IOB Ch 26

“You son of a bitch…….”

“You are actually worried about me, aren’t you? Nothing happened. Really. In fact…… the gut ritual is quite interesting. It is becoming a good experience.”

Yisak glared at me fiercely. Those eyes, so anxious and concerned about protecting me. They were so beautiful it made my heart swell. Yisak is truly softhearted and affectionate. For a Yisak like that, I felt I could really do anything.

In this place, filled with ignorant blind faith, my own blind faith deepened as well. The god of the person spinning around in the center, dancing with a sword, is probably fake.

But mine is real. The object of my devotion, to whom I must dedicate myself, undoubtedly existed. Having escaped from the shackles of a false god, I had finally, at last, obtained the real thing.

My god is love, and his name is Choi Yisak.

۶ৎ

What happened to the fake one. The Teacher burned to death. I was the only one who survived from that place.

At some point, I realized why I was receiving special treatment.

It was because I was the Teacher’s son. The son of that very man who had killed so many people.

He was quite the madman. He suffered from a severe level of narcissistic personality disorder, and until the very last moment, he believed he was always right.

His pathological self love began from childhood. A mixed race child, half French and half Korean. At first, he was discriminated against for being of mixed race, but as the days went by, his surroundings became colored with praise for him. It was due to his musical talent, which transcended his innate ‘flaw’, and his beautiful appearance.

His life flowed along as smoothly as could be. Until his early thirties. It was then, when he was just beginning to make a name for himself as a conductor, that he became embroiled in a sex scandal.

He was a man who was extremely fond of sex, and he was unabashed about that fact. Because it was unreasonable for one person to monopolize a being as beautiful and outstanding as himself. His logic was that he should share himself with everyone.

He dragged people into his bed regardless of age or gender and had relations with them. The relationships that became entangled and layered like that one day caught up with him.

The starting point of the problem was when he not only touched a married woman, but also had sex with her son. After the son learned of the entire situation, he took his own life in despair…… and naturally, the man was blamed by everyone.

However, he did not think he had done anything wrong. Because in his world, it was a right and natural act. On the contrary, he was enraged that the world was unjustly tormenting him. Engulfed in such a frenzy, he got into an accident while driving his car at dawn.

He came back from the brink of death.

He believes that he truly died and was resurrected. That after that accident, he became a being that transcended humanity. The reason I know all these detailed facts is because I have heard his chronicle until my ears were ringing. Though I interpreted it in my own way.

He entered the religious world to devote his life to saving sentient beings. However, I think he chose another path because it became difficult for him to maintain his position in the classical music world any longer. He just did not want to admit that he had failed or was wrong, that man. He had to believe that he was not running away, but was chosen by a new world, in order to protect his pride.

So he leaves the West and heads for the East. He came to Korea with the mindset of finding the origin of his other half blood. In an unfamiliar world, he quickly established himself. His outstanding eloquence and features, which had allowed him to have dozens of lovers simultaneously in his prime, shone this time as well.

He entered a religious order that was a bizarre mix of Buddhism and Taoism and quickly became a key figure. Coincidentally, I was born around that time. My mom never told me in detail how she met him and ended up having sex with him.

“I thought they were similar.”

She just blurted out words like this once, as if in passing.

“Not the face, but that strangely confident way of speaking…… or that twisted gaze, it was similar. He was a person full of yang energy. ……He shined.”

It seemed she had probably seen an overlap with Lee Seonju. The last sentence must have also been directed towards Lee Seonju.

For several years, my mom and I lived alone on the child support he sent. He was quite interested in his child. To be precise, his children. Watching the children he had made here and there grow up, he was in the midst of contemplating who to make his successor.

Actually, in the beginning, I was a son who did not show any particular distinction. He became interested in me when I started making a name for myself in competitions.

“I must make you my disciple.”

He was extremely pleased. He did not let on that he was my father. We never once directly asked or answered about that matter.

At that time, I was in a state of immense frustration. It was because I could not find Yisak, who I had only known by the name ‘Seon-i’. ‘Seon-i’ was nowhere to be found. Even when I asked my mom, she barely remembered anything about Gumi, let alone Seon-i. Around that time, my mom’s mind was already half gone.

