Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Not Just Childish Jealousy
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It wasn’t simply a child’s jealousy.
Even after growing up, Lee Dae-hwan’s twisted mindset hadn’t changed.
But what truly made Lee Dae-hyuk click his tongue was something else.
It was the vain ambition harbored by Lee Dae-hwan.
‘My hunch was right after all.’
After agreeing to Kim Jin-taek’s request to keep Lee Dae-hwan in check,
Lee Dae-hwan met with Yoo Jae-man through Kim Jin-taek’s arrangements and formed an official partnership.
And after that?
It was an absurd plan to join forces with Serjin Group and conquer Asia.
No, not even a proper ‘plan’—just a foolish delusion.
Lee Dae-hyuk’s honest impression slipped out.
“Insane!”
If Lee Dae-hwan was a snake, Yoo Jae-man was the dragon dominating Korea’s economy.
A mad dragon that had devoured even Daehan Group after endless schemes and dirty power struggles.
To approach such a dragon without any safeguards?
This pathetic snake, relying solely on his father’s power, would become the dragon’s meal in an instant.
“Here’s some advice. Stay away from Yoo Jae-man. You’ll get eaten. Keep your distance.”
“Let go of my hand!”
“…….”
Lee Dae-hwan didn’t respond to Lee Dae-hyuk’s advice.
He had no intention of listening, and now, out of sheer stubbornness to succeed in his ‘project,’ he ignored it.
Having read even that thought through psychometry, Lee Dae-hyuk felt pity for Lee Dae-hwan.
‘So dull and foolish.’
He wasn’t even worth considering as a rival anymore.
‘No point wasting more time.’
As a blood relative and as someone with more life experience, his advice was sufficient.
As Lee Dae-hyuk organized his thoughts,
Lee Dae-hwan, feeling insulted, tried to shake off Lee Dae-hyuk’s hand.
“You bastard, let go!”
But Lee Dae-hyuk’s arm didn’t budge an inch.
‘What the hell kind of strength is this….’
He himself had trained in judo and boxing for self-defense and consistently did weight training.
Yet still….
“Don’t be scared. I was going to let go anyway.”
Snap-!!
Lee Dae-hyuk released Lee Dae-hwan’s hand and stared at him with deep eyes.
Seeing the true face of the man he’d once considered a nemesis, disappointment was inevitable.
“Fine. No matter what I say, you’ll stick to Yoo Jae-man. And like last time, you’ll keep sending thugs after me.”
Lee Dae-hyuk accurately predicted Lee Dae-hwan’s pattern.
“Born as the eldest son of Daehan Group’s chairman, why do you live like trash?”
“Trash?”
Lee Dae-hwan raised his voice in anger, but Lee Dae-hyuk wasn’t fazed at all.
No one in the world fears ‘trash.’
Snicker-!!
Unlike Lee Dae-hyuk, who smirked leisurely, Lee Dae-hwan ground his teeth and growled.
“Trash? You dare call me trash?”
Lee Dae-hwan glared at Lee Dae-hyuk, clenching his fists.
But lashing out here would only make him look uglier.
At that moment.
Slide-!!!
“Director.”
Cha Beom-seok entered through the door.
He must have come in after hearing the loud noises from the room.
“…….”
Cha Beom-seok silently glared at Lee Dae-hyuk.
If Lee Dae-hwan gave the order, he was ready to subdue Lee Dae-hyuk immediately.
However, Lee Dae-hwan wasn’t foolish enough to touch Lee Dae-hyuk in a public place.
Instead, he calmed his anger and put on a perfect act.
“I heard your advice. Loud and clear.”
Lee Dae-hyuk nearly burst out laughing at Lee Dae-hwan’s response.
His face, twisted in rage despite his words, was just too ridiculous.
On top of that, out of pride, he added a retort.
“Want some advice from me?”
“Go ahead.”
With those words, Lee Dae-hyuk jerked his chin.
It was an arrogant, insulting gesture that even made Cha Beom-seok bristle.
‘Cute.’
Lee Dae-hyuk’s lips curved into a smile as he alternated glances between Cha Beom-seok, grinding his teeth, and Lee Dae-hwan, whose face was flushing red.
“Thanks to what you said today, things will change a lot from now on. After this moment, I’m done playing games—I’m getting serious.”
Hearing Lee Dae-hwan’s threat, Lee Dae-hyuk bit his lip.
He was barely holding back the laughter bubbling up again.
