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Chapter 305: Choi Eun-Tae (2)

A brief sigh of relief escaped me.

"Who stabbed him? And how badly is he hurt?"

Still trembling, Lee Soo-Chan replied, "I don\'t know. The lawyer just got a call from the warden and is heading back inside now."

We didn\'t know how severe the injuries were or who was responsible.

Lee Soo-Chan clenched his fists and spoke angrily, "Hyung-nim, this has to be Choi Man-Sik! That bastard must\'ve done this!"

If someone managed to reach Kang Eun-Gi inside the prison, it had to be someone with Choi Man-Sik\'s level of influence.

Nonetheless, I couldn\'t jump to conclusions just yet because it could also be someone who had held a grudge against him from his gangster days.

While I was lost in thought, Lee Soo-Chan suddenly shouted to Choi Dong-Hyuk, "Dong-Hyuk, let\'s head straight to Future Imagination Savings Bank!"

"Alright. The tools are in the trunk, so we\'re ready to go immediately."

Future Imagination Savings Bank was the company where Choi Man-Sik served as a director.

Lee Soo-Chan was about to take the walkie-talkie when I grabbed his hand firmly to stop him. "Soo-Chan, hold on!"

Lee Soo-Chan turned to look at me with his eyes sharp and dangerous. "Are you telling me to hold back?"

His gaze was like that of a man back in his gangster days. However, I wasn\'t intimidated—not when I had already experienced death and even traveled back in time.

I spoke harshly as I had to snap Lee Soo-Chan out of his rage. "How dare you look at me with those eyes! What? Are you going to take a swing at me too? Do you not see me as your hyung anymore?"

At that moment, Lee Soo-Chan\'s eyes refocused and he was brought back to his senses. "N-no, that\'s not it..."

Though he had calmed down, I could still see the frustration on his face. He was clearly angry that I seemed so composed while Kang Eun-Gi was hurt.

I pressed Lee Soo-Chan even further. "Get a grip, Lee Soo-Chan! Eun-Gi turned himself in so you guys could live a normal life, and now you want to storm into a savings bank with weapons? What, do you want to make headlines? Or maybe you\'d rather just tell the cops you\'re going back to being gangsters?"

My words seemed to hit home as Lee Soo-Chan\'s resolve began to waver. After all, Choi Man-Sik was a respected director at Future Imagination Savings Bank.

Lee Soo-Chan gritted his teeth and struggled to control his anger.

Then, I spoke to the now calmed Lee Soo-Chan. "Don\'t get me wrong. I don\'t intend to let Choi Man-Sik off the hook."

Lee Soo-Chan\'s eyes flashed with interest. "Are you serious, hyung-nim?"

"Of course. So don\'t act rashly and focus on checking Eun-Gi\'s condition for now. And make sure the guys in the detention center with Eun-Gi stay calm."

"Okay, hyung-nim. And... I\'m sorry about earlier. I just lost it because I was too angry."

"It\'s fine. Now get on the phone and make some calls."

Lee Soo-Chan finally began to make several phone calls, issuing instructions to keep things under control.

***

It felt like time had come to a standstill.

For about ten minutes, not a single call or message came through. My phone, which was usually buzzing with work-related notifications, was eerily silent as if something was waiting to happen.

Buzz!

At that moment, Lee Soo-Chan\'s phone began to vibrate. "Hello? Ah, Eun-Gi hyung-nim? Are you okay?"

The moment I saw Lee Soo-Chan\'s face brighten, I couldn\'t help but let out a sigh of relief.

"It\'s Eun-Gi hyung-nim. He\'s calling from the ambulance."

"Put him on speaker."

"Okay."

When Lee Soo-Chan switched to the speakerphone, I could hear Kang Eun-Gi\'s voice.

-Yoon-Ho? I almost died, damn it.

Apparently, Kang Eun-Gi was secretly making the call using the paramedic\'s phone.

Relaxing my previously tense expression, I responded, "Judging by your voice, it doesn\'t seem like you\'re seriously hurt."

-Nope. I got stabbed but it\'s not too bad.

He had been cut with a knife, but it was only a superficial wound on his arm.

"So what happened?"

-Some guy attacked me after I met with the lawyer and was heading back in. Things could have been much worse if you hadn\'t warned me in advance.

"Do you know who did it?"

-No idea. The guy was high on drugs so he only babbled nonsense... I need to find out more.

I didn\'t know what to say to a man who\'d nearly died. This was someone who had promised his mother and Yeon-Sil that he wouldn\'t live like a gangster anymore. However, under these circumstances, I couldn\'t simply tell him to keep that promise.

Sensing my internal struggle, Kang Eun-Gi reassured me.

-Hey, I\'m not a gangster anymore. But once I find out who\'s behind this... I\'ll deal with it differently, so don\'t worry.