I think I had believed that promise to meet again at a competition too naively. I was too young. I should have gone looking for him beforehand. It was a fatal mistake to go to the competition stupidly without any preparation.

And it was the beginning of the lie that would bind me for over 10 years.

He held onto me and asked.

“How did you come to start the piano?”

“……”

“You received my revelation. Yes, I thought so. I have always wanted a child like you.”

He did not listen well to what others had to say, and I dislike saying unnecessary things to others. In that sense, the two of us had something in common.

“Looking at you reminds me of myself when I was young.”

“……”

“Let us go together.”

Though it was phrased as a suggestion, in that moment I was already a captive.

To say it again, my mom was really out of her mind back then. Or perhaps it is more correct to say that she had let go of her mind of her own will. The cause is clear. It was because she had belatedly found out how Lee Seonju had died.

He had appeared before my grieving mom. She received some special treatment at the monastery for being the biological mother of the successor. And she started taking medicine she got from the monastery, a medicine that reduced mental anguish. It must have been an addictive drug, because afterwards, my mom’s dependence on the monastery grew more and more severe.

That man slowly wanted to break away from the existing religious order and create his own organization. A community filled only with people who revered him alone.

When we stowed away and left for New Zealand, everyone looked happy. I was the only one who was depressed there. In the end, I did not get to meet ‘Seon-i’ at the competition. Instead, only an unwanted meeting with my biological father came to fruition.

The first year in New Zealand was surprisingly normal. Everyone learned together how to be self-sufficient within the alternative community. However, as time went on, limitations began to appear.

The farming failed, and food was scarce. As medical supplies ran out, even minor illnesses could not be cured. Things that would have healed in a few days if we had just gone to the local clinic in front of our house in Korea.

People became weak and gradually began to distrust him, the Great Brahma Heavenly King. He instinctively felt that the group was collapsing. Every night must have been terrible for him.

There was no way he would admit to himself that the plan to move to Choseoncheon had failed. Even if he died, even if everyone really starved to death in that land, he would not try to leave.

To control the people, more powerful rules were created. Everyone became more powerless and weak. It was already a place where only those whose loyalty had been proven through various tests had gathered. Even if they held dissatisfaction with the Great Brahma Heavenly King, they did not dare to think of getting rid of him or starting a revolt.

Because the moment they betrayed the Great Brahma Heavenly King, it would be an admission that they too had made a wrong choice. No one did it. Everyone had come too far for that.

On the contrary, they drove out those who tried to harm their beliefs more harshly. They forcibly dragged back those who tried to run away. Like that, people died one by one. As the number of mouths to feed decreased, the food situation improved a little. But there was not a single sane person left.

Whenever my head hurt, I played the piano. It was a cheap upright piano. I played the music I had learned from the Great Brahma Heavenly King for several years, changing it to my own style. If I just stayed still within the flowing music like that, my headache would lessen a little.

I became an adult there. I was strong enough to handle the disposal of corpses by myself. If I had put my mind to it, I could have strangled the Great Brahma Heavenly King to death. What is truly funny is that I realized that fact very late.

Only when most had died, and five people, including myself, were left. I realized that the Great Brahma Heavenly King was an old and pathetic narcissist.

Even though I did not believe in his religion, I was mentally bound to him. I still wonder why that was. On sleepless nights, I think deeply about that reason. Why I could not kill him before everyone died.

When the Great Brahma Heavenly King met his death, I was so filled with ecstasy, but why had I not even entertained such an imagination before then.

“This land has been defiled. We will go to a new land.”

The Great Brahma Heavenly King expressed the idea of a group self immolation in a plausible way. It is not suicide. It is shedding the human shell and migrating to a new world.

Even though the monastery had already completely collapsed, he simply could not accept the fact that he had failed, and was just running away.

I thought my world would forever remain at the monastery and then end. But it was not so. I could get out of here. That opportunity was right before my eyes.

