Chapter 65
Chapter 65
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Confession of Conscience
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Lee Dae-hyuk, a broad smile spreading across his face, began explaining his plan to Park Jung-gi.
“This’ll be my first-ever press conference. Let’s make the theme ‘Confession of Conscience: The Truth of the Jaesong-dong Gate.’”
“…….”
“Along with the press conference, I’ll unleash one mad bulldog of a prosecutor. After that, all we have to do is sit back and watch as he drags in scum like Kim Jin-taek and Min Seung-su.”
Park Jung-gi couldn’t listen to the end of Lee Dae-hyuk’s explanation.
The mad prosecutor wasn’t the important part right now.
“…You’re telling me… you want me to go after Kim Jin-taek and Min Seung-su at the press conference?”
“That’s right.”
“Then I’m dead… No, I’ll do it.”
“Before that, there’s one more thing you need to do.”
“…….”
Park Jung-gi bit his lip.
But this time, he wasn’t particularly surprised.
After already planning to take down Min Seung-su and Kim Jin-taek, what else was there to be shocked about?
To survive, he could do far worse than a press conference.
But Lee Dae-hyuk’s next words left Park Jung-gi stunned once more.
“Recommend me to Eve.”
“……?!”
Park Jung-gi’s mouth fell open.
‘He even knows about Eve?’
Eve—and White Storm—were top-secret intel known only to a tiny circle in this world.
‘Money, power, and now information networks too….’
All he could do was admire the man named Lee Dae-hyuk.
‘Fine. At this point, what wouldn’t I do for him?’
Connecting him to Eve was a bit risky.
However.
‘Right now, survival comes first.’
And for the future, he had to cling to Lee Dae-hyuk no matter what.
“I’ll do anything. Should I head to Seoul today, then?”
“Not in that condition. If you get on a train now, you’re done for. Get some treatment and leave tomorrow morning.”
“…….”
‘Crazy bastard. Beat me when you did, and now this.’
At Lee Dae-hyuk’s sincere concern(?), Park Jung-gi bowed his head in silence, speechless.
***
“He’s one scary guy.”
In front of the warehouse.
Lee Dae-hyuk and Jeong Hee-ju were talking, a short distance away from her subordinates.
“Me, you mean?”
Lee Dae-hyuk countered at Jeong Hee-ju’s blunt remark.
“Who else? You, Lee Dae-hyuk. The more I see, the more my image of you changes.”
Jeong Hee-ju nodded as she scanned him up and down.
“Fair enough. I knew you weren’t normal.”
Would a guy who stole from Yu Jae-man be normal?
Heh—!!!
Lee Dae-hyuk nodded at Jeong Hee-ju’s assessment.
“Not normal, but stick by my side and you’ll be well compensated. In return, I’ll need your help going forward.”
“Hmm. Another deal, huh?”
When Jeong Hee-ju asked, sensing something ominous, Lee Dae-hyuk nodded without hesitation.
“Let’s keep a good relationship going forward. I’d like you as a reliable business partner.”
“Reliable, huh… Tough, but I’ll try.”
But inwardly, Jeong Hee-ju thought differently.
Unless she was an idiot, her wariness and doubts about Lee Dae-hyuk would only deepen.
‘Dangerous guy. Keep it strictly business.’
She had to maintain the relationship for the massive gains.
But Lee Dae-hyuk’s actions were undeniably abnormal.
Still, as a ‘business’ partner, she resolved to stick close to him.
***
Inside the KTX train heading to Seoul.
Dozens of men in black suits sat ramrod straight in one car.
Was it because of the late hour?
Fortunately, no other passengers meant no terrified victims(?) for them.
But Lee Dae-hyuk, one of the passengers, looked a bit awkward.
“Feels like everyone’s glaring at me. Aren’t we on friendly terms?”
“Business relationships don’t need excessive familiarity, right? Rationally, I’m quite friendly toward you, but emotionally, I need some distance.”
Lee Dae-hyuk scratched his chin at Jeong Hee-ju’s response from the seat beside him.
