Chapter 36 – History [Lust House Gate]

“……”

Three men and seven women in a spacious, luxurious VIP private room.

The men were likely VIPs, while the women were probably playthings who had been dragged here unknowingly by VIP bodyguards, forcibly injected with drugs.

“Ooh-hee. Ooh-hee-hee-hee. Ooh-hee-heet!”

Shin Majeok, real name Shin Myeongjin—a member of the hip-hop duo Majeokseu and known owner of the club Rust House.

He was drooling from the corner of his mouth like a madman, splashing whiskey everywhere, and the women were giggling like fools as they watched.

“Huuuueuuuuu…… uuuuuh……”

A man lying on the floor, writhing and groaning strangely, rolling his corrupted flesh over the filthy residue of depraved desire, was Gu Seongyul—Shin Majeok’s close friend and a composer he frequently collaborated with.

“Mmm…… Java-wana? Mmm……”

And a fat man, clearly occupying the main seat on the sofa, babbling nonsense while puffing on something unidentifiable, with a woman who had lost consciousness beside him.

This was Yang Seungjun—nephew of Yangseon Group Chairman Yang Seongtae and second son of Assemblyman Yang Seongil.

“…….”

Siguk’s gaze, fixed on the scene, was cold, frozen, and sunken.

Listening to the depraved moans and laughter of the drug-addled individuals, Siguk quietly took out his smartphone.

Shin Majeok, who had been splashing whiskey, was now holding an empty whiskey bottle and dancing an inexplicable dance with the giggling women.

Siguk calmly recorded the scene on video.

“Ooh-hee-hee! Ooh-hee-heet! Ee-heet! Ee-hee-heet!”

Unaware that their depravity was being captured on camera, Shin Majeok and the women giggled and laughed as if something were incredibly amusing.

Siguk’s camera moved past Shin Majeok to Gu Seongyul lying on the floor.

This composer, whose public recognition had risen after appearing on several variety shows with Shin Majeok, was relatively better off compared to the other men in the VIP private room.

But his naked, drug-and-desire-addled state was more than enough to capture public attention.

After similarly capturing his image in photos, Siguk turned toward Yang Seungjun.

‘Huh?’

At that moment, Siguk’s eyes caught sight of women tangled together, drooling as they writhed.

‘Wait, that woman…….’

Among them, the one that drew Siguk’s attention was a person with rolled-back eyes, drooling, and laughing like a madman amidst the women.

‘Ju Saetbyeol?’

The corner of Siguk’s mouth lifted inside his mask.

A stifled laugh escaped his lips.

‘Nayeon will have more to step on.’

Ju Saetbyeol—a singer and entertainer more famous as a rising star in variety shows than as the main vocal of the idol group Avant-Garde.

『I really hate him!』

He was also a celebrity Nayeon particularly disliked.

There was no specific reason why Nayeon hated him.

Simply, the reason she hated him was just that—she hated him.

‘Today, a reason for that will be created.’

Smirking, Siguk captured Ju Saetbyeol’s tangled form with the women in video and photos, then turned back to Yang Seungjun.

“Sssuuuup…… uuuh…… Java-waseo? Hhuuuup……”

Yang Seungjun, still uttering incomprehensible sounds, puffing smoke from his large nostrils.

Unlike his older brother Yang Seungmin, Vice President of YS Consulting, he was an incompetent golden spoon who had thoroughly failed at self-management.

Yet, to Yang Seongil, he was a sore spot—a human allowed to live in such luxury.

The moment Siguk saw that bloated face and sagging flesh, his expression twisted in disgust.

‘This bastard is the Yangseon Guild Master…….’

Because Yang Seungjun was slated to awaken as a C-Rank Superhuman in 2023 and become the Yangseon Guild Master.

‘His nickname was Flying Money Pork Cutlet, right? Flying Money.’

A nickname given by Korean Hunters after seeing his massive body, floating in the air as if he were some Magic Type, flying around during raids—Flying Money Pork Cutlet, shortened to Flying Money.

Looking at Flying Money’s pre-Awakening state, Siguk shook his head.

‘Should I just kill this bastard here?’

Suddenly, Siguk stopped recording, stroked his chin with a gloved hand, and pondered.

‘We didn’t particularly have any bad blood…….’

In his past life, Siguk and Yang Seungjun had never met.

‘Anyway, this bastard dies in Russia, right?’

