PAHO 112

A hollow laugh escaped him at the rather absurd remark. Na Taebeom let go of Gu Jonghyeok’s collar and instead gripped his jaw, pressing down.

“Are you on drugs again? Now that you’re fucked, you’re going for the junkie concept?”

“It’s not a lie. I’m telling you, I really came to get my wife.”

“Fuck, don’t give me that wife bullshit.”

His sharp tone was laced with displeasure. As if it wasn’t enough to intentionally cause a major disruption to the operations, he was now mentioning Nam Gyeonhwa and spouting this outlandish nonsense? Gu Jonghyeok tilted his head back, met his eyes squarely, and then chuckled.

“We even filled out a marriage registration form. In Nam Gyeonhwa’s own handwriting. It would’ve been nice if we could have officially registered it, but unfortunately, they say a man can’t be taken as a wife.”

“And you expect me to believe that nonsense?”

“What can I do, it’s the truth. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself. There’s a scanned copy of the registration form on the phone the director confiscated last night. Oh, and the password is six-six-nine-zero.”

His upturned eyes glinted in the fluorescent light. Na Taebeom looked down at him with a dumbfounded expression. Every claim was insane, yet at the same time, the reactions Nam Gyeonhwa had shown so far lingered in his mind. He had seemed reluctant, and at times, like he was trying to hide something. Frowning, he turned to look at Gwon Jongdae, who was standing behind him.

“Jongdae, go to the medical center and get a detox IV drip. It seems I’ll have to personally stick a needle in this bastard’s throat…”

“From what I’ve heard, the kid director has fallen hard for my wife. Seeing your reaction, I guess it’s true.”

Gu Jonghyeok cut him off before he could finish his order, the corners of his mouth twitching. Na Taebeom frowned and gripped his jaw as if to crush it.

“Cut the crap and answer my question. Who is the sponsor?”

“You slept with him, didn’t you? With Nam Gyeonhwa.”

“……”

For an instant, Na Taebeom’s pupils wavered. Gu Jonghyeok burst into a loud laugh at the blatant reaction and clicked his tongue as if to make sure he was heard.

“What a slutty little bastard. He promised with his own mouth that he’d wait until my release date, and then he bolts. Couldn’t even wait that long, ditches his husband to go screw some other guy.”

He licked his lips, grinned, and suddenly thrust his head forward.

“So how was it? Fucking amazing, right? Especially his mouthwork, probably no man or woman can compare. I taught him all of that, you see.”

“Shut your mouth.”

“My wife’s mouth hole was so tight, it was quite a struggle at first. Later on, he’d beg me to put my dick in his mouth, acting all cute. His nipples got so fucking big they’d dangle and sway whenever he moved.”

“Fuck, I told you to shut up.”

“Why? Weren’t you curious? Like, who the hell has he been with that he sucks dick like a whore? Did you try his back door too? Since we’re hole brothers now, how about I let you in on a little secret? Our Gyeonhwa likes it when you fuck him all the way to his colon. His asshole gapes and he goes wild. There is a prerequisite that the dick has to be big, though. Let’s see, is the little Director’s thing about my size?”

Despite the repeated warnings, the level of his rambling only escalated, to the point that even the interpreter listening beside them turned bright red. Unable to contain his surging anger, Na Taebeom swung his fist hard at Gu Jonghyeok’s jaw. Crash! Thud! As the chair tipped over and Gu Jonghyeok fell backward, Na Taebeom climbed on top of him and beat him mercilessly. The voices of those around him trying to stop him didn’t register at all. He just kept swinging his fists with the sole intention of killing Gu Jonghyeok.

Bloody saliva flew in all directions. It was only when fresh blood was streaming from Gu Jonghyeok’s nose and he was gasping to swallow the pooling blood that the staff members were finally able to pull Na Taebeom off him.

“Director, p-please, calm down for a moment.”

Gwon Jongdae, who had been fidgeting anxiously, said cautiously. Na Taebeom took a deep breath and gestured toward Gu Jonghyeok with his chin.

“Throw this bastard in the basement. Don’t give him a single bite of food or a drop of water until I say so, and make sure he can’t sleep.”

A couple of sturdy staff members rushed over and lifted the fallen Gu Jonghyeok. Even with his jaw and eyes swollen shut, his smirking face was downright terrifying. Na Taebeom pulled out a wet wipe, cleaned his hands, and turned his eyes to glare at the interpreter. The interpreter, who had been holding his breath and watching nervously, fell to his knees.

He had been tempted by an offer from an elder he knew from a Chilean Korean church for a short-term contract worth fifty million won, but he didn’t know it was for a participant in the fighting pits. The contract was received online and the payment was made to a virtual account, so he swore he knew absolutely nothing about the sponsor’s identity. Despite the rambling excuses, Na Taebeom’s expression remained utterly unimpressed. The interpreter eventually went so far as to mention his daughter, who was just starting elementary school, and his wife, who had been naturalized from Chile only a few years ago, begging with his hands clasped together to be spared.

Na Taebeom pressed his forehead, cooling his head for a moment, then walked up to the interpreter and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him up.

“If you’re going to play dumb, then find out by grilling that bastard of an elder who referred you. That’s the only way I can decide whether to accept your innocence or not. Got it?”

“Yes, yes, I-I’ll contact him, right away.”

“Don’t drag it out. I’m in a really fucking bad mood right now, and I’m holding myself back from throwing you in the basement with him.”

