A Scorching Day Chapter 55

“Were you resting?”

The man who entered the room was alone. He glanced briefly at the boy crouching in the darkness.

“Without even turning on the light.”

Ki Woohyun spoke as if scolding, and turned on an indirect lamp. Under the dim light, Ki Joon’s appearance, which had worsened noticeably overnight, was revealed.

“Well, you’re young, so I suppose you’d have no interest in gatherings of adults.”

“…”

He concluded thus and stretched his lips into a long line. His chest seethed with indignation. If he could, he wanted to crush Ki Woohyun’s smiling face and ask him what he was so satisfied about.

“Your grief must be great.”

A greedy hand laden with gold rings grasped the grown boy’s shoulder. When Ki Joon expressionlessly slapped his hand away, Ki Woohyun let out a fierce laugh.

“Don’t think I’ll put up with your childish tantrums forever. You’ll be an adult yourself in just a few days, won’t you?”

“…”

“Always keep in mind that there are many eyes watching. What you did at the hospital earlier crossed the line by a long shot.”

He rummaged inside his jacket and found his cigarette case. Despite the clear no-smoking sign in the room, he casually took one out and put it between his lips.

“Our little Joon sure has a vivid imagination. Don’t you think?”

Harsh smoke was blown into Ki Joon’s face. Through the hazy smoke that covered his vision, Ki Joon stared up at him without blinking.

“No matter how much of a shithole this world is, how could I possibly lay a hand on my own brother—”

“It’s true that you did it, Uncle.”

“…What?”

“Otherwise, why would a person who was perfectly fine for a year suddenly die? What could cause a person quietly wearing an oxygen respirator to suffer brain damage from hypoxia? And timed exactly for the day I left on my trip.”

Ki Joon’s eyes gleamed dangerously. In a space with just the two of them, Ki Joon no longer felt the need to be polite.

“Do you even realize what you’re saying?”

“You tried to kill me nine years ago too. An unconscious father lying there would have been even easier.”

“You still haven’t escaped that delusion.”

Ki Woohyun shrugged and grinned. He continued speaking, unfazed by Ki Joon’s fierce glare.

“Do you have evidence? A witness?”

“…”

Even as his anger surged to its limit, Ki Joon wasn’t so reckless as to mention Manager Hwang’s name. He silently bit his lip.

“You should climb in moderation. I was willing to generously overlook your impertinence, thinking you must be disoriented from your recent bereavement. But enough is enough.”

Ki Woohyun stretched his lips into a long line. Despite his nephew’s clear hostility, his attitude remained relaxed.

“Even my late brother used to say that a disobedient bastard needs the stick… but it’s not a good look for me to personally discipline my own nephew, so let’s leave it at that.”

Force went into his tightly clenched fist. But Ki Joon closed his eyes and suppressed the surging anger. Manager Hwang’s face came to mind, preventing him from charging in recklessly. The man who had tried to make sure he ate somehow, who had said he was family too, who was sometimes more of a father than his own father.

Seeing Ki Joon’s silence, Ki Woohyun spoke in a magnanimous tone.

“We’re really the only ones left now, aren’t we? It’s time to let go of these useless illusions of the past. Pull yourself together and make sure you secure your own share. Only then can my brother rest in peace.”

His slimy smile as he poked Ki Joon’s shoulder was disgustingly repulsive. His words, pretending to care for his father, were even more loathsome.

“Graduation is soon, right? Come work under me right away and learn the ropes. You’ve got a good fist, so build yourself up steadily from the bottom. That way, the ones who’ll come under you in the future will acknowledge you too. So first of all…”

“Why would I come work under you, Uncle? Who said I wanted to be a thug?”

A hollow laugh escaped him in disbelief. Ki Joon snarled in a fierce tone.

“Don’t play games with my share of the inheritance and just give it to me in full. That’s all I need.”

“You’d be satisfied with just that? Even though it’s the company that bears your father’s name?”

“I never had any intention of joining the organization in the first place. Besides, everyone’s going to carve up Cheonghyeon and take their pieces regardless of my wishes, aren’t they?”

“Truly naive.”

Ki Woohyun chuckled, his deep, raspy laugh. Carved deep into his vile lips was the satisfaction of watching a brat who knows nothing of the world run wild.

Ki Joon gazed with expressionless eyes at the man who superficially resembled his father but was fundamentally nothing like him.

“You’ll soon learn that the world doesn’t run the way you think it does.”

