“Before that, let’s ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) deal with Lee Saseong first.”
At my words, the once lively drinking session froze over like the Han River in the middle of winter.
Park Dongsu’s voice, usually tinged with jest, turned hard and cold.
“Kid, you should watch your mouth.”
“I don’t think it’s sothing that shouldn’t be said. I told you from the beginning when I passed you intel about the War on Cri. I told you not to tell Lee Saseong anything and to quietly hide alone. Why do you think that was? Because I knew things like this would keep happening.”
Park Dongsu’s stiffened face contorted with frustration.
“Fuck. You think I don’t know that? You think I’m sitting on my ass because I don’t? Still, he’s the hyung I served under. How the hell am I supposed to go behind his back?”
I couldn’t hold back a laugh.
There were no other custors in the pojangmacha, so my laughter filled the quiet tent.
But the heavier my laughter grew, the heavier the atmosphere beca.
Park Dongsu glared at with eyes like ice.
“You... are you laughing right now?”
“Seems like you still think we’re in the era where gangsters live and die by loyalty. Everyone knows that’s bullshit now. Even a random high schooler walking by knows better. Are you seriously the only one still stuck in the past?”
“Hey!”
Park Dongsu shouted.
Even Lee Sanggeun, sitting next to him, stiffened.
The smile disappeared from my lips.
“Phew... If you won’t do it, then I will.”
“Let’s not go too far, kid.”
“Too far?”
I looked at him in disbelief.
Park Dongsu spoke with eyes full of anguish.
“Yeah. Let’s not go too far. Even if we’re just fucking thugs, even if we’re just punks who beat people up, we’ve still got so fucking loyalty. Even if the tis have changed, I don’t want to change.”
“Hah... You’re seriously hopeless.”
There was no point in continuing.
I set down my glass and stood up.
I cast a cold gaze down at both Park Dongsu and Lee Sanggeun.
“Let’s cancel our agreent. I’ll help make sure this coup incident gets wrapped up cleanly, but after that, we’re done.”
“Hey! Kim Muhyuk! Sit your ass down.”
Park Dongsu shouted in anger.
But I was even angrier.
“Hah... You still see as that high schooler crying on the hospital rooftop? You want to dismantle your whole organization? I can make it happen with a single phone call.”
Park Dongsu was left speechless, just staring at .
A wave of oppressive energy hung between us.
“Even after all this, you still haven’t learned anything? Or are you just looking down on ?”
I knew that if I let this slide without settling things now, nothing would ever move forward.
I ca here ready to draw the line.
Park Dongsu was a good man... but that was exactly the problem.
“Everything I did for you until now ca from my goodwill. Did I ever ask you for anything? Did I ever beg for help? Why do you keep making lose the trust I had in you?”
“Kid...”
He tried to say sothing in his defense, but I cut him off coldly.
“I’m warning you now. You deal with Lee Saseong yourself before the end of this month. And by October at the latest, get ready to expand into Seoul and contact . If you haven’t handled him by then, I’ll take care of it myself.”
Park Dongsu stared up at , wordless.
“The mont he sent a knife my way through Byun Seongho, he stopped being soone who could live comfortably. Whether he ordered it himself or not doesn’t matter. You know that, don’t you?”
I saw his fist tighten on the table.
“Take a look at what happens to Byun Seongho tomorrow. Make your decision wisely. I want to work with you. But if you don’t finish cleaning up Busan by October, we’re through.”
“...Muhyuk.”
As the tension grew unbearable, I shot a warning glance at Lee Sanggeun, who had been reaching toward his ankle.
“Lawyer Lee, you be careful too. I’ll let it go this ti, but don’t ever think about drawing a blade in front of again. If you do... I’ll make sure you see the things you treasure most get torn apart.”
I turned around without rcy.
Neither Park Dongsu nor Lee Sanggeun said a word.
