Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Frontal Assault
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That evening.
After getting off work, Lee Dae-hyuk sat facing Yoon Tae-ho in the living room.
Lee Dae-hyuk had called Yoon Tae-ho over regarding the matter with Kim Min-gyu.
But.
“…….”
Yoon Tae-ho sat facing Lee Dae-hyuk, maintaining silence for a while.
Seeing him with his lips tightly shut, Lee Dae-hyuk spoke first.
“Before we get to the main point, let's clear up any loose ends. Ask whatever you want to ask.”
At Lee Dae-hyuk's words, Yoon Tae-ho hesitated slightly but decided to ask directly since the question had arisen.
“There's one thing I can't quite understand, so let me ask about that first.”
“Go ahead.”
With Lee Dae-hyuk setting the stage, Yoon Tae-ho, who had been hesitating, finally spoke.
“That night, how did you handle the Cheonho faction guys?”
Yoon Tae-ho was asking why Lee Dae-hyuk had become so strong.
He could somewhat accept the change in personality and increased wisdom.
People could change after experiencing near-death a few times.
But.
The fact that he had taken down violent gang members was simply unbelievable.
“You took them all down by yourself?”
“Chu Dong-hyun. He's a truly excellent trainer.”
Lee Dae-hyuk joked by mentioning Chu Dong-hyun's name.
However, Yoon Tae-ho still couldn't believe it.
Even if Lee Dae-hyuk was a martial arts genius.
It was impossible for someone who had trained for less than a week to take down four gangsters alone.
“…I see.”
Though he had his doubts, Yoon Tae-ho didn't press further.
After all, wasn't it good for him if Lee Dae-hyuk had become stronger?
Now was the time to rejoice rather than harbor suspicions.
Forcing himself(?) to accept the situation, Yoon Tae-ho nodded, and Lee Dae-hyuk, smiling brightly, brought up the main topic.
“How far has the investigation gone?”
After sending Kim Min-gyu away.
Lee Dae-hyuk had instructed Yoon Tae-ho to investigate him and Park Cheon-ho.
Yoon Tae-ho had mobilized his connections to grasp the recent activities of Park Cheon-ho and Kim Min-gyu—or more precisely, the Cheonho faction.
“Drugs and organ trafficking… They're not a major organization, but they're dangerous scum. And the one acting as their sponsor behind the scenes is….”
“Director Lee Dae-hwan…. My older brother.”
At Lee Dae-hyuk's response, Yoon Tae-ho let out a groan.
“But it's just rumors; there's no solid evidence.”
Director Lee Dae-hwan was a smart man.
He had left no direct connections between himself and the Cheonho faction.
Instead, his underlings would approach the Cheonho faction whenever needed.
And curiously, people who had tense relations with Lee Dae-hwan would meet with accidents or disappear.
That part bothered Yoon Tae-ho.
Without evidence, what could he do?
But Lee Dae-hyuk dismissed it lightly.
“Isn't the fact that they targeted me evidence enough?”
“It's not something you can sum up that simply. These bastards… they're really dangerous.”
If they were just ordinary gangsters, they could handle it among themselves.
However, the deeper the investigation went, the more convinced Yoon Tae-ho became that the Cheonho faction was perilous.
Yet Lee Dae-hyuk remained relaxed.
Thanks to using psychometry on Kim Min-gyu, he had a decent grasp of the Cheonho faction's internal situation.
Currently, the Cheonho faction was implicitly divided into Kim Min-gyu's moderate faction and Park Cheon-ho's hardline faction.
For now, they were just wary of each other, with no physical confrontations.
Lee Dae-hyuk had already devised a plan to exploit this standoff within the Cheonho faction.
In contrast, Yoon Tae-ho's face was filled with worry.
Going head-to-head with gangsters alongside Lee Dae-hyuk was extremely risky.
Instead.
“Young Master. How about we report this situation to the Chairman?”
“To the Chairman?”
Lee Dae-hyuk furrowed his brow.
Yoon Tae-ho had suggested the simplest solution, but one that offered Lee Dae-hyuk no personal gain.
If he told Chairman Lee Myung-guk, who loved his son, he would crush those bastards.
But only ‘those bastards.’
“The Chairman loves me as his son. But he also cherishes Daehan Group.”
“……?”
Yoon Tae-ho's eyes widened as he looked at Lee Dae-hyuk.
He couldn't understand why Daehan Group was suddenly brought up.
“He'll smash the Cheonho faction, but he'll let my brother's matter slide.”
“……!”
At Lee Dae-hyuk's explanation, Yoon Tae-ho unwittingly opened his mouth.
He had been focused solely on dealing with the Cheonho faction and hadn't factored in Lee Dae-hwan behind them.
But even so, he couldn't fully accept Lee Dae-hyuk's words.
