Chapter Title: Defying the Order
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Kim Boss did have money on hand, but he refused to fork it over, insisting it was investment capital.
He claimed that with solid intel on a promising stock this time, he could pay off his three million in debt within two months if he invested there.
Begging for mercy since this was his last chance, he pleaded over and over.
But Jeon Yeol managed to squeeze ten million out of him anyway.
As Jeon Yeol walked out with the bag of cash, Ji-woo's venomous words flew at his back.
"You turned into a vegetable, got expelled, went to jail... and now you're reduced to this trash? Pathetic."
Three months later.
One day, Yong-sik casually mentioned the Kim family to Jeon Yeol.
"Heard Kim Boss killed himself? Thought hanging would solve all his debts? Poor daughter. Had the boys drag her off and sold her to a brothel not long ago."
In the end, Ji-woo's family walked down the path to ruin.
Jeon Yeol felt a nagging unease.
Was that why?
On a whim, he asked Chan-hyeong, one of the younger guys he worked with who was into stocks, about the stock Kim Boss had mentioned.
The stock Kim Boss had planned to invest in was K-Automotive.
Chan-hyeong said K-Automotive shares, which had been worthless, more than doubled in just two months.
But it didn't stop there. A few months later, they skyrocketed over tenfold.
If Jeon Yeol had cut Kim Boss some slack back then, Ji-woo's family might have made a comeback.
"Boss, I can't do that job."
Jeon Yeol flatly refused Yong-sik's request.
No, it wasn't even a request—it was an order. And Yong-sik never forgave underlings who defied him.
—What did you just say?
"I said I can't do it."
Yong-sik was dumbfounded.
Jeon Yeol's attitude had flipped overnight from what it was just yesterday.
—Yeol, you eat something bad? What's with the sudden change?
"Think of it as me finally coming to my senses."
—... You think you'll get out of this unscathed?
Yong-sik's threat struck Jeon Yeol as laughable.
"Boss, do you really think I've been obeying you all this time out of fear?"
He'd only played along for the money.
Jeon Yeol wasn't the least bit scared of Yong-sik.
—Yeol! You bastard! Get your ass over here now!
Rage boiled up in Yong-sik's chest.
But Jeon Yeol didn't even flinch at his bellowing.
"This is a warning. Don't touch Kim Boss. If you send other guys after him, I won't stand by."
—You fucking dog!
"One promise: Hold off for two months. He'll pay back every penny."
—What bullshit is that? Get over here now!
"I'm hanging up."
Jeon Yeol ended the call.
Then he headed for Kim Boss's place—no, Ji-woo's house.
Yong-sik was the type who would send other guys if Jeon Yeol didn't go himself.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
By the time Jeon Yeol reached Boram Apartments, Yong-sik had called over thirty times.
He ignored them all.
Jeon Yeol couldn't remember exactly which building or unit Ji-woo's family was in.
It had been eleven years already; the details had faded from memory.
So he stood guard at the main entrance.
Yong-sik had surely sent another underling.
About twenty minutes passed.
A black sedan drove past the gate and into the complex.
It was Yong-sik's car.
Jeon Yeol gave chase.
The sedan parked in front of Building 103.
Kim Chan-hyeong and Yu Dong-jae got out.
Chan-hyeong was tall and lean, with a sharp, irritable look that matched his hot-tempered personality.
Dong-jae was a massive brute.
He'd built that body through judo since childhood.
Both were a year younger than Jeon Yeol and had been running Yong-sik's loan shark operations for a while.
Jeon Yeol approached them.
Chan-hyeong spotted him first and bowed his head.
"Hey, boss. You came?"
Dong-jae followed suit.
"Boss."
"Yeah."
"But Yong-sik boss was pretty pissed. Said you weren't coming."
Dong-jae eyed Jeon Yeol awkwardly.
Chan-hyeong didn't look pleased either.
To them, Yong-sik was absolute.
So Jeon Yeol, who'd defied him, was anything but welcome.
"What unit?"
Jeon Yeol asked.
The two exchanged glances.
Chan-hyeong answered.
"Unit 201. Changed your mind...?"
"No."
"Then why...?"
"I'll handle it. You two go back."
"Huh?"
"Go home."
Chan-hyeong and Dong-jae were stunned.
This was blatant overstepping—insubordination.
Chan-hyeong's brow furrowed instantly, his hot temper flaring.
"Boss, do you even know what you're saying?"
They weren't calling him "boss" out of respect anymore.
Jeon Yeol stepped up to Chan-hyeong, looming over him.
Chan-hyeong was 178 cm—not short.
But Jeon Yeol was 187 cm, with a well-built, perfectly balanced frame, no weak spots.
As Jeon Yeol closed in, Chan-hyeong shrank back a bit.
But he wasn't alone.
Dong-jae, once a rising judo star, was with him.
Two against one, they could take even Jeon Yeol.
"Chan-hyeong, last warning. Walk away."
"Or what?"
The moment Chan-hyeong dropped the honorifics.
Crack!
"...!"
He didn't even see it coming.
With the impact came a crunch from his right jaw.
It took a moment to register he'd been sent sprawling.
What the hell just happened?
Chan-hyeong tried to stand, but his body wouldn't respond.
Not even a finger twitched.
Worse, his vision was blurring.
One wrong move, and he'd black out.
The instant Chan-hyeong dropped, Dong-jae lunged into Jeon Yeol's guard.
Getting grabbed was the last thing against a judo guy.
Those iron grips could lift you into the air and slam you down in a blink.
Despite his size, Dong-jae moved like lightning.
He ducked low, shot forward, and thrust out his pot-lid hands.
Lightning-fast, like a snake striking prey.
His fingers snagged Jeon Yeol's clothes.
Got him!
As Dong-jae twisted to throw—
Crack!
"Gah!"
A burning shock hit his left cheek.
Dong-jae spun like a top and collapsed beside Chan-hyeong.
Jeon Yeol approached the two groaning and clutching their faces.
Guys like this? Don't half-ass it.
Street brawlers need to be crushed thoroughly once.
Make them weak-kneed at a mere glance next time.
Otherwise, they keep coming back.
Jeon Yeol knew that world inside out.
With Yong-sik now an enemy, these two would be problems ongoing.
Time to end it clean.
Put 'em in the dirt for good.
The moment that resolve surged, a strange energy stirred in Jeon Yeol's mind.
Something he'd never felt before, impossible to describe.
But it quickly morphed into a familiar pressure.
A aura that cowed others—intimidation.