“Th- that’s right. …bought the store under the name of… Jang Hyunsik…”
Kang Giha stomped on the man’s crotch, which was stained with urine marks. The lawyer shuddered. He grabbed his deputy and beat him until dawn. He kept his mouth shut until dawn, and when he pushed him a little with a threat about his family, he spilled the beans. The crazy bastard was the real owner…. Kang Giha’s stomach churned.
Kang Giha walked out of the warehouse and got into his car. Yaba’s funeral ended without a hitch under Imsoo’s management. He knew he must act carefully. Just as Yaba was dead to the world, he should be dead to him for the time being. The location tracking device was taken by that crazy bastard, so real-time tracking was not possible, but a final record was left in the data. Yaba’s last record was at the site of the rollover accident, but a few hours later, a signal was recorded elsewhere. The terminal had been ordered, so it should be here soon. They couldn’t track Yaba’s location right now, but they need it to keep an eye on the remaining singers.
Kang Giha climbed into the car and lit a cigarette. He started the car and said.
“There was a hospital near where the chip signal was finally cut off. It’s a hospital known for its neurosurgery, but they wouldn’t tell me if I asked who had been operated on and when.”
“It’s no wonder the bastard did not leave records.”
In any case, he was convinced that Yaba had been operated on at that hospital.
“I checked with the guys, and they told me that Director Cha lives in Traum Palace, a super-luxury apartment for the children of political and business tycoons or the government. The security guard said a doctor sometimes comes in, but he wouldn’t give me any more details.”
His blood boiled. It’s safe to say he’d been holding on by a thread. Yaba was out there somewhere, but he was in a tightly guarded place. It’s one thing to find that crazy bastard’s house in a sprawling complex of thousands of homes. There’s a good chance he’s got a bodyguard at his door. If they go in right away, they’ll make a lot of noise and probably fail. Kang Giha ordered,
“Coerce the security guards successfully, no matter what, whether it’s with money or selling his daughter and wife into a brothel.”
“Yes.”
Kang Giha rolled down the window and blew out the cigarette smoke that lingered inside. Cocaine’s skills had a reputation, but he hadn’t expected it to be this good. If he used this opportunity to get Chairman Cha on his side, he’d have a backing worth dozens of henchmen put together.
But if Cocaine quit Paradiso, they were out of luck. Furthermore, it’s a losing proposition to remove Cocaine’s chip upfront as he asked, when he didn’t know what level of skill the so-called new healer had or what type they were. Cocaine, who was a veteran, was a hundred times better than an unproven newcomer, and there’s no law that said you had to choose one over the other.
The more power a healer used, the less his life became. This means that there was not much time left for Cocaine. He needed a spare. No matter how much money you have, you need power to truly rise to the top. And there’s nothing like a healer to steal the heart of an arrogant person in power.
But who on earth was the new healer? They had tested the singers, but again, there were none. Yaba was the only one left. Kang Giha did not have high hopes, for he had already been tested as a child and confirmed that there was nothing special with him.
If it’s a completely new person… was he perhaps Yaba’s older brother? But only Cocaine knew his whereabouts. The fact that he had power even as an adult meant that he was castrated, either by force or naturally. Furthermore, it’s impossible to search through all those customers. He thought he was just a singing doll, but Cocaine was a guy who knew how to use his brain.
Of course, even then, the card was in his own hands. He wanted the chip removed… Imsoo’s special assignment, the men lurking around the apartment, all the undercover work would be soon done.
Kang Giha leaned back in his chair.
By the way, was he supposed to believe what that crazy bastard says? Wait, then…
“Things are getting interesting.”
***
Cha Yiseok climbed into the car, buried himself in the leather seat, and closed his eyes. Cha Myunghwan’s survival had changed all their plans, and the Brains were working even harder than before.
Cocaine had cured him, but he hadn’t technically brought him back from the dead. So did that mean he was only an excellent Thelxiope, but not a perfect healer? Cha Myunghwan’s pain and sleepwalking for days, and his own sudden headaches and tinnitus, might have been part of the after-effects of his addiction.
