episode_0085

The place I was summoned to was a warehouse in the port.

From the outside, it looked like an ordinary warehouse to anyone, but this place was one of the secretive places in our Taebaek where shady things happened behind the scenes, a place where only Grandfather and Dan-i noona would easily set foot in.

“Have you arrived, sir?”

The attendants in black suits greeted me as I got out of the car. Of course, they were called attendants, but in reality, they were under the command of Noona, the head of the attendants, who dealt with the dangerous elements in Taebaek in an ‘effective’ manner, which could be seen as members of a violent organization.

Having confirmed that the car was hidden near a container nearby, I followed the guidance of the attendants inside.

As soon as the door opened, a strong metallic stench that seemed to induce vomiting vibrated throughout the place, causing my brows to furrow.

It was unfamiliar. I had only heard of such places, but this was my first time actually setting foot in one.

But I had already made up my mind, so there was no room for hesitation.

“We have arrived, sir.”

As the attendants stopped walking, opening the door, I saw a man tied to a chair in the center of the spacious room, with two attendants guarding him on either side.

Responding to the bow of the attendants who noticed me, I raised my left hand in acknowledgment and approached them, looking down at the man tied to the chair.

Despite coming close enough to his face as if to touch it, the man remained motionless, not even flinching. From the looks of it, he seemed to have been brought in without a single hair being touched, just as ordered. They were indeed clean individuals when it came to handling tasks.

“Awaken him.”

“Yes!”

— Crash!

At my command, one of the attendants poured a bucket of water on the man lying on the floor.

“Cough… Ugh? Where in the world…?”

Although he regained consciousness, the man did not seem to fully grasp the situation and just looked around with a dumbfounded expression.

“…It’s been a while, Mr. Kim Namseon.”

“What? What are you people doing!! Do you think you can get away with this!?”

At the cold response, the man, who had just realized my presence, raised his head, but instead started shouting and raving.

Since we had never had a direct conversation before, he seemed to have no idea who I was.

“Could you please step aside for a moment? I have a lot to say to this man.”

Ignoring the noisy man, I gestured to the attendants. Although they were currently working for me, they ultimately belonged to Dan-i noona and Grandfather.

Since everything I did here would eventually reach their ears, I had to prevent as much information leakage as possible.

“Now that we are alone, shall we have a chat?”

Confirming that the attendants had stepped back, I picked up the metal bat on the floor and stared at him. However, the man still seemed not to understand the situation and continued to struggle.

It was all in vain.

“Can’t you release me right now!? Do you know who I am! If our master finds out, you— Argh!!”

A dull thud mixed with the man’s screams echoed in the room.

“If someone speaks, you should listen. Is it okay to just scream like that?”

Ignoring the man’s continued screams, I looked down at him, gripping the metal bat in my hand, and this time, shifted my gaze to the man’s left leg, which was clearly out of place. I had tried to control my strength, but it seemed not to have worked well.

Yes, I had to be careful not to knock him out again. Killing him would be even worse.

“Why… why are you doing this…”

After screaming for a while, the man finally calmed down and collapsed on the floor, breathing irregularly while sitting on the chair.

Could he finally understand the situation? His struggling body no longer showed any signs of resistance as before.

“Why am I doing this… Well, I think you know better than me, Mr. Kim Namseon,” he muttered.

“What…?”

“Our grace… No, Jueunhye. Do you know who she is?”

As I stared at him with narrowed eyes, his expression, which had previously shown ignorance, gradually turned pale.

With a look of astonishment as if he had forgotten even the pain.

“I am the man who will become our grace’s husband. You should know why I’m doing this, right?”

Trying to hide the deep-seated anger within me, I spoke softly with a smile, but the man’s eyes looking at me were more intense than any I had seen before.

“Oh, no… I… I… It’s not my fault…”

“Daring to harm our grace… my wife, and then claiming it’s not your fault!?!?”

Enraged by his denial of reality, I swung the metal bat once again, this time aiming for his right leg instead of the left.

“Aaaagh!! Ugh… Ugh…”

The man’s body sprang up from the ground like a fish out of water. And bright red blood flowed from his mouth.

Whether it was from the pain in his legs or from biting his lip to endure the pain, I didn’t care. Seeing blood didn’t make me want to stop this madness.

“You. It’s better not to make me too angry. If you want to leave here with your limbs intact, you better speak.”

“P-please… spare me…”

“That’s up to you, isn’t it? Now, speak. Why did you target my wife?”

