Chapter 26
Chapter 26
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Pork Soup Negotiation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Thud-!
Was it taking Lee Dae-hyuk's single step as a signal?
This time, the gray-masked man charged straight at him.
"You fucking bastard, showing off your tricks!"
The gray-masked man swung his fist toward Lee Dae-hyuk.
However.
Lee Dae-hyuk dodged by slightly bending at the waist and thrust his fountain pen toward the man's insteps.
Pffuk-!
Two short sounds of flesh tearing rang out.
"Arghhh!"
The gray-masked man clutched both feet and screamed.
At the same time, Lee Dae-hyuk straightened up and slammed his forehead into the man's nose bridge.
Crack-!
Thud-!
As the gray-masked man collapsed, spurting thick nosebleed, Lee Dae-hyuk tossed the broken fountain pen to the floor.
"......"
Lee Dae-hyuk's gaze, which had been fixed on the blood-soaked fountain pen, shifted to Kim Min-gyu, the only one left standing.
'That guy's different.'
A physique much larger than the other masked men.
Sharp eyes without a hint of wavering.
Tadadak-!
Lee Dae-hyuk charged straight at Kim Min-gyu.
He hadn't even fought for long, yet his whole body throbbed.
His breath came in gasps.
If it turned into a prolonged fight, he'd be at a disadvantage in terms of stamina.
'Got to end it quick.'
Steel ing himself, Lee Dae-hyuk attempted a takedown.
But Kim Min-gyu just sneered.
'Is he insane?'
He outweighed Lee Dae-hyuk by 20 kilograms and stood 10 centimeters taller.
Tackling someone with such an absolute physical difference?
It was madness.
Kim Min-gyu raised his left knee.
Aiming a knee strike at the head.
But in that instant.
Tadak-! Crack-!
"Ghk!"
Kim Min-gyu's vision went black for a moment.
Lee Dae-hyuk had suddenly lifted his head, slamming his own skull into Kim Min-gyu's jaw.
Wobble-!
Struck by the unexpected blow, Kim Min-gyu staggered.
Even so.
"Urgh!"
Kim Min-gyu groaned but managed to regain his balance.
If he collapsed too, the backlash would be terrifying.
His position in the organization was already precarious... If he couldn't even handle this basic job?
He had no idea what that crazy boss would do to him.
'Got to catch this guy....'
Gritting his teeth, Kim Min-gyu swung a fist at Lee Dae-hyuk.
But his eyes and legs were already going slack.
Lee Dae-hyuk's arms wrapped around Kim Min-gyu's like snakes.
Lee Dae-hyuk's legs moved in a flashy blur.
Snap-!
Allowing Lee Dae-hyuk to lock in a rear naked choke.
"Gaaargh!"
"Got you good."
Craaack-!!
As Lee Dae-hyuk applied pressure, an unpleasant grinding sound came from Kim Min-gyu's neck and head.
But to Lee Dae-hyuk's ears, that strange friction sounded like music.
It was the first time he'd perfectly executed a joint lock in real combat.
Heh.
Lee Dae-hyuk grinned in satisfaction.
And a few seconds later.
"Grgh...."
Kim Min-gyu finally went limp, losing consciousness.
Rustle-!
Lee Dae-hyuk released the choke, stood up, and leaned against the wall to catch his breath.
Fatigue from the sudden real fight washed over his body, but it had been a satisfying training session.
Real combat he could never experience in the ring.
And surprisingly, his moves were working.
The experience as Kim Gun-woo was paying off handsomely.
It had taken just over 30 seconds to subdue all of them.
In the blink of an eye, he'd taken down four big guys.
Lee Dae-hyuk's gaze swept over the sprawled Kim Min-gyu and the surroundings.
"......"
One with his face buried in vomit, passed out.
One crawling on the floor, clutching his ankle and groaning.
One flailing while grabbing Lee Dae-hyuk's legs—wait, no, his own.
And the last one, spread-eagled.
