously, they put a golden lock on their tongues.’
The most basic step was to check the convenience store owner’s asset holdings. Whether movable or immovable property, I mobilized every information network I had. Of course, it involved dancing between legal and illegal lines, but I didn’t care.
I wasn’t a detective anymore anyway. And honestly, back when I was on the force, I did far worse things than this.
Above all…
‘I can’t just sit still after what happened to the old man.’
The first time I saw the old man in three years—after hearing about it from Humin—was truly devastating. Since the last time I’d seen him, he’d been smiling brightly and in good health, I never imagined we’d reunite like this.
Once I started the investigation, strange details quickly caught my attention.
“Boss! I got something!”
“You already hooked one? Nice work, you little shit!”
Jong-man, my subordinate who had just returned from fieldwork, showed me the photos he’d taken with a bright expression.
“The convenience store owner. I asked the neighbors and they said he hasn’t been seen around lately. So I staked the place out for a few days, and guess what? The bastard was commuting to a different house, not his own.”
“His registered residence and actual residence are different?”
“Yes! So I looked into it. The house he’s been going to is registered under his ex-wife’s mother’s name.”
“An apartment in XX complex would have a pretty high market price… It’s not like he just took out a big loan or was already rich and you’re making a fuss over nothing.”
“He bought the apartment two months ago.”
“Two months ago…”
“Exactly one month after the accident. Doesn’t this smell fishy to you?”
“……”
It did. A very nasty stench.
No one would have paid close attention to the relationship between the convenience store owner and his ex-wife’s mother, who had bought the apartment. A cop should have, but…
‘Slipping some cash under the table makes cops look the other way easier than drinking cold porridge.’
“You dig into the grandmother’s financial records. Movable assets, real estate—everything. Report it all to me.”
“What about you, boss? Where are you going?”
Jong-man asked as I hurriedly grabbed my coat and headed out.
“Me? The jjimjilbang.”
People are creatures of vanity.
That vanity is usually stronger in women than men, so for housewives, everything becomes a comparison: their husband’s job, salary, their child’s school district, the neighborhood they live in, the price of their apartment, the clothes they wear, their shoes, their bags, and so on.
If there’s something to brag about, they can hardly hold it in.
So what if, in a single moment and without any effort, they suddenly come into a massive sum of money?
Well, their mouths would be itching to show it off.
Of course, they’d make up some vague story about where the money came from. But I wasn’t interested in the reason.
“So you’re saying you hit it big with some coin called Panpan Coin or whatever, and that’s how you bought the house and the car?”
“That’s what I’m saying! I didn’t even know I had a talent for this until now!”
“Myeong-suk, come on, share some info with us too. Should we buy Panpan Coin as well?”
‘Jackpot.’
Visiting the jjimjilbang that the convenience store owner’s ex-wife frequented had been the right call.
Even there, she was busy bragging to her group of friends about her newly bought house and car, and she happily spilled exactly how she’d earned the money.
To me—pretending to sleep with a sheep-head towel on and a comic book covering my face—it was a perfect catch leaping straight into my arms.
The third son of Chamyung Construction, Oh Se-jun, swung his club in a clean arc. The ball flew straight and landed precisely on the green.
“Nice shot!”
“Executive Director, it looks like you didn’t just study business while you were studying abroad in America, huh? Hahaha!”
“I’m starting to worry we’ll all have our wallets emptied by the end of today.”
“Now, now~ Don’t worry too much, directors. So what if I take a little from your wallets? You all know exactly where and how that money will come back around.”
Oh Se-jun flashed a friendly smile as he soothed the board members. They seemed to enjoy his sweet talk; their faces were full of smiles.
“Is that why? I was wondering why I felt so good even though it’s my wallet getting picked clean.”
“Hahahaha!”
Just as the mood was reaching its peak—
“Sorry. Looks like something came up at the company. I’ll take this call and be right back.”
“Ah, yes. Take your time.”
The phone kept ringing without pause, so Oh Se-jun eventually excused himself and stepped away to answer.
The caller was none other than his secretary, Kim Dong-cheol.
“You son of a bitch. Didn’t I tell you not to call me today even if the sky splits in two? Did I or did I not? Do you not know what kind of day this is for me?!”
Oh Se-jun’s voice sharpened into a furious roar.
Today’s reception for the board members was a seat he had barely secured by mobilizing every fund and connection he possessed. If he didn’t firmly stamp his image on them and bring them to his side here, the next president position would go straight to his older brother or sister.
[I’m sorry! But this is a situation I had to report… The hit-and-run from before…]
“You crazy bastard! Who the hell hit-and-ran? You wanna die?”
[Ah! I’m sorry! I meant the insurance scammer who targeted you back then, sir. It seems some people are digging into that case again.]
Oh Se-jun frowned, looking dumbfounded at Kim Dong-cheol’s words.
“What? What kind of bullshit is that? Didn’t we cleanly wrap that up with the old man’s insurance fraud last time?”
[Strictly speaking… it wasn’t fully wrapped up. If the victim had accepted the settlement, there wouldn’t be any issue, but no agreement has been reached yet. It’ll have to be decided in court. Still, we secured favorable testimony from the only witness—the convenience store owner—and we also obtained the CCTV footage.]