“Serious, huh… Alright. I’ll be looking forward to it. Give it your best shot.”
Lee Dae-hyuk playfully patted Lee Dae-hwan’s shoulder a couple times and headed for the exit.
But.
“…….”
Cha Beom-seok, standing in front of the door, didn’t step aside and just glared at Lee Dae-hyuk silently.
“Your eyes are gonna pop out. If you’re gonna do something, do it. Otherwise, move.”
At Lee Dae-hyuk’s provocation, Cha Beom-seok glanced at Lee Dae-hwan.
Waiting for the order.
“Move aside.”
Tremble-!!
For a split second, Cha Beom-seok’s shoulders shook.
It was a humiliating command for someone so loyal to Lee Dae-hwan.
“Good work.”
Pat pat-!!!
Lee Dae-hyuk gave Cha Beom-seok’s shoulder a quick pat and left the room.
Once Lee Dae-hyuk was gone, Lee Dae-hwan spoke to Cha Beom-seok.
“Close it.”
Click-!!
Cha Beom-seok glanced at him cautiously and quietly shut the door.
Tremble-!!!
Was it because Cha Beom-seok was there?
Lee Dae-hwan, who had barely contained his rage, clenched his fist tightly.
Fury welled up.
He wanted to scream.
But.
Not now.
Showing any agitation in front of Cha Beom-seok or anyone else would be admitting defeat.
Whew-!
Lee Dae-hwan let out a deep sigh to suppress his anger.
He could pay back this humiliation anytime.
He would show that arrogant pet the vast difference between them.
His eyes flashed sharply as he clenched his fist so hard his nails dug into his palm.
***
Inside the security vehicle heading home with Lee Dae-hyuk.
Sitting alone, Lee Dae-hyuk felt a complicated mix of emotions.
‘Wolfgang, Lee Dae-hwan… my enemies just keep piling up.’
Yet, strangely, he wasn’t afraid.
‘Once these messy things are sorted, I should go on a trip.’
Thinking about it, ever since dying as Kim Geon-woo and reviving as Lee Dae-hyuk, he hadn’t had a moment’s rest.
No matter how strong his mental fortitude, he was still human and bound to get tired.
Just then.
Bzzz-!!
His jacket pocket vibrated with his phone.
“Hello.”
As Lee Dae-hyuk answered, Jung Hee-ju’s voice came through.
- It’s Jung Hee-ju.
Lee Dae-hyuk’s eyes turned cold again.
There were only two reasons Jung Hee-ju would call.
Either they’d caught Park Jung-ki, or they’d found Wolfgang’s secret hideout.
“Where should I go?”
- Come to Busan for some sashimi. I’ll treat.
“Thanks.”
Lee Dae-hyuk gave a light greeting.
Catching Park Jung-ki first wasn’t a bad outcome.
‘With psychometry, I can snag Wolfgang’s tail too.’
“Should I head out with you?”
- We’re not the type to take a train trip together, are we? I’ll go ahead. Call me when you arrive at Busan Station.
Click-!
The call ended abruptly, leaving Lee Dae-hyuk feeling awkwardly embarrassed as he spoke to the driver.
“Get me to Seoul Station as fast as possible.”
***
Twitch. Twitch.
“……?!”
Park Jung-ki regained consciousness from the chill of the cold floor and writhed in agony.
He remembered getting struck in the van suddenly.
But upon waking and looking around, it was a completely unexpected place.
It looked like a storage shed for materials, with tarps laid on the floor.
Rusty tools hung on the walls.
In the back, there was a freezer used for meat at a butcher shop.
“…….”
A horrific place he didn’t even want to think about.
In the middle of it, Park Jung-ki sat bound hand and foot, with a gag in his mouth.
“!!”
Eyes wide open, Park Jung-ki instinctively thought of one name.
‘No way?! Park Cheon-ho?’
Park Jung-ki couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
Park Cheon-ho had the power to kidnap him and a history of gang conflicts, making him the prime suspect.
But Park Cheon-ho had already surrendered to the police, and his organization was dismantled.
It wasn’t him.
‘Then who the hell?’
Excluding Park Cheon-ho, anyone with enough grudge to kidnap him…
As a few names came to mind, Park Jung-ki gathered his thoughts.
‘No. That doesn’t matter right now.’
Escaping came before identifying the culprit.
Thud thud-!!
Park Jung-ki struggled desperately, but his hands and feet were already bound with rope.
His mouth was gagged too.
