GMC 167

“Help me! Help— mmpf!”

The gag was shoved back into the mouth of Yoo Young-taek, who had been screaming at the top of his lungs. In the end, Moon Gyeon-woo had chosen a hammer of moderate size. He figured this tool would instill a fair amount of fear and pain while minimizing bleeding; and even if he went too far and broke a bone, it would likely be a clean break. After all, since he was technically a doctor, he didn’t want to inflict wounds that would put a life at risk.

“Since there’s plenty of flesh, maybe I’ll start with the thighs.”

Upon hearing this, Yoo Young-taek began to struggle even more violently. It was just as Moon Gyeon-woo, who usually detested acts of violence, decisively hoisted the hammer high.

Clang! The warehouse door swung open. A bright beam from a lantern shot straight forward, making Moon Gyeon-woo wince as he froze with the hammer raised. Yoo Young-taek’s eyes rolled wildly, looking as if he were about to suffocate.

“What exactly are you doing?”

Yeom Cheon-ho, surveying the interior of the warehouse, asked in a calm voice. Clicking his tongue, Moon Gyeon-woo set the hammer back down for the time being. Yoo Young-taek let out a sob of sheer relief. Disliking the sight of that, Moon Gyeon-woo offered a half-hearted excuse, lifting and lowering the hammer aimlessly.

“I just came by because I wanted to have a little chat with this man.”

Yeom Cheon-ho’s gaze shifted from the hammer in Moon Gyeon-woo’s hand to Yoo Young-taek’s gagged face.

“I wasn’t aware that Mr. Moon Gyeon-woo possessed the ability to converse with someone who is gagged.”

As expected, he was irritating the moment they interacted.

The two men simply stared at each other in silence. Moon Gyeon-woo was contemplating what words he should use to persuade the other man if he tried to stop him. That was when Yeom Cheon-ho, who had been standing at the entrance, walked inside. Turning around to lock the door, he spoke—not to stop him, but to say:

“It so happens that I also have something to discuss.”

Yoo Young-taek’s face, which had been filled with relief, suddenly contorted with terror. This was because Yeom Cheon-ho rolled up his sleeves and slowly examined the tools Moon Gyeon-woo had brought. A moment later, Yoo Young-taek’s screams echoed through the warehouse.

After finishing his business and leaving the warehouse, Moon Gyeon-woo looked down at the tool in his hand. It was brand new and sparkling, without a single drop of blood on it. That was thanks to Yeom Cheon-ho stepping in before the tools could be used in earnest. It had been an interrogation using his hands, quite literally.

“Before we start our conversation, isn’t there something we need to settle?”

Having said that, Yeom Cheon-ho punched Yoo Young-taek in the face several times without rhyme or reason, then removed the gag and asked:

“Let’s consider this as full payment for the debt incurred last time. Assemblyman Yoo, do you have any objections?”

Tears streaming down his face, Yoo Young-taek became cooperative, claiming he would tell him anything. Moon Gyeon-woo frowned, thinking of the pathetic sight of a man with neither loyalty nor patience. It was truly fascinating how someone with the same genes could be so completely unlike Yeon-rok.

“So, Mr. Moon Gyeon-woo, did you get all the information you wanted?”

Yoo Young-taek had spilled everything he knew about the name manifestation experiment from twenty years ago, even though Moon Gyeon-woo had only menacingly swung the hammer near his head. Honestly, he was inwardly surprised. This was because some of the people involved in that experiment were renowned professors. It made him realize once again just how immense the power Yeom Cheon-ryul had wielded in the past.

And consequently, his wariness toward Yeom Cheon-ho—the man who had split Yeom Cheon-ryul’s influence in half in one fell swoop—surged. While there are rare cases like Yeon-rok who do not resemble visit our [unauthorized copy]stolen contentn>sitetheir parents, children usually inherit their father’s traits.

“I got the gist of it, but there’s no guarantee that what he said is true.”

“Of course, we’ll have to cross-verify. In any case, Yoo Young-taek won’t be getting his freedom until Yeom Cheon-ryul is put in prison.”

Put in prison? Moon Gyeon-woo raised an eyebrow and looked back at Yeom Cheon-ho with a dissatisfied expression.

“Do you really intend to just put him in prison and end it? He seems far too dangerous to feel secure with just that.”

“That is the plan for now.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just finish it cleanly? You don’t seem like the type to feel much guilt over killing someone.”

Whether Moon Gyeon-woo was openly criticizing him or not, Yeom Cheon-ho remained unfazed. He gave a beaming smile with a kind-looking face. However, there was no laughter in his eyes.

