Chapter 151
Chapter 151
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: Living and Dying by Loyalty (5)
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‘You’ll probably soon have occasion to think back on your old hometown.’
Old hometown.
The wily old wolf of Myeong-dong seemed to grasp the implication behind those words right away.
Yoo Tae-chon lifted one frost-rimed eyebrow and opened his mouth.
‘Chairman Han’s words make it sound like that bastard Joo Gwae-yul is about to reach out to me.’
‘Why wouldn’t he? Prey always runs straight toward the spot where the beaters drive it.’
‘Prey, huh.’
The chairman of Ammunition Group took a sip of warm green tea while seated on his cushion.
Was he already mulling something over? Even under Yoo Tae-chon’s silent probing, he just offered a composed little smile.
‘I’ve already severed his hands and feet.’
‘……!’
‘From his organization in Thailand to the domestic construction industry—all of it. That leaves Joo Gwae-yul with just one option.’
A presence that had grown into a towering mountain, incomparable to their first meeting.
Yoo Tae-chon found himself absently stroking his silver-gray goatee at the man’s seasoned skill in cornering his prey and slowly tightening the noose.
Then, as if deep in thought with furrowed brows, he turned his gaze to his daughter.
‘Tsk tsk. Give it a little more time, and you won’t even be able to catch her.’
‘Father…?’
‘Forget it, you foolish girl.’
After inexplicably scolding his daughter, Yoo Tae-chon turned back to face forward and spoke.
‘All right, suppose I help you out, Chairman. How would we go about it? Joo Gwae-yul’s the suspicious type—hard to deal with.’
Suspicion—the greatest weapon of Joo Gwae-yul, who had spent half his life in the shadows.
Yoo Tae-chon didn’t know the full details of the situation. That made it tricky to entrust everything to him.
The moment anything smelled like a trap, Joo Gwae-yul would vanish elsewhere in an instant.
However.
‘That’s simple. I’ve already thought it through.’
The chairman of Ammunition Group turned his gaze to the side.
Yoo Tae-chon tilted his head at the sight of him smiling warmly at his daughter.
‘Chairman…?’
Then came a playful grin, as if something amusing had just occurred to him.
The words that followed from his mouth were utterly bizarre—something Yoo Tae-chon couldn’t even begin to fathom.
‘You two… ever heard of a game called Avatar?’
* * * *
-Beep beep!
The moment the red light flashed on the walkie-talkie in my hand, its distinctive mechanical chime rang in my ear.
I was on the second floor of Yoo Tae-chon’s residence, right above the parlor where Yoo Tae-chon and his daughter Yoo Se-na were.
Thanks to the video call linked to a hidden cellphone behind some decorations and the walkie-talkie, I had eyes on everything happening downstairs.
“Ah, ah—can you both hear me clearly?”
-We hear you fine, Chairman.
An immediate response from Aide Yoo Se-na.
Just to be sure, I asked Yoo Tae-chon again.
“And Father?”
-…I’m listening. And drop that ‘Father’ nonsense—call me Representative Yoo instead.
I’d meant the title to build some rapport, but it must’ve felt awkward.
I could see downstairs through the video call, but the angle was aimed at the guest seat where Joo Gwae-yul would sit.
With no view of Yoo Tae-chon’s expression, it felt awkward to press further. I brought the walkie-talkie to my mouth and cut straight to the chase.
“Fine, whatever. Just in case, let me repeat myself. Joo Gwae-yul wants two things. One: money laundering. Two: a safe escape route.”
The statements from Nak-gu, whom I’d already recruited. And the classified documents from Joo Gwae-yul’s secret safe.
Putting it all together, his options were obvious.
Bitcoin didn’t have enough trading volume yet. Which meant he had no choice but to reach out to Yoo Tae-chon for salvation.
From here on, it was all on me. Until that outstretched hand choked the life out of him.
“We use the money laundering as bait to uncover his escape route in advance, then hand the cleanup to Prosecutor Park Eun-ji. That’s the plan. Got it?”
-Um… Chairman?
Static crackled as Aide Yoo Se-na responded into my earpiece.
Her voice carried a heap of unresolved questions.
“Yes, go ahead.”
-I get the gist overall, but… why am I here?
“Ah, that.”
My lips curled up involuntarily. I was looking forward to Aide Yoo Se-na’s passionate performance from here on out—it was bound to be entertaining.
From our past collaborations, she was perfectly suited for this kind of work.
The type who endured all sorts of hardships on-site like a secret agent.
“So basically, Aide Yoo Se-na, you’re playing the clown. To keep Joo Gwae-yul too flustered to suspect a thing.”
-A clown? What do you mean…?
“Don’t worry—I’ll direct you based on the situation as it unfolds. Just act your heart out. For now.”
Knock knock. A knock interrupted me mid-sentence.
One of the household staff opened the door, bowed, and spoke.
-The guest is asking how long he has to wait. What should we do?
His patience must’ve run out.
Perfect… actually. If he was this jittery, his nerves wouldn’t be as sharp as usual.
