Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 261

261. Infinitely Light (4)

Hyun-woo brazenly recounted his actions, leaving Seo-yeon speechless.

From the moment Park Gyu knew that Lee Ji-tae was alive, Hyun-woo had already suspected Seo-yeon was behind it.

There was no way Lee Seo-yeon, Ji-tae’s sister and a key figure in the Taesung Group, wouldn’t know what Park Gyu knew.

But Hyun-woo smiled faintly.

“What’s wrong, Lee Seo-yeon? Tell me honestly. You’re not the type to risk your life for your brother if he was about to die. Besides, Lee Ji-tae wasn’t murdered, and he’s still alive, so there’s no need to mention it. Tell me the truth. Why did you turn your back? Could the real mastermind be Lee Ji-tae?”

If Park Gyu and Lee Seo-yeon turned their backs, they likely confirmed with their own eyes that Lee Ji-tae was alive.

In other words, Hyun-woo was considering the possibility that Lee Ji-tae was the mastermind behind all of this.

Of course, Lee Ji-tae wasn’t the type to secretly murder Taesung’s hunters and plot schemes.

But such things usually happen behind the scenes, so the leader can deny knowing anything.

Lee Seo-yeon didn’t answer. Hyun-woo felt he needed a little persuasion.

“Let’s have an honest conversation, Lee Seo-yeon.”

Hyun-woo used ‘Dominate’ on Lee Seo-yeon.

Lee Seo-yeon was taken aback as she watched her left hand move on its own.

She resisted, but she was too weak compared to Hyun-woo to put up much of a fight.

Her left hand raised its index finger and began to move towards her left ear.

“It’s not a big deal if you just die without answering. I can just find someone easier to persuade. In my experience, persuasion isn’t that difficult.”

Lee Seo-yeon’s slender finger dug deeper into her ear.

Lee Seo-yeon felt a chill as she heard the sharp sound of her fingernails scraping inside her ear.

“After a while, you’ll have the rare experience of taking out your brain with your own hand. But you know you don’t have to do that. Because you are…”

“I’ll talk! Damn it, I’ll talk!”

“…someone who knows how to negotiate.”

Hyun-woo released the Dominate. Lee Seo-yeon struggled to pull her left hand out of her ear.

Blood was flowing from the scratch on her ear.

Lee Seo-yeon tried to secure her safety from Hyun-woo based on information about the Famished Star’s Affiliates.

But Hyun-woo was an overwhelming superior and a madman who wouldn’t make deals easily.

In the end, she had no choice but to surrender.

“What do you want to know first?”

“Tell me about Lee Ji-tae first. I don’t think he’s much of a threat, but I’m still curious about what he’s been up to.”

In fact, the question was more about the masked man who had taken Lee Ji-tae away.

Circumstantially, the masked man was likely the ‘Teacher’ the Alliance was talking about. He had shown overwhelming power that surpassed Hyun-woo’s level at the time.

It was difficult to grasp his exact strength because he hadn’t fought him properly, but he was estimated to be at least an Apostle-level of Difficulty: Hell.

He needed to find out how such a person could be at the current difficulty level, and what his identity was.

“…Ji-tae has nothing to do with it. It hasn’t even been a month since I confirmed he was alive.”

“How?”

“He came to me himself. I thought he would be alive, but he had changed a lot. He asked about your whereabouts first, so it seems like you two are thinking along the same lines.”

Lee Ji-tae has nothing to do with it, huh?

Lee Seo-yeon might be lying, but he could find out the truth through interrogation anyway.

If she told a lie that didn’t add up, Lee Seo-yeon would end up putting on a show by taking out her own brain with her own hands.

“So, you didn’t turn your back because I was trying to kill Lee Ji-tae. The preparation to take Taesung out was three months ago… right after the Northern Expedition?”

Lee Seo-yeon looked embarrassed. She didn’t expect him to know that much.

“I told you, I have data from Cheongpyeong Hospital. You better not lie.”

During that time, most of the processes that required cooperation with Lee Seo-yeon were carried out through Yoo-min or Seo Ji-hoo.

The fact that they hadn’t noticed any signs of abnormality showed how carefully Lee Seo-yeon had acted.

