104. An Unshameful Life
Crown Hotel Suwon Branch.
The hotel manager, Seo Myeong-woo, and the killers affiliated with Gangryonghoe were in the middle of a meeting regarding Cha Jin-yeong’s request.
Sipping his Americano, Myeong-woo said with annoyance. “VVIP is also doing things that are fucking shitty. If they made them their cleaners, it would solve the problem…”
To that, Juseong replied. “The cleaners from VVIP side got completely humiliated trying to handle those guys.”
“Yeah? Even if VVIP’s cleaners are not up to par, they wouldn’t be that easy to deal with…”
“Maybe the intervention of Bukduchilseong?”
“Bukduchilseong?”
Juhan asked Juseong. “Mr. Kim, what is Bukduchilseong?”
“They’re the ones who make VVIP’s mood unpleasant.”
And Minsu added. “From what I heard, they’re collecting VVIP’s weaknesses, but we don’t know exactly.”
“Some rumors say remnants of Hyunbeompa, others say special forces veterans.”
“Just rumors.”
“Then what is VVIP?”
At that, Myeong-woo smiled faintly and answered Juhan. “Once you have some seniority, I’ll tell you about VVIP.”
“It’s information that newcomers can’t handle.”
Juhan judged there was something, but decided to back off. “I understand.”
And Juseong said. “According to the cleaners from VVIP side, this guy blocked the cleaners.”
Juseong showed the file on his phone to Myeong-woo. “Seo Yeong-seok… Park Gi-hwan’s dog?”
“Yeah. Probably because of some personal connection with this guy Cho Taemin, they blocked the cleaners.”
Upon hearing Minsu’s words, Myeong-woo frowned unhappily. “This is going to put Gi-hwan hyung in a tough spot.”
Myeong-woo lightly tapped the desk with his index finger and said to the three. “For now, I’ll talk to Gi-hwan hyung about Seo Yeong-seok.”
“You guys investigate the whereabouts of Go Yong-jin and Cho Taemin.”
“I understand.”
Juseong answered.
After a while, the killers including Juhan were walking down the corridor, discussing the plan ahead.
“Currently, we can’t find the locations of all three… This request is quite difficult.”
“Then, just kill their acquaintances. As always.”
“That works well, but if we do that, civilians might get too much attention.”
“If that causes the suspects to be identified as us, it would give us a solid reason to use force against Gangryonghoe.”
Juseong countered Minsu’s opinion. “But there’s no stable method really.”
“A bit risky, but let’s go with the most reliable method.”
“Hmm…”
Juseong pondered for a moment and asked Juhan. “Are there more acquaintances around Go Yong-jin?”
“Well, from what I found, Go Yong-jin is an only child and currently has no parents…”
“Is there a law that you have to kill only direct family? If not, since that bastard is married, let’s kill his wife’s side too.”
Juhan’s expression wasn’t great upon hearing that. “If that bastard or his friends have any connection, find their locations.”
“But what if there’s no reaction?”
“If he’s just a normal reporter, he can’t just watch his close people die without caring.”
“Understood, let’s start locating them. Two hundred million each… Total 1.5 billion.”
Minsu smiled widely, showing his teeth.
And Juhan’s expression looking at such Minsu was somewhat uneasy.
That night, at Yong-jin’s hidden building.
And this place was also an hideout for Min-hyeok, Jae-hyeok’s father, to escape Cha Jin-yeong’s cartel pursuit.
Yong-jin and his family, Taemin, Yeong-seok were being protected in the rooms they prepared.
Min-hyeok walked the corridor with Gyu-hak and talked.
“Regarding the protection for Go Yong-jin and his acquaintances?”
“First, we tried to send people to Go Yong-jin’s wife’s side, but the manpower is insufficient to fully protect.”
“Is that so?”
After hearing Gyu-hak’s report, Min-hyeok was silent for a moment then instructed him. “Then, reduce the information collection personnel excluding important parts and add to the protection.”
“I understand. Then I’ll contact Seung-gyu.”
Gyu-hak turned and moved to another place, and Min-hyeok stood in front of a door to some room.
And he lightly knocked on the door. “Mr. Go Yong-jin. It’s Park Min-hyeok.”
After a while, the door opened and Yong-jin appeared. “Is the accommodation comfortable?”
