My Bloody Valentine - 61

Chapter 61

The affluent neighborhood of Seongbuk-dong, nestled in the foothills of Bukhansan Mountain, had long been home to many chaebol leaders.

Political figures settled here for its proximity to the Blue House, followed by the wealthy including corporate heads, forming a traditional affluent community boasting exclusivity. And naturally, they developed their own insular world of exclusivity.

Perhaps for this reason, when Chairman Baek came to buy another mansion in this neighborhood 5 years ago, the seller backed out at the last minute, refusing to sell to a gang member.

In the end, Baek had to purchase a different home, but the incident sparked his desire to shed the label of being from the criminal underworld.

A sedan with a fierce animal emblem embossed on it was driving up the steep hills of this elite neighborhood.

Through the traditional wooden structures, sections of a ridgeline-like wall sporadically came into view. No one could peer over the towering walls surrounding the mansions’ compounds.

It was a place where the grand estate walls and gates seemed like closed castle ramparts. Among these massive mansions was Chairman Baek Junggil’s residence.

As Taeshin’s car approached the gate, the stainless steel gate swung open as if awaiting him. Bypassing the sloping driveway, Taeshin entered the mansion grounds.

A vast garden was paved with massive garden stones. Traversing the path over dozens of these stones led through well-manicured lawns adorned with expensive Korean nut pines.

Although Baek had boasted proudly about airlifting the boulders from a remote village by helicopter, Taeshin saw no value in them.

Chairman Baek was in the meditation room again today.

Seating Taeshin before him, Baek carefully unfolded an ornately labeled package containing a bundled mass of dried leaves. Using a uniquely shaped knife, he meticulously separated some leaves and placed them in a teapot. A servant then brought in hot water which Baek poured into the pot.

His movements in decanting the brewed tea into cups were very deliberate – like an earnest tea ceremony, or a novice making tea for the first time.

“Here, have a taste.”

Taeshin brought the proffered cup to his lips, his well-groomed eyebrows furrowing deeply.

Across from him, Baek tilted his own cup with a mischievous look and asked, “What’s wrong? Not good?”

“It…tastes like muddy water.”

“I thought so too. At least it’s not just me.”

Relieved by Taeshin’s reaction, Baek set down the cup he had been holding.

“It’s puerh tea from Yunnan that the Deputy Minister of Education gifted me. Supposed to be very rare. Don’t you find it ridiculous, paying hundreds of millions or even billions for this stuff?”

“…..”.

Nodding in seeming agreement, Taeshin set his still full cup back on the tray. Following suit, Baek then broached the main subject.

“It seems Oh Seong-jin will likely end up as a sacrificial pawn.”

“Sacrificial pawn?”

“There’s something big behind him. This Chinese guy he’s been hanging around with every day apparently belongs to the Triads, even if he’s just small-fry.”

The ‘Chinese guy always by his side’ likely referred to the person called ‘Yang’.

Staring silently into the settled tea, Taeshin’s pensive look lifted with a shift of his eyes.

“Wouldn’t it be better to deal with it before it escalates further?”

“You mean kill him?”

“…..”.

“You still haven’t dropped that habit.”

“….Then at least cripple him enough to be incapacitated.”

“That won’t work either. The police caught one of Oh’s drug mules.”

A ‘drug mule’ referred to a courier transporting drugs, confirming Oh Seong-jin’s involvement in drug trafficking.

“So the police are keeping a close watch on his movements. If we slip up, we could all get dragged into this mess.”

“……”

Chairman Baek clicked his tongue in seeming disdain.

“He’s been blinded by greed, the fool…For now Oh Seong-jin may be laying low since he’s backing him up, but those Triad guys aren’t going to just quietly deal drugs. Does Oh really think they’re just sticking by him over some petty drug dealing? They must want something.”

“Could they be trying to break into the construction development business perhaps?”

“That’s what I suspect too.”

Traditionally, gangsters’ main sources of income were extorting street vendors or demanding protection fees from large restaurants and entertainment establishments.

But now, emulating the corporate mafia models like the Yakuza, Triads, and Sicilian mob, organized crime syndicates are increasingly venturing into real estate development and construction.

Wealthy criminal organizations make huge profits through disguised transactions in real estate speculation markets.

They also rake in massive profits by taking bribes or extorting money during auction bidding for construction projects, supplying construction materials, apartment construction and sales, and commercial development processes.