“Even so, shouldn’t I strive to be a better human being than my father? So that I have nothing to be ashamed of in Yeon-rok-ssi’s eyes.”

After spouting such nonsense, Yeom Cheon-ho entered the orphanage first. Moon Gyeon-woo watched his retreating back with narrowed eyes. A better human being than his father? Lee Yeon-rok might have believed such hollow words at face value, but Moon Gyeon-woo did not.

Objectively, he didn’t think of himself as having a particularly warm or kind nature. Nevertheless, he prided himself on being the best among the name partners. He was incomparable to the delinquent-like Choi Hwan, and especially not to Yeom Cheon-ho.

Yeom Cheon-ho was a man who hid a cold-hearted nature behind the facade of a benevolent gentleman. Moon Gyeon-woo was certain that if Yeom Cheon-ryul lost this fight, he would lose his life in the near future. [Read on Read BL Novels]Most likely, he woul[Read Read on Read BL Novelson Read BL Novels]d suffer some “unfortunate accident” by chance.

Regardless, that was a matter for later; for now, the research data regarding name manifestation was the problem. Yoo Young-taek knew roughly where the research had been conducted and the identities of the researchers, but he didn’t know where the actual research data was stored. Then again, even if he had known, it would have been meaningless since it happened so long ago.

“Should I start by digging into the researchers? What should I do.”

Either way was troublesome. Especially since the researchers would never confess willingly. It was a human experiment where an unknown number of people had died in the past. In particular, children were included among the subjects.

If it became known that they were involved in such a horrific experiment—where research ethics were nonexistent—they would be buried not only by the academic community but by society as a whole. Thus, they wouldn’t talk even if offered a fortune.

‘Could I be a witness to that experiment?’

He felt they would say he lacked credibility as a witness because he was too young at the time. In reality, he didn’t have many related memories.

He paced the yard for a while, lost in thought, before shaking his head. Since there was nothing he could do right now, any further worrying was a waste of time.

Upon entering the orphanage, he saw Choi Hwan, who had been sleeping crumpled on the floor, now rolled into a corner, sleeping like a homeless person. Yeom Cheon-ho, with a serene expression, was kindly covering him with a blanket. He didn’t know what was going through the man’s head. It didn’t seem like he was doing it out of genuine concern.

Still, he felt he was beginning to understand that man’s way of operating. A person with sparse emotions moves by reason, duty, and responsibility, even if they aren’t particularly drawn to someone. However, he showed a great deal of exceptionality only toward his name partners, and especially toward Yeon-rok.

“Don’t bestow that useless kindness on me. I’d rather freeze to death.”

When Moon Gyeon-woo spoke with a shudder, Yeom Cheon-ho replied with a smile.

“Is that so?”

He didn’t say “I will,” he said “Is that so?” As expected, he was insufferable.

Leaving the two behind, Moon Gyeon-woo went to find Yeon-rok. He was sleeping soundly, just as he had been laid down earlier. Yeon-rok wasn’t usually one to fall asleep easily, but watching him made Moon Gyeon-woo feel drowsy too, so he lay down beside him, stared for a while, and fell asleep.

When he woke up the next day, Yeon-rok was gone, having woken up early. Instead, the sleeping bag Yeon-rok had used was draped over Moon Gyeon-woo’s body. Grateful for the gesture, he absentmindedly stroked the sleeping bag. He felt good from the start of the morning.

He folded the sleeping bag neatly, got up, and washed first. As he checked his appearance in the mirror and stepped out, Choi Hwan caught his eye in a very irritating way. He wasn’t doing anything particular. His very existence was just annoying. Choi Hwan muttered while yawning.

“Ugh, I slept on the bare floor, and now I feel like my body is breaking.”

He looked disheveled from just waking up, but even through a gaze filled with ill will, he was handsome. Even with a crease mark on his face! When Moon Gyeon-woo stopped in his tracks to glare at him, Choi Hwan, who was stretching languidly and showing off his well-built body, grinned.

“Look at this. I think Yeon-rok covered me with a blanket while I was sleeping.”

Since the other man was under a ridiculously great misunderstanding, Moon Gyeon-woo let out a scoff with a crooked smile. Then, he told him the truth.

“Yeon-rok went to sleep early yesterday. So I personally saw CEO Yeom Cheon-ho covering you with a tender touch.”

“Liar!”

Choi Hwan threw the blanket he had been clutching preciousy and threw a fit. Moon Gyeon-woo, who had slept with the sleeping bag—the true token of Yeon-rok’s tender affection—laughed in satisfaction.