Taeyang SNC President Yang (2)
"What did you say?"
Yang Jaeyeol's cheek muscles quivered violently. This was on an entirely different level from simply failing to retrieve the serum. These worthless bastards—what the hell had they done after flying all the way to Seoul?
"How many times did I tell you, Lt. Colonel Jeong? I ordered four Polaroid photos! One of her while captured alive! One after putting a bullet through her head! One right before setting the corpse on fire! And the final one while her lower body was burning! Four photos exactly! How many times did I say it? Huh?"
In his fury, Yang Jaeyeol pounded the table with his fist, snarling. Lt. Colonel Jeong merely curled his lip in a smirk, as if wondering what the big deal was.
"Look, thousands of zombies suddenly swarmed the area so we couldn't land. How many times do I have to say it? Anyway, what does it matter? She's dead, so she's dead. President Yang, let's look on the bright side."
"How am I supposed to trust your claim that she's dead? Based on what evidence?"
"What, you don't trust my subordinate officers? That's going to be a problem..."
Lt. Colonel Jeong tried to mask his irritation and gloss over the crisis, but Yang Jaeyeol's voice only grew louder.
"How can I trust men who can't even carry out a simple order to bring back four photos? Huh? Believing she's dead would be the stranger thing here!"
"Watch your mouth! And of course she's dead! We poured hundreds of rounds into that area, and right after that thousands of zombies passed through. No one could survive that, no matter how tough they were! Absolutely not."
"I still can't be certain. No, more than that..."
Yang Jaeyeol, who had been jabbing his finger at Lt. Colonel Jeong while vehemently protesting, pulled out his phone.
"Team Leader Kim, why the hell didn't you report this critical matter to me immediately? You should have called the second the communication network was back up!"
His rage finally spilled over onto the Shadow Shield Team Leader who had been dispatched alongside Major General Park's forces. Soldiers could be idiots, that was expected, but a security team leader employed by Taeyang Group had no excuse for such sloppy work. The realization only fueled Yang Jaeyeol's anger. How many hours had been wasted because this bastard failed to report?
"Hey, hey. President Yang."
When he turned on his phone and began scrolling through his contacts, Lt. Colonel Jeong grabbed his wrist.
"Calling won't do any good. He's already gone, so there's no need to curse him so harshly..."
"...What?"
Yang Jaeyeol's eyes narrowed further at yet another unexpected statement. Lt. Colonel Jeong exhaled cigarette smoke and gave a small shake of his head.
"He was killed in action."
"Then... at least one of the other Shadow Shield members should have reported..."
"They're all dead. Not a single one from that team made it back."
"How could that possibly... There should have been personnel waiting in the helicopter..."
The strength gradually drained from Yang Jaeyeol's voice, while Lt. Colonel Jeong grew increasingly bold. He continued in an exaggerated tone, as if delivering a triumphant report.
"That's why I told you the resistance was fierce, President Yang. The helicopter itself came under fire and we lost our co-pilot as well. The casualties among the enlisted men go without saying. If you have time, stop by our landing zone. I'll show you the bullet holes in the windshield—they're this big."
I'm going insane...
Yang Jaeyeol covered his face with both hands. With the dispatched Shadow Shield operatives completely wiped out, he no longer had any way to cross-check the soldiers' claims.
What the hell happened? Why were our losses so heavy?
No matter how deeply he pondered it, he couldn't understand the reason. One thing was certain: the outcome was absurd. Lt. Colonel Jeong approached and patted Yang Jaeyeol on the shoulder.
"Must have been quite a shock. But that's real combat for you. Anyway, things worked out well, so let's discuss our next steps..."
"No. I don't think things worked out at all."
Yang Jaeyeol cut him off, removed his gold-rimmed glasses, set them on the table, and spoke.
"Send the helicopter back immediately and bring me those four photos I ordered, Lt. Colonel Jeong."
"Now? How are we supposed to launch a helicopter at this hour? Flying at night in the dark over unfamiliar terrain will almost certainly end in a crash into a building! Stop being unreasonable and let's have a drink, President Yang. That woman is dead. I can swear to it! So stop worrying and let's get drunk! It's a good day, isn't it?"
This isn't going to work...
Staring at Lt. Colonel Jeong's stupid, brazen face, Yang Jaeyeol thought.
If I don't show these bastards what kind of man I am right now, they won't listen...
Having made up his mind, Yang Jaeyeol pressed the call button attached to the corner of the table.
"You called, sir?"
The manager who opened the door after knocking asked politely. Yang Jaeyeol answered without even looking at him.
"Bring back the girls who left earlier."
"Ah... yes."
The manager, sensing the mood, swallowed a sigh and bowed. But Lt. Colonel Jeong and Major Oh, who still hadn't grasped the situation, simply laughed with delight.
