Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Claiming Kim Min-gyu
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Lee Dae-hyuk extended his hand to Park Cheon-ho with a smile on his face.
From Park Cheon-ho's perspective, the rude tone from someone he was meeting for the first time was inwardly displeasing....
But perhaps because of the guilt he carried (?), he ended up shaking hands reflexively.
"No matter how much I think about it, you seem like a complete stranger...."
The moment Park Cheon-ho trailed off.
Lee Dae-hyuk's psychometry activated.
A flood of information about the man named 'Park Cheon-ho' poured into his mind.
Maybe because he'd done it a few times now, he had gotten the hang of it?
Even amid the massive influx of data, Lee Dae-hyuk could focus and pick out only the information he needed.
'More of a piece of trash than I thought.'
- Born the son of a loan shark, Park Cheon-ho learned a harsh truth as a child while watching his father harvest organs from debtors.
Humans could be turned into money.
After that, Park Cheon-ho became an even greater monster than his father.
A real monster who slaughtered people—not pigs or cows—at a slaughterhouse in Cheonan.
'Exporting organs internationally? Ha, this guy's truly insane.'
- Unsatisfied with the profits from domestic operations, Park Cheon-ho established an international organ trafficking network.
He partnered in business with the Russian mafia, Hong Kong Triads, and Japanese Yakuza.
Park Cheon-ho supplied the organs, and they handled distribution.
'I'll crush you once someday.'
Ever since his days as Kim Geon-woo, he'd despised organ traffickers and drug dealers.
Even gangsters had lines they shouldn't cross as humans.
Park Cheon-ho had crossed them.
Lee Dae-hyuk spoke in a tone laced with contempt.
"If you don't know, I'll just go ask my brother Lee Dae-hwan. Tell him Park Cheon-ho said he doesn't know my name."
To those unaware of the backstory, it might sound out of left field.
But Park Cheon-ho swallowed dryly without realizing it.
What if Lee Dae-hyuk went to Lee Dae-hwan because of him?
It wouldn't just be a cutoff of support—he could be ousted from his boss position on the spot.
'Damn it...'
Cursing inwardly, Park Cheon-ho forced a smile in front of Lee Dae-hyuk.
"I'll... guide you myself."
Grinding his teeth, Park Cheon-ho turned toward the private room.
Step-
As Lee Dae-hyuk moved to follow him, Yoon Tae-ho approached from the side.
"Are you sure you'll be okay alone...?"
"With all these witnesses around, what could Park Cheon-ho possibly do?"
The Park Cheon-ho that Lee Dae-hyuk knew was reasonably shrewd—no, cowardly.
He never bared his fangs in a situation unfavorable to himself.
Still, Yoon Tae-ho's face was full of worry.
But he knew full well now that he couldn't stop Lee Dae-hyuk with his own strength.
In that case, it was better to prepare for any contingencies.
"I'll wait here."
"Then... it's late at night, so you must be hungry. Have something to eat while you wait."
Lee Dae-hyuk glanced over Yoon Tae-ho and the bodyguards before walking to Park Cheon-ho's side.
"Drinking just the two of us would be no fun, right? Call one more person."
"......??"
At Lee Dae-hyuk's request, Park Cheon-ho grinned.
'Right. You're a man after all, huh?'
"We've got plenty of girls who are decent-looking, stacked, and great in bed. I'll call in only the aces, so pick whichever suits your taste."
Lee Dae-hyuk shook his head at Park Cheon-ho's offer.
"The person I want you to call isn't a woman—it's a man."
"A man?"
Park Cheon-ho tilted his head at Lee Dae-hyuk's answer.
Asking for a man in a room salon?
"Is that your taste?"
Lee Dae-hyuk shook his head at Park Cheon-ho's innocent question and said,
"Drinking cognac just the two of us feels awkward. It'd be better with someone we both know. Mr. Kim Min-gyu, come join us."
At Lee Dae-hyuk's nomination, Kim Min-gyu, who had been standing among Park Cheon-ho's gang members, jumped in surprise.
Suddenly inviting him along.
It wasn't just to be a drinking buddy.