On the last day, the Great Brahma Heavenly King tied everyone except himself to pillars and poured oil around them. He personally fed each of them medicine and knocked them out. The people, who were already lying limp as if dead, all looked grotesque.

I refused the medicine.

“I want to see it with my own two eyes.”

“You are fully prepared to greet the new land. A resolute posture. Good. I will join you.”

The Great Brahma Heavenly King, without taking the medicine himself, threw a spark into the oil. The fire spread from the edges, encircling us in a ring. The Great Brahma Heavenly King sat in the center, in a cross legged position, and waited for the fire. He had a transcendent expression.

I was moving my hands, which were tied to the pillar, back and forth. After loosening the knot with a razor blade hidden in my sleeve and giving it a few tugs, the rope that was binding me snapped.

Just then, the flames were on the verge of swallowing the center. I quickly got up and ran out between the flames. While rolling on the dirt ground to put out the sparks that had stuck to my clothes, a scream echoed from afar. It was the last agonizing cry of the Great Brahma Heavenly King. It was the sound of my father burning to death.

I slowly stood up and watched the flames flicker. Thwack, thwack, amidst the sound of sparks flaring up, screams endlessly intervened.

It was truly ecstatic.

۶ৎ

Those who deserve to die are better off dying quickly. Otherwise, an innocent person dies in their place. I belatedly realized this simple truth at the monastery.

I did not want to be late this time. I have to deal with Choi Byunggwan before Yisak suffers any more. However, I must not fail by rushing into things too hastily. I will finish it in one go without any mistakes.

To increase the success rate of my plan, I decided to contact the shaman I had met at the gut ritual. I did not need to find out her contact information separately. On the day of the gut ritual on the mountain, the shaman had approached me first as we were parting and given me her business card.

‘You have to appease… that aunt Seonju well. You should come and talk a little about your aunt.’

It seemed she wanted to know more about Lee Seonju. If I were to utter a few words pretending to know Lee Seonju and direct the scene plausibly, Choi Byunggwan would believe the shaman’s words even more devoutly. He would believe that the shaman was truly communicating with Lee Seonju.

What a cunning fake. I accepted the business card with that thought.

For me, it was a turn for the better. The shaman was currently one of the people Choi Byunggwan relied on the most, so if I got close to her, it would be much easier to approach Choi Byunggwan.

It was not easy to kill Choi Byunggwan with certainty, as he was always surrounded by several attendants. Unless Choi Byunggwan voluntarily put me by his side. I had to make that old man defenseless. The way he desperately clung to a false god to erase the anxiety and fear that surfaced on his decrepit face. Everything seemed to overlap with the last moments of the Great Brahma Heavenly King.

……Disgusting.

I silently stared at the mirror in the bathroom. It seemed as if he was faintly reflected in my facial features. The strangely un-Korean appearance was probably because my biological father was of mixed race. The eye sockets, deeper and more sunken than average, looked gloomy.

Fortunately, I resembled my mom much more, but he would remain somewhere. Unavoidably. To shake off the disgusting feeling, I tried to focus on what I had to do now.

I held the business card in one hand and called the shaman. All of this took place in the bathroom, a blind spot for our home’s CCTV. Trrr, trrr, after a long while, I heard a person’s voice.

-This is Haewondang. The Bodhisattva-nim cannot take calls right now. Could you please leave your name and contact number?

“Woo Seonrim.”

-Yes, Woo… Seonrim?

The voice, which had been responding in a business like manner, wavered.

“Why?”

-Ah, no, it is nothing. Just a moment. You must be the person the Bodhisattva-nim mentioned. I will transfer you right away.

Then, as if she had been waiting, the call was transferred to the shaman.

-You finally call.

Listening to her slightly excited voice, I fixed my gaze on my reflection in the mirror. It was to feel his traces by finding any features that resembled my biological father, one by one, and to solidify my resolve.

Those who deserve to die must die.

I must kill them. With certainty…….

۶ৎ

Not long ago, I went on stage as a collaborator in a concert hosted by Han Yeseo. I had performed in front of others as a short term part time job before, so I did not feel any particular emotion. It was not a concert of a huge scale either. Although there was a solo part, the stage time allotted to me was not long.