But the headaches he’d always had, had a tendency to go away when he listened to Cocaine’s songs. So what about the sudden abnormalities? His thought circuits were jumbled. He stubbed out his cigarette and took out a new one, biting into it.
Whatever the true nature of Cocaine, whatever the limit of his power, it would be a shame to miss out on a reward for such an amazing deed. Since his face was still white and his backside was still clean, might as well throw him into a den of junkies and let them ravage him. Then he would rip out three of his tongues and burn his vocal cords so he could never sing again. His stomach churned until it felt like his viscera and the six entrails turned inside out.
He hardly went home for days. If only a cat’s purr could lift him out of this bottomless pit. It would be great to come home to the wild cat purring and rubbing its soft fur against his palm. Of course, even if a knife was held to his throat, it would be impossible.
Once he became aware of it, his mouth suddenly went dry. In the rearview mirror, he found himself smiling inadvertently. Although it was like he tripped on the cliff and was about to fall to his death, the smile could not be held back.
They would have to wait until the end to find out who’s going to give a toast first. The whole scenario hasn’t been twisted, it’s just that one plan had been discarded. Now it’s just a matter of which of the remaining plans he chose.
He shoved his car keys into the keyhole and started the car. He grabbed the gearshift and revved it wildly. He paused , feeling a strange sense of dysphoria and lifted his hand from the gear. Slowly, he unfolded his arm and folded it again. Belatedly, he felt the bandage compressing his arm. He lifted the wrist of his shirt and saw the bandage the cat had wrapped around it, tied in a clumsy knot. He untied the knot and pulled the bandage off. The bandage fell to the floor, revealing his forearm. As he stared at it, the chilly air currents swirled through the car. The face of the man in the rearview mirror was as stiff as ever.
***
Yaba stepped out into the living room to get a drink of water and was at a loss for words. Mirrors have become a thing of the past, not only in the bedroom but also in the living room and bathroom. He looked outside the front door just in case, and as expected, he had completely replaced all the security guards. It was a moment where the man once again proved that his ability to act was unrivaled.
Cha Yiseok had received a phone call at dawn and rushed out. He didn’t say where he was going or when he’d be back, but somehow he seemed to be in good spirits. Yaba sat at the home bar and sipped water.
He heard the announcer’s voice on the TV.
[Yesterday morning, news broke that Taeryung Group CEO Cha Myunghwan was cured of cancer. Upon the official announcement from the attending physician, Taeryung Group was in a joyous mood….]
“Ugh, that loser.”
Yaba threw down his spoon and ran in front of the TV. He listened to the news with a dazed expression. On the screen, a man named Dr. Yang was explaining something to a group of reporters. A picture of Cha Myunghwan appeared in the left corner of the screen. Only cocaine could perform such a miracle that defied common sense.
Cocaine suffered all kinds of insults while healing Cha Myunghwan. He was praised for having a miraculous voice and so on, but to a dying cancer patient…. he never thought he would have gotten that far. He was an abomination. He made a sound of weakness to create a hole in advance and fixed it as if he was showing off. He must have decided that even if Cha Yiseok plotted behind his back, it was better to stick to Chairman Cha, who was now in power.
He had created another miracle, an event that foreshadowed the birth of a new fanatic.
While he half-heartedly ate, he filled his stomach with antidepressants. The colour of the antidepressant changed. It used to be wine coloured, but now it was the color of dark water. It was sweeter than before and didn’t require water, so it was easier to take. Cha Yiseok said it was a new drug recommended by a broker.
He sucked on the antidepressant and explored the house. It was his only hobby when the man was away from home. The other day, he asked him if he could hang out in his study, and he said yes.
As soon as he opened the door to the study, the smell of books hit his nostrils. The entire wall was lined with bookshelves that stretched to the ceiling and were filled with economics, humanities… It was full of books that made you frown. A carpet of light streamed in from a sunny window. Suddenly, a silver object glinted on one of the bookshelves.
“Ah.”
