Substitute-Chapter 132

“Am I supposed to stay here?”

Gwak Yeol looked down at his grandfather seated in the lobby and asked.

Only after Choi Minjae had been dragged away did the old man take off his helmet and goggles, shake off the rainwater, and say, “I should wash.”

“The blackout is dragging on.”

“It’ll be restored soon.”

Gwak Yeol answered casually, then added, “You’ll have to shower cold.”

He was about to leave when the old man raised a finger.

“See me at HQ after I wash.”

Here, HQ meant the HQ Room.

“Why?”

“Tan has something to consult about.”

“Weren’t we going to get rid of him?”

Gwak Yeol openly asked as he glanced over his grandfather.

He couldn’t see his expression from where he stood, but the old man didn’t seem particularly surprised.

“That’s why we need to consult. Even if the person in charge disappears, the project must go on, no?”

The old man spoke calmly, as if discussing a successor for a director who had resigned for unavoidable reasons.

Come to think of it, his cousin’s life was truly pitiful.

He’d volunteered to be a lackey for nearly ten years just to please a man like that.

“Fine. If it’s about that, of course we should consult.”

Gwak Yeol acted as if he had an interest in the project’s operation.

He did have an interest—only not in operation, but in termination.

Only four guards remained standing to protect the old man. Under normal circumstances two of them would have followed Gwak Yeol, but they did not.

“No one’s coming with me? I’m scared.”

He put on an exaggerated whine, but the four guards stared straight ahead and didn’t even answer.

Shrugging, Gwak Yeol turned his back to head for the second floor. Just then he ran into the two guards who had taken Kim Taehyun to the clinic coming back. They would naturally rejoin the old man.

Six. Counting them, Gwak Yeol climbed the stairs.

The Crew dorms were empty.

Some of the Seekers who had caught runaways were in the garden glasshouse, and the rest were having sex with their spoils in a special place prepared on Basement Level 2.

Accustomed to the dark, they would find cocks and holes effortlessly regardless of the blackout. Like insects that discover everything through pheromones and antennae, everyone gathered here sensed their counterpart with their cocks and fulfilled that role diligently.

A strange energy flowed on the dorm floor, but there was no sign of people.

The old man was not sloppy enough to hire clumsy hands who made noise. He was the kind of man who couldn’t trust a guard force made up entirely of ex–Special Forces and hired mercenaries on top of that.

How did he know?

Because he’d done the same thing.

Gwak Yeol barely stifled a laugh.

Instead of going to the dorms, he headed straight for HQ. He could shower in the HQ Room; there was no need to use his own room or another Crew’s room.

Above all, mercenaries hired by his grandfather had long since set up in his room. He wasn’t so reckless as to fight mercenaries, even if he wasn’t the timid type.

If it were knives, he could manage somehow, but if they had guns there’d be no way to dodge. He wasn’t a god; better to take care.

Fortunately, the old man’s people weren’t the only ones in this building.

Why else would he have played the strong card of a blackout?

Because of that one man, a big fight might have broken out before the original objective was achieved, so he decided to move as quietly as possible.

The HQ would also be packed with the old man’s crowd, but the managers, including Manager Kim, were men far from any real fighting.

Not that he was letting his guard down.

If not mercenaries, if Manager Kim pointed a gun at him, well, then he’d die.

He acted as if it were someone else’s problem.

By now they should have seized the generator room. If need be, they’d be installing explosives to blow this building sky-high.

Gwak Yeol picked up his cell phone.

This wasn’t the Joseon era—what was with the radios.

He ostentatiously made a call.

The biggest reason to phone in this situation was to look as if he hadn’t sensed the presence of mercenaries at all.

It was also true he wouldn’t have time to make contact later. Even if a merc listened in, they wouldn’t understand what the call meant.

While receiving a situation report from the other side, he heard an unexpected name.

He’d thought the man had fled, but he’d come back. To find a colleague—more precisely, to find the one who’d been captured under his name.

Loyal, aren’t you.

Thinking of the face that had inherited only Cha Jongsoo’s good points, Gwak Yeol smiled without meaning to.

In many ways, the man suited him too well. The looks drew him naturally, and even the temperament fit him perfectly.