Even though only a few days have passed, my memory of that time is already hazy. What song did I play. It was an enjoyable experience. Because I like to create and feel beautiful sounds.

But what was even better than that was the sight of Yisak running into the waiting room after the performance. He looked at me, holding a large bouquet of flowers in his arms.

‘S-Mr. Seonrim, you did a good job…….’

He was beautiful. He looked as if he was about to cry. Unable to hold back, I kissed him. Fortunately, until Han Yeseo arrived, it was just the two of us in the spacious waiting room.

I, a collaborator who had just performed my first stage, was assigned a personal waiting room. Even for me, who does not know the workings of the performance world, I know that this is exceptional treatment. It was probably due to the influence of Yisak and Han Yeseo.

An un-institutionalized performer with no academic background and nothing to show for except for having briefly received attention from the media in the past. ‘Parachute hire’, the people I practiced with had described me like that once.

‘If you are going to make a comeback, you should at least come back with a decent result from a competition. Even if it is not a classical performance, fuck. If it is going to be like this, why did we pay all that money to go to school…….’

People giggled looking at me. I did not say anything. It was all true, so I had no reason to feel regret no matter what they chattered about.

‘They say the son of Jaeyu Group is backing him.’

‘Based on what?’

‘His face? It must be his face. I heard he is famous on social media. He has marketability.’

‘This is why chaebols…… they only think about what makes money. They do not know music.’

‘Still, the youngest son of Jaeyu Group was a musician.’

‘That is what makes it even more ridiculous.’

But I was angry that Yisak was being criticized because of me. Yisak had done nothing wrong. I was the problem. I felt that I needed to build a career that would be recognized by others again, whether by studying abroad or participating in international competitions.

This was a long term measure I established to solve the fundamental problem, and in the short term…….

I wanted to warn the two people who had bad mouthed Yisak. To not do that. Because Director-nim is a very kind person, if you bad mouth him behind his back, it will surely remain as your karma.

I approached the two people after overhearing their conversation. They seemed quite surprised when I suddenly popped out from behind the corner of the vending machine where I had been hiding. One of them dropped the can of coke he was holding on the floor.

I stared down at the two for a moment, wondering how I should start. That was all. But they both bowed their heads at the same time and watched my expression with an awkward look.

‘You should not bad mouth the Director-nim.’

‘No, this, uh, Mr. Seonrim……. I am really sorry. We, uh, thought you had gone home.’

‘It is okay. But you should not bad mouth the Director-nim.’

‘Yes, yes, of course we know. I am really sorry, but if you could just not tell the Director-nim…….’

‘I will not.’

If I were to tell him, Yisak would surely be upset. There was no reason for me to do that.

‘Yes, thank you so much……. I am really sorry. How about we get a meal together next time…….’

‘No. Not really. But the coke is still flowing.’

‘Ah, ah, I spilled it on the floor. I will wipe it up.’

‘Yes. Be careful.’

After that, the two of them blatantly avoided me. But I had to check if they were bad mouthing Yisak anymore, so I watched and followed the two of them during every practice. Fortunately, it seemed they were not gossiping anymore.

Well, this was a memorable experience from my first collaboration performance.

After that, Yisak became even busier. Because he was running around here and there to promote me, I myself did not see him often. It is truly ironic. In the past, I would have been disappointed and annoyed, but for now, it was rather a relief. Because there was something I had to do, avoiding Yisak’s gaze.

Yisak became more lenient with me in many ways. It seems it is because I was obediently following his words and diligently making music. Moreover, the public’s reaction was good, and there was even talk recently that one of my songs might be used in the soundtrack of a famous film director.

Yisak said that I should create as many songs as possible on a regular basis so that he could pitch them here and there and make the album richer. I moved according to his plan. Since I was living with Yisak, my inspiration never ran dry, and the work itself flowed smoothly.

Around the time when Yisak had developed complete trust in me, that is, the belief that I would live as a model student musician following his will.

I asked Yisak with an innocent face.

“Director-nim. Could you please remove the guards you have assigned to me?”

