Chapter 126: Eva’s Confession

Eva’s tears flowed freely for quite a while.

But it was still much better than pretending to be okay.

She couldn’t heal if she didn’t allow herself to cry.

“Boss… Thank you. And I’m sorry.”

I gently patted Eva, who was still sobbing.

“Don’t be. It was the right thing to do. Unless you betrayed me, I would’ve come looking for you no matter where you were.”

“I was so scared… I just wanted to die.”

Eva’s eyes darted around, as if she couldn’t find a place to rest her gaze.

Her tears were slowly stopping, but that wasn’t a good sign. Eva was trembling with fear just from briefly recalling what had happened.

“Eva, you’re in Korea now. No one can hurt you here. No, from now on, I won’t let anyone touch you, anywhere. Don’t be afraid.”

It took a long time for her trembling to subside.

I gently took Eva’s hands away from her head and stroked her hair.

Eva flinched at my touch, but she didn’t resist.

“Don’t think about anything. Just rest. Listen to the doctor, and focus on your treatment. That’s the priority.”

Eva nodded without answering.

“There are bodyguards outside protecting you, so you’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

“Boss…”

“Let’s stay strong, Eva.”

“Okay…”

“I should get going now. I hope you’ll be healthier when I see you again.”

With those words, I turned around.

“Thank you for everything.”

I reminded the bodyguards once again and left the hospital.

I sat in the car sorting out my complicated thoughts.

‘To protect my people, I need more power and more money.’

No matter how much money I had, it would be meaningless if I couldn’t protect the ones I cared about.

The reason I had no choice but to spare Mei Hong was also because I was still lacking in power.

“Where shall we go?”

Manager Ma, who was in the front seat asked me, who sat silently in the back.

“Manager Ma, doesn’t Black Bear have some people from Russia?”

“Probably. After the Cold War ended, people from intelligence agencies like the KGB were thrown into the free market without any support.”

When the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia declared a free economy.

However, the drastic changes caused severe side effects.

High-quality soldiers and intelligence agents flooded the market, and Eric wasn’t one to miss that opportunity.

And the Soviet Union was undeniably America’s greatest adversary.

“See if you can find someone with influence in the Russian political or military circles and introduce them to me. I’ll need to go to Russia.”

“Understood.”

It was a little late because of Eva, but with Yeltsin facing impeachment and the economy struggling, now was the perfect time to enter the Russian market.

“Let’s stop with the headaches for today. I promised to meet Ji-young, so let’s head there.”

“Yes, Boss.”

I had promised to meet Cheon Ji-young after a long time.

It seemed she was doing something to become a singer, but with the war against the Cheongpung Group and other events, I hadn’t been able to pay attention to her.

“Brother!”

When I arrived at the meeting place, Cheon Ji-young, who had arrived earlier, stood up and waved her hand.

Her bright appearance, as always, seemed to clear my complicated thoughts.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Me? Coffee.”

“Someone your size drinking coffee.”

“Brother, I’m an adult now.”

……That’s right.

Was it because of my regression? Even though years had passed, Cheon Ji-young still seemed like a child to me.

“Alright. Let’s get coffee.”

Manager Ma went to order for us.

“What have you been up to lately?”

“Me?”

“I heard you were going to be a singer. Is it going well?”

“Brother, I’m Cheon Ji-young. If I don’t become a singer, who will?”

Cheon Ji-young lifted her chin as if to show off.

Her confidence is amazing.

“Which company are you with?”

“Would you even know if I told you?”

“Maybe I would. Are you subtly ignoring me?”

Entertainment agencies were emerging, but most of them were still run in a haphazard way.

Most of them were also involved with gangsters.

“Tell me. Maybe I’ll know?”

“No way, you wouldn’t know.”

Cheon Ji-young kept avoiding the question and didn’t say which agency she was with.

‘Something’s strange.’

Why wouldn’t she tell me the company’s name? If it was a no-name place, as Cheon Ji-young said, I wouldn’t know anyway, so there was no reason not to say it.

When I stared at her silently, Cheon Ji-young pretended to drink her coffee and avoided my gaze.

There’s something going on.

“Hey, Cheon Ji-young.”

“Yeah?”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“What could there be? It’s nothing. It’s just a small place, so I’m a little embarrassed.”

