Burning Island (1)
The next morning, at the MBS broadcasting station. The popular program Alone in Style was currently being filmed there. And participating as a guest on the show was Lee Seunghun, a former member of the idol group Giant Bomb.
In this broadcast, Seunghun was portrayed as a self-made man who had succeeded through various business ventures while active as an idol member. He carefully cultivated an image known as “Hoonzbee.” The hideous truth—that he oversaw drug trafficking and sex trafficking at the massive club Burning Island, and had personally committed dozens of sexual assaults—was completely hidden from view.
A few hours later, once the broadcast had ended, Seunghun sat on the sofa in the lounge with his eyes closed, resting. When his phone in his pocket began to ring, he slowly opened his eyes and spat out a crude curse in a tone utterly different from the polished image he’d shown on air.
Irritation surged through him after being jolted from a sweet midday nap. The moment he answered the call, he snapped at the other person.
“Ah, I’m sorry, Director. The high-school brokers we planted near Mansung High all got wrecked last night while they were working.”
[Lee Kyungchul. Manager of Burning Island.]
Seunghun shot upright, startled.
“I don’t know the cause. But those little shits all lost their minds. The OO precinct is investigating them because of it, but we’ve greased the right palms, so there shouldn’t be any sparks flying your way, Director.”
It meant they had bribed the police officers investigating the related case to cover things up to a certain extent. Seunghun let out a deep sigh and gave Kyungchul his orders.
“Yes, Director.”
After hanging up, Seunghun muttered with clear disappointment.
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the OO Police Station.
Yeo Sangmin, who had been smoking on the rooftop, shouted at his team leader, Yu Kangsu, as if protesting.
“Team Leader. This isn’t just a simple case of high-school kids attempting sexual assault. These bastards were carrying drugs too. There’s definitely someone supplying them. Yet you’re telling me to close the investigation as nothing more than an attempted rape by minors?! Sweeping the drug angle completely under the rug!”
Kangsu took a drag from his own cigarette with a frustrated expression and exhaled a long plume of white smoke into the air, trying to soothe his subordinate.
“Haa… Something about this stinks… and it stinks really, really bad…”
Sangmin lit his own cigarette and swallowed his resentment. Kangsu muttered bitterly.
“Exactly.”
The two detectives continued smoking, their hearts filled with dissatisfaction toward the Korean police system that they, at their current level, could not change.
That evening, at Cheolshin Gym.
After finishing his workout and taking a break, Jaehyuk recalled the information he had extracted from the bullies he tortured the night before.
Burning Island… Why did it have to be there of all places…
“Some… old man… gave us… that drug… and told us to feed it to the girls later… and bring them in…”
Lee Hyunmyung, one of the bullies who had tried to kidnap Suyeon, was in a near-catatonic state from Jaehyuk’s brutal torture. Burns covered various parts of his body, and several of his joints were bent at grotesque angles.
“Who is that old man?”
“That’s…”
When Hyunmyung trailed off and refused to speak, Jaehyuk picked up a metal spoon and heated it again with a lighter right in front of his eyes.
“Where should I press it this time? Your arm? Your chest? Or maybe…”
Jaehyuk turned off the lighter and slowly brought the red-hot spoon toward Hyunmyung’s eye, threatening him.
“Should I just shove it straight into your eyeball?”
Overcome by extreme terror, Hyunmyung finally spilled everything he knew.
“He said he was from Burning Island!! The Gangnam club Burning Island!!”
“Burning Island?”
Jaehyuk brought the heated spoon even closer to his eye and threatened him in a voice thick with killing intent.
“Tell me in detail.”
Come to think of it, it’s 2019 right now… one year before the Burning Island Gate scandal breaks.
The Burning Island Gate had been an enormous scandal involving several celebrities—including Lee Seunghun, Jung Jinyong, and Choi Junghoon—along with numerous high-ranking government officials and even the current president, all entangled in drug trafficking and sex trafficking.
I thought it was just a case of delinquents buying drugs from some lowlifes and committing a rape-murder. Looks like things are much bigger than I expected.
He walked over to the water dispenser, filled a paper cup, and continued thinking.
I’ve prevented Suyeon’s death for now, but considering how these bastards select their targets, there’s still a chance they’ll come after her again.