It was the DVD he’d taken out some time ago. The day he handed it over to Cha Yiseok, he confirmed there was a chip in his head and saw him break down. He thought he must have thrown it away. Had Cha Yiseok seen the footage? Did he keep it as a memento?
Yaba scratched his fingernails on the bookshelf and glanced at the DVD. He hadn’t meant to. It was just that the shiny thing was winking at him, tempting him. Thinking, ‘Just a glimpse before he comes,’ he picked the most recent date on the DVD and stood up. A stack of envelopes were trapped under the bookshelf, stamped with the Paradiso logo.
They were sent to powerful Paradiso VVIPs with expensive gift certificates or tickets to VIP seats at concerts. The VVIP envelopes were red with a gold foil logo, but these were business envelopes with just a black logo on a yellow background. It was puzzling, and he couldn’t help but notice. He pulled one out to see what it was, and a stack of papers fell out. The sender was Kang Giha, and the recipient was Jang Hyunsik. Who is Jang Hyunsik?
There were dozens of envelopes, dated from as early as 10 years ago to as recent as today, and sent periodically. All of them were unopened, showing signs of years of neglect. The only envelope opened was one he sent about 10 years ago. A document poked its head out of the gap, slightly raised.
Apparently, the fortune was fierce today, and temptation was everywhere. It’s cheating to tamper with other people’s things, but it couldn’t be helped. He shouldn’t have made it so obvious. He pulled out the open envelope. The words “Paradiso Income and Expenses” were scrawled across the top of the paper, and the chart below was filled with taxes and other expenses.
Why…. His head spun. Every quarter, Kang Giha would write up the income and work status and report it to the real owner. It was the busiest time of the year, so Kang Giha neglected the store, and it was also an opportunity for the singers’ dog leashes to get loose. If this was sent by Kang Giha, did that mean Jang Hyunsik was the real owner? And why did Cha Yiseok have this? The other unopened envelopes all look the same, so the contents must be the same.
The steady pounding of his heart drove his thoughts to one place.
Editor: BeeBee
My discord server for chatting! — Link
“Th- that’s right. …bought the store under the name of… Jang Hyunsik…”
Kang Giha stomped on the man’s crotch, which was stained with urine marks. The lawyer shuddered. He grabbed his deputy and beat him until dawn. He kept his mouth shut until dawn, and when he pushed him a little with a threat about his family, he spilled the beans. The crazy bastard was the real owner…. Kang Giha’s stomach churned.
Kang Giha walked out of the warehouse and got into his car. Yaba’s funeral ended without a hitch under Imsoo’s management. He knew he must act carefully. Just as Yaba was dead to the world, he should be dead to him for the time being. The location tracking device was taken by that crazy bastard, so real-time tracking was not possible, but a final record was left in the data. Yaba’s last record was at the site of the rollover accident, but a few hours later, a signal was recorded elsewhere. The terminal had been ordered, so it should be here soon. They couldn’t track Yaba’s location right now, but they need it to keep an eye on the remaining singers.
Kang Giha climbed into the car and lit a cigarette. He started the car and said.
“There was a hospital near where the chip signal was finally cut off. It’s a hospital known for its neurosurgery, but they wouldn’t tell me if I asked who had been operated on and when.”
“It’s no wonder the bastard did not leave records.”
In any case, he was convinced that Yaba had been operated on at that hospital.
“I checked with the guys, and they told me that Director Cha lives in Traum Palace, a super-luxury apartment for the children of political and business tycoons or the government. The security guard said a doctor sometimes comes in, but he wouldn’t give me any more details.”
His blood boiled. It’s safe to say he’d been holding on by a thread. Yaba was out there somewhere, but he was in a tightly guarded place. It’s one thing to find that crazy bastard’s house in a sprawling complex of thousands of homes. There’s a good chance he’s got a bodyguard at his door. If they go in right away, they’ll make a lot of noise and probably fail. Kang Giha ordered,
“Coerce the security guards successfully, no matter what, whether it’s with money or selling his daughter and wife into a brothel.”
“Yes.”
