Small and Fragile Things - Chapter 3

Yook Jung-pal, who’d been joking around just a moment ago, fell silent too. Everyone knew — when Muk-hyun made that face, it was best not to push your luck.

“I understand what you’re saying, sir, but for me to handle this…”

“The Daewon file just needs to be signed. The Seohan Bio bid — you’re having dinner with the manager the day after tomorrow. And there’s one ‘laundry job*’ for President Choi Ji-hyun’s side.”
TL/N: *Money laundering.

“For this job — it’s just me, you, Yook Jung-pal, and Gi-seon. No one else.”

“So, what did the Chairman say? What’s he want from that house, huh?”

Muk-hyun didn’t answer right away. He quietly pulled out a cigarette and lit it. The tip glowed bright red over and over as he dragged on it, the heavy silence stretching around them.

None of them were that patient by nature — but with that sharp look flickering through the smoke in Muk-hyun’s eyes, no one dared open their mouth.

Who knew how long they waited like that?

“They want me to go fetch a sacred cow.”

“Huh? Sacred what?” Yook Jung-pal blinked.

“Muk-hyun let out a dry laugh as he tapped off the ash. “He wants me to steal whatever the DA’s got hidden away in there.”

“W-what? Steal it?”

When Muk-hyun laughed like that, the others realized how serious this was.

“Looks like the Chairman wants to use the DA’s dirty little secret to trade for that ledger,” he said.

Chief Jung was the first to snap. “Is the intel solid? What if you break in and there’s nothing? Theft, sir? That place might be under a kid’s name, but everyone knows it’s the DA’s. If this goes sideways, you’ll be the only one taking the fall.”

“Seriously, what the hell is this! Boss, how long’s it been since you got out of  jail— and now this…?”

Muk-hyun just smiled and held his tongue, but Yook Jung-pal couldn’t hold his. He jumped up, furious.

“This is too damn much! Now they want you to do break-ins too? Damn it — forget it. I’ll go in by myself. Boss, you stay right here. If there’s nothing in there, fine, they can come cut me up instead.”

The mood turned ice cold. It was plain as day now — the Chairman was ready to throw his own son under the bus again. All that warm joking from earlier was gone without a trace.

Muk-hyun just chuckled, brushing the back of Joong-pal’s head like he was calming a kid.

“Jung-pal… looks like your big brother’s screwed again. What’re we gonna do, huh?”

Even though he said that, Muk-hyun’s face looked calm as ever.

“First time stealing something in broad daylight, huh?”

***

Kim Deok-gyu, the Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Western District. An unfamiliar name to most regular folks — but ask anyone rich enough to be called a chaebol, and they’d all know it. The man made his name as a “chaebol hunter” back when he was a special prosecutor.

Didn’t matter who he was up against — Kim Deok-gyu always looked down on everyone. Just thinking about that arrogant look in his eyes, like he despised the entire world except himself, made the heavy air in this place make sense.

“W-who are you people?”

Maybe they trusted the tall walls too much. For such a big house, the security was laughably weak. Thanks to Chief Jung’s quick thinking, they slipped right through the front gate and took over the house without much fuss.

Now the woman who looked like she was in charge stood there pale as a ghost, sputtering useless words that didn’t help her at all.

“Do you even know whose house this is? You idiots picked the worst possible place to rob!”

“Hmm, let’s see. Loud lady’s name is… Park Eun-young, right?”

“How dare you touch other people’s things—! Hey!”

“Oh wow, that voice. Want me to shut it for you? What, you gonna call the cops? Really? Don’t think you will, though.”

While the noise went on, Muk-hyun just stood there, quiet as ever.

He stood there with a calm smile, like he was listening to a nice piece of music. From start to finish, Muk-hyun looked relaxed.

The yard he was staring at couldn’t have looked more bleak. Not a single tree or flower anywhere — just smooth gray tiles instead of grass, the same cold gray as the high walls. It all blended together so much that it felt like the space itself disappeared.

One square building, wrapped tight in strong walls. The neighbors had it all wrong — this wasn’t some fancy palace. It was a vault. Or a cage.

If they kept something here, it could only mean one thing — whatever it was, it could never be found. Maybe piles of gold bars. Maybe some woman they were hiding. Maybe a secret child. Who knew.

Muk-hyun finished looking around, pulled out a cigarette like he always did, and stepped toward Park Eun-young.

“I’m saying this for your own good — if you just leave right now, I’ll let it slide—”

“Urk!”

Before she could react, he knocked her legs out and dropped her to her knees, his hand clamped tight around her throat.

“Listen closely.”

Muk-hyun spoke lazily, the cigarette still between his lips.

“I’m here to do a job. Anything that gets in my way — I’m getting rid of it.”

Park Eun-young’s face twisted into a mess. Just seconds ago, she’d been yelling at him — now she couldn’t even fight back, stuck there on her knees, staring up at this calm man choking her like it was nothing.

Muk-hyun looked down at her like he was already bored.

No one felt sorry for her. Honestly, they were glad it stopped there. The other three kept their eyes sharp, watching the area and checking Muk-hyun’s mood.

After a while, Park Eun-young finally came back to her senses. She looked up at the man in front of her.

“Who… who are you?”

Muk-hyun tilted his head, that lazy smile creeping back.

“Does it matter? Even if you knew, what could you do now?”

His lopsided grin made her shiver. She looked down without meaning to.

“Where is it?” he asked.

“…!”

She froze. The question made it clear what they were really here for.

Muk-hyun put out his half-smoked cigarette on her jacket, giving her a soft, chilling smile.

“Show me.”

“I-I really don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“You don’t even have to come all the way. Just tell me what unlocks it — a fingerprint, an eye scan, whatever. I’ll take care of the rest.”

In the end, Park Eun-young, still trembling, got into the elevator with them. It started moving down to the basement.

Muk-hyun leaned back against the cold elevator wall and spoke to the back of her tense head.

“When do you think Kim Deok-gyu will find out about this?”

“I-I think… there’s a misunderstanding. I don’t even know him—”

“Ah. You don’t know him?”

She froze, her face falling. Right then, the elevator stopped.

“Jung-pal.” Muk-hyun called softly.

“Ugh!”

Like it was all planned, Yook Jung-pal and Yang Gi-seon grabbed Park Eun-young in an instant.

“W-what are you doing! This is just a storage room! You’ve got it wrong! Let go—!”

It was useless. She couldn’t fight off people who’d spent their lives handling problems exactly like this.

Muk-hyun glanced around. The basement had no exit except the elevator and one door at the end of the hall. A security lock was on it.

“Card.”

He snapped his fingers. Jung-yoon grabbed the card from her and handed it over.

Click. Creak—

When the door opened, it made a nasty screech, like metal scraping on the floor.

“No! Let me go! You people have no idea what you’re messing with—!”

Park Eun-young finally snapped, baring her teeth as she thrashed around. Yook Jung-pal just hit a pressure point and knocked her out cold.

“Damn. What is she, a zombie? She almost bit me,” Jung-pal muttered, shaking his hand.

“She’s not dead, right, hyung?” Yang Gi-seon asked, propping her limp body up against the wall.

“Come on, rookie. You think this is my first time? It’s just a nerve point, bam—lights out, that’s all,” Jung-pal said, flicking his fingers for emphasis.

They hurried in to catch up with Muk-hyun, but as soon as they stepped inside, they froze at what they saw.

“…What the hell is that?”