CTL 22

Does the modern world even have first wives and second wives? That kind of custom disappeared a long time ago, but Chairman Ko still talked about first wives and second wives whenever his mother was not looking.

“You wouldn’t want your one and only hyung to go wrong either, would you.”

“Hmm….”

Yoongeon tilted his head as if he was puzzled.

“That’s strange. I’m not on such brotherly terms with Ko Yoonchul.”

“……So what, are you saying you’re going to drive your hyung into a corner?”

Chairman Ko asked with an awkward laugh. It was pathetic how he asked so sourly when he knew everything. How on earth did he manage to backstab his own older brother when his acting was that terrible. No matter how much he thought about it, he could not understand.

“Surely you haven’t been doing that all this time—”

“How long are you going to keep this up.”

“What?”

Yoongeon said as he exhaled cigarette smoke.

“You must have looked into it as much as you could. Then you should know everything.”

“……”

“About how I’ve been driving your eldest son into a corner. You’re putting on this ridiculous act right now to confirm that.”

It would not look so pathetic if he just got angry openly, but he was truly good at doing things that made him lose face. He probably could not do it this way even if he tried.

“That’s right. I repeatedly stood in your way and interfered with your work.”

“You…!”

“You should have paid more careful attention to your surroundings. You ignored me, thinking I had less power than you, so you don’t even know that it’s darkest under the lamp.”

It is ridiculous how he approaches him pretending it is nothing new, and how he tries to sound him out with his pathetic acting. Yoongeon was looking right through this despicable man’s intentions as if looking at the palm of his hand.

“Curious about what other cards I have up my sleeve? You’re dying to sound me out somehow.”

“……”

“What are you going to do if you find out. Try to persuade me? By bringing up things like brotherly affection?”

What kind of nonsense is this. Yoongeon found it so ridiculous that he scoffed.

“In the midst of all that, you don’t want to be hated by your wife, and when you think about abandoning him completely, you think there’s no one else like this punk. So you tried to sound me out first and then appease me if it seemed right?”

He probably was not entirely without such thoughts. Even after being backstabbed once, it was obvious that Chairman Ko must have thought that since he was still his own flesh and blood, he could use him to his advantage if he coaxed him well.

“You, what did you just say….”

“Your eldest son won’t be able to recover.”

Yoongeon said it casually, but the content was not casual at all.

“You… why are you being like this to your hyung! That punk, to put it bluntly, hasn’t even done anything that wrong! Are you doing this over a few mistakes he made as a child?!”

Ko Yoonchul had bullied Yoongeon since he was very young. At first, he pushed him away when he approached, saying he wanted to play with his hyung, and later he made Yoongeon cry by saying that a concubine’s child was not a real Ko. At the time, he had cried out of unfairness and sadness, but not after he remembered his past. Things like that could not even leave a scratch on Yoongeon.

The fundamental reason he was trying to bring Ko Yoonchul down was not something like that. It was not because he bullied him in his childhood, nor because he endangered his only younger sister, nor because he hurt his mother by calling her a concubine, nor because he endangered the company. These were just reasons that made Yoongeon a little more annoyed.

“That punk, boy! He’s just doing drugs on his own and living as he pleases, so why are you stepping up and wringing your hyung’s neck! Why on earth! If you just leave him alone, there won’t be any trouble!”

Chairman Ko did not know why Yoongeon was trying to drive his hyung into a corner like this. So he made a rough guess, and did not hesitate to criticize and jeer at Yoongeon for being petty for still remembering a childhood mistake.

So Yoongeon blew cigarette smoke right in his father’s face.

“You son of a bitch who deserves to be torn to shreds! I’ve been patient, but now!”

Yoongeon had not started this troublesome business for any grand reason. It was nothing special, just a simple reason. He looked at Chairman Ko, whose face was flushed red as he roared, leaned against the terrace railing, and said.

“That bastard gets on my nerves, Chairman.”