A sigh of relief escaped me without realizing it.

That\'s when Kang Eun-Gi suddenly said something unexpected.

-By the way, thanks, Yoon-Ho.

"For what?"

-For sticking by the guys! If it weren\'t for you, they might have already done something stupid.

The two men\'s eyes looking at me darted quickly, seemingly worried they might get scolded.

I decided to change the subject smoothly. "Nah, these guys... they\'re over that gangster stuff now."

Lee Soo-Chan and Choi Dong-Hyuk both bowed their heads repeatedly to express their gratitude.

"By the way, which hospital are they taking you to?"

-I have no clue. They won\'t tell me. I guess it\'s because I\'m a criminal.

I had a hunch about where they were taking him, but I pretended not to know.

"Alright. Take care of yourself. I\'ll come visit soon."

-A criminal getting visitors? I doubt they\'ll allow it. And don\'t tell Yeon-Sil about this, okay? I don\'t want to worry her."

"We\'ll see how you behave."

-Man, that\'s even scarier.

Just as we were about to end the call, Kang Eun-Gi\'s voice turned serious.

-Yoon-Ho, you\'re going to meet President Choi, right?

"Yeah."

"Then tell him this for me."

Kang Eun-Gi\'s tone, which had been light and joking just moments ago, suddenly became low and deliberate.

-Tell President Choi to stay out of my sight.

"..."

-I almost got killed thanks to him showing up out of nowhere and messing up our lives after all these years. He better hope he\'s not my father! If I ever see him, I won\'t let it slide.

Most people would be eager and happy to meet their father after so many years. However, that sentiment didn\'t apply to Kang Eun-Gi and me. Just thinking about the pain of growing up without parents was enough to make us grind our teeth.

"Got it. I\'ll tell him that."

-They\'re telling me I have to hang up now. I\'ll call you later. And you should be careful too. Choi Man-Sik might come after you.

"Yeah, don\'t worry."

I realized that I would have to meet Choi Eun-Tae no matter what this time, whether it turned out well or badly. I needed to find out who his son was.

Perhaps because of Kang Eun-Gi\'s warning, a sense of unease wouldn\'t leave me.

At the same time, a chilling thought began to creep into my mind. \'Damn it. It can\'t be, can it?\'

***

At the director\'s office of Future Imagination Savings Bank, Yang Ji-Hoon, the chief secretary standing nearby, whispered something into Choi Man-Sik\'s ear.

Choi Man-Sik wore a cold expression and said, "The junkie failed, huh? I had high hopes for his knife skills."

"My apologies, sir."

Unsurprised by the failure, Choi Man-Sik continued, "Never mind that. Have you stationed the men at the company entrance?"

"Yes, I\'ve placed some of the best men there."

A sly smile crept onto Choi Man-Sik\'s face. "Don\'t spill any unnecessary blood. Call the police as soon as they arrive. This is our chance to take them all down at once."

"I\'ve already informed the local police chiefs in advance."

Since the hitman sent to eliminate Kang Eun-Gi had failed, Choi Man-Sik naturally assumed that Kang Eun-Gi\'s associates would retaliate. He planned to use the police to round them up and lock them all away. With Kang Eun-Gi\'s men neutralized, taking care of Kang Eun-Gi himself would be a piece of cake.

At that moment, Yang Ji-Hoon asked, "If they don\'t show up, should we proceed with Plan B right away?"

Choi Man-Sik glanced at his watch. "They showed up at the factory in Namyangju earlier to rescue Nalsae, right?"

"Yes."

"Given the time it takes to get here, they should be storming in within the next 30 minutes. If they don\'t, go ahead with Plan B."

Choi Man-Sik had set multiple traps to capture Kang Eun-Gi.

Yang Ji-Hoon nodded before leaving the office. "Understood."

With urgent matters taken care of, Choi Man-Sik sat on the sofa. Then he turned to Ju Ho-Sung, the Team Lead from Hoop Entertainment, who was seated opposite him.

"Team Lead Ju, we might just hit the jackpot thanks to you. If things go well, I\'ll back you over Kim Dong-Soo!"

Ju Ho-Sung grinned broadly while rubbing his palms together. "I wasn\'t aiming for that, but I\'ll do my best if you give me the opportunity."

A week ago, Ju Ho-Sung\'s radar had caught Nalsae meeting with Kang Eun-Gi\'s people. Sensing a chance to make a significant move, Ju Ho-Sung bypassed Kim Dong-Soo and directly reported the information to Choi Man-Sik.

In response, Choi Man-Sik had made a bold move to have Kang Eun-Gi eliminated in prison. After all, the mere fact that Nalsae was associating with people from Reverse Entertainment was enough to make him suspicious of Kang Eun-Gi.

