Chapter 758: Attack (4)

"Eun-Gi! Watch out!" I shouted.

Team Lead Song Chae-Moon pulled a knife from his coat and lunged toward Kang Eun-Gi's side. Kang Eun-Gi twisted his body at the sound of my voice. But since he hadn't registered Song Chae-Moon as an enemy, his defense came too late.

At that moment, Chairman Choi Eun-Tae threw himself between Kang Eun-Gi and Song Chae-Moon.

Thud!

The sharp blade pierced Choi Eun-Tae's back as he shielded Kang Eun-Gi. Seeing it was Choi Eun-Tae and not Kang Eun-Gi, Song Chae-Moon froze in shock. I seized that moment and sprinted harder, slamming my fist into Song Chae-Moon's jaw.

Smack.

"

Urgh

!"

Song Chae-Moon dropped the knife, tumbled backward, and lost consciousness.

Lee Soo-Chan took in the situation and screamed out, "You bastard! You think you can betray us?"

He then tied up the unconscious Song Chae-Moon's arms and legs with cable ties.

Just then, the assailants behind the barricade who had seemed like they might retreat suddenly launched another offensive.

"Damn it, it's a failure. Everyone, attack!"

It seemed like they had been holding back this whole time just to buy Song Chae-Moon time to strike.

With the security team and my younger siblings holding the line like shields, I turned my attention to the stabbed Choi Eun-Tae. The blade was buried halfway into Choi Eun-Tae's back as he knelt and held Kang Eun-Gi. Thankfully, there wasn't any gushing blood. Yet the situation was still extremely dangerous.

Choi Eun-Tae, panting heavily, started checking Kang Eun-Gi for injuries. "

Ugh

, Eun-Gi. Are you hurt anywhere?"

Seeing the knife lodged in his father's back, Kang Eun-Gi looked half in shock. "

Uh

...

uh

..."

When Kang Eun-Gi couldn't answer, Choi Eun-Tae asked again. "Are you okay? Were you stabbed or not, that's what I'm asking!"

Kang Eun-Gi barely snapped out of it and answered. "Yes. I'm fine."

"Thank goodness. Really, thank goodness."

Choi Eun-Tae was so worked up he didn't even realize he had been stabbed. I rushed behind him and supported his body. If pain hit him all at once and he thrashed, the blade could cause serious internal damage.

I said, "Mr. Chairman, don't turn around. Stay still."

Choi Eun-Tae responded with a puzzled look. "Hmm? Chief Jung, why? I feel fine."

However, his body was already stiff with shock.

"You're not feeling it yet because of the adrenaline. I'll support you, so just sit down slowly."

"Oh, okay. But why do I feel so weak..."

Kang Eun-Gi came to his senses and helped support Choi Eun-Tae. "Please... sit down."

"Okay."

Choi Eun-Tae sat down with difficulty. At that moment, his eyes widened with pain.

"

Argh!

Wh-what is this..."

Only then did Choi Eun-Tae finally realize the knife was still in his back. The pain must have come flooding in, as his body began to tremble.

"Eun-Gi, hold on tight!" I shouted.

"Y-yeah, okay!"

Choi Eun-Tae gritted his teeth and began to groan. "

Urrgh

..."

Kang Gam-Chan locked the basement door behind him and rushed over to me. "Yoon-Ho, how's Mr. Chairman holding up?"

"It's bad. Sir, please help support Mr. Chairman. Be careful not to let the knife come out."

"Got it."

That's when Kang Eun-Gi reached out with his right hand and grabbed the blade sticking out of Choi Eun-Tae's back.

Grip.

Drip, drip.

Blood began dripping from Kang Eun-Gi's hand as it clutched the blade. "Don't move! Please!"

Choi Eun-Tae's body jerked again and again, either from the pain or because he couldn't hear Kang Eun-Gi's voice. At this rate, Choi Eun-Tae's life was in danger. We had to break through fast. Only then could Kim Soo-Myung reach the basement, or we could carry him out to the hospital.

In the end, I knew I had to step up.

"You bastards... today is the day you all die..." With those words, I strode forward and called out to Lee Soo-Chan. "Soo-Chan. Grab your shield and follow me. I'll clear the path."

"Yes, hyung-nim."

From now on, I wasn't going to let anyone stand in my way.

***

Thwack. Thwack.

Lee Soo-Chan and the others blocked blades with their shields, and through the gaps, I threw punches that knocked each one out cold. With six down in a flash, the enemy's morale collapsed. Then the security team in the back vaulted over the barricade and joined the attack.

"Strike!"

The tide had turned, and the enemy formation broke apart in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, they dropped their weapons and raised their hands. "W-We surrender!"

"Stand down!" Lee Soo-Chan ordered a halt and began gathering up the fallen weapons.

