40 – How Gangsters Deal with School Bullying (11)
1.
“······.”
Silently turning his body to face me, Hahyeoksu’s eyes were those of someone who had given up on many things.
In his tightly clenched fist, blood dripped down from the palm, and the jaw showed how much force was exerted, with the upper jaw muscles protruding visibly.
Indeed, it was a good decision to follow. If I had let it go as it was, there would have been no turning back.
“Why are you standing there so blankly? Weren’t you going for revenge?”
Approaching Mr. Hahyuksoo, who was silently staring at me with dead eyes, I spoke.
In response, Mr. Hahyuksoo answered my question with a lethargic voice devoid of any strength.
“What does it matter to you? Don’t follow me.”
I strongly felt the desire not to waste energy related to me.
It was evident that he had thoughts of gathering all his strength, even the energy that would be consumed in conversation, to prevent a murder.
The target was likely Geum Duksoo, a troublemaker who almost harassed and killed Lira, and…
“What does it matter? He’s the father of the idol I’m in charge of. As a manager, isn’t it my duty to take care of things even at the cost of both arms?”
Mr. Hahyuksoo himself.
Mr. Hahyuksoo had heard all of Lira’s story, feeling shock and despair at her sincere narrative, and left the place.
Considering his actions, it was only natural for Mr. Hahyuksoo to direct his anger towards the cause that made Lira express her life as despair.
Therefore, I couldn’t leave Mr. Hahyuksoo alone.
“The idol’s manager…? A manager?”
“Yes, Lira. She decided to become a trainee at our entertainment company.”
Of course, it was a lie. Lira had mentioned becoming a trainee, but I hadn’t accepted it yet.
It’s absurd for a minor to sign a contract as an idol trainee without parental consent. Nonsense.
But for now, even if I had to lie, I couldn’t leave Mr. Hahyuksoo alone.
Mr. Hahyuksoo had always adamantly denied Lira’s uncertain and unsafe dream, similar to that of an idol. Even when she rebelled for the first time, he only acknowledged the rebellion but not the dream.
So, the statement of becoming an idol trainee would have an impact on Mr. Hahyuksoo.
Thinking that way, I tried lying about becoming an idol trainee.
“······Well, if that makes Lira happy. I guess there’s no other choice.”
After a brief pause, surprisingly, he readily admitted that Lira had become an idol trainee.
“Then go. I have no business with you, and I don’t care about whatever you do.”
Uh, uh, uh. It shouldn’t end like this. How on earth did a person who insisted that I should work in a safe office suddenly become a generous person acknowledging his daughter’s uncertain dream!
The situation was too urgent to be caught up in such concerns. I had to cut the confusion short and act quickly.
“hehehehe! No matter what, I have a lot of work from my father! Right now, my father is determined as the head of the company’s resolution, bravely walking the difficult path, and as his manager, I must follow!”
I quickly stuck to Ha Hyuk-soo, ready to deliver the story that would inevitably make him stop.
“There’s only one so-called top celebrity, and he’s not even popular. The major shareholder who provided the initial funding is a former gangster, and the CEO is a completely fallen producer. And the assigned manager is a former convict, me. But still, with someone like Lira, success is certain. I plan to manage her properly.”
Except for the part about managing properly, everything was true, but Ha Hyuk-soo had no way of verifying the truth of my words.
“But if my father suspects that you’re harming Lira, I’ll be in big trouble. We gathered all the resources of our company to turn Lira, a gem like her, into the best product. If someone interferes? Oh. Just imagining it is terrifying!”
I didn’t know that saying things I didn’t mean would be so difficult.
I had never thought of idols as products.
In the first place, the money I could earn from my original job before going to prison was more than what I could earn by creating idols.
But to grab Ha Hyuk-soo’s attention, I had no choice but to tell such lies.
“······What?”
And fortunately, I achieved my goal of diverting Ha Hyuk-soo’s attention instead of becoming a wicked manager who treated another person’s precious daughter like a product.
Okay. Until now, he heard my words with one ear and let them go with the other, but now it’s different. Even if the look in his eyes is filled with negative emotions, at least he’ll listen to me.
So from now on, I just have to utter magical words that provoke Ha Hyuk-soo’s anger and make him unable to resist me.
With a performance of acting as a loyal servant that I had never done in my life, I unfolded magical words spoken in a tone that made irritation boil up just by listening.
“But fortunately, at this very moment, our father is heading to the gambling den? If we lend a hand just once, he won’t be able to tackle the day just by recalling today’s events. As a manager, there’s no choice but to follow.”