"Haha, we can't be the only ones without company! President Yang should call a girl over too so the drinks taste better!"
"I see."
Yang Jaeyeol gave a short reply that was neither agreement nor refusal, then flicked cigarette ash into the large crystal ashtray.
"...We'll come in."
The two intimidated waitresses entered the room with their hands politely clasped.
"Yes, yes! Come over here!"
Lt. Colonel Jeong grinned widely and patted the seat beside him. As the women tried to squeeze between the tables, Yang Jaeyeol raised his arm to stop them.
"Wait."
After halting the waitresses, Yang Jaeyeol removed his gold-rimmed glasses, placed them on the sofa, and stood up.
"Let's finish the conversation we were having earlier."
"Come on! You call the girls over and then want to talk business again, President Yang? We need to grease the wheels with some yellow liquor first so things flow smoothly."
Lt. Colonel Jeong tried to joke, but Yang Jaeyeol ignored him and continued.
"You told me not to worry?"
"Huh? ...That's right. Everything worked out anyway..."
"How the hell am I not supposed to worry, you stupid bastard! There's a limit to how much bullshit you can spout!"
Yang Jaeyeol suddenly hurled abuse at him, then grabbed the crystal ashtray and mercilessly smashed it into the head of the woman beside Lt. Colonel Jeong.
CRACK!
The waitress whose head had been split open collapsed without even screaming, blood spraying everywhere.
Spurt! Spurt!
Three streams of blood shot from the long gash like water from a squirt gun, soaking the carpet.
"...Hic!"
The other waitress's pupils dilated enormously after witnessing her colleague's head explode right in front of her. Yang Jaeyeol shot his hand out like lightning and yanked her by the hair.
"Aaaagh!"
The waitress screamed. Only then did Lt. Colonel Jeong and Major Oh jump up and shout.
"W-what the hell are you doing, President Yang?"
"Shut up, you bastard! Sit down!"
Yang Jaeyeol pointed the bloodied ashtray at the two men and raised his voice.
"Do you not know who that woman was? She's Chairman Hwang's eldest daughter! She's the only child he has left, you brainless idiots! What do you think will happen when it gets out that she went with you and had an accident? Do you think killing one of you will solve the problem? ...And yet you created leaks everywhere with this mess?"
"No, that's not..."
"You left Chairman Hwang's daughter there and you can still smile? After pulling that shit, you want to grab some young girl, grin like idiots, and take your pants off? You fucking lunatics!"
Yang Jaeyeol, who had been roaring like a madman, slowly shook his head and violently yanked the waitress's hair again.
"These women died because you two horny bastards couldn't control yourselves. Got it?"
Without waiting for their answer, Yang Jaeyeol grabbed the woman by the collar and hurled her toward the center of the table.
CRASH! Clatter!
The waitress who fell headfirst shattered whiskey bottles and glass cups, turning the table into a bloody mess.
"Ugh...! Fuck!"
Lt. Colonel Jeong turned his head with a pained expression. The sight of a woman in her early twenties, who had been breathing normally moments ago, now impaled by glass shards was painful to even look at. But the victim had already broken her neck, so she felt none of that sharp agony.
Smash!
Yang Jaeyeol hurled the ashtray at the mirrored wall and strode toward Lt. Colonel Jeong.
"Hey!"
Major Oh tried to block him, but he was no match for the strength of a former Olympic judo gold medalist. Yang Jaeyeol shoved him aside with one hand and stood before the now thoroughly cowed Lt. Colonel Jeong.
"...You! Make the call!"
Yang Jaeyeol pressed his phone against Lt. Colonel Jeong's ear and shouted.
"Call your superior, Major General Park, yourself and ask him, you bastard! Ask if it's okay for Chairman Hwang to learn about this!"
"Look, things we'll both regret..."
"Regret? You son of a bitch! Did Major General Park tell you to cozy up to me? To me—the one who decides how many rounds of ammunition to supply you people? Huh? I treat you decently and suddenly you think you can do whatever you want?"
"That's..."
Lt. Colonel Jeong, who had tried to protest, finally let out a deep sigh and lowered his gaze. No matter how many troops and weapons they possessed, they were powerless if supplies were cut off. In that sense, in this situation where the five warlords were in a tense standoff, Taeyang Group's power had grown even greater than before. If they fell out of Taeyang's favor and supplies were delayed, they would instantly become prey for the other warlords.
And... without the generous spending from Taeyang, they couldn't indulge in luxury at room salons or buy young women. This was a serious problem not only for Lt. Colonel Jeong and Major Oh, but for Major General Park as well. So for now, they had no choice but to yield.
