No... I Can't (1)
Late at night.
On the top floor of an office building where the city lights unfurled like a vast panorama, Mujin stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of his spotlessly maintained office, gazing down at the nightscape.
Cold moonlight drifted faintly across his perfectly tailored black silk suit. A smartphone rested in his hand as he conducted a clandestine call with someone on the other end.
"Unfortunately, it failed. All because of those outdated gangster nobodies..."
As he spoke, Mujin faintly furrowed his brow.
Exactly what you'd expect from country-bumpkin thugs who rolled around in the sticks.
What age are we living in that they're still chasing after something as foolish as "romance"?
If they hadn't even lost to some wet-behind-the-ears brat, I wouldn't have a word to say. To kick away a lucky opportunity with their own two feet...
The boss of the Daeho Clan is no better. Even though it was clear insubordination, he just wrapped the whole thing up with a single scolding.
Tsk... vermin, the lot of them.
Clicking his tongue at the thought, Mujin soon recovered his composure and focused once more on the person beyond the phone.
"Yes, you need not worry about that point in the slightest. Those idiots just happened to go after her at the perfect time, after all."
Given the personality of the woman the other party had described, she would never let this incident slide lightly. She would undoubtedly dig for the mastermind behind it.
However—
"Thanks to those fools, there won't be any trail for her to catch."
Just as Mujin said. Like a single scene from a meticulously written script, no matter how thoroughly she investigated, she would find not even the faintest trace—all thanks to the meddling of those idiots.
At that thought, a cold sneer briefly touched the corner of Mujin's lips.
When the voice on the other end of the line brought up the organization, Mujin kept his gaze fixed out the window and let out a low, mocking chuckle.
"Ah, the Daeho Clan? Heh heh..."
"You already know, don't you? To me, it's nothing more than a place I pass through."
To Mujin, the Daeho Clan was merely a means to an end. He had no intention of lingering long among thugs who spouted nonsense about loyalty and romance. His true loyalty had always been directed elsewhere.
Even though the person on the phone could not possibly see him, Mujin bowed his waist deeply in a polite posture as he spoke.
"Yes. ■■■ is the most suitable person of all."
Not a shred of doubt colored his voice.
"Next time, I will plan far more carefully so that no mistakes occur."
Failure would not be tolerated a second time. Not by that person—and not by himself.
It was thanks to that person that a provincial gangster like him had been able to come up to Seoul and harbor new ambitions in the first place.
For a moment, the voice on the other end mentioned someone. Mujin narrowed his brows slightly, then answered as if it were nothing.
"The bodyguard? Ah, that part was a bit outside my expectations as well, but I don't believe you need to worry."
A minor variable, nothing more. A little more skilled than his appearance suggested—that was all.
"Yes. I will report again."
Mujin offered a final courteous farewell and quietly ended the call. He turned slowly and sank deep into the luxurious leather chair at the center of his office.
"Next time, all of you had better be prepared..."
A cold smile lingered at the corners of his mouth.
"Ah, and soon one of the construction companies doing quite well in Korea will vanish. Unfortunately. Heh heh..."
The world collapsing took only a single instant.
Until just a few days ago, it had been a mid-sized construction firm that could proudly claim it stood toe-to-toe with most major conglomerates. Now Jinmyeong Construction was crumbling without resistance.
The ambitious mega-project they had prepared with such care was completely scrapped without even a proper explanation. The successive stock plunge and corruption allegations that erupted afterward drove Jinmyeong to the edge of a cliff in the blink of an eye.
The news blared daily about Jinmyeong Construction's crisis, and the air inside the house had grown leaden and heavy. Everything was shattering into pieces.
Suhyeon sat blankly on the living-room sofa, staring at the news pouring from the television screen.
It's all... my fault...
Because of that stupid pride. She hated herself for coming home that night and saying nothing to Heejin. If she had only mentioned that the crazy bitch who hit her was from the Cheonryong Group...
Then Heejin would never have gone to that café, and Kangho would never have been driven to such despair. Regret crashed over her like a wave, but the water had already been spilled.
"It's all because of you! Everything I built over decades!"
Her father Kangho's roar thundered from the bedroom. The man who had always shown her a gentle face—unlike Heejin—was now nothing more than a man drowning in despair.
"Lee Suhyeon! Stop just sitting there watching TV and get in here right now! I heard everything from Driver Kim!"
"What did I even do?! And why are you blaming Suhyeon?!"
"Shut up! Lee Suhyeon! Get in here this instant!"
Bang—!
Kangho flung the door open and stormed into the living room. He strode straight toward Suhyeon as if ready to seize her by the collar.