Because Yang Seungjun had participated as part of the Korean delegation in a 2028 Russian A-Rank Dungeon raid and died inside.

“Hmm…….”

After a moment of contemplation, Siguk raised his smartphone again and began recording.

‘Anyway, he’s going to die in ten years…… No point killing him now and having things go in an unexpected direction…….’

Thinking this, Siguk captured the future Flying Money on camera.

‘This should be enough. Anything else?’

As Siguk quietly glanced around, his eyes fell on the clothes of the VIPs scattered haphazardly on the floor.

Clearly searching through what appeared to be men’s clothing, Siguk found smartphones there.

Holding what seemed to be Shin Majeok’s and Yang Seungjun’s smartphones, Siguk looked at them with a satisfied expression before pocketing them.

‘It’d be good to take Ju Saetbyeol’s too…… but this is…….’

It was impossible to determine which among the many women’s clothes scattered on the floor belonged to Ju Saetbyeol.

‘Well, Shin Majeok’s and Yang Seungjun’s should be enough evidence anyway.’

Thinking this, Siguk glanced around the floor again.

His eyes caught sight of syringes scattered here and there.

Traces of blood remained on the syringe needles.

‘Okay. I’ll take these too.’

After carefully placing even those into a plastic bag he had brought and tucking them into his clothes, Siguk prepared to leave the VIP private room.

At that moment, his eyes caught Shin Majeok opening a new whiskey bottle and pouring it over himself.

In that instant, Siguk’s expression turned vicious.

‘Shin Majeok…….’

Around this time in his past life, Siguk had often listened to music by Majeokseu, the group Shin Majeok belonged to.

He didn’t know what hip-hop was, or what music was.

The only reason Siguk listened to Majeokseu’s music was because he felt a sense of kinship with Shin Majeok.

『I also grew up as an orphan. I nurtured my dreams from a young age in an orphanage overlooking the Taehwa River in Ulsan. I hope you all have dreams too. Those who have dreams will someday see them come true.』

When Siguk was twelve, in fifth grade, Shin Majeok had visited Angel’s Shelter to give a lecture.

He had come as part of community service after being charged for smoking marijuana, but young Siguk didn’t have enough information to know that.

Young Siguk only thought Shin Majeok, who spoke about hope and dreams, and the supercar he arrived in, looked incredibly cool.

「If I have a dream and work hard, even an orphan like me can escape this life someday.」

Shin Majeok planted such a dream in young Siguk.

That’s why Siguk enjoyed listening to Majeokseu’s music afterward, and why he was deeply shocked when the Rust House gate incident broke around this time in 2018 and Shin Majeok was placed under media scrutiny.

The fact that the man who told him to have dreams and hope turned out to be a shameless criminal.

Siguk couldn’t recover from that fact for a while.

Coincidentally, as Nayeon started hanging out with a delinquent surnamed Yang, Siguk’s mental shock doubled.

That was the connection Siguk had with Shin Majeok in his past life, and what he received from him.

‘This son of a bitch!’

Thwack-!

Siguk flew through the air.

His foot squarely kicked Shin Majeok in the face.

Shin Majeok’s lips split, spraying blood and whiskey into the air.

“Ugh-hee-hee-heet! Ugh-huh-hee-heet!”

Looking at Shin Majeok rolling on the whiskey-soaked floor like a pig, giggling foolishly, Siguk’s expression grew increasingly vicious.

‘What? Have dreams? If you have dreams, they’ll come true someday?’

Thwack-!

Siguk’s foot stomped on Shin Majeok’s chest.

Shin Majeok groaned in pain, vomiting blood from his mouth.

“Ugh-hee…… uuuh-eck…… ooh-hee…… ooouuuh-eck!”

Watching Shin Majeok writhing on the floor, simultaneously emitting laughter and pained groans as if in agony or pleasure, Siguk clenched his fists tightly.

“Hoo……”

Sighing, Siguk closed his eyes and shook his head.

When he opened his eyes again, he had returned to his cold, sunken gaze.

‘I heard your smartphone is a den of demons. In my past life, you got off lightly with punishment for propofol use, but not this time.’

Siguk’s gaze turned back to Yang Seungjun.

Yang Seungjun was still puffing smoke.

‘Come to think of it, this bastard is also a Yang?’

Siguk approached Yang Seungjun and kicked him in the chest with his foot.

“Ggwe-eck!”

Yang Seungjun made a sound like a pig being slaughtered and toppled over along with the sofa.