The deathly pale interpreter nodded his head rapidly. The moment Na Taebeom released his collar, the interpreter collapsed limply to the floor. Na Taebeom forcefully shoved both doors open with his hands and stomped away. As he walked in silence, he suddenly slammed his fist against the wall.

“Fuck, fuck!”

Even as he repeatedly cursed, as if releasing a breath he’d been holding, his anger refused to cool. The entire situation was different from his expectations. Traces of a nerve-paralyzing agent used for local anesthesia were found inside the mouthguard Ma Jaewan had been using, and it was also revealed that the source who had intentionally spread rumors about match-fixing was Gu Jonghyeok. How could a scumbag like Gu Jonghyeok, whose origins were unclear, know the internal affairs of the tournament so well and plan all this?

He might get a feel for the internal facilities by wandering around, but there was no way to even guess the route through which key information had been leaked. Could it be that there was a spy among the people he employed? Amid the confusion, the most unsettling point was the relationship between Gu Jonghyeok and Nam Gyeonhwa. The face that had spouted all that nonsense about being his wife and what not had been more than confident; it had been downright excited. In his cluttered mind, the words “scanned copy” suddenly surfaced. Na Taebeom whipped his head around and approached Gwon Jongdae.

“Where did you store the phone we confiscated from that bastard?”

“The phone? Earlier this morning, in your office…”

Without waiting to hear the rest, Na Taebeom went up to the top floor. On the office desk sat the paper bag he had received from Choi Jiyoo that morning. The drugs confiscated from the waiting room, Gu Jonghyeok’s ID, and three different models of cell phones.

The two phones without a security lock had no text messages or call records other than those exchanged with the interpreter. A forensic analysis would probably turn something up. Pushing the two phones aside, Na Taebeom examined the last one. It was password-protected. What did that bastard say earlier? 6, something.

After thinking for a few minutes, Na Taebeom recalled the four digits and carefully entered them one by one. There were no particularly noticeable records in the calls or texts. After rummaging around, Na Taebeom found the gallery and immediately tapped on a folder. After swiping through several half-body photos taken in a bathroom, a document popped up.

A marriage registration form dated around this time eight years ago. The moment he saw the name Nam Gyeonhwa written in the wife (妻) column next to the husband (夫) Gu Jonghyeok, his mind went blank. It wasn’t just empty talk meant to be a pathetic taunt; it was clear evidence that they had actually tried to register their marriage.

Along with the confusion, anger surged. The fact that he hadn’t said a single word about this relationship was baffling. A doubt began to form as to whether anything he knew about Nam Gyeonhwa up to this point was true at all.

Biting his lip, Na Taebeom suddenly remembered the box he had seen under the bed. Nam Haejin, startled by Na Taebeom who had burst into the adjacent room without warning, blinked his eyes. Without giving Nam Haejin a single glance, he walked past him and immediately felt under the bed. He pulled out the box that had been shoved inside, examined its contents, and operated the phone. The powered-on phone had two missed calls. The caller was Won Hyeonseong.

Ma Jaewan, seeing Nam Gyeonhwa enter the hospital room, stirred and tried to sit up.

“Just stay lying down. I’m only stopping by for a moment.”

Nam Gyeonhwa helped him lie down comfortably, then pulled over a stool and sat down.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m still on painkillers, so I’m a bit drowsy and dizzy, but it’s bearable.”

Ma Jaewan let out a bitter laugh and cleared his throat.

“I heard that yesterday, you set off the fire alarm to open the door for me. And that all the guests had to evacuate and the basement got flooded.”

“I thought it was more important that no one died.”

Fortunately, the temporary paralysis caused by the drug wore off over time, but as a result, Ma Jaewan was unable to avoid the beating and suffered two broken molars and fractures in his left arm and right thigh. Despite the serious situation, he had protected his head, so the concussion wasn’t severe, but he had been beaten so badly that his abdomen was black and blue with bruises, causing internal bleeding. If it had been just a little later, his life would have been in danger.

“…Thank you. For saving me.”

Nam Gyeonhwa shook his head at Ma Jaewan’s words. It was not a deed worthy of thanks. If anything, he was filled with regret that his own complacency when Ma Jaewan showed strange signs had been the root of the problem. Perhaps he had been inwardly relieved, thinking Na Taebeom would take care of it.

Leaving Ma Jaewan, who was drifting off to sleep under the lingering effects of the painkillers, Nam Gyeonhwa exited the room, took the receipt for the medicine and injection fees, and slowly walked toward the entrance. His body, still feeling the effects of his illness, was heavy and sore like a waterlogged towel. He had been told it would be better to rest more, but the situation didn’t allow for it, nor was he in the mood to rest. Even though it had been a critical moment, he needed to apologize for causing Na Taebeom no small amount of damage. Moreover, the matter concerning Won Hyeonseong was also urgent.

Just as he saw car headlights flash through the glass door, a large figure suddenly stepped inside.

“Director Na?”

The man approached with a fearsome expression, grabbed Nam Gyeonhwa, and pulled him. In an instant, Nam Gyeonhwa was dragged outside the entrance and shoved into a car. His back hit the car door, and his head spun. Before he could even grasp the situation, Na Taebeom thrust a cell phone in front of his face.

“Explain this. Why do you have Won Hyeonseong’s contact information, and for what reason did you hide it?”