"...I-I'm sorry."
Terrified, all she could do was apologize. The shock of hearing harsh words from a father who had never once scolded her in her entire life was immense, yet she could say nothing because she felt everything was her fault.
Kangho's fury, far from cooling, only burned hotter. Almost completely unhinged, he finally raised his hand to slap her cheek.
Heejin threw herself between them and screamed.
"What do you think you're doing to the child?! If you'd been better at your job in the first place, none of this would have happened!"
At that cry, Kangho's face flushed crimson. He spun around and swung his hand across Heejin's cheek instead.
Slap—!
"Kyaah! Y-you... did you just hit me?"
Heejin asked in disbelief. Suhyeon's face drained even paler.
She could endure no more. She spun on her heel and bolted for the front door—without deciding where she was going—and fled the house in a frenzy.
"Haaah—! Haaah—!"
She ran and ran until she thought her lungs would burst. In that moment, one face rose in her mind.
Sihyun...
Yes. If it was him. Even though he had coldly turned his back on her that night... if it was still that soft-hearted boy...
Maybe she could still pin even the tiniest hope on him. If he would just ask that crazy bitch once—just once—then somehow, everything could be fixed.
Clinging to that wretched, selfish thought, Suhyeon headed for Luminous, the café where Sihyun worked, as if possessed.
When she finally arrived and pushed open the door, the sight that met her eyes was Sihyun working quietly behind the counter. Just as he had been at their last reunion, he was still there.
Sihyun!
The words asking for help rose to her throat. But in that same instant, another woman entered her vision.
"Sihyun~ Let's grab lunch together when you finish~"
"Haa... I'm working right now, noona."
"Come on, don't be like that~ Okay? Han Yuri that bitch isn't even here today, so hang out with me~"
Wearing a sweater that clung tightly enough to flaunt her full chest, the woman linked arms with Sihyun and coyly clung to him. Sihyun frowned faintly as if annoyed, yet he did not shake her off.
"...!"
In that moment, the desperate hope of seeking help was drowned by icy rage and betrayal.
Kim Sihyun... how could you really do this to me?!
My house is falling to pieces like this, and you're over here flirting with some other bitch.
Suhyeon charged straight at him and screamed.
"Kim Sihyun! This is all your fault!!!"
At her sudden appearance and shout, Sihyun's eyes went wide. The woman beside him—Seonye—also stared at her in surprise.
"Lee Suhyeon..."
Sihyun looked thoroughly flustered. He had no idea why she was suddenly blaming him out of nowhere. That only enraged Suhyeon further.
"You destroyed everything! My parents' relationship! My dad's company! My entire life! And what the hell are you doing here right now, huh?!"
It was a cry mixed with injustice and despair—the thrashing of a broken girl who wanted to pin everything on Sihyun.
For a moment Sihyun seemed at a loss for words. He still could not understand why she had barged in like this, yet seeing the girl who had once been his first love so utterly ruined brought a complicated rush of pity and old memories.
But then he steeled himself.
Don't let yourself be cowed by things that aren't even worth it! I'm here, aren't I?
Just as Yuri had said, there was no more need to shrink. To him now, she was nothing more than a bad connection from the past.
"Lee Suhyeon. Don't show up out of nowhere and act like this. You're bothering the other customers."
"Wh-what did you say...?! Kim Sihyun, you—!"
At his icy attitude, Suhyeon tried to lunge at him. That was when Seonye, who had been holding his arm, stepped forward. She looked Suhyeon up and down with eyes that had gone equally cold.
"Oh my, aren't you the customer who was throwing her weight around at Sihyun last time? What kind of scene is this, barging in all of a sudden? Last time and now—why do you keep harassing him?"
Her attitude was exactly that of a guardian—or rather, a lover. Suhyeon's fury reached its peak.
"Shut up! You big-titted slut of a bitch! Who the hell do you think you are, sticking yourself between me and Kim Sihyun?!"
With nothing left to lose, the abuse poured out of her unfiltered. Seonye's eyebrow twitched once, yet contrary to any expectation that she would explode right back, she put on a frightened expression, slipped half-hidden behind Sihyun's back, and clung tighter to his arm.
"Hiiiing... Sihyun, I'm so scared~"
She made tears gather deliberately at the corners of her eyes and clung to him in a delicate voice. To anyone watching, she was the perfect victim. Then, so that only Suhyeon could see, she mouthed the words:
Psy. cho.
At that, Suhyeon felt something snap inside her head.
Crack—!
"You fucking bitch!!!"
With Suhyeon's scream, the café descended into pure chaos.