Chapter 115: The Strawberry-Scented Reaper

The bedroom door opened.

"What are you doing out there so late at night?"

"Madam."

Mother leaned on the second-floor railing, looking down at us.

"Oh my, Junghyuk. What on earth are you wearing? Goodness! That gaudy shirt..."

By now, even my gold necklace and the doljanchi ring had already been confiscated.

"And what's with your hair? Did you spill cooking oil on it or something?"

"I, Yoo Jongtae, will assist with the young master's bath!"

Yoo Jongtae quickly gave a knowing wink.

The Taesung Group bodyguards subtly stepped in front of me.

"I'll take full responsibility and scrub him squeaky clean. With baby powder scent!"

"I'll give him an oil massage and sing lullabies to help him sleep!"

In an instant, the Taesung Group bodyguards pounced and stripped me bare.

"W-wait a minute! We don't have time for—mmph!"

Yoo Jongtae clamped his hand over my mouth and beamed at Mother.

"Please leave the young master to us. We'll take it from here."

"Ugh!"

Yoo Jongtae scooped me up and hurried away toward the bathroom.

The bathroom was already thick with steam.

Warm water was gushing into the baby bathtub.

"What are you—ugh!"

A toothbrush with children's toothpaste suddenly appeared in front of my mouth.

It smelled like strawberries.

A Taesung Group bodyguard briskly brushed my teeth, and bubbles began to froth.

"Did you dump a whole tub of Dongdonggurimu on him or what? This won't do! Put this on!"

"Yes, sir!"

In a flash, a baby shampoo cap was fitted on my head.

It was a bath item designed to keep soapy water from getting in my eyes while washing my hair.

With Yoo Jongtae scrubbing my head so vigorously, I couldn't even let out a single protest.

Taesung Group bodyguards squatted with their pant legs rolled up, moving their hands at a terrifying speed.

"Oh dear, how pretty. Look at this milky-white skin."

"His arms and legs are so soft... it's like jelly, pure jelly..."

"Those big round eyes are cute, but if you keep them open, you'll get soap in them. Close your eyes tight and sniff with your nose."

Seriously, do I have time for this kind of treatment right now?

Just as I was about to fling off the baby shampoo cap—

"Oh my, your hands look lonely? We came prepared for that. Ta-da!"

Suddenly, I was forced to hold the Bath Toy Yellow Duckling Brothers.

"I heard this is the hottest item these days, so I grabbed it as soon as I saw it!"

"Play with your duck friends for a moment. We'll be finished soon!"

"If you wind them up like this—wow, the duck swims!"

Splash, splash, splash!

"And if you press the belly like this—wow, the duck makes a cute sound!"

Quack! Quack quack quack!

"......"

A wave of exhaustion hit me!

Sensing this, Yoo Jongtae, the ever-sharp bodyguard and self-appointed aide, grinned widely.

He paused in his vigorous scrubbing with a baby shower towel full of soapy bubbles.

"Our young master, you've been so stressed about tutoring lately, your shoulders are already stiff. Let's get those knots out!"

Honestly, it's not my shoulders but the back of my neck that feels like it's seizing up.

"Just leave it to me, Yoo Jongtae! I took a baby massage course in advance just for today!"

---

Because of this unexpected commotion, it was almost 11 by the time we arrived at Cheonggyesan.

Tonight, heavy clouds had swallowed the moon, and darkness enveloped everything.

In a secluded area far from the Cheonggyesan hiking trail, the bodyguards had lit fires in advance.

Crackle. Crackle.

Seven barrel fires, made by stuffing cut construction waste wood into empty drums.

Thanks to the flickering firelight, the large pit below could be seen clearly.

"You bastards...! Hey, bodyguard!"

"Aren't you going to untie us? This is a crime!"

"Do you think I'll let you get away with this? Have you all eaten rat poison or what!"

The former Taesung Construction executives, tied to stakes in the pit, screamed and shouted.

Only about a third had been gagged; the rest weren't, so only those without gags were making a racket.

"Did the Chairman send you?"

"No way! If he had, Secretary Kim would have come himself, not you lackeys!"

"What's your game? You've been up to tricks for days now. Ptooey!"

The former Taesung Group executives were in rough shape.

Their faces were blotched with bruises and bloodstains.

Still, they spewed curses with impressive bravado.

"Young Master, Team Leader Yoo. You've arrived?"

A bodyguard from Taesung Group's Team 5, who'd come early, scratched the back of his head and stepped back.

He looked troubled.

"Looks like people from chaebol families treat others too gently."

"...That voice sounds way too young, though?"

A mocking laugh came from the pit.

Great. Just my voice and they're already underestimating me.

This won't do!

"Look at that ringleader still yapping over there."

