081 – The More Expensive the Liquor, the Better It Burns
The impression I got of Seo Do-cheol when we met in the president’s office at Seonam Building had drastically changed, and it was quite surprising.
His hair looked like it hadn’t been washed for days, all tousled, and his body reeked strongly of alcohol.
He seemed more like a survivor in a destroyed world than the president of a major corporation.
The man in front of me must be going through his own personal apocalypse.
“Hanamjin, do you even realize how many people have been harmed because of you? Do you know how many are suffering due to our company’s stock bottoming out?”
Those were his first words as soon as he saw me.
It almost felt like he was blaming the wrong person.
“Are you asking me here just to say that? If so, I’m leaving.”
“But! Everything that’s happened so far can be erased. If you find my daughter, Seugal, and bring Nam San-ho directly to me, I can forgive everything quite easily.”
“Nam San-ho?”
Has this man realized that the Demon of the Zombie is Nam San-ho?
He glanced around as if checking that we were alone, then whispered.
“The identity of Seugal’s kidnapper is Nam San-ho. There’s no one else. He’s Nam Tae-geon’s adopted son. In this state of emergency, no one will attempt to touch him. We can’t make Nam Tae-geon our enemy…!”
Uh? Unfortunately, you guessed wrong.
The kidnapper is me, and the Demon of the Zombie is Nam San-ho.
Which was rather fortunate for me but an unfortunate turn of events for this man.
“Whenever the terrorist approaches the kidnapper Nam San-ho, you step in and take care of both. It’s not free, of course. It’s a deal that won’t harm you.”
Swipe.
Seo Do-cheol pointed to a corner in the president’s room with a tilt of his chin.
“Do you see the stack of money over there? That’s 1 billion won in cash. If you succeed in finding my daughter, Seugal, I’ll add an equal amount. It’s not a bad deal, is it?”
Seo Do-cheol’s expression was confident.
1 billion won.
Even I, no matter how much I consider it, can only imagine how many packets of instant noodles this enormous amount can buy.
It was a tremendous amount of money.
However, Seo Do-cheol’s story was incorrect.
“Father-in-law. Isn’t it supposed to be an apology rather than forgiveness that you owe me?”
“What? You little…!”
With an inflamed face, Seo Do-cheol shook as he glared at me.
The veins in his whites of eyes stood out more prominently than the neatly-dressed middle-aged man I had seen last time, which wasn’t a good sign.
“Why should I apologize to you!”
“If you can’t apologize, consider the 1 billion won over there as a deposit. And while you’re at it, could you also offer me a drink and a cigarette?”
As I stepped back, Seo Do-cheol’s expression became strange.
“Yeah. There you go. That’s a bundle of 1 billion in cash. It’s been properly laundered so it won’t upset your stomach. Let me tell you, even for me, converting this much money into cash on such short notice wasn’t easy.”
For the first time, a chink in his armor appeared.
“Name: Seo Do-cheol”
“Condition: 《Sense of Accomplishment》 – He feels immense gratification from subjugating you to his will. His belief that nothing can’t be solved by money has only grown stronger.”
“You should learn to drink from adults. You’re lucky. Do you know how much this whiskey costs? One sip of this is something most common folks can only dream about.”
Seo Do-cheol, once again composed, spoke as if he were a benevolent Buddha.
Even his voice carried a tone of tolerance, forgiving a child’s mistake as an adult would.
Soon, he handed me a glass of whiskey and a thick cigar, his posture filled with arrogance.
“Joining forces with me means stepping into a world of luxury like this.”
The sight of the whisky glistening like a gem made me think of Manager Gim Jang-dong.
That gentleman really enjoyed his drinks.
Jjang-lang. Choollrrr.
I splashed the liquor Seo Do-cheol offered me onto the pile of 1 billion won cash sitting in front of me.
The relaxed expression on his face from just moments ago instantly twisted into something demonic.
“What are you doing! Stop that! Stop!”
Before Seo Do-cheol could intervene, the cigarette I was holding tumbled onto the pile of cash.
Hwaaalrrk!
The flames ignited instantly.
Expensive liquor burns well.
Thinking back, when making Molotov cocktails, the expensive-looking bottles used to burn nicely too.
“You crazy b*stard!!! Do you know how much this costs!!!”
As the flames consumed the pile of 1 billion won in moments, Seo Do-cheol emitted a hissing sound like a boiling kettle.
He flailed about, trying to block it with his body, but it was futile.
“You this… monster!”
“I don’t need money. If I successfully deal with Nam San-ho and bring back Seugal, then you must kneel down and apologize for all the wrongs you’ve done so far.”
“Shut up! You insolent b*stard! I’ve never knelt down in my entire life!”
“Then find someone else.”
Flick.
As I turned my back, Seo Do-cheol stomped his feet.
Finally unable to contain himself, he shouted after my back.
“Alright! Fine! If you bring my daughter back safely, I’ll apologize, whatever it takes! But if you fail? You’ll pay dearly. Count on it. The stakes are far higher than 1 billion won!”
“Three days, then.”
—
# # #
Hwaaa—
The fire prevention sprinklers activated, drenching the soot-blackened bundles of cash.
Seo Do-cheol sat astride the money as if it were a chair.
Using the 1 billion won pile as a makeshift sofa gave me a sinful sensation.
