Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: 2. Myeongjin Construction (1)
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The path home was a familiar one.
Kim Hyun-seong walked down an alley lined with shabby villas, retracing his memories as he headed toward his longtime nest.
[Taeyang Villa]
An ancient structure that could crumble at any moment without surprise.
The basement of this building—worth barely 50 million won at current market prices—was Kim Hyun-seong's home. Without his parents' life insurance payout, he probably would have been stuck renting even this place. Seeing the villa brought a wry smile to his face for no particular reason. As a kid, he'd thought this place was downright pathetic, but when he heard the rumor that his grandmother had sold it to cover his hospital bills, it felt like the world was collapsing around him.
Now, though.
He was just grateful to have somewhere to come back to.
Kim Hyun-seong stepped inside and descended into the dim basement, unlocking the door.
Creak.
"Grandma...?"
A chill breeze blew from within.
Grandma wasn't there.
The excitement he'd felt at the thought of seeing her after so long turned to sorrow at the sight of the simple dinner table she'd prepared for her grandsons. Around this time, she was out working every day. The image of his grandmother toiling relentlessly for their education made him realize he couldn't afford to space out like this.
'I have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I won't just use it for revenge—I'll make sure my family never suffers again.'
He clenched his teeth.
There was much to do ahead.
One week until the disciplinary committee.
Kim Hyun-seong sat at his desk, opened a notebook, and began organizing his thoughts.
Scribble, scribble.
'My plan moving forward is clear. In two years, I'll swallow up the surrounding area and build my foundation. In the final year, I'll clean house at their main base. To do that, I need three conditions. First: my own personal strength.'
It was essential.
The ones leading the school violence.
Strength was what they valued above all.
To bring them down, he'd need enough power not to be overwhelmed when facing them head-on.
'I can start training myself right now. If I can recruit that person I had in mind ahead of time, I'll have a huge edge in the fights ahead. The second condition is along the same lines. The guys I'll be dealing with have built up their own forces. To handle all those people, I need to form my own crew with the same goal.'
In the end.
It came down to people.
Right now, Kim Hyun-seong was just a high school freshman with nothing to his name.
No matter how perfect his plan in his head, he couldn't pull off revenge alone.
Of course, it didn't mean relying on others.
He'd take the lead, but he needed to secure the right people.
'And finally, the third.'
This was crucial.
The key difference from his previous life.
A problem he could solve because he'd lived through the past.
Even recruiting trash like Kim Young-cheol was an extension of this third issue.
"Background. I need a background that can make any problem disappear like it never happened. Only then can I execute the plan."
Scribble, scribble.
He underlined it.
Especially to resolve the disciplinary committee issue right away.
The first thing Kim Hyun-seong needed to secure was this background.
* * *
Daesan Metropolitan City.
At one of its police stations.
A hulking man added his roar to the usual clamor.
"Hey, you fucking bastards. Do you know who I am? I'm the eldest son of Myeongjin Construction. If you don't know me in this Daesan underworld, you're a spy. You think a lowly cop like you can treat me like this and get away with it? Hey! You think you can?"
"Sir, please keep it down."
"Sir? Sirrrr? You little shit. Even with this face, I'm still a fresh 35-year-old bachelor."
Snap.
Crash! Clatter!
Chaos erupted.
Go Chang-beom, eldest son of Myeongjin Construction.
Even amid his antics, the cops couldn't easily step in.
He was right.
Myeongjin Construction was a big name in Daesan, and crossing Go Chang-beom could cost a mere cop his job in a heartbeat. Yet they still wouldn't release him. A situation that would normally wrap up quickly dragged on endlessly, leaving Go Chang-beom seething.
In the end.
"Ugh, fuck."
Go Chang-beom swallowed his rage and sat back down.
This mess.
He felt wronged.
On his way home, he'd gotten into it with some pedestrians. They threw the first punch, so he'd counterattacked. The problem was his freakish strength matching his massive build. The three guys ended up carted off to the ER, landing him in the station.
It was a bind.
If he didn't tie this up cleanly, his enemies would make an issue of it for sure.
'What a dogshit situation.'
In recent years.
Go Chang-beom's father, chairman of Myeongjin Construction, had publicly declared a successor battle between his two sons.
Whichever showed the chops to inherit Myeongjin Construction would get the throne.
It hit like a bolt from the blue.
Go Chang-beom, convinced his birthright as eldest made him the heir, had no confidence beating his brother Go Chang-seok. He'd barely scraped through high school, while his brother graduated from a top foreign university. Plus, three years ago, he'd married into a prominent Daesan family, creating buzz that Go Chang-seok was the better pick to take over.
