Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: The Trap Springs
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“Weather's nice today.”
Lee Daehyuk remarked as he stepped out of the house for work.
He might end up in a war with Wolfgang within the next two days, but his expression was surprisingly calm.
That was because a reliable ally had come to meet him first thing in the morning.
“The weather's great, but my mood's in the gutter.”
Jeong Heeju shrugged her shoulders.
“...?”
What had happened?
Lee Daehyuk gave her a puzzled look, noting the dark circles under her eyes.
“What's going on?”
“You heading to work? We'll give you a ride today.”
Yoon Taeho was on vacation, so Kim Mingyu had been driving him around for the past few days.
Today was no different.
But if Jeong Heeju had shown up at his door first thing in the morning with that expression, something must be up.
Lee Daehyuk pulled out his phone from his pocket.
“Mingyu. I'm going alone today. Come to the office this evening. And the item I asked you to get?”
- Got it.
“Good. See you tonight.”
- Yes, sir. Standing by.
After hearing Kim Mingyu's response, Lee Daehyuk hung up.
At the same time, Jeong Heeju spoke up.
“Shall we go, then?”
***
In the master bedroom, Kim Mingyu finished his call with Lee Daehyuk, his face still etched with worry.
The team to hunt Wolfgang was already assembled.
Including himself, the members heading into the field, plus the support team that would guard the parking garage entrance and jump in if needed.
They'd even gathered all sorts of useful tools, but the anxiety lingered.
No matter how thoroughly they prepared, victory wasn't guaranteed.
‘The guy's a trained killer. We can't just overwhelm him with numbers.’
They needed something more certain.
“Hmm...”
Kim Mingyu crossed his arms, deep in thought, when one of his subordinates approached cautiously.
“Was that the boss?”
“Yeah. He's heading in on his own today. We move this evening. Make sure the item he requested is ready.”
“No worries. Everything's set.”
“Good.”
Kim Mingyu's gaze shifted to the desk right in front of him.
It was covered with floor plans of the underground parking garage and photos of the road in front of the building.
Walkie-talkies and other gear were scattered around.
Kim Mingyu and his men all looked haggard.
With a life-or-death battle looming, tension was inevitable.
“......”
“......”
Silence hung over the office.
Suddenly, a knock echoed.
Knock knock-!!!
“Who is it?”
Kim Mingyu raised his voice slightly.
“It's Sangwook, hyungnim.”
Lee Sangwook's voice came from outside the door.
Startled, Kim Mingyu shot a glance at his men.
Scramble-!!!
They hurriedly shoved the floor plans, walkie-talkies, and miscellaneous items onto the couch.
Kim Mingyu threw a blanket over the pile rolling on the floor.
‘Whew—! What a damn mess.’
The Wolfgang hunt was known only to Kim Mingyu and a select few operatives.
If word got out, it could be a massive stain on Lee Daehyuk, who dreamed of becoming the head of Daehan Group.
Think about it.
The youngest son of Daehan Group's chairman teaming up with gangsters to catch a killer?
It might look cool at first glance, but it was still a crime.
It would give Park Ji-sook and her kids ammunition in the fight for the top spot.
And now, Lee Sangwook, an unwanted guest, had shown up.
‘Sangwook could be useful in a fight... but no can do.’
Lee Sangwook was still too green.
Even if Lee Daehyuk had wanted to include him in this 'hunt,' Kim Mingyu would have objected.
Pushing aside his regrets, Kim Mingyu turned the doorknob.
“Ahem. Come in.”
“Hello, hyungnim.”
“Yeah, looking sharp. What's up?”
“Nothing much. Just happened to be passing by and thought of you guys, so I dropped in.”
Kim Mingyu scratched the back of his head at Lee Sangwook's words.
On any other day, he'd have taken him out for lunch.
“What to do? We're swamped today. Come back in a few days. We'll do sweet-and-sour pork and soju.”
“Ah, I can't drink for a bit. The gym master says I need to bulk up, so I'm off alcohol.”
