"Aaaaaaaah!"
Crash!
An orchid worth over 15 million won lay shattered on the floor.
Kim Chunseok, stomping the orchid under his boot, didn't stop there. He hurled nearby objects against the walls and smashed them onto the floor.
The TV shattered, computer components scattered, and the office's contents were systematically destroyed.
In one corner of the office, Jang Taejeon, Kim Chunseok's chief aide, stood silently observing the carnage.
Kim Chunseok's fits of rage, during which he destroyed property, occurred about four or five times a year. Nothing unusual.
The difference today was that the damage wouldn't stop here. The total cost of the destruction would easily exceed 200 million won.
For an old man who doesn't even exercise, he's surprisingly strong.
Jang Taejeon thought to himself, silently waiting for Kim Chunseok's fury to subside.
About five minutes later, nothing remained intact in the office except the sofa. The desk and bookshelves had been smashed to pieces by a golf club, and one leg of the table in front of the sofa was broken.
"...Assistant Jang. That damn bastard who stole my money... Jeokgwang, was it? Where is that son of a bitch now?"
"The police and the Black Cross Society are searching for him."
"Searching? Damn it! I heard the same thing at dawn! Useless bastards! Mobilize the Hundred Battles Faction!"
The Hundred Battles Faction was Kim Chunseok's favorite political thug group. He always used them for illegal operations. But now, that was impossible.
"Over half of the Hundred Battles Faction members were killed at dawn. With Han Gangjun dead, controlling the faction is difficult. Plus, the police are watching them closely."
Han Gangjun was a True Ancestor Vampire who had a contract with Kim Chunseok. He was assigned to guard the vault but was killed by Jeokgwang.
"Fuck! Ignore the police! You're the Boss why can't you handle things yourself?!"
"That happened years ago. He's now the Chief Aide to the Former Assemblyman. You know that my involvement would only complicate matters further."
Even with Kim Chunseok's immense power, he couldn't openly commit illegal acts while the police were watching him so closely.
"Ughhhhh!"
Kim Chunseok let out a scream-like roar and kicked the overturned table in the corner repeatedly.
Vrrr...
The smartphone vibrated. The Chief Aide pulled it from his pocket. As he read the message, his expression turned grave, his face paling.
"A-Assemblyman! We have to run! Now!"
"What? What are you talking about?!"
"Assemblyman, a video of you receiving sexual favors is being broadcast in Gwanghwamun right now!"
"Assistant Jang, are you joking with me?"
"See for yourself!"
Jang Taejeon showed him his smartphone. A live stream from a popular video site was broadcasting footage of Gwanghwamun.
It was Saturday evening. Over 30,000 people had gathered in Gwanghwamun for a rally demanding the resignation of Assemblyman Kim Piljung. Anti-Japanese sentiment was at its peak, drawing such a massive crowd.
At the center of the rally stood a massive screen. The screen, originally set up for the protest, was now playing a video of Kim Chunseok receiving sexual favors from a girl group idol.
There was no mosaic or blurring whatsoever. Kim Chunseok's face and the idol's face were perfectly clear.
"Th-this..."
"Stop. All of you, lie down on the bed. This is a one-time thing. Everyone gets a taste."
"I've been under a lot of stress lately, but using your bodies to replenish my energy has given me strength."
Kim Chunseok's voice boomed across Gwanghwamun.
Dizzy from the unbelievable reality, Kim Chunseok collapsed onto the sofa.
"...Taejeon-ah. Is this a dream?"
Kim Chunseok's political career was over. The immense power he once wielded was gone.
"This is reality, Assemblyman. We need to escape."
"Y-yes! We have to escape quickly!"
Just as Kim Chunseok lurched to his feet, the door shattered open and armed police officers stormed in.
The officers swiftly seized them and slapped handcuffs on their wrists.
"You fucking lunatics! Do you know who I am?! I'm Kim Chunseok! Let me go! Do you all want to die?! Where are you from?!"
Kim Chunseok roared at the top of his lungs, but the police officers silently carried out their duties.
Thud... thud...
Someone slowly walked into the room.
"Long time no see. I regret having to meet you again like this, Assemblyman Kim Chunseok... no, Kim Chunseok."
Jang Taejeon sighed as he looked at him. He was a National Intelligence Service agent with a bitter history with Kim Chunseok.
"You little punk! Do you even know who I am?!"
"Who else? A heinous criminal. Still think you're some kind of power broker?"
He smirked and walked up to Kim Chunseok, meeting his gaze.
"Listen, Mr. Kim Chunseok. Jeokgwang just turned South Korea upside down. Not even the President can stop it. In fact, the President himself is in danger.
To survive, he'll have to kill everyone connected to you. You're guaranteed to rot in prison for the rest of your life."
"I, I, I... Taejeon-ah! What are you doing?! Kill these bastards!"
Kim Chunseok roared, his face crimson with rage. But Jang Taejeon closed his eyes.
"...Chunseok-ah. It's already over."
Over 30,000 citizens had already seen the sex video in Gwanghwamun. There was no way to cover it up.
"Haa..."
Moon Ji-Hyeok sighed.
Special Investigation Unit for Jeokgwang.
A department formed by experts to capture Jeokgwang. But in reality, no proper investigation was underway.
An invisible wall existed between the detectives and the members dispatched by the Black Cross Society. To be precise, the Black Cross Society was distancing themselves from the detectives. They had no intention of working together from the start.
I thought joining the Special Investigation Unit would mean I could catch Jeokgwang...
This was even worse than when he'd been in the criminal investigation division. No matter how hard he tried to get along with the other detectives, they seemed utterly uninterested in catching Jeokgwang. Instead, they approached their work with a leisurely air, as if they were enjoying a vacation.
