Chương 201: Chapter 201: Are You Finally Willing to Speak?
Ha Myung-hoon, lost in thought about the past, opened his eyes. His expression had darkened further.
"What could possibly be lacking for you to act like this?"
"Myung-hoon, just listen to me for a moment."
"If you don't have a proper excuse, it's better to keep quiet."
······.
Cheon Su-man clammed up, anxiously gauging Ha Myung-hoon's reaction.
But that only fueled Ha Myung-hoon's anger.
"Stop tiptoeing around. You're not usually like this, right?"
Ha Myung-hoon's words were blunt as he glared at Cheon Su-man.
"I've known since childhood that you envied that girl. You probably thought you could act like a good older brother, but your eyes betray you."
······.
"But I never thought you'd ask someone to kill your own flesh and blood. If you're human, that's absolutely inexcusable."
Cheon Su-man couldn't respond, only rolling his eyes frantically.
It seemed he was looking for an escape route, watching Ha Myung-hoon carefully.
"If you hadn't done anything, the chairman would have passed everything to you. You chose to throw that away. How dare you…!"
His emotions were running high, and his voice trembled slightly.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Ha Myung-hoon spoke again.
"How dare you touch the chairman?"
······.
"You were spared because the chairman couldn't bear to kill you himself. He didn't want to do it because you're his son, his flesh and blood. But how could you even think about killing him?"
Cheon Su-man's eyes trembled uncontrollably.
He recalled the face of Cheon Tae-san looking at him whilministering the drug. He thought it had to be a misunderstanding.
"Curious about how I know?"
······.
"Speak up if you have something to say. Why are you silent?"
But Cheon Su-man couldn't bring himself to speak.
Ha Myung-hoon shook his head in disappointment. Cheon Su-man wasn't going to leave this place alive.
"Keeping silent won't save you. This is your grave site."
After a long silence, Cheon Su-man finally opened his mouth.
"Father discriminated against us…"
How pathetic that this was the flimsy excuse he managed to muster.
In disbelief, Ha Myung-hoon frowned.
"What did you say?"
"Father favored Mi-sook. He never showed us a warm side. You know that too, right? You spent more time with him than I did."
"Ha…"
A sigh escaped him.
It was true that Cheon Tae-san favored Cheon Mi-so
But it was because she was the youngest and had a genuinely warm nature that drew everyone in.
From the outside, it might have looked like favoritism, but Ha Myung-hoon knew better.
Cheon Tae-san had never shown favism toward his children.
"I was afraid of losing what little I had. So I cheered when Mi-sook fought with Father and left. Finally, that thorn in my side was gone. But even then, Father's gaze was still fixed on Mi-sook. That terrified me. So… it was a choice I had to make."
As he spoke, Cheon Su-man justified his actions.
Seeing him lost in self-pity, disgust surfaced on Ha Myung-hoon's face.
"So you think what you did was justified? You killed someone who had so little time left to live, and all that's on your mind is blaming the chairman?"
······.
He stared at Cheon Su-man, who had once more sealed his lips, muttering quietly, devoid of emotion.
"Yeah, I didn't expect anything less from scum like you. Let's drop this predictable nonsense."
At his icy statement, Cheon Su-man shrank back.
"What drug did you give the chairman?"
"…How did you know?"
"Is that what you're concerned about right now?"
"Does Father know? Does he know what you're doing? Did he… tell you to kill me?"
Cheon Su-man asked, his voice trembling.
He recalled the piercing gaze of Cheon Tae-san, who always seemed now everything.
"When have I ever acted without the chairman's orders?"
"…Yeah, so it wasn't just my delusion."
Cheon Su-man muttered blankly.
Ha Myung-hoon mustered all his strength not to kill Cheon Su-man on the spot. He couldn't give him an easy death.
"The chairman woke up right after you left. It was nothing short of a miracle."
It was heartbreaking for Cheon Tae-san to witness his own betray him.
"He believed in you until the end. He ordered me to send you overseas if it turned out he hadn't seen what he thought he had. Until the end, he trusted scum like you…"
He trailed off, biting his lip.
"Father actually saw it with his own eyes…"
Cheon Su-man continued to mumble, as if oblivious to everything around him.
