novelraw Chapter 92 : In the End, It Was a Fate Bound to Turn Out This Way
Chapter 92 : In the End, It Was a Fate Bound to Turn Out This Way
Chapter 92: In the End, It Was a Fate Bound to Turn Out This Way
Seoul, Myeong-dong, Yang Sobo’s residence.
The air had sunk heavily. Outside the window, the garden was impeccably maintained, but its beauty failed to dilute the oppressive atmosphere inside the room.
Yang Sobo sat buried in an old leather armchair, remaining silent for a long time. Before him stood his loyal shadow, Zhang Wei, unmoving.
The report Lee Cheong-ho had delivered after returning from Busan not long ago felt like an awl stabbing into his heart.
Wang Sogun.
A name he could never forget. A loyal younger brother who had willingly taken on the stigma of being a traitor for the sake of the organization.
His bloodline was alive.
“Was I…… wrong?”
Yang Sobo’s voice was cracked dry, like parched leaves.
“I should have found that child. No matter what…….”
Deep remorse welled up in his eyes.
Wang Sogun’s final request had been for him to look after his son, and he had promised he would.
But amid the chaos that followed the Korean War, the child’s whereabouts had become unknown, and Yang Sobo had poured everything he had into rebuilding his own empire.
As time passed, the memory of the child was buried deep in a corner of his heart, along with the guilt of a promise he had failed to keep.
Zhang Wei, who had been silently holding his place, cautiously opened his mouth.
“It is not your fault, my lord. In the midst of war, it could not be helped. It was a tragedy no one could have foreseen. Did you not barely manage to find the young lady as well?”
“No. I should have been more persistent. It was my younger brother’s last request…….”
Yang Sobo rose from his seat and opened the secret safe hidden behind an old hanging scroll on the study wall.
Inside, instead of gold bars or bundles of dollars, there was only a single old letter carefully preserved. It was Wang Sogun’s will.
With trembling hands, he gently traced the letter.
[My lord, I beg you, please take care of my son, Soryong.]
Though many years had passed, the firm, unwavering handwriting was as vivid as if it had been written yesterday.
“That child…… I hear he grew up nurturing his hatred for revenge under a man named Wang Hae.”
“That is what I have heard as well.”
“To that child, I must be the enemy who drove his father to his death. And Lee Cheong-ho must be the loyal dog of that enemy.”
A bitter smile rose on Yang Sobo’s face. What a cruel joke of fate this was.
“Zhang Wei.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“……I will have to bring that child here.”
His voice no longer wavered. Beyond guilt and regret, something solid had taken root within him.
“What do you mean by that? The situation in Seoul is extremely urgent, and that child considers you his enemy. If you approach him rashly…….”
“I know. I know that as well. But I can no longer turn away. That is my final duty to Wang Sogun, my younger brother.”
Yang Sobo leaned back into the armchair again. Yet his body felt anything but comfortable. His eyes seemed to be gazing far beyond the closed study door, toward the night sea of Busan.
Yang Sobo closed his eyes for a moment. Countless plans were drawn and erased in his mind.
Chairman Han’s pressure, the wavering organization, and Wang Sogun’s son. Everything was tangled together.
“Zhang Wei. Pass this on to Lee Cheong-ho.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Once the smuggling of the child called Min-soo is finished, tell him to find a way to bring Wang Soryong to me. No matter what it takes.”
“Yes. I will deliver the message.”
Zhang Wei sensed it instinctively. That child named Wang Soryong would become the driving force that allowed Yang Sobo to rise again.
The look in Yang Sobo’s eyes, which had seemed burdened with thoughts after his meeting with Chairman Han, had returned.
Thanks to Han Do-gyeong’s consideration that was not quite consideration, Wang Hae and Soryong returned not to Sea Whale’s base, but to their own small uninhabited island.
Inside the shabby warehouse at the center of the island, Wang Hae deliberately spread out a feast. He gathered the remaining members of the overseas Chinese organization, grilled pork, and poured down strong gaoliang liquor.
Laughing and shouting even louder on purpose, he tried to flaunt their continued strength as if nothing had happened.
“Drink, drink! In a life where we don’t know whether we’ll die today or tomorrow, we might as well drink our fill!”
