The Unbelievers Chapter 60

Some among the Elders’ Council harbored resentment toward Chairman Yoo’s son, who was increasingly establishing himself as the successor. Elder Kwon, who offered a handshake to Yoo Siun, was one of them. He had been caught by Yoo Siun last summer while digging into the corruption of the Seongha Group, and they had decided to join forces.

Yoo Siun spoke quickly while shaking his hand.

“If you act like you know me even this much, people will find it strange. Just shake hands and pass by.”

“Right, that was my intention.”

It was awkward to simply ignore Yoo Siun standing in the way, yet they were not in a position to have a serious conversation; thus, Elder Kwon let go of his hand immediately and moved aside after offering a hypocritical smile and a greeting with the minimum amount of etiquette. Where he was headed, a newly recruited Senior Superintendent General was introducing himself to the powerful figures, seemingly impressed by the fire show he had just seen as he chattered away about it.

Yoo Siun pretended to hold his place awkwardly as a junior member of the family, giving Master Manpo only a look that said he would contact him later before slipping out of the Main Hall.

He was heading toward the parked car with Manager Nam when someone called him from behind.

“Siun.”

He had already sensed it, but Yoo Siun, who had been moving hurriedly as his ill-concealed anxiety finally showed in his attitude, flinched.

He swallowed hard. He slowly turned around. It was Chairman Yoo, the head of the Seongha Group and the practical leader of this cult group along with the Apostle of the Elders’ Council.

The numerous murders Chairman Yoo had committed flashed through his mind. A benevolent smile was etched on a face that considered it natural to sacrifice those who opposed them to maintain strength and protect power.

Yoo Siun reflected on the handshake he had just shared with Kwon Jun-ho. He retraced whether he had done anything suspicious. Or perhaps the man already knew. Chairman Yoo was that kind of person. He was a murderer who believed in the existence of a prophecy—which half the family did not believe in—like a religion, and committed murder without a second thought to realize that prophecy.

Unaware that a “Great Rift” possessing the brand on the neck actually existed, and not knowing he was being deceived by Yoo Siun, whom he considered the most insignificant, he was the most powerful person in the Seongha Group in name and reality who believed he controlled the entire family; he was meticulously preparing to hand it all down to his son, Yoo Siun’s cousin.

Yoo Siun greeted him politely.

“Chairman.”

“Are you leaving already? Have dinner before you go.”

“There is work at the company.”

“I heard the transportation revenue has grown a lot since you took over. It seems you are managing to run that unprofitable business division I handed over for you to try something with quite well.”

“It is all thanks to your consideration, Chairman. I am grateful for your care during this time.”

“Right, it has already been half a year since your father passed. Nothing unusual is going on, I hope?”

Chairman Yoo asked about his daily life in a casual manner. Yoo Siun consciously tried not to swallow while wearing a hypocritical smile on his lips. Every time his lips twitched as if in a spasm regardless of his will, a chill ran down his spine.

Thinking back to Chairman Yoo’s tracks during his youth, when he would slice open a target’s belly first just to check for a “Great Rift,” made his skin crawl even more. He was asking after him while pretending to be a benevolent and wealthy tycoon, acting like a normal person.

If they found out the target they were searching for so desperately was Eunseong, Yoo Siun’s life would also be in danger. The moment one secured the “Great Rift,” hierarchy and ability would become meaningless, and one would obtain the qualification to rule the Seongha Group.

If Eunseong was that entity, it meant the person who possessed Eunseong would become the successor of Seongha. Yet that entity had attempted a second runaway today. He had vanished meticulously, as if warning that it would be different from the clumsy first attempt.

Facing Chairman Yoo, Yoo Siun was feeling with his whole body what it meant to be driven to the brink of madness.

“You seem quite tense. I’m not trying to give you a difficult task. I don’t do anything reckless to our own family members.”

“… It is because I have a small capacity.”

Chairman Yoo ridiculed Yoo Siun, who was acting out a pitiful humbleness in the face of a clear hierarchy, like a dog hiding its tail between its legs.

Chairman Yoo was not at all wary of Yoo Siun, who merely cleaned up the aftermath of his own deeds. Yoo Siun was a henchman who cleared his trash, just as his father had been.

Chairman Yoo’s cold eyes, which never revealed emotion, swept over the tattoos visible on Yoo Siun’s neck and wrists, subtly showing contempt.

The more the man disdained him, and the more Yoo Siun feared Chairman Yoo, the more a thrill ran down Yoo Siun’s back at the same time. He held the decisive means to subvert that relationship, and Chairman Yoo knew nothing about it.