“Yes. No particular discomfort.”
And Yong-jin looked at his daughter Seo-hyeon sleeping soundly on the bed.
Seeing this, Min-hyeok smiled faintly and said to him. “Sleeping well.”
“Yes. At first, I was complaining about discomfort, but I guess I adapted after being here for a while.”
“What about your wife?”
“She went out to contact her family for a bit.”
“I see.”
Answering that, Min-hyeok sat on the sofa.
And he looked at Yong-jin and asked subtly. “Mr. Go Yong-jin. Do you regret taking the information you received from my subordinate and trying to report it?”
“Regret… Honestly, if I say no, it’s a lie. I was living a fairly normal life, but then I experienced life-threatening threats…”
But his expression didn’t show such deep regret.
Perhaps closer to a feeling of relief rather than regret.
“But that regret is only momentary. Looking at the results of choices made by my seniors and juniors around me who took bribes or bent under blackmail,”
“Even if it’s not stable, I think it’s better to live comfortably following my conscience like this.”
And he slowly and carefully sat down beside his daughter on the bed. “Above all, I want to live a life that is not shameful to my family or myself.”
“If I take bribes or bend under blackmail and publish a wrong article, our families will have the stigma of being ‘press family’ later.”
“The fear of people’s gazes is one thing, but what I fear most is the shame when our families realize that the cause of that stigma is me.”
Saying that, Yong-jin carefully pulled the blanket over his sleeping daughter and gently stroked her head.
*A life not shameful to family or myself…*
Min-hyeok thought that and stared at Yong-jin stroking his daughter’s head.
And he overlaid the image of himself from before.
Before leaving on a mission, the young version of himself patting Jae-hyeok, who was about two years old and sleeping in a crib.
Min-hyeok recalled that the version of himself then, like Yong-jin now, reached here to live a life not shameful to family or himself.
They couldn’t meet family members.
Finally, after twenty-five years, he met his son, but in this life where he hasn’t seen his daughter’s face even once.
*I ended up like this… I won’t let that person live the same life as me.*
*I won’t let him experience such pain.*
Meanwhile, at a bar operated by HGS.
Park Min-hyeok’s Benz sedan stopped near the bar.
“Manager, are you okay alone?”
His subordinate sitting in the driver’s seat asked him, and Min-hyeok answered as if not to worry. “I’m fine. You wait outside, and when I say come in, come in.”
After saying that, Min-hyeok got out of the car and entered the bar.
And several cars were parked around the bar, and the personnel from Crown Hotel Suwon Branch in the cars were looking at Min-hyeok.
Min-hyeok entered the bar, opened a door in the corner, and went down the stairs.
At the corridor revealed after going down the stairs, there were men with fierce expressions squatting or leaning against the wall.
Min-hyeok passed through them unhurriedly without blinking an eye, and stood in front of the door marked “President’s Office”.
And he lightly knocked on the door. “Hyung Gi-hwan. It’s me, Myeong-woo.”
“Come in.”
Upon Gi-hwan’s answer, Min-hyeok opened the door.
What Min-hyeok saw in Gi-hwan was him sitting on the sofa smoking a cigarette.
He pointed to the sofa in front of him and said to Min-hyeok. “Sit first.”
Min-hyeok sat and asked Gi-hwan. “But where did the real estate manager go?”
It was a tone as if floating somewhere.
“Yeong-seok? He took annual leave for personal reasons, why?”
*I don’t tell where he went.*
“The real estate manager caused an accident recently, do you know anything?”
At that, Gi-hwan slightly frowned and took a sip of cigarette and answered Min-hyeok. “I haven’t heard anything specific. Is there a problem?”
“Then, I’ll speak directly. The accident caused by the real estate manager is related to VVIP.”
“VVIP? Ah, that representative guy’s words. His name was Choi Jin-yeong, right?”
“Cha Jin-yeong.”
Gi-hwan rubbed the cigarette he was smoking on the ashtray on the table.
“Anyway, did you come to me to hold me responsible for my subordinate Yeong-seok?”
“Well, depending on how hyung handles it, the situation may change.”
And Min-hyeok looked straight at Gi-hwan and demanded. “Tell me where Seo Yeong-seok is.”