Even for someone as experienced as Gwak Yeol for his age, Kim Jiwon—no, Yun Jiwon—ranked in his top three partners. He didn’t care in the least that the man carried a mutilated, ugly sex organ.

At first he had no doubt the man belonged to his grandfather’s side. For a man to attend a sex party—and to keep passing interviews even with a severed sex organ—was a problem so obvious anyone could see it.

So he’d called for a stand-in to check with his own eyes what kind of bastard he was.

With hair so long it covered his eyes and dressed all in black, he looked unexpectedly ordinary.

His looks weren’t the kind you could hide under such a rustic style, but the pale face, hunched shoulders, and timid manner left a dull impression.

But rather than being disappointed by Kim Jiwon’s flat first impression, his curiosity was piqued—because of the scar running from his right elbow down to his wrist.

A man with not only a severed sex organ but a bad arm.

He wondered what he could have shown at the interview to reach the final round with two major defects. He even thought he might be a spy planted by his grandfather.

So after intake he approached him openly.

The problem was that even though he was convinced it was a trap laid by his grandfather, Gwak Yeol found himself increasingly attracted to him. He grew so close he’d been advised to quit the group lodging.

Luckily, reason outran instinct. To stay true to his original purpose, he volunteered to leave the dorms.

At that point he learned that Kim Jiwon was a cop, infiltrating with the same objective as his, right before the Manitto game.

He’d hidden his real identity so tightly he almost wouldn’t have known until the end.

Detective Kim Kyungseok, from the start, seemed to have never considered the option of the man making it out alive.

Otherwise, Sergeant Yun Jiwon’s record wouldn’t have been deleted from the National Police database.

It was a bit late, but he also found out that Yun Jiwon was the brother of the so-treasured Yun Jisoo, known as “Jade,” and that his memories of the day his sex organ was severed were not intact.

A whole chain of decisions—trusting only Kim Kyungseok’s words without proper memories and choosing revenge—felt unjust. He didn’t like it.

Gwak Yeol wanted to tell Yun Jiwon the truth—with, if possible, a chance to escape.

To do that, he had to find a good way to awaken revenge-filled Yun Jiwon.

Fist-Fuck was exactly that.

The person who proposed the idea was “Uncle.”

Gwak Yeol protested vehemently. In a situation where it was uncertain whether that experience would even bring back Yun Jiwon’s memories, he worried it might instead draw Jung Yuchan into the spotlight of his grandfather and cousin too soon.

The reasons sounded proper, but to be honest, the moment he heard the word he was infuriated.

Even though Yun Jiwon was a man who had exposed his sex organ without shame in front of others and masturbated with a dildo, somehow he couldn’t bear that one thing.

For someone who’d done all sorts of things himself, why did that upset him? Frustrated, Gwak Yeol couldn’t explain his feelings.

But whatever Gwak Yeol felt, “Uncle” thought differently. He believed it would be better for his grandfather and cousin to pay attention. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

He believed in many ways it would help to make them mistake Yun Jiwon and Jung Yuchan for men truly mad about sex.

Gwak Yeol was not a moral person to begin with. Under ordinary circumstances, it was a proposal he would have gladly accepted.

Everyone already knew he was interested in Yun Jiwon, and the argument that voicing his opinion directly was the way to avoid suspicion was fairly reasonable.

But for some reason, that one thing he just couldn’t stomach.

On the other hand, he knew better than anyone what kind of people his grandfather and cousin were. He himself was no different from them—a pervert bastard.

In the end, Gwak Yeol decided to accept “Uncle’s” proposal.

In exchange, he instructed that Yun Jiwon be informed about Hide-and-Seek and escape. Because the reason for all these decisions was to give him at least a fair chance.

Even now Gwak Yeol didn’t know whether that play had brought back Yun Jiwon’s memory of the incident. He hadn’t asked directly, and the man hadn’t shown any sign, so there was no way to know.

But he clearly recognized that the man had decided to escape and wanted to live more than anyone.

So he helped him. For a man who had lost his family to his grandfather and Cha Jongsoo and even had his sex organ cut off, it was the only thing he could do.

