Chapter 149: Home Ground (4)
In a Seoul officetel.
Kim Hyunsung applied medicine to his palm. Although he had gone to the hospital and received the necessary treatment, the wound from gripping the knife too tightly had dug deep into his hand. Fortunately, it hadn’t damaged any nerves. The doctor reassured him that as long as he took proper care, it wouldn’t interfere with daily life. Kim Hyunsung followed the treatment plan meticulously, ensuring there wouldn’t be any complications that might ruin his future plans.
His hand had to be fine.
At the time, he had been ready to sacrifice his hand to achieve his goal, but now that he had avoided the worst, he wasn’t going to let something as trivial as an infection mess up his plans.
Staring at his hand, he fell deep into thought.
‘If the Golden Circle touches my people, they’ll likely fall into two categories.’
The first was family.
He had taken thorough precautions for them. While conquering Daesan, he had established a system that made it impossible for anyone within the school to touch Kim Hyunjin. Outside of school, he’d enlisted help from the police and local youth associations to guard against any unexpected events. He also increased the number of CCTV cameras around their home, deliberately placing them in areas where they would be noticed. This would make the Golden Circle wary.
The Golden Circle was an interesting group.
Even while mocking the law openly, they still operated as much as possible within its boundaries. This was how they managed to maintain their evil for over a decade. If they had openly resorted to extreme actions, like involving adults in bloody violence, their secrets would have inevitably leaked, no matter how tightly they tried to seal them. But with Kim Hyunsung’s preparations, his family’s safety was guaranteed. The issue was that simply guaranteeing their safety wasn’t enough—there were many powerful forces that had much to lose.
Especially Go Chang-beom.
Myungjin Construction would undoubtedly be attacked. If the Golden Circle, with its connections to government agencies like the National Tax Service, were to dig into Myungjin Construction’s corruption, they would find plenty.
‘A tax investigation is something you can’t fully prepare for. In industries like construction, there are always financial transactions that can’t be easily explained. Myungjin Construction has also committed various corrupt acts to rise to its current position, and the traces of money they’ve spread around would only tighten the noose around them. Could Myungjin Construction really afford to sacrifice itself for me? Go Chang-beom, perhaps, but the company itself—no.’
It was clear.
That’s why, several months ago, Kim Hyunsung had devised a plan. He had met with Go Chang-beom and said:
“The only way to survive an attack from the National Tax Service is to align yourself with the forces that control them. If the Golden Circle can move government bodies through backroom deals, then it’s simple—get on the same boat with those making the deals. Spread money among the key clients of the Golden Circle, those they call ‘Golden Line members.’ If you establish connections with them, even the Golden Circle won’t dare touch you. We just need to add one more detail to this.”
Kim Hyunsung didn’t know all the members of Golden Line. Although Jung Chan-su had gained entry into their ranks, he had only built relationships with a few. There were no clues about the truly important figures. It was only natural; if they had handed over all that information to someone like Jung Chan-su, the Golden Circle wouldn’t still exist.
So.
“Spread the money gradually, to the people I specify. Give enough time to figure out whether they’re really members of Golden Line.”
This was the bait.
Through this move, Kim Hyunsung was both defending against the Golden Circle’s intentions and laying a trap for them.
* * *
While plotting revenge, one question always remained: who were the leaders of the Golden Circle, and who were the members of Golden Line?
No matter how much he had experienced in the future, this was a truth that had always eluded him. Even after returning to the past, he struggled to pinpoint his targets. He had gotten a few names by manipulating Jung Chan-su, but it wasn’t enough. That’s why Kim Hyunsung shifted his mindset.
He would create a scenario that forced the enemy to reveal themselves.
In his previous life, there had been people rumored to be members of Golden Line. Using the malevolent tendencies of those individuals against them was the plan.
Go Chang-beom had been working hard for the past few months, establishing connections with influential figures through Kim Pan-ho. As Go Chang-beom’s public reputation soared, no one rejected the bribes he offered. Myungjin Construction, leveraging Go Chang-beom’s image, operated under the illusion that there would be no repercussions.
Politicians, corporate executives, and even chaebols—they all accepted the money with smiles, unaware of the trap they were falling into.
And now, Go Chang-beom had reached out.
His message was clear:
“I’m sorry, but Myungjin Construction is facing a difficult situation due to this tax investigation. If the flow of funds is uncovered, we’ll have no choice but to reveal everything. Wouldn’t you help? We need to support each other to maintain this good relationship.”
This was the script Kim Hyunsung had written.
Go Chang-beom delivered it perfectly, contacting the suspected members of Golden Line with a carefully timed approach.
Go Chang-beom’s office was quiet. The shocking news of the tax investigation had cast a cold silence over the place.
“…Hyunsung, will your plan really work this time?”
This entire endeavor was based solely on trust. It would be easy to solve the problem by severing ties with Kim Hyunsung, but Go Chang-beom had chosen to follow Kim Hyunsung’s plan. If Golden Line didn’t respond, and if the Golden Circle ignored the pressure from Golden Line and continued with the tax investigation, Go Chang-beom would not be able to escape punishment.
Yet, he believed.
He believed in everything he had seen and experienced with Kim Hyunsung. He was confident that Kim Hyunsung’s plan was flawless.
But there was more.