According to the articles from the time the Burning Island Gate exploded, the celebrities connected to the club—including Seunghun—would pick out women they wanted to sleep with and use any means necessary to get them. They had never once failed to obtain their desired target.
Once they set their sights on someone, they hate letting go. So I can’t just sit back and relax. But asking Detective Min Taeseok to protect Suyeon… he’s already so busy, it feels wrong.
Min Taeseok, a current police detective, would have been the perfect person to guard Suyeon. However, Jaehyuk knew that because of his job, Taeseok was extremely busy with other cases.
But no one else comes to mind besides Detective Taeseok. Who the hell should I ask for help?
Maybe it was because he had worked out too hard and was overheating, or maybe the frustration of his unsolved dilemma was getting to him. Jaehyuk downed the water in the paper cup in one gulp. Jihun, who had been watching, spoke up.
Jaehyuk tossed the cup into the trash and answered.
Jihun hesitated for a moment, as if debating whether he should say what came next, then asked.
Jaehyuk nodded in agreement. Then Jihun asked carefully, as though he were about to pose a difficult question.
Jaehyuk looked at Jihun’s hesitant expression and immediately guessed what was going on.
He’s fallen for her. This idiot has a crush on Suyeon.
A little while later, as Jaehyuk was walking home after finishing his workout, he fell deep into thought.
If I make good use of the fact that Kang Jihun currently has feelings for Suyeon, protecting her shouldn’t be too difficult. After all, he grew up calling the named executives of the Gangryonghoe ‘uncle.’
But the problem is that until the Burning Island Gate explodes in 2020, the Gangryonghoe and Burning Island maintained a smooth business partnership…
While walking down the street lost in thought, Jaehyuk recalled various pieces of information he had investigated back in his previous life while infiltrating the Gangryonghoe.
Burning Island itself is much smaller in scale than the Gangryonghoe, but it has a very close business partnership with the Taiwanese triad Honglyeonbang.
Even if the Gangryonghoe were to clash with Burning Island, it would lead to conflict with the Honglyeonbang as well. From the Gangryonghoe’s perspective, it’s difficult to touch Burning Island recklessly.
So should I just stay quiet and focus on protecting Suyeon until the gate blows up next year?
Still pondering, Jaehyuk eventually arrived in front of his house.
What the hell should I do… What should I do…
Still agonizing over it, he stepped inside and noticed Dahyun doing something on the computer.
She kept pressing the F5 key on the keyboard. Jaehyuk asked his mother, Han Sejin, who was sitting on the sofa.
The moment he heard that Dahyun and Suyeon were going to a Giant Bomb concert, Jaehyuk unconsciously raised his voice. Suyeon had nearly lost her life because of Burning Island—the club run by Giant Bomb’s active member Lee Seunghun. And now they were going to a concert hosted by one of the main culprits?
The news that his little sister and her friend were heading to a place connected to one of Korea’s worst sex offenders left Jaehyuk unable to stay calm. No older brother in his right mind could hear that without worrying.
Startled by his sudden shout, both Sejin and Dahyun turned to stare at him.
Realizing he had unconsciously raised his voice out of shock, Jaehyuk stayed silent for a moment before awkwardly making up an excuse.
Dahyun grinned at him. Jaehyuk stared at his sister with a worried expression as she continued frantically pressing F5 to refresh the ticket page.
Dahyun immediately snatched up two tickets—one for herself and one for Suyeon. Jaehyuk watched his beaming sister for a moment before asking.
Jaehyuk forced a smile and brushed it off, then went into his room, closed the door, and let out a heavy sigh.
He was already stressed out over how to protect Lee Suyeon, and now the news that his own little sister Dahyun was heading to a place connected to a vicious sex criminal like Lee Seunghun made him even more anxious.
This is seriously worrying… I guess I’ll have to buy a ticket too.
With that thought, Jaehyuk turned on his phone and accessed the Giant Bomb concert ticketing site. But because Giant Bomb was such a massively popular idol group, the ticket prices were quite steep.
Well, it makes sense that tickets for Giant Bomb’s concert would be expensive… but how on earth does Park Dahyun think it’s okay to blow that much money on a single concert…
Lying face-down on his bed, Jaehyuk fell into deep thought once more.
Should I give up on following them inside the concert and just wait nearby…?