'There's some other agenda here.'
Everyone present was thinking the same thing.
Moreover, Kim Min-gyu instinctively felt it.
Lee Dae-hyuk was dangerous.
'But... right now...'
Kim Min-gyu knew he was surrounded on all sides.
And now Lee Dae-hyuk had appeared.
Whether it would be a miracle or another misfortune, no one knew.
But staying put here wouldn't solve anything.
He decided he had to gamble to escape the crisis.
"Yes. I'll join you."
***
Clink-!
As Lee Dae-hyuk sat on the sofa and held out his glass, Park Cheon-ho poured whiskey into it.
"Wet your whistle first."
But instead of drinking, Lee Dae-hyuk stared at Park Cheon-ho sullenly.
"You're making good money from dirty business, and you've got a solid reputation in this scene—why are you sticking with Lee Dae-hwan?"
Park Cheon-ho's lips twisted at Lee Dae-hyuk's sudden question.
'Dirty business...'
Rude and unpleasant.
If it were the usual him, he would've smashed a bottle and slit Lee Dae-hyuk's throat right then.
But things were different now.
'I need to find out how much he knows.'
Kim Min-gyu standing like a statue by the door was no help.
Neither were the underlings outside.
Unless he took Lee Dae-hyuk hostage and tortured him, what good would they do?
For now, he had to stay rational and drag out the conversation.
"I don't know how much you know about me... but in this world, all ways of making money are noble, aren't they? And to make that money, you need help from higher-ups. We provide the manpower, and they provide connections and influence—mutual benefit. Lots of important people look out for me. Haha."
As he watched Park Cheon-ho laugh eerily, Lee Dae-hyuk realized one crucial fact.
'Did that bastard Lee Dae-hwan help with Park Cheon-ho's dirty dealings?'
If he hadn't received help in some form, Park Cheon-ho wouldn't have pledged loyalty to Lee Dae-hwan.
And this story was also a kind of warning.
Your family is involved with me too, so don't get cocky and get lost.
Snicker-!
A sneer curled at Lee Dae-hyuk's lips.
If Lee Dae-hwan was tangled in dirty business, it was an opportunity for him.
The illegitimate son practicing noblesse oblige through donations.
The legitimate son doing backroom deals with an organ-trafficking thug.
Who would the group choose as successor?
But the succession fight was for the future.
Right now, he needed to lay the groundwork while dealing with Park Cheon-ho.
"Still, you're crossing lines and going way too global. Sergei in Gyeonggi-do. Nakamura Daisuke in Busan. And Kao Chen in Incheon? Wow, you must be sweating bullets running all those deals in a week."
"......!!"
Park Cheon-ho's eyes widened at Lee Dae-hyuk's abrupt revelation.
Because Lee Dae-hyuk had perfectly seen through the international export lines he'd built over years of painstaking effort.
Iskra, the Russian mafia, in Gyeonggi-do.
Japanese Yakuza in Mokpo? Wait, text says 경기도 Sergei (Russian? Iskra), but earlier Russia mafia Iskra for Gyeonggi? Wait, text: 경기도. 나카무라 다이스케 부산. 인천 카오 첸.
Anyway.
If Lee Dae-hyuk had only known that much, he might have denied it with a wave of the hand.
The reason he couldn't say a word was....
Because even more specific details came pouring from Lee Dae-hyuk's mouth.
"Seoul in Jongam-dong, Incheon in Yeonan-dong, Busan in Nampo-dong... You must be busy with all those meetings. Wouldn't it be better to handle everything in Seoul at once? Why make it so complicated?"
Park Cheon-ho felt the blood drain from his entire body as he watched Lee Dae-hyuk mutter casually.
Lee Dae-hyuk knew not only the contact persons from the other organizations but even the exact meeting locations.
'How the hell does this illegitimate chaebol son know all this?'
Park Cheon-ho's pale face rolled his eyes frantically.
The deals were top secret.
Only about five people, including himself, knew the dates, locations, and contacts.
Kim Min-gyu wasn't one of them, of course.
Yet a chaebol son from outside the organization knew his secret deals.
'Is there a traitor inside?'
