Chapter 1.2

Sell your sister?

Baek-geon let out a hollow laugh.

Yoon-ryeol’s shallow and pathetic behavior became more absurd. Not only did he spout vulgar words, but he also tried to sell his sister to save his own skin, which infuriated Baek-geon.

Seeing Baek-geon’s lips loosen, Yoon-ryeol gained confidence. He felt optimistic about the negotiation’s outcome.

Of course. What strictness could a back-alley thug have?

Han Baek-geon had long been rumored to be strict about relationships with women. Even during his days managing Gangnam salons and clubs as a Director, he hadn’t touched a single Tenpro, leaving his close associates in awe.

But seeing his sister now, it was clear he was rarely tempted. Yoon-ryeol licked his lips inwardly while putting on a pitiful face, pleading earnestly.

“Is this bastard crazy?”

It was Cheong-o, standing beside him, who spoke for Baek-geon’s mood. As Baek-geon’s right-hand man, he immediately kicked Yoon-ryeol’s thigh.

“Argh!”

Yoon-ryeol screamed and crumpled to the side. He widened his eyes in surprise at the unexpected reaction.

“C-CEO.”

Baek-geon ignored Yoon-ryeol’s words and signaled to Cheong-o with a nod. Understanding quickly, Cheong-o opened the door and called the subordinates.

“He says to finish him off.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the subordinates began to stomp on Yoon-ryeol. He writhed in pain, screaming.

“Argh, please, CEO! I, I just….”

“Shut your mouth.”

One of the senior subordinates spat out incredulously. Everyone present showed no attempt to hide their contempt for Yoon-ryeol.

“You dare call that name? Where does a traitor like you get the nerve?”

Amid the endless stomping, Yoon-ryeol floundered in pain and fear. Watching the scene, Baek-geon suddenly turned his gaze to the kneeling woman.

The woman still knelt, trembling. Her already pale skin had lost its color, looking almost blue.

As Yoon-ryeol’s screams echoed in the room, the woman lifted her eyes. Her light brown eyes were round on her white face.

At the moment their eyes met, Baek-geon frowned slightly. Her eyes were so lightly pigmented that even the iris’s folds were visible, with only the black pupils standing out.

A deep, dark well was about to swallow him whole, dragging him down to an endless bottom. As he felt her pale hair and slender arms ensnaring him, Baek-geon turned his gaze away.

“CEO, what should we do with the young lady?”

Butler Song, who entered the room a bit late, asked. Baek-geon responded sharply.

“What do you mean, what to do?”

The gaze fixed on him felt persistent. The desperation in those eyes vividly pierced his heart.

But Baek-geon mercilessly gave a cruel order.

“Let her sleep here for the night and kick her out tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

Watching Butler Song approach the woman, Baek-geon turned and left the small room.

*

“What did President Bae say?”

Cheong-o, sitting in front of the marble island bar, gave a sly smile at Baek-geon’s question.

“What could he say? He was relieved but his true feelings were obvious.”

He clicked his tongue as if dissatisfied.

“That man, he’s been secretly trying to bring in some GHB, and it was annoying. But now that the little bastard is caught, he’ll be cautious for a while.”

Baek-geon smirked at the mention of Yoon-ryeol as the “little bastard.” However, he soon gave a firm instruction.

“All drugs are prohibited, no matter the type. For the Chairman’s sake, don’t act recklessly.”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll make sure to educate them properly.”

As Baek-geon nodded at the loyal pledge, Cheong-o handed him a key.

“This is the factory key that little bastard hid. He even set up a factory on the outskirts of Incheon, intending to enjoy the drug thoroughly.”

Baek-geon clicked his tongue inwardly and took the key, putting it in his pocket. If he handed the key over to the prosecutor he often met thanks to Chairman Han, everything would be handled.

Things would settle down.

With leniency, Chairman Han’s situation was sure to improve. This would give more strength to the painstakingly rebuilt organization’s business.

He filled a glass with ice himself, poured whiskey, and handed it to Cheong-o.

“Good work.”

Cheong-o received the glass with both hands, looking honored. Baek-geon drained the drink in one go and refilled the glass.

The ice clinked. As he absentmindedly watched the ice melt and mix with the golden liquid, Butler Song approached.

“Dinner is ready.”

Baek-geon nodded and stood up, then suddenly spoke as if he remembered something.

“What about the woman? Did you give her dinner?”

“Oh, yes. We moved her to another room and gave her dinner, but… it seems she’s not in a state to eat right now.”