The most crucial factors in this industry are information and connections – knowing which business rights to secure, and which financial company executives and government officials need to be lobbied along the way.

While the Triads have capital, they lack familiarity with this industry, which is likely why they’ve approached Oh Seong-jin – he’s been in the construction business at Cheongsong for nearly 10 years and has the connections and information.

“The drugs are just the bait. Their real goal is likely to steal our information and business contacts. They’re probably waiting for an opportunity to poach them.”

“…Really can’t we just kill him?”

“Taeshin ah. Someone once told me, if someone tries to harm you, don’t seek revenge. Instead, sit calmly by the river and watch the waters flow. Before long, their corpse will come floating by.”

“……”

“If things go south even a little bit, and the tiger cub backing Oh Seong-jin rears its head, who do you think it will devour first? Oh Seong-jin will be the first to die. I won’t leave that ticking timebomb.”

“…….”

Taeshin still frowned, unsatisfied with Baek’s response.

But often Baek’s words, though incomprehensible initially, revealed themselves as wisdom with time. After all, he had clawed his way to the pinnacle of this dangerous world and survived for decades. Ironically, his life was now threatened not by bullets or blades, but by a small mass in his vessels.

“It’s about Han.”

Not long after leaving the estate and getting into the car, Jun-ho sitting in the passenger seat spoke up.

“What about Han?”

“How long are you going to keep him there? If you’re not going to have him work the 15th floor or do anything, wouldn’t it be better to just let him go?”

Logically, it made the most sense. There was no need to keep Han at the building housing Tacenda if it meant taking on unnecessary risk.

However, imagining Tacenda without Han for a moment, Taeshin shook his head.

“No, that won’t do.”

Giving a firm refusal, Taeshin slowly averted his gaze forward and turned to look out the window. Gray buildings flashed by on both sides of the road under the black sky.

Then his pocketed phone began to ring, like it was tapping on his frazzled mind. The screen displayed a name that never failed to unsettle him whenever mentioned.

He had called this person before but never received an answer.

Taeshin’s fingers, frozen over the screen, slowly descended and touched the answer button.

“Han…?”
…..

But there was silence on the other end, only the sound of ragged breathing.

Was he perhaps crying?

“Tell me. I’m listening.”

At the voice coming through the receiver, Han’s use of his name sent an odd tremor through Taeshin’s chest. After a brief silence, Han spoke with great difficulty in a voice thick with emotion.

“Help me…..”

Taeshin immediately instructed the driver.

“Go to Tacenda. Hurry.”

As Myung-seob floored the accelerator, their car shot forward like it was propelled onto the road.

As they neared the hotel building, the flashing lights of an ambulance and police cars occupying the street first caught Taeshin’s attention.

Before the car had fully stopped, Taeshin got out and rushed towards Tacenda’s entrance. Jun-ho, who also exited, immediately ran towards the police officers in reflective vests to find out what happened.

In front of the long flowerbed by the entrance, men in black suits stood in small groups, smoking in a gloomy atmosphere. Spotting Taeshin, they all bowed in greeting.

“What’s going on?”

To Taeshin’s question, some looked disconcerted but no one answered. Likely they didn’t know exactly what had happened either.

Unable to get any information, Taeshin swiftly brushed past them into the entrance.

The counter was vacant, Jina nowhere in sight. Taeshin asked a nearby waitress.

“Where is Manager Im?”

“It’s her day off today.”

As if drawn by the commotion, Taeshin headed towards the source of noise. The hallway was littered with shattered decorative vases, signs of a scuffle.

Amidst the shattered glass and trampled flowers in the middle of the corridor, Woo-sin in a waiter’s uniform was talking to two police officers, seemingly being questioned.

Just as they passed, paramedics came out of Room 1 wheeling a gurney. Taeshin’s unsteady gaze quickly registered the person lying on it – Yoo-jung.

Yoo-jung, in a white dress, had her abdomen completely drenched in red. Her exposed face and hands were drained of color, lying motionless as if dead.

The closer he got to the open door of Room 1, the harder his heart pounded. And upon entering, Taeshin found Han sitting crumpled on the floor.

Han was drenched in blood, flailing in a puddle as if unable to discern dream from reality. His unfocused eyes were fixed on the blood-soaked sofa where Yoo-jung had lain.

Myung-seob, following behind Taeshin, stepped forward to pull Han up from the glass-strewn floor.

“Don’t touch him!” Taeshin thundered.