Chapter 830: The Assassin

She thought for a moment then turned to the bodyguard standing behind her.

“Tao, did you know about this too?”

“…”

“Did you know who my father is?”

“Yes I did.”

“Sigh… This is driving me crazy.”

Tao was a bodyguard assigned to her by her grandfather.

He was a soldier from a special forces unit sent to ensure her safety while she worked as a lobbyist.

“It must have been fun. You must have thought I was ridiculous whenever I asked my mom and grandpa about my father’s existence.”

“No. That was not my intention at all.”

“Tao. I trust you but you don’t trust me.”

As Ye Xiaotong looked at him with disappointment Tao’s expressionless face finally cracked.

“No. I work for you, Boss.”

“Then you shouldn’t keep secrets from me! To know and pretend not to! You know how important that story is to me.”

“…I’m sorry. The elder told me to keep my mouth shut around you, Boss.”

Ye Xiaotong clicked her tongue, stood up and approached Tao.

“Tao. Make your choice. Me or Grandpa? Of course, Grandpa sent you to me but I’m the one you should be serving. If you want to remain Grandpa’s person until the end, you can no longer be with me.”

Ye Xiaotong sighed then gently stroked Tao’s arm.

She already knew that Tao who had followed her like a shadow for a long time, craved her attention.

“Make your choice. If not, I’ll abandon you.”

At those cruel words Tao slightly bowed his head and said.

“Boss. Your safety and trust are always my top priorities.”

“Then show me your loyalty.”

“…How can I do that?”

“From now on, don’t keep any secrets from me. If Grandpa asks about me, only tell him what I told you to say and also pass on any instructions Grandpa gives you. Can you do that?”

Tao nodded with a stiff face. Ye Xiaotong smiled with satisfaction.

“First, we need to head to Beijing right away. I have a lot to talk about with Grandpa.”

As she turned around Tao followed and carefully asked.

“What should we do about Wei Zhengxing trying to assassinate Boss Kim Mu-hyeok?”

“Leave that alone. If he dies like this, he’s just a man who’s done. I hope he survives and I can see him in Korea. Oh and if he fails, tell the organization to kill Wei Zhengxing.”

“Is that okay? Killing Wei Zhengxing is too dangerous.”

At Tao’s worried question Ye Xiaotong shrugged.

“Kill him and make it look like a suicide. Since he suffered that insult at the inauguration party, it wouldn’t be strange if he took his own life.”

“I understand. I’ll relay the message.”

Ye Xiaotong nodded and started to walk. Her eyes gleamed colder than ever.

* * *

After meeting with Bo Xilai following Ye Xiaotong, I returned to the hotel.

Cheon Ji-young was waiting for me there.

“You’re late. Did you meet with Sis?”

As soon as I entered the hotel Cheon Ji-young clung to me.

“Aren’t you going back to Korea? There’s nothing left to do in Shanghai.”

“Well even if I go to Korea, there’s nothing to do. I’ll just stay a bit longer, do some shopping and go back with you, Brother. But why are you changing the subject? Did you meet with Sis?!”

Her pronunciation was off, something was up. I glanced around the room and sure enough, there was a whiskey bottle and glasses scattered on the table.

“Did you drink?”

“I had a glass while waiting for you, Brother. Just answer quickly!”

“Yeah. I met her.”

“What did you talk about? She didn’t say much when we had lunch a few days ago.”

I undid my tie and slowly walked towards the sofa.

“What else would we talk about? Just business.”

“Really? Hmm.”

Cheon Ji-young gave me a strange look. It was obvious what she was thinking.

I flicked her forehead lightly then sat down. I poured some whiskey into a fresh glass.

“I’m going back to Korea in three days. If you want to go shopping, do it before then and if there are places you want to see, go see them.”

“Okay!”

Cheon Ji-young replied in a bright voice and sat down across from me.

“How is she? Isn’t she a nice Sis? I don’t know what you think, Brother but she really helped me a lot with my activities in China. I don’t think she’s just approaching me to get to you.”

I had no intention of shattering Cheon Ji-young’s illusions.