“······.”
Just listening won’t cut it. Let’s poke a little harder.
“Taking a life might be easy, but getting rid of it isn’t as simple.”
“······!”
As soon as I uttered the words ‘taking a life,’ Hahyuksoo’s eyebrows twitched noticeably.
Caught.
A bit more prodding, and it seemed like I could lift Hahyuksoo onto the prepared board.
“Don’t casually leave traces; they might get discovered a few years later. With the recent advancements in technology, they can easily find the culprit, you know?”
If Hahyuksoo ascends on that board by himself, everything will be resolved. No, even if it doesn’t resolve everything, at least it can prevent the worst-case scenario. And beyond that, we might be able to achieve the best results.
I exerted all my efforts to untangle the web around Lira and Hahyuksoo, aiming for the completion of the big picture that could solve all their problems.
“But Hahyuksoo seems like an amateur to everyone, right? He probably only did Taekwondo back in the day, never tried murder or corpse disposal, right? But if you keep it that way and later it’s revealed that Hahyuksoo is the culprit, all the backlash will fall on Lira.”
“······.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“So, that’s where I come in. I’m needed there. An expert in this field! In the old days, I was called the Specialist of Corpses, Yu-Gi-Oh Kang Jinho. Yu-Gi-Oh, the Corpse King!”
This wasn’t a lie.
When I lived in the mountains, I fought and won against beasts, learning how to remove meat from their traces. Jealous of those with various cool nicknames like the King of Hunting or the King of Butchering, I insisted on having a nickname with ‘King’ in it and ended up with the title ‘Corpse King.’ Back then, it just felt good to be a king, but thinking about it now, it’s quite amusing.
Anyway, I was a Specialist in Corpse (beast) Disposal. So, speaking these words felt natural to me.
“······Corpse disposal? You mean the guy with a criminal record for doing such things will be our daughter’s manager?”
And the truth, being weighty in itself, made Hahyuksoo visibly waver, even though he had been unwavering despite all the talk of gangsters and criminals from his established entertainment company.
The sight of Ha Hyuk-soo, trembling like a volcano accompanied by an imminent earthquake, was truly remarkable.
I clapped my hands, provoking Ha Hyuk-soo, who seemed ready to explode.
“Well, what’s the matter? Your father is about to become a murderer. Isn’t being a corpse desecrator better than being a murderer?”
“You son of a b*tch!”
With the final provocation, Ha Hyuk-soo started to burn like a fire that would consume everything in the world.
His foot, tearing through the air with a sound that rendered a clenched fist insignificant, charged towards my head.
Swoosh!
Simultaneously, everything except me slowed down, and the corners of my mouth curled up with satisfaction.
“Father?! I should kill that gangster, not me! This is a case of mistaken identity!”
“Don’t call me father, you bastard!”
Continuing to call him father seemed to have dealt him a small but significant blow, making me feel good.
Good. That’s enough. Just keep accompanying him until he collapses from exhaustion.
I can’t avoid him, catch him, or counterattack.
What I’m aiming for is for Ha Hyuk-soo’s grip on his murderous intent to weaken and slip away.
That’s why I have to receive and endure all the emotions contained in Ha Hyuk-soo’s every gesture, without avoiding any of them.
Only then can we have a conversation.
Whack!
I raised my arm to block the foot flying towards my head, but the impact was much stronger than I had anticipated, causing my arm bone to throb.
The smile that had risen suddenly dropped, and without realizing it, my half-opened mouth was tightly clenched shut.
… This is going to be a long fight.
Beep beep beep beep. Ding! Clank.
With the sound of the door lock releasing, the doorknob turned.
Simultaneously, Choi Ha-an swallowed dry saliva.
Gulp.
Choi Ha-an. Keep your face stern. Don’t relax. Express with your whole body that you’re feeling upset.
Choi Ha-an, who was sitting on the sofa without watching TV, stood with her arms crossed as she heard the sound of the elevator stopping on the fourth floor and coming out in front of the entrance.
She was staging a protest against Kang Jin-hyuk for leaving her behind and wandering around looking for other women.
Of course, even though it was a protest, she only intended to receive his coat and prepare bathwater with a cold attitude. Anyway, it was still a protest.
Just come in. Choi Ha-an will personally show you why she was called a possessive person.
While Choi Ha-an was fueling her grudge against Kang Jin-hyuk, the entrance door she had been waiting for cautiously opened with a creaking sound.
“······Ah, hello?”
And there was Harira, as if she had come on a trip, carrying a large backpack.