It's because Jeokgwang is a criminal who seems to exist in an entirely different world.
A major scandal had erupted recently.
Footage of Assemblyman Kim Chunseok receiving sexual favors from celebrities had been leaked. The original video was circulating openly on overseas websites, sparking widespread public outrage. On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in front of Gwanghwamun Gate to protest.
The government, the police, and the public were all focused on Kim Chunseok. Jeokgwang had been pushed to the back burner.
But people aren't fools.
People are already speculating that Jeokgwang was behind the Gwanghwamun screen hacking incident. Some even theorize that his accomplice, not Jeokgwang himself, is the skilled hacker.
The evidence lies in the traffic light hacking. As Jeokgwang fled, the traffic lights went haywire, preventing the police from pursuing him. It's highly unlikely that multiple traffic lights would malfunction simultaneously by chance, making it stranger not to suspect hacking.
Jeokgwang supposedly stole Kim Chunseok's slush fund, right? He's still active. The Sunset Fitness Club incident targeted Vampire Hunters, and this time, he's likely after Kim Chunseok's slush fund.
Fortunately, the Black Cross Society shares information related to Jeokgwang, maintaining at least a nominal level of cooperation.
Is he after the money for military funding? Or was it really necessary to steal Jang Seongmin's cash and Kim Chunseok's slush fund?
With Jeokgwang's abilities, he could easily commit robbery. Yet he deliberately took the dirty money.
Does he have a sense of justice?
For now, that was the only logical conclusion.
And indeed, there were those online who hailed Jeokgwang as a dark hero, praising his actions.
Jeokgwang will continue his activities. His stage might shift from Seoul to the provinces. We need to anticipate what incidents he might cause.
If he truly possessed a sense of justice, criminal organizations would likely become his primary targets.
And Jeokgwang is hostile toward Vampire Hunters.
The Black Cross Society and criminal organizations.
Moon Ji-Hyeok couldn't interfere with the Black Cross Society. Any attempt to meddle could expose his true nature as a vampire.
A criminal organization... Is the Tuseong Group currently the most powerful organization in Seoul?
Moon Ji-Hyeok rose from his seat. In his estimation, the Vampire Hunter and the Tuseong Group were the most likely targets of Jeokgwang's attacks.
I have a hunch about the Tuseong Group. Team Leader Oh Jeong-jin warned me not to act solely on hunches, but in this situation, a hunch is all I have to go on.
He decided to investigate the Tuseong Group and gather information.
- Enraged South Korea! Citizens rally in Gwanghwamun!
- Female idols aren't the only entertainers who provided sexual favors to Kim Chunseok? Agency CEO remains silent!
- Kim Chunseok's son beaten by university student after exiting car.
- Kim Chunseok transferred to prosecution! Still invoking his right to remain silent!
- Kim Chunseok's Chief Aide Jang Taejeon: "Many people are involved."
- The Sky Party, having lost public support, is on the verge of collapse.
- Was the Jeokgwang behind the hacking of the Gwanghwamun screen to release the video?
- Chairman of major conglomerate caught fleeing the country late at night.
- Prosecutors issue summonses to Members of the National Assembly. They vow to investigate thoroughly and eradicate corruption.
- Evidence discovered linking Kim Chunseok to past media suppression...
I smirked as I skimmed through the flood of news articles.
"They're furious. Absolutely furious."
The comments section was filled with nothing but vitriol directed at Kim Chunseok. With the evidence now irrefutable, the insults were relentless and unrestrained.
"Netizens are already digging up the names of female celebrities who allegedly provided sexual favors to Kim Chunseok... The prosecutors have finally drawn their swords this time."
South Korea would likely remain in turmoil until Kim Chunseok's trial concluded.
"Heh heh. Maybe I should visit Yeong Hyejeong."
Thirty billion won in cash.
That was the cash found in Kim Chunseok's vault. I entrusted the disposal of the artwork inside to Kang Wookseong, understanding why he demanded a 40% commission. Selling stolen art was no ordinary task.
"Still, 120 billion won. Heh heh heh."
Including the cash, the total came to 150 billion won. I had become wealthy.
"If I spend about 10 billion won at Yeong Hyejeong... what could I do? Nothing innovative comes to mind."
"First, let's deal with these gold bars."
Snapping back to reality, I muttered to myself as I stared at the stack of gold bars before me.
The front of each gold bar was engraved with the words "999.9% Pure Gold" in English.
From my initial research, it appeared to be a gold bar issued by an American bank a bank that, upon further investigation online, turned out to be a real-world institution.
"Can I just sell these at the Gold Exchange? Let's see... 65 million won? Gold prices have gone up again."
I had 214 gold bars. I planned to sell 14 of them first, move to a new place, get my driver's license, and buy a car.
Having a car would be convenient.
Even if I sold the gold bars in bulk, the Gold Exchange wouldn't suspect me.
I'm a Hunter.
For most routine matters, showing my Hunter's License is enough to clear things up.
"Oh, this place is nice... Wait, this officetel... it's definitely..."
While searching online for a decent officetel, I stumbled upon a luxurious one near University.
What shocked me was discovering that Han Harin, my first love, lived in this officetel.
Of course, I learned this information by chance. I accidentally overheard her talking to a friend in the department and found out she lived there.
I don't know the exact address, only that she lives in this building.
Close to the university, that's good. Price? 800 million won for a lease? Hmm. I'll have to sell 20 Gold Bars.
It has a private parking garage, convenient transportation, and plenty of restaurants nearby.
I'm definitely not moving here because of Han Harin.
But what floor does she live on? It would be great if she were my neighbor.