‘Even aside from my relationship with Hyunsung, Myungjin Construction can’t become a company that’s shaken by something like a tax investigation. If we can turn this into an opportunity to solidify our image as a formidable corporation, it’ll be harder for them to come after us a second time.’
This was a crucial moment for the company. Myungjin Construction was a rising star in the construction industry, but as they secured more projects, they faced increased scrutiny from all sides. If they could handle this tax investigation perfectly, they would ascend to a new level.
Go Chang-beom had changed too. A year ago, he was a carefree drunk, but now he stood at the forefront of a company looking at the world with new eyes.
Days passed.
He quietly observed the situation when—
*Bzzz!*
His phone buzzed.
[Caller ID Restricted]
He knew instinctively. This was the call he had been waiting for.
When Go Chang-beom answered the call, a voice spoke:
“This is Park Hyung-jun of the Golden Circle. Let’s meet.”
A cold, unfamiliar voice pierced through the receiver.
* * *
At a café in Daesan.
Park Hyung-jun didn’t hesitate to speak, even though they were in a public place:
“You’re aware of the situation, so let me get straight to the point. Myungjin Construction needs to back down. If you cross any more lines, we will do everything in our power to bring you down.”
Go Chang-beom smirked.
Park Hyung-jun was a man he had never met before. Yet, the way he acted, it was as if they were old acquaintances. Go Chang-beom responded:
“You must think I’m an idiot. If you could truly take us down with this tax investigation, you wouldn’t have come to me. If the National Tax Service was enough to destroy us, why bother with these threats? The fact that you came here means you’ve hit a problem that you can’t solve without intimidating me.”
He crossed his legs, completely unfazed by Park Hyung-jun’s threats.
“You know where we are right now?”
“…”
“This is the café where I first met Hyunsung. That’s why I called you here. Back then, I didn’t understand why a high school kid was so desperate, but now it makes sense. Hyunsung already knew exactly what kind of scum you people were, that you’d push innocent kids off cliffs for your goals and manipulate government agencies like the National Tax Service at your whim.”
“Are you refusing?”
Park Hyung-jun’s expression hardened.
As Go Chang-beom had anticipated, the situation wasn’t favorable for the Golden Circle. Although Golden Line had pressured them to drop the tax investigation, the threat to Myungjin Construction was still real.
His gaze turned fierce as he faced Park Hyung-jun’s malice.
“Yes, I’m refusing. Screw you. Scumbags like you who exploit innocent kids for profit.”
*Bang!*
He slammed the table.
Heads turned.
“Listen closely. If you want to destroy my company, go ahead. But I’ll take down everyone who took our money with me. And let me make one thing clear: if you come down here to mess with my people, you better be prepared to die. This is my home ground. Do you understand what that means?”
“!?”
He grabbed Park Hyung-jun by the collar.
No one around them stopped him.
*Wham!*
He punched Park Hyung-jun square in the face.
Park Hyung-jun fell to the ground, his face contorting in pain. But Go Chang-beom wasn’t done. He grabbed him by the collar again and started pounding his fist into Park Hyung-jun’s face repeatedly.
*Wham!*
*Wham! Wham!*
People in the café stared but did nothing. They didn’t intervene, didn’t call the police. Everyone knew who Go Chang-beom was. They avoided eye contact, knowing it was better to pretend they hadn’t seen anything.
This was his turf, and in Daesan, no one crossed him.
* * *
At that very moment, lawyer Park Jong-su was also dealing with a difficult situation.
[Do you have any idea what kind of mess you’ve gotten us into? We’re all under psychiatric care because of the stress! We’re going to sue for emotional damages! You’ll pay for everything!]
[Mr. Park, aren’t lawyers bound by confidentiality? How does everyone around me know my secrets? This is outrageous!]
[You piece of trash! It’s because of lawyers like you that this country is going to hell!]
His phone was flooded with angry calls. Park Jong-su had always prided himself on handling his cases with integrity, but now, former clients were coming out of the woodwork with baseless complaints. It was obvious to him what was happening. This wasn’t a coincidence. Someone was orchestrating all of this.
*Click.*
*Pop!*
“Those bastards…”
He ripped the phone cord out of the wall in frustration. What angered him more than the clients’ sudden shift in attitude was how Kim Hyunsung had predicted all of this.
Before taking on his case, Kim Hyunsung had warned him:
“When I start making my move, people will attack you out of malice. They’ll dig up old cases, twist truths, and come at you with lies. Even if you’ve done nothing wrong, false testimonies will make you a target. If you choose to stand with me, you’ll have to endure all of this. But if you can, I’ll make sure you’re well compensated.”
And once again, Kim Hyunsung’s words had come true. Just like when the problems first began after transferring to Daesan High School, the chaos Kim Hyunsung had anticipated was unfolding exactly as predicted.
It was sickening.
The more Park Jong-su was backed into a corner, the more his stubbornness grew. He wasn’t the kind of man to back down from a challenge. If he had been, he wouldn’t have walked away from his position as a prosecutor.
“Fine, if this is the kind of scum I’m dealing with, let’s see who breaks first. Even if it means throwing away my lawyer’s license, I’m not letting this go.”
With a grim expression, he picked up the phone and dialed a number.
A few rings later, the person on the other end answered.
*Click.*
“Gang Dong-cheol, long time no talk.”
The person on the line was none other than Gang Dong-cheol, the deputy chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office and husband of Lee Mi-so.
(TL Note: Oh boooy, thing’s going to get spicy!)
