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Translator: uly
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Boss, Becoming a Chaebol
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"Haa… haa…."
Dawn. Near Gyeonggi Province, on a bridge over a river devoid of any human presence.
Kim Geonwoo, who had just engaged in a fierce fight, was panting heavily as he slumped to the ground.
His high-end suit and shoes, worth millions of won, were stained with red blood in spots all over.
Staring down at his blood-soaked shirt, Kim Geonwoo let out a hollow chuckle.
It felt like a horrific nightmare stripped of any sense of reality.
'Where the hell did it all go wrong…?'
Kim Geonwoo had been wrapping up his usual business and heading home when a sudden wave of drowsiness hit him, forcing him to seek sleep.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself on the bridge at his favorite fishing spot….
Someone must have slipped sleeping pills into his water.
In that hazy state, Kim Geonwoo had forced his unresponsive limbs to move and fought desperately against the thugs who dragged him there.
But he was soon overpowered….
And now, he awaited death like this.
'Is this the end I fought so hard for?'
A sigh escaped Kim Geonwoo's lips as he sank into thought.
Kim Geonwoo was now 48 years old.
The legendary man who rose to become the boss of Hanseongpa, Korea's top violent organization, with nothing but his bare fists.
He had run dozens of clubs and room salons, and he was at the point of starting a construction company to legitimize his operations.
But now.
He had lost everything he built.
All of it, on the very bridge he visited to enjoy his one hobby: fishing.
.
.
.
"…Why did you do it?"
Kim Geonwoo looked up at the man in his late thirties standing before him and asked.
The man glared down at Kim Geonwoo sprawled on the ground with sharp, piercing eyes.
Oh Tae-gyu, the number two of Hanseongpa.
Twenty-three years old.
Fresh out of the military, Oh Tae-gyu had joined the organization and served as its backbone for fifteen years.
Kim Geonwoo had cherished him like a younger brother for his exceptional fighting skills and unyielding tenacity.
Despite their ten-year age gap, the two had lived like brothers, raising Hanseongpa's name high in the underworld.
But.
Today, at thirty-eight, Oh Tae-gyu was nothing more than a traitor.
"What special reason would there be? I just grabbed onto a bigger, sturdier line."
Stroking his chin, Oh Tae-gyu glanced back over his shoulder.
The suited men who had ambushed and beaten Kim Geonwoo alongside Oh Tae-gyu stepped aside to both flanks.
"...."
Kim Geonwoo had anticipated who would appear.
These suited men were off-the-books operatives who handled the dirty work for 'that group.'
Only two people could command them at will.
'Seojin Group Chairman Yoo Jae-man.
And.
Yoo Jae-man's son, the next chairman of Seojin Group, Yoo Dae-sik.'
One of them stepped forward before Kim Geonwoo.
Thud. Thud-.
"Wow. Even Uncle gets his ass handed to him someday."
A man in his early thirties, with sallow skin and sharply slitted eyes, approached and stood before Kim Geonwoo.
"…Yoo Dae-sik."
The man before him was indeed Director Yoo Dae-sik.
Was it because he heard his name?
A sneer curled at Yoo Dae-sik's lips.
"Feels shitty, huh? Getting treated like this by the guy you always looked down on. Hey? Fuck. Calling yourself 'Uncle' like you're actually above me or something?"
Slap-. Slap-. Smack!
Hunching over, Yoo Dae-sik repeatedly slapped Kim Geonwoo across the face.
Already battered by Oh Tae-gyu and the suited men, Kim Geonwoo could only take the hits.
Yet his eyes burned with fierce intensity.
He had no lingering attachments to life anymore.
He would die here.
But with the root of all this evil right in front of him, he couldn't just go quietly.
'…Yeah. I can't die like this.'
At the very least, he'd take Yoo Dae-sik down with him.
But though his mind was set, his body wouldn't obey.
Drained from the fight, all he could manage was raising his hands to block Yoo Dae-sik's punches.
Even facing encroaching death, Kim Geonwoo gritted his teeth, his eyes gleaming.
He endured, waiting for a chance to snap Yoo Dae-sik's neck.
Seeing Kim Geonwoo's defiant glare shining no matter how many hits he took only excited Yoo Dae-sik more, and he bellowed.
"Ha, still glaring at me? Lower your fucking eyes, you bastard!!"
