Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Captured Killers
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Cool beer slid down his throat.
Just as the killers' expressions softened, their thirst quenched for a fleeting moment—
"Didn't you hear? Let's wrap this up quick."
Scraaaape—!
Crack—!!
"Sh, shit!!"
"Ugh! What the hell?"
Someone had kicked them in the back.
And that was just the start.
Crunch! Boom!
"Ghak!"
"Eurgh!"
As the killers tumbled across the floor, the hunters hurled chairs at them.
The two targets sprang up, spinning around.
"You bastards!! This far!!"
They issued threats laced with murderous intent, but that was all.
There were no more escape routes.
Their opponents were professionals trained in military combat.
If they held back now, worrying about the consequences, they'd be the ones dying.
Better to rot in prison for life than die here.
The killers exchanged glances and reached for their Berettas in unison.
Crash!!
Pew—! Pew—! Pew—!!!
But before they could, the pub's glass windows shattered, and gunfire rang out.
"Ugh……!!"
"Ghak!"
The killers' eyes widened at the sound of shots.
And with that—
Drip—
Blood trickled from their shoulders and arms.
'Snipers?'
The killers gaped at each other.
From the precision, these weren't amateurs—it looked like they'd deployed elite marksmen.
'Us... just the two of us, and they go this far?'
The hollow thought flashed through their minds.
But in the end, they had no choice but to drop their Berettas.
And then the beating began.
Thud! Smack! Crunch! Crack! Crash—!
"Grraaagh! Yo-you... bastards!!"
"Ughhh, what... the hell are you people?"
The killers screamed as a gang of thugs trampled them mercilessly.
Right then—
A man stepped out from among the burly, muscled figures—Lou Wilson, grinning wickedly.
"Me? A detective."
***
Lee Dae-hyuk threw himself onto the bed back at his hotel.
Next up was a meeting with Finn Javel, founder of Fields Coffee.
He needed to catch at least a few hours of sleep.
"……."
But despite his intentions, sleep wouldn't come.
His mind was tangled just thinking about returning to Korea.
His body was exhausted, yet his mind sharpened.
'Now the real game begins.'
Lying on the bed, Lee Dae-hyuk stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Everything so far had been an open game.
His goal wasn't just to become rich—it was to claim the succession of Daehan Group.
February already.
A year would fly by.
In 2008, when the subprime mortgage crisis tanked stock prices and the world wallowed in recession—
He'd become insanely wealthy.
'But that's not enough to seize Daehan Group.'
To take Daehan Group, he had to prove his results to Chairman Lee Myung-guk and the board.
For chaebols, "results" weren't just money.
'It's about running a company.'
Lee Dae-hyuk reviewed his skills in his head.
Psychometry? Future knowledge?
Combat prowess honed from Kim Gun-woo's experiences?
Or conversational English rivaling a native's?
No.
...None of that had anything to do with operating a company.
'At least English might come in a little handy?'
Groan—!
Lee Dae-hyuk let out an involuntary groan.
From memory, around this time, Chairman Lee Myung-guk would divvy up affiliates among his children.
Declaring the successor would be chosen purely on performance and data—fair competition.
'I don't remember exactly which affiliates went to whom...'
But he remembered the winner.
It was Lee Dae-hwan.
'It'll probably play out similarly this time.'
Lee Myung-guk would hand out one affiliate per child.
Then—
'I can't just take whatever they give me. I have to choose my own.'
Buying blue-chip stocks with future knowledge was easy.
But running a company was different.
He needed to pick an affiliate that maximized his strengths.
But as Lee Dae-hyuk ran through Daehan Group's affiliates one by one, his face crumpled.
He lacked confidence in any of them.
"……."
A moment later—
Just as despair drained the color from his face—
'...Ah! There's one.'
He finally recalled a single affiliate he might manage.
Daehan Hotel.
It was almost embarrassing to call it an affiliate.
Daehan Hotel, with about ten locations nationwide, hadn't made waves yet.
But with his current skills, he could handle it no problem.
Back in his Kim Gun-woo days, he'd managed Seojin Hotel on Yoo Jae-man's orders.
'Alright. Once I'm back, start with the hotel.'
Conveniently, 2008's downturn would drive salarymen to "ho-cations" over travel.
'It might actually work in my favor.'
Build experience running Daehan Hotel step by step.
Then prove his chops with other companies.
Eventually, the chance to seize Daehan Group would come.
And with Daehan Group grown...
'Yoo Jae-man's Seojin Group too.'
A faint smile curved Lee Dae-hyuk's lips as his modest plan took shape.
Now he could finally sleep easy.
Just as Lee Dae-hyuk drifted toward slumber, unfortunately—
Viiiing—!!!
'…….'
His phone blared from the nightstand.
'Who at this hour? No way...'
Puzzled, Lee Dae-hyuk grabbed it, and his eyes lit up.
The only American calling him this late was Lou Wilson.
[Got 'em. Car's on the way.]
He'd caught Park Ji-sook's killers tailing him.
'Money really is king.'
Grinning slyly, Lee Dae-hyuk rose from the bed.
***
"You really caught them?"
"Don't underestimate American muscle."
"Who said that?"
"Lou Wilson."
Yoon Tae-ho scowled at Lee Dae-hyuk's report.
Ally or not, a traitor once was a traitor always.
To Yoon Tae-ho, Lou Wilson was still a betrayer.
But he knew too.
