The Head of Ilseong Group, Park Ilwang.
A strange box, crafted from a special material, was placed in front of his residence. When a security guard checked its contents, he immediately called for the chief of security. It was beyond his authority to decide what to do.
The security chief, who arrived with an irritated expression, fell silent for a long time after seeing what was inside. However, no matter how much he thought about it, the moment he laid eyes on the contents, the answer was already decided.
After much deliberation, the security chief picked up the unidentified box and made his way to the room of Ilseong Group’s leader, Park Ilwang.
Knocking cautiously, he spoke with the utmost politeness.
Knock, knock.
“Chairman, this is Chief of Security Ha Seung-won. May I enter?”
Though this wasn’t his first time here, he couldn’t help but feel tense every visit. This was the leader of Ilseong Group—the core of this country’s power.
Ilseong was the pillar of South Korea. And Park Ilwang was Ilseong itself.
“Come in.”
Opening the door, Ha Seung-won stepped inside and bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
“Good day, Chairman.”
“Skip the greetings.”
The man seated at the desk looked, at most, in his mid-forties. Yet, his voice bore the weight of a life filled with experiences.
His name was Park Ilwang. A true giant, responsible for the fate of South Korea.
His broad shoulders, thick eyebrows, sharp nose, and piercing gaze gave him the formidable appearance of a tiger.
His eyes locked onto Ha Seung-won.
Despite being a towering figure himself—standing at 2.2 meters with an imposing physique honed by years as a mercenary—Ha Seung-won flinched instinctively under Park Ilwang’s gaze. It was an automatic, primal response.
“That box—is that why you’re here?”
“…Yes, sir.”
Park Ilwang gestured with his hand.
It meant, bring it to me.
Ha Seung-won, tense, handed over the box. With hands as large as pot lids, Park Ilwang opened it.
“……”
At that moment—
Ha Seung-won instinctively shut his eyes.
Not because he didn’t want to see what was inside, but because he didn’t want to meet the gaze of the man before him.
It was a reaction born from primal fear.
However, he couldn’t keep his eyes closed forever. Slowly, he cracked them open and peeked ahead.
Park Ilwang’s lips curved into a smile.
“Hahaha!”
The sight sent an even deeper chill down Ha Seung-won’s spine.
And for good reason.
Inside the box was nothing but the severed head of his second son, Park Ilhwan.
‘He’s… laughing? After seeing his son’s severed head?’
Only Park Ilhwan’s head lay inside, its cut surface continuously flickering with blue flames.
“Chief Ha.”
“…Yes, sir.”
“This is my son’s head, isn’t it?”
At that moment, Ha Seung-won racked his brain for the best possible answer.
Yet, no matter how much he thought, no suitable response came to mind.
So he simply told the truth.
“Yes, sir.”
Upon hearing that, Park Ilwang burst into even louder laughter.
His voice was so powerful that everything in the room—furniture, decorations, even the walls—began to crack and shatter.
“Hahahaha!”
Ha Seung-won, now wrapped in a protective aura, stood frozen like a stone statue.
Moving recklessly in this moment would be a death sentence.
“…Interesting. How very interesting.”
“……”
“Seung-won.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Prepare the car.”
“Where should I take you, sir?”
“I need to visit an old raccoon I haven’t seen in a while.”
Meanwhile, in Seoul.
Park Woo-man, accompanied by his Beta-ranked aide, was heading toward a traditional Korean restaurant.
Stepping out of the car, he grimaced before entering the establishment.
“Wait here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Creak.
Park Woo-man opened the door and took a seat.
Across from him sat Park Ilwang, a man whose fierce aura resembled that of a tiger.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, it has.”
This was a meeting between the Head of Ilseong Group and the Director of Tree’s Korea Branch.
They exchanged formal greetings before silently picking up their glasses.
Without clinking them together, each drank on their own.
No words were spoken as they downed five consecutive shots.
Then, Park Woo-man finally broke the silence.
“You must be quite free these days, Chairman of Ilseong.”
“Free? Hah… The man who oversees the world’s economy being told he’s free? That’s not even funny. I suppose your senses have dulled with age.”
“Is that so?”
Park Woo-man poured himself another drink and downed it. Then, he met Park Ilwang’s gaze.
“Let’s get to the point.”
Park Ilwang smirked.
“Hand over Administrator Lee Taeseong.”
Park Woo-man slowly ran a hand over his bald head before shaking his head.
“I can’t do that.”
“That man killed my son. And he didn’t stop there—he deliberately sent his head to mock me. And yet… you expect me to tolerate it?”
“…I’ll have a word with him about that.”
Park Ilwang let out a hollow laugh at those words.
A murderous aura flared in his eyes.
“You’re going to reason with him? That’s it?”
Park Woo-man responded firmly.
“Handing him over is impossible.”
