What Happened at the Concert (1)
The next day, Saturday afternoon. The day of Giant Bomb's concert had finally arrived. Jaehyuk, Jihun, and Jeonghan were lingering near the concert venue together.
'In all my years, I never thought I'd actually attend a Giant Bomb concert. And the full-group version, at that.'
At that moment, Jeonghan asked Jihun,
"By the way, how did your uncle even think of getting you Giant Bomb concert VIP tickets?"
"He's got connections at YH. That's Giant Bomb's agency."
'Come to think of it, YH Entertainment used to frequently launder money through Gangryonghoe. Specifically through Crown Hotel or Crown Capital.'
Jaehyuk grew curious about just how close Jihun was to the man he called "uncle"—the one who'd given him the tickets. The guy was probably a high-ranking executive in Gangryonghoe. He asked casually,
"You seem pretty close with that uncle of yours? Giving you three expensive concert tickets so you could go with your friends… that's generous."
"He's one of the uncles who treats me pretty well, but… honestly, I don't think that highly of him."
"Really? Why?"
"He only treats our family and the other uncles well. The way he acts so rude to the low-level employees… it honestly pisses me off."
Just then, Jaehyuk glanced around and spotted Suyeon and Dahyun heading into the concert hall. He was about to call out to Suyeon when Jihun noticed her too and shouted loudly.
"Hey? Suyeon! Lee Suyeon!!"
"Jeez, you scared me…"
Jeonghan jumped at Jihun's sudden yell. Suyeon and Dahyun both turned to look at the three of them. Suyeon smiled brightly and walked over.
"You guys came to see the Giant Bomb concert too?"
"Yeah. A family friend gave us the tickets."
"Whoa… must be nice."
Dahyun stared at Jaehyuk with an expression that clearly said what the hell is this guy doing here? before speaking.
"……What brings such a lowly person to this fine establishment…"
"Sorry for being so lowly."
"Hmm…? But who's that tall guy over there? A new friend?"
"Yeah. This is my friend, Kang Jihun."
"Hi?"
Jihun smiled and greeted her. Unlike the attitude she'd shown Jaehyuk, Dahyun responded with perfect politeness.
"Hello. I'm Park Dahyun, Jaehyuk oppa's younger sister."
Jaehyuk blinked in confusion at his sister's sudden change in demeanor. Jihun grinned and accepted her greeting.
"Nice to meet you. Let's get along well."
"So where are you guys sitting?"
At Suyeon's question, Jeonghan answered,
"We're in the VIP section."
"VIP?? No way, that's so cool…"
When Suyeon spoke with obvious envy, Jihun asked her carefully,
"Want to switch seats?"
"Huh?? N-no, it's okay. You don't have to do that. I was just saying it looked nice."
As Suyeon waved her hands in flustered refusal, Dahyun turned to Jaehyuk with a cutesy, nasal voice.
"Oppa~ Dahyunie wants to switch tickets…"
"Nope. Not happening. I have zero intention of switching. Go back to your own seat."
"Ughhh…"
Jaehyuk stared blankly at Dahyun, who was pouting with her lips stuck out, and fell silent as if lost in thought. In his mind, the image of his sister from his previous life appeared—lying unconscious in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask after the accident.
'Sigh… Maybe I should have just switched with her? I'm still not used to being affectionate with her, so I reflexively turned her down… Should I tell her I'll switch now?'
"Then how about I switch with you?"
Jihun asked Dahyun. Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him.
"Really? But is that okay? Especially with VIP tickets, exchanging them on-site is…"
"I'll take care of it. My uncle has connections with YH, after all."
'This guy… Is he trying to get Suyeon alone or something?'
Thinking that, Jaehyuk watched blankly as Jihun handed his VIP ticket to Dahyun.
'Whatever his intentions are, it doesn't really matter. Having him—who has both influence and fighting ability—next to Suyeon is probably better than having Dahyun there.'
"Thank you so much!!"
Dahyun beamed at Jihun. Watching his sister smile so brightly, Jaehyuk secretly let the corners of his mouth lift.
'Hmm… Well, at least I made one nice memory with my little sister.'
After they switched seats, the concert soon began. Jeonghan, Jaehyuk, and Dahyun watched the Giant Bomb performance from the VIP section. Dahyun cheered enthusiastically for every song, while Jaehyuk watched member Lee Seunghun dancing and singing with a somewhat sour expression.
'Before everything went down, I just thought he was a talented self-made idol… Now that I know the truth, why does he look so damn unpleasant? It's completely killing the mood…'
"Hey. Park Jaehyuk. Park Jaehyuk?"
Jeonghan tapped Jaehyuk's shoulder repeatedly, calling him. Jaehyuk turned to look at him.
"Why do you look like you just bit into shit?"
"Did I?"
"Yeah. You definitely did."
Dahyun, who had been passionately singing along, sensed the strange atmosphere and asked Jaehyuk,
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Jaehyuk smiled at her and replied,
"It's nothing. My stomach feels a bit off, so I'm gonna run to the bathroom real quick."
He stood up and headed for the restroom. Jeonghan watched his retreating back for a moment before asking Suyeon,
"Jaehyuk's seemed kind of down ever since what happened to you. Is he like this at home too?"
"Hmm… He has changed a bit. He used to tease me nonstop, calling me things like 'Pachycephalosaurus girl,' but now he's so quiet… Maybe he's still shaken up from the incident? Especially since he was there at the scene."
"That makes sense."
While Dahyun and Jeonghan chatted, they had no idea that someone seated in the VIP section was watching them with a suspicious gaze. Nor did they know that the person had secretly taken a photo of Dahyun, saved it in his phone album, and was now staring at it with a lecherous smile.
