SU | Chapter 2.5

With his arms crossed and watching from the sidelines, Gu Kangsan picked up a 500ml water bottle next to the toolbox. The stream of water touched the lips of Lee Seongmin, who was gasping for breath with his head tilted. Like a stranded survivor receiving life-giving water, his mouth opened eagerly. The intense thirst was evident on his flicking tongue.

Ji Youngwon checked his wristwatch several times but didn’t rush; he patiently waited for Lee Seongmin. It was only after ten minutes had passed since he received the call that Lee Seongmin finally regained his senses.

“Lee Seongmin.”

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“…Huh… heh heh.”

After a long bout of tears, Lee Seongmin stretched his lips into a wide grin. It was a common reaction when the threshold of pain was crossed.

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“The ankle bones heal faster than the wrist. Of course, that’s just my theory. I figured you wouldn’t be able to choose, so I made the choice for you.”

“…Heh heh. You crazy bastard. I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you!”

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“Glad to hear it. At least your mind is coming back quickly. Well, it’s just a broken bone, after all.”

Ji Youngwon turned around to check the ongoing recording and video before continuing.

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“The client, Lee Beomho.”

At the sudden mention of his half-brother’s name, Lee Seongmin struggled to lift his eyelids. A man with a monkey tattoo was filming him, drenched in sweat and sprawled out.

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“The order has been processed. We conclude the request.”

Ji Youngwon spoke nonchalantly, as if reciting a script. It was one of the closing messages left after completing a request. This recording and video would serve as a memory that could be used for blackmail at any time. Although the principle was to destroy all information regarding a completely concluded case, Ji Youngwon always chose to keep it.

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Beep. As the recording ended, the basement was once again enveloped in a heavy silence.

Lee Seongmin was engulfed by an unbearable urge to kill as he thought of his stepbrother, who had commissioned the request. He would chase him to the ends of the earth and curse him. He would kill him in the most painful way possible. He would dedicate all his remaining malice to him.

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“Have you cried it all out?”

The devil in front of him asked. Lee Seongmin shook off the last tear in his eyes and replied.

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“Yeah, you bastard.”

Even when faced with such harsh insults, Ji Youngwon didn’t extend the conversation or mock him like before. That was now just a bother.

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“Since the request from Lee Beomho has ended, I’ll loosen your restraints.”

Gu Kangsan, who had pushed the water bottle aside, untied the ropes that bound Lee Seongmin. As the bindings loosened, Lee Seongmin trembled intermittently. He had bitten down so hard that his gums were now throbbing.

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“When I get out… when I get out of here, I’ll report all of you….”

“Let’s skip the cliché lines.”

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“I’ll report all of you! I’ll… you all….”

“Is Lee Beomho rich?”

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The devil suddenly asked about the creditor’s wealth. Lee Seongmin, who had been mumbling like a madman, immediately shut his mouth.

“You and Lee Beomho are brothers, right? You should know well.”

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Not only did the creditor provide the address of the debtor, which he shouldn’t have known, but he also handed over an amount that was several times more than a typical request fee.

Moreover, Lee Seongmin’s behavior deviated from the usual pattern of a debtor. He seemed wary of people, but there was nothing particularly unusual about that. However, refusing to open the door for a delivery or only going to the supermarket in the early morning were actions typical of someone with something to hide.

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After confirming the presence of his deceased mother’s ashes, Ji Youngwon speculated that his behavior could be a reaction to escapism.

On the way back to the office, he passed the client and debtor information to President Baek, the broker known as Baek Byeonggi. President Baek was a key partner of Speed Delivery and Seongsim Planning, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that all the personal information Ji Youngwon possessed came from his network.

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[As for the information, they’re half-brothers. Since their residences are different, it seems they don’t live together, haha. Director^^ Since we’re on the topic, I hope you packed more medicine this week than last time]
<Attached are 2 photo files>

Shortly after leaving the message, Ji Youngwon received a text from President Baek. It contained an unexpected truth that even Ji Youngwon hadn’t deduced. The creditor, Lee Beomho, and the debtor, Lee Seongmin, were half-brothers with the same father.

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“Brothers… that’s not true.”

“Even if you’re half-brothers, you’re still brothers. Denying family is pointless.”

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“Damn it, I said it’s not true!”

Lee Seongmin suddenly lashed out and tried to rise. However, as he put weight on his swollen, bruised right ankle, he fell flat on the ground with a thud! Gasping for breath, he clenched his fists and slammed the floor twice.

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“Ah! You bastard, really…! Hah… what kind of brother does this to his own sibling?! What did I do wrong?!”

As he waited for the excitement to settle, Ji Youngwon turned his stiff neck.

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“Hey, calm down a bit. Your brother seems quite gentle, but you have a wild side, Lee Seongmin.”

Following Gu Kangsan’s slip of the tongue, Ji Youngwon chuckled. In fact, Lee Beomho had acted quite gentlemanly when he came with a cash envelope of 20 million won. But whether he had a reason to hesitate or not, he handed over the money without saying a word. The information about Lee Seongmin was all he had received that very morning.

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No matter how much money was lost, it was rare for the reward coming from Speed Delivery to exceed a thousand. That was when Ji Youngwon began to sense something suspicious.

After punching the hard cement floor for a while, Lee Seongmin suddenly burst into tears.

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“…Huh. Just answer me one thing.”

“What is it?”

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“Did Lee Beomho really… order me to be kidnapped and locked up like this? Not to get the money back, but to… make me like this….”

“Yes.”

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The straightforward answer made Lee Seongmin’s fists tremble once more.