“……Why? What if you wander off alone and disappear like last time, or something dangerous happens.”

“Where would I go. You are here, Director-nim.”

“……”

“It makes me a little uncomfortable, the fact that someone is watching me.”

I lowered my eyes slightly. The deep set eye sockets that resembled my biological father’s would have been shadowed, creating a somewhat gloomy impression. Did I look like a person ruminating on trauma? Yisak flinched, watched my expression, and then let out a sigh.

“Alright. I will remove the people. Instead, make sure to contact me whenever you go out alone.”

“Yes, of course.”

And a few days later.

I sent a text to Yisak and left the house.

[Refreshing outside]

[I will just watch a movie and come back]

I lifted my head and stared blankly at the CCTV attached to the front door for a moment. If Yisak had checked the text, he would be looking at the home CCTV screen right away. I hoped our eyes would meet.

A reply came in less than a minute.

[Director Choi Yisak: A movie? You should have watched it with me]

A smile spread across my lips. Yisak is lovely.

[You are busy these days hehe]

[Director Choi Yisak: Alright have a good time]

I put on the shoes Yisak had bought for me and headed outside.

Actually, today’s destination is not the movie theater. Yisak must not know where I am going.

I had already gotten rid of the people, who could have been bodyguards or monitors, that used to follow me. The location tracking app that Yisak had installed on my phone became useless a while ago. When I discovered the app and disabled it, Yisak seemed quite disappointed. On the outside, he said everything was fine, that he trusted me.

But I know that Yisak has placed a micro location tracker in the heel of my shoe. Last week, Yisak suddenly brought several pairs of shoes.

‘You will be wearing dress shoes much more often from now on, so for the time being, just wear these instead of sneakers. You need to get used to them.’

I was happy to receive the gift. Just imagining Yisak having packed each pair for me made my penis hot.

But instinctively, I realized that this was not a simple gift. The usual fashion sensitive Yisak would have made me try on the shoes myself and chosen a gift from among them. Even if he knew my foot size exactly. It was not like him to bring shoes I had not even tried on and tell me to wear them every day.

Whenever I was alone, I secretly examined the shoes carefully. For the first few days, I was disappointed because I could not find anything unusual. I felt it would be very sad if my intuition about Yisak was wrong. Because I wanted to understand everything about Yisak.

So, on the day I discovered that the location tracker was inside the custom made shoe heel, I was truly happy. To think that Yisak worried about me this much. It seems he feels anxious if he cannot track my location in real time. He was a lovely person.

I gladly wore the gifted shoes. With a fluttering heart, anticipating whether Yisak was checking my location right now.

But today, of all days, it could not be helped.

I headed to a multiplex where a movie theater was located. I booked a movie ticket with Yisak’s card. After that, in the restroom, I changed into the sneakers I had hidden in my bag. And I put the dress shoes in a locker.

Even if my location signal remained here until the movie ended, it would not arouse Yisak’s suspicion. I had to come back within the next 3 hours. I quickly hurried my steps.

۶ৎ

My real destination today was Haewondang. I had arranged to meet the shaman in person and talk.

I took a taxi to Haewondang using cash. It was money I had saved up, bit by bit, by withdrawing small amounts whenever I had the chance, since withdrawing a large amount of cash at once would be suspicious.

Up to this point, everything was according to my plan.

As I got out of the taxi and was walking down the alley where the shrine was located, a black foreign car suddenly blocked my path. It was not a car I was seeing for the first time. Jiiing, the back door window rolled down, and an unwelcome face appeared.

“Hey.”

It is Yisak’s second older brother, Choi Geonyeong.

“Why have you come here. An influencer who must be so busy these days.”

“……I did not expect this.”

I had not been tailed recently. How did the second brother know and come to this place? The shaman is Choi Byunggwan’s person, so she should not be close to this man. Did I miss something? I felt the blood drain from my body.

Choi Geonyeong said with a sleazy expression, grinning.

“Surprised? I have planted a few people in the shrine.”