No.
Unless they'd taken a bullet to the head, would the guys involved in organ trafficking blab about it?
No matter how he racked his brain, he couldn't figure out Lee Dae-hyuk.
And humans fear what they can't comprehend.
Lee Dae-hyuk smirked coldly.
He didn't even need psychometry to see that Park Cheon-ho was terrified at a glance.
"As a member of a chaebol family leading this society, I can't just let this slide. Should I tell Prosecutor Kim? Or Prosecutor Park? Hmm. Who could serve our Mr. Park Cheon-ho a nice bowl of jail rice?"
Lee Dae-hyuk rattled off made-up prosecutor names on the spot, poking at Park Cheon-ho's nerves.
Thanks to that?
Park Cheon-ho, his composure completely shattered, groaned out,
"What... do you want?"
Whether from rage, he was now speaking down to Lee Dae-hyuk.
But far from annoyed, Lee Dae-hyuk was on the verge of laughing.
He'd gained a clear upper hand in the psychological warfare.
"What do I want? I'm curious too."
Lee Dae-hyuk stared at Park Cheon-ho with a sly smile.
From the triumphant glint in Lee Dae-hyuk's eyes, Park Cheon-ho had no choice but to admit his defeat.
How Lee Dae-hyuk had learned about his deals no longer mattered.
The key fact was that he had to make the deals he managed succeed no matter what.
If even one failed, the overseas lines he'd secured would vanish. Years of hard work would go down the drain.
'I'll take a few hits from that bastard Cha Beom-seok and be done with it.'
Having sorted his thoughts, Park Cheon-ho asked again.
"Cut the games and tell me what you want."
Grinding his teeth in frustration even as he spoke?
Lee Dae-hyuk smiled slowly at the sight and raised his right hand, pointing at Kim Min-gyu.
"This guy—I'm taking him starting today."
"What bullshit is that?"
Park Cheon-ho tilted his head.
Though he didn't voice it, Kim Min-gyu was thinking the exact same thing.
Coming out of nowhere to claim him.
"You haven't even had a drink... Are you drunk?"
As Kim Min-gyu pressed, Lee Dae-hyuk let out a chuckle.
"Still more normal than you, pledging loyalty under an organ-trafficking bastard like Park Cheon-ho...."
Lee Dae-hyuk's tone dripped with mockery and scorn.
"......"
"......"
At his retort, Park Cheon-ho and Kim Min-gyu both fell silent.
Park Cheon-ho from surging rage.
Kim Min-gyu from pangs of conscience—he couldn't utter a word.
Unlike Park Cheon-ho, who was nearly a full psychopath.
Kim Min-gyu still had a conscience left.
Lee Dae-hyuk kept provoking the two as they sat speechless.
"Both of you quiet? Silent agreement or something?"
"Fine. Like you said, I'm a bit crazy. If I lose it, I could rip out that flimsy tongue of yours right now."
Clinging to the last shred of pride, Park Cheon-ho finally bared his fangs with a threat.
But to Lee Dae-hyuk, who had seized the momentum, it was laughable.
"If you want to make an enemy of Daehan Group, go ahead and try."
"What?"
Step-!
Lee Dae-hyuk strode right up to Park Cheon-ho and shoved his face close to his nose.
"If you wanna go up against Daehan Group behind me, then go ahead—rip out my tongue or gouge out my eyes, whatever."
"......"
Park Cheon-ho couldn't say a word to Lee Dae-hyuk, who glared fiercely and growled.
"......"
He was completely overwhelmed by Lee Dae-hyuk's presence.
Feeling humiliation along with shame, Park Cheon-ho cursed inwardly.
'Fuck.'
His instincts were telling him.
He needed to back down now.
Letting out a sigh, Park Cheon-ho lowered his eyes.
"Take the little shit with you."
"Huh?"
"Take him and roast him, boil him, do whatever you want."
Still avoiding Lee Dae-hyuk's gaze, Park Cheon-ho waved his hand dismissively.
Pleased with the sight?
Lee Dae-hyuk looked at Kim Min-gyu with a relaxed expression.
"You hear that? Let's go."