Contract Marriage with Memory Loss on Top - Chapter 18
“I thought you would call.”
“If you knew, you should have written more in detail.”
Ki-won’s eyes, which were staring at the report, were colder than usual. If his current thoughts were correct, Yeon-woo had been completely played by the loan sharks. How much heartache must that little one have suffered? The more he thought about it, the more curses lingered in his mouth.
“Seo Taeman’s loan records and the records of what Seo Yeon-woo repaid don’t match. What’s the reason?”
“That’s their tactic. When naive kids take on debt, they deliberately manipulate the contract…”
“Get to the point.”
“They inflated the principal of 8,000 won to 300 million won. Since they recorded 300 million won as principal repayment, it’s certain. They reduced the interest to 120 million won, maybe out of conscience. They probably adjusted it because if it’s too high, the backlash would increase. Anyway, I have to give it to them for being so greedy.”
A sigh escaped involuntarily. 300 million won, it just happened to match the down payment of 300 million won.
‘120 million won…’
Yeon-woo didn’t have enough money left to pay the interest the loan sharks were talking about. There was only one way to pay off the interest in the billions. The consolation payment to be paid upon termination of the contract.
It was you guys. The ones who made him talk about contract termination.
Ki-won’s eyes were filled with murderous intent. Not only did they torment the innocent Yeon-woo, they also distorted the plan that was going well. Kwon Ki-won raised the corners of his lips. He clenched his teeth so hard that blood vessels bulged above his jawline. As soon as the burst of laughter ended, Ki-won’s lips hardened.
“Loans, loans…”
If he just gets rid of the cause, everything will return to its place. Ki-won, who brushed his hair up, rolled his pupils around inside his closed eyelids.
“Text me the address.”
“Pardon?”
“The office address.”
“Yes, yes… I will send it to you.”
After hanging up, Ki-won checked the text message from Yeon-woo’s chauffeur. It said that after dropping off Yeon-woo at the bookstore, he was waiting.
About 2 minutes passed like that. A text message came in from the private detective agency employee. Ki-won entered the office address into the navigation and checked the estimated arrival time. Fortunately, it was a distance that could be reached within 30 minutes.
When the car started to accelerate, one more text message came in from the detective agency employee. Since he was driving, he couldn’t check the content and only skimmed the part shown in the preview.
[010-4343-****: I hesitated whether to tell you or not, but just in case…]
Ki-won frowned at the strange content. After the vehicle stopped at a red light, Ki-won properly looked at the text message.
[010-4343-****: I hesitated whether to tell you or not, but just in case. Go Seongman, the team leader, has 8 prior convictions for assaulting debtors. If that team leader’s number was found on Seo Yeon-woo’s cell phone, there’s a possibility that person was also a victim.]
Assault on debtors, it felt like the sanity he was barely holding onto was cut off. His ears felt stuffy and his throat felt stuffy as if blocked by a stone. Kwon Ki-won, who exhaled a hot breath, swallowed a sigh again.
He told Yeon-woo that he would only work in the morning and come back, but he might be a little late. Ki-won, who took off his cufflinks, continued driving.
***
It was when Kwon Ki-won’s vehicle reached its destination. Men in suits got out one by one from another sedan that arrived around the same time. They were the ones Ki-won kept as bodyguards. From the exterior of the building, the scale of the office didn’t seem large, but it was better to be careful.
“For now, I’ll go in with only a couple of you. The rest, please stand by.”
As Ki-won took off his suit jacket, a navy blue vest and black shirt were revealed. Currently, Ki-won was trying his best to quell his anger. Recklessly taking all the bodyguards in would only make a bigger scene. There was only one thing Kwon Ki-won wanted to do. As long as he achieved that goal, it was enough.
The bodyguards, who hid their batons out of sight, followed behind Kwon Ki-won. Step, step. As Ki-won climbed the stairs, his pheromones sharply changed and spread through the air. Ki-won, who touched his loose necktie as if fumbling, rubbed his stiff neck and asked the bodyguards.
“Are you betas?”
“Pardon? Yes…”
The bodyguards nodded at Ki-won’s question. They looked like they didn’t know what he was trying to do by calling them.
The place where Kwon Ki-won stopped was in front of a door that read ‘JP Capital’. The bodyguards seemed overwhelmed by the strange atmosphere even though they couldn’t detect the pheromones. As an energy that wouldn’t be strange if something happened at any moment followed, the bodyguards swallowed their dry saliva repeatedly.
The bodyguards, who were watching each other’s reactions, took a step back and observed Ki-won. Unexpectedly, Ki-won neither kicked the door open nor went in recklessly.
The bodyguards raised their eyebrows at the change in Ki-won’s expression. His face was distorted just a moment ago. However, Ki-won, who was standing in front of the door, changed in an instant as if he had put on a mask. The annoyed expression disappeared, and he had a calm expression as always.
Knock, knock. After a short knock, Ki-won opened the tightly closed door.
Beyond the opened door, the gazes of the loan sharks poured out to the entrance at once. Regardless, Ki-won leisurely crossed the threshold and looked around.
“What brings you here?”