“Ha, that guy's strict as hell.”
“Yeah... well... haha.”
“But he'll teach you right. You'll be a champ someday, pretending you don't know us, right?”
Kim Mingyu playfully punched Lee Sangwook's chest.
But Lee Sangwook glanced at the couch behind Kim Mingyu and continued.
“Looks like you've been busy lately. What's with the blanket on the couch...? You guys pulling all-nighters here often?”
“Oh... yeah. Work's piled up.”
“Work's one thing, but you gotta date sometimes too. Staying cooped up here with the hyungnims every night...”
“We're actually heading out just us guys tonight.”
“Just you guys? Sounds boring as hell.”
Kim Mingyu burst into laughter at Lee Sangwook's retort(?).
If the Wolfgang hunt went off without a hitch—hell, even if it was boring—that would be pure bliss.
“Yeah. Sometimes you gotta have a dull time.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. Keep training hard. Buy some meat and eat up.”
Kim Mingyu pulled out his wallet and handed over all his ten-thousand-won bills to Lee Sangwook.
“Hyungnim... thank you.”
“Take it, man. Refuse and you're dead.”
Kim Mingyu laughed even louder.
Lee Sangwook laughed along.
But.
“......”
For some reason, his eyes looked conflicted.
He'd come with something to say.
But now wasn't the time.
Forcing a smile, Lee Sangwook said,
“Then I'll head out, hyungnim.”
“Yeah. Sorry to rush you off.”
Kim Mingyu patted Lee Sangwook's shoulder as he bowed.
A moment later.
Clunk.
Once Lee Sangwook left, Kim Mingyu let out a breath.
Luckily, no suspicions raised.
Still, he felt a pang of guilt sending his little bro away like that.
‘No choice. Wolfgang comes first.’
“Alright, boys. Let's move out.”
***
Inside Jeong Heeju's car speeding down the road.
Lee Daehyuk, sitting beside her, had a slightly heavier expression.
He had no room to complain if she resented him now.
Deep down, he'd even hoped for something like this.
That way, Jeong Heeju would go all-in to help him.
Whether she knew his inner thoughts or not, her calm voice filled the car.
“Ah, I'm not here to nag or blame you. My employees' screw-up isn't on you—it's on me.”
Jeong Heeju stated her thoughts matter-of-factly.
Truth be told, she'd anticipated someone might die.
Chasing traces could lead to facing Wolfgang, and there were no guarantees of survival.
Yet she'd taken Lee Daehyuk's commission anyway.
Hated to admit it, but.
Her subordinates' deaths were her fault.
“Even Uncle Haksu said it. Get into this line of work, and you'll carry blood on your shoulders.”
“......”
“I thought I was prepared... but going through it feels different.”
Jeong Heeju's tone remained even.
Fear and guilt seeped through... but running wasn't an option.
“So this time, I have a favor to ask you.”
“I'll do what I can.”
Jeong Heeju let out a wry chuckle at his words.
“No need to stress. It's not a tough ask—in fact, it'll benefit you.”
“Tell me.”
“Wolfgang. Let's catch him together.”
Jeong Heeju answered without hesitation.
Now, Wolfgang was her enemy too—not just his.
“If we pool our full strength, we can definitely take that killer bastard down.”
“......”
Lee Daehyuk felt a mix of emotions at her words.
It was a relief things had shifted as he'd predicted, but guilt gnawed at him separately.
To survive, to get revenge, he had no choice but to sacrifice people.
Crunch-!
‘I might already be a monster like Yu Jaeman.’
No, he was.
But he couldn't abandon the last shreds of conscience.
“Once this is over, give me the addresses and contacts for the families of your late employees. We'll handle compensation on our end.”
“Got it.”
Jeong Heeju replied curtly.
She'd originally planned to squeeze him hard after gauging his reaction.
But since he offered compensation first, she held her tongue.
Time to focus on the main issue.