Only then did I catch my breath and call Kim Soo-Myung. "

Huff, huff, huff

...Mr. Kim, where are you?"

-I Just entered the lobby. Where do I go?

"Please Take Elevator 3. We'll come up to meet you."

-Understood.

I hung up and turned to Lee Soo-Chan. "Soo-Chan! Go upstairs and bring Mr. Kim down."

"Okay!"

Lee Soo-Chan dashed off with Lee Ho-Jae and a few others toward the elevator. I used that moment to return to Choi Eun-Tae and check on him. Kang Eun-Gi and Kang Gam-Chan were holding him tightly, and the tremors in Choi Eun-Tae's body had lessened.

"Hang in there. The doctor's on the way," I said.

Choi Eun-Tae panted and gave a faint laugh. "

Huff, huff.

.. Just how many times am I in your debt today, Chief Jung..."

"Plenty. So please hold on. Don't let all my efforts go to waste."

"

Huff, huff

... I must. I've got something I have to take care of. I can't die like this..."

What Choi Eun-Tae needed to take care of was dealing with Assemblyman Park Sang-Gon and President Choi Man-Sik. And more importantly, making peace with his son.

Choi Eun-Tae slowly said, "

Um

, Eun-Gi... if something happens to me, I've told Chief Jung what to do..."

Kang Eun-Gi clenched his teeth and shook his head. "No! You're going to live! You tell me yourself! You've got decades of debt to pay off, so pay it back yourself!"

"If I can, I... I will. But life doesn't always go the way we want...

huff, huff

..."

Choi Eun-Tae's voice began to weaken and tremble. Kang Eun-Gi, still clutching the blade in his father's back, kept talking to him to stop him from losing consciousness.

At that moment, Choi Eun-Tae mustered his strength and tightly held Kang Eun-Gi's hand.

Grip!

"Eun-Gi... since I heard you were alive... I haven't had a single peaceful night's sleep. I'm sorry. If I'd known about you sooner... I'd have stopped your mother from leaving no matter what...

huff, huff, huff

..."

Choi Eun-Tae's breath grew more labored, strained from trying to speak.

Kang Eun-Gi frantically tried to stop him. "The doctor's almost here. Please, save it. Tell me everything later. I'll listen, I promise!"

However, Choi Eun-Tae didn't stop. He raised a hand and gently stroked Kang Eun-Gi's cheek. "I'm sorry... for not being there for you... Please forgive this old, pathetic father... I wanted to give you the whole world..."

Kang Eun-Gi clenched his teeth and cried out, "Please... please... don't do this. You haven't even held Yoon-Soo and Eun-Soo yet! We just found each other! I finally have a father I can call my own, and now you want to leave? You can't! Please don't go!"

At Kang Eun-Gi's words, a smile slowly spread across Choi Eun-Tae's face. "

Ha

...

Haha

... my wish... it finally came true... My son... called me his father..."

At that moment, Choi Eun-Tae lost consciousness.

Thump.

Kang Eun-Gi lifted his head and let out a roar. "No!!"

Even though Kang Eun-Gi screamed at the top of his lungs, the phone in my pocket remained silent. The absence of a Fortune of the Day update must have meant that the "close one" receiving an obituary was Choi Eun-Tae.

'

After everything I did... This is the outcome? If only I'd moved faster. Could I have saved him? If only I'd realized sooner there was a traitor among us

...'

As those regrets overwhelmed me, the elevator doors opened.

Ding~

Kim Soo-Myung appeared with a male doctor in his forties, four male nurses, one female nurse, and a stretcher.

As he rushed over, Kim Soo-Myung shouted. "Everyone move except the one holding the knife!"

"Please! Please save him!" Kang Gam-Chan cried out.

Kim Soo-Myung nodded and checked for vital signs. Then, to our relief, he called out, "He's still alive. Dr. Oh, hook up the IV and the blood packs. We're transporting him with the knife still in. Dr. Choi, we have to save this man, no matter what."

"Understood. Let's get him into surgery at our hospital, immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

Kim Soo-Myung and Doctor Choi Ik-Seon jumped into action.

"Mr. Kang Eun-Gi. I know it's hard, but can you keep holding the blade until we get to the hospital?" Kim Soo-Myung asked.

Tears streaming down his face, Kang Eun-Gi nodded. "Yes. I'll do whatever it takes."

"We'll load the patient face down onto the stretcher. When that happens, climb up with him. But do not let that blade move. Understood?"

"Yes, understood."

The four male nurses gently laid Choi Eun-Tae onto the stretcher. Despite bleeding from his hand, Kang Eun-Gi never once loosened his grip on the blade.

After completing emergency treatment, Kim Soo-Myung shouted, "Transporting now!"

