Chapter 221 - Soo Bin' Story (3): Bloodbath

"What party?" KJ asked sharply. "Detective, who was the organizer? And what is the identity of the Cartel's President?" 

"The party was organized by the President himself," Soo Bin said. "It was a yearly tradition at his mansion. He never showed his face to the world. That man doesn't have an identity. He has no name, no past nor a face. He used the surname Park for his children but that's not his real family name. The President knows very well how to influence his men from behind the shadows. It creates a fear, you see. The men don't know who is listening in on their conversation. The President could be anybody. Their words can reach his ears anytime. He used this method to instill fear into them."

"That night, Sia used her natural charm. She knew that beauty was enough to get into his bed but that was not her goal. Her goal was to destroy him. So she was patiently waiting there." 

"The President did not come down himself but his daughter, Park Hyebin and his son, Park Hyunbin were there. Hyunbin was the heir to the Cartel while Hyebin was nothing more than trash in the President's eyes. He never treated her like family and always abused her."

"But Hyunbin was the apple of his eyes. He had spoilt his son to the core. The lad was hot headed and impulsive. While he was prepped to be the heir, his rash decisions were detrimental to business. There were many factions, which secretly plotted to put Hyebin on the succession line. She was smarter and more efficient than her brother. With proper leadership, she had the ability to turn the Cartel into a profit making legal business."

"But the President was blinded by his love for his son. That night, Hyunbin's eyes fell on Sia and he knew he wanted her. This was something Sia had not foreseen but Hyunbin became obsessed with her. But her plan worked because the President, too, had spotted her from afar. He ordered one of his men to bring her to him."

KJ did not want to hear anymore. All these years, he had thought of his mother as a happy and peaceful person. Even though his grandfather rarely spoke about his parents, Butler Shun used to tell him stories about their love and devotion to each other. Was she hiding all this from his father? 

"She became the President's lover," Soo Bin went on. "But Hyunbin was also obsessed with her. He had to possess her somehow. Sia knew the risks but used his obsession to her advantage. She goaded Hyunbin with her charms. She played hard to get and it drove him crazy." 

"He began to see his father as a threat. The old man was in his way. He wanted Sia and the Cartel for himself…" 

"Meanwhile, Hyebin fell in love with an ordinary company employee, Hongjin. She wanted to escape the clutches of her father and brother. All she wanted was to run away from the hell she had lived in for twenty seven years. But she had very little time because she became pregnant soon after."

"Sia, who truly sympathised with Hyebin and became her confidante, helped her to escape. Whether Hyebin ever knew that Sia was plotting revenge, I never found out. But I have a feeling even if she knew, she wouldn't have stopped Sia." 

"Hyebin and her husband managed to evade the Cartel for two years. They were living under false identities in a small town on Gwangju. Sia communicated with them regularly in secret. Hyebin had given birth to a son whom they named Seungheon." 

KJ froze at that name. Seungheon? Ash! 

If Hyebin escaped her father, then how did her son end up in the custody of the President? 

"But one day, Hyunbin tracked them down. His men saw Hyebin out shopping with her son and followed her. They notified Hyunbin. The latter set out to kill his sister and her family." 

"Hyebin and her husband were having a quiet dinner together. Their son was asleep in his cot. It was a peaceful evening for them." 

"Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Hongjin opened the door only to be shot at point-blank. Hyebin screamed as her husband was shot in front of her eyes. She tried to escape but Hyunbin shot her dead." 

"The commotion woke up their son. Hyunbin was about to kill the baby but then for some reason, he changed his mind. Instead, he brought the baby back with him to the mansion." 

"Sia was distraught upon finding out about her friend's fate. Her thirst for vengeance only intensified. She began to instigate the son against the father. Hyunbin became more restless. He began to act against his father's orders." 

"The President was at a loss," Soo Bin said. His beloved son was rebelling against him. The son he was so proud of was disobeying his orders. He tried to ignore all of it until one day Hyunbin crossed the line."

"What did he do?" KJ whispered. 

"At that time, I was in Seoul too. I was tasked with tracking down the Cartel. I was following their men for months but got no lead. Until one day, I received a phone call from an anonymous tip. We were informed about a deal Hyunbin was about to crack at a secret facility in Gangnam."

"We went to the address sent to us. However, we didn't find Hyunbin there. Instead, we found something even better." 

"What did you find there?" KJ asked. 

"Back then, there was another leader at the Cartel," Soo Bin replied. "The right hand man of the President. His codename was Angel while his real name was Jang Jaehyun. Hyunbin and he did not get along because Jaehyun saw the young man as an incompetent fool. He was also aware of Hyunbin's obsession with Sia but he had no proof of it. Hyunbin wanted to get rid of that man for years. So imagine our surprise when we found the Jaehyun at the meeting."

Soo Bin's face turned darker as he remembered that day. 

"An intense gunfight broke out between the police and the Cartel members," he said. "Many of my comrades died that night. In front of my own eyes, the bodies of the policemen I worked with. People I shared countless drinks with. They lay there, dead." 

His eyes were misty as he recalled their lifeless corpses. 

"It was a dark day for us. But in the gunfight, Jaehyun was also shot dead. We won the battle but at a huge cost. The President of the Cartel found out about his men dying. He was distraught over the death of his best friend. His fury was faced by the entire city."

"He suspected the Kwon family head, your grandfather tipped the police. At that time, their rivalry was on a business level but there were underlying tensions. After that incident, the President went on a killing spree. He hunted down many of your grandfather's accomplices and killed them mercilessly. Kwon Jinhyung also retaliated by putting bounties on the leaders of the Cartel. Lots of blood was spilt. For many months, Seoul turned into a battleground for the two gangs. And we were helpless."

"But one day, the President got the hint that the tip to the police was actually made by Hyunbin. His call records showed many calls made to the police and he was photographed with the detective in charge of catching the Cartel's men."

The old man paused to wipe tears from his eyes. 

"No one knows what happened afterwards. But a few days later, Hyunbin's body was found floating on the Hann river. Many said he committed suicide. But something was not right. I did not believe he committed suicide. Something was amiss. So I began to dig into the tip we had received. It was indeed made from Hyunbin's phone. It was registered under his name. But the user was someone else."

"Who was it?" KJ questioned. But deep down, he knew the answer. 

"The one who turned Seoul into a bloodbath," Soo Bin stated with grief. "Was your mother."