Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Steven Gibson's Bodyguard, Michael Walters
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Steven Gibson's bodyguard, Michael Walters.
He was an ordinary family man.
The kind who worked hard to earn money and provide for his wife, nine-year-old daughter, and eight-year-old son—siblings born a year apart.
So, he needed money.
But it wasn't just about the money that made him betray Steven Gibson.
During his deployment in Iraq.
Michael had heard a urban legend-like ghost story passing around.
It was about a secret group that supposedly manipulated the world's entire economy from behind the scenes—a utterly absurd tale.
They had even extended their reach into the military-industrial complex, and whenever war broke out, their elite mercenaries swept through the battlefields, or so the story went.
Finally, they went by various names.
Some called them the "Illuminati," others the "Freemasons," and so on.
Of course, like any sane soldier with a normal mindset, Michael dismissed it as bullshit.
But as time passed and passed.
One day, after becoming Steven Gibson's bodyguard.
The insane ghost story materialized right before his eyes.
"Is Steven more precious to you than your family?"
Michael dropped to his knees.
Urban legend or cosmic legend, if it weren't for his family, he would have fought them to the death.
No, before that, he would have sought help from Steven Gibson first.
But Michael had no choice but to take their hand.
'Because they turned me into a drug addict.'
Even now, recalling that day made Michael want to bite his tongue and die.
They had beaten him unconscious, then injected him with drugs.
He didn't know what kind of drugs they were.
But a single injection had turned him into an addict.
So, to protect his family and obtain those drugs.
Michael became a dog for a secret organization whose name he didn't even know.
.
.
.
'What bullshit.'
The next day after Investor's Night.
As Steven Gibson was being discharged from the hospital.
Lee Dae-hyuk shook Michael's hand, asking him to take good care of Steven.
Michael was baffled but still grasped Lee Dae-hyuk's hand.
A Oriental guy he'd met only twice was suddenly asking him to look after the genius billionaire of the IT world—it was a bit disconcerting.
But like a pro, Michael managed his expression and shook hands with Lee Dae-hyuk.
In that moment, Lee Dae-hyuk could read Michael's information in even finer detail.
He could glean some info just from brushing past, but the problem was his brain processing it.
No matter how much information he faced, he couldn't perceive it all in a flash.
That's why he needed a firm(?) handshake.
And a very long one, with intense(?) eye contact.
'Hmm. How should I screw him over?'
Perched on his bed, Lee Dae-hyuk fell deep into thought.
Was it because of what happened with the Yoo Jae-man family and Oh Tae-gyu?
He had a pathological hatred for traitors.
He wouldn't kill him, but he wanted to punish him as thoroughly as possible.
But he couldn't do it alone.
Reluctantly... he would have to borrow Yoon Tae-ho's power.
'Ah, what to do. It could be dangerous.'
He agonized over it for quite a while, but the answer was already set.
***
Yoon Tae-ho's hotel room.
Yoon Tae-ho, sipping orange juice while listening to Lee Dae-hyuk's story, let his mouth drop open slightly.
"Uh-uh-uh?"
He nearly recreated a famous scene from a drama that would air years later, then gulped down the orange juice in his mouth.
"Ha, um... Are you perhaps reciting a plot from some movie you saw?"
Lee Dae-hyuk shook his head at Yoon Tae-ho's question.
"No way. It's too unrealistic for a movie, don't you think?"
"Yes?"
"Sometimes reality surpasses movies."
"Haa...."
Yoon Tae-ho clutched his forehead at Lee Dae-hyuk's response.
Just yesterday, he had been in awe of Lee Dae-hyuk.
"Ever since coming to America, I've been constantly amazed by you, Young Master."
"Isn't this story worth being amazed by too?"
"It's not amazement—it's despair. Why do you keep getting involved in this kind of crap? Why?"
Now truly starting to believe Lee Dae-hyuk's story, Yoon Tae-ho wailed.