"See that? Even someone at my level makes you shit your pants. You don't have what it takes! Yet you left Hwang Nayeon there and bared your teeth? You insane bastards!"
Yang Jaeyeol shouted. While he continued spewing curses and throwing his tantrum, Lt. Colonel Jeong and Major Oh kept their heads down and mouths shut, waiting. Their genes that made them grovel before the strong had sounded an emergency alarm telling them to lie low. They regretted not bringing guns into the room salon in accordance with regulations; they were that terrified of the situation and of Yang Jaeyeol's flipped-out violence.
"Haa...! Haa...!"
After his mad outburst, Yang Jaeyeol panted and spoke.
"You two ruined everything, you stupid bastards. Now we're fucked..."
Chairman Hwang was not soft enough to let his daughter's death go unavenged. That had nothing to do with whether he cherished his son more or found his daughter less satisfactory.
"No, if that's the case, why did you tell us from the beginning not to worry and just eliminate her? We only trusted what you said, President Yang..."
Lt. Colonel Jeong muttered with slumped shoulders. Yang Jaeyeol glared at him and ground his teeth.
"Did you think I told you to burn the corpse for no reason? I told you to destroy any evidence that you were involved! And this fucking..."
Yang Jaeyeol kicked the fallen waitress's corpse and raised his voice.
"Where's the proof that bitch is dead, you bastard! What are you going to do if she's alive and goes over to General Kim's side?"
"I told you she's dead! We killed her! And even if we somehow missed, the zombies had swarmed so thick we couldn't even think about landing the helicopter! You see, President Yang, you haven't faced the zombies directly so you might not know, but when thousands of them swarm like that... no matter how much you fire machine guns, it's useless. You just get swept away and die."
Lt. Colonel Jeong's face was instantly drenched in sweat as he desperately made excuses. But they were empty claims that did no good; none of it reached Yang Jaeyeol's ears.
"I don't care. Hoo..."
Yang Jaeyeol lit a fresh cigarette, picked up his gold-rimmed glasses and put them back on, then exhaled a long plume of smoke.
"I'm not interested in whatever you bastards babble about, so go find the corpse and take the photos. Until those four photos are in front of me, your unit gets no supplies. Understand, you bastard?"
Yang Jaeyeol, who had been jabbing his finger right in front of Lt. Colonel Jeong's eyes, suddenly lowered his voice and asked.
"...What are you going to do?"
"W-we'll find the corpse and take the photos. We'll launch the helicopter at dawn tomorrow! Major Oh here will command it personally!"
Completely subdued, Lt. Colonel Jeong swallowed dryly and pointed at Major Oh. Major Oh, suddenly given the deployment order, nodded as well.
"Make sure it's done properly."
Yang Jaeyeol straightened his suit collar and growled in a low voice.
"There's a Taeyang executive meeting in four days. Chairman Hwang will attend. If you don't have the photos by then, you're finished. Just know that you'll die before I do."
BANG!
Yang Jaeyeol slammed the door with enough force to break it and stormed out.
"That son of a bitch... what a temper..."
Only after about a minute had passed did Lt. Colonel Jeong finally speak, shaking his head as he cursed. But his voice was still as quiet as a mosquito's buzz.
"Lt. Colonel Jeong, sir... you've been cut. Just a moment..."
When Major Oh reached out and touched his cheek, Lt. Colonel Jeong finally felt the sting and frowned.
"Ouch! What is it?"
"It seems a piece of glass got you. I've removed it, so you should be fine now."
The triangular shard of glass Major Oh held out was stained with red blood. Lt. Colonel Jeong swallowed a sigh and touched his wounded cheek. He had been so tense that he hadn't even noticed the injury until blood was flowing.
"Hoo... They say he's famously crazy, but he's a real lunatic."
Lt. Colonel Jeong shuddered as he looked at the waitress's corpse sprawled across the table with its joints bent at unnatural angles.
Spurt! Spurt!
Blood was still gushing from the other corpse on the floor. The metallic smell was strong enough to cut through the thick cigarette smoke.
"Fuck..."
Lt. Colonel Jeong picked up the cigarette pack from among the glass fragments.
"What will you do?"
Major Oh asked as he lit the cigarette for him. Lt. Colonel Jeong exhaled smoke, then smacked his lips.
"What can we do?"
They had only two choices. Ignore Yang Jaeyeol's warning completely and act as if nothing had happened, or swallow their pride and fulfill his demands. The important point was that the first option came with the massive, certain risk of indefinite supply suspension.
"Major Oh. Looks like you'll have to do some hard work."
Lt. Colonel Jeong patted Major Oh's shoulder as he spoke.
"I'll give you a platoon, so go quickly tomorrow. All you have to do is find the corpse, set it on fire, and take photos with the Polaroid camera."