I nodded slightly and took an ice cube from the ice bucket with tongs, dropping it into my whiskey glass.

“Yeah. It must be a coincidence. I think so too. But what were you going to do if I decided to leave early?”

“Well… If I couldn’t meet you, I would have found out where you were staying and gone there. It didn’t have to be at that place and I wanted to come to China. My schedule suddenly got cleared because all my activities in China were canceled.”

She was saying things that others would kill for. I tilted my glass and lightly chided her.

“It’s good to rest when you can.”

“When I’m older, I might not be able to do the roles I want to do.”

“What are you talking about? Why are you worrying about age when you’re still so young?”

“What are you talking about? Kids are already coming up from below. If I stay still, I’ll fall behind.”

Cheon Ji-young answered back, her face was brighter than in the old days.

“Do you like working in the entertainment industry that much?”

“Yeah. It suits my aptitude. Maybe it’s because I’m doing it because I want to, rather than to make a living. I feel more comfortable.”

With those words as a start Cheon Ji-young started chattering away.

I sipped my drink, listening to her stories and asking about her life in the entertainment industry.

As we were talking I suddenly checked my watch and realized quite a bit of time had passed.

“You should stop drinking and go to bed.”

Cheon Ji-young’s face was flushed, perhaps from drinking quite a bit.

“You always treat me like a kid, Brother. I’m all grown up now.”

I chuckled at her little tantrum and finished my glass.

I leaned over to put down the empty glass.

Suddenly I heard the sound of a window breaking. At the same time the furniture behind me shattered and a fragment grazed my cheek.

I instinctively jumped over the table and embraced Cheon Ji-young.

Then I just ducked under the table.

“Aaaah!”

Cheon Ji-young screamed but I couldn’t even think about comforting her.

‘A snipe?’

The sharp gunshot sound disappeared and suddenly I couldn’t hear anything.

No more bullets came flying in but I stayed put, using the sofa and table as cover.

“Are you okay?”

“Br-Brother.”

Cheon Ji-young’s face was pale.

But the silence was short-lived. Soon there was a loud noise and the large glass window shattered.

A cold wind instantly blew into the spacious living room.

Cheon Ji-young screamed, her body trembling as if she was having a seizure.

“It’s okay. I’m here. Calm down.”

I soothed her while waiting for Manager Ma.

Moments later Manager Ma who was waiting outside, entered with the bodyguards.

“Boss! What’s going on!”

Manager Ma who was about to run towards me, stopped.

The bodyguard next to him was hit by a bullet from somewhere and fell.

The bodyguards were startled and ducked. Manager Ma calmly lowered himself and crawled to where I was.

Manager Ma reached me and asked in a worried voice.

“Boss. Are you alright?”

I nodded, covering Cheon Ji-young’s eyes and said.

“It’s a sniper aiming at me.”

In the urgency of the situation I couldn’t even think to use honorifics.

“I’ll send people right away.”

Manager Ma quickly relayed the situation through his radio.

“There’s a sniper targeting the boss. Find the location and take them down.”

– Yes sir!

Manager Ma gave the order and looked at me and Cheon Ji-young alternately.

I glanced at Cheon Ji-young who was huddled up and looked at Manager Ma as if asking if we could move. He shook his head.

“Boss it might be dangerous to move like this. The sniper’s location hasn’t been confirmed yet so we’ll look into the situation a bit more.”

Manager Ma slightly raised his head and began scanning the buildings on the opposite side where a sniper might be.

Then a bullet immediately flew towards Manager Ma, grazing past him.

Manager Ma quickly ducked his head and said.

“We need to hold out here until the sniper is found.”

Manager Ma said firmly then asked with concern.

“Boss. Blood is running down your face. Did a bullet graze you?”

At his question I finally raised my hand and touched my cheek.

I hadn’t realized it but it seemed like quite a bit of blood was flowing. It was all over my hand.

I let out a small sigh and shook my head.

“No. It looks like a fragment grazed me when the furniture broke. This kind of wound is fine.”

