Chapter 167 - The First Step

Miles away from the hospital, a blonde figure was entering the elegant mansion. A long line of servants bowed upon his entry.

"Welcome, Master Ash," a butler in black clothing bowed down. Ash merely acknowledged him with a nod and kept on walking forward. He did not stop to talk or greet anyone. There was no one else inside the mansion anyway. It was a large blackhole which sucked the joy out of anyone who stepped inside. For an outsider, it was a cold and desolate place devoid of any laughter of emotions.

For Ash, the mansion held no meaning. Whether it had any joy or laughter, it did not matter to him. The coldness did not affect him anymore.

He continued to walk until he reached the master bedroom. Hesitating for a second, he knocked on the door.

"Come in," a stern voice came from within. He entered the room to find his grandfather seated on the chair behind his desk. It was too dark to see his grandfather's face. It was how the old man liked his room to be. Dark and confusing. He liked to intimidate people like this.

"You called for me?" Ash asked.

"Have you forgotten your manners?" the old man leered. "You have not bowed down."

"Apologies, grandfather," Ash said in a deadpan tone, bowing down deeply. The old man did not respond for a minute. Suddenly, he threw an ashtray across the room. The tray hit the wall near Ash, shattering into pieces. Chards of glass flew everywhere. One cut through Ash's cheek, making it bleed. 

But he did not flinch. Instead, he kept a poker face.

"You escaped," the President stated.

"Yes."

"But Kwon Jiwon and the CEO of Abyss lives," the old man said. His voice held contempt and loathing.

"Yes."

"You were given one task," the old man spluttered. "And you failed in that one too." 

Ash did not reply.

"Who is the CEO of Abyss?" the old man demanded. "Did you find information on him?"

Ash took out a pendrive from his pocket.

"This has everything you need to know," he replied, putting the pendrive on the old man's desk. "It was the information of the CEO of Abyss."

The old man scrutinized his grandson. 

"This has all the information I gathered in my ten years with Kwon Jiwon and his band," Ash continued. "Everything about Kwon Jiwon is in there. You will find all of it useful. The CEO of Abyss will also turn up in it."

The old man snatched the pendrive from Ash's grip. "I hope everything in it is true," the old man warned.

"They're true," Ash said calmly. He bowed once again and backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

The President stared at the pendrive in his hand. Inserting it into his laptop, he began to study its contents.

….

Ash headed for his room at the far west side of the mansion. He was visiting the place after almost a decade and yet, the mansion remained unchanged. Every little detail, the decor, the furniture. Everything was still the same. 

He entered his room. It was the smallest room in the mansion. In his years of absence, it was kept untouched. Layers of dust covered the bed while cobwebs hung from every corner of the room. No doubt the old man did not bother to have the servants clean up the room all these years.

But it does not matter to him. He was here to pick up one thing and he would leave. Removing curtains of cobwebs out of his way, he approached a bedside desk. It took him a while to open the drawer, which was stuck due to its unused status. After struggling for a few minutes, he finally managed to yank it open.

He took out a small piece of paper and pocketed it when a pair of footsteps approached his room. He turned around to see Nida standing at the door.

"You're here," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I came to hand over the files on Abyss and KJ," Ash said curtly. He was about to exit the room but she blocked his way.

"Leaving so soon?" she asked in a sultry tone. She put a hand on his chest, slowly rubbing his torso. "Stay for a while."

"I heard you're my grandfather's mistress these days, Nida," Ash commented. Her hands froze.

"Would he like it if he catches you here, flirting with me?" he went on.

"I saved your life yesterday," Nida hissed. "You owe me many things."

"I owe you nothing," Ash smirked. "You see, I wasn't planning on letting them live. If anything, you were in the way."

"Those are big words," Nida shot back. "I can ruin your plans, you know."

"Big words coming from a fugitive," Ash yawned. Nida gave him a quizzical look.

"What do you mean?" she demanded.

"You see...during EXOTIC's concert last month, your face was caught on the CCTV camera," Ash revealed. "When you came out of the backstage and bumped into me, I purposefully ensured that there were enough cameras around the area to capture your image."

"You told me that there were no cameras there!" Nida exclaimed fearfully.

"That's the thing about me, Nida," Ash said in a menacing tone. "I lie. You shouldn't believe me so easily."

Nida's face was drained of any color. Her c.o.c.ky expression was replaced with pure fright.

"What will happen to you if I mention it to grandfather?" Ash asked, feigning ignorance. "Ah! He'll have you killed. After all, you're useless to him if the police have evidence against you."

"You wouldn't!" Nida shouted.

"Watch me," Ash threatened. "Come near me again and I will notify the police of your whereabouts. I will not let anyone come between my plans to take over this Cartel. Not even you."

She faltered under his glare. He meant every word. It was easy for someone like him to have her killed and disappear from the face of the earth. Ash walked away, leaving her fearful. 

"You're still as cold as ever, Seungheon," she said. 

Ash did not look back as he left the mansion. He was not interested in a mere mansion anyway. For almost a decade, he had worked only to fulfill his one goal: to take over the Cartel. 

And the first step was to destroy Kwon Jiwon.