At his nagging, Lee Dae-hyuk scratched the back of his head.
"I didn't expect things to blow up like this either."
At first, he just wanted to save Steven Gibson and build a friendly relationship with Apple.
He never imagined getting tangled in some action thriller movie plot in real life.
Seeing Lee Dae-hyuk's dejected expression, Yoon Tae-ho pondered.
He knew it too.
Sometimes frustrating and irritating.
But if Lee Dae-hyuk was in danger, he would risk his life to protect him.
Still, solving it without fighting would be best for everyone.
"...Let's report it to the police. Get Steven checked out, surgery if needed, and leave the rest to the cops and FBI."
"I can't do that."
Lee Dae-hyuk shook his head.
It would be great if it worked out like Yoon Tae-ho said.
But the 'organization' wasn't that easy to deal with.
"There's no evidence right now. Just what the detective gathered. Even with the wiretap recordings, we can't catch them with that."
Unable to say he'd learned all of Michael's info through Psycho Meter.
In the end, he blamed it on Lou Wilson.
He made up a story that while searching for Steven Gibson's birth mother, he uncovered a hidden conspiracy.
'Actually, they're both in on it.'
Unable to tell the whole truth, Lee Dae-hyuk glossed over the situation vaguely.
"Exactly! Find the evidence, hand it over to the police, FBI, and Apple, then safely head back to Korea."
"Hoo... Doesn't sound safe at all...."
Yoon Tae-ho let out an involuntary sigh, then sorted out the situation.
"Fine! Got it. So we just need to take down that Michael guy and get the evidence? Nothing more, right? Promise me."
"...Yes. I promise."
"......"
Even as they talked, Yoon Tae-ho and Lee Dae-hyuk already knew the answer.
That it was a promise they couldn't keep.
***
Michael's daily life was happy.
He was receiving about double his salary from Steven Gibson—in cash—from the organization.
They'd moved to a bigger house, and his wife and kids' lives had become more affluent.
Simple joys like grocery shopping at the mart or walking the dog made his ordinary days utterly delightful.
As long as Steven Gibson lived, this life would continue.
'Yeah. I'll protect him with all my heart.'
For his own sake, and to ease even a sliver of his guilt.
Having finished the walk with Poo-dle.
Viiiing-!
As he entered the house, Michael tilted his head at the sudden text message.
'A number I've never seen....'
And in that instant.
"......?!"
Reading the message, Michael's eyes widened.
The content was simple.
- I know you betrayed Steven Gibson.
'What? Who?'
Michael's face paled as he instinctively scanned his surroundings.
Of course, no one was there....
Thump-thump-!! Thump-thump!!!
His heart, calm even on the battlefield or facing psycho criminals' guns and blades, pounded wildly.
Viiiing-!!
Before he could calm his heart, another text came.
- If you want to see me, come to the address below.
'......'
The address below the text.
An abandoned building on the outskirts of Silicon Valley.
Michael's face twisted.
'I have to go myself.'
He couldn't tell the organization.
If they knew information had leaked, they'd dispose of him too.
'Yeah. I'll handle it.'
Michael glared straight ahead with fierce eyes, as if facing the sender in person.
'Today... there might be blood.'
Whoever it was, if they got in his way, he'd blow their head off with the Beretta.
Gritting his teeth, Michael headed to the parking lot shed.
***
In front of the abandoned building at the given address.
Once a motel, it had become a deserted ruin after a fire.
Traces of the blaze still scarred the building everywhere.
"......"
Michael stood there for a long time, staring at the abandoned building with a hardened face.
Those burn marks mirrored his current state of mind.
"......"
How much time passed like that.
Footsteps approached from behind Michael.
Step-!!!
He spun around reflexively, a curse escaping his lips.
"...Goddamn it. Is it really you?"
Facing Lee Dae-hyuk who appeared before him, Michael asked curtly.
He knew instantly that he was the one who sent the texts.
But it was so unexpected that a bewildered, off-topic question slipped out.