As I pulled aside the tarp at the entrance and glanced back at them—
“If you get everything sorted by October, maybe I’ll call you ‘hyung’ then.”
That was the last thing I said before I left.
‘Damn it...’
As I walked to the car parked nearby, my mouth tasted bitter.
I had to draw the line... but still, I couldn’t help feeling sour.
Guess I’ll call Myungsoo or Hyunseong and go drink.
Trying to shake off the irritation, I got in the car.
The sound of the door slamming shut echoed harshly.
* * *
After Kim Muhyuk left, the two sat in silence, just drinking.
“Phew...”
At Park Dongsu’s sigh, Lee Sanggeun poured him another shot of soju.
Dongsu emptied the glass in one go, then spoke with a complicated expression.
“Sanggeun-ah.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“That kid’s... damn stubborn, huh? It pisses off, but I can’t even be mad. Shit, he’s not wrong. Fuck, what have I ever done for him that he’d help out when I got arrested?”
“Hyung...”
Even after opening his mouth, Park Dongsu just sat in silence for a long while with a dark expression before slamming his glass on the table.
“Go et with Brother Saseong. He’s never seen your face, so it’ll be easier. Go and... tell him it’s ti to step down. I’ll take responsibility for his family to the end. Got it? Tell him that’s the best I can offer him.”
“...”
Park Dongsu bit his lip with a pained expression.
“And... it’s not like we can keep playing thug and still make a living. I know what Muhyuk ant. I know. Fuck, it sucks. I got no money, no education—this is all I know how to do...”
“...I feel the sa.”
“Yeah. In the end, everything moves with money, right? We’ve got to adapt. Once you et Brother Saseong, let’s wrap things up cleanly in Busan and head to Seoul. Let’s live like kings there.”
“...Yes, hyung.”
His expression faint, Park Dongsu shook his head like he was trying to toss off all the thoughts.
“Let’s leave the headache for tomorrow. Tonight, we drink. Drink till we die! Maybe then I’ll finally sleep.”
As Dongsu raised his glass, Sanggeun lifted his own with both hands and lightly tapped it against the bottom of Dongsu’s.
Mid-sumr at Jagalchi Market.
Outside was loud with people singing and chatting, but inside the pojangmacha, it was like a completely different world—quiet.
The next morning, when they showed up to the office hungover, they were greeted by shocking news:
Byun Seongho had been found hanging in his cell, dead by suicide.
* * *
Seoul Detention Center.
In the attorney visitation room, Cheon Sooman was waiting for his younger brother.
Monts later—
Cheon Suhan entered, accompanied by a guard, and lit up with a smile when he saw his brother.
“Hyung!”
“Phew...”
Sooman sighed as he looked at him.
“Attorney Park, can we speak privately?”
“Yes, of course.”
The man called ‘Attorney Park’ gave a glance to the guard, who then removed Suhan’s handcuffs and left the room.
“I’ll return later. Please proceed.”
With a polite bow, the lawyer exited.
The room fell into a brief silence.
Sooman was the first to speak.
He slid a boxed al, prepared at a hotel, across the table toward Suhan.
“Eat. Is detention center food tolerable?”
“Hah, it’s shit. The solitary cell’s so cramped it’s insane... and the sll—fuck .”
Suhan grumbled and quickly opened the al.
“Still, this place runs on money too. I can buy smokes under the table, the guards are friendly. It’s manageable.”
He stuffed his mouth with food, chewing greedily. Sooman watched him with a pitiful look and spoke.
“But Suhan.”
“Huh?”
Suhan looked up mid-bite.
Sooman stared at him expressionlessly.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
“About what?”
Sooman kept staring without answering.
Suhan tilted his head, sensing the tension.
“What? What? Just say it.”
“What’s with the pachinko crap? You think it’s okay to sche with Assemblyman Kim without telling ? And now your na’s getting thrown around as the ringleader? What the hell were you doing?”
Cough cough.
Suhan choked and grabbed water, coughing as he drank.
