Small and Fragile Things - Chapter 64

The moment danger was felt, people leapt to their feet all at once.

“What the hell—! Chairman Choi!”

“What did I just hear? Ledgers?!”

Even Chairman Choi paled, because the mention of ledgers was news to him as well.

“You must be mistaken. I’ve never received any such gifts!”

“Neither have I. Let’s go.”

“I heard nothing. In fact, I was never here at all.”

In seconds, the room emptied. Whether the ledgers existed or not, they seemed to believe fleeing would erase the problem.

“Wait—Councilman Kim, Congressman Jung! President Hyun! At least hear me out!”

Chairman Choi shouted after them, but their faces disappeared, twisted in disgust as if filth had splashed onto them.

“You bastard—! What do you think you’re doing!”

Muk-hyun’s gaze, which had been lowered just enough, slowly rose. And when Chairman Choi met his eyes head-on, his chest dropped. Something dangerous was coiled there. He tried to roar, wounded pride demanding it, but Muk-hyun spoke first.

“You’ve made two mistakes, Chairman.” His tone was unnervingly calm. As if he hadn’t just torn this crucial meeting apart.

“First, you touched my people. That made me your enemy.”

“Chief Gu! Where are you!”

“And second, you trusted Gu Changmo too much.”

“…What?”

Unease slithered into Choi’s chest. He called out again for his right-hand man. But instead of Gu, another aide burst in.

“Chairman! Detectives are here from next door. Chief Gu has been taken away in handcuffs, they say he’s implicated in a serious crime. They told me to inform you immediately—”

“What nonsense! Who did this!”

“I… I only heard they came from the Central Police Station.”

Stunned, mouth gaping, Chairman Choi turned on Muk-hyun with a snarl.

“What the hell have you done!”

“I’ve simply returned the favor.”

Muk-hyun’s lips curled as he replied slowly.

“You didn’t think I could do what Chief Gu does?”

“You—!”

“Think carefully. Who do you think can handle things more perfectly. An old man like him, or me?”

“You mean you framed him? You set him up?”

“Didn’t he frame my people first? I just happened to be one step ahead because I know him better than anyone.”

“Ridiculous—!”

“Now you can taste what it’s like to lose a limb, Chairman.”

Choi trembled as if betrayed, but Muk-hyun only sneered.

“You broke the promise first.”

“Ungrateful… you—”

“Yes. You struck the black-haired beast who forgets his benefactor. You should’ve just let me go.”

Pulling out a chair, Muk-hyun sat down and calmly poured himself tea. The clear trickle of water echoed through the tension. Meanwhile, Chairman Choi forced down his fury as he scrolled his phone for the police chief’s number. His hand shook, mistapping, but he forced a scoff.

“Hah! You think a mutt like you can topple me? Ridiculous.”

No way would Choi Jung-do fall because of a bastard son. Even if things had gotten tangled, one phone call would fix it.

“Here it is. The Central Police chief. We played golf just last week.”

He pressed call, sneering loud enough for Muk-hyun to hear. But then, he saw Muk-hyun smirk faintly.

“That chief won’t answer. His long record of bribes has already been reported to the internal audit team. Including last week’s golf game, and the bar afterwards.”

“…What?”

Sure enough, the line only rang, then cut off. Desperate, Choi tapped another number, but Muk-hyun shook his head.

“At this point, none of those numbers will be of use. Don’t waste your breath, Chairman.”

“Shut up!”

“You know me as well as I know you. Do you really think I left loose ends?”

“…”

Choi sank further into dismay. Whatever charges Gu had been dragged off for, if Muk-hyun’s words were true, freeing him wouldn’t be easy. Which meant he had no way to control Choi Hyun now, burning with fury.

I should’ve just let him go.

For Muk-hyun to burst into such a gathering in broad daylight was unlike him. It meant he was unhinged. And a mad dog with nothing to lose could turn and bite its master. After a long, heavy pause, Chairman Choi finally asked, voice leaden.

“What do you want.”

“An answer.”

It was as if Muk-hyun had been waiting for him to ask.

“If you answer my questions truthfully, I’ll stop here.”

He set down his teacup and lifted his gaze. Those sharp eyes skewered Choi.

“Truth?”

But Choi Jung-do wasn’t one to yield easily. A tiger remained a tiger even with its claws gone. He would never bow first, even if stripped of weapons and traps.

“Well. I’ll have to weigh the truth you want against its cost. I’m a businessman. Surely you didn’t think losing Gu alone would make me surrender? At its core, every deal requires fair exchange.”

Muk-hyun sighed softly. He could see straight through that calculating greed. Even in his last breath, Choi Jung-do would count his profit.

“There will be no deal.”

“Then there will be no answer—”

“As I said, you’ve already made me your enemy. And you know me. I never leave anyone standing on the other side.”

No one knew this better than Choi. He had been the one to teach it. Leave no loose ends, destroy completely, crush without mercy.

“This is me being merciful. Even though I already hold enough to destroy you.”

“What—what do you have! You think you can corner me with bluffing?!”

“Chairman. I’ve spent over a decade cleaning the foundation of this family. What do you think I have?”

Muk-hyun’s conviction left no room for doubt. Choi’s face twisted. Silence was an admission. Muk-hyun pressed on.

“The woman you sent back to Kim Deok-gyu. Who is she?”

“…What? Why now?”

Choi frowned, baffled.

“Answer me. You knew from the beginning.”

Kim Deok-gyu’s weakness. The grave he dug for himself. Moon Heesook’s daughter. And Kim Soohwan’s rare disease. The pieces that never quite fit together… it was time for the truth.

“You’re really curious about that? After all this chaos… just for that?”

“All I want is your answer.”

“…It’s done and over. Fine. Doesn’t matter. That girl was… a spare. Like a substitute human, created through genetic engineering.”

But the fog lifted to reveal something far more horrifying. A substitute human… With just that phrase, the puzzle snapped into place. The scattered fragments became a whole. A shiver ripped down his spine.

No…

He could almost smell bl00d. Almost hear a sharp scream. But Muk-hyun couldn’t move, as if a gun barrel were pressed to his skull.

“Kim Deok-gyu’s precious son was born with a rare disease. The only medical option was a bone marrow transplant from a sibling. But his son was the eldest. So what do you think he did?”

“…”

“He created a second child to save the first. Manipulated genes, engineered her. That much, you could call understandable, if controversial. But then, this fool made an arrogant choice.”

Muk-hyun already knew what choice. He had witnessed the consequences himself.

“He decided to hide it completely. To look morally spotless, untouchable.”

Of course he would. That meticulous nature. To bury it so thoroughly no one in the world could ever know.

“With cooperation from his in-laws at TS Medical, exposure would mean ruin not just for him but for their entire family. So tell me, isn’t this a card worth a trade?”

“So… that’s what you were so sure of?”

“Exactly.”

But the blows weren’t done.

“If you’re thinking of using that girl against Kim Deok-gyu, drop it. Once he took her back, there’s no way he left her alive.”

“…!”

“If it were me, I’d have erased even the traces.”

The shock flipped Muk-hyun’s vision inside out. His teeth clenched, when suddenly, his phone buzzed violently on the table. A chill ran down his spine. It wasn’t even close to two o’clock yet.