Winter Season - Chapter 24
“One pack of Esse, please.”
The convenience store clerk handed over a pack of cigarettes. After checking the pack, Yi-hyeon inserted his card into the reader. Just then, his phone buzzed.
He thought it was a payment notification, but when he glanced down absentmindedly at the screen, an unfamiliar address appeared.
[52, 4th floor, Gawon-ro 27-gil]
What is this?
It was from an unknown number. A mistake? As he was about to put his phone away, it vibrated again.
[Be there on time. 8 PM.]
The message immediately brought Seung-hyeok’s face to mind. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t heard from him at all since the day he went to borrow money. It had been bothering him.
Rather than replying with Who is this?, Yi-hyeon stepped out of the convenience store, pulled out a cigarette in the alley, and lit it. His gaze, fixed on the message, remained calm and unreadable as usual.
“……”
Was this about what he had mentioned before? Was he finally getting serious about it? Most likely, he was calling him to explain the details. Yi-hyeon had no clue what Seung-hyeok was going to say, but he had a strong feeling it wouldn’t be anything legal.
What did he mean by ‘extract information’?
Could he do what Gu Seung-hyeok was asking? No—he had to, even if it was impossible.
There was no point in hesitating now, yet his mind was tangled with thoughts. Letting out a long sigh mixed with cigarette smoke, Yi-hyeon entered the address into his phone.
The red pin on the map showed that the destination was quite far from his current location.
Instead of cutting it close by leaving at the last minute, it seemed better to head out early, even if he arrived too soon.
Flicking the cigarette to the ground, he crushed it underfoot before making his way to the bus stop with heavy steps.
When he got off the bus, he found himself in a district filled with nightlife—bars, clubs, and entertainment venues. But after turning onto a side street behind the main road, the atmosphere changed completely. The alley was dark and silent, contrasting sharply with the loud, bustling avenue he had just left.
At the far end of the street, filled with illegally parked cars, stood an unmarked five-story commercial building—the address Gu Seung-hyeok had sent him.
There were barely any people around. Whether it was due to the neglected surroundings or the abandoned-looking buildings nearby, an eerie, unsettling air hung in the atmosphere.
Yi-hyeon briefly glanced up at the illuminated upper floors before slowly climbing the stairs.
The office was on the fourth floor, wasn’t it?
The building was old and had no elevator. The second and third floors looked like they had been vacant for a long time—bare concrete floors exposed where the finishing materials had worn away, and crumpled rental inquiry papers scattered about.
By the time he reached the fourth floor, his chest was rising and falling heavily. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Yi-hyeon knocked on the firmly shut metal door.
Even though he had knocked lightly, the sound echoed loudly down the stairwell, making an unpleasant, jarring noise. He frowned slightly at the sharp clang.
“Is anyone there?”
Just as he was debating whether to knock again, the door swung open roughly. The gray-painted door was plastered with various advertisement stickers, and beyond it, several men sat inside, their faces filled with suspicion as they looked his way.
“What is it?”
The man who had opened the door scowled upon recognizing Yi-hyeon. Then, as if checking to see if he was alone, his gaze swept past him toward the stairwell.
After confirming there was no one else, the man’s expression shifted from wary to puzzled. He scratched his forehead and raised an eyebrow.
“Hey, did you come to the wrong place?”
Through the slightly open door, Yi-hyeon caught a glimpse of the office interior. In the center, a large leather sofa was occupied by several men, and a table in front of them was scattered with playing cards. They must have been in the middle of a game, as a few still held their cards while curiously glancing at him.
They all had an intimidating presence, but working in a club had made him accustomed to dealing with people like them. Just like at Taeseong’s headquarters last time, it was obvious that Seung-hyeok hadn’t told them he would be coming. Rather than wasting time explaining the situation, it seemed faster to find Seung-hyeok himself.
Yi-hyeon stepped past the man at the door and walked inside. The men on the sofa set their cards down and frowned.
“Hey, kid. What are you here for? This isn’t a place you can just walk into.”
Their actions were quite threatening. Just as Yi-hyeon exhaled and was about to say he had come to see Gu Seung-hyeok, a voice cut in from the side.
“He’s my guest. Mind your own business and finish what you were doing.”
Turning his head, Yi-hyeon saw Gu Seung-hyeok leaning against a separate office door. The men exchanged glances between the two before chuckling awkwardly.
“Oh, the boss’s guest, huh?”
Seung-hyeok smirked. “Don’t just stand there like an idiot. Get inside.”
Yi-hyeon clenched his teeth slightly before releasing the tension and stepping forward. He could feel the men’s stares following him from behind. As he reached Seung-hyeok, the latter pushed the door open a little wider. Swallowing dryly, Yi-hyeon stepped into the separated office.
The room was designed like a large meeting space, with a small study area tucked in the back. Not knowing where to go, Yi-hyeon hesitated, and behind him, he heard the quiet click of the door closing.
“Follow me.”
Standing side by side in the compact space, Seung-hyeok’s stature became even more apparent. Is he taller than before? The thought crossed Yi-hyeon’s mind unconsciously, but he quickly bit his lip and shook it off. Pushing aside unnecessary thoughts, he took a step back and followed Seung-hyeok inside.
“Sit.”