Meanwhile, after returning from the bathroom and heading back toward the concert hall, Jaehyuk spotted Jihun talking to someone.
'Kang Jihun? Leaving Suyeon behind to do what…?'
What Jaehyuk saw next were faces he could never forget. The people who had brutally murdered him, Jeonghan, and their close colleagues in his previous life. Choi Kyungsoo, the second-in-command of Gangryonghoe, and his right-hand man, Ju Taeyeol.
The moment he saw the faces of the men who had mercilessly killed him and his comrades, and recalled the sight of Jeonghan and the others dying horribly before his eyes, Jaehyuk's eyes burned with murderous intent.
'Choi Kyungsoo… Ju Taeyeol… This time, I swear…!!'
Without realizing it, Jaehyuk reached into his pocket. The instant his eyes met Taeyeol's—who seemed to have sensed the killing intent—Jaehyuk realized he was just an ordinary high school student now. He quickly suppressed the aura.
In his previous life, when he'd been undercover in Gangryonghoe, Jaehyuk had lived every day not knowing when a bullet might come for him. Back then, he'd often carried a gun or knife in his pocket. But the current Jaehyuk was just a normal high schooler. There was no way he had a weapon.
Jihun noticed him and waved, then asked,
"Hey, Park Jaehyuk. What are you doing out here instead of watching the concert?"
"Just came back from the bathroom."
"Really? Oh right—this is the uncle who got us the concert tickets."
"Ah… Hello."
Jaehyuk greeted Kyungsoo and Taeyeol politely. Jihun introduced him.
"This is my friend Jaehyuk, the one I mentioned last time."
"I see. I've heard a lot about you from Jihun. You two go to the same gym, right?"
"Uh… yes…"
Kyungsoo offered a gentle smile and returned the greeting. It was hard to believe this was the same man infamous for his cruelty as the second-in-command of Gangryonghoe.
Taeyeol, standing beside Kyungsoo, recalled for a split second the way Jaehyuk had glared at them with murderous rage and thought,
'That killing intent I felt from him just now… It wasn't something that should come from a kid the same age as Kang Jihun. Was it just my imagination?'
"But why are you out here?"
"I went to the bathroom and was on my way back to my seat."
"And why is your uncle here…?"
Kyungsoo smiled and answered,
"I had to meet an acquaintance here for business."
Jihun looked at him blankly, completely clueless.
"Business?"
"Kids don't need to know about that."
'Probably money laundering or cryptocurrency related. Choi Kyungsoo is in charge of financial crimes like pyramid-scheme fraud and illegal loan sharking within Gangryonghoe.'
As Jaehyuk was thinking that, Jihun said to Kyungsoo,
"Then we'll head back to watch the concert."
"Alright. Enjoy the show."
"Goodbye."
After Jaehyuk and Jihun bowed and returned to the concert hall, Taeyeol walked with Kyungsoo toward another location and asked,
"What do you think of Kang Jihun's friend?"
"He seems like an ordinary high schooler. Did something about him seem off?"
"The way he looked at us just now felt a bit unsettling. It was like he was radiating killing intent… as if he were looking at his mortal enemy."
"Hmm… You've been busy lately. Maybe you're just being overly sensitive and imagining things? And even if he really did harbor killing intent and tried to come at us, there's no way that high school kid could be a match for you."
"Well… that's true."
"Stop worrying about the friends of that immature brat and focus on our work."
"Understood, Director."
The two arrived at the basement of the concert hall and stopped in front of a door guarded by five security personnel. One of the guards greeted them.
"Welcome, Director!!"
The other guards also showed proper respect. Kyungsoo asked one of them,
"Where are Representative Yang and our Japanese guest?"
"Representative Yang just arrived, and the Japanese side will be here in ten minutes."
"I see."
The guards opened the door. As Kyungsoo and Taeyeol stepped inside, the room's luxurious interior immediately caught their eyes. A table neatly arranged with bottles of liquor and a sofa came into view. A man sitting on the sofa stood up and bowed politely to Kyungsoo.
"Oh my, welcome, Director Choi!!"
"It's been a while, Representative Yang."
"It's good to see you again as well, Managing Director Ju."
Taeyeol gave a slight nod in response. Kyungsoo sat on the sofa and said,
"The concert was quite spectacular. As expected from YH's top artist."
"You flatter me."
Yang poured liquor into Kyungsoo's glass first. As Yang poured into his own glass, Kyungsoo asked,
"The philopon we purchased from the Yamazaki-gumi two months ago came to 50 billion won, correct?"
"That's right. That's why we prepared documents showing that we received a total loan of 50 billion won from Crown Capital over the past two months."
"Exactly. According to the paperwork, the full 50 billion was transferred to YH."
"This time, we're planning to send that 50 billion to the Japanese side."
Kyungsoo lightly clinked his glass against Yang's in a toast and said,
"And we can launder it by saying the 50 billion sent to the Yamazaki-gumi was used to repay the loan we borrowed from Crown Capital."
"Precisely."
At that moment, the door opened. A Japanese man in his late forties with neat black hair, wearing a gray suit and standing around 170 centimeters tall, entered with two subordinates who appeared to be his men.
"(It's been a long time, everyone.)"
"(Ah, Mr. Kunimatsu. It's been a while.)"
Makoto greeted Yang and Kyungsoo in Japanese. Yang stood up and responded in Japanese. Once Makoto took his seat and Yang sat back down, Kyungsoo smiled at both of them and said in Japanese,
"(Then shall we proceed with the contract?)"