“But this is a crime, isn't it? He'll take some action either way.”
Even at Yoon Tae-ho's firm assertion, Lee Dae-hyuk shook his head.
“If he were an ordinary parent… or someone ordinary like you, Manager, that might be true. But my father has another ‘existence’ he loves like his child.”
“…You mean Daehan Group?”
“Yes.”
Lee Dae-hyuk nodded gravely.
Lee Dae-hwan was the next Chairman after Lee Myung-guk, another symbol of Daehan Group.
“While he might not spare the Cheonho faction, given Father's personality, he'll remove my brother from the successor position under some other pretext.”
“Then isn't that a simple solution?”
“I'm aiming for more than that. And even without my brother, I still have two more competitors.”
Lee Dae-cheol and Lee Sun-ah.
Based on Kim Geon-woo's memories, the final winner in the successor battle was Lee Dae-hwan.
The younger siblings had all been sent abroad.
It was a form of exile.
‘Lee Dae-hwan needs to hold the position for a while.’
The time for him to step forward was when he had money and power.
If he eliminated Lee Dae-hwan now and revealed his ambitions in the successor fight.
Lee Dae-cheol, Lee Sun-ah, and Chairman Lee Myung-guk's legal wife wouldn't stay silent.
Better to handle it within his own sphere than carry such risks.
“I still need Director Lee Dae-hwan for now. And I want to protect Daehan Group's image too.”
No matter how much they tried to keep it secret, people's mouths are light.
The story about Lee Dae-hwan would eventually leak to the public.
A successor ordering a hit on his illegitimate half-brother?
If that got out, the image of all Daehan Group affiliates would plummet.
“I'll remove Lee Dae-hwan from another position, in another way.”
He didn't have a solid plan yet.
But with knowledge of the future and psychometry, he could find Lee Dae-hwan's weakness somehow.
He had no intention of rushing.
“…I understand your thinking, Young Master.”
Yoon Tae-ho, lost in thought after hearing Lee Dae-hyuk out, nodded.
“But we have to deal with the Cheonho faction somehow.”
To Yoon Tae-ho's worried question, Lee Dae-hyuk replied with a smile.
“Aren't they a gift from my brother? If it's a gift, I should accept it.”
“What… do you mean?”
Yoon Tae-ho couldn't comprehend Lee Dae-hyuk's words.
‘Accept it’? What exactly did he mean by taking possession?
“…You don't mean you're going to take over the Cheonho faction, do you? No, you can't mean that.”
Even as he said it, Yoon Tae-ho trailed off.
What would Lee Dae-hyuk do with the Cheonho faction?
No, he couldn't possibly take it over in the first place.
But contrary to Yoon Tae-ho's expectation, Lee Dae-hyuk nodded.
“That's right. I'm going to take the Cheonho faction.”
“What do you….”
“If I tell Father, the Cheonho faction problem would resolve naturally. But I'd gain nothing from it.”
“Gain?”
“From now on, illegal confrontations like this will keep happening. I need people I can move at those times.”
“What?!”
How many times had he been surprised today?
Toward Yoon Tae-ho, who couldn't hide his bewilderment, Lee Dae-hyuk revealed his intentions.
“Are you saying you're going to commit crimes?”
“Things that can't be resolved by law happen a lot in chaebol families. You can see it just from my childhood—no, even now.”
Yoon Tae-ho couldn't refute Lee Dae-hyuk's point.
Lee Dae-hyuk had suffered child abuse, but those criminals faced no punishment.
“…Still. Don't I exist for that?”
Feeling regret at the idea of keeping gangsters as subordinates, Yoon Tae-ho made one last attempt to dissuade him.
However.
“Are you saying you'd commit crimes for my sake, Manager Yoon? That's surprising.”
Lee Dae-hyuk turned Yoon Tae-ho's words back on him in response.
“…I understand.”
Further persuasion was futile.
He might trust himself, but he couldn't trust the entire security team, so Lee Dae-hyuk's thinking made some sense.
In the end, having failed to convince him, Yoon Tae-ho asked Lee Dae-hyuk.
“Do you have a plan?”
Yoon Tae-ho found himself ridiculous for asking such a question.
But an inexplicable intuition told him.
The Lee Dae-hyuk so far would resolve this with some outlandish method again.
Gazing at Yoon Tae-ho for a moment, Lee Dae-hyuk spoke in a light tone.
“A frontal assault is my plan.”
“What?”
***
9 p.m.
The room salon ‘Hera’ in Seoul's Gangnam was hosting a special guest.
None other than Park Cheon-ho, the de facto owner of the room salon.
Normally, Park Cheon-ho would be drinking heavily with ace hostesses on either side.
But today, he was drinking alone with modest fruit snacks.
‘Hit him again? Damn… It's not their problem, is it?’