“And why is that?”
“He’s been designated as a candidate for the next branch director.”
Hearing that, Park Ilwang muttered in disbelief.
“A manager named Lee Taeseong is a candidate for the Korean branch director?”
“That’s correct.”
Their gazes clashed.
Neither spoke, but they understood each other’s thoughts perfectly.
“So, it’s not a lie.”
“Why would I need to lie? What am I afraid of?”
Park Ilwang’s expression hardened at those words.
That last remark was particularly irittating.
“…You’ve always been like this. Living off Ilseong’s money while acting as if you’re something more.”
“And isn’t that because we actually are something more? Chairman, whether young or old, you’ve always lacked self-awareness.”
“Perhaps it’s your branch that lacks self-awareness, not Ilseong.”
Park Woo-man scoffed.
“Chairman. Oh, our great chairman. I understand you have an inferiority complex, but you should pick your battles. The Tree Korean branch existed long before your company even started running convenience stores. Do you really think all of this growth was purely your doing?”
Park Ilwang reacted similarly.
“Fine. You’re not wrong. I won’t deny that Ilseong benefited from your help. But you’re mistaken about one thing. It wasn’t just ‘us’ receiving help—we helped ‘each other.’ We were business partners, not a master-servant relationship. So why do you keep crossing the line?”
“…”
“Mr. Park Wooman, whose head is completely bald?”
“C-crossing the line, huh…”
“Branch director. Do you really think Ilseong is tied solely to the Tree’s Korean branch? Our headquarters may be in Korea, but Ilseong’s main base is in the U.S. The U.S. Can you handle that?”
Park Woo-man silently stared at the man before him.
Even before taking his position as Ilseong’s leader, he had shown hostility toward Tree.
From his father’s and grandfather’s generation, he had despised bowing his head to Tree.
So, when he became chairman, he rapidly expanded Ilseong through exceptional skill and charisma, to the point that…
‘It became one of the top ten mega corporation in the world. A corporation powerful enough to stand its ground against us.’
Park Woo-man spoke.
“You talk as if you’ve actually met the U.S. branch director. But you haven’t even seen his nose, let alone his face, have you?”
“…”
“What? Did I hit the mark?”
Park Ilwang asked confidently.
“Do you really think I haven’t met him?”
“Yes. I’m certain.”
“That’s why you’re doomed to fail.”
“Sure, sure. Keep bluffing.”
Having actually met the U.S. branch director, Park Woo-man was convinced.
No matter how powerful Ilseong’s chairman was, he would never be able to meet that man.
And yet, why did he look so confident?
The Park Ilwang he knew was someone who displayed his emotions easily.
That made it all the more puzzling.
His face radiated certainty and confidence.
It kept raising more questions.
‘No way…? Did he actually meet him? No. That’s impossible. It can’t be…’
Park Ilwang was the first to rise from his seat.
“You’re still as unreasonable as ever.”
“If you keep running your mouth, you won’t live long, Chairman.”
“If you’re so confident, why don’t you kill me right here and now?”
Park Woo-man clicked his tongue in exasperation.
“Tch. Seriously.”
Ignoring him, Park Ilwang opened the door.
Before leaving, he added one last remark.
“Branch director. I will handle Manager Lee Taeseong in my own way.”
Rattle!
Clack.
The door shut.
“That son of a bitch… I can’t even kill him for real.”
—Should I go kill him now?
“Forget it. He’s not someone you can kill just because you want to.”
—Understood.
Staring at the dining table for a moment, Park Woo-man picked up his chopsticks and began eating again.
“Showing off just because he has money. What a dumbass.”
With delicious food and alcohol still left, he grinned, remembering the arrogant fool who had just stormed out.
“…Money really is nice.”
As he picked up a piece of sashimi, Park Woo-man thought about Lee Taeseong.
He had told him he’d let it slide as long as he kept things reasonable, but he never expected him to go this far.
Not only had he killed Ilseong’s second son, but he had also gifted the severed head to the father!
“Hahaha! That lunatic Lee Taeseong. That absolute madman. That total maniac.”
The next morning.
After waking up, Taeseong casually ate breakfast while watching TV.
“…”
“Oppa, what’s wrong?”
Thinking he was still half-asleep, Lee Taeseong rubbed his eyes.
But no matter how much he rubbed them, the man on the screen remained the same.
For a moment, he doubted his own vision.
“Sooah, is that guy on TV really Park Ilhwan?”
“Yeah. Ilseong Group’s second son, Park Ilhwan.”
Shockingly, the man giving an interview on TV was Park Ilhwan.
The very same man who should have been dead was now alive and well, speaking before the cameras.
“…”
“You’ve been acting weird since earlier. What’s going on?”
Lee Taeseong fell into deep thought.
‘I definitely killed him. But then… what the hell is this? Could it be…?’
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