Chapter 40
As if the previously cut off contact was a lie, a call came in right away.
But sadly, it wasn't the call from the Prosecutor General that he had been waiting for.
The number that appeared on the screen wasn't even a saved number.
"Damn it, the call I'm waiting for isn't coming."
Kim Dong-hyun irritably touched his smartphone and rejected the call.
Just as he was quietly waiting for the Prosecutor General's call again, another call came in.
Ring ring ring.
The same number, it was too strange to be just a wrong number.
With an odd feeling, this time he connected the call.
"Who is this?"
"This is Shin Hyun-chul, the Prosecutor General's personal secretary."
"What! Why are you contacting me only now!"
Irritation surged up, but now wasn't the time to dwell on past matters.
"Anyway, that's fine, just quickly put the Prosecutor General on."
"I'm sorry, but I'm calling about that matter."
"That matter?"
"The Prosecutor General said he won't be taking calls from Mr. Kim Dong-hyun or Hwanseong's side, so we'd appreciate it if you could refrain from contacting us further."
Kim Dong-hyun's brow furrowed at Shin Hyun-chul's firm words.
"What?"
How much in bribes had the Prosecutor General taken until now?
He must have taken at least several billion won.
He surely knew that if all the bribery crimes were deliberately reported, even the Prosecutor General would take a hit, yet he was unilaterally refusing calls.
Come to think of it, there had never been a time when the Prosecutor General refused calls like this before.
'What's going on?'
He couldn't know the exact reason.
But it was clear that something had gone terribly wrong.
"What on earth is happening?"
"I'm sorry, I'll hang up now."
He asked a question to resolve the doubt that had blossomed in his mind, but sadly, all that echoed in his ears was the call end tone.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
'...Damn it.'
A situation with no clues, but he couldn't just sit idle.
The most urgent thing to do was to clearly figure out who the enemy was.
'I need to think, think.'
An entity that even the Prosecutor General couldn't handle, it meant that one of the biggest figures in Korea had moved.
There was someone he immediately suspected, but even to himself, it seemed too far-fetched.
'Why would that person be involved in something like this...?'
Recalling the current situation and thinking a little more, he immediately understood.
The hint was actually close by.
'The Enforcement Division!'
And the murder solicitation of the Shadow Brothers!
'Vice Chairman Go Tae-hyun must have moved.'
Then why would someone like Go Tae-hyun push forward with such a risky move?
In the current situation, there was only one person completely related to this.
'Lee Seong-jun.'
He must have caused Go Tae-hyun to move.
'Damn it! I don't understand. I know he's a super rookie who's appeared in the Association after a long time, but because of just one individual hunter? Why?'
Irritation surged to his head, but now wasn't the time to be swayed by emotions.
'First... I need to find a way to get out of this as quickly as possible.'
The problem was that no matter how much he pondered, there wasn't much of an answer.
The one fortunate thing in this misfortune was that documents related to villains were stored in a secret hiding place separate from the company headquarters, so the Enforcement Division wouldn't be able to find them.
But with the warrant issued and the investigation started, some damage was inevitable in the end.
Not only that, but all covert activities would become difficult for a while.
This meant that Kim Dong-hyun's own position within the family, which had been built up through the hands of darkness, would be considerably narrowed.
"Damn it. Just you wait. Go Tae-hyun, and... Lee Seong-jun."
Kim Dong-hyun cursed, gritting his teeth as he etched the two names into his mind.
* * *
From Hwanseong's tax evasion to their collusion with villains, the impact was certain as one of the top 5 guilds.
News poured out in real-time, and it became the talk of the town, rising and falling on people's lips.
Due to the public criticism and scrutiny pouring in, even Hwanseong wouldn't be able to rest easy for a while.
Naturally, a smile curved on Lee Seong-jun's lips.
'The Association did better than I expected.'
Although they had given up a great informant in Kim Ki-yeol, given that the opponent was Hwanseong, one of the top 5 guilds, he thought it would end up being just a verbal warning at best.
But they not only moved directly to impose sanctions, but also sensationalized it in the media, attaching numerous eyes to it.
It was a decisive blow that tied their arms and legs, making them unable to move.
In this situation, they would be struggling just to manage their internal affairs, so they wouldn't be able to pay attention to external matters for a while.
Of course, he didn't intend to completely let his guard down.
No, rather, at times like this, he needed to be even more thorough.
'When they're backed into a corner, there's no knowing what they might do.'
After all, even a mouse will bite a cat when cornered.
Therefore, Lee Seong-jun requested Vice Chairman Go Tae-hyun to increase the security personnel for his family and extend the protection period.
Of course, he readily agreed, but due to scheduling issues with existing appointments, he asked for about two days.
This was understandable given the sudden request.
However, he couldn't just sit idly by, so during the two days Go Tae-hyun requested, he decided to stick close to his family himself.
When he ended up taking this unexpected break, his family showed how incredibly happy they were.
"Son, you've been working hard going to hunt at gates every day, but today you're at home all day."
For a brief moment, Lee Seong-jun felt conflicted inside.
'Should I tell them honestly?'