Truth be told, he understood their hostility.
They were being forced into unwanted overtime because of him.
‘Money’ll make up for it.’
Ever the chaebol, planning to solve everything with cash(?), when Jeong Hee-ju asked,
“We’re just heading straight to Seoul like this?”
Even amid it all, she had parts she couldn’t grasp.
“What if Park Jung-gi betrays us? He’ll surely call Kim Jin-taek or Min Seung-su for help—what then?”
“He’s not that stupid.”
“Huh?”
“If Park Jung-gi sets his mind to it, he can take out Kim Jin-taek or Min Seung-su somehow. But he can’t touch the youngest son of Daehan Group.”
Lee Dae-hyuk had Park Jung-gi pegged perfectly.
He’d always been weak against the strong and strong against the weak.
Clinging to anyone even slightly stronger, that is.
And today.
Park Jung-gi had met a man far stronger than Min Seung-su or Kim Jin-taek.
Lee Dae-hyuk himself.
Once he became his subordinate, betrayal wouldn’t even cross his mind.
“Types like him instinctively seek out anyone even a bit stronger to serve under. They can’t accomplish much on their own, but that instinct is sharp.”
“So you, Lee Dae-hyuk, are stronger than President Min Seung-su or Kim Jin-taek?”
“As you’ve seen, in several ways.”
“…….”
Somewhat convinced by Lee Dae-hyuk’s words, Jeong Hee-ju tossed out another question.
“Fine, those two aside—what about Wolfgang?”
“That one’s unpredictable. But he won’t move right away.”
Wolfgang was top-tier.
Sure, Park Jung-gi flipping sides was a variable.
But guys like Wolfgang didn’t shake at minor variables.
Just wait calmly for the perfect timing.
So her subordinates needed to find Wolfgang’s hideout ASAP.
“Our goal now isn’t Wolfgang—it’s the guys behind Park Jung-gi.”
“Hold on.”
Jeong Hee-ju drew a line.
“Why ‘our’?”
“We’re a team, aren’t we?”
“The team’s over. Once we’re in Seoul, I’ll order everyone back to work. Handle it yourself from now on, Lee Dae-hyuk.”
During their talk, Jeong Hee-ju instinctively felt uneasy.
The Lee Dae-hyuk in her mind was a monster on another level from ordinary humans.
And suddenly, fear gripped her toward this ‘Wolfgang’ he acknowledged.
‘Think straight, Jeong Hee-ju. The debt’s paid.’
She knew this world’s business well now.
Sometimes, you had to treat people as expendable.
But not her.
Still holding onto normal emotions, she didn’t want to see her staff die because of her decisions.
As she’d thought in front of the warehouse, she’d keep the business partner tie.
But on one condition.
No one on her team gets hurt or killed.
Break that ‘condition,’
And she might become an irredeemable monster.
A thread of conscience from her recently ordinary life.
It set her bare minimum line.
Lee Dae-hyuk, silent as she pondered, finally spoke.
“Fine. I’ll handle the rest. But I’ll pay the promised amount.”
“You’d better.”
Her face lit up instantly.
‘Ha, she’s doing this on purpose.’
Lee Dae-hyuk caught on that Jeong Hee-ju was playing mind games with him.
But what could he do?
He had to let himself ‘lose’ these games on purpose.
Dragging it out would only sour things with her and her team.
“I lose.”
“I deserve a win once in a while.”
He chuckled pleasantly at her cheeky reply.
Was it nostalgia?
It reminded him of the old ‘friend’ he’d met way back, the boss lady.
“Then let’s rest a bit till Seoul.”
“Sure.”
Jeong Hee-ju closed her eyes and leaned back as if she’d been waiting.
Watching her fall asleep quickly, Lee Dae-hyuk felt a warm spot in his chest.
Because of how much she cared for her subordinates.
‘Same personality as ever.’
Tougher and fiercer since becoming boss, but endlessly considerate to those she saw as hers—that was Jeong Hee-ju.