I raised the walkie-talkie to my mouth again and issued my first stage direction—as the sole director of this freshly curtained play.
“No time for rehearsal, huh? Looks like I’m directing an impromptu play whether I like it or not. Tell him to come in now.”
* * * *
-I’ll skip the small talk and get to the point. I need about 80 billion won in Hanwha laundered into a Singapore account, fast as possible. Can you do it?
He seemed even more desperate than expected. Joo Gwae-yul wasn’t hiding how cornered he was.
Through the low-res video feed, cold sweat poured down his face like a flood he couldn’t conceal.
-Take up to half as your fee, but I need it done in three days. Time’s short, so I want an answer now.
-Ahem…
Yoo Tae-chon sat still, putting on airs.
Following my instructions, he was acting appropriately weighty, pretending to deliberate and dragging it out. Squeezing Joo Gwae-yul’s anxiety for all it was worth.
And that dried-up straw of a man had no choice but to catch fire easily.
Because the clown I controlled—Aide Yoo Se-na—had opened her mouth.
“Tell him to get out.”
-……?
“Yell at him to scram right now. Confront Father—no, Representative Yoo. Weren’t we done with that thug money-lending crap?”
I hadn’t even hoped for actual yelling. A bit of pressure would’ve more than met my expectations.
But…
-Get out of my house, you piece-of-shit old man.
-W-What…?
Something like a weird switch had flipped in Aide Yoo Se-na.
-Before I shove your nose in the shit, that is. We’re done dealing with thugs like you! Dad cut ties with your kind ages ago.
-Huh, your daughter’s got quite the mouth on her. Isn’t that right, Representative Yoo?
It seemed all the pent-up resentment from her knife-edge life and her father’s shady connections had erupted.
My Avatar Yoo Se-na was going rogue, generating more than the input command.
-Right, Dad? You said you were done with that shitty loan-sharking and starting fresh with legit institutional finance. So why get tangled up with gangsters again!
-Y-You little bitch, what the hell are you…?
Genuine fluster colored Yoo Tae-chon’s voice.
Even better. This beat awkward forced acting.
I quickly issued the next direction into the walkie-talkie.
“Chime in agreeably, Representative Yoo.”
-A-Ahem…!
Fortunately, he followed orders without stubbornness.
Visibly thrown by his daughter’s unprecedented behavior, he cleared his throat several times before slowly speaking.
“Well… she’s not entirely wrong. As you know, Joo Gwae-yul, I’ve steered clear of the shady stuff for a good while now.”
-So Brother Tae-chon’s saying he’s out of the non-institutional game.
In that instant, suspicion sharpened in Joo Gwae-yul’s eyes. Straightening up, he fell silent, deep in thought, his face paling.
The instincts honed from a lifetime in the wild were sounding some alarm.
“Give justification! Explain why. Something… feels off.”
-…….
My hasty direction had been too vague. I needed something more concrete.
Enough to dispel Joo Gwae-yul’s doubts—or even if they lingered, make refusal impossible in the current bind.
“Play it like you don’t want to take on any fallback liability. Go aggressive if needed.”
-Dealing with you knife-eaters reeks of blood—I can’t stomach it anymore! Dad, I told you no more lawyers, cops, and prosecutors dragging me around!
Aide Yoo Se-na threw herself into the role of a daughter railing at her father. Or perhaps she was finally venting what she’d always wanted to say.
Luckily… Joo Gwae-yul bought it. A sliver of an opening amid his eased suspicion.
And I had no intention of letting that gap close.
“Representative Yoo, act hesitant. Aide Yoo Se-na… weave in something about Hoon-i naturally.”
The two things Joo Gwae-yul wanted.
Money laundering and an escape route.
Piecing it all together, there was only one person he could pin his crimes on as bait.
Hoon-i.
To slap the ringleader label on that rough-faced buzzcut guy and slip away… Joo Gwae-yul would surely go that route.
-Ahem. W-Well, yeah, that’s true. But honey, half the fee is 40 billion—that’s a big chunk…
-Screw half or whatever! It’s obvious he’s gearing up to bolt with no scapegoat in sight. Why risk it for that cash!
Scapegoat.
A plausible hook tossed onto still waters.
The middle-aged man with saw-like teeth circled it.
“Bite… bite… just bite once.”
If we nabbed only Hoon-i while Joo Gwae-yul stayed put, and the laundering evidence pointed to Yoo Tae-chon… it’d all wrap up in one fell swoop.
Even through the grainy feed, Joo Gwae-yul’s piercing gaze was unmistakable.
After swallowing tension several times past his throat, he finally spoke.
-If there’s a scapegoat… you’re saying the laundering’s doable?
Cigarette smoke from downstairs stung my nose.
That acrid haze carried Joo Gwae-yul’s own ineffable anguish.
The torment of sensing the trap closing, yet unable to resist the bait.
And his next words.
-I’ve got… the perfect fall guy for the cops and prosecutors. Someone to shoulder all the blame so I, Representative Yoo, and even your daughter can walk away clean. A real scapegoat.