Kang Giha rolled down the window and blew out the cigarette smoke that lingered inside. Cocaine’s skills had a reputation, but he hadn’t expected it to be this good. If he used this opportunity to get Chairman Cha on his side, he’d have a backing worth dozens of henchmen put together.
But if Cocaine quit Paradiso, they were out of luck. Furthermore, it’s a losing proposition to remove Cocaine’s chip upfront as he asked, when he didn’t know what level of skill the so-called new healer had or what type they were. Cocaine, who was a veteran, was a hundred times better than an unproven newcomer, and there’s no law that said you had to choose one over the other.
The more power a healer used, the less his life became. This means that there was not much time left for Cocaine. He needed a spare. No matter how much money you have, you need power to truly rise to the top. And there’s nothing like a healer to steal the heart of an arrogant person in power.
But who on earth was the new healer? They had tested the singers, but again, there were none. Yaba was the only one left. Kang Giha did not have high hopes, for he had already been tested as a child and confirmed that there was nothing special with him.
If it’s a completely new person… was he perhaps Yaba’s older brother? But only Cocaine knew his whereabouts. The fact that he had power even as an adult meant that he was castrated, either by force or naturally. Furthermore, it’s impossible to search through all those customers. He thought he was just a singing doll, but Cocaine was a guy who knew how to use his brain.
Of course, even then, the card was in his own hands. He wanted the chip removed… Imsoo’s special assignment, the men lurking around the apartment, all the undercover work would be soon done.
Kang Giha leaned back in his chair.
By the way, was he supposed to believe what that crazy bastard says? Wait, then…
“Things are getting interesting.”
***
Cha Yiseok climbed into the car, buried himself in the leather seat, and closed his eyes. Cha Myunghwan’s survival had changed all their plans, and the Brains were working even harder than before.
Cocaine had cured him, but he hadn’t technically brought him back from the dead. So did that mean he was only an excellent Thelxiope, but not a perfect healer? Cha Myunghwan’s pain and sleepwalking for days, and his own sudden headaches and tinnitus, might have been part of the after-effects of his addiction.
But the headaches he’d always had, had a tendency to go away when he listened to Cocaine’s songs. So what about the sudden abnormalities? His thought circuits were jumbled. He stubbed out his cigarette and took out a new one, biting into it.
Whatever the true nature of Cocaine, whatever the limit of his power, it would be a shame to miss out on a reward for such an amazing deed. Since his face was still white and his backside was still clean, might as well throw him into a den of junkies and let them ravage him. Then he would rip out three of his tongues and burn his vocal cords so he could never sing again. His stomach churned until it felt like his viscera and the six entrails turned inside out.
He hardly went home for days. If only a cat’s purr could lift him out of this bottomless pit. It would be great to come home to the wild cat purring and rubbing its soft fur against his palm. Of course, even if a knife was held to his throat, it would be impossible.
Once he became aware of it, his mouth suddenly went dry. In the rearview mirror, he found himself smiling inadvertently. Although it was like he tripped on the cliff and was about to fall to his death, the smile could not be held back.
They would have to wait until the end to find out who’s going to give a toast first. The whole scenario hasn’t been twisted, it’s just that one plan had been discarded. Now it’s just a matter of which of the remaining plans he chose.
He shoved his car keys into the keyhole and started the car. He grabbed the gearshift and revved it wildly. He paused , feeling a strange sense of dysphoria and lifted his hand from the gear. Slowly, he unfolded his arm and folded it again. Belatedly, he felt the bandage compressing his arm. He lifted the wrist of his shirt and saw the bandage the cat had wrapped around it, tied in a clumsy knot. He untied the knot and pulled the bandage off. The bandage fell to the floor, revealing his forearm. As he stared at it, the chilly air currents swirled through the car. The face of the man in the rearview mirror was as stiff as ever.
***
Yaba stepped out into the living room to get a drink of water and was at a loss for words. Mirrors have become a thing of the past, not only in the bedroom but also in the living room and bathroom. He looked outside the front door just in case, and as expected, he had completely replaced all the security guards. It was a moment where the man once again proved that his ability to act was unrivaled.