The subordinate who looked the youngest approached Ki-won leisurely and asked. Since Ki-won didn’t seem like someone who came to take out a loan, he seemed to be slowly checking the atmosphere.
“I came to see Team Leader Go Seongman.”
Ki-won answered while not stopping looking around. Then, a man sitting on the sofa raised his eyebrows and voice.
“Which bastard dares to call the name so casually?”
Go Seongman, who was sitting at the head of the table spitting phlegm, got up. The man, who frowned heavily, looked at Kwon Ki-won with half-closed eyes.
“I’ve seen him a lot…”
It was when the man, who tilted his chin as if Kwon Ki-won’s face was familiar, was clearing his throat. Kwon Ki-won, who approached slowly, took out a business card from his inner pocket and handed it to Go Seongman.
“I’m Kwon Ki-won.”
Go Seongman, who examined the business card, finally flashed his eyes as if he remembered. Kwon Ki-won was widely known as the successor of Yeonsung Group and the executive director of the department store through the media.
“Kwon Ki-won…? That Yeonsung…? But why in a place like this…”
“I heard Seo Yeon-woo has a debt to you.”
The moment he heard the name Seo Yeon-woo, the team leader’s eyes changed.
“Was Executive Director Kwon the one backing him? Did that bastard ask you to pay off his debt?”
It was a look that seemed to know why he had come to this place if the purpose was Seo Yeon-woo.
“Well, let’s see. That’s not it…”
As Kwon Ki-won cleared his throat without finishing his words, the team leader gulped down his dry saliva.
“I found out while investigating.”
Ki-won shrugged with a loose smile. Then the team leader clapped his hands together and made a surprised face.
“Don’t tell me that bastard lied about having debt and tried to suck up to you, Executive Director? Wow… That Seo Yeon-woo kid is smarter than he looks.”
Ki-won barely held back his furrowing brows and gritted his molars. There was something else he had to find out now. Ki-won changed the subject as if he was getting to the point.
“I heard Go Seongman is good at correcting the bad habits of people who don’t listen.”
Go Seongman’s eyes narrowed sinisterly. As if it didn’t deviate from his expectations, he narrowed the corners of his eyes and started being coy.
“Tsk, that bastard Yeon-woo is getting a bit out of line these days, right? No wonder Executive Director personally came here. Well, should I give you some weaknesses of his?”
The team leader rolled his eyes as if calculating how much to attach to each weakness and sell it, then laughed absurdly.
“That bastard, in the past, he would tremble just by going ‘kwak!’ like this. But now, he’s so cheeky…”
Go Seongman swung his arm hard as if hitting a person and made a ‘kwak’ sound. Not knowing that cracks were forming on Ki-won’s face, Go Seongman went on and on with ridiculous words for a while.
“I guess he quiets down when hit.”
“Of course, you have to lay your hands on Yeon-woo periodically for him to quiet down a bit. I guess someone like Executive Director wouldn’t want to hit him directly? It would be annoying if that bastard makes a fuss about suing or whatnot.”
Ki-won’s closed lips parted slightly. The breath that escaped between them was hot.
“I see.”
Ki-won, who answered meaninglessly, picked up a glass nearby and checked the grip.
“Yes! If Executive Director needs it, we will directly… Argh!”
In an instant, the stably gripped glass was driven into Go Seongman’s head. The impact sound rang out brutally as he used his waist strength as well. The glass shattered from the sudden impact, and the team leader, holding his head, screamed. Even though the sharp shards flew in all directions, Kwon Ki-won didn’t even blink an eye.
“Ah shit, aaargh…! Hey fuck! What the hell are you doing, you bastard! Aaargh!”
As if it wasn’t enough, Ki-won pressed down on the back of Go Seongman’s head to make him collapse on the table. The tool used this time was an ashtray placed in the corner. The thick and heavy ashtray was driven into Go Seongman’s head.
Once, twice, three times. As the number of hits increased, Go Seongman’s limp body trembled. On the other hand, Kwon Ki-won’s complexion was getting much better. Wiping the blood splattered on his face with the back of his hand, Ki-won looked around at his subordinates.
“It’s unexpected. I brought beta bodyguards thinking you would rush at me.”
He had intended to leave the opponents that couldn’t be suppressed by releasing pheromones to the bodyguards. However, the team leader’s subordinates were all frozen like statues. They seemed to have instinctively realized that if they rushed now, it would be a big problem. The stiffened subordinates were all looking at the team leader with a dumbfounded face.
“Clean it up.”
Kwon Ki-won gestured with his chin toward the collapsed Go Seongman. Only then did the bodyguards who were on standby outside the door cautiously approach and examine Go Seongman’s body. Fortunately, he wasn’t dead, as his chest was weakly rising and falling.
“What am I doing because of these worthless things…”
Ki-won muttered in a voice only he could hear. The team leader collapsing was all the price for tormenting Yeon-woo. Ki-won, who was about to step out as if nothing had happened with a much better mood, abruptly stopped. He felt a gaze from somewhere.
The most secluded corner of the office.
Yeon-woo, who was crouching down, was watching this scene with his mouth covered.