Unable to hold it back anymore, Ha Myung-hoon slapped him hard. Cheon Su-man's head turned weakly aside.
"Don't pretend to regret it now. It's disgusting. You're the one who betrayed the chairman's trust."
As Cheon Su-man turned his head again, his eyes were filled with an ominous rage.
"What was I supposed to do? Should I have lived my life in exile, losing everything to Kim Mu-hyeok? Should I have endued a life that felt like banishment? I am Cheon Su-man!"
······. A madman.
"Yeah! I'm crazy! So what? I can't just sit back and let someone take everything I have!"
Cheon Su-man screamed in a desperate struggle, his eyes glistening like a lunatic.
"You ruined the chairman's end!"
"It's all his fault! He could've passed everything to me and rested easy! He ruined it all! I've done nothing wrong! It's all because of him! It's all his fault!"
Cheon Su-man shouted as if brainwashing himself.
"I didn't want to do this. It's all Father's fault. No, it's Kim Mu-hyeok's fault! Everythingwent wrong because of him."
But as soon as Kim Mu-hyeok's name came up, Chen Su-man's face twisted painfully.
Deciding he no longer needed to listen to him, Ha Myung-hoon spoke coldly.
"No more nonsense. Just tell me what drug you gave the chairman and who you conspired with."
Cheon Su-man couldn't have made such plans alone.
Chairman Seo must have been behind him. But he needed solid proof.
"If I tell you everything… will you let me live?"
Ha Myung-hoon shook his head at the sight of his pathetic face.
It was ridiculous to see someone treat another's life as worthless while holding their own in such high regard.
"Myung-hoon… I'll tell you everything. Just save me. I want to live. Please…"
"Ha… You expect me to save you after everything you've done?"
Ha Myung-hoon gritted his teeth, recalling the last moments of Cheon Tae-san.
A mix of solemnity, bitterness, and regret filled him. Cheon Tae-san wasn't the type to quietly.
"The moment I confirmed you injected something into the chairman's IV, you were as good as dead. I was merely holding back so I could honor the chairman's final journey. Now that's over."
He wanted nothing more than to rip Cheon Su-man apart right then and there.
"Save me. I've made so many mistakes. Please, let me live, Myung-hoon."
Gone was the fierce refusal to resign; instead, Cheon Su-man was now cravenly begging for his life.
Ha Myung-hoon closed his eyes, feeling conflicted.
'Why did someone like him have to be born as the chairman's son… If only I were the chairman's son…'
But this was Cheon Tae-san's last act of venge. He had to find out everything.
As Ha Myung-hoon opened his eyes again, he spoke coldly.
"No need to talk. The pain will be all yours. I'm sure someone like you won't last a minute under that agony."
Ha Myung-hoon rose from his seat and opened the door.
"Come in. If he doesn't know anything, make sure he talks even if he has to fabricate something. He is no longer the chairman's son. Treat him like any other."
"Yes, understood."
Two men entered at Ha Myung-hoon's command.
"Myung-hoon! Myung-hoon!"
Ha Myung-hoon closed the door and leaned back, shutting his eyes.
If he opened them now, he would definitely try to stop what was about to happen.
He knew better than anyone what would unfold next. It had always been at Cheon Tae-san's command.
The only difference this time was that the target was Cheon Su-man.
"Myung-hoon!"
Cheon Su-man screamed at the top of his lungs. One of the men who entered struck Cheon Su-man's face viciously.
"Shut up. You're being too noisy."
The force of the blow caused blood to come pouring from his face, and that was just one hit.
"How… how dare you!"
"Why? Do you still think you mean something?"
The other man sneered, pointing at the scar on his face.
"Do you remember this? You're the one who drew this scar on my face when we were kids, thinking it was a joke."
"W-what nonsense are you talking about?"
"Right. You probably don't remember. It was just a prank to you. Let's make sure you remember for a long time."
With an amused look, he pulled out a hand axe from his waistband.
"Grab him."
Cheon Su-man's shoes flew off as he thrashed about in his chair.
But the men didn't budge an inch.
The man wielding the axe questioned him, eerily calm despite his grin.
"Are you really not able to remember?"
At that moment, Ha Myung-hoon, who had been keeping his eyes closed, spoke softly.
