Chapter 32 Baiting Ryu Ga-hyeon (3)
Chapter 32 Baiting Ryu Ga-hyeon (3)
An inexplicable surge of power erupted from within me—a terrifying force I'd only felt when consumed by lust while violating First Mother or Fourth Mother.
Back then, I had feared this power. But now wasn't the time to deny it. I had to wield it.
I sprinted at full speed to save Fourth Mother.
The only one allowed to lay hands on her irresistible body was me, her son. That was a privilege I'd never yield to anyone else.
Park Cheol-woo let out a shout loud enough to startle even himself before turning his gaze toward the man charging toward them.
A strikingly handsome face, still carrying traces of youthful vigor.
It was the face of the cult leader's son—the same one he'd seen in the case files back in the car.
But the real thing was far more impressive than the photo.
Team Leader Ryu Ga-hyeon had warned him this might happen, but it was still an unexpected situation.
Cheol-woo decided to leave the thinking to his team leader. She had risen through the ranks at an unprecedented pace, solving major cases one after another. Though he had more experience, he had no intention of asserting seniority over her.
How could he? She was a true genius at investigations.
Without her, they would never have captured the leader of the Cheonmyeong Cult.
Noticing Cheol-woo's glance, Ga-hyeon gave him a subtle nod.
A year spent arresting the cult leader.
Another month tailing the cult's wives.
By now, he could read her intentions from her eyes alone.
[Detain him. But don't be too rough.]
That was probably what she meant.
"Hey—hey, Ryu Ga-hyeon! How much? Just name your price! How much to delete that footage? One hundred million? Two hundred? Ah, fuck, answer me—mmph!"
Kang Da-eun, in the middle of blatantly attempting to bribe the celebrated detective, was abruptly silenced as Han Ji-su clamped a hand over her mouth.
What kind of threat could reduce a woman known for her violent temper—even among hardened gangsters—to this state?
Cheol-woo couldn't even begin to guess.
So he left the thinking to his team leader and focused on his role: brute force. He turned toward the cult leader's son, who was now sprinting toward them.
The young man was furious.
Seeing Da-eun half-restrained, pleading with Ga-hyeon, he must have jumped to the worst possible conclusion.
This wasn't the time to flash a badge like he had with the part-timer earlier. To explain that they were detectives—not some rival faction here to abduct his mother into a black van—he'd have to physically stop him first.
'Damn, he's good-looking.'
Not the most appropriate thought to have while watching a man charge at him with murderous intent, but facts were facts.
Had he not been raised in a cult, had he not been the son of a pseudo-religious leader, he probably would've been some idol or actor—whatever was trendy these days.
"Don't you dare touch my mother!"
The cult leader's son shouted as the distance closed between them.
For a split second, Cheol-woo wondered what the hell that meant.
The age gap between Da-eun and the young man seemed more like an older sister and younger brother than mother and son.
Then he remembered the bizarre family structure outlined in the files and understood.
"Calm down. We're not hurting her," Cheol-woo said, stepping into the young man's path.
But the cult leader's son didn't slow down. He barreled forward at full speed, clearly intending to shove Cheol-woo aside and rescue Da-eun from the rough treatment of Detective Han Ji-su.
"Hey, stop! I said stop! Are you deaf?!"
Cheol-woo's shout went ignored.
He couldn't help but be impressed. Most punks—even notoriously ruthless gangsters—would've backed down the moment they saw his size and intimidating face.
'I thought pretty boys were all cowards. Guess not.'
Then again, he'd never seen anyone this good-looking before.
But admiration aside, he still had a job to do. Following Ga-hyeon's orders, he had to stop the cult leader's son.
Not wanting to break the kid's ribs, Cheol-woo sidestepped at the last moment to avoid a direct collision.
The young man seized the opening, ducking past him.
But Cheol-woo had no intention of letting him go.
He reached out and grabbed the young man's shoulder.
But his grip wasn't as firm as he'd intended.
The moment he touched the young man's shoulder, his eyes caught the still-distended front of his pants—instantly reminding him of the explicit footage he'd seen on his junior's phone back in the car.
For a man of his size and rough demeanor, Cheol-woo was surprisingly sensitive. The sight made him hesitate for a split second.
Still, his massive hands made restraining someone effortless even with a loose grip.
"Hey, hold still—"
Cheol-woo's words cut off abruptly.
The young man's strength was unnatural.
Despite weighing half as much, it was Cheol-woo who was being dragged forward.
Before he could react, the young man shoved him back and took another step toward Da-eun.
Cheol-woo's grip slipped.
Caught off guard at first, he wasn't the type to panic over unexpected developments. A veteran detective didn't freeze in the face of surprises.
Without hesitation, he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around the young man's waist just as he broke free and tried to sprint ahead.
But the result was the same.
It was like a sports car outmuscling a dump truck in a tug-of-war.
"Let go."
The young man didn't even look back as he pried Cheol-woo's arms off.
'What kind of strength is this?!'
Cheol-woo's arms, locked tightly around the young man's waist, were forced apart effortlessly.
And this time, he hadn't been caught off guard.
His mouth fell open.
Then he was shoved again, landing flat on his back.
But instead of humiliation or anger at being overpowered by someone half his age, an unfamiliar hope flickered in his chest.
A seed planted by Ryu Ga-hyeon.
The leader of the Cheonmyeong Cult.
They had arrested and executed the man they believed to be the head of the organization.
Yet even decapitated, the cult hadn't died—it had only grown larger.
Maybe, as Ga-hyeon had suggested, the man they'd thought was the cult's brain had just been expendable flesh all along.
If so, who was the true mastermind?
Not even Ga-hyeon knew.
That was why, despite public praise hailing the Pseudo-Cult Arrest Team as heroes, Cheol-woo had been uneasy.
But now, he saw hope.
In a way he never expected.
Who was it that had reduced Moon Ye-hwa—a woman the task force had failed to even detain—to such a state?
Who was it that had dealt a blow to the elegant, untouchable Moon Ye-hwa, living lavishly off the money she'd extorted from countless ruined families?
The young man now running ahead of him.
If that was the case, then maybe—just maybe—this man, with his unnatural strength, looks, and nerve, could truly be the key to eradicating the Cheonmyeong Cult, just as Ga-hyeon had said.