His guilt over having provoked Yun Jiwon in such a brutal way also played a part.

Honestly, if not for his past, maybe they could have made something of it, but that would be hard. Whatever anyone said, he was Gwak Hoon’s grandson and practically Cha Jongsoo’s stepson.

Thinking that far, Gwak Yeol snorted a laugh.

A man who’d never been interested in romance all his life, and here he was thinking about it right in the middle of life and death. He really was insane.

“...Can you handle it? Well, if you ask, tell him for now. And... hmm.”

Yun Jiwon’s appearance had put a hitch in the plan.

To be honest, a hitch was too much—call it a slight nuisance.

Gwak Yeol conveyed his instructions, and the man understood immediately.

[We’ll take the one in critical condition to the clinic.]

The call ended there.

Few words were needed. They were not people who required many.

Unlike his grandfather, who had hired mercenaries and drawn up a plan in just a few days, Gwak Yeol had prepared for years, longing for this day.

From the start, the manpower gap between an eighty-year-old who had ruled as king of narcotics for over forty years and a twenty-three-year-old greenhorn was enormous. He knew it well, and he had done everything he could to close that gap.

Going back to when he’d decided at twenty to kill his grandfather, he’d prepared for a full five years.

He’d only begun hiring people in earnest three years ago, but beforehand he had considered tens, hundreds, thousands of contingencies.

He endlessly simulated situations they might face, and in the process of applying them in reality, he obsessively pinpointed mistakes that might arise. Then he prepared meticulous countermeasures to make up for those mistakes.

Repeating the sequence, he listened to all the experts’ opinions. His own knowledge came only from the internet and books, so he respected the experienced more than anyone.

Therefore, the people Gwak Yeol had personally selected were not merely employers and employees; they were closer to colleagues and teachers.

That didn’t mean they addressed each other like brothers. Because money bound them rather than voluntary bonds, they called it a “Company.”

The very building at Gangnam Station where he had first met Yun Jiwon was where the “Company” was located.

The representative was someone who could command all personnel, and titles were set according to how many staff worked under each lead.

To minimize exposure of identity, they disguised themselves as couriers. Fittingly, the company name was “Gangnam No.1 Quick.” They delivered everything except food and large appliances—especially pharmaceuticals—making it perfect for intelligence collection.

There was no need to worry that the “Company” would be exposed just because Gwak Yeol had used the parking lot there. That old building alone housed over a hundred large and small businesses, and there were more than ten offices running quick-service or delivery agencies.

Having prepared so thoroughly, there was no reason for the plan to go awry—and it must not. Even if it did, all of it fell within the contingencies he had considered and could be remedied. His confidence stemmed from meticulous preparation.

Striding down the corridor, Gwak Yeol passed his own room. Glancing back, he saw a shadow whisk away.

The mercenary who must have been waiting inside had sensed movement, readied an attack stance, and when he passed the room, poked his head out. He would surely be preparing his next move.

Thanks to that, Gwak Yeol confirmed the opponent had no gun. If he had one, this moment with his back turned would have been the best time to shoot.

Instead of pulling a trigger, the opponent chose to hide. In that case, the odds favored Gwak Yeol.

From the wetsuit’s right thigh pocket, Gwak Yeol drew a gun. A pistol the size of his palm—larger than most men’s—an integrated model with a suppressor on the muzzle.

When a pro steps in, why insist on knives? If your skill is lacking, use tools.

Gwak Yeol didn’t stake his life on empty style.

He heard footsteps racing up behind him.

Apparently the mercenary thought this was the chance; he didn’t even try to muffle his own steps.

Gwak Yeol turned immediately.

The enemy was closer than expected, and much faster than he’d thought.

As expected of our grandfather.

He had spared no expense to eliminate his most cherished and beloved successor.

Satisfied.

He himself had been the one to keep needling his grandfather until his anxiety turned into paranoia, and the mercenary before him was the result.

Should I have dialed it back a little?

Smirking, Gwak ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Yeol raised the gun.

The mercenary didn’t realize the target had a gun in his hand.

He registered a dull crack like a twig underfoot first, and when the smell of gunpowder reached him a moment later, he was already on the floor.