One of the shaman’s spiritual daughters? The woman who had answered the phone instead of the shaman when I first called her came to mind. She would be one of the few people who knew that I was visiting the shrine. The information might have leaked from there.

I barely managed to control my expression from scrunching up. It seemed that traitors and conspiracies existed in any group, be it Jaeyu Group or Haewondang. I should have been more devious and thought of several moves. It is my mistake.

I looked blankly at Choi Geonyeong and said.

“Did the vice chairman send you? To watch me?”

“Our hyung? No, this has nothing to do with my eldest hyung. Get in the car first.”

“I have a prior engagement.”

“Get in without another word, you bastard.”

Choi Geonyeong, annoyed, got out of the car and tried to drag me in by force. I grabbed his forearm and stopped him.

“This is kidnapping.”

“Fuck, I am not taking you anywhere! Let us just talk in the car for a bit.”

“Why should I, with you.”

I had never liked Choi Geonyeong. He had been getting on my nerves since the first time I saw his face. His attitude of acting as if he cared for Yisak, as if he were close to Yisak, was annoying.

“Aww, fuck. Why are you so strong.”

Choi Geonyeong could not easily drag me away. I was confident I could beat him unconditionally by force. While living at the SuDowon, all there was to do was play music and exercise. Hanging off a cliff out of boredom was a daily routine.

And the corpses were stiff and heavy. After carrying them on my shoulder and climbing a mountain for a long time to dispose of them for several years, all the body fat in my body disappeared and only muscle remained. A man who lives in the city and rides in a foreign car driven by someone else cannot beat me.

Choi Geonyeong shook his head and shouted.

“Aoh! Let go! Just follow me quietly because it is something that will help the youngest.”

“……This is difficult. I do not have time.”

It was already about 40 minutes after the movie had started.

“The talk you want to have, will it be over in about 10 minutes?”

“Ha, fuck. What is with this bastard. A rude bastard. A young punk.”

Choi Geonyeong muttered, glaring at me. His tone, full of annoyance, was the same as when I had seen him before, but the gaze directed at me was not only filled with hostility. Unlike the first brother who acted like a snake, his emotions were clearly visible on his face.

I let go of Choi Geonyeong’s wrist and said.

“I will give you just 10 minutes.”

Since he said it was something that would help Yisak. I became a little interested in what Choi Geonyeong had to say.

Choi Geonyeong brushed his flushed wrist and got into the back seat. I moved slowly and sat down next to him. Inside the car, it was just Choi Geonyeong and me. The people who seemed to be Choi Geonyeong’s subordinates were all waiting outside the car.

Choi Geonyeong was still clutching his wrist and muttering.

“A filthy tempered, eccentric son of a bitch…….”

“Me?”

“Is there anyone else besides you? Why on earth did you come here?”

“That is what I would like to ask. Why are you interfering with my meeting with Haewon Bodhisattva?”

“It is not interference. I said I will let you go quietly once we are done talking.”

I do not know Choi Geonyeong’s intentions. I tilted my head and silently stared at Choi Geonyeong. His facial expressions were flamboyant. He got annoyed, hesitated, moved his lips, and went crazy contorting his facial muscles all by himself.

“I am busy. Please say whatever it is quickly.”

“……Fuck, the conversation we have here, you take it to your grave. Got it?”

“Um. I will have to hear what it is first.”

Choi Geonyeong rubbed his face with his palm and opened his mouth.

“Do you really… love, that thing, our youngest?”

“……”

“I am asking seriously as Yisak’s hyung.”

“Ah.”

“Do you love him or not!”

“I love him.”

My mood suddenly soured. Who does he think he is to test my feelings. Being nothing more than… a half blood relative to Yisak. It was detestable how he acted as if he were a close person to Yisak. Director-nim does not like you that much. I wanted to say that to his face.

“What are you willing to do for the youngest.”

“Anything.”

“……Can you even kill a person?”

“Yes.”

I was just about to do so. As I nodded my head without hesitation, Choi Geonyeong lowered his voice, even though we were the only ones in the car.

“Then you kill him. I will help you.”

“……”

“For the record, this is a separate request from me, so……”

“Are you saying I should not tell anyone?”