"Should we rip out his tongue?"

Yoo Jongtae replied at once.

His chillingly sharp voice brought instant silence.

Though I still heard someone in the pit grind their teeth and hiss, "Yoo Jongtae!"

"If you rip out the only tongue they've got, how will they entertain at drinking parties?"

"Ah, right. I didn't think of that."

"We should pull out their teeth instead."

Suddenly, the sound of teeth grinding cut off.

"Pull one out every time they spout nonsense. Front teeth, molars, doesn't matter."

"That's thirty-two times, isn't it?"

A cold silence fell.

From the pit, I heard the sound of dry swallowing.

"How many have signed and stamped their employment contracts?"

"Young Master, I'm sorry. Not a single one yet..."

The bodyguard who'd been dealing with the executives hung his head low.

"Hey, Young Master! How old are you? Whose son are you, from which family?"

They were probing me.

"Team Leader Yoo, did you sharpen the hatchet well?"

"Of course. I tested it by dropping a hair on the blade, and it cut clean through."

"You don't need all ten fingers to hold a pen and sign, do you?"

"With just two fingers, you can sign and stamp. Should I chop off the other eight?"

Someone in the pit nearly choked in shock.

"Y-Young Master!"

"Why are you calling me Young Master? Do you even know who I am?"

They murmured among themselves, but no one answered properly.

Suddenly, someone shouted from the pit.

"Taesung is one family! We all ate from the same rice pot..."

"Anyone here ever shared a single meal with me?"

"......"

Not one of these former Taesung Construction execs had even come to pay New Year's respects.

You dare call yourselves family when we've never even shared rice cake soup together?

My theory is that anyone who only looks for 'family' when it's convenient is no good.

"What do you think will happen when the Chairman finds out about this!"

"If you, Young Master, cause a mess like this, who's going to clean it up?"

Well, this is just laughable.

"Are you trying to threaten me?"

I snorted.

"You don't even have the basics of blackmail down. Before you try to threaten someone, know who holds the power."

Blackmail is my specialty, after all!

I flicked my finger.

"Bury them with dirt."

I pointed at the pile of soil heaped beside the pit.

A bodyguard leapt into the mini-excavator and started the engine.

Crash!

The mini-excavator rumbled to life and dumped a cascade of dirt into the pit.

"Aaargh!"

"W-what the hell is this!"

Yoo Jongtae clicked his tongue.

"Young Master told you to bury them with just their heads sticking out in the first place. Are you guys going to do such a sloppy job?"

"Sorry, sir!"

Crash!

Another load of dirt from the bodyguard, and wails erupted from the pit.

Turns out, nothing beats the right equipment!

It only took a few dumps for the soil to fill up rapidly.

The former Taesung Construction executives, still tied to the stakes, turned deathly pale and screamed.

"Stop! Please stop! We'll be buried alive at this rate!"

"Let's solve this through conversation!"

"Let's negotiate! What do you want from us?"

Their voices were shrill, their breathing ragged.

They still hadn't come to their senses!

"Do you think I came out to Cheonggyesan in the dead of night just to negotiate with you?"

"Young Master, what should we do?"

"What do you mean what should we do? Keep burying them."

Crash!

The soil, without a shred of mercy, poured down on the executives' heads.

As the Taesung Group bodyguards pitched in with their shovels, the chilling touch of the dirt made the executives go even paler.

"Stop! No more dirt!"

"Let's talk, please!"

"Young Master, speak! We'll listen to every word!"

When I raised my hand, the mini-excavator also stopped dumping soil.

"Executives are supposed to be sharp. Do I look that easy to you?"

"No, sir!"

"Oh, come on. You say that, but your eyes are full of malice."

"Sorry! I'm looking down now!"

Yoo Jongtae chimed in instantly.

"Should I gouge out their eyes?"

"No. Even if they're executives, they still need to attend drinking parties. It would be too grotesque if they had eye patches and prosthetics. How could they network properly like that?"

"Then what should we do?"

"When they habitually spout nonsense, what do we do?"

"You told us to pull out their teeth so they can't run their mouths. I'll get right on it."

Yoo Jongtae picked up a pair of pliers and hopped down into the pit.

"Aaargh!"

"Uwaaaargh!"

After a round of long, echoing screams, the pit finally fell silent.

Yoo Jongtae leapt back up and flashed two gold teeth at me with a grin.

It looked like the crowns had been put in after root canal treatment—the centers were completely hollow.

"Let's see... these documents are pretty thick. If we tried to list every dirty deed, we'd be here all night."

"What should we do? Should we just cut off the [thing] of the one who keeps screwing up?"

"And if you cut that off, how will they take care of their bodily functions?"