Separate from trust, if he helped Lee Dae-hyuk, he had to stick around.
Plus, sending staff for pickup softened things... a tiny bit.
Very, veeery slightly.
'Can't drop my guard.'
Betrayal's a habit.
As Yoon Tae-ho steeled himself—
The car pulled up to the warehouse.
Step step step—!!
Lee Dae-hyuk hopped out of the passenger seat and headed to the warehouse door.
'Blood smell.'
His nose twitched instinctively.
The sticky, foul source seeped from the door crack.
Recalling his gangster days as Kim Gun-woo, Lee Dae-hyuk gave a wry smile.
Even then, he'd been sensitive to blood.
'Body changes, but instincts don't?'
And the scent ignited a fire in his chest.
Like a sharp blade creeping up from his fingertips.
He felt he could crush anyone instantly.
'First, faces.'
As Lee Dae-hyuk reached for the door—
Yoon Tae-ho rushed ahead and flung it open.
"I'll get it."
Screeech—!!!
The door swung wide, and Lou Wilson stood there, greeting them warmly.
"You look beat. America's a tough place to survive, huh?"
Lee Dae-hyuk responded deadpan to Lou Wilson's teasing.
"Korea's no picnic either. Tiny country overflowing with trash like this."
Lee Dae-hyuk's gaze shifted past Lou Wilson.
Burly men surrounded someone.
"Board post drew these ex-Marine mercs. They had a hell of a time."
"Hell? I had fun."
"Too many heads. Pay splits to peanuts."
"Still, corralling a mob? Been ages. Good enough."
The mercs bantered and chuckled.
But Lee Dae-hyuk didn't smile.
There, amid them—
"……."
Kneeling killers, drenched in blood.
"Payment to Mr. Wilson. Have your boss handle it."
"Got it."
Business first for Lee Dae-hyuk.
He approached the bloodied killers.
"……."
"……."
The killers looked up at him, eyes flickering oddly.
Hatred and killing intent boiled.
But they could do... nothing.
Thigh gunshot wounds, dozens of broken bones from the beating.
Organs damaged too—blood oozed nonstop from their mouths.
Counterattack in that state? No.
Survival? Doubtful.
'No, will they even let us live?'
The killers trembled with the same fear.
Lee Dae-hyuk read their worry.
"No need to fear. I won't kill you 'here.'"
"……?!"
"……!!"
The killers grasped his meaning instantly.
'Back in Korea... Damn, we picked the wrong psycho.'
"Shit! Fucking shit! The team leader screwed us!'
His eyes stared like at meat chunks.
Emotionless.
As if their lives meant nothing.
'Eyes like a demon's... fuck!'
'We're done!'
Even surviving here meant misery ahead.
Foreseeing that—
Their rage turned more to the team leader and Park Ji-sook than Lee Dae-hyuk.
But what good was late anger?
They clamped their mouths shut, awaiting Lee Dae-hyuk's judgment.
"Kim Chan-wook, team leader. Your boss, right?"
The killers sealed their lips at his words.
"……."
"……."
Lee Dae-hyuk didn't know their identities yet.
Better to stay silent.
So they thought.
And Lee Dae-hyuk...
"Haha. Hahaha."
Burst into hollow laughter at their sealed lips.
"This ain't court. You clamming up changes nothing. If anything, it makes it..."
Was he genuinely pissed?
Swoosh—!
After a pause, Lee Dae-hyuk squatted before them.
Eye level matched, his fierce eyes sharpened into view.
"……."
"……."
The two clamped in terror.
Lee Dae-hyuk cut to the chase.
"I could kill you. Right here. Right now."
Their bodies shook at his words.
Tremble—!!
Feeling their agitation, Lee Dae-hyuk continued.
"Fine. Was gonna spare you both, but no dice."
He glanced at Lou Wilson.
"These bastards' phones. Where?"
"With me..."
"Set 'em down here."
curt order. Lou Wilson placed the phones before the killers.
A twinge of annoyance hit him, but what could he do?
Lee Dae-hyuk held the power.
Overwhelmed by his aura, griping felt impossible.
Thud—!!
Phones down, Lee Dae-hyuk spoke.
"First one to connect to Kim Chan-wook? Lives."
"……!!"
"……!!"
Doubting their ears, the killers' eyes bulged.
"It's 2 PM here... evening there with time difference. He'll pick up. Do it."
Under Lee Dae-hyuk's urging, they exchanged looks... and snatched the phones.
***
Weekday evening.
Kim Chan-wook was enjoying a rare family dinner.
Precious time with his wife, seven-year-old son, and ten-year-old daughter.
But—
Viiiing—!!!
The sudden call made him set down his spoon.
It was from the security team dispatched to San Francisco.
'SUCCESS? Or failure?'
Unable to contain curiosity, Kim Chan-wook grabbed his phone and stood.
His wife shot him a glare.
"Honey. No work calls at dinner."
"Sorry, sorry. Super important. Be right back."
Apologizing with a smile, he headed to the window.
"...It's me. Did it work?"
Heavy, chilling tone—unlike with his wife.
His eyes iced over too.
But—
- Kim Chan-wook?
An utterly unexpected voice drained the blood from his face.
One he'd heard a few times near Park Ji-sook.
The target for this security team's elimination.
"The youngest... young master?"
- Oh! You remember?
It was Lee Dae-hyuk.
Boss, Become a Chaebol