“…Yes. Right after the Northern Expedition, I made a deal with a monster named Kazat, and I realized that the situation was very different from what I had thought. I had many questions, and then an Apostle of the Famished Star approached me. It was that Apostle named Kailo.”

And Lee Seo-yeon was able to resolve many of her questions through him. Such as the Apostles being able to control monsters, and about the Star Fragments.

Because she wasn’t a Hunter, she was free from preconceptions and could accept new facts.

“Kailo promised me Authority and told me to join their forces. He said he would awaken me as an Awakened and promise me a position as an Apostle if I achieved results.”

“So you readily accepted it?”

“It was half coercion, but it looked quite attractive. He said he would bring me into the South China Government, an organization with abundant scale, assets, and talent.”

“Didn’t you think you might be choosing the wrong side?”

“Of course, I did.”

Lee Seo-yeon scoffed and said.

“If I stayed by your side, I would have been robbed of Taesung’s assets and used before being abandoned. Looking at how you treated Lee Ji-tae, I could clearly see my future. At best, you would have given me a low-level position in your organization.”

Hyun-woo just laughed.

She was right.

Hyun-woo had no intention of allowing Lee Seo-yeon any more power than that.

But in Lee Seo-yeon’s eyes, there was thirst, hunger, and desire.

“But I can’t be satisfied with that. I want more. I wanted to rise to a higher position. The Famished Star, Apostles, Affiliates, those are all just tools. The reason I was drawn to the Famished Star was simple.”

Hyun-woo and Lee Seo-yeon smiled at each other.

Before Lee Seo-yeon could open her mouth, Hyun-woo answered for her.

“Because you wanted that.”

***

Lee Seo-yeon was the same kind of person as Hyun-woo.

She wanted to rise, to have, to possess. She wanted that.

The difference was that Lee Seo-yeon had been at the top of the pyramid since birth, and she didn’t have the talent as an Awakened.

Hyun-woo wondered what would happen if Lee Seo-yeon continued to build her career as an Affiliate of the Famished Star.

Lee Seo-yeon wasn’t visible in Difficulty: Hell’s future. She might already be dead, or he might not have met her yet.

However, Hyun-woo humbly admitted that he had misjudged Lee Seo-yeon.

Lee Seo-yeon wasn’t someone who would end up as a mere subordinate, nor was she someone who would settle down if suppressed.

“Okay, Lee Seo-yeon. I’ll give you a chance.”

Hyun-woo smiled slyly and opened his mouth. Lee Seo-yeon looked suspicious.

“A chance?”

“Desire. Take everything you want. The newly formed South China Government? An Apostle of the Famished Star? Take all the power and wealth you can grab. I’ll support you from behind. Devour until your stomach bursts.”

The Famished Star pays as much as the size of the desire.

Of course, it demands that much achievement, but it was clear that Lee Seo-yeon would grow quickly.

Hyun-woo grabbed Lee Seo-yeon by the collar and pulled her up.

Lee Seo-yeon staggered as she stood up.

Her eyes were full of questions, but Hyun-woo was talking as if he couldn’t help but enjoy his plan.

“So, you eat, eat, and eat, and when there’s nothing left to eat…”

Lee Seo-yeon looked into Hyun-woo’s eyes. In Hyun-woo’s eyes, there was the same hunger and thirst as her own.

But those eyes were much deeper, more colorful, and shone with complex layers.

“Then I’ll devour you.”

Hyun-woo smacked his lips and muttered.

Lee Seo-yeon felt a slight chill.

Hyun-woo let go of her hand. She staggered back.

Hyun-woo looked for something in the wreckage where Kailo had been and gestured for Lee Seo-yeon to come closer.

Hyun-woo gestured towards the pile of disgusting filth.

“That’s a Star Fragment. You take it.”

“…Me?”

“It will help you become an Apostle.”

Lee Seo-yeon frowned but rummaged through Kailo’s filth without hesitation.

Soon, a series of characters climbed up the back of her hand as she lifted a piece of internal organs.

The characters burrowed into her sleeve and were engraved somewhere on her body.

Lee Seo-yeon realized the value of the Star Fragment. And she was surprised that Hyun-woo readily gave it to her. But Hyun-woo didn’t seem to regret it at all.

“It’s an investment.”

“Investment?”

“I’m going to use you to devour everything from the South China Government and the Famished Star. You better work hard. If you’re not good enough, I’ll come to collect it right away.”