“……What?”

“He was impertinent. Your son, to me.”

Yes, the reason why Yoongeon, who would die on his own when the time came, had taken on this troublesome task was just that.

Because Ko Yoonchul had been insolent to Ko Yoongeon.

“There has never been a single bastard who dared to do that to me and survived.”

Chairman Ko had a surprised expression on his face. He did not seem to properly understand what he was saying.

“It’s been like that in every life. You get it?”

In every life he had lived, Yoongeon had never tolerated the kind of people who dared to talk back to him or act insolently. The only one he patiently endured pain for and acted affectionately towards was Seohwi. There were no exceptions for other bastards.

“You, you crazy bastard…!”

At the words of his still young son, Ko Sanghyun’s face turned red and blue as he roared. He could not contain his surging anger and raised his hand high.

“What, what did you say?! You ungrateful bastard!”

As if to belie his earlier question of whether it hurt, Chairman Ko raised his hand again as soon as he got angry. Forgetting that his wife was downstairs, he spewed curses incoherently and swung his hand.

“……Ack!”

But Chairman Ko could not hit his son as he used to. In an instant, Yoongeon’s hand shot out and grabbed him by the neck, and Ko Sanghyun’s body slammed against the glass terrace railing.

“Heok… heu-eo, heu-eo-eo….”

He rolled his eyes for a moment to assess the situation, and upon realizing that his son had him by the neck, he looked at Yoongeon in surprise. It was a shocking event for Ko Sanghyun, who, despite his age, was a former judo player and still had strength left in him.

“You’d do well to fix that habit of using your hands.”

“Heok…! Cough…!”

But there was no time to remain in shock for long. It was because Yoongeon slammed his father’s body against the railing again. He was shaking him so hard that a thudding sound was made every time Chairman Ko’s body hit the railing.

“St, stop it! Stop it! The glass, the glass…!”

No matter how sturdily it was made, it was a railing made of glass. Even though it was only the second floor, a fall would cause serious injury to an old man’s body. Chairman Ko struggled in terror, but Yoongeon’s face was nonchalant.

If Yoongeon used just a little more force, Chairman Ko could fall from the second-floor terrace. Even if not, a few more impacts could shatter the glass and cause a serious injury. Ko Sanghyun, seized by fear, tried to escape, but each time he did, the grip of his son’s hand on his neck only grew stronger.

Ko Sanghyun’s eyes were colored with fear. He saw a son who was stronger than himself in his younger days when he was active as a judo player. There was no escape. As Yoongeon’s hand tightened, his windpipe was constricted even more. A primal fear that he might die in this state swept over him. Chairman Ko instinctively realized that he was not just trying to scare him.

“Do, do, don’t kill me. Cough…! Wh, where is there a son who kills his own father!”

There was no expression on Yoongeon’s face, which was reflected in Ko Sanghyun’s wide-open eyes. The very face that looked as if it were molded from inorganic matter. It was the face that Ko Sanghyun had always avoided, finding it grotesque.

The Yoongeon before him did not seem human. It felt like being in front of a large tiger. Seeing Yoongeon, who exuded an overwhelmingly dominant aura, he finally realized. That Yoongeon had not been leaving him and his eldest son alone because he lacked power. The realization made cold sweat break out on its own.

“Listen carefully.”

“Ye, yes… I, I, I’ll listen carefully. Carefully….”

“Because he dared to talk back to me—”

“……”

“Because he was impertinent and got on my nerves.”

Thud! As Ko Sanghyun’s body hit the railing again, the sound of the glass cracking could be heard.

“That’s why your son is going to die. For daring to try to be above me.”

“Heok… heok……. Sa, save….”

“Nod if you understand.”

Even while threatening his own father, Yoongeon seemed unfazed. As if that was even more terrifying, Ko Sanghyun hurriedly nodded his head. Only after seeing him act submissively did Yoongeon release the strength from the hand gripping his neck.