“Should I find out myself? I think I could find out in 10 minutes?”

She didn’t answer, as if she was at a loss for words.

I turned to look at Manager Ma, who was standing a little further away.

“Manager Ma.”

“Yes.”

“Find out what Ji-young’s doing.”

Cheon Ji-young jumped up and shouted as soon as Manager Ma was mobilized.

“No! I’ll tell you! Why are you getting the manager involved in something like this, Brother?”

“Then tell me quickly.”

I gestured with my chin while drinking my coffee, and Cheon Ji-young sighed deeply.

“There’s a place called Cubic Planning.”

“Cubic Planning?”

“Yeah. I’m preparing to debut there.”

Manager Ma, receiving my gaze, quietly left his seat.

“That’s a company I’ve never heard of. There are places like MS Entertainment, right? Why not debut there?”

“Those places only look for kids. Teenagers.”

With idols dominating the music scene, most agencies would be taking in trainees from a young age and preparing them.

“Is it a reputable place?”

“Yeah. They recently debuted an idol group. I don’t know if you’d know them though.”

“Hmm…”

“Anyway, let’s stop talking about me. How have you been, Brother? Grandfather said you’ve been busy going to the U.S. and Hong Kong.”

Cheon Ji-young changed the subject as if she didn’t want to talk anymore.

“I am busy. But I have enough time to meet you. If you have any difficulties or need help, tell me anytime.”

“Okay.”

No one mentioned Cheon Su-han’s name.

I could only hope that Cheon Ji-young wouldn’t feel more uncomfortable around me because of Cheon Su-han’s misdeeds.

While I was chatting with Cheon Ji-young, Manager Ma quickly returned.

Only then did Cheon Ji-young realize that Manager Ma had left and wore a flustered expression.

Manager Ma approached me and reported in a whisper.

“Bae Kwang-sik is the president. And…”

Even in the short amount of time, Manager Ma had brought a lot of information about Cubic Planning.

But after hearing the name Bae Kwang-sik, I couldn’t hear anything else.

He would later become known as a famous record producer, but he was a person who was criticized by the public for various incidents and accidents.

In particular, he was trash who treated his singers like slaves.

If even I, who didn’t have much interest in the entertainment industry, remembered him, it meant he was a truly terrible human being.

“Ji-young.”

“Yeah?”

“Is Bae Kwang-sik the president?”

Cheon Ji-young’s eyes widened like saucers.

“Tell me properly. Are you really preparing to debut?”

I was annoyed with myself for not paying attention to Ji-young under the excuse of being busy.

Ji-young was also one of the few family members I had. Because of Cheon Su-han, it had become difficult for us to act as freely as before, but I should have paid attention to her anyway.

Cheon Ji-young looked at me cautiously and couldn’t answer.

“Ji-young, we’re family, right? You’re the only person in the Cheon family, besides Grandfather, that I can call family.”

Because of me, Cheon Ji-young’s future has changed.

I had to bear the responsibility for that.

“Actually…”

Cheon Ji-young finally hesitated and opened her mouth.

“They say they’ll let me debut, but it keeps getting pushed back. The idol group that debuted this time joined later than me. But I also wanted to debut as a solo artist… so I don’t know when I’ll debut.”

“Anything else?”

I didn’t miss the small tremble in Cheon Ji-young’s eyes.

“There’s something else, isn’t there?”

……

“Ji-young, you’re the granddaughter of the Cheontae Mountain Chairman of Myeong-dong. You’re not someone who has to put up with unfair treatment from others.”

The Cheon Ji-young who comforted me to live proudly until the day I die was no longer here.

There was only Cheon Ji-young who felt sorry for me and watched my every move.

It was the reality I had changed.

“Manager Ma, take her to the Myeong-dong office. If she resists, drag her even if you have to break something. He’s not human anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Brother.”

Cheon Ji-young called out to me, but I continued.

“Call Lee Sang-geun to the Myeong-dong office too. No, have Director Lee bring him.”

“Yes.”

Manager Ma went out to deliver my instructions.

Cheon Ji-young couldn’t grab Manager Ma and was pacing anxiously.

“Brother, why are you doing this? I’m okay.”

“I’m not okay. I know what kind of bastard he is. Don’t even think about lying to me.”

Even if Cheon Ji-young didn’t say it, I could roughly guess what had happened.