Lee Seo-yeon was dumbfounded by Hyun-woo’s attitude of openly saying that he would kill her later.

Still, it was better than dying here and now.

But Lee Seo-yeon didn’t want to accept it docilely. She didn’t know what Hyun-woo believed in to show her such favor.

“There’s no point in taking risks recklessly.”

“About your background, the Taesung Group.”

Hyun-woo suddenly brought up another story.

“The current chairman of Taesung Group, Chairman Lee Young-min, has been bedridden in a coma for four years, right? And with the other children in prison or dead in accidents, you’re the only one running the Taesung Group.”

“Yes. So what?”

Lee Seo-yeon answered nonchalantly.

All the processes were handled secretly and perfectly. No matter how great Hyun-woo was, she was confident that there was nothing to catch.

But Hyun-woo brought something she hadn’t expected at all.

“From what I can see, Chairman Lee Young-min is addicted to some kind of drug. If that drug is detoxified for some reason… and he regains consciousness, what will happen to the management rights of Taesung Group?”

Lee Seo-yeon’s expression hardened.

“Perhaps he will have many questions about the power structure that has changed while he was unconscious? Wondering where the sons he thought were his successors have gone and why his daughter is arbitrarily monopolizing everything?”

“You…”

“Chairman Lee Young-min is just as much of a trash as you are, but he’s still trash that can be used. If you don’t have Taesung’s background right now, you’re nothing. So you’ll have to run like a horse that’s been whipped on the butt. Because you never know when Chairman Lee Young-min will regain consciousness.”

Even after Lee Seo-yeon left for South China, it meant that Hyun-woo was still holding her leash.

Lee Seo-yeon gritted her teeth and realized that there was no way to resist Hyun-woo, at least for the time being.

“And I’ll send you a bill soon. I have a lot of expenses these days. Taesung will have to put in some effort for the country. I won’t tell you to return the assets you’ve taken out of Taesung. You need that much to build your power.”

“…A company isn’t your piggy bank.”

Lee Seo-yeon muttered, gritting her teeth.

“But you’re not the type to listen if I resist. I’ll have to see the bill first, but I can guess roughly. But it’s hard for Taesung to bear the burden of every bill.”

“So you don’t like it?”

“No. Instead, I’ll hand over a file containing the secrets of the families of the heads of other top 10 conglomerate groups. So, let’s share the burden. Fairly.”

Hyun-woo burst out laughing.

As soon as she started the deal, Lee Seo-yeon was selling off her fellow companies to reduce her burden.

“I’m already liking this deal.”

“You’ll think you’ve caught my weakness. But you won’t be able to use it for very long.”

“Well, if you didn’t have a weakness, wouldn’t you have met the same end as the other guys here?”

Lee Seo-yeon’s expression stiffened. Hyun-woo said with a smile.

“So, you should hope that weakness lasts for a long, long time. Because if you seem even a little threatening, I might suddenly visit you one day.”

***

Hyun-woo watched the plane carrying Lee Seo-yeon enter the runway.

It wasn’t his style to leave potentially dangerous people unattended.

But for some reason, he didn’t want to kill Lee Seo-yeon right away.

It might have been because he was fascinated by her clear display of desire, or it might have been because of Lee Ji-tae.

‘I don’t know how siblings can be so different.’

Hyun-woo took out a caramel, chewed it, and started to prepare to return. Song Yeo-woon was approaching.

“We’ve caught all the guys who were trying to escape, Branch Manager.”

“Okay. Good work.”

“Um… is it okay to send Lee Seo-yeon away like that? I heard you had other plans.”

“It’s okay.”

Originally, he was going to catch Lee Seo-yeon and put her forward as the mastermind behind everything.

Lee Seo-yeon was destined to be hit by a barrage of public opinion trials, imprisoned, and die a lonely and mysterious death.

But now that the Famished Star had come into view, it seemed like it could be postponed a little further.

Anyway, image improvement would happen naturally over time.

Hyun-woo recalled the next event that would soon take place in the White Bone Records.

The Calamity of the Frozen Earth, Heavenly Tears.

The time for the difficulty to increase was approaching.

Then, Hyun-woo turned his head and looked inside the hangar.

In that place, now only traces of blood and filth remained, an unexpected person had appeared.

It was the masked man.