By Zephyria Chief Yoon, who had been standing with his hands behind his back, checked his wristwatch. Only about five minutes remained until the hour and minute hands reunited at the top. He was about to move on to the next schedule, but his superior, who was in the middle of a lively conversation, didn’t seem to have any intention of getting up.
Since it was a hastily inserted schedule, time was even tighter. At this rate, he would have to move quickly without even eating. After a moment of hesitation, Chief Yoon took a step forward. It was the moment he was about to subtly bow to give a hint.
“President.”
“Almost done.”
As if anticipating what he was going to say, Lee Do-hyeon cut off Chief Yoon before he could continue. It meant he would get up soon, but it was hard to believe. Chief Yoon, who quietly lowered his gaze, carefully examined the person his superior was facing. It seemed it would take at least another five minutes for the story to finish. Chief Yoon, who flexibly used his head, soon added, “You have 15 minutes to spare,” and straightened his posture.
“Did you hear that?”
Lee Do-hyeon said quietly. The voice, with almost no inflection, was not directed at Chief Yoon.
“You’ve been granted a 10-minute extension.”
“…….”
“I’m not giving you any more time to hesitate.”
Lee Do-hyeon, who tapped the wristwatch on his left wrist with his fingertips, smiled brightly. Another minute had passed during the short deliberation and conversation, but the other party, who had no way of knowing that, was just anxiously rolling his eyes.
“Kim Jin-guk.”
Just being called by name made Kim Jin-guk flinch. His fear-filled eyes cautiously captured Lee Do-hyeon. Every time Kim Jin-guk, who was kneeling, twitched, the long shadow cast on the dirt floor also shook.
The clock indicated twelve noon, but the warehouse, where not a single ray of sunlight entered, was as dark as night. Kim Jin-guk, who had been kidnapped while escaping from an illegal gambling den at night, had long lost his sense of time, and was just shivering from the pressure of the dark space.
“…….”
His stomach ached, perhaps because he had only been drinking cup noodles and instant coffee for days. He hadn’t been given a drop of water since he was kidnapped, and his lips were so dry that they had been chapped white for a long time.
Was it the beginning when he took the hand of the man who came to borrow his name? Or was it a misstep to take the hand of the guy who claimed to be the successor of Youngkang Group? Kim Jin-guk recalled the men who had coaxed him with sweet words, only differing in the timing of their visits, and bit the inside of his cheek hard.
It had been 10 years since he had been playing the role of a loan shark, believing the man’s words that there would be no legal problems on paper. The man left records as if he had paid off the debts of the debtors who had borrowed his money, and then instructed him to raise the interest rate. Then he made an absurd demand that he bring him the money that was additionally collected by that gap.
He couldn’t understand why he had to do that, but it wasn’t difficult to add some money to the money he had to receive anyway, and above all, there was no reason to refuse because he could profit in the middle. As he said, there were no troublesome problems such as getting caught by the law, and he thought it was a profitable business because he was often allowed to play with women and was treated to expensive alcohol that he could never drink in his life.
It was okay even if a debtor who squandered the borrowed money on gambling and couldn’t repay it appeared. In such cases, he would tell the man and it would be resolved quickly. Within a few days, he would receive a call from the man saying ‘it’s been resolved,’ and his share of the principal and interest would be deposited without fail, and the debtor’s traces would disappear completely. It wasn’t certain, but it seemed that repayment was made by being sold to brothels or having organs removed. In fact, he didn’t really want to know what happened. The only important thing was that the money had come back.
In that way, Kim Jin-guk had been lending personal money at a relatively conscientious interest rate of less than 10%, but after meeting the man, he raised it to 15%, 20%, and eventually to 40%, twice the legal maximum interest rate. His already dulled conscience was no longer a control device.
It was only recently that he learned that the Youngkang Group Chairman’s wife was behind the man. He had guessed that there would be someone behind him because he looked like a goody-two-shoes, but he never knew it would be the wife of a large corporation’s Chairman. When he found out that he was greatly contributing to the creation of illegal slush funds, he was overcome with fear. In the meantime, a gangster who broke into his office turned out to be the second son of Youngkang, and a few days ago, Lee Do-hyeon, who appeared as the successor, whispered sweet words. As he was being tempted by everyone that he was needed, he even forgot that he was a criminal.
He was thinking that it would be better to take the hand of one of the three, the Vice Chairman. As for the Chairman’s wife, he could just pretend not to know because there were no legal problems, and the second son seemed to only know how to use his fists and had no power. He thought that the Vice Chairman, who would one day sit on the Chairman’s seat, would be better to look after him in the future, but he never expected that he would be caught so quickly.
Why now of all times? If he could just hold out for another week, he could leave for overseas. He was just about to vow to spend a happy old age with blonde women under the blue beach and warm sunshine when he was dragged to a warehouse and locked up, and he was slowly overcome with resentment.
In the textile factory that had been closed for a long time, there were large and small machines covered in red rust, and among them, there were several machines that could kill a person without anyone noticing. Kim Jin-guk, who had a chilling imagination, swallowed hard. There were more than a few people surrounding him, and because the surroundings were so quiet, the sound of his swallowing echoed loudly.
“Even if you do this to me, there’s nothing to be gained…”
He raised his voice as if protesting, but the cold gaze didn’t go anywhere. The only fortunate thing was that his body was still intact. When his colleagues were beaten up several times, he was just trembling at the thought that he could become like that too, but because he hadn’t seen blood yet, he was able to have hope that he could survive.
“Considering the time we wasted looking for you, we don’t have the luxury to be doing this.”
Lee Do-hyeon, who frowned as if he was hearing nonsense, moved his feet as if even the shadow touching his shoes was unclean. The thickly accumulated dust scattered into the air with his gesture. Kim Jin-guk, who coughed and coughed, couldn’t stand the dust sticking to his throat and retched.