Butler Song hesitated as if he were in a difficult position. Baek-geon silently recalled the last image of the woman he had seen.

Not in a state to eat…

He moistened his dry lips with his tongue without a word.

“Let’s start with dinner.”

Urged gently by Butler Song, Baek-geon headed to the dining room. Cheong-o, who followed closely behind, subtly began to speak, filling Baek-geon’s ear.

“I know that little bastard and his sister, I mean Yoon-jae, a bit. We were from the same orphanage and were quite close when we were young. She’s a good and kind girl, but became pitiful because of that bastard.”

There was a peculiar sympathy in Cheong-o’s voice, likely due to their long-standing connection from the past.

So Yoon-jae. So Yoon-jae.

The woman’s name was deeply etched in his mind. Baek-geon didn’t respond, but he slightly tilted his head. Noticing that Baek-geon was listening intently, Cheong-o eagerly continued his story.

“Yoon-jae was really smart. The Director, despite having no money, wanted her to go to university. He worked hard to get her scholarships and even arranged for student loans, so she went to a national school. She graduated and entered law school, with a bright future ahead.”

Cheong-o clicked his tongue regretfully.

“Even that bastard Yoon-ryeol worked hard back then to make a living. You know Incheon Daehung-gwan, right? He worked there as a promoter and caught the previous president’s eye. But that president started dealing with Chinese drug dealers.”

Baek-geon knew the former president of Daehung-gwan well. Hearing up to this point, he understood the flow of events.

So Yoon-ryeol probably got involved in drug distribution while running errands for the president. Once he tasted the money flowing in such enormous amounts, his path became clear.

“After the fire at Daehung-gwan, the president died, and it seems he didn’t get along with the current president, so he suddenly started working under President Bae Kyung-tae. He was working at a much lower-grade establishment than Daehung-gwan, and I wondered why. It turned out he started selling drugs there. I heard he even borrowed money from President Hong in Sinpo-dong to learn manufacturing techniques.”

Cheong-o let out a long sigh.

“President Hong is quite tough, you know. When the drugs didn’t sell well at first, Yoon-ryeol sold Yoon-jae, who was studying well, to pay off the debt.”

Baek-geon subtly interjected.

“As a hostess?”

“No. Yoon-jae is quite strong-willed, so she definitely would refuse. He tricked her into thinking she’d make a lot of money by appearing in vlogs and sold her to a strip broadcast. You know? The Sun Club CEO started those broadcasts with the girls’ faces.”

Baek-geon frowned slightly. The so-called cyber room salons were becoming a lucrative business, enticing not only women working in establishments but also ordinary women with high-paying jobs to appear on broadcasts and receive sponsorships.

Even if a lot of sponsorships came in, all the money eventually went into the organization’s pockets. Meanwhile, the women had to sit in a row like in a room salon, dance, and drink as requested by the sponsors in the chat.

He couldn’t imagine that woman doing such work. Her eyes must have been filled with melancholy even in normal times.

Baek-geon shook his head slightly, as if trying to refresh his mind. He listened to Cheong-o’s words.

“When she refused, they beat her as if they’d kill her, so she had no choice but to go out a few times. But rumors spread at school, and even the professors found out, so she dropped out almost forcibly. And since she’s not skilled, she acted awkwardly in front of the camera and got hit right there.”

Cheong-o frowned.

“There was a big sponsor among the supporters. At first, he took an interest in Yoon-jae, but since she was stiff, he paid two thousand to have her slapped in front of him. Even after deducting fees, it was over fifteen hundred, so the club girls obviously went crazy. But it was so entertaining that the viewership exploded.”

To Baek-geon, it sounded like a series of disgusting and trivial events.

“Since then, she was fixed in the role of getting beaten while running errands during broadcasts. When she came here earlier, she had bruises all over under her clothes.”

“So. You brought her here to have a taste.”

Cheong-o was startled and waved his hands at Baek-geon’s question.

“Oh no, what are you saying! I’ve known her since she was young, so she’s just like a sister, a sister. You know I never mess around with women, CEO.”

Baek-geon knew his subordinate’s nature well. Despite his friendly words, Gong Cheong-o’s nature was far from it.

Not long ago, he single-handedly stormed an illegal house without Baek-geon’s knowledge and completely wrecked it. He had long been nicknamed the ‘Mastiff’ due to his fierce gaze.

The problem was himself. He didn’t understand why he was probing Cheong-o’s words. It felt like he was speaking unnecessarily.