At Wang Hae’s boisterous shout, the members forcibly cheered and clinked their cups. But in their laughter lingered an inexplicable unease and emptiness.
At the edge of the noisy drinking party, in the darkest corner, sat Soryong.
He was crouched motionless, his face buried in his knees. Even the light of the lamp seemed to avoid him.
The truth. That cruel truth Lee Cheong-ho had thrown at him had taken everything from him. If what he said was true, then what in the world was this hatred for revenge he had cultivated with his entire life?
The rage toward the enemy who had killed his father had now lost its destination, spreading inside him like poison.
“That pathetic bastard…….”
A low curse slipped from Wang Hae’s mouth as he watched Soryong. In his eyes, there was no pity for his adopted son, only contempt and disappointment.
“Father or son, they’re the same. When it really matters, they collapse like that.”
“Well, still, Captain. Soryong is young, isn’t he? The shock must have been great.”
One of the members beside him carelessly chimed in, but Wang Hae instead slammed his cup down with a bang and shouted.
“Young? At that age, I was killing people! That bastard’s father, Wang Sogun, was fighting alongside Yang Sobo at that age. But what is that bastard doing now? Losing his soul over a few words like drifting clouds. Disgusting piece of trash!”
At his rage-filled roar, the once-noisy barracks fell silent in an instant.
The members fidgeted, watching Wang Hae’s mood. Wang Hae paid them no mind and hurled his cup toward the crouched Soryong.
Clang!
A sharp sound tore through the silence. The cup smashed to pieces against the wall beside Soryong. The strong gaoliang liquor soaked his clothes, but Soryong still did not move.
“Hey, you useless bastard! Lift your head!”
“…….”
“Whether your father was a traitor or a sacrifice, what does it matter! The dead are just dead! What matters is how we, the ones who survived, live! And now you’re digging the ground like you want to die following your father? You idiot.”
Wang Hae’s denunciation gradually escalated. Before long, he even began to trample on the dead.
“Uhaha. Uhahahat!”
Then suddenly, Wang Hae began to laugh like a madman. At the chilling peals of laughter, the members stepped back with terrified expressions.
“Fine, good! If you’re going to keep acting like a useless bastard, then I’ll do it myself. Yang Sobo, Lee Cheong-ho, and even that arrogant bastard Han Do-gyeong. I’ll chew them all up.”
After spitting out the words as if grinding them between his teeth, he lifted the bottle and chugged the gaoliang liquor. His eyes gleamed with a madness that sought to destroy everything.
Throwing the empty bottle onto the floor, Wang Hae wiped his lips and said,
“Hey! Tell Jin Taerim to find out the sailing schedule. If it’s that old snake Han Do-gyeong, he must have changed it.”
* * *
“Are you telling me to leak information to Captain Wang?”
Jin Taerim’s voice carried anxiety that he was forcibly hiding.
“Yes. We need to see whether he takes the bait.”
“Isn’t it too dangerous? Clashing with Captain Wang at sea, even for President Han…….”
“All preparations are in place. You don’t need to worry about that.”
Even at my firm words, Jin Taerim’s expression did not relax. After a moment, he nodded reluctantly.
“I understand.”
“You just need to say that my younger brother is setting sail for Taiwan with as much as 100,000 dollars in cash. And say that the schedule has been moved up from the original plan.”
“If I bring it up first, he’ll be suspicious.”
“Then don’t share the schedule directly. Don’t you occasionally meet Captain Wang’s crew?”
“Yes. I do meet them.”
“Then have a drink with them and let it slip like a complaint. Grumble something like, ‘Someone’s heading to America at such a young age with 100,000 dollars……’ and throw out the bait that way. With Wang Hae’s greed, he won’t be able to just pass up that bait.”
Just as I had expected, two days before the operation, Wang Hae took the bait. Jin Taerim came to my room with a dark expression.
“He asked about the sailing date.”
He delivered the message while biting his lip tightly. His eyes were shaking violently. It must have been guilt, pushing a colleague he had spent a long time with into a trap with his own hands.
“He took the bait. That’s his nature. He had no choice but to join hands with President Han and go under him, but in the end, this was how it was destined to turn out. Did you really think this organization would last forever?”