Cha Yiseok had received a phone call at dawn and rushed out. He didn’t say where he was going or when he’d be back, but somehow he seemed to be in good spirits. Yaba sat at the home bar and sipped water.
He heard the announcer’s voice on the TV.
[Yesterday morning, news broke that Taeryung Group CEO Cha Myunghwan was cured of cancer. Upon the official announcement from the attending physician, Taeryung Group was in a joyous mood….]
“Ugh, that loser.”
Yaba threw down his spoon and ran in front of the TV. He listened to the news with a dazed expression. On the screen, a man named Dr. Yang was explaining something to a group of reporters. A picture of Cha Myunghwan appeared in the left corner of the screen. Only cocaine could perform such a miracle that defied common sense.
Cocaine suffered all kinds of insults while healing Cha Myunghwan. He was praised for having a miraculous voice and so on, but to a dying cancer patient…. he never thought he would have gotten that far. He was an abomination. He made a sound of weakness to create a hole in advance and fixed it as if he was showing off. He must have decided that even if Cha Yiseok plotted behind his back, it was better to stick to Chairman Cha, who was now in power.
He had created another miracle, an event that foreshadowed the birth of a new fanatic.
While he half-heartedly ate, he filled his stomach with antidepressants. The colour of the antidepressant changed. It used to be wine coloured, but now it was the color of dark water. It was sweeter than before and didn’t require water, so it was easier to take. Cha Yiseok said it was a new drug recommended by a broker.
He sucked on the antidepressant and explored the house. It was his only hobby when the man was away from home. The other day, he asked him if he could hang out in his study, and he said yes.
As soon as he opened the door to the study, the smell of books hit his nostrils. The entire wall was lined with bookshelves that stretched to the ceiling and were filled with economics, humanities… It was full of books that made you frown. A carpet of light streamed in from a sunny window. Suddenly, a silver object glinted on one of the bookshelves.
“Ah.”
It was the DVD he’d taken out some time ago. The day he handed it over to Cha Yiseok, he confirmed there was a chip in his head and saw him break down. He thought he must have thrown it away. Had Cha Yiseok seen the footage? Did he keep it as a memento?
Yaba scratched his fingernails on the bookshelf and glanced at the DVD. He hadn’t meant to. It was just that the shiny thing was winking at him, tempting him. Thinking, ‘Just a glimpse before he comes,’ he picked the most recent date on the DVD and stood up. A stack of envelopes were trapped under the bookshelf, stamped with the Paradiso logo.
They were sent to powerful Paradiso VVIPs with expensive gift certificates or tickets to VIP seats at concerts. The VVIP envelopes were red with a gold foil logo, but these were business envelopes with just a black logo on a yellow background. It was puzzling, and he couldn’t help but notice. He pulled one out to see what it was, and a stack of papers fell out. The sender was Kang Giha, and the recipient was Jang Hyunsik. Who is Jang Hyunsik?
There were dozens of envelopes, dated from as early as 10 years ago to as recent as today, and sent periodically. All of them were unopened, showing signs of years of neglect. The only envelope opened was one he sent about 10 years ago. A document poked its head out of the gap, slightly raised.
Apparently, the fortune was fierce today, and temptation was everywhere. It’s cheating to tamper with other people’s things, but it couldn’t be helped. He shouldn’t have made it so obvious. He pulled out the open envelope. The words “Paradiso Income and Expenses” were scrawled across the top of the paper, and the chart below was filled with taxes and other expenses.
Why…. His head spun. Every quarter, Kang Giha would write up the income and work status and report it to the real owner. It was the busiest time of the year, so Kang Giha neglected the store, and it was also an opportunity for the singers’ dog leashes to get loose. If this was sent by Kang Giha, did that mean Jang Hyunsik was the real owner? And why did Cha Yiseok have this? The other unopened envelopes all look the same, so the contents must be the same.
The steady pounding of his heart drove his thoughts to one place.
Editor: BeeBee
My discord server for chatting! — Link
