What Happened at the Concert (2)
After the money-laundering contract between YH Entertainment, Crown Capital, and the Yamazaki-gumi was finalized, Makoto rose from his seat and offered a polite Japanese farewell to Kyungsoo and Hyunsoo.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
Kyungsoo answered with a thin smile, also in Japanese.
“Safe travels, Mr. Kunimatsu.”
Once Makoto and his subordinates had left the room, Kyungsoo’s expression hardened slightly as he turned to Hyunsoo.
“Still, the Japanese product is rather expensive. Two hundred kilograms for fifty billion won… If it were our own supply, we could have bought two hundred and fifty kilos for the same price.”
“Victory—Lee Seunghun’s stage name—complained that Gangryonghoe products are terrible because the response time for delivery errors is so slow.”
“Haa… I wonder what the hell that thick-skulled bastard Ha Seongjun is doing with his work. Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk…”
Kyungsoo clicked his tongue at the mention of Ha Seongjun—the third-in-command of Gangryonghoe and the man responsible for the syndicate’s entire drug distribution—then knocked back the whiskey in his glass in one gulp.
“In any case, we’ll offer our apologies for the delivery issues.”
“No need. Why would Crown Capital apologize for something that happened at the Crown Hotel? And since you’re already handling it, let’s move on.”
Hyunsoo offered a kindly smile and refilled Kyungsoo’s glass with more whiskey.
To be honest, I’d love to say something like that bastard Seunghun did… But if I carelessly complain to Gangryonghoe, there’s no telling what might happen later.
Unlike Seunghun, who had openly voiced his dissatisfaction to Ha Seongjun under the assumption that Gangryonghoe was nothing more than common thugs, Hyunsoo understood the true terror of the organization.
Once they mark someone, they send killers after them no matter where they flee, or they turn their lives into something worse than death. Creating unnecessary grudges would be foolish.
“Then we’ll be taking our leave as well.”
When Kyungsoo stood, Hyunsoo rose with him.
“You’re heading out already? The new girls who arrived today are quite spirited. Why not stay and enjoy yourself a little?”
Kyungsoo sat back down at once.
“Heh heh… Then shall we enjoy ourselves? What about you, Director Ju?”
“I’ll wait outside. I’m not in the mood to unwind right now.”
Hyunsoo gave a sleazy chuckle and spoke to Taeyeol.
“As you wish. Contact me anytime if you change your mind later.”
Taeyeol gave a small nod toward Hyunsoo before stepping out. Hyunsoo pulled out his phone and typed a quick message.
After pocketing his phone again, Hyunsoo spoke to Kyungsoo.
“Director Ju is still as rigid as ever. Must be the military background.”
“Even so, he’s shaken off quite a bit of that military air lately.”
“He was UDT, right? I wouldn’t mind having a dependable subordinate like him myself.”
Just then someone knocked on the door. Hyunsoo called out toward it.
“If the girls are here, send them in.”
The door opened, and four lovely young women wearing bikini swimsuits entered. Hyunsoo’s lips curved into a satisfied, lewd smile. The large security guard who had opened the door bowed politely to both men.
“Please enjoy your time.”
He closed the door behind him.
While those dark dealings unfolded in the concert hall basement, the main venue was filled with countless spectators happily enjoying Giant Bomb’s performance.
Jaehyuk, however, could not completely shake his discomfort as he watched the show.
Choi Kyungsoo showing up here means they’re conducting some filthy transaction nearby. There’s no way he and Ju Taeyeol came just to enjoy the concert. Still… there’s nothing I can do about it right now.
Giving up on worrying about Choi Kyungsoo, Jaehyuk glanced at Dahyun, who was smiling brightly beside him while taking in the performance. His expression was uneasy.
If I didn’t know the truth, I’d be thrilled about experiencing something this rare… but now it just feels dirty and unsettling. Maybe I should just take everyone and leave.
Though his face had relaxed a little compared to earlier, the anxiety that something might happen to Dahyun or Suyeon lingered.
Am I overthinking this…? No matter how much those bastards act like horny dogs chasing after every woman they see, would they really approach Dahyun…?
Even while on high alert, Jaehyuk failed to notice the man sitting in a nearby VIP section who was quietly observing their group.
The man had red hair and irezumi tattoos of Hannya covering both arms—Jang Seongyun. While watching Jaehyuk’s party, he sent a message from his feature phone.
A reply arrived moments later.
Seongyun slipped the phone back into his pocket and continued watching Jaehyuk’s group with a meaningful look in his eyes.
While Giant Bomb took a short break to prepare their next song, Jaehyuk asked Dahyun, “Enjoying the concert?”
“Yeah, it’s fun. Why? Are you bored?”
“……No. As long as you’re having a good time, that’s all that matters.”
Jeonghan spoke up, sounding a little disappointed.
“The view really is better from the VIP seats. Suyeon would’ve loved sitting here.”
