Watching his greedy expression, Min Jae thought"We have to give credit to Joon Hyunk's way of thinking."—he knew this man's nature well. He remembered the moment when Joon Hyunk had told him that Min Jae would need a lot of money there. Mr. Han took the bag full of cash and placed it under his office table, then told Min Jae, "You can wait outside for some time; meanwhile, I'll arrange for you to meet Ji Ho."
Min Jae left Mr. Han's office and came near the casino hall bar, sitting down in a corner chair. He ordered a drink from the waiter—but his mind was still tangled in Mr. Han's words.
Meanwhile, Mr. Han was still inside his office, a different kind of stress weighing on him.
"I've got the money from Min Jae... but Ji Ho still isn't ready for any work," he thought. "I don't have time now to convince him."
After some thought, he called in his personal bodyguards. When both guards entered the office, Mr. Han handed them a small glass bottle. The bottle contained a white liquid that looked like water—but it wasn't water; it was something else.
Mr. Han gave the bottle to one of the guards along with some instructions. The guards left to carry out the task given by their boss.
As soon as the guards left, Mr. Han received a private call. He didn't know that Min Jae had secretly installed a hidden camera under the same table—which was not only recording video but streaming everything live to Beast's laptop.
After a while, the call was answered on the other end.
Mr. Han said,"Boss, I have good news for you. Min Jae... Beast's most loyal man... I've turned him to our side. Now he will work for us. Soon, with his help, we will reach those secret places of Beast... whose secrets no one has uncovered yet."
A cold and harsh voice came from the other side,"Fool. That's 'Beast.' The entire underworld and even the military tremble before him. And you think a small-minded man like you has planned to control him?"
Mr. Han tried to cut the call, but the voice continued,"You don't need to do anything. Just do as I say. And listen... don't trust that Min Jae. He's not Beast, but he's no less than Beast either. And turning Min Jae against Beast? Ha! Separating those two is impossible."
Gathering himself, Mr. Han said,"Boss, what do you think? Am I such a fool?"
In the very hotel of the Beast, right under his nose, I have set up my crime operation. For so many years, drugs have been smuggled here—not just drugs, but people too. This vile work goes on—but no one ever even suspected a thing. If I were a fool, do you think all this would have stayed hidden?"
From the other side came a stern reply:"I know nothing. You don't need to use your brain. Do as you're told. If my years of planning get spoiled, your punishment will only be death. Don't dare cross the Beast."
And the call was cut.
This hit Mr. Han hard. Grinding his teeth in anger, he said,"What does this old man think of himself? Am I a fool? I've been controlling crime in this hotel for years. The day power is in my hands… the first thing I'll do is remove this old man from the way."
Feeling proud of himself, he slammed his hand on the table and walked out of the office.
Meanwhile, the Beast had heard every word on his laptop. His face showed no emotion, but inside another layer was exposed—"Who is behind Mr. Han? What is the power that is the mastermind of all this?"
No name was mentioned in the call. The Beast still did not know the hidden enemy. But now his target was the mastermind directly.
Ji Ho had been locked up in a dark room since then. No light, no sound.He hadn't closed his eyes for who knows how long.His eyes were dry, his body full of pain. Marks of beatings were everywhere.
His throat was dry, he was hungry.It felt like this was going to be his end.He was leaning against a tired wall. Darkness before his eyes and only one wish in his heart—"I wish I could meet my mother just once… she would gently run her hand through my hair, my father would hug me tightly, and I would share all my heart's troubles with my elder sister, complain to her about how much these people have troubled and harassed me."
He wanted just once for his sister to save him again like when they were kids.Whenever anyone bothered him in childhood, his elder sister would scold everyone, and beat them up.And even today—no matter how grown-up he was—still little Ji Ho to his family.
Lost in those memories, tears started streaming from Ji Ho's eyes.
He just wanted one meeting with his family… before his life came to an end.
Just then, the door of that dark room burst open. A loud screeching sound echoed, like metal groaning under pressure. Two bodyguards entered — tall, silent, and with no emotion on their faces.Without saying a word, they untied Ji Ho's hands. Then they gripped his arms tightly and forced him to stand up. Ji Ho was still lost in his thoughts, but when his neck was grabbed forcefully, he realized where he was.
Poor Ji Ho couldn't understand anything, but he didn't resist. Maybe because his mind was still entangled in memories of home — mother, father, sister… or maybe because his body no longer had the strength to fight.
The guards brought him up to the upper floor of the casino without drawing any suspicion. They moved through side hallways and back corridors — places where no one would notice them. Then they brought him to an outer area of the casino where some private VIP rooms were located — the ones reserved only for Mr. Han's "special guests."
They stopped Ji Ho in front of a particular room. Then pushed him inside. As soon as the three of them entered, they immediately locked the door from inside.
Ji Ho was still lost in his old memories, but as soon as he realized he was inside a closed room, his mind snapped awake. Ji Ho shouted loudly,
"Why have you brought me here? I'm not going to do anything for you people! Let me go! I won't be part of this filth!"
He jerked his arms to break free from their grip, but one guard quickly grabbed both his hands tightly. The other guard pulled out a small glass bottle from his pocket — the same one with the white, water-like liquid.
he poured the entire bottle of liquid into a glass that was only half-filled with water." Then, he forcefully pressed Ji Ho's jaw, opened his mouth, and poured the liquid down his throat.
Within seconds, Ji Ho felt like his body was slipping out of his control. There was a strange ringing in his head, his soul screaming inside — "Let me go! I don't want to do this!"
But on the outside, he became completely silent. Slowly, his eyes grew heavy, and then every signal inside him began to fade. As if someone had muted every impulse in his body.
When the guards saw that he wasn't fully unconscious, but completely under the chemical's control, they lifted him and laid him on the bed. Then they locked the door from the outside — took the key with them — and left.
Just a few minutes after the guards had left the room, Ji Ho began to feel an intense heat spreading through his body — as if he had suddenly developed a burning fever.His pale cheeks flushed red from the rising body temperature. A strange kind of heat started to surge through every inch of him, and slowly, that heat turned into a stinging, unbearable burning sensation.
Meanwhile, after stepping out of the room, the guards handed the key to a casino waiter.
"Give this key to Min Jae sir."
The waiter silently made his way from the VIP area to where Min Jae was still seated near the bar.
Without a word, the waiter placed the key in front of him and said,
"Sir, I have been instructed to hand this key over to you."
Min Jae looked at the key — and instantly understood everything."This must be the key to the room where Ji Ho is."
Without another word, he took the key, left his drink on the table, and walked straight out of the bar.
Once in the hotel's VIP area, he walked slowly down the corridor lined with private rooms…Until he stopped right in front of one particular door —The door to the room… for which the key was now in his hand.