Chapter 21.1

Chapter 21.1

Heeju entered the bathroom and took a long, leisurely shower. While drying her hair, she checked her phone and found a message from Yeongshin.

「I’ve been thinking, and I’m asking just in case, but is the person’s house you’re staying at right now… Kwon Gukhyun’s house?」

Heeju hesitated for a moment before responding. If she said yes, she would be bombarded with questions and concerns, but if she said no, she would be telling a lie. Anyway, once she paid off her sister’s debt, she wouldn’t need to explain the situation to anyone.

As she was trying to decide what to write in response to the message, she heard a knock on the door. She looked up towards the door, and a low voice came from the other side.

“It’s Sungang. Can I come in for a moment?”

Heeju put on a cardigan over her knit top and got up. The door opened, and Sungang peeked in, saying:

“Come down and eat, or should I bring it to your room?”

“No, I’ll come down.”

“And later this afternoon, I’ll take you to the headquarters. He wants to go to the physical therapy room.”

“Ah… yes. Okay.”

“Let’s go down. Today’s menu is eel rice bowl.”

Sungang’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, and he licked his lips as if his mouth was already watering. Heeju nodded slightly, looking at the scars on his face which seemed to be twitching with excitement.

As she followed Sungang, she couldn’t help but think that this was not just a doctor worth 40 million a month, but rather a pet that was being fed and cared for, and that thought sent a shiver down her spine.

***

In the late afternoon, the sun cast a slanting glow on the entrance stairs. As Sungang opened the front door, he said:

“I already told you before, our headquarters isn’t just filled with our guys, so don’t just follow anyone around. Got it?”

Actually, Heeju had already been to the physical therapy room a few times, but apart from the fact that her sister had worked as a therapist here for almost a year, she hadn’t learned much else. However, she had learned a few things about Gukhyun’s company and organization.

The construction company, which was unusually large for a gang-affiliated organization, was divided into separate forces, with the chairman at the top and a few executives overseeing construction, distribution, shipbuilding, and marine plants, each forming their own affiliate companies.

Among them, Gukhyun was in charge of construction, and while he maintained a good relationship with the other executives on the surface, it seemed that there was a fierce struggle for power beneath.

Power struggles exist in any company, after all. Even in a research institute, which was a gathering of scholars, there were ambitious people who climb the ladder by flattering those in power and undermining their colleagues or juniors.

So, one could only imagine how intense the power struggles must be in a gang company.

The headquarters was a dormitory and hideout for Gukhyun’s followers, but occasionally, new faces would appear. Since they all ultimately belonged to the same organization, they would hold meetings and gatherings when they needed to cooperate, with the chairman at the helm.

Heeju was only able to come to the headquarters when Sungang brought her, and she had never directly witnessed any physical clashes. However, there were times when the atmosphere was so tense that it felt like a fight could break out at any moment. Whenever that happened, Sungang would click his tongue [in annoyance and would quickly send her out.

How did Ko Heejin manage to come and go from this place for a whole year without showing any signs of it?

Anyway, she had a strong heart….

“Huh? You’re here again?”

As soon as Sungang opened the front door, a familiar face appeared and acknowledged Heeju. It was Chulhyun, a man with a crucifix pendant and a tattoo of a weasel on his back. He approached her, putting down the bottled water he had been drinking from.

The last time she saw him, his hair was almost shoulder-length, but it seemed he had gotten a haircut since then, and it was now neatly short. He wiped the water that had dripped down his chin with the back of his hand and asked…

“Are you here for the physical therapy room again today?”

“Yeah, I’m in the middle of the 108 bows to honor my dead sister.”

Sungang made a mocking gesture of bowing with his hands together and frowned.

“There’s nothing special about it. It’s not like your sister was the only physical therapist there.”

“She still wants to see her? Leave her alone. She doesn’t have anything else to do anyway. Where are you going?”

“To meet the arms dealer.”

“With that?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Get some clothes, I mean…”

Sungang shook his head as he looked at Chulhyun up and down.

“You’re going out for business, so dress properly and wear a suit. Are you going out to play or something?”