“Then buy her a VIP ticket for a more popular idol next time.”
“But is there anyone more popular than Giant Bomb right now?”
“Life is unpredictable. Who knows? A group that’s even bigger might appear someday.”
With that thought, Jaehyuk turned his gaze toward the Giant Bomb members performing energetically on stage.
Knowing these guys will eventually scatter because of all sorts of incidents makes this feel strange. It’s like watching their final concert before the group disbands.
The members finished another song and smiled at the crowd. The audience responded with thunderous cheers.
Meanwhile, Suyeon and Jihun were watching from the general admission seats. Jihun kept stealing glances at Suyeon, who was happily enjoying the performance beside him, and found himself mesmerized by her bright smile. At this point it seemed less like he had come to watch Giant Bomb and more like he had come to watch Suyeon’s smile.
A little later, just as Jihun was shifting his gaze from Suyeon back toward the stage where Giant Bomb was singing their next song, she spoke to him.
“Jihun oppa.”
“Yeah?”
He looked at her. She asked with a playful, beaming smile, “Do I have something on my face?”
“Huh…?”
“You keep staring at my face instead of the concert.”
“……Was I? That might just be your imagination. Probably…”
Jihun’s face flushed red as he mumbled and quickly looked back at the stage. Seeing him like that, Suyeon gave a soft, gentle smile.
How did she know?? Was I that obvious?? I made sure to turn my head at the perfect moment…
His build is so much bigger than mine, yet the way he gets flustered and tries to hide that he likes me is adorable… He really is like a golden retriever.
Then Suyeon flashed a mischievous grin and gently placed her left hand on the back of Jihun’s right hand. The moment her small, white, impossibly soft hand touched his, Jihun flinched, his face burning bright red. Suyeon smiled sweetly, clearly charmed by his reaction.
“But oppa, your hands are huge. Compared to mine they’re like pot lids.”
“Uh… yeah? Your hands really are small, Suyeon…”
Noticing how red his face had become, she asked, “Wait, your face looks a little flushed… Are you feeling sick?”
“Sick? I don’t feel any—”
While Jihun was answering, Suyeon kept her left hand on his and suddenly scooted closer. She softly laid her right hand on his burning forehead. Jihun froze, utterly flustered.
W-w-what…!!!
“Hmm… It doesn’t feel like you have a fever…”
Suyeon looked at the embarrassed Jihun with crinkled, smiling eyes and gave him a bright grin.
“Good, no fever after all.”
My heart feels like it’s going to burst… Is it even allowed for someone to be this lovable…?
Suyeon went back to watching the concert, but she kept stealing secret glances at Jihun, who remained red-faced and dazed. Each time she did, a playful little smile tugged at her lips.
Jihun oppa’s reactions… they’re too cute. Maybe I’ll try again later.
At that moment, Jihun’s mind was completely occupied with what had just happened. The concert in front of him might as well have been invisible.
As the two of them lingered in that strangely sweet atmosphere, two thuggish-looking men seated nearby were watching them and talking in low voices.
“That girl over there—isn’t she the one? The young one Director Lee Seunghun wanted to have.”
“Looks like it. The one from Mansung High, right?”
“But the guy next to her… that’s dangerous. We should report that it’s risky to approach her carelessly.”
“Who is he? The guy beside her? Just some big high-school kid, isn’t he?”
“That’s Kang Jihun. The son of the Gangryonghoe boss.”
The man who hadn’t recognized him widened his eyes.
“Gangryonghoe? The boss’s son? Then we need to report it right away. If we mess with the wrong person, our entire families could get wiped out.”
“First report it, then we can try to—”
“Report what?”
At that moment Shin Taebum approached from behind and gripped both men’s shoulders. His eyes held an empty, faintly murderous gleam that made it impossible to read his thoughts as he stared them down.
Shit… It’s Shin Taebum!! Gangryonghoe’s best killer…!!
Startled by his sudden appearance, the two men were crushed beneath the killing intent rolling off him and couldn’t move. Taebum spoke to them in a flat, indifferent voice.
“Let’s have a little talk.”
At the same time, in a quiet, out-of-the-way corner of the concert hall, Jung Jinyong—a celebrity close to Giant Bomb’s Lee Seunghun and currently riding high on the popularity of the variety show 2 Days & 1 Night—was scrolling through photos on his phone while wearing a hood to avoid being recognized.
The images saved on his device were secretly taken shots of women who had come to watch Giant Bomb’s concert. Among them was a photo of Park Dahyun.
Whoa… To think I’d spot a catch like this. She’s hot enough to rival most celebrities.
Jinyong stared at Dahyun’s picture with a lewd smile, then swiped to browse the other women’s photos. Any trace of a popular singer was gone; only the aura of a creepy stalker remained.
Eleven in total… Maybe I should try seducing that girl I saw in the VIP section myself.