But.
It wasn't a perfect 'match' out of 100 points.
He wasn't satisfied with his own condition.
Heart pounding wildly.
Whole body aching.
Even though he was standing fine, muscle pain assaulted him.
'Tch!'
And taking these guys down didn't solve everything.
They were just disposable pawns.
To truly resolve this, he needed to catch the one pulling their strings.
For that.
Lee Dae-hyuk reached out toward the forehead of the fallen Kim Min-gyu.
Flash-!
***
'The second Kim Gun-woo? Interesting guy.'
Lee Dae-hyuk let out a wry smile.
In his previous life, he'd been somewhat skilled(?), so he'd often heard rumors like 'the second Kim Gun-woo has appeared' here and there.
Kim Min-gyu seemed to be one of those types.
'Still, he's got talent... and his situation is similar to mine when I was dealing with Yoo Jae-man....'
Kim Min-gyu was a villain and thug, but at least he drew the line at not killing people.
And because of that line, he was the organization's number two, stuck leading underlings on menial tasks.
Soon, he'd either be ousted from the organization or betray them to survive.
Kim Min-gyu was also biding his time to take down the boss, Park Cheon-ho.
'Hmm....'
From Lee Dae-hyuk's perspective, who knew the ins and outs of this world well.
Kim Min-gyu's current situation was appealing(?).
After a moment's thought, Lee Dae-hyuk pulled out his phone from his jacket pocket.
"Manager Yoon. Could you come to the bathroom at ○○ Karaoke?"
***
"Urgh...."
How much time had passed?
Kim Min-gyu groaned and opened his eyes.
Looking around, it didn't seem like a hospital or police station.
But.
He couldn't move a muscle.
His arms and legs were bound with rope.
"Mmph!"
And his mouth was gagged....
"Mmph?!"
But he didn't have time to feel fear.
His passed-out underlings were on the floor, bound and gagged just like him.
"Mmph! Mmph! Mmmph!"
The eyes of the sprawled minions were filled with terror.
Kim Min-gyu soon understood what had caused their fear.
"!!"
Suits he had never seen before.
Among the men with well-trained, solid builds....
Lee Dae-hyuk stood with an icy expression.
Gulp-!
Looking up at Lee Dae-hyuk, Kim Min-gyu swallowed dryly without realizing it.
It wasn't just his current predicament.
He felt terror from Lee Dae-hyuk's overwhelming, murderous gaze looking down at him.
'N-No way, he's going to kill us....'
It felt like a cold blade gliding over his skin.
After staring down at Kim Min-gyu from amid the bodyguards for a while, Lee Dae-hyuk finally spoke.
"No need to worry like that. Kim Min-gyu, I guarantee your safety and your employees'."
As Lee Dae-hyuk called his name, Kim Min-gyu glared at his underlings who were already conscious.
"You bastards! How dare you run your mouths...."
"No need to get mad at your employees. We figured it out with our own abilities."
Using Psycho Metry, Lee Dae-hyuk knew all of Kim Min-gyu's information and leisurely steered the conversation.
"I've heard of 'Cheonho Gang.' I thought you handled things cleanly... but it seems the organization's rules have changed a lot lately."
Cheonho Gang specialized in cleaning up after chaebols.
Officially, they operated under the name 'Cheonho External Manpower.'
'To be precise, they handled Lee Dae-hwan's dirty work. Park Cheon-ho, you've climbed high, you bastard.'
Lee Dae-hyuk had known Park Cheon-ho of Cheonho Gang since his Kim Gun-woo days.
A man who'd amassed wealth through drugs, organ trafficking, and all sorts of filthy deeds.
Even other gangsters in the same line despised him.
But now, it seemed he'd become a boss leading his own organization.
And he was at odds with Kim Min-gyu right in front of him.
Which meant this was an opportunity for Lee Dae-hyuk too.
A chance to acquire the 'weapon' named Kim Min-gyu.