Park Cheon-ho's lips twisted.
Before coming to the room salon, he had met with Cha Beom-seok.
To his excuses, Cha Beom-seok had issued new orders.
Within the next three days.
Send the illegitimate son to the hospital.
If he failed, he'd be the one going to the hospital instead… a threat-like warning.
‘Fucking bastards. Should I just flip everything over!’
Seething with rage, Park Cheon-ho downed his whiskey in one gulp.
Thud-!
His face flushed as he slammed the glass down roughly.
No matter how much he drank, the anger didn't subside.
Right then.
The target to vent his anger on entered the room.
“You called for me.”
Kim Min-gyu bowed his head as he approached Park Cheon-ho.
“You stupid fuck.”
Splash-!
Park Cheon-ho splashed the contents of his glass onto Kim Min-gyu's face.
“…….”
Drenched in alcohol, Kim Min-gyu was speechless for a while, overwhelmed by humiliation and rage.
He wanted to slap Park Cheon-ho across the face.
But the subordinates outside were Park Cheon-ho's loyalists.
Causing a scene would only disadvantage him.
Grinding his teeth, Kim Min-gyu spat out.
“…That's too much for a greeting.”
“Look at this blind bastard. Blind. Hey! You fucker. Do you know what kind of shit I've been put through because of you?”
Park Cheon-ho yelled, but Kim Min-gyu didn't respond.
Arguing with this trash would only complicate things.
For now, he had to shut up and wait for Park Cheon-ho's anger to cool.
‘Endure. It's not time yet.’
Stabbing Park Cheon-ho in the back wouldn't end it there.
He needed to prove his worth to the sponsor, Lee Dae-hwan.
Only then could he survive.
“I have nothing to say.”
“Right. Even if you have a mouth, sometimes you shouldn't use it.”
Pleased with Kim Min-gyu's reaction?
Park Cheon-ho smirked and refilled his empty glass.
Pour-!
“I'll give you a chance. Three days from now.”
“…….”
“Send Lee Dae-hyuk to the hospital within three days.”
“You mean we're going back in?”
“Yeah. Clean up your own shit.”
At Park Cheon-ho's command, Kim Min-gyu's face contorted.
It had been a short bout, but he had been completely defeated by Lee Dae-hyuk.
Now, bodyguards would be added to the mix.
If time had passed, maybe, but targeting Lee Dae-hyuk now was suicide.
“Please give me a bit more time. After that, I'll handle it somehow.”
Kim Min-gyu's tone was earnest.
But Park Cheon-ho, with a sneer, slowly shook his head.
“Min-gyu.”
“Yes.”
“You've grown a lot. Haggling when your big brother gives an order. Huh? Shouldn't you at least attend Min-seon's wedding?”
“……!!”
Kim Min-gyu's eyes bulged.
It was blatant blackmail.
And knowing that his younger sister Min-seon was about to get married meant they had been surveilling him.
“I've prepared a generous wedding gift. Do the job well and come get it.”
Overwhelmed by despair at Park Cheon-ho's brazen words, Kim Min-gyu felt his mind reel.
But the only response he could give now was one.
“…Un…der…stood….”
As Kim Min-gyu struggled to reply.
The door suddenly opened, and one of Park Cheon-ho's subordinates entered.
“President. A man named ‘Lee Dae-hyuk’ has arrived.”
“What? Who did you say came?!!”
***
At the entrance of the room salon ‘Hera’, two groups of men were facing off.
Cheonho faction members who looked like gangsters at first glance with their fierce eyes.
And bodyguards led by Lee Dae-hyuk and Yoon Tae-ho stood there.
‘Lee Dae-hyuk?!”
Park Cheon-ho's eyes widened as he emerged from among his subordinates.
Lee Dae-hyuk?
Why the hell was that guy here?
On the other hand, unlike the shocked Park Cheon-ho, Lee Dae-hyuk, standing with Yoon Tae-ho, spoke in a welcoming tone.
“Look at that, even the President came out. I feel right at home.”
Lee Dae-hyuk brushed back his bangs and smiled brightly.
Halt-!
In response, Park Cheon-ho couldn't help but panic.
Because Lee Dae-hyuk had recognized him.
‘What the? Did info leak from the middle?’
He shot a glance at Kim Min-gyu, who had followed behind.
But Kim Min-gyu was also standing there with his mouth agape at the sudden appearance of Lee Dae-hyuk.
From the circumstances, it didn't seem like they had talked.
‘Then from now on, I need to figure him out.’
As Park Cheon-ho was about to speak.
Lee Dae-hyuk approached him with a bright smile.
“You're Park Cheon-ho, right? Nice to meet you, even though it's our first time. I'm Lee Dae-hyuk.”
Lee Dae-hyuk introduced himself and offered a handshake to Park Cheon-ho.