He was on the edge of a cliff.
And now a violence scandal on top of it? He'd lose his shot for good.
The cop said,
"Mr. Go Chang-beom. I get that you're pissed, but you clearly fucked up this time. You beat innocent bystanders to a bloody pulp. There's no easy way out of this."
"I told you, they threw the first punch..."
"Yeah, yeah. You claim that, but look at the results. The victims—covered in blood—are saying you snapped and attacked out of nowhere."
It looked bad.
3 against 1.
The cops sided with the majority.
No settlement in sight from the other side, so this was bound to blow up.
His gut boiled.
Debating whether to flip the table on the whole successor bullshit, Go Chang-beom's eyes caught a boy in his view.
He stuck out.
Like he didn't belong here.
The boy looked straight at Go Chang-beom and spoke.
"I'm here to testify about that man's case. Who should I talk to?"
* * *
The cop glanced at the monitor.
Then at the boy.
Back to the monitor, scratching his head with a flustered look.
"...How the hell did you get this?"
On the monitor.
Footage of the assault.
Just as Go Chang-beom claimed.
He hadn't started it; the pedestrians threw punches first, forcing his counter. The issue was their attitude. The ones claiming innocence clung to him relentlessly—despite his attempts to walk away—escalating things on purpose, almost maliciously.
The boy.
Kim Hyun-seong said,
"I happened to witness it while passing by. No CCTV on the street, so it seemed tough. I asked around nearby parked cars and got dashcam footage. A minor's testimony might not hold much weight, right? As you can see in the video, the man tried to de-escalate, but they charged first, leaving him no choice but to fight back. If it's his fault, it's just having the strength to send them to the ER. This is clear self-defense."
"Yeah, exactly! Look at that pretty face—says the prettiest things. See? I told you it wasn't my fault!"
Go Chang-beom jumped in like he'd been waiting.
His beaming face would've planted a kiss on Kim Hyun-seong if no one was around—he was that thrilled.
Dashcam footage.
Perfect evidence.
With proof and a witness, no amount of noise from the other side could shake his position. His father was hot-blooded. The man who said you take the hit if you deserve it had no reason to punish legitimate self-defense.
The cop swallowed a groan.
Tricky.
They'd roughed up an innocent man—the heir of Myeongjin Construction, no less. Backlash was coming.
But what could they do?
Evidence was ironclad.
They had to play nice for now.
"...Understood. We'll wrap the investigation briefly and reconvene once the victims—no, perpetrators—are treated. Sorry. We should've listened more to you, Mr. Go, but those bloody faces made it hard to stay objective."
Whoosh.
Go Chang-beom shot up.
He glared at the cop, baring his feral teeth.
"Don't care about your excuses. I'll remember that face. Your days ahead won't be easy."
* * *
Exiting the station, Go Chang-beom let out a booming laugh.
"Kuhahaha! Kid, I owe you big time. Without you, I'd be screwed. How does a kid get such good upbringing to be this sharp? Me? I never forget a favor."
He fished out his wallet.
Pulled a fat stack of bills from the bulging leather—easily over a million won.
"Take it. My thanks."
"Thank you."
Kim Hyun-seong took it without hesitation.
Go Chang-beom eyed him with amused intrigue at the seamless grab.
Most kids that age hesitate with big cash, but this one calmly hunted down dashcam footage too. Definitely not ordinary. That hunch solidified soon enough. As Kim Hyun-seong pocketed the money, he tossed out a topic Go Chang-beom couldn't ignore.
"But sir. Just curious—do you think this was really a coincidence?"
"...What're you getting at?"
"Straight talk: I know who you are. Eldest son of Myeongjin Construction. In a successor fight with your brother Go Chang-seok, right?"
In that instant.
Go Chang-beom's eyes sharpened.
No more cute kid in his sight.
If the boy knew who he was and approached on purpose, he had to have an agenda.
"Who the hell are you?"
"No need to overthink. I don't believe this was random. And I have proof. What do you think, sir?"
Their gazes locked.
Tiger eyes.
If the kid wasn't straight with him, age be damned—he'd crush him. Kim Hyun-seong smirked inwardly at the savage glare.
Go Chang-beom.
A notorious figure.
At least in Daesan.
No direct ties, but Kim Hyun-seong remembered the Go family's saga anyway.
How they'd lived.
How it ended.
Kim Hyun-seong said,
"If you're truly grateful, give me just one hour. I promise it won't hurt you—in fact, Go Chang-beom, it'll benefit your life."