“He even asked to break my ankle so I couldn’t walk properly.”

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“…….”

“So I just broke one cleanly. Even if you had chosen the wrist, I would have broken the ankle anyway.”

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“…You bastard.”

Ji Youngwon looked down at Lee Seongmin, who was sprawled on the ground with tears welling in his eyes. He crouched down again to meet his gaze. Then, he pulled out a crumpled envelope from his jacket and tossed it.

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“Eight million four hundred fifty thousand won found in Lee Seongmin’s room.”

“…….”

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“Take it back.”

Lee Seongmin, who had been roughly wiping his eyes, suddenly looked up.

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“…What kind of nonsense is this?”

“You can take it nicely when I’m being generous. Lee Beomho doesn’t seem to have any intention of getting the money back anyway.”

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Most clients knew they wouldn’t be able to retrieve their money. Yet, the reason they sought out a private investigator stemmed from a deep-seated desire for revenge. Thanks to that, the team had long been engaged in instilling fear or delivering punishment, and the reports that came in after the requests were always filled with traces of violence.

For that reason, even if Speed Delivery couldn’t collect the money, clients couldn’t raise any objections.

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“Do you think I’d just say thank you for returning the money after you’ve made me like this? Is that how it works?!”

Lee Seongmin, filled with rising humiliation, threw punches wildly. Ji Youngwon, like a dog fighting back, held out his palm in front of him.

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“Seongmin, you still haven’t answered my question.”

“What question!”

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As the sharp voice pierced his ears, the irritation he had been barely holding back surged up in an instant. Ji Youngwon raised his palm high. Lee Seongmin, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes, didn’t flinch.

…They have the same eyes, yet they’re so different. Faced with the venomous gaze, Ji Youngwon couldn’t help but think of Yoohan. The face that popped into his mind without context only made his mood sourer. Ji Youngwon struck Lee Seongmin’s head several times with his gloved hand.

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“I said you haven’t answered my question yet. Huh? Stop whining and listen to what I’m saying.”

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! The dull thuds made Lee Seongmin feel dizzy. He couldn’t seem to regain his senses, as if he had suffered a concussion. Lee Seongmin, drooling, collapsed completely on the floor. His black short-sleeve shirt was covered in dirt and sweat.

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Breathing heavily, Ji Youngwon quickly took off his gloves and tossed them aside.

“Alright, let’s do it this way. The 850,000 won I threw at you is now your reward for the answers you’ll give.”

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“Ugh….”

“We haven’t properly investigated Lee Beomho yet, so it’s still unclear.”

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Lee Seongmin, who had been gripping the back of his head like a noose, slowly lifted his gaze. Ji Youngwon grinned wickedly.

“Last question. Your brother, Lee Beomho. Is he rich?”

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“…Ugh. Why should I have to answer that?”

Then Ji Youngwon widened his eyes and covered his mouth. His exaggerated action, which made no sense, caused Lee Seongmin to stop speaking as well. After a few seconds of silence with his mouth covered, Ji Youngwon suddenly exhaled.

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“Why should you answer, Seongmin? Aren’t you going to take revenge?”

***

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Yoohan plopped down on the edge of the sofa, where the cushioning still had some life left in it. The second-floor office was devoid of warmth, with no sunlight streaming in, making it hard to tell whether it was day or night. He turned his head to gaze at the rectangular window covered in black film.

‘Maybe I could just pretend to clean and sneak it off. No, wait. If I act on my own, they’ll definitely throw a fit, so I should probably ask for permission first.’

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Yoohan had a ton of questions he wanted to ask Ji Youngwon when he arrived. What was up with that guy named Lee Seongmin? What kind of ending awaited a debtor dragged in like that? If he pretended to be learning the process of the job and asked boldly, maybe he’d get some surprisingly good answers.

“But what’s the point of asking…?”

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There was definitely something off about Lee Seongmin. He acted as if his dead mother was still alive, and a dark shadow loomed over his face. Plus, he hadn’t paid back nearly 100 million won. He was no different from his ex-boyfriend Kim Minjae, who had run off with money. He was clearly a perpetrator in someone’s story.

‘Let it go! That bastard is lying…! Ugh!’

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Yet, despite all that, Yoohan couldn’t shake the feeling of concern. What if there was an unjust story behind it? He found himself trying to piece together his situation. With his head hung low, he ruffled his hair. It was probably just the nerves from his first assignment making him feel this way.

After an hour passed with no one coming to the office, Yoohan absentmindedly rubbed the floor with the tip of his sneakers.

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“Where is everyone…?”

After sitting quietly for a while, Yoohan suddenly jumped up from his seat. Instead of just sitting around, he could at least get his body moving, and maybe, as Ji Youngwon said, he could shake off the unnecessary sympathy for the perpetrator.

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With determination in his eyes, Yoohan scanned the office. The concrete-gray floor was littered with clumps of hair, and the potted plants had long since dried up and died. A thick layer of dust coated the desk—except for the nameplate. Near the entrance, in the left corner, sat a pile of disposable delivery containers from who-knows-when.

“Impressive that it doesn’t smell. Did they lick it clean…?”

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As Yoohan peered at the plastic containers, he quickly turned his head away. The place was filthy, clearly untouched by any cleaning efforts. There was no way he’d find proper cleaning tools here, yet he couldn’t help but search around—like a kid on a treasure hunt.

When he opened a mysterious gray metal door on the right, he found a broom, a dustpan, and some rags scattered haphazardly.

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“Well, there’s more here than I expected.”