Thud! Thud! Thud-thud!
Yoo Dae-sik's fists grew even wilder as they pummeled Kim Geonwoo.
"Did I tell you to kill that bitch? Did I? Or did I not? A dog should act like a dog—bite when told to bite, bark when told to bark. What? You can't kill a pregnant woman? Hey, you fucker. Did I tell you to do it yourself? Just order your underlings!!"
Thud-thud-! Bam!
"Ha! A gangster playing the hero of justice?"
Seeing no sign of resistance only hyped Yoo Dae-sik up further, and he started kicking as well. Still, Kim Geonwoo shielded his face and endured the blows.
Crack-!
"Guh!!"
Like a free kick, Yoo Dae-sik slammed into Kim Geonwoo's abdomen and caught his breath.
"Whew! Ah, that feels better now. You heavy fuck."
Yoo Dae-sik cackled down at Kim Geonwoo sprawled on the ground.
"Man, strutting around as the fist-fighting legend, but you can't even fight back. Guess you're getting old after all, Uncle."
"Is that… all it takes for you to kill me?"
Sprawled on the ground, Kim Geonwoo groaned and spoke up.
It wasn't anger so much as sheer absurdity.
Yoo Dae-sik had messed with a rookie actress and gotten her pregnant.
A typical actress would've taken some hush money from him or shot a few Seojin Group ads and shut her mouth.
But this rookie wasn't one to back down.
She threatened to have the baby and demanded marriage.
And if he refused, she'd hold a press conference.
Yoo Dae-sik, however, was already engaged to the prime minister's daughter.
If a press conference actually happened, not only would the marriage be off, but he could lose his position as Seojin Group heir.
So Yoo Dae-sik had said, 'Uncle, I can't lose my spot as Seojin heir over one girl, right?' and issued what was a request in name but an order in truth.
He told Kim Geonwoo to have his men disguise the rookie actress's death as an accident—fire, drugs, or car crash.
But Kim Geonwoo refused that 'order.'
It wasn't a request—it was Yoo Dae-sik's command.
"For a reason like that? Ha! What do you do with a mad dog that won't listen? I put it down right away."
"Mad… dog?"
"Yeah. A dog lecturing a human? That's a mad dog. A thug who won't kill a pregnant woman? Won't even order his own men to do the dirty work? You fuck, calling me 'nephew' like you really thought I was family?"
Yoo Dae-sik spewed curses before bursting into laughter.
Listening to that laugh, Kim Geonwoo forced his mouth open.
"…Did Chairman Yoo Jae-man approve this?"
Yoo Jae-man.
The titan who elevated Seojin Group to number one in Korea's business world, the man who pulled Kim Geonwoo from darkness into light.
But Yoo Jae-man's start as Seojin's illegitimate son hadn't been smooth.
Branded a 'bastard,' he fought his half-brothers for succession in harsh conditions, even facing life-threatening dangers.
And that's when.
Yoo Jae-man came to Kim Geonwoo seeking help.
Lend him strength to inherit Seojin Group, and he'd turn Hanseongpa members from thugs into company men.
At the time, Kim Geonwoo was wrestling with his own dilemmas.
Over a hundred members, and including families, more than four hundred 'family' under his care.
Resolved to find a proper path for them, Kim Geonwoo accepted Yoo Jae-man's offer on the spot.
Twenty years later.
Their statuses had changed dramatically.
Yoo Jae-man became Seojin Group chairman, and Kim Geonwoo expected Hanseongpa members to live ordinary lives as bodyguards or security.
But Yoo Dae-sik's next words made Kim Geonwoo realize he'd been gravely mistaken.
"Of course, he blew up in anger. But my dad cherishes his son more than any dog."
"…!!"
"He said to put down the mad dog quick."
Yoo Dae-sik mocked Kim Geonwoo, whose gaze shook from the shock.
Sure, he'd gotten his ass thrashed with Yoo Jae-man's golf club until it was mangled.
But if it meant cleaning up the actress headache and eliminating Kim Geonwoo—who knew all of Seojin's secrets—it was a net gain.
Of course, Yoo Dae-sik and Yoo Jae-man both knew.
They simply wanted to dispose of the 'mad dog' that defied their 'order' and insulted them.