"Then how about taking off both of their [eggs] instead?"

From the pit, someone shrieked in terror.

"Please, spare us!"

"I was wrong! I committed a grave sin!"

One man cried out, and others quickly joined in.

This is why mob mentality is so terrifying.

No need to repeat the same threat thirty-two times in individual interviews.

It’s all about efficiency, right?

"Let’s hear it, then. What did you do wrong? Are you even reflecting on your actions?"

"We emptied out the Taesung Construction safe!"

"We colluded with Kim Gwangpil of Woogwang Construction and sold apartment land to Woogwang at a throwaway price!"

"We forged the books and embezzled company funds!"

I dug my pinky into my ear.

"You're so noisy I can't tell who did what. Besides, I'm the type who trusts documents over words."

I grinned.

"Everyone, write a letter of repentance. Or rather, a written statement. Sound good?"

As soon as I mentioned written statements, the cacophony ceased.

Someone in the pit cautiously spoke up.

"It's too dark and cold. Our hands are frozen, we won't be able to write anything. Maybe, could we at least give a verbal account for now..."

So, you don’t want to leave behind any evidence that could trip you up later?

Honestly, there's no dealing with these guys.

Even in this state, they're scheming how to weasel out.

"If your fingers can't even write a statement—"

"Should we cut them off?"

The pit erupted in panicked screams.

I feigned ignorance.

"Should it be the wire saw, or the hatchet? That's the real question."

"Why not try both?"

Yoo Jongtae strode over to the edge of the pit, and the former Taesung Construction executives shrieked anew.

"No! If you do that, we'll bleed out and die!"

"I was wrong! Please, just hand us over to the prosecutors!"

Still not offering to write statements, huh?

Just then, one clever guy shouted out:

"How are we supposed to entertain at drinking parties if we can't even hold a bottle or a glass? If we lose our fingers, how will we do business?"

"That's right! We have to entertain clients!"

"Of course! We're not gangsters—if we all show up missing fingers, who would want to sign contracts with us?"

From the pit, there was a collective sigh.

But Yoo Jongtae's next words sparked a fresh wave of panic.

"Young Master, should I at least pull out their fingernails?"

"That only hurts for a bit, and they grow back. That's hardly the kind of lesson you remember in your bones. Am I wrong?"

When I poked my head into the pit, thirty-two pairs of eyes stared back at me.

Then, at last, I heard them nearly choking.

"He's a blood-soaked demon!"

"Look at those eyes. That's not normal—he's crazy, crazy as hell!"

"To be so ruthless at that age, damn..."

"Hell, looks like we're well and truly screwed."

I flashed a sweet smile at the trembling fools.

"Toes would be good."

"Y-Young Master!"

"You don't need toes to hold a pen, so you could lose all ten and it wouldn't matter, right?"

"Please, spare us!"

I replied nonchalantly.

"When did I say I'd kill you? I just said I'd chop off useless fingers or toes that can't even write a statement."

"We'll do it! We'll write statements right now!"

At last, I got the answer I wanted.

'So what if they're executives in a conglomerate—they're all bark and no bite.'

My goal isn't torture.

It's to break the pride of these former Taesung Construction executives who've been running wild with impunity.

"Come to think of it, you haven't even signed the employment contracts yet, right? Well, then, useless fingers—"

"We'll sign! Give us the contracts!"

I looked down at the former Taesung Construction executives wagging their tails like dogs.

I lightly shook the thick ledger I held in my hand.

"Remember, this doesn't just have dirt on you alone."

"T-then...?"

"Your parents, siblings, spouses, even your kids—all joined in to help you embezzle. Should I have you all buried in the same grave as one big happy family?"

"N-no! Never! Please, no!"

"That all depends on what you do from now on."

The Taesung Construction executives shouted in unison.

"We'll devote ourselves with utmost loyalty!"

"We'll serve with the diligence of a loyal dog, break our bones if we must—just please, leave our families alone..."

"If I do my part, my family will be spared, right? Thank you, Young Master!"

I nodded to Yoo Jongtae.

He gave me a thumbs up.

"As expected of you, Young Master! You're truly amazing!"

He leaned in close and whispered so no one could hear.

"In the end, all it took was pulling out two gold teeth and dumping some dirt by their feet—problem solved, huh?"

Blackmail usually works if you just set the mood right.

"Go get their signatures now."

"Yes, sir! Leave it to Yoo Jongtae!"

Yoo Jongtae and the Taesung Group bodyguards immediately grabbed paper and pens and jumped down into the pit.

One person, though, had been tied up alone, shivering.

When I pointed at the man in his forties with a gag in his mouth, Yoo Jongtae quickly brought him over to me.

"Now that I look, even my homeroom teacher was buried in there too?"