“How do we catch Wolfgang? Got a plan?”
“It needs a lot of people. But.”
“But?”
“We handle it quietly. No one knows. Completely covert.”
Lee Daehyuk began explaining the 'trap' he'd set for Jeong Heeju.
***
In just one day, Wolfgang realized his patience had reached its limit.
He knew it too.
No matter how pressed for time, he was rushing too much.
Truth was, it had been a mistake from the start.
The moment he'd revealed himself to his target, Lee Daehyuk, too soon.
If he'd watched more cautiously and shown up only right before the kill, the outcome would have been different.
Wolfgang didn't know it, but by exposing himself early to a psycho-metry user like Lee Daehyuk, he'd been backed into this corner.
Plus, the chaebol heir's power had exceeded his expectations.
He'd used Jeong Heeju's Yoorim Capital crew to find his safe house.
Even pulled the guy who'd commissioned the hit, Park Jung-gi, to his side.
‘Too many variables.’
Wolfgang now acknowledged Lee Daehyuk's 'power.'
But his personal combat prowess still gave him absolute superiority.
So why this impatience, this anxiety?
Something was squeezing his heart.
‘Damn it.’
Better to kill Lee Daehyuk than suffer this restlessness.
‘Yeah. End it tonight.’
Swish swish-!! Swish swish swish-!!!
Wolfgang, dressed as a janitor with a mask on, swept the ground with a broom and turned his head.
He was at the main gate of Daehan Construction.
Disguised as building staff, he could observe his prey amid the indifference around him.
Lee Daehyuk laughing.
Lee Daehyuk drinking coffee.
Lee Daehyuk walking calmly with colleagues.
‘Enjoy your fun. I'll make you pay for running your mouth soon enough.’
Wolfgang looked up at the sky.
It was growing dark.
Rain would pour soon.
The pitch-black night would swallow the gray sky.
‘Perfect weather.’
Rainy, humid days.
The feel of killing, slicing flesh and bone—ecstasy beyond words.
No longer a janitor, but a hunter now.
Thud thud-!!!
Wolfgang started walking.
***
That night.
Lee Daehyuk didn't go home.
He stayed at the office on the pretext of more work.
Fortunately, no one batted an eye at his overtime.
He often stuck around for other tasks anyway.
Except Joo Hyo-min, who was a bit different.
“Why's someone who's about to leave acting like this?”
Joo Hyo-min teased playfully as she set a canned coffee on his desk.
“Gotta finish my homework since I'm heading out soon.”
“Homework?”
“Yeah. Not work—personal stuff.”
“Dunno why you'd do personal homework at the office, but you must be tired. Wrap it up and go home.”
Joo Hyo-min waved as she left the office.
Once she was gone, Lee Daehyuk, now alone, stretched.
Seven o'clock.
Still a ways off from the 'real night.'
He figured the guy wouldn't move until after midnight at least.
Lee Daehyuk turned to gaze out the window.
He'd sent intranet notices and texts banning parking garage use for two days, so Wolfgang wouldn't know.
But he'd likely heard from grumbling employees that access was restricted.
‘He's definitely watching me. Has to be nearby.’
Lee Daehyuk had learned Wolfgang's MO from Park Jung-gi.
Hide his identity, stalk the target.
Strike the moment they show an opening.
Pounce like a wolf, severing the throat in an instant.
Then hold his own mad feast.
A blood-soaked feast of carving and slicing corpses.
‘Too bad.’
Tonight, a blood feast would happen.
But the body on the table wouldn't be his—it'd be Wolfgang's.
How much time passed?
As Lee Daehyuk reviewed documents and drafted plans, his phone rang.
He picked up the phone on the desk, his eyes turning cold.
“Mingyu?”
- All set.
“Good. Head down now.”
Kim Mingyu had finished setting the stage.
“Whew.”
After a quick deep breath, Lee Daehyuk hung up and stood.
The feast was about to begin.
Boss, Becoming a Chaebol