IMFOBO | CH 4 | If It Doesn’t Exist, Just Create It

If It Doesn’t Exist, Just Create It

 

Eun-cho’s eyes widened like she’d just received an invalid command.

Come to think of it, they shared the same last name.

It wasn’t a common surname, so why hadn’t she considered the possibility of a blood relation between them?

‘How can brothers look so different?’

Their outward appearances, the vibes they gave off, and even the way they spoke… There wasn’t a single point of similarity to be found.

It was hard to believe that this delinquent and her straight-laced, by-the-book friend Jeong-seok shared the same genes. They seemed like complete strangers.

“I’ve cut ties with that family.”

“If you’ve got nothing to hide and you’re so confident, why did you bolt the moment you saw me?”

The elegant man’s uncensored profanity flowed so naturally.

It didn’t seem crude or low-class.

The man, still smiling, casually gripped Jeong-seok’s shoulder.

He didn’t seem to be applying much pressure, but Jeong-seok’s face instantly contorted.

“Is love a crime? I have the right to marry the woman I want! What gives Grandpa the right to interfere with my love life?!”

“At least kidnapping the Bong family’s daughter is bad form.”

Eun-cho rolled her eyes and took a step back, then another.

She’d been holding her ground out of guilt for Jeong-seok, who was stuck because of her, but this wasn’t her place.

It was a sensitive and private family matter, and she wasn’t sure if even a close friend was entitled to hear such personal things.

It was also strange to see the usually gentle Jeong-seok resorting to cursing as he desperately resisted.

“Aww, look at you. My little brother’s all grown up. Talking back to your big brother so impudently.”

“Ugh. Tell Grandpa to disown me.”

Tae-san pouted and teased Jeong-seok like a baby as if enjoying his disgusted reaction.

Despite his playful tone, the grip on Jeong-seok’s shoulder tightened.

A suppressed groan escaped Jeong-seok’s lips.

Tae-san’s expression suddenly turned icy.

Even those watching held their breath during that fleeting moment.

“Don’t give me that crap. Give back everything you’ve enjoyed so far before you start talking.”

Jeong-seok fell silent at the sharp rebuke.

He couldn’t deny that he’d been living comfortably off the family’s money and studying to become a doctor of Korean medicine.

Jeong-seok trembled as he tried to break free from Tae-san’s grasp, but it was no use.

“You high and mighty doctor of Korean medicine, at least keep your story straight.”

“Why did you come all the way here to stir things up?”

The man, who hadn’t budged when Jeong-seok tried to escape, finally released his grip.

The simple act of dusting off his shoulder seemed threatening.

“You don’t know why?”

“What!”

“The old man says he needs you there too to properly inherit the shares.”

Jeong-seok’s expression crumpled at the mention of shares.

It was as if he finally understood Ryu Tae-san’s motive for tearing through this rural village.

“He wants you brought to him immediately.”

“……”

“You, and the woman you’re shacked up with.”

Tae-san’s gaze shifted back to Eun-cho.

It was a look that seemed to strip her bare, examining her inside and out.

Eun-cho hesitated at the sudden attention, cautiously observing the man.

As soon as their eyes met, he squinted one eye and smiled brightly.

“So, is it one or two?”

Ryu Tae-san still hadn’t let go of his suspicion.

It was almost time for that rude question about whether the three of them were messing around together to be asked again.

If that was the topic, Eun-cho was no longer a stranger to it.

“What? Explain yourself.”

Jeong-seok already knew the answer.

His face was filled with shock as he saw the indifferent gaze that seemed to be counting the number of animals that had mated.

Jeong-seok’s complexion turned as red as a sweet potato roasting in a brazier as if he wanted to deny it vehemently.

“Bong Su-ji or Lee Eun-cho, or maybe both.”

“Wow… This is insane. You’ve really lost it, haven’t you?”

Tae-san put his weight behind it and struck the top of Jeong-seok’s head squarely.

Eun-cho flinched back in surprise at the loud, dull thud that sounded like something breaking and cracking.

It was a firm stance that he would never tolerate bad behavior.

The brothers’ squabble was ominous.

It seemed like Jeong-seok was getting beaten one-sidedly, but he seemed to have considerable endurance, as if he’d been hit like that for a day or two.

“Don’t you dare try to climb over me.”

“That’s exactly the kind of messed-up thing I’d expect from you.”

“I’m quite conservative and ethical, so I don’t think that applies to me.”

“Your conservative ethics are dead and buried.”

Jeong-seok’s jaw dropped, so it was clear that what Tae-san said was not true at all.

Ryu Tae-san didn’t change his expression at all, whether he was calm or shameless, but Jeong-seok was so angry that he didn’t know what to do.