Lee Dae-hyuk nodded slowly at his question and countered.
"Of course it's me. Don't you have the wits to figure that out?"
Grit-!!
Michael ground his teeth at Lee Dae-hyuk's taunt.
His sharp instincts, honed from deployments and bodyguard work, were telling him.
The Oriental guy in front of him knew everything.
Even without instincts, the circumstances made it obvious.
'Then....'
Rage boiled up, but he had to resolve it through talk as much as possible.
'Yeah. Bloodshed is the last resort.'
In this day and age, where was perfect crime?
The wealth and happiness from betraying Steven Gibson.
Even if blood had to be spilled, he wanted to settle it peacefully.
"Mr. Lee. How did you get my number, and why send that nonsense?"
For now, Michael played dumb across the board.
If it could fizzle out like this, it was good for him too.
However.
"Kukukuk!"
Lee Dae-hyuk, knowing everything, just sneered mockingly.
"Your lines are a mess. Awkward and stiff."
"What?"
"With acting skills like that, how have you fooled Steven all this time?"
Michael had no ready retort to Lee Dae-hyuk's counter.
'Does he really know something? No way... evidence too?'
Fear surged.
'No. Impossible.'
Michael suppressed the rising anxiety.
What evidence could this young rich kid from a small country like Korea possibly have?
But Lee Dae-hyuk already knew the evidence.
"The gray safe in your parking lot shed. Beretta and those drugs inside. And every 15th of the month, $50,000 cash in a package."
"......?!"
Michael's jaw dropped.
He couldn't even think of a rebuttal.
It was all true.
"H-How do you know?"
Stroking his chin at Michael's question, Lee Dae-hyuk replied.
"The 'how' isn't important now—it's the 'why.' Why I called you out here and said this. Shouldn't you be asking that?"
"......"
At Lee Dae-hyuk's question, Michael felt his lips—no, all the blood in his body—dry up.
A simple question, but a dagger he couldn't dodge.
"Enough wasting time. What do you want?"
At Michael's question, Lee Dae-hyuk spat.
"Turn yourself in."
"......?!"
"Everything that happened to you, including feeding Steven that goddamn drug—confess it all to the police."
At first, Lee Dae-hyuk planned to pulverize Michael.
But knowing Michael had kids too.
'Consider yourself lucky.'
He was giving him one chance by urging surrender.
But, regrettably... against his hopes, Michael.
Swipe-!!!
Instead of surrendering, aimed the Beretta at Lee Dae-hyuk.
"......"
"As expected. Well, actually better this way."
Seeing the gun, Lee Dae-hyuk's face turned icy, his tone roughening.
"I didn't want to end it with talk with trash like you anyway."
Lee Dae-hyuk smirked coldly at Michael aiming the Beretta at him.
A chance to smash Michael without guilt, in self-defense.
He was almost grateful.
Meanwhile, Michael's face crumpled like paper.
"Why? Playing hero?"
"I'm no hero, but I'm no idiot like you."
Michael furrowed his brow at Lee Dae-hyuk's reply.
"I'm an idiot?"
"Yeah. Living like a pathetic worm all this time, lost your edge?"
"!!"
Suddenly, Michael's eyes bulged.
He remembered something he hadn't considered.
'Bodyguarding....'
But Michael's thoughts didn't continue.
Tatatat-!!
"Huh?!"
A stun gun for self-defense slammed into his chest.
Zzzzzap-!!!
"Kuuaaagh!"
Michael let out a short scream and collapsed.
Yoon Tae-ho, standing before him, wiggled the stun gun in his right hand.
"Tsk! Mission complete."
At Yoon Tae-ho's report, half grumbling and half annoyed.
Lee Dae-hyuk chuckled.
"Good work."
"So now we drag him to the police station?"
Lee Dae-hyuk shook his head at his question.
"Talk first."
"......"
Yoon Tae-ho dropped his head, despairing that overtime wasn't over yet.