But there was no hesitation in Hanamjin’s actions of starting the fire.
“You brat who doesn’t know the value of money!”
To not understand the worth of 1 billion won—an error made by an ignorant youth.
That’s what he wanted to think, but the reality was different.
Hanamjin was aware of the 1 billion won’s value more than most, precisely why he had set it ablaze.
The value of money and power meant nothing to him—he had wanted to show exactly that.
‘This guy cannot be coerced by money or power, so someone like Nam San-ho doesn’t scare him either. Regardless of the opponent, if he spots a flaw, he will tear them apart.’
The problem was that Seo Do-cheol himself also had a high probability of getting bitten by Hanamjin.
If Hanamjin successfully brought back Seugal, Seo Do-cheol would have to kneel and apologize to Hanamjin.
Because of this, Seo Do-cheol couldn’t purely rejoice at Hanamjin’s efforts to rescue his daughter.
If only I could get a hold on Hanamjin’s leash…
After much contemplation, Seo Do-cheol picked up the phone to contact a man.
“Is this Officer Gim Jang-dong from the Superhuman Management Bureau? I have a few questions about a student you’re managing. If you’re not too busy, I’d like to see you today. I’m ready to pay an appropriate fee.”
Seo Do-cheol knew that Officer Gim Jang-dong had pulled strings when Hanamjin was released from custody due to “insufficient evidence.”
Surely, that man must have valuable information.
“Manager Kim, your daughter is entering high school this year, right? I’ve heard you’re into music. Art isn’t generally something that doesn’t require much money, is it?”
Fortunately, Manager Gim Jang-dong was unlike Hanamjin—relatively easy to persuade with less money, especially for fathers raising daughters who are strapped for cash.
When Officer Gim Jang-dong arrived, he frowned upon seeing the charred throne of money.
“Did South Jin do this? What a waste.”
“Who else could it be? Since you’re busy, I’ll get straight to the point. How can I get a grip on that reckless b*stard?”
At that question, Manager Gim sighed lightly.
“I don’t know much about Hanamjin either. I can’t offer you any more information than what you already know.”
Gim Jang-dong was cautious with his words.
“To civil servants like me, the pension we receive after retirement is a great hope. I just want to live long and safely, even if it means staying thin.”
Gim Jang-dong’s passive attitude inadvertently provided Seo Do-cheol with much information.
From the 7th Department’s elite office, the “Superhuman Management Bureau.”
The reason why even a man like Gim Jang-dong, with strong clout, was cautious about speaking must have a specific cause.
How many people were above Gim?
“Is there any chance the President himself ordered you to safeguard Hanamjin? Could he possibly be a candidate for adoption like Nam Woo-joo or Nam San-ho?”
From what Seo Do-cheol knew, Nam Tae-geon had an eccentric hobby of recruiting spirited youngsters as his adopted sons.
As if a team owner collecting excellent players, Nam Tae-geon did the same with adopted sons.
With the recent events that Hanamjin had stirred up, would he have caught Nam Tae-geon’s eye?
Under the implicit protection of Nam Tae-geon, Hanamjin’s unruly actions would be excused.
‘It’s strange that Nam Tae-geon hasn’t approached Hanamjin yet. Given Nam Tae-geon’s obsession with collecting unusual teenagers, it’s odd.’
Creating Korea as his kingdom and passing it to his successor—this was Nam Tae-geon’s dream.
Seo Do-cheol at least knew that much about the man for whom he had once worked.
But there was something he couldn’t figure out.
‘At this rate, Hanamjin’s teeth will eventually touch the most critical weakness of Nam Tae-geon. Nam Tae-geon can’t possibly be unaware of this fact. Yet he’s still protecting Hanamjin, is he?’
Does he have so much confidence that Hanamjin won’t bite him?
‘An arrogance filled with confidence.’
Seo Do-cheol recalled the ever-confident figure of Nam Tae-geon, and even the time he was captivated by that self-assurance, following his path.
“Mr. President, I just hope Miss Seugal returns safely. It seems young Han Jin likes her quite a bit. He even went to the trouble of making a wedding invitation.”
Swish.
Gim Jang-dong handed Seo Do-cheol a peculiarly designed wedding invitation and left the president’s office. In his hand inside the car was a box of apples out of season.
Seo Do-cheol sat quietly, staring at the wedding invitation for a while.
The invitation was a homemade one, crudely copied onto thermal paper but amusingly childish, with inscriptions that read “Bride: Seugal” and “Groom: Hanamjin.”
“If Hanamjin becomes Nam Tae-geon’s adopted son…”
With the heir to the 7th Department, Nam Woo-joo, now declared missing, the presidential successor’s position was effectively vacant.
In the scenario where the adopted sons fiercely compete for that seat, if Seo Do-cheol supported Hanamjin…
Becoming the successor of the 7th Department wouldn’t just be a dream for Hanamjin.
And he likes Seo Do-cheol’s daughter, Seugal.
Seo Do-cheol realized his daughter was the solution to all the problems.
He had to find her as soon as possible.
So what was Seugal doing at this moment?
Seugal was struggling against the strange darkness creeping into her room.
“Hey! Yu Yeo-reum! Shine a light over here, quick!”
Slither-slither.
Thick darkness, akin to squid ink, was slowly seeping through the narrow cracks in the door.