“Euek! Oof….”

When Yoongeon suddenly let go of his neck, Ko Sanghyun rolled on the floor.

“I, I get it…. I get it, I get it, so stop….”

Ko Sanghyun said, trembling.

“Your father was, was too harsh…. I’m sorry….”

“……”

He did not dare to look at Yoongeon’s face looking down at him and began to string together excuses. He incoherently said that he was wrong, that he would never raise his hand again.

“Ko Sanghyun.”

And then, he looked down at the half-panicked Ko Sanghyun and slowly squatted down on the floor. It was a delinquent posture that a neighborhood thug might adopt. He sat like that and silently watched his father, then patted his cheek.

“Eu, euk… eu-eu….”

“Shut up, you’re noisy.”

“……”

He had not even hit him hard, but Ko Sanghyun groaned. When he cursed, telling him it was annoying to hear, he shrank back and shut his mouth tightly. Ko Sanghyun glanced at Yoongeon with eyes full of fear.

“Why, why….”

“Father.”

“……”

He called out to him without any expression, but his voice was incredibly gentle. Chairman Ko was surprised by the word ‘father,’ which he had not heard since Yoongeon had changed, but Yoongeon called him one more time as if it were nothing.

“Father.”

“Uh, uh…. ye, yes… my son….”

“Conduct yourself properly.”

“……”

“This is the first and last piece of advice I’m giving you, so you’d better take it to heart. Do you understand?”

“…Conduct?”

“Yes.”

Ko Sanghyun instinctively sensed that the words ‘if you don’t want to die’ were omitted.

“You, you dare…!”

Anger flared in the eyes of Ko Sanghyun, who had succumbed to a moment of fear. Yes, even Yoongeon did not think he would be cowed in one go. He patted his father’s cheek again and said.

“Go. Mother must be waiting.”

Ko Sanghyun’s demeanor as he looked at Yoongeon was extremely fierce, but that was all; he could not do anything.

✧ ✧ ✧

Yoon Seohwi: Executive Director

It was when he was looking at documents after sending Chairman Ko out. Yoongeon, who was looking at his phone absentmindedly when it rang, flinched and stiffened.

“……”

Yoon Seohwi: I’m sorry, but please help me.

It was an unexpected message from Seohwi. Yoongeon hesitated for a moment, but not for long. It was because it was a message asking for help, of all things. When he called him, the call was answered before the ringing tone could even complete one cycle.

[Executive Director. I’m sorry to bother you while you’re resting.]

“Is something wrong?”

What could be wrong. He was even more worried because it did not seem like he would bother to call him on a weekend, especially when he was at his family home, to ask about work matters. Could he be sick?

[Well…]

He hesitated, which was unlike him. Because of that, an unnecessary sense of urgency arose in Yoongeon’s heart.

“What’s wrong. It’s okay, so tell me.”

[Haaa…. I’m sorry. It’s nothing….]

[Yoongeon! Ko Yoongeon!]

“……? Is someone there with you?”

[Ah, let me talk to himmm!]

[Baek Cheongha, wait a—]

[Yoongeon-ah!]

“……”

It was very noisy around Seohwi, so he could not grasp the situation properly, but a somehow familiar voice suddenly cut in between them.

[Hey! Give me your ID! Let’s be mutuals!]

“……Who is this?”

Yoongeon, who was wondering who this person was to be so rude, flinched and stiffened for a moment.

[Who do you think it isss— It’s me, Cheongha. Baek Cheongha!]

“……”

It was the voice of Baek Cheongha, whom he never wanted to encounter again.

[What’s your ID?]

[Baek Cheongha, give it here, really!]

Just as Baek Cheongha was abruptly demanding his ID or something, Seohwi’s angry voice was heard, followed by a deep sigh.

[I’m sorry, Executive Director…. He was being so stubborn that I think I got swept up for a moment. I made a mistake.]