“Then what’s the problem? Even if those bastards are digging around, there shouldn’t be any issues, right? I’m busy, so spit it out already. Fuck!”
[It looks like they spread some money around. The convenience store owner contacted us today. He complained that some crazy bastard named Go Yeong-gwang from the Young-gwang Detective Agency has been tailing him. The problem is, this isn’t just any crazy bastard. He already knew that we slipped the owner’s wife hush money through Panpan Coin, and that her mother used it to buy the apartment. He used that to threaten the owner, who ended up confessing that he handed over the testimony and CCTV footage…]
“What the fuck is this ball-squeezing nonsense?! How the hell would a mere detective agency owner get access to cryptocurrency transaction records? It’s obviously a bluff!”
[I said the same thing, but by then the testimony had already been given… Upon checking, this Go Yeong-gwang person was apparently a veteran detective with twenty-six years of experience in the Violent Crimes Unit. So perhaps he’s quite skilled in this area…]
Crack!
“So? This ex-cop detective agency bastard is so amazing that you called me to politely tell him to fuck off to prison? Secretary Kim Dong-cheol? Are you looking down on me too, calling me a bastard child, a retarded son of a bitch with no backing and no connections?”
[Th-that’s not… I’m sorry. Should I contact the Future Strategy Office right away?]
The Future Strategy Office was the department that handled all of Chamyung Construction’s dirty and difficult work behind a plausible nameplate.
Obviously, if he handed this matter over to them, they would handle it cleanly, but…
“Why? Why don’t you just run to Father and beg him to send me to America right now? You want me to ask Father for help because I can’t handle one shitty little problem? If I do that, I’ll be exiled to America whether the company likes it or not. Don’t you know that?!”
[Then…]
Oh Se-jun closed his eyes for a moment in thought, then slowly opened them. A murderous glint flashed in his gaze as he spoke in a low voice.
“Hire a skilled and trustworthy clan. Have them dispose of all the evidence and quietly take care of that Go Yeong-gwang bastard. Tell them I’ll double the payment if it’s handled cleanly.”
[You want to use a clan?! That’s too dangerous, Executive Director!]
Groups of awakened beings were largely divided into two categories.
Guilds—organizations of hunters gathered to conquer the Tower.
Clans—organizations of villains gathered for criminal profit.
Because of that, clans often accepted any job that paid well. Even if it was a murder contract.
“Shut up, you bastard. Either way, if this isn’t handled properly, I’m finished. Stop talking and just do as I say. Got it?!”
[But Executive Director…!]
“Report when it’s done. I’m hanging up.”
Click.
Only madness filled Oh Se-jun’s eyes.
He had been born a bastard with no hope of climbing the ladder, yet he had miraculously grasped a chance to reach out.
‘Rather than miss this opportunity and get exiled to America, I’d rather die.’
Oh Se-jun had already gone far beyond the stage where he could control his desires. There was no turning back.
Go Yeong-gwang returned to the office after finishing his fieldwork.
‘……’
He reached for the office door, then paused and quietly withdrew his hand after checking the floor.
The Chinese restaurant flyer he had wedged in the door crack was now lying on the ground.
Jong-man was still out on a job, so no one should have been able to open the office door lock and enter…
As Go Yeong-gwang carefully stepped backward, intending to escape down the emergency stairs instead of the elevator—
“Is it because you’re an ex-cop? You’ve got good instincts, old man.”
Go Yeong-gwang was already surrounded by men in black clothes and masks blocking both front and back. He gave a bitter smile and asked,
“Did Oh Se-jun send you? To bring me in.”
“What are you talking about? We just don’t like your face and came to stomp you. You’ve got something for us, right? Just hand it over nicely. Then we’ll leave quietly.”
“Looks like you didn’t find what you were looking for?”
“You think you can hold out with that? You’ll regret it, old man.”
One of the masked men sneered, pointing at the expandable baton now in Go Yeong-gwang’s hand. Without hesitation, Go Yeong-gwang swung the baton and attacked.
No matter how experienced a Violent Crimes detective he was, he had no intention of acting recklessly against this many opponents.
‘One guy! I just need to break through one of them!’
Whoosh!
Go Yeong-gwang swung the baton fiercely at the closest man, but…
“Old man, save the tricks for your kids. Don’t try that shit on us.”
Swish…
The man lightly caught his wrist and twisted it.
Thud!
Then he drove a fist straight into Go Yeong-gwang’s stomach.
“Ugh…!”
With a choked cough, Go Yeong-gwang’s eyes rolled back halfway as he collapsed to the floor.
‘These bastards… They’re not ordinary thugs. Did the clan send them?’
“He’s still alive. Should we finish him?”
“No. Not until this old man spits out every piece of evidence he has on our client. Bring him.”
“Yes.”
The leader of the villains rummaged through the unconscious, limp Go Yeong-gwang’s belongings and found his phone. Then—
Crack!
He dropped it on the ground and stomped on it mercilessly.
It was to prevent any possible location tracking.
“Let’s go.”
As the villains drove away with their captive, someone was watching them from the rooftop of the building across the street.
“H-hello? Mr. Ahn Humin? This is Kim Jong-man, I work under President Go Yeong-gwang… Something really bad has happened to the boss.”