"Just one question. A very important one. Do you like pork soup?"
"......"
***
Slurp-!
It was a bizarre sight.
A chaebol third-generation slurping down pork soup like it was the best thing ever.
Kim Min-gyu stared blankly at Lee Dae-hyuk devouring the pork soup.
Sensing his gaze, Lee Dae-hyuk looked up and asked back.
"Don't like pork soup?"
"No. But this situation is a bit disconcerting."
Honorifics slipped from Kim Min-gyu's mouth unbidden.
"This is my first time having a meal like this with a guy. Pretty fun, actually."
"...Fun?"
"I'm looking forward to what happens next, just like you."
"......"
Kim Min-gyu made a strange face at Lee Dae-hyuk's odd response.
Crunch-!
But Lee Dae-hyuk chewed on a piece of radish kimchi, gazing at him nonchalantly.
However.
Kim Min-gyu didn't miss the sharp glint in his eyes.
'Does he know something about me?'
He couldn't judge just by the eyes.
Yet, Kim Min-gyu felt an odd unease... and curiosity from Lee Dae-hyuk's gaze.
'What is he expecting?'
Even Kim Min-gyu was confused by his own emotions.
The mission had failed.
His position in the organization was in jeopardy.
Yet here he was, eating pork soup with the target.
An utterly absurd situation.
But Kim Min-gyu had instincts too.
There must be a reason Lee Dae-hyuk arranged this meeting.
He'd decide after hearing it.
"You gonna keep paying respects to that pork soup?"
Lee Dae-hyuk asked the silent Kim Min-gyu.
Kim Min-gyu shook his head.
"I'll eat after hearing what you have to say."
"Hmm, what I have to say. Fair enough. Must be hard to eat from your position."
Clack-!
Lee Dae-hyuk set down his spoon and got to the point.
"Are you satisfied with this?"
"Pardon?"
"I know Park Cheon-ho is trash. Are you happy playing underling to that trash?"
As 'Park Cheon-ho' was mentioned, Kim Min-gyu couldn't hide his agitation.
Outsiders didn't know much about Park Cheon-ho.
He posed as an upstanding businessman running a subcontractor for Daehan Electronics under Lee Dae-hwan.
Kim Min-gyu's throat bobbed heavily.
He judged that Lee Dae-hyuk had seen through not just Park Cheon-ho, but Lee Dae-hwan's true nature from that question.
"...How much do you know?"
Lee Dae-hyuk crossed his arms at Kim Min-gyu's question.
"More than you think."
"......"
Sweat beaded on Kim Min-gyu's nose bridge.
Lee Dae-hyuk's answer was simple.
But his eyes.
Those beastly eyes pierced his chest.
Overwhelmed by Lee Dae-hyuk, all Kim Min-gyu could do was wait for his next words.
"Do you think Park Cheon-ho has a future?"
"I don't get your intent. Cut the preamble and get to the point."
Barely responding, Kim Min-gyu felt his throat burn.
Strangely, it seemed like Lee Dae-hyuk could read his mind.
His guess wasn't wrong.
"I'll help you pull down Park Cheon-ho."
"What?"
Kim Min-gyu bulged his eyes.
Lee Dae-hyuk had voiced his goal.
His 'hidden goal' that he'd never told anyone.
As Kim Min-gyu reeled in shock, Lee Dae-hyuk continued.
"I have the power to deal with someone like Park Cheon-ho. Ah, of course, on the premise that you help."
"How did you... know?"
Kim Min-gyu couldn't comprehend.
Personal info or organization details could be dug up with investigation.
But knowing his goal of ousting Park Cheon-ho? Impossible to accept.
Tremble-!
His hands shook from the shock.
'Damn.'
Kim Min-gyu gritted his teeth to stop the trembling.
"What are you? Do you have... superpowers or something?"
Lee Dae-hyuk gave a wry smile at the retort.
"I have something bigger than superpowers. The power of being a chaebol son."
Boss, Become a Chaebol