That wasn’t all. Eunseong showed a side different from resonance. He liked Yoo Siun sincerely. It meant the completion of the prophecy depended on the choice of Yoo Siun, who was at the very bottom of the hierarchy, rather than anyone else.

“If it is urgent, you should go. Still, it doesn’t look good to miss family gatherings so often. In the end, blood is all that remains, so wouldn’t it be nice if we got along cordially?”

“I will make sure to attend from next time.”

Chairman Yoo nodded as if telling him to go. Yoo Siun bowed his head in greeting and turned away. The gaze that had persistently followed his back vanished.

Manager Nam, who had been frozen while watching them from a distance, quickly caught up with Yoo Siun only after Chairman Yoo disappeared inside.

“What did you talk about with Chairman Yoo? Does Chairman Yoo perhaps know about Student Eunseong’s existence?”

“No. There is no way he knows. He probably makes that face because he doesn’t know.”

The look of contempt he openly directed toward him without bother to hide was proof that Chairman Yoo had no idea what was happening right now in places he didn’t know.

“Then what on earth happened? Did Student Eunseong run away?”

“Most likely. Let’s find the boy first. Where did they say he disappeared?”

The name of the subway station with the highest floating population burst from Manager Nam’s mouth. Yoo Siun cursed under his breath. Regret—thinking that this wouldn’t have happened if he had just given Eunseong what he wanted then—and the reason that made him grit his teeth saying he must not do such a thing, were constantly clashing in his mind.

Perhaps it felt more so because it happened to be snowing. Yoo Siun’s heart was heavy. Throughout the way back to Seoul, his brow hardened as he stared at the snow fluttering outside the car window.

Manager Nam had no excuse even if he had ten mouths. If it had been Yoo Siun, he might have noticed. For the past few days, Eunseong had been different from usual. Something was strange. He looked like someone who was hurting, and he looked like someone who had been heartbroken. He lost interest in everything and acted with almost no reaction, whether it was this or that.

A child who should have been full of life—to the point of laughing just by seeing a rolling leaf because the exam was over—walked around sluggishly with his shoulders slumped as if he had lived his whole life and had nothing new left to see. Unlike before, his expression was empty and he seemed to have no appetite.

“I am sorry. I should have noticed in advance. I let my guard down because there had been no such attempts since then.”

“No matter how we monitored him, we aren’t with him twenty-four hours a day. He would have slipped out one way or another.”

Eunseong had attempted to run away before, but Yoo Siun’s reaction then and now was equally different. Back then, he hadn’t hidden his disappointment in Manager Nam, but today he was as calm as someone who had anticipated this would happen.

“CEO, did you perhaps know?”

“Know what.”

“About Student Eunseong running away. You don’t seem particularly surprised. Do you have a reason in mind?”

“I dumped him.”

“… Pardon?”

Yoo Siun spoke in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the snow fluttering over the road outside the car window. Manager Nam frowned with an expression of having misheard and looked at him through the rearview mirror.

“I dumped him.”

“Dumped him, what does that… did you perhaps go to see Student Eunseong?”

“I went on the day of the exam.”

“May I ask… what happened?”

Manager Nam asked cautiously, unable to hide his tension. Knowing the man’s personality better than anyone, he only hoped the worst-case scenario he was imagining hadn’t occurred.

“He said he liked me. He said he hates me, and that he wants to take my clothes off.”

“… Pardon?”

“That day, he clung to me and asked me to kiss him.”

“What?!”

Yoo Siun gave a hollow laugh, finding it absurd even as he said it. He couldn’t believe he could be so bold, so cheeky, so innocent and lovely; he couldn’t believe he was the very person who received such a confession. Furthermore, the “Great Rift” was liking him with his heart and reacting physically as if it were natural for Yoo Siun to become the master of this vast family.

“Did you say no?”

“I said it was not allowed.”

“Haa, no wonder.”

Manager Nam lamented as if he couldn’t believe he had missed that.

“What do you mean, no wonder?”

“Because Student Eunseong’s behavior looked exactly like a heartbroken person. You should have told me in advance…”

Manager Nam let out a pained sigh, thinking that if he had known such a thing happened, he would have told him so he could have tightened control to prevent this kind of situation.

“You didn’t say anything else, right? What did you say that made Student Eunseong leave the house?”

It wasn’t out of curiosity, but a need to know exactly what was said to make the boy leave. Manager Nam watched the road ahead while occasionally glancing at the rearview mirror. There were few vehicles on the highway on a weekday, so they were speeding along.

Yoo Siun’s gaze was still fixed outside the window.

It must be cold; it’s winter; he should have gone to a warm country and disappeared… He should have taken a bunch of money with him.

His chest felt tight at Eunseong’s reckless behavior, acting without a plan and leaving the house in this cold winter.