Until now, he had been telling white lies to his family, not mentioning the fight with Hwanseong because he didn't want to cause unnecessary worry.
In a way, it could be seen as a bit selfish, so he hesitated for a moment.
But it didn't take long for him to sort out his thoughts cleanly.
'Unless there were no defenses at all...'
He didn't want to create needless worry over something that hadn't even happened, especially in a situation where there were definite protective measures in place.
In the end, Lee Seong-jun opened his mouth with an awkward smile.
"I've been working hard lately, so I'm going to rest properly for two days."
"Really? Then it's the first time in a while that the whole family is resting together on the weekend."
Come to think of it, the two days he volunteered for rest and family protection coincided with the weekend.
"Then shall we all go out together for the first time in a while?"
Lee Seong-jun nodded readily at Lee Soo-hyuk's question, asked with a bright smile.
"I'd love to."
As he was providing close protection himself, he could confidently say that he could perfectly prepare for any possible villain attacks.
Of course, this wasn't baseless confidence.
Most of the high-ranking, notorious villains were being chased by the Association's Enforcement Team based on the information Kim Ki-yeol had spilled.
In this situation, the villains who might move would be at best B-rank nobodies.
With his current level of skill, he could eliminate B-rank or lower villains without anyone noticing before they could even approach his family.
Rather, he could enthusiastically welcome the chance to spend precious time with his family.
"Then where should we go...? Shall we go back to the Han River we went to last time?"
"The wind was cool and nice there."
"I strongly agree too!"
As opinions quickly converged, the destination was being decided.
Usually, he would have just nodded silently in agreement.
But because there was a place he had always been thinking about, Lee Seong-jun couldn't yield just for today.
"The Han River is nice, but... since we went there not too long ago, how about the department store today?"
"The department store?"
"All of a sudden?"
Seeing his family's questioning looks, Lee Seong-jun added:
"I wanted to buy each of you a gift. I thought about going to buy them alone, but I couldn't choose because I don't know what you like."
Looking at Lee Seong-jun scratching the back of his head awkwardly, his family's eyes were full of apology and gratitude.
"This mom has received more than enough already."
"That's right, wanting more than this would make me a person with conscience issues."
"Ahem... Dad will just accept your heart."
As the atmosphere gradually became heavy, Lee Seong-jun hastily waved his hands.
"This isn't the reaction I wanted. I really just want to buy you gifts because I want to, so please accept them as they are."
Seeing Lee Seong-jun desperately waving his hands, a smile curved on Lee Seo-yun's lips.
"I agree, but let's make it so we buy for each other too. How about it?"
"Sounds good."
Seeing Lee Seong-jun's bright smile, Lee Soo-hyuk and Kim Ji-young also nodded.
"Ahem... Then it would be good if we all give gifts to each other."
"Let's watch a movie and have a meal out while we're at it."
"That sounds perfect."
It was the moment when the destination for the family outing was decided unanimously.
"Then it's decided we're going to the department store. Everyone finish getting ready and let's meet in the living room."
With Kim Ji-young's final words, the family started bustling about all at once.
* * *
When they went shopping at the department store, the place Lee Seong-jun led his family to was the high-end luxury brand corner, lined with expensive products ranging from at least hundreds of thousands of won to tens of millions of won at the priciest.
Of course, since it was a price range that was somewhat burdensome to receive as gifts, all family members initially objected.
But they couldn't win against Lee Seong-jun's stubborn determination.
"This is the first time I'm giving you gifts in my life. Please just accept them this once, considering my feelings."
In the end, the family had no choice but to look around the luxury corner, led by Lee Seong-jun's hand.
"A single wallet costs over a million won?"
Kim Ji-young's eyes widened.
Certainly, the design was undoubtedly excellent, and even the texture of the leather on the wallet's surface felt different from what she had usually touched.
However, in the end, the function itself wasn't anything special.
It was an absurd price to pay for just one wallet.
Just as Kim Ji-young was about to put down the wallet she was holding:
"We'll take this one, please. I'll pay with this card."
Lee Seong-jun, who had been quietly watching from behind, came forward and immediately handed over a card.
"Son...!"
"You've been stopping your gaze on this wallet every now and then since earlier. Don't you really like it?"
He hadn't been just quietly watching from behind for no reason.
Given the high price range, he was sure his parents wouldn't choose gifts.
So he had been quietly observing their breathing, expressions, and even momentary glances to select items they liked.
"...But this is too expensive."
"You know, I earn an enormous amount of money, so it's really okay."
The winner of this battle was easily predictable, as it had been repeated constantly even before entering the luxury corner.
Lee Seong-jun's complete victory; from the moment they decided on the department store as their destination, there was no way to stop Lee Seong-jun's advance.
"Thank you, our son. I'll cherish it dearly."
"It's nothing, really. If there's anything else you like besides this, please tell me right away."
"This alone is more than enough."
"But you never know, right?"
Smiling, Lee Seong-jun moved on, this time approaching his father, Lee Soo-hyuk.
Soon after, a similar situation to Kim Ji-young's unfolded.
Before long, Lee Seong-jun handed over his card and made the payment.
It was right after finishing one round of shopping with his parents like this.