On the outside, Ju Ho-Sung appeared to agree eagerly with whatever Choi Man-Sik said. However, he actually felt differently on the inside.

\'Fuck. I knew he was crazy, but I didn\'t think he was this much of a lunatic!\' Ju Ho-Sung remarked inwardly.

All Ju Ho-Sung had done was voice his suspicions. He had not expected that Choi Man-Sik would actually attempt murder. As he played along with the conversation, cold sweat trickled down his back.

At that moment, Choi Man-Sik handed him a white envelope. "Take this. It\'s your reward."

"This wasn\'t what I was aiming for, sir." Ju Ho-Sung swallowed nervously as he declined the thick envelope, feeling as if it held the price of his life.

"What is it? Are you scared? You\'re not going to tell me now that Kang Eun-Gi isn\'t the President\'s real son, are you?"

Snapping back to his senses, Ju Ho-Sung quickly responded, "No, absolutely not! I\'m certain he is!"

Choi Man-Sik smiled. "Good. He better be or you\'ll have to take responsibility, Ho-Sung!"

Ju Ho-Sung swallowed hard. \'Take responsibility... Does he mean I\'ll have to pay with my life?

\'

He started to doubt whether they were still in a lawful country like South Korea, but the die had already been cast. There was no turning back now.

Choi Man-Sik lightly patted Ju Ho-Sung\'s cheek. Despite the slapping sound, Ju Ho-Sung didn\'t flinch.

"That\'s right. If you\'re going to do something big, you need that level of conviction. Oh, by the way, I hear Jung Yoon-Ho is about to be promoted to chief. Is that right?"

"Yes, sir!"

"I\'ll see what I can do to delay that. In the meantime, why don\'t you take on a few more actors and manage them? I\'ll make sure to slip you some extra cash."

Ju Ho-Sung\'s face lit up at the mention of direct financial support. "Thank you, Mr. Choi!"

"But don\'t forget my orders."

"Yes, I\'ll prepare only A-grade actresses for Mr. Park\'s after-party."

Ju Ho-Sung was secretly soliciting actresses for Choi Man-Sik, some from Hoop Entertainment and others from different companies.

"Good."

As they continued their conversation, 30 minutes passed.

Choi Man-Sik stared at his wristwatch in silence and muttered to himself. "Looks like they\'re not coming after all."

Then he picked up the phone. "Yeah, it\'s me. Looks like we\'ll have to go with Plan B."

The voice on the other end responded affirmatively.

***

The detention center where Kang Eun-Gi was being held typically sent its patients to Seoul H Hospital.

I remembered coming here in my past life when Lee Sung-Joon, who had been jailed for marijuana, needed emergency surgery for a burst appendix.

Based on my memory, Kang Eun-Gi was likely on the seventh floor where the hospital kept prisoners.

I quickly stepped into the elevator, keeping a low profile. Both Lee Soo-Chan and Choi Dong-Hyuk followed closely behind me, carrying a flower basket and a gift set of drinks respectively.

As the elevator doors closed, Lee Soo-Chan asked, "Hyung-nim, why did you bring us here with a flower basket for a hospital visit?"

"Eun-Gi is probably admitted here."

"Here?"

"Yes."

At that moment, Choi Dong-Hyuk chimed in, "But we won\'t be able to visit Eun-Gi hyung-nim anyway. Are you planning to break him out?"

"What do you think this is, a movie? Eun-Gi isn\'t on death row. Why would I break him out?"

It was true that visiting a prisoner who had just been attacked wouldn\'t be easy, let alone orchestrating an escape.

However, I had a different reason for coming here.

\'If it\'s Choi Man-Sik, he might try to kill Eun-Gi again,\' I thought.

The man known as the Viper of Myeongdong wasn\'t one to give up easily.

I turned to the others with a serious expression. "Listen carefully. As soon as we reach the seventh floor, drop everything and follow me immediately if there are no police at the entrance."

If Kang Eun-Gi had been admitted here, there should be two officers guarding the elevator entrance on the seventh floor and another one in the hallway outside his room.

Additionally, if Choi Man-Sik was targeting Kang Eun-Gi again, all three police officers would be absent.

Lee Soo-Chan asked, "Do you really think that bastard can control the police too?"

"I can\'t say for sure. But if anyone could, it\'s him."

In my past life, Kim Dong-Soo managed to escape various legal troubles thanks to his connections with politicians, high-ranking police officers, and prosecutors.

Lee Soo-Chan and Choi Dong-Hyuk\'s eyes flashed with determination upon grasping the situation. "Understood."

As we nervously reached the seventh floor, the elevator chimed and the doors slowly opened.

Ding!

The police officers who should have been guarding the elevator and the room were nowhere to be seen.

My hunch was right.