The four male nurses lifted the stretcher with Choi Eun-Tae and Kang Eun-Gi still on it. Moving as smoothly as possible, they headed quickly for the elevator.

I turned to Kang Gam-Chan and Lee Soo-Chan and gave instructions. "Mr. Kang, please handle the aftermath. Soo-Chan, you stay and help Mr. Kang."

Then I quickly followed Kim Soo-Myung.

Click.

When the elevator doors closed and began to rise, Kim Soo-Myung turned to me. "Mr. Jung, don't worry. We're going to save him. Doctor Choi Ik-Seon here was the top trauma surgeon at Seven Star Hospital until just last month."

Choi Ik-Seon gave a curt nod with his usual stoic expression.

I bowed and said, "I'm counting on you."

"Of course, sir."

Just then, my phone suddenly vibrated.

Buzz~

I checked it, thinking what now in the middle of all this. Yet the moment I read the message, a chill ran down my spine.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: March 17, 2021]

[Fortune of the Day: Bittersweet Victory. After hardship comes reward.]

(Deleted Fortune: You will receive news of a close one's death. It's time to be extra cautious.)

'

Bittersweet victory...

'

Perhaps it was thanks to all the hardship endured to save Choi Eun-Tae and calling in Kim Soo-Myung, I could finally rest assured that he would survive. I found myself clenching my fist.

'

Thank you for the warning, Everyday.

'

I wanted to roar with joy but held it in and turned to Kang Eun-Gi. "Eun-Gi. Mr. Chairman... he's going to make it. Trust me."

The deathly look on Kang Eun-Gi's face brightened slightly. "R-really?"

"Yeah. He's going to survive no matter what. Don't worry."

"You mean it? You really mean it?"

"I do."

"

Sigh

... thank you."

Since he thought of me as some kind of shaman, the relief on Kang Eun-Gi's face was unmistakable.

Ding~

The elevator reached the first floor. As soon as we stepped out of Elevator 3, a small parking lot came into view. Thanks to that, we were able to move toward the ambulance without drawing attention.

Click.

Choi Eun-Tae and Kang Eun-Gi were loaded into the ambulance.

Just before the doors closed, Kim Soo-Myung turned to me. "Mr. Jung, please bring Mr. Chairman's family to Gwanghwamun Choi Ik Seon Rehabilitation Hospital."

But just then, Kang Eun-Gi, still atop the stretcher with Choi Eun-Tae, urgently called out, "I'm... his son."

Kang Eun-Gi had finally acknowledged that he was Choi Eun-Tae's son.

***

The clock inside the VIP visitation room located in Tokyo Detention Center in Japan showed 8:30 p.m.

Choi Man-Sik lounged on the sofa with his legs propped on the table and peeled a tangerine.

"These are delicious. Where are they from?"

"These are Satsuma mandarins. It's a local specialty," Attorney Lim Ji-Taek, sitting across from him, answered while peeling another.

Lim Ji-Taek was a board member of Future Imagination Savings Bank and held licenses to practice law in both Korea and Japan. He had played a key role in orchestrating the current events unfolding in Korea.

"No wonder they're good. Peel me another."

"Here you go..."

Choi Man-Sik grabbed the offered fruit and spoke. "It's already 8:30. Why haven't we heard anything yet?"

Lim Ji-Taek answered, "Attorney Cheon Jin-Sang must still be wrapping things up. He said he'd call right after it was done, so there's no need to worry. With Mr. Cheon involved, there's no chance of failure."

"True, Attorney Cheon's known to be loyal to the old man. Anyway, you've done well this time. I should've hired someone with your skill a long time ago."

Choi Man-Sik had kept the attack on Choi Eun-Tae in his back pocket as a last resort to protect his inheritance rights. Yet when Lim Ji-Taek successfully swayed Cheon Jin-Sang to their side, everything shifted. With Park Sang-Gon promising support, they leaked info about a weekend trip to Korea and launched a surprise strike.

Lim Ji-Taek handed over a wet wipe and asked, "By the way, are you really going to hand over half of Myeongdong to Mr. Assemblyman?"

"What choice do I have? That was the deal for getting me out of this Japanese prison and covering up the hit on that Kang Eun-Gi bastard. And even if the ruling party looks strong now for the by-election, they're broke. By next week's poll, anything could happen."

Lim Ji-Taek shook his head, clearly regretting the deal, then carefully packed away the wipe Choi Man-Sik had used. "Understood. But Mr. Chairman and President Kang Eun-Gi aside—did you really mean for Jung Yoon-Ho to be eliminated once this is over? Wasn't he just supposed to be a distraction?"

Choi Man-Sik clenched his teeth hard. "This whole mess went sideways because of that bastard!"