All he could do was.
“Mmph mmph!!”
Thud thud-!!
He crawled desperately, banging the door with his shoulder.
But the heavy door wouldn’t budge.
“Grgh. Grghhh….”
At that moment.
Did someone hear his desperate groans?
Creak-!!!
The warehouse door he’d been banging opened.
‘Gasp!’
Park Jung-ki, desperately lifting his head, went pale.
The man who entered looked… a bit off.
He wore a red matching tracksuit top and bottom.
Half his face was covered by a mask.
And above that.
“…….”
Smirk-
The eyes looking down at him were smiling.
Up to here, he might not have been so terrified.
What sent chills down Park Jung-ki’s spine was…
‘What? This guy? Why’s he carrying an axe?’
The axe in his hand.
Bound, Park Jung-ki trembled.
What you can see is scarier than the dark.
Thud-!! Thud-!!!
The man with the axe deliberately stomped loudly as he approached Park Jung-ki.
“Where to start slicing… The head’s too boring, so ankles first? Or the soft ears?”
From the voice, he was a young man in his thirties.
But one thing was clear.
‘A psycho.’
Talking about slicing him up out of nowhere.
The setting was too perfect for it to be a lame joke.
Gulp-!!
‘Spare me. Please!!’
“Mmph!! Mmmph mmph!!”
Park Jung-ki, swallowing dryly, pleaded desperately.
“Mmph!!”
“What’s with you? I haven’t even started, dumbass.”
As Park Jung-ki writhed in fear, the masked man scoffed.
At that moment.
Step, step-!
“Enough with the games.”
A voice Park Jung-ki knew well rang out.
Step-!
As the masked man stepped aside, Lee Dae-hyuk, who had walked in with Jung Hee-ju and Kim Hak-su, stopped in front of Park Jung-ki.
“Nice to see you again.”
Hearing the familiar voice, Park Jung-ki was stunned.
‘Lee Dae-hyuk?’
He hadn’t even imagined Lee Dae-hyuk as the kidnapper.
A chaebol heir kidnapping and imprisoning someone.
And… organ trafficking?
Reading his bewildered eyes, Lee Dae-hyuk gave a bizarre explanation.
“Oh, don’t misunderstand. The tarp’s for hygiene, and those tools were already there.”
Thud-!!
Patting the masked man’s back, Lee Dae-hyuk continued in a cheerful tone.
“This guy’s a bit much with pranks, but he’s not a bad person.”
As Lee Dae-hyuk patted his back, the masked man, Kim Min-gyu, joked back.
“But with scum like this, I could turn bad anytime…”
“Show some manners to the guest. Behave.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kim Min-gyu quickly stepped back after the short reply.
The immediate danger was gone, but.
Park Jung-ki, watching it all, felt overwhelming terror.
‘I messed with the wrong guy. Lee Dae-hyuk’s a real psycho.’
“Mmph!! Mmph mmph!!”
Perhaps from the encroaching fear, Park Jung-ki started struggling even more.
He’d rolled in these circles long enough.
He’d encountered types like Lee Dae-hyuk before.
Faces uncovered, always smiling fearlessly with a playful glint.
These types always…
Casually committed the cruelest acts.
Most of those who tortured and killed without remorse looked just like Lee Dae-hyuk.
“Mmph. Mmph mmph mmph!!”
He’d rather beg for his life.
‘At least take off the gag!!’
Park Jung-ki screamed desperately, but only muffled groans escaped his gagged mouth.
Jung Hee-ju grimaced at him.
“Drooling like that is gross… Should we untie him?”
“Yeah, better for hygiene.”
But then what?
Jung Hee-ju suddenly spoke in a grave tone, voicing a concern.
“What if he’s too noisy? Break his jaw? Cut out his tongue?”
Lee Dae-hyuk’s eye twitched at Jung Hee-ju’s playful mutter.
“Where’d you learn that?”
“Here and there.”
Jung Hee-ju deliberately winked at Park Jung-ki.
It was a charming look, but Park Jung-ki, terrified, couldn’t even groan, just gasping in vain.
Lee Dae-hyuk was slightly impressed watching Jung Hee-ju subdue Park Jung-ki in an instant.
‘As expected of a matriarch.’
Her skills(?) were improving fast.
Then he couldn’t just sit back and watch.
He needed to secure Park Jung-ki firmly in his grasp, as planned.
To do that.
“Min-gyu. Untie Mr. Park Jung-ki quickly.”