[Yoongeon-aaah—! ID! Give me your ID! He said he won’t give me your numberrr!]

“…Is Mr. Baek Cheongha there with you?”

[Yes. ……He’s always here. He doesn’t go to his own house much.]

He said it as if he had a major headache.

[I said no, but he kept asking for your number, so when I said I didn’t want to, he asked if he could just talk to you once….]

[Ah, really, Yoon Seohwi! Why do you keep stopping me! Why are you stopping me! I told you I’m friends with Yoongeon!]

An angry voice was heard, and soon, a sound as if something was being hit. Sparks flew in Yoongeon’s eyes. Who does this bastard think he is, hitting someone?

[Baek Cheongha, make some sense. Why would the Executive Director be friends with you. Don’t be rude.]

[Doan bee rood~]

[…….]

“……”

Seohwi was stubborn, but Baek Cheongha was one step further. Yoongeon’s head throbbed. He had just pressed the call button, but the decibel level was so excessively high that his nerves were on edge.

“Mr. Seohwi, it’s okay, so please put him on.”

There is no winning against that kind of stubbornness. In the end, it was Yoongeon who gave up.

[I’m sorry….]

[Yoongeon-aaah—!]

“Go somewhere where there are no people.”

[Okay! Just a second— Hey! Everyone move! Ugh, damn it! Move, Moon Beomseon!]

[Euek….]

His surroundings became noisy as if he were moving to a deserted place.

[Alright, no one’s here now.]

“Who do you think you’re hitting?”

[Huh? Who did I hit?]

“Don’t touch Seohwi.”

[Ah, really. I was wondering what that was about.]

Baek Cheongha, who had asked back in a bewildered tone, soon burst into laughter.

[You’re the only one who cherishes him like that. Even his parents didn’t raise him like that.]

“If I tell you not to do it, then don’t.”

No matter how others treated Seohwi, they could not dare to treat him carelessly in front of him. Yoongeon’s attitude was consistent, then and now.

[Yeees, Your Majestyyy. I understand completelyyy.]

“……”

Ah, I’m tired. Yoongeon pressed his brow firmly.

“What’s your scheme. Why are you making such a fuss, even calling me.”

Yoongeon asked, pressing his furrowed brow with his fingers.

[The scheme of wanting to know your ID?]

“I don’t have one.”

He had not even asked what kind of ID it was, but Yoongeon’s answer came immediately.

[Hey, I didn’t even ask what kind of ID it was.]

“Yeah, I don’t have one. I just don’t.”

Even if he had one, he had no intention of telling him. If Baek Cheongha tried to approach him, he was even prepared to deactivate his accounts on all sites.

[Is there anyone who doesn’t do social media these days? Ah, you have one— hurry up and give it to me, give me your ID. Let’s be mutuals on Instar. Huh?]

“I told you I don’t have one. Even if I did, I wouldn’t do it with you.”

[Huh? Why? We’re friends.]

“We’re not friends.”

[Whoa. So hurtful.]

“……”

Seeing the way he talked, he had completely become a modern person. In the past, he at least had the dignity of a divine beast, but now he was a complete brat. A very problematic one at that….

“Anyway, don’t bother that person. He doesn’t like things like that.”

Seohwi especially dislikes things that chirp next to him, draining his energy. That was why he had kept a half-wit like Eunuch Woo, who could not even do his own job properly, by his side, wasn’t it? No matter how good someone was at their job, Seohwi did not particularly like people who were unnecessarily talkative and fussy. Yes, for instance, bastards of the same kind as Im Sunwoong.

[I didn’t bother him? And he doesn’t hate me.]

Anyway, he had meant that he disliked such actions, but Baek Cheongha seemed to have understood it as him disliking him personally. It did not matter either way, so he just let it be.

[You think he’s the same as he was in the old days.]

“……What are you talking about.”

[He’s different from you. He has changed.]