If it hadn't been for Jung Yoon-Ho, Kang Eun-Gi could have been dealt with first, and Choi Eun-Tae's death could have been staged as an accident. But every time, Jung Yoon-Ho got in the way. Even his imprisonment in Japan had ultimately been caused by him, so Choi Man-Sik's grudge wasn't going away.

Just then, a call came through to Lim Ji-Taek's phone from Cheon Jin-Sang.

Buzz~

A call came through to Lim Ji-Taek's phone from Cheon Jin-Sang.

"

Ah

, looks like it's done." Lim Ji-Taek put it on speaker. "Yes, Mr. Cheon. Go ahead."

However, an entirely unexpected voice came through.

-Lim Ji-Taek and Choi Man-Sik. You absolute sons of bitches. You dared go after Mr. Chairman?

It was Attorney Kim Taek-Hoon, the power behind Myeongdong and Choi Eun-Tae's closest confidant. Though he was supposed to be on a business trip in the US, he had somehow taken Cheon Jin-Sang's phone and was speaking into it.

"W-What... How... How are you in Korea, Attorney Kim...?"

-Choi Man-Sik, you absolute scumbag! From now on, you're going to get exactly the treatment you deserve, you piece of shit!

At that very moment, the visitation room doors burst open. Six Japanese prison guards rushed in with batons in hand.

"Drag him out!"

"Yes, sir!"

When the guards grabbed Choi Man-Sik by the shoulders, he resisted violently. "You bastards. Do you have a death wish? You dare lay hands on me?"

Just then, the prison warden and Attorney Oh Sung-Ha—Choi Eun-Tae's second-in-command—entered the room.

"Choi Man-Sik. You're finished, you fucking soulless bastard!"

Choi Man-Sik's eyes went wide. "A-Attorney Oh? What are you...how?"

"Mr. Chairman suspected you and sent me to Japan himself, you worthless maggot." Oh Sung-Ha spat a curse and turned to the prison warden. "Japan sure is generous with its criminals, huh?"

Immediately, the warden barked an order to the guards. "What are you waiting for? That inmate's trying to escape! Beat him and throw him in solitary!"

"Yes, sir!"

The guards began beating Choi Man-Sik with their batons.

Whack, whack, whack.

"

Aaargh!

Y-You bastards! E-escaping?! You're insane—

Aghh

!"

Just then, another chilling voice came from the still-open speakerphone.

-Attorney Lim. Attorney Cheon Jin-Sang confessed everything. So you'd better make the right choice. If you testify about everything you did, we might let you and your family live.

Watching Choi Man-Sik getting pummeled to a pulp, Lim Ji-Taek nodded like a madman. "Yes! Yes, I-I'll confess everything!"

-Good. Then listen to Attorney Oh from there and follow his instructions.

Click.

At that moment, Choi Man-Sik passed out and was dragged away by the guards.

'

I have to survive no matter what

.'

Lim Ji-Taek collapsed to his knees and crawled over to Oh Sung-Ha, spilling every secret he had.

"Here's how it all happened..."

***

The moment Choi Eun-Tae went into surgery, Kim Taek-Hoon, who everyone thought was in the US, arrived at the hospital. It turned out he had only claimed to be on a trip. In reality, he had stayed in Korea under Choi Eun-Tae's orders and worked covertly behind the scenes.

After I filled him in on everything, he immediately began damage control. Meanwhile, Kang Eun-Gi got his wounded right hand treated and bandaged. Then he sat in silence, waiting for Choi Eun-Tae's surgery to end.

About nine hours later, Kim Soo-Myung and Choi Ik-Seon emerged from the operating room. Fortunately, the blade had missed all major organs by a hair. There would be no lasting damage. Thanks to that, Choi Eun-Tae was soon moved to recovery.

Several more hours passed, and the next day arrived. It was March 18, 9:00 a.m. I stood outside Choi Eun-Tae's hospital room with Kang Eun-Gi, making a call to the company. Today was the day of Jang So-Yeon's fashion show.

"Hey, Yung-Jin. Put Assistant Manager Lee Mi-Ri in charge of So-Yeon's show prep. Clear her whole schedule for the day."

-Mr. Jung, seriously. Don't worry about things here. You should take the day off.

"I can't. So-Yeon needs me."

The Louis' Batton fashion show had to be a success if I wanted to bring her siblings over. So I gave instructions even more meticulously than usual.

Creak.

The hospital room door opened, and Kim Soo-Myung stepped out. "Mr. Chairman's awake."

Immediately, Kang Eun-Gi and Kim Taek-Hoon stood up to go in.

However, Kim Soo-Myung shook his head. "He's asking for Mr. Jung first."

'

Huh? Why me, first?

'