Rehabilitation and Resolve

Not everyone in South Korea loved the Han River view. The man who filled his entire 330-square-meter apartment living room with rehabilitation exercise equipment was proof of that.

Through the left window, the gentle ridge of Namsan and the tower atop it were visible nearby.

“Hah…”

Veins bulged across the back of his hands as he gripped the parallel bars of the dual-direction rehabilitation machine. Sweat dripped from his brow with every step, but the man never paused.

When he flexed his arms, his trapezius and deltoids rose sharply, contrasting with his smooth face.

“Tough bastard.”

Leaning against one wall, Park Min-su frowned as he watched Kwon Hee-jae.

It was obvious that even standing still must have been painful, yet the man spent hours each day on the rehabilitation equipment. And that wasn't all. After finishing his training with the rehabilitation therapist, he'd head straight to the complex's swimming pool to work out some more.

The man's name was Kwon Hee-jae.

He was the illegitimate son of Baek Jun-gyu, the boss of the Baekju Sect that had shaken South Korea, and his sole heir. Moreover, he was the one who had built up Sihyang Group, founded by Baek Jun-gyu.

As the saying goes, a sharp stone gets hit the hardest. The more power Kwon Hee-jae's faction gathered, the more enemies he made.

In the end, it was Baek Jun-gyu's wife, Song Hyeon-hui, who attempted the contract killing—a staple of melodramatic soap operas.

But Kwon Hee-jae had survived, even in that state. It was all to protect one single person.

Kwon Yeon-woo. The child he had with a woman he'd briefly met eight years ago had become his everything, his reason for existing.

The more he thought about it, the more absurd and tragic his life seemed. The one thing he had truly gained in a life where he'd owned nothing since birth.

When the fear of losing that child weighed on him, Kwon Hee-jae had reached out to Joo Seung-eon, a former NIS Black agent. He'd grasped at that straw, desperate to protect his son.

A man who had lived swinging blades at the world acted like sweet cotton candy only for his child. It was a fatherly love that brought tears to the eyes.

But looking at that infuriatingly handsome face, any pity vanished instantly.

Even if he just sold his looks, he could live the rest of his life in luxury, yet he still had an insatiable greed.

Anyway, thanks to Kwon Hee-jae, the NIS had proven the Baekju Sect's National Security Act violations and was now fulfilling their agreement with him.

“Hah.”

Park Min-su wrinkled his nose at the harsh smell of pool disinfectant.

Kwon Hee-jae suddenly emerged from the water, gripping the pool edge as he lifted his head. Even with a swim cap on, his sharp features remained unmarred.

“Park Min-su, why are you staring like that? Are you interested in me?”

Kwon Hee-jae's clear voice echoed off the high ceiling.

Long surgical scars stood out on the man's chiseled body, honed by exercise. The wound crossing his thigh was the result of surviving the previous contract killing.

Park Min-su handed his cane to Kwon Hee-jae as he climbed out of the water and removed his swim cap.

“I was just checking to make sure you're really okay. I thought you might be faking the pain.”

“Hah, just leaving now?”

“Of course not, CEO.”

Kwon Hee-jae chuckled briefly at Park Min-su's transparent attitude.

Once he finished his daily massage, the surveillance duty would be over. Park Min-su, an NIS agent, followed the limping Kwon Hee-jae into the locker room.

Since they'd booked the locker room for two hours, it was empty. Kwon Hee-jae, struggling to take off his swimsuit in an awkward position, let out a long sigh before heading to the shower.

He let the hot water pour over his head, his cold eyes scanning the scars on his body.

His glutes were taut, his erector spinae muscles sharply defined. He was so tall that you had to follow his split hamstrings all the way down to see his heels.

“Yeon-woo. No news today either?”

Park Min-su, who had been sitting dazed in thought, looked up to see Kwon Hee-jae, who had finished showering and approached, lifting a towel in front of him.

“Don't worry. We'll move as soon as the order comes. Right now, we're confirming the schedule in Seongnam.”

“So they're chartering a private jet?”

“Our senior agent needs to move with us.”

“Of course, I figured Joo Seung-eon wouldn't take a regular passenger flight.”

Kwon Hee-jae roughly dried his hair with a dry towel, wearing only a robe over his underwear, and picked up his cane.

“My senior will explain, but we've assigned someone to Hawaii.”

At the mention of assigning someone, Kwon Hee-jae, who had been walking, showed interest for the first time.

He turned to face Park Min-su, stopped walking, and leaned against the mirror, tilting his head.

“Who?”

“Dan Sneyer, a mercenary from Valentine Corporation. He's Zero-rank, so we can guarantee safety.”

“A mercenary? From Valentine Corporation? Is my life really that in danger?”