Seung-hyeok gestured toward the sofa with a tilt of his chin before taking a seat across from him. Crossing his legs and leaning back against the couch, he stared at Yi-hyeon intently with dark eyes.
“I thought you’d be too scared to show up. You don’t even know what I’m going to make you do.”
“I didn’t think you’d let me run away.”
At Yi-hyeon’s calm response, Seung-hyeok scoffed.
“Hah. That’s right. We’re not exactly running a charity here.”
While Seung-hyeok sat comfortably, Yi-hyeon sat upright, his legs pressed together. Avoiding eye contact, he kept his gaze lowered to the edge of the table. Seung-hyeok’s brow furrowed slightly at the sight. Twisting his lips into a smirk, he asked mockingly,
“How far are you prepared to go?”
“……”
“You said you wouldn’t dig a grave, but what about other things?”
“You know how to use your mouth and hands, don’t you?”
The taunting tone made Yi-hyeon’s head lift slightly. He knew the remark was meant to provoke him, but his fist still clenched involuntarily.
“And if I do?”
“Are you planning to make me prove it here and now?”
Yi-hyeon’s voice was steady as he slowly raised his eyes to meet Seung-hyeok’s gaze. Seung-hyeok lifted an eyebrow. Holding his gaze for a moment, he then turned away and let out a low chuckle.
“Yeah, that’s more like it. This is the Kwon Yi-hyeon I know.”
Seung-hyeok suddenly stood up and walked toward the desk. He picked up a yellow file folder and dropped it in front of Yi-hyeon.
There was no writing on the cover. Seeing that Seung-hyeok remained silent, Yi-hyeon assumed he was meant to open it. When he did, the first thing that caught his eye was a familiar man’s photograph attached to the top of the first page.
“His name is Gu Jin-hyeok, thirty-two years old. He’s the director of Taeseong Group.”
“And in case you didn’t know, he’s my older brother.”
Seung-hyeok deliberately paused at the word brother. Yi-hyeon’s hand hesitated for a moment.
Brother? Gu Seung-hyeok had an older brother?
A rush of old memories swirled chaotically in his mind, making his usually unreadable expression contort into a frown. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he turned his gaze back to the document.
The man, with sharp features and cold eyes behind silver-rimmed glasses, was someone Yi-hyeon had seen before. He had come looking for Seung-hyeok in the chief’s office, and last time at the main headquarters, he had even helped him.
Back then, Yi-hyeon had simply thought of him as just another good-looking man with striking features. But now that he knew he was Seung-hyeok’s brother, his gaze suddenly felt much icier.
Licking his lips briefly, Yi-hyeon slowly turned the pages. The thick stack of A4 sheets contained detailed information about Gu Jin-hyeok—his likes, dislikes, favorite restaurants, and daily routines. The file had clearly been compiled over a long period by someone who had closely observed him.
“I’m looking for something. In two weeks, there’s a grand opening party for VIPs, and on that day, Gu Jin-hyeok will have the password I need.”
“Your job is to be by his side as his partner during the party and get me that six-digit key.”
Yi-hyeon, flipping through the document, slowly lifted his gaze to Seung-hyeok. His face was completely unreadable, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking. Seung-hyeok, looking down at him, clenched and unclenched his fists.
He couldn’t believe he had thrown out that proposal in a fit of anger—half out of frustration, half out of mockery—just because Yi-hyeon had the audacity to sit there with such a clueless expression while asking for money. Seeing him sitting there so nonchalantly, completely unaware of what he was getting himself into, made his stomach twist. Clicking his tongue, Seung-hyeok cracked his knuckles.
The item he was looking for was a new type of drug that had been scheduled for shipment last month, hidden among children’s Barbie dolls from South America. The entire batch, worth around 30 billion won, had mysteriously disappeared during transit through Hawaii.
Chairman Gu assumed the Seungri faction had overstepped their bounds, but Seung-hyeok thought differently. If there was anyone capable of pulling off such a calculated move, it was undoubtedly Gu Jin-hyeok.
Everything pointed to him. The market supply of the drug had suddenly decreased. Jin-hyeok was probably waiting until he officially took over Taeseong’s management before flooding the streets with it at the highest possible price—just as things were on the brink of chaos.
There was only one place where the stolen shipment could be hidden: the soon-to-be-completed luxury lounge.
Through his sources, Seung-hyeok had learned that an extra, unregistered storage space had been built into the design. Rumor had it that access was secured with an OTP code that changed daily.
Even if someone managed to get the password, it would be useless unless they had access to the lounge that night. That made the VIP party their only opportunity.
Seung-hyeok still wasn’t sure if dragging Kwon Yi-hyeon into this was the right decision. But the die had already been cast.
Yi-hyeon bit his lower lip hard. The request was absurd. If the password was that crucial, Jin-hyeok wouldn’t just let it slip. How was he supposed to get it?
More importantly, he and Gu Jin-hyeok had only crossed paths by chance. They had no meaningful connection whatsoever.
“Someone like me isn’t the kind of person he’d get close to,” Yi-hyeon said.
“You don’t need to worry about that. Just sit tight—he’ll be the one coming to you first.”
Comments for chapter "Chapter 24"
MANGA DISCUSSION
Leave a Reply
1 Comment
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Rukia
Thank you so much for this chapter! 😘💕 I’m so excited and scared about what’s going to happen! 😨