“I-I did try to harm her. But I didn’t kill her in the end, did I? I… I did nothing wrong! I just did as my master ordered me to do—”

So, I did nothing wrong.

Having said this much, he begged for his life.

The man’s eyes pleaded with me. Of course, I had some idea of who was behind him. What I needed was evidence to prove it. His words were being recorded without missing a single word.

However, as I pondered his words, I noticed something strange.

“Like my mother…?”

“Ah? Ah… Aaahhh!!!”

The man let out a short gasp from his mouth, then immediately began to scream and convulse.

It didn’t take long for me to be engulfed in anger again, from being stunned by the shocking truth to being consumed by rage once more.

*

“Even so, there was no need to kill him.”

Despite being forced to answer the continued questioning, Dani continued to smile innocently with her eyes half-closed.

“Yes, there was no need to kill him… That’s your answer.”

Tap, tap, tap.

The sound of her tapping the table with her index finger created a strange tension. She must know. She must know that the man had tried to harm Eunhye.

So, despite the probing questions with a tone suggesting that killing him would be more beneficial, I did not consider killing the man.

Such a person must suffer in hell until they feel that death would be a relief.

Not only that man, but also those behind him.

“…Keep it a secret from Grandfather. And Mom too. I beg you.”

If this matter reaches Grandfather’s ears, even a sibling who is like an enemy and a mother-in-law will not escape unscathed.

Grandfather, who always emphasized the importance of family relationships from a young age, taught his children well.

“Will you tell her… eventually?”

“I will have to tell her someday, but… sigh, now is not the time.”

I let out a short sigh and quickly downed the remaining beer. I think ignorance is bliss. There’s nothing good that can come from Grace knowing that someone from the same bloodline who was once kind to her tried to kill her.

Besides, I don’t want to see my wife with a sad expression.

— Ring ring ring~

At that moment, my smartphone rang.

The caller was… my wife.

“Sorry, I’ll take this call for a moment.”

After seeking permission from my mother and sister, I pressed the call button, put the receiver to my ear, and said, “Hello?”

— Hehehe~ Yes, it’s your wife! Your dear wife!

Grace was still joking around with a tipsy voice. Hearing her clear and gentle tone somehow purified the heavy feeling in my heart.

“Why did you call? If you have something to say, you can just come and say it.”

— Well~ I was wondering why my husband wasn’t there~?

“Yeah. I’m just in the living room for a moment.”

— Really~? Oh~ My husband. Playing with Mom and Brother. The three of you are having fun without me~ leaving me out all alone~

“That’s not it.”

— No~? Hmph~ then come in quickly~ I’m lonely~

“Haha… got it. I’ll come in soon.”

I ended the call, trying to suppress my embarrassed face as much as possible. I’ll have to ask my mother and sister to leave soon, even though I feel sorry.

As I turned to the two of them, I noticed that the atmosphere was so tense that it was difficult to say anything.

“Mom, we should probably let the two of you go, right?”

“That’s right. We can talk about the rest next time.”

I bowed my head to the two of them as a gesture of apology for the inconvenience. Really. It’s nice to be considerate, but there’s no need to tease us like that!

“Hehehe, go quickly. Your dear wife is waiting, right?”

“Ugh, I don’t need to say it, I’ll just go quickly.”

“My younger brother is too harsh on his sister… Well, before you go, here’s a little gift.”

What strange thing is she going to give me this time? Well, I’ll accept it since she’s giving it to me.

“Here, take it. It’s the same thing I gave you last time.”

“Oh my goodness.”

I wondered what she was giving me, and it turned out to be a pack of Viagra pills that I received last time. And it was a pack of ten.

“Inhale! Use it if you need a boost~ Okay, I’m really going now.”

“Hurry up!”

As my sister-in-law ran away from me, she started following my mother like a mischievous child.

It’s truly unbelievable and pathetic that she’s my sister-in-law, but the fact remains that she’s a good sister-in-law, even though she acts like a child.

“Hehehe~ come quickly, dear husband~ I’ve warmed everything up for you~”

When I entered the room, Grace greeted me with open arms and patted the spot next to her. But when I lay down, the mattress was cold.

“Dear, you said you warmed everything up, but nothing is warm.”

“What do you mean? I didn’t warm up the blanket, I warmed up… this side here♡”

With a seductive look in her eyes, Grace uncovered the blanket she had covered, revealing her alluring body clad only in a black sheer bra and panties.

This time… I feel grateful to my sister-in-law for giving me such a nice gift.