He left Ki Joon behind and walked out of the room. The amused smile on his face quickly cooled. In his dress shoes, he headed back outside the building. Only after confirming he was completely alone behind the building did Ki Woohyun pull out his phone.

“Ah, Mr. Kim.”

The man’s eyes, as he took a satisfying drag of his cigarette, curved like a serpent’s.

“You’ve truly worked hard. Thanks to you, my brother can now rest in peace. I’ve just sent the compensation, so please check it. Since you handled it cleanly with no loose ends, I’ve given you more than the promised amount.”

There’s nothing money can’t do. Faced with this simple truth, people abandoned morality and duty more easily than one might think. After a year of relentlessly tracking Ki Cheonghyeon’s attending physician, Ki Woohyun discovered that he had long enjoyed illegal gambling and was staggering under financial strain.

It was a pathetically easy target. But Ki Woohyun waited meticulously and patiently. Until the directors grew tired one by one, until voices began to emerge that the leadership seat could no longer be left vacant.

The operation was a success. So much so that it was hard to suppress the smile threatening to escape throughout the funeral. Ki Woohyun hummed a tune as he scrolled through his contacts. There was one more thing to attend to.

As soon as the call connected, Ki Woohyun asked abruptly.

“The drugs?”

―Well, half was recovered, and the other half… was lost.

A dark voice reported unwelcome news. Fuck, Ki Woohyun cursed under his breath and tossed his cigarette butt to the ground.

“Contact Gangsan first. Tell him the drugs have been found. And contact the Seonando factory. Tell them to somehow make up the shortfall within three days.”

―Understood, Executive Director.

Ki Woohyun lowered his voice and commanded. Even as he took the call, he sharply scanned his surroundings for any listening ears.

In his lifetime, Ki Cheonghyeon had openly disregarded Ki Woohyun’s proposal to handle drugs. His reason was that the moment they touched the drug industry, even the men they led would go bad—a reason Ki Woohyun found endlessly tedious and weak.

Ki Woohyun couldn’t understand Ki Cheonghyeon, but Ki Woohyun’s opinions had never been a consideration for him anyway.

Ki Woohyun had never once been able to surpass his brother, who was overwhelmingly superior in every way. The bountiful organization Cheonghyeon was wholly Ki Cheonghyeon’s, and despite being his brother, Ki Woohyun had never once secured a satisfactory stake.

His long-held aspirations and thirst gradually turned into resentment. But he endured for a long time. Like a loyal dog, he came when called and lay down when told.

Now it was time to reap the fruits of that subservience. On the fertile land of ‘Cheonghyeon,’ built by Ki Cheonghyeon’s lifelong labor, he could now sow seeds to his liking and generate enormous wealth.

“First, gut that junkie bitch and sell off the parts. Though I doubt there’ll be anything usable once the body rots. And Kwak Cheoljung, the one who screwed her over, too. And what else was there… a kid? One? Two?”

―Just one.

“It’s got a dick, right? Gut that one too.”

―But, Executive Director.

Just as he was about to frown at the unnecessary addition, the voice continued.

―The kid… is quite high quality. Looks to be Cheonghwa-grade.

“…Cheonghwa-grade, you say?”

A glint of interest flickered in Ki Woohyun’s eyes.

This was an unexpected profit. If he were just an ordinary runt, there were plenty like him in the establishments Cheonghyeon managed. But ‘Cheonghwa’-grade was different.

Unlike the run-of-the-mill places that took just anyone, ‘Cheonghwa’ was the top-tier, members-only club that Cheonghyeon managed with the most care. Only a select few VIPs—from top celebrities to political and financial figures—visited discreetly.

Ki Woohyun had originally been in charge of managing the entertainment businesses within the Cheonghyeon organization. The enormous annual revenue from a single dealer was significant, but it was also convenient for entertaining and gifting to others. So the mention of Cheonghwa-grade naturally piqued his strong interest.

“Hmm… Let’s have a look after the funeral. Lock him up in an empty room at Cheonghwa.”

―Understood, Executive Director.

“Stay as discreet as possible. It’d be a headache if any noise came up during the mourning period.”

―I’ll keep that in mind.

After hanging up, Ki Woohyun let out a low laugh. Everything was proceeding smoothly. So much so that the long years of waiting didn’t feel wasted. Prey was dying off one by one before his eyes—all he had to do was open his mouth and swallow.

Now, it was just the beginning.