‘Right. I’ll handle my own messes.’
He planned to carefully devise a Wolfgang trap by the time they reached Seoul.
First.
‘Set a trap.’
He’d be the bait.
‘Where to stage it?’
A perfect stage to make them think it was their chance to kill him.
‘If I were Wolfgang, what would I do?’
Lee Dae-hyuk closed his eyes, immersing himself.
Seconds later.
One word surfaced.
A place where he’d let his guard down.
For the man Lee Dae-hyuk—who’d dismantled Park Jung-gi, Kim Jin-taek, and Min Seung-su’s crew—the spot besides home where he spent the most time…?
‘The company.’
Lee Dae-hyuk sneered.
‘Yeah.’
If it were him, he could turn at least the parking lot into a grand stage, if not the whole building.
Simple methods.
Block employee and pedestrian access under the guise of parking lot repairs.
Cut the CCTV via hackers Kim Min-gyu dealt with.
Set the stage, lure him in, block escapes?
It’d be a perfect trap for Wolfgang.
***
The moment Lee Dae-hyuk ended his talk with Jeong Hee-ju and settled on a stage to catch Wolfgang.
In a corner of northern Seoul, suited men prowled the night streets.
“Man, tough making a living after dinner.”
“Quit your muttering. Shut up and follow.”
The men bickered but quickened their steps.
This night.
Over twenty men roamed Gangbuk, soaked in sweat.
They were all low-level grunts from Jeong Hee-ju’s faction.
“If we catch that Wolfgang or whatever…”
“We’re dead. So quietly scout houses with pine trees and benches.”
“Can you even see the bench over the wall properly? I’ve been tripping over trash cans climbing up… Huh?”
One newbie grunt grumbled, then his eyes widened hugely.
A church cross visible behind the house.
And beyond the low wall, a pine tree towering in the yard.
“No way…”
The newbie’s eyes turned to his senior.
“Isn’t this it?”
“Damn.”
The senior bit his lip.
Cross and pine tree.
No matter how he thought, it matched the boss’s order for ‘that house.’
“Our mission ends here. Let’s head back.”
The senior pulled out his phone.
Their job was recon only.
Anything more was for the real pros.
‘Run if you see him, right?’
Jeong Hee-ju had drilled it into them before leaving for Busan.
No need to risk lives.
The Russian they hunted was a trained killer.
Ordinary grunts couldn’t handle him—flee if spotted.
“Whew, better call qui—Huh?”
The newbie’s eyes shook as he reached for his phone.
At the alley’s end.
A hunched old lady approached, leaning on a cane.
“Sorry.”
Blocking the way, the newbie apologized and stepped aside.
His senior followed, muttering,
“Let’s go. Staying longer’s a pain, no, a nuisance.”
He hastily changed words and started walking.
And then.
‘Huh?’
Something felt off.
The cane-wielding grandma had just passed him.
But for a split second.
He’d glimpsed her prominent Adam’s apple.
Gulp!
The senior swallowed dryly without thinking.
A grandma with a man’s Adam’s apple at night?
Definitely.
Wolfgang in disguise.
‘Shit. What now?’
He’d heard reports: Wolfgang was a master of disguise.
With synthetic skin masks, hard to spot at night—avoid if suspicious, Jeong Hee-ju had said, hitting him late.
‘…Act like I don’t know.’
The senior averted his gaze.
But.
Thump thump—!!
His heart pounded wildly, sweat beading on his nose bridge.
Drip—!!
The drop hit the ground.
Drip drip drip—!!!
The third drop fell.
The grandma’s right hand moved.
Stab—!!!
“……?!”
A brutal flesh-ripping sound erupted from nowhere, widening the newbie’s eyes.
“Wha-wha? Wha-wha-what?!”
The newbie was dumbfounded.
An ice pick clutched in the grandma’s hand was buried in the senior’s carotid artery.
“Sharp eyes.”
Wolfgang straightened his hunched back with a grin.
“Guys with good eyes always go first.”