“……”
Jin Taerim couldn’t answer. No matter how strict the rules were or how tightly things were controlled, they were criminals in the end.
As long as they remained faithful to their own desires, they were bound to collapse someday under each other’s greed.
Han Do-gyeong, too, would eventually have to eliminate Captain Wang in order to step into the light, and Captain Wang would have to push Han Do-gyeong aside to become the head of Sea Whale.
I had merely hastened that process. But Jin Taerim’s feelings would be different.
To change the sunken mood, I quickly shifted the topic.
“By the way, have you given it some thought?”
“Ah, you mean Asung studying abroad.”
Jin Taerim hesitated as if pondering something. I couldn’t quite tell what he was wavering over.
“I’ll take care of all the expenses. Honestly, wouldn’t it be good for you too, Mr. Jin Taerim, to have one less mouth to feed?”
“…….”
“It’s not like he has to leave right away. You can send him to match the timing of when my younger brother arrives on American soil. I could ask Asung myself, but your opinion as his guardian is important too.”
After a brief pause, Jin Taerim finally nodded. Complex emotions lingered in his eyes.
“It would probably…… be a good opportunity for Asung as well. I’ll talk to Asung.”
“Yes. I’d like an answer before Min-soo leaves. It would make a nice gift for his departure.”
“I understand.”
“You should head back now. And don’t ever mention that this is a trap. I don’t wish to harm you, Mr. Jin Taerim.”
My final words were a warning.
He looked into my eyes for a moment, then bowed his head in silence and left the room.
“……Understood.”
“Please also inform President Han that things are proceeding as planned.”
“Yes.”
After sending Jin Taerim off, I immediately passed the news that Sea Whale had taken the bait to Oh Chung-seong.
As planned, we agreed to meet at midnight two days later at the pier on Yeongdo.
All preparations were complete.
“The dice have already been cast.”
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Lee Cheong-ho entered, his face stiffened. After giving a light nod in greeting, he went straight to the point.
“There was a message from my lord. He said to bring Soryong no matter what.”
“……So he intends to keep him by his side after all.”
Seemingly lost in thought, Lee Cheong-ho nodded slowly.
“Did you relay this operation to him?”
“Not yet.”
“If Soryong is on that ship, I can’t guarantee his safety. We won’t have the leeway to worry about that.”
Wang Hae would definitely bring along his adopted son, Soryong.
“Please capture him as safely as possible.”
“I’ll try. You’ll be going with us as well, so take care of him if anything happens.”
“Thank you.”
After even Lee Cheong-ho had left, I couldn’t withstand the crushing fatigue and lay back on the bed.
‘This has gotten too big.’
What had started as a simple matter of smuggling Min-soo had spiraled out of control.
Sea Whale, the KCIA, Yang Sobo, and even Soryong’s past. Everything had become one massive vortex, spinning around me at its center.
“I’ve done everything I can now.”
All that was left was to hope the plan proceeded without a hitch. Letting out a small sigh, I closed my eyes.
Two days later, midnight.
A pitch-black night where even the moonlight hid behind thick clouds. The old pier at the southern edge of Yeongdo lay submerged in a chilling silence, as if ghosts might appear at any moment.
Lee Cheong-ho and I stood silently at the end of the pier.
From the darkness near the entrance, Jin Taerim sent a brief signal with the faint light of a flashlight.
Soon after, from the sea, a shadow darker than the night itself approached without a sound. The ship Han Do-gyeong had personally brought. In other words, the 20-ton fishing boat that would serve as our bait tonight.
The last to arrive were two men. They wore shabby sailor outfits, but they couldn’t hide the solid muscles concealed beneath their clothes or their sharp gazes. Oh Chung-seong and his subordinate.
Han Do-gyeong asked quietly from atop the ship.
“Is everyone here?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s depart.”
Lee Cheong-ho and I, Oh Chung-seong and his subordinate, Han Do-gyeong and his organization members, and finally Jin Taerim.
‘People with completely different thoughts have ended up boarding the same ship.’
Carrying us all, the fishing boat began to move forward into the dark sea, accompanied by the dull roar of its old engine.