“Why not go directly? If you investigate, you can find out anyway?”
“Because I went and he wasn’t there. His car was left behind, and the black box was reset.”
“Then I don’t know how I can help.”
Then, Min-hyeok narrowed his eyes and said to Gi-hwan. “Hyung, I know that you promoted the real estate manager to his current position.”
“Yeah. So?”
“Then hyung is close to him too.”
“True. Close.”
“Then, if hyung calls, he’ll come right away?”
At that, Gi-hwan glared at Min-hyeok, and his nerves shot to the button bell under the table.
“Kill him?”
“Well, that’s up to VVIP’s decision.”
“But given that guy’s personality, he probably won’t kill him.”
Gi-hwan was silent, and Min-hyeok sat with one leg crossed.
“Hyung. If you just contact Seo Yeong-seok, I’ll handle it so that hyung doesn’t get involved, with the representative and me.”
“Just hand over that defector bastard who’s only good at fighting. Just give him to us.”
Gi-hwan continued to be silent, then put his hand in his pocket.
What he took out from his pocket was a cigarette pack, and he lit another cigarette.
“Myeong-woo. We or you guys eat bullets and gun meat,”
“Guys who put knife bread in the throats of our colleagues who were working together until yesterday. You know?”
“Yes. I know.”
“When I was at the hotel, the representative Ha Seong-jun said that.”
“There should be humanity even among the out-of-control bastards like us.”
“I agree with the representative’s words. I’ve seen organizations go to hell like this, and the whole organization gets fucked at light speed.”
And he raised his head and spat cigarette smoke toward the ceiling.
“And Yeong-seok is that friend… The one who saved my life dozens of times until I came to my current position after leaving the hotel.”
“The benefactor who saved my life to save me…”
“Considering our guys who are left in this underworld trusting only me, or thinking of my reputation, I can’t betray him.”
After saying that, Gi-hwan glared at Min-hyeok. “If you have nothing to say, get out now.”
At that, Min-hyeok was silent for a moment, looking at Gi-hwan, then laughed as if in disbelief, and said to Gi-hwan in a sarcastic tone. “Hahaha… Haa… The great Gi-hwan hyung… How did you become so soft?”
“My heart hurts seeing such a hyung.”
Then he hardened his expression and glared at Gi-hwan. “The mercy given in the old days ends here.”
“Yeah?”
And Gi-hwan pressed the button under the table.
Then, with a loud siren sound, the thugs in the corridor entered Gi-hwan’s room.
“President!! Are you okay!!”
“What’s going on?!”
Gi-hwan stood up, and Min-hyeok stared blankly at the thugs and smiled. “Hyung. It’s me, Seo Myeong-woo. Trying to use these shitty bastards to kill me?”
“Well. That Seo Myeong-woo’s reputation has died down a lot. Se-ho got beaten up by some punk in the business district.”
Then, a vein popped slightly on Min-hyeok’s jaw.
And he stood up too, took a deep breath to suppress his anger and muttered. “Haa… That’s why image management is so important, fuck…”
“Don’t kill, just subdue him moderately.”
Gi-hwan instructed as he went toward the door, two thugs rushed at Min-hyeok.
One thug tried to grab Min-hyeok’s collar and lift him.
But Min-hyeok wrapped his leg around his waist, then applied a rear naked choke to his neck.
“Guheok…!! Guk…!!”
The thug rolled his eyes and struggled, backing away, and another thug threw a punch toward Min-hyeok’s face revealed over the shoulder.
At that, Min-hyeok tilted his head to the side, released the two legs holding the thug’s waist, and planted his feet on the floor.
And he punched the back of the head of the thug he had choked and knocked him down, and another thug swung a punch at him.
Min-hyeok lightly dodged the attack, approached him, and swung his right fist and right elbow to hit his left jaw repeatedly.
Then, he punched his liver area with his left fist, which opened up, to deliver a liver blow.
In an instant, Min-hyeok knocked down both thugs and said to the remaining thugs. “Why? Because I got beaten up by some unknown punk,”
“Does it look like shit even to you guys?”
The thugs drew weapons, and Min-hyeok took out a knife from his side. “Come on. I’ll show you who the real shit is.”
And the thugs rushed at Min-hyeok, and he stared at the thugs rushing at him.