‘Bastard, you go in this time too and come out around your Awakening. Filthy pig bastard.’

With that, Siguk left the VIP private room.

Passing by the three Gangnam Luxury Faction thugs still lying unconscious on the floor, Siguk returned to the stage.

Amidst the heart-pounding beat and the ignorant crowd’s frenzy, Siguk silently and quietly slipped out of Rust House.

“Hmm…….”

Lee Jeonghoon was looking at his laptop screen with a serious expression.

It was even more serious than when he had watched the affair scene between Bae Seokjae and Kim Hyejin.

It couldn’t be helped.

Back then, although it was an affair, no illegal acts had been captured.

But everything happening in the video playing before his eyes now was undeniably illegal.

After watching the low, insane pornography for a long time, Lee Jeonghoon closed his eyes tightly as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have and shook his head when the video’s running time ended.

After keeping his eyes closed for a while, Lee Jeonghoon opened them again.

His gaze turned to the two smartphones placed beside the laptop and the syringes inside the plastic bag.

Lee Jeonghoon spoke.

“These are Shin Majeok’s and Yang Seungjun’s, and these syringes……”

“Probably belong to the people there. There’s a little blood on the needle tips; we can use them as evidence later if needed.”

“Hmm…… I suppose so.”

Even as he said this, Lee Jeonghoon frowned as if uncomfortable.

Watching him, Siguk spoke.

“This is probably just the tip of the iceberg.”

“…… I suppose so.”

“A famous singer, a famous idol, and the son of a chaebol-turned-politician are involved. Surely you don’t think this is the end?”

“……”

“Probably starting tomorrow…… no, it’s past midnight, so today. Anyway, starting with tonight’s news, it’ll be a real spectacle. They’ll start making a huge fuss.”

Lee Jeonghoon’s gaze turned to Siguk.

“How do you know that?”

“Among the kids who got beaten up in a fight with Gangnam Luxury Faction thugs, there’s the son of a Samhwa Group affiliate company CEO.”

“…… What? No…… how did you…….”

“How I know isn’t important. What happens from now on is important.”

“……”

Lee Jeonghoon nodded.

Siguk continued.

“The reporters will definitely investigate passionately. The material itself is material, and Samhwa Group will also give it some push. After all, the son of an affiliate company CEO got beaten up, and from the Yong family’s perspective, staying quiet would be embarrassing.”

“I suppose so.”

“Then they’ll definitely reach the substantive truth. That the real owner of Rust House is Gangnam Luxury Faction boss Kim Seil, that Bae Geumseong is behind it, the existence of the VIP private room, and the story about Yang Seungjun, son of Yang Seongil, being there on the day of the incident.”

“It’ll become a massive gate.”

“Then how do you think Yang Seongil and Bae Geumseong will respond?”

After a moment of thought, Lee Jeonghoon answered.

“Those guys have money to spare, so they’ll probably try to silence the reporters with money somehow, right?”

Siguk smiled and shook his head.

“Well, they might try, but with Samhwa Group behind the reporters, there’ll be limits.”

“So both of them end up finished?”

“That’s not necessarily the case either.”

“Huh?”

“Historically, the rule is to cover up a big scandal with another big scandal.”

“Then…… you don’t mean?”

Siguk smiled and nodded.

“Right. Probably Yang Seongil and Bae Geumseong will expose some corruption on Bu Mingang’s side. Something pretty strong too. That way, their own mess gets covered up. And from Yang Seongil’s perspective, it’s also a chance to take out a rival.”

“Haha…… this is…… hoo…… haha…….”

For a while, Lee Jeonghoon clicked his tongue as if astonished or just sighed repeatedly.

Siguk simply watched Lee Jeonghoon silently, taking a sip of peppermint tea.

After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Lee Jeonghoon spoke.

“Then what should we do? We can’t just watch Yang Seongil and Bae Geumseong slip away like this.”

In response to Lee Jeonghoon’s question, Siguk smirked and answered.

“That’s why we placed a Sponsor.”

Lee Jeonghoon fell into thought for a moment.

After a while, he smirked and said.

“Let’s analyze the smartphones.”

Siguk also smiled and replied.

“Right. Anyway, it won’t be until mid-next week that Yang Seongil and Bae Geumseong are seriously discussed in the media. Around that time, let’s set up a meeting with Bae Eunjeong.”

“Let’s do that.”