Harsh reality, but to Yoo Jae-man and Yoo Dae-sik, Kim Geonwoo… was worth that much and no more.
Meanwhile, having heard Yoo Dae-sik out, Kim Geonwoo sat in stunned silence, mouth shut.
"...."
He'd steeled himself for this, but hearing even Yoo Jae-man had abandoned him hit hard all the same.
The man he trusted and followed had forsaken him, as had his successor and his own men.
'After all my dogged loyalty… they discard me over something like this!'
Grind-! Heh-!
Kim Geonwoo gnashed his teeth and twisted his lips into a sneer.
A strange expression… but self-mockery.
Even facing death, he sneered at himself for clinging to vain hopes in Yoo Jae-man.
Seeing the smile, Yoo Dae-sik tilted his head.
"Laughing? Haha. Did I hit your head too hard?"
"…You made a mistake."
"What? Mistake? Still talking shit. You're the one who fucked up. And now you're paying for it."
Kim Geonwoo's gaze didn't waver at Yoo Dae-sik's taunts.
His left arm and a few ribs seemed broken from the beating.
But if he clenched his jaw, he could still use both legs and his right hand.
'And I've got this sturdy head too.'
He still had plenty of weapons left.
"Guh!"
His whole body throbbed.
No matter how prepared he was, he couldn't block the pain surging through his battered frame.
Still, blazing rage propelled his body forward.
And.
Spring-!
Kim Geonwoo shot up like a coiled spring and tackled Yoo Dae-sik in an instant.
"Huh?"
"Director!"
Oh Tae-gyu shouted at the sight, but Kim Geonwoo's forehead was faster.
Crack-!
Launching his body, Kim Geonwoo smashed his forehead into Yoo Dae-sik's nose bridge.
"Gah!!"
Yoo Dae-sik screamed, spraying blood into the air as he staggered.
At the same time, Oh Tae-gyu and the operatives rushed toward the stumbling Yoo Dae-sik.
But Kim Geonwoo, Korea's top fighter for over twenty years, moved quicker still.
Grab-!
Kim Geonwoo's right hand shot out and seized Yoo Dae-sik's collar. Yoo Dae-sik tried to curse again.
"You fucking dog broke my nose…!"
Crack!
Kim Geonwoo's forehead slammed into Yoo Dae-sik's jaw once more.
"Guhhh!"
With his lips split, Yoo Dae-sik clutched his jaw and staggered.
But before he could take a few steps, blood streaming from nose and mouth, he was caught again.
Kim Geonwoo's right arm had wrapped around his neck.
"Guhhh!"
Kim Geonwoo was infamous not just for his punches but his raw strength too.
Yoo Dae-sik could only flail uselessly, unable to move properly.
'How's this dying old man got this in him?'
Stunned by the sudden assault, Yoo Dae-sik writhed in shock.
Kim Geonwoo, gripping him, turned his gaze to Oh Tae-gyu.
"Taegyu, stand down."
Kim Geonwoo's tone was astonishingly calm.
In contrast, Oh Tae-gyu's eyes widened in surprise at the abrupt turn.
But as Hanseongpa's number two, seasoned in countless battles, he responded coolly.
"You that desperate to live?"
"A dog doesn't want to die like this."
"Boss. No matter how you thrash, the outcome won't change. As your little brother, let me help you go with dignity."
"Puh, puhahaha!"
Kim Geonwoo burst into laughter at Oh Tae-gyu's polite tone.
Etiquette in a moment like this.
"Don't make me laugh. My stomach hurts."
"Boss."
Crack!
As Oh Tae-gyu called out, Kim Geonwoo tightened his arm around Yoo Dae-sik instead of replying.
"Guhk. M-Move… Get off me…!!"
As Yoo Dae-sik flailed his hands, Oh Tae-gyu and the suited men parted to the sides.
Behind them loomed Yoo Dae-sik's car.
'Just to there. Just get there.'
Drip-.
"Guh-!"
Sweat poured from Kim Geonwoo's forehead and nose as he took steps, groans spilling from his lips.
Barely ten meters, but injured as he was, even lifting his feet was agony.
Yet he hadn't gone a few steps before he had to stop.
Oh Tae-gyu had suddenly pulled out his phone—speakerphone on—and a familiar voice emanated from it.
- Hello? Taegyu? Hello?
'Uh… Mom?'