“Since you don’t seem to be able to make a decision, I’ll give you a choice.”
Lee Do-hyeon, who muttered as if he couldn’t help it, raised his gloved hand. Kim Jin-guk, who had an unsightly face with tears streaming down his face, slightly raised his eyes.
“Number 1.”
A straight index finger stood tall.
“As you’ve been doing, you stick with Kim Mi-hee… Ah, is it Lee Gyu-hyeon now? Anyway, you get caught as an accomplice and rot in jail for the rest of your life. Ah, don’t think that it’s a slap on the wrist and you’ll be out in a few years. We’ll link all the things we can link, such as fraud, intimidation, assault, and this time, illegal gambling, and we’ll pour hundreds of millions of dollars into law firms to make sure you get a proper sentence.”
“Ugh…….”
Kim Jin-guk, who had been scoffing, thinking it would be a few months, not a few years, let out a suppressed groan because he had been hit right on the mark. Lee Do-hyeon, who smiled inappropriately, spread out another finger.
“Number 2. You tell the truth, and you get the minimum sentence with the legal team I’ll assign you. I’ll have to hear from legal experts to know this, but you might be able to end it with a fine instead of a prison sentence. Well, I can’t serve the prison sentence for you, so take care of that yourself. I’ll pay the fine.”
“…Really?”
“If you want, I’ll give you about three thousand in advance as a down payment.”
Three thousand. Kim Jin-guk’s eyes lit up. He was the second son, but he was still a chaebol. If it was a legal team that he assigned, the fine wouldn’t exceed three thousand. Besides, the down payment meant that it wouldn’t end with just that. It was worth a shot. Kim Jin-guk raised his chin and said, trembling.
“After the trial, uh, how much more can you give me?”
“How much do you want?”
“If I, if I say it, will you give it to me as is?”
“I’ll listen first.”
Lee Do-hyeon nodded as if telling him to speak quickly. Kim Jin-guk, who rolled his eyes, took a deep breath.
“I’ll take three thousand, and after the trial, se… seven thousand. Make it 100 million won.”
“Will that be enough?”
Then? Kim Jin-guk made a strange expression.
“You looked like you were planning to run away overseas and not come back, so wouldn’t you need another 100 million won as a settlement fund?”
“Th, then… you’re really going to give me a total of 200 million won…?”
“That’s right.”
“…Re, really…….”
“Instead, the document I mentioned then. Bring it without leaving out a single page.”
“Ah, that’s…….”
Kim Jin-guk frowned as if he was in trouble at the continued request.
That document would be with the Chairman’s wife. The eldest son was also burning his eyes to find that document, so it was not an easy request to grant. Kim Jin-guk, who was troubled and racking his brains, glanced up at Lee Do-hyeon, who was sending him a clear gaze as if telling him to quickly find a breakthrough.
“It’s going to be a little difficult to get the original… Can’t you take a copy instead?”
“100 million.”
“Yes?”
“200 million for the original. 100 million for the copy.”
“St, still, the original is…….”
“Fifty million.”
“How can I get that?”
“Ten million?”
The more he shook his head, saying he couldn’t do it, the more the amount was cut in half. When it finally dropped to 1/10 of the amount he had initially proposed, Kim Jin-guk couldn’t say anything more and gasped.
What on earth was so important about that document that he was so desperate for it? The document was just the promissory notes and actual ledgers of the creditors who had been taken out to Youngkang Chairman’s wife’s side. Even if he collected them and sold them as waste paper, it wouldn’t be worth much, so why…….
“…….”
Kim Jin-guk, who had been anxiously biting his lip, stopped abruptly. Was he perhaps trying to hit Youngkang Chairman’s wife with this? If that was the case… it was worth negotiating more.
“If I bring the original… you’re really going to give me 200 million won, right?”
“I’ll give it to you in cash without any loose ends.”
Now it was time to calculate. Kim Jin-guk opened up various possibilities and started calculating this and that. Lee Do-hyeon gave him time as if doing him a favor, and soon nodded to let him go after hearing the answer that he would bring the original.
Chief Yoon, who had been silent while watching Kim Jin-guk running like a dog, cautiously asked.
“Are you really going to leave him like that? He didn’t write a statement, and we didn’t record anything, so there’s no legal effect.”
“A promise is a promise, so we have to keep it. First, cash out three thousand and give it to him.”
Lee Do-hyeon, who dusted off his jacket that had been covered in dust, turned around. The strong men who had been standing with their hands behind their backs followed him in droves.
He had expected that he would accept his offer from the moment he said he was stuck in a gambling den. The brain that had been ruined by gambling couldn’t judge what was right and wrong. Perhaps whether he gave him 200 million won or 2 billion won, Kim Jin-guk would definitely not use it to pay the fine. But whatever. Even if it was disintegrated by gambling, that small amount of money wasn’t even worth regretting.
“Whether he serves a prison sentence or pays a fine, get rid of him after he pays for his sins.”
“Shall we kill him?”
When Chief Yoon asked in a low voice, Lee Do-hyeon answered without even turning his head.
“Kill him. Anyway, there’s no evidence in my name.”
It was a nonchalant reply, as if that was what he had intended from the beginning.
Soon, Lee Do-hyeon, unlike the person who had given the brutal order, left the warehouse with a slightly excited face. Was Ryu Jeong having dinner now? Recalling Ryu Jeong, who had been so excited until this morning, Lee Do-hyeon quietly took out his cell phone. There was no contact yet. It seemed that he was having a good time.
He had no intention of interfering, so he put his cell phone away. He had to hear everything they ate and what they talked about when they met in the evening.
After the shadows that had filled the warehouse disappeared, all that was left was dust and silence.