"Stop it. Let's wrap this up quickly."
The man's expression turned disappointed as he licked his lips, handling the blunt axe.
"You're still treating him like a person, huh? You know, Myung-hoon's too kind for his own good. Here, take a bite. You'll bite your tongue on this one."
Then, without hesitation, he raised the axe and brought it down on Cheon Su-man's big toe.
Due to the dullness of the blade, Cheon Su-man's toe was crushed rather than severed.
"Aaaah!"
A blinding pain shot through Cheon Su-man, making him thrash helplessly in his bound chair.
But with the chair pressing down on him, he couldn't even move as he wanted.
"Why are you making such a fuss? We've only just begun. No matter what you know, keep it to yourself and endure it."
The man taunted, swinging the axe once more. Blood flew everywhere as the blade found its mark.
"Uaaagh!"
Blood gushed from the severed toe, pooling beneath the chair.
The man holding the axe was splattered with blood but wiped it carelessly, grinning like he was at a water park.
Minutes passed, and the once echoing screams in the lodge fell silent.
"Are you thinking of talking now?"
The axe-wielding man tapped the handle on his palm.
Cheon Su-man, half out of his mind, moved his lips without uttering any words, prompting the man to raise the axe again.
"Aaaah! Stop, please!"
"Stop?"
With a face smeared with tears and mucus, Cheon Su-man earnestly nodded his head.
"I'll tell everything, everything… please stop! Myung-hoon, please…!"
The man with the axe glanced back at Ha Myung-hoon.
Now awake, he nodded.
"Get out."
The man looked at Cheon Su-man, now pale with fear, and licked his lips as if regretting the departure.
"See you again. Next time will be even more fun."
Cheon Su-man trembled like a sapling.
After the men left, Ha Myung-hoon pulled a chair and sat down in front of Cheon Su-man.
Blood stained his shoes, but he paid it no mind.
Cold sweat dripped down Cheon Su-man's face.
"Speak."
Ha Myung-hoon's tone was indifferent.
Cheon Su-man revealed everything to him.
He disclosed the drug he administered, who had provided it, and whose plan it had been.
As expected, it was Chair Seo's plan. Cheon Su-man had been thoroughly used.
Ha Myung-hoon felt a twinge of pity for Cheon Su-man, destined to live his life being exploited by others.
"So you were used by Cheongpung Group, and now Seo Yong-geon? It's unfathomable. What's lacking in you that makes you get tossed around like this?"
Cheon Su-man had fanned his own greed with their support but was lacking in the means to stand independently.
He had lived his entire life in the shadows of others.
"You succumbed to your greed. Now you have nothing left. Was this your plan all along?"
But Cheon Su-man didn't hear a word.
He only gasped for breath, overwhelmed by the pain.
"It hurts… it hurts…"
"Huh…"
If he had resisted and tried to deceive or coax them, Ha Myung-hoon might have considered viewing him differently.
But he knew Cheon Su-man all too well.
With a shake of his head, Ha Myung-hoon stood up and opened the door.
Despite everything, he didn't want to kill the son of Cheon Tae-san with his own hands.
"Clean this up. Always dispose of the body as usual. Bring me the ashes. I still need to show them to the young master."
Ignoring Cheon Su-man's cries, Ha Myung-hoon closed the door behind him.
Cheon Su-man's desperate wailing abruptly ceased, leaving behind a void.
With a headache, Ha Myung-hoon frowned. Cheon Tae-san's trusting face, riuntil the end, wouldn't leave his mind.
He clenched his eyes shut, settling onto the living room sofa, waiting for everything to be resolved.
"This is the ashes of Cheon Su-man."
How much time had passed? Ha Myung-hoon opened his eyes at the voice of his subordinate.
In his hand was a small urn.
"Cleaned up well? Leave behind whatever traces remain and make sure to erase everything. It has to be more thorough than usual. Don't leave behind a single clue."
"Yes, understood."
Ha Myung-hoon rose from his seat and walked out of the lodge, the man with the urn following closely behind.
The sun was rising behind the lodge. Ha Myung-hoon watched the rays for a moment before entering the car.
The vehicle sped toward Chungcheong-do, where Cheon Tae-san's grave lay.
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