“Shit, almost died. That... Hyung.”
“Don’t beat around the bush. Tell straight. I need to know if I can still trust you. If we can still work together.”
Sooman’s tone was unwavering.
Suhan looked at him blankly.
“...What, you think I committed so cri? The in-laws said they couldn’t trust anyone but family. What was I supposed to do, say no? They told not to tell anyone, so I kept my mouth shut. Even so, saying that to now when I’m locked up—isn’t that a bit much? When have I ever disobeyed you?”
Suhan protested, aggrieved.
But Sooman’s expression didn’t change.
“That’s it?”
“What else? What do you want from ?”
“So you went ahead without telling , just because Assemblyman Kim asked? And we’re not talking pocket change—this was billions in play.”
“What power do I even have? I have to worry about my father-in-law, our dad, you—hell, now even that brat of a nephew. What am I supposed to do?”
“You sound pretty resentful.”
“Wouldn’t you be? Dad didn’t even try to help . Just threw in here. And now you co acting like I’m a criminal. What am I, the village idiot? Why the hell is everyone losing it on ?”
Suhan finally raised his voice. But Sooman spoke flatly.
“I told you. Once the old man dies, I’d take care of everything. But how can I take care of soone who goes behind my back, stealing from the family? Isn’t that right, Suhan?”
“What...?”
“This is the last ti I’ll say it. Just stop everything and do only what I tell you. I’ll make sure you have enough to live without any trouble. But don’t get greedy. Stay in your lane. Got it?”
“...”
“Think hard while you’re in here. If anything like this happens again, I’ll have to reevaluate everything about you. Let’s not turn into one of those chaebol families that end up at each other’s throats.”
Suhan said nothing for a long ti, then finally lowered his head.
“...Got it. I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I shouldn’t have co all the way here to say this stuff either. But we needed to be clear. No secrets between brothers, right? And if you’re upset with about anything, say it next ti. I’ll visit more often.”
Sooman stood and patted Suhan’s shoulder a few tis before leaving.
Both n had completely different thoughts swirling in their minds.
Sothing’s fishy. I need to put soone on him to make sure he doesn’t try anything.
At this rate, I’ll just get used and tossed aside. I need to find a way out—fast.
To Kim Muhyuk, tossing him into jail had been a petty act of revenge.
But it left behind a small ember smoldering between the Cheon brothers.
* * *
I was originally planning to return to Seoul with my friends, but then my grandfather contacted unexpectedly.
So I drove up to Seoul alone, a few days ahead of schedule.
As I sped along the highway, my mind wandered.
Two weeks from now, the Real-Na Financial Transaction System goes into effect.
Stock prices will plumt to their limit down, again and again.
Thinking over how to prepare for the chaos to co, I suddenly found myself in Pyeongchang-dong.
“I’m back, Grandpa.”
“You’re early. Go change and co out. We have sowhere to go.”
“Excuse ? Sowhere?”
“You’ll know when we get there.”
Soon after, I got in the car with him.
“How’s your grandmother-in-law?”
“She’s doing well, sir.”
“That’s good. Did seeing your grandmother cheer you up?”
“Yes!”
My grandfather looked at the smile blooming on my face with sothing close to bittersweetness.
“Would’ve been nice if she ca to Seoul too...”
“She probably wouldn’t have lasted here. She’s never once left Busan her whole life. I figured a strange environnt would be too hard on her. That’s why I didn’t push her.”
“Haha, still, you sure look brighter after visiting Busan. You look good.”
After that, he didn’t say much more.
Was it just my imagination, or did I sense a faint sadness and disappointnt in his expression?
I couldn’t quite describe the disconnect I felt between the Cheon Taesan of the past and the grandfather before now.
Eventually, the car stopped.
We had arrived at the ho of the honorary chairman of Daehyeon Group—the number one chaebol family in all of Korea.
< Fracture Between the Cheon Brothers? > End
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