Choi Geonyeong nodded his head and muttered in a resentful voice.

“My eldest hyung has ordered the youngest to do something he cannot handle.”

“……”

“If he gets dragged around by his eldest hyung, he will not live to his full lifespan. Because he is a weak guy.”

“……Are you worried about our Director-nim?”

“Of course. He is my younger brother.”

Choi Geonyeong let out a hollow laugh as if it were absurd. I felt a strange twisting sensation in my stomach.

“You are half brothers anyway.”

“This bastard.”

“Shouldn’t you be more loyal to your full brother, Vice Chairman Choi Jaeyoung?”

“That is why I am secretly entrusting it to you, you son of a bitch. Fuck, you gloomy bastard. What is your scheme?”

“This, well, I am not sure if you really want to be on the same side as me……”

“I heard my father is showing interest in you. In the midst of that, what is your intention in approaching Haewon Bodhisattva separately? You, who told my hyung you wanted to kill our father.”

“……”

“After our father dies, if the youngest breaks down too, our family is finished. We will collapse just like this.”

Anxiety and fear instantly clouded Choi Geonyeong’s face. What is the value that this person worships? What is it that makes this person so desperate? I suppressed the rising feeling of displeasure towards the man named Choi Geonyeong himself and observed him.

Choi Geonyeong spoke quickly, like someone who was being chased.

“Blood is thicker than water, you know. There is nothing we can do about our father because he has committed too many sins. But…… brothers should be forever, right? Don’t you think? Well, you wouldn’t know. Since you are a guy without a family.”

“……”

“Yisak is my real brother.”

“Then is Vice Chairman Choi Jaeyoung a fake brother?”

“Of course I care for my hyung too, but……”

I feel like I understand Choi Geonyeong a little. The type who is thirsty for a sense of belonging and affection. There were quite a few people like this at the SuDowon. The case of coming to find a group to which they could deeply belong because they were lonely.

Choi Jaeyoung would not be able to quench this man’s thirst. Even with just a few conversations, I could tell how thoroughly self centered and heartless he was. It seemed he treated all the people around him as resources, solely for the sake of power.

Compared to that devious and psychopathic first brother, Yisak was a truly affectionate and warm person. Even if Choi Geonyeong clung to him, Yisak would not push him away. He would probably allow him to feel a certain degree of brotherly bond. That is why that man is obsessed. Yisak was too kind, that was the problem. Always.

“……It seems you really care for our Director-nim.”

“You might not know, but our youngest is more delicate than he looks, so I have to look after him well.”

The word ‘our’ sounded grating.

“I know that too.”

“No, you do not. I am someone who has seen Yisak since he was crawling.”

“……”

“I went to all of his graduations, and how many years have we lived together. Fundamentally, I am different from you. Where does the same blood go?”

“You, I think you have a brother complex.”

“Me? That is ridiculous.”

Choi Geonyeong scoffed. I felt my stomach churn.

I did not want to admit it, but it was true. He had something I did not. Because the blood flowing in his veins cannot be changed no matter what. Choi Yisak’s blood relative……. It was a title I could never obtain. It would have been nice if we were born from the same womb.

At least I was confident that I could be a better brother than that pervert who gets satisfaction from being obsessed with his younger brother. I suddenly felt so wronged that my forehead grew hot. I felt the urge to beat Choi Geonyeong until he passed out.

However, I gradually regained my composure with slow breaths.

Separate from the fact that Choi Geonyeong was getting on my nerves to death, in the current situation, I needed to use him. A common ground existed in our interests. Neither of us wants Yisak to get hurt. We want to protect Yisak. Even if it means using the means of murder and betrayal.

Of course, a clear difference also existed between Choi Geonyeong and me. I am ready to step forward for Yisak without hesitation, no matter what happens to me, but that man is not. It seems he has no intention of taking the risk and handling it himself. That is fake love, and mine is real love.

The person who cares for Yisak the most is me. There is no doubt about it. After muttering that to myself, my heart softened a little.

I let out a long sigh and opened my mouth.

“So who do I have to kill?”