“Stay in Pyeongchang-dong. Don’t go anywhere.”

* * *

― This is about the boss’s family.

“Understood. I’ll bring him quickly.”

Lee Sang-geun received Manager Ma’s call and immediately called his right-hand man, Tak Hoon.

“Who’s in charge of the entertainment industry?”

“Director Baek is in charge of the entertainment industry.”

“Contact him immediately and tell him to come in.”

“Understood.”

Left alone, Lee Sang-geun had a headache.

He had known Kim Mu-hyeok since he was young, so he knew.

That he never compromised when it came to family matters.

Fortunately, Director Baek came in with Tak Hoon, as if he was nearby.

“This is Baek Chang-ho. You called for me, Chairman?”

“Director Baek, do you know about a place called Cubic Planning?”

“Are you talking about Cubic Planning?”

“Yeah, do you know the president there, Bae Kwang-sik?”

“Yes, I know him. It’s a company we manage, is there a problem?”

At those words, Lee Sang-geun distorted the face he had been trying to keep expressionless.

“Ha… Catch that bastard and bring him here right now. No, I’ll go myself. Lead the way.”

“No, Chairman. You have to tell me what’s going on. Why suddenly Cubic Planning…? What did President Bae Kwang-sik do wrong? He’s been working with us for a long time. He’s also someone who supplies singers to our businesses.”

The main income of gangsters was the entertainment business, even as times changed. How many A-list singers appeared in the entertainment establishments was connected to the profits of the business.

They would directly set up record production companies and help each other with other company presidents, deeply infiltrating the entertainment industry.

“It’s even more of a problem if he’s been around for a long time. It’s an issue with the Myeong-dong Boss.”

“Yes? The Myeong-dong Boss?”

“Yeah. And it’s a family-related matter. Do you have any involvement with that bastard?”

“No, Older Brother.”

As Lee Sang-geun’s tone became rough, Baek Chang-ho flinched and lowered his head.

“First, contact him. No, just check his location so he doesn’t run away.”

“Yes, Older Brother.”

The words ‘Older Brother’ popped out of Baek Chang-ho’s mouth in panic, but Lee Sang-geun wasn’t in the mood to point that out.

Soon, Lee Sang-geun moved to Cubic Planning with Baek Chang-ho leading the way.

“Ha… The company’s in Myeong-dong?”

Lee Sang-geun got out of the car and let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded.

As the employees of Cubic Planning panicked at the sudden appearance of large men, someone who recognized Baek Chang-ho approached.

“Oh, President Baek. What’s going on?”

“Is President Bae inside?”

“Yes, he is. But what’s going on…?”

Ignoring his question, Baek Chang-ho opened the door to the president’s office.

President Bae Kwang-sik, who was on the phone with someone, dropped the phone in panic at the sight of Baek Chang-ho and the large men who followed.

Bae Kwang-sik, who belatedly came to his senses, looked at Baek Chang-ho and said.

“Who is this? President Baek, what’s going on? Who are these men behind you? What’s happening?”

But before Baek Chang-ho could answer, Lee Sang-geun, who followed, said.

“This bastard?”

“Yes, Older Brother.”

“Take him away.”

Baek Chang-ho signaled to his subordinates. The large men who followed rushed in and grabbed Bae Kwang-sik.

“No, President Baek! What are you doing?”

“Hey, you son of a bitch! Don’t act like you know me!”

Baek Chang-ho shouted with a horrified face.

The Baek Chang-ho who had been drinking and laughing with him a few days ago was gone.

Bae Kwang-sik tried to resist, but he was dragged away without being able to move due to the continued beating.

The employees murmured outside the president’s office, but Baek Chang-ho growled and warned.

“Don’t even think about reporting it. Everyone, do what you were doing.”

No one helped Bae Kwang-sik, who was being dragged away bleeding.

“Is this Bae Kwang-sik?”

“Yes, Boss.”

Bae Kwang-sik, who was dragged to the Myeong-dong office, looked up at Kim Mu-hyeok with bewildered eyes.

“You were quick to bring him. Is this company also related to the organization?”

“They say they were involved because they supplied singers to our businesses.”

“Is that so?”

His voice was indifferent, but Lee Sang-geun swallowed hard.

A chilling smile was on Kim Mu-hyeok’s face.