Kwon Hee-jae glanced sideways, then turned back and hurried on his way.

“Among the drug dealers who dealt with the Baekju Sect, there's one called KING. Since the major Korean deal was cut off, we believe he could retaliate.”

“Cut off? There were plenty of people eyeing that spot. They probably found another supplier right away.”

“I know. As you said, they broke into another supplier, and it was ours. But it's better to be safe than sorry.”

“So, that mercenary. Stronger than Joo Seung-eon?”

“I don't know. We haven't had them spar with our senior.”

Kwon Hee-jae let out a dry laugh and shrugged. Then he turned toward the aesthetics room connected to the fitness center.

As he entered the individually scented aesthetics room, the waiting therapist greeted him with a warm smile.

“Then I'll come to pick you up in two hours.”

Park Min-su waved his hand and said to Kwon Hee-jae's back as he entered the treatment room.

The woman's eyes shone with concern as she looked at Kwon Hee-jae, who had a lethargic yet wounded-animal aura.

“This damn looks-obsessed society.”

Park Min-su headed to the lounge near the aesthetics room, ordered a cold coffee, and slumped onto the sofa.

As if someone had been watching, his phone rang. It was Joo Seung-eon, in charge of the case.

Park Min-su gulped down the freshly served iced coffee and cracked the ice between his teeth.

He pulled out another phone from inside his jacket, unlocked it, and the NIS portal opened immediately. Park Min-su sank deeper into the sofa and checked the time.

About two weeks remained until departure to Hawaii.

If anything happened to Kwon Yeon-woo in that time, Kwon Hee-jae would go berserk. He didn't want to see that happen.

Already stressed about the unfinished Baekju Sect case, Park Min-su shook his head and entered Lee Da-in's name into the NIS portal.

He didn't even want to imagine how many Lee Da-ins there were in South Korea. Searching through them for the right person could take days.

And since she was affiliated with Valentine Corporation, which was world-class at hiding personal information, he couldn't even guarantee he'd find her.

“I should have known I'd end up like this.”

The name Lee Da-in kept popping up endlessly on the screen. It would've been faster to find someone connected to Valentine Corporation and ask them.

But as a South Korean civil servant, he had to dig and find her. He needed to uncover Lee Da-in's identity within two weeks.

It was the only way to keep his salary.

Da-in, who had been crunching ice, slammed her hand on the table without realizing it.

The customers in the café glanced at her, and Dan Sneyer, sitting across from her, chuckled as if amused.

“So the kid is... trouble?”

Dan's eyes crinkled with amusement behind his sunglasses. Da-in rested her elbows on the table and brushed back her thick, healthy hair.

“The kid... Hah, so cunning. I mean, why does such a little one talk so well?”

“Kids these days aren't ordinary. I'm not close with kids, so I don't know.”

“He doesn't give me any openings. No chance to talk or get close.”

It had already been four days, and Da-in hadn't even managed a proper conversation with her target, Kwon Yeon-woo.

Of course, approaching him was easy. Kwon Yeon-woo was noticeable anywhere, and he spent a lot of time in the pool visible from her room.

When she tried to sneak up on the kid, who seemed bored without peers, he'd glare at her with venomous eyes, clutch his floatie, and scurry away.

“Ugly lady.”

The kid's first attack was effective. She'd been so shocked by those words that she'd spent over half a day staring at the mirror.

Well, maybe. Kids might think she's ugly. She'd only ever been told she was pretty her whole life; this was the first time she'd heard she was ugly.

She admitted it. Her self-esteem had wavered.

“I have to teach you English. I promised your uncle, right?”

She'd deliberately mentioned Park Geun-sik, but it seemed she'd triggered the kid.

He shouted with tears welling up.

“Yeon-woo has a teacher! They're coming! The Rabbit Teacher is coming to see Yeon-woo!”“Okay, let's study together until the Rabbit Teacher comes. Once they arrive, I'll let you go.”

She thought he wouldn't understand what 'let you go' meant, but she was wrong.

“Are you a thief? Saying you'll let me go. I have to tell my uncle!”“Hey! Who's your uncle? And I'm not a thief!”“My uncle is someone who catches bad guys!”

For a moment, the word 'police' flashed in her mind, and once again, she surrendered to the kid's words.

That's how conversations with Kwon Yeon-woo often went off the rails. The middle-aged woman, Park Geun-sik and Manager Kang, seemed to take it positively that she was following Kwon Yeon-woo around.

Well, that was a relief, but... since the person involved didn't want to talk to her, progress was impossible.

“In two weeks, the kid's dad will leave Korea. As soon as the NIS lets go of Kwon Hee-jae, I'll move into that house. So until then, do your best. You need to get close to him to get the ghost tree back.”