A wound like this wasn’t important. Getting out of here safely was what mattered.

– Location confirmed.

Just then a voice came from Manager Ma’s radio.

“Take them down immediately. If you can capture them alive, do so but it’s okay to kill them. The boss’s safety is the priority.”

A disciplined reply came from the radio and Manager Ma reported again as if to reassure me.

“The location has been confirmed so things will be over soon. Just hold on a little longer.”

If Manager Ma said so, it would be sorted out quickly. I nodded and patted Cheon Ji-young who was still trembling.

“Ji-young. Are you okay?”

“Y-yes…”

Even with her trembling voice Cheon Ji-young answered readily.

I kept covering her eyes and organized my thoughts.

‘Who the hell is it? The Shanghai faction? Or Ye Xiaotong? Or…’

I had rented out an entire floor of the hotel, controlling access so no one could enter and even the room service was received by the bodyguards at the elevator.

I had thoroughly concealed my identity and prioritized safety.

But to think they would snipe. This was something I hadn’t anticipated.

“Report the situation.”

While I was organizing my thoughts Manager Ma continued to communicate through his radio.

– We’re in the middle of a firefight. It’s not just one or two people.

“What? …Got it. Report again if there are any special circumstances.”

Manager Ma ended the radio communication with the engaged team and connected to the security team waiting at the hotel.

“There could be an infiltration at the hotel too. From this moment on, control everyone entering the hotel and blockade the floor where the boss is.”

– Yes, I understand!

After finishing the communication Manager Ma signaled to the bodyguards who had entered the hotel room.

The bodyguards read the signal, ducked down, exited the hotel room and closed the door.

“I apologize, Boss. You’ll have to wait a bit longer.”

It was more comfortable for me to leave things to an expert like Manager Ma rather than stepping in to resolve the situation myself.

Just then my phone on the table rang.

Manager Ma reached out, snatched the phone and handed it to me.

I checked the caller ID and quickly answered the call.

– Boss Kim Mu-hyeok. Are you safe?

“What the hell is going on? You said you would guarantee my safety. But a sniper in a hotel in the middle of Shanghai! Does this make any sense?”

Bo Xilai’s voice was filled with bewilderment from the receiver.

– We’ve dispatched the Armed Police for now.

“Our security team has confirmed the sniper’s location and is currently engaged in a firefight. I told them to use firearms if necessary so please understand.”

Using firearms could be a problem.

It was better to tell Bo Xilai who was in charge of Shanghai in advance.

– I’ve already been briefed. Don’t leave your position until the Armed Police arrive and I’ll head over there right away too. I’ll contact you when I arrive.

His voice was trembling until the last moment before the call ended.

Judging from his reaction Bo Xilai could be ruled out as a suspect.

How much time passed like that? Just as Cheon Ji-young’s ragged breathing was echoing in the room, Manager Ma’s radio crackled to life.

– Situation resolved.

“Any survivors?”

A troubled voice answered Manager Ma’s question.

– I’m sorry. They all fell from the gunshots so we’ll have to check. I gave the order to shoot on my own because it seemed like our side would suffer more casualties if we tried to capture them alive.”

“…Any casualties on our side?”

– We haven’t been able to figure that out yet. The Armed Police are controlling the area… What should we do?

Manager Ma looked at me.

“Tell them to put down their weapons and wait. Don’t resist.”

Manager Ma relayed my words then got up and approached the window.

Manager Ma looked around through the broken window then turned around and said.

“Boss. Let’s move to another room.”

I nodded, got up and released the hand that was covering Cheon Ji-young’s eyes.

Whether it was sweat or tears, my hand was soaked.

“It’s over now. It’s okay.”

Cheon Ji-young still looked at me with fear in her eyes.

I forced a smile to comfort her and left the room.

When we moved to another room together, the windows were covered with curtains.

“Go in and rest for a bit.”

I pushed Cheon Ji-young into the room and closed the door.

With the door closed I erased the forced smile from my face.

“Find out who’s behind this, no matter what.”

At my cold order Manager Ma quickly bowed his head. You have to return what you receive, at least double.