It was a fight he couldn’t win in the first place.

“So?”

“I’ve only ever had Su-ji… ! Ugh, why do I have to explain this?!”

“Because I’m getting dragged into it. They’re saying no to marrying someone else’s partner, and they’re urging me to get married right away.”

“Marriage? Do you have someone in mind?”

Tae-san’s indifferent gaze landed on Eun-cho.

It was quite a coincidence that he was staring with a sharpened gaze as if he had found prey while talking about marriage.

“Well, if I don’t have one, I’ll just have to create one and take her with me.”

Eun-cho hesitated with an unknown sense of unease as someone stepped into the tea field.

“Executive Director, it’s taken care of.”

“Nicely?”

To find aesthetics in dealing with gangster thugs, he must be far from normal.

Tae-san walked ahead without properly finishing the conversation he’d just had.

She really felt like her mind was spinning.

Had she only left her seat for about 15 minutes to serve tea to the man? So many things had happened in the meantime.

“Eun-cho, are you okay?”

“I’m okay, but what about you?”

As soon as Tae-san left, Jeong-seok moved closer to Eun-cho.

It was the usual kind Jeong-seok.

Beyond Jeong-seok’s shoulders, who was looking to see if she was hurt, she could see the man’s broad back.

The man who had suddenly stopped walking turned around.

When had he ever left without even glancing at her…

“What are you doing? Ms. Lee Eun-cho.”

She couldn’t put her finger on it, but he looked displeased.

Maybe he still hadn’t let go of his suspicion.

“I should get moving.”

“Ah.”

Only then did she realize that “taken care of” meant those loan shark thugs from earlier.

It wasn’t someone else’s problem; it was her own.

Ryu Tae-san had messed with Eun-cho’s mind so much that she had forgotten that she had been grabbed by the hair by the loan sharks.

She didn’t even realize that the man had given her an overbearing order.

Eun-cho quickly came to her senses at the calm call.

Jeong-seok followed closely behind with a look that seemed to want an explanation.

She wanted to give him some kind of hint, but Eun-cho also didn’t know why Ryu Tae-san had gotten involved in this mess.

“Wow…”

Eun-cho stopped walking for a moment as she entered the wide yard.

She didn’t know that “nicely” meant something like this.

The men, who had been so fierce and gruesome, were kneeling in a row with blood dripping, their faces covered in purple flowers, making them quite colorful to look at.

It was a sight that could never be called pretty, even as a joke.

Moreover, the highlight was the gags in their mouths.

Since only one sock was missing, revealing their bare feet, it was obvious what they were biting.

She didn’t want to know those inside stories.

“What is all this?”

Jeong-seok’s eyes, which had been wide open, were shaking without knowing where to go.

It was as if he was anticipating the ominous things that would happen in the future.

In front of the men sitting in a row like dried corvina fish in the devastated yard, an old chair was placed.

The man, as a matter of course, sat in that chair, crossed his long legs, and looked down at them.

“What are you going to do?”

A smug smile appeared on the face of the trapper.

Jeong-seok’s expression crumpled, knowing his brother better than anyone else.

This must be what it meant to be cornered.

“Are we going to take care of these bastards, or not?”

“Hyung!”

“As you know, I don’t tend to do things that are a loss for me.”

The man, uttering meaningful words, turned his gaze indifferently to Eun-cho.

Even though the situation had been roughly resolved, she was uneasy.

It was like running away from a jackal and meeting a tiger.

In the end, Eun-cho was the one who owed a debt to that kind of man, so she had no choice but to be anxious.

“Ha, I have no intention of receiving the shares.”

“That’s what you think. The old man’s position is different. Explain it yourself.”

That was why the great Executive Director had come all the way to Cheongrim Village.

“Should I let them go?”

When Tae-san gestured, the faces of the thugs, unable to overcome their humiliation, were filled with anger.

If they were released, they were vile enough to trample on Eun-cho, who was weaker than Tae-san, and vent their anger.

Jeong-seok, annoyed, washed his face with his hands and frowned.

“I’ll go. I’ll go! I’ll go, so stop it, hyung. And make sure those bastards never show their faces again.”

Eventually, Jeong-seok, who had raised the white flag, made a condition, but Tae-san just smiled.

He tapped his knee with his index finger. It was a face that seemed to be weighing the pros and cons.

“That’s a loss for me.”

The man, who was not easy to deal with, got up from his seat.

Tae-san, narrowing the distance to Eun-cho, stopped with one step left.

A deep gaze fell on Eun-cho’s face like a fixture.

“So, how about we match up?”

He dropped another bomb. With a bright smile.