Chapter 58

A step forward was finally taken. Kris could finally be relieved of one out of the few burdens he had. This information about the guy they believed to be helping Changsun for what happened at the company's Year End party shed a little light on the case. It still wasn't enough, however.

Frost. A gang of street racers.

That was the only thing they knew about the guy with the tattoo caught on camera . Another thing they found out was the name of the leader, Xiumin. But the name was just an alias. They still had not found out his real name or why he would even help Changsun. It couldn't just be money.

"Minseok," a voice interrupted Suho and Kris. They looked up to find Sehun, still in his school uniform, at the door. The younger bobbed his head to the waitress who had escorted him and waited for her to close the doors before he approached their table and continued, "Kim Minseok." He pointed at a candid picture on the table that Kris and Suho were talking about. "That's his real name."

With raised brows, Suho glanced at Kris who leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms.

"How did you know?" Kris asked whilst gesturing for Sehun to take a seat. He was surprised when Sehun called him this morning saying he had something important to tell him regarding the Year End party's case. Kris did not expect the guy to know this gang leader's real name when he invited him to discuss about the case over dinner. "Were you part of the gang?"

"No." Sehun pulled a chair and sat down. "Not really."

"Not really?" Suho raised a brow at him.

"I used to hang out with some of them. Xiu never admitted me as part of them though."

"Why?"

"For the same reason he helped your vice chairman." He took out a brown envelope from his bag and gave it to Kris. "He hates me with a passion."

Kris and Suho looked over some papers containing Park Changsun's biodata and the signed agreement he made with Xiumin.

"Park Changsun's man happened to ask about Yeojin and me thinking I was still part of them. And Xiu often hangs around near your living area. He put two and two together, and thought he found a way to destroy me." Sehun heaved a breath and looked down. "But I don't think destroying a high school student-" he pointed at himself "-is Park Changsun's goal."

Kris raised a brow imploring him to continue and Sehun gestured at the brown envelope. Kris dipped his hand inside the envelope again and realized there were some photos inside.

"Destroying my family too- now that may be his goal," Sehun concluded.

Kris' eyes rounded when he saw pictures of him kissing Areum at the bus stop. Something he regretted and had been trying to forget. Suho who leaned to take a look too gasped.

"! What the hell Kris?!" His friend snatched the photos to take another look as if not believing what he saw the first time.

Kris gulped and took a deep breath. "...why?"

"I don't know," Sehun admitted with a shake of his head. "What I do know is that Park Changsun wants to pit you against my brother. And he already has a copy of those photos. Sooner than later, he might release them to the media."

Kris heavily sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose feeling a heavy burden crashing down on him just when he thought he was a step ahead of Park Changsun. "Where did you get this?" He raised his gaze to Sehun.

There was a pause before Sehun answered, "Xiumin."

"How?"

"I thought you said he hates you," Suho chimed in.

Another pause. This time Kris saw him gulp and look away. A look of guilt he often saw on himself was now on Sehun.

Sehun cleared his throat. "I have my way. But I assure you Xiu isn't going to help Park Changsun any longer." He suddenly stood up pushing back the chair and taking his bag. "I don't know what's going on between you and Areum noona," Sehun continued while staring at Kris with what was close to a glare, "but I've told her about this so she could come clean to my brother before this become a bigger mess. And I suggest you talk to my brother too. That's all I want to tell you. I'll take my leave now then." He slightly bobbed his head before turning for the door.

"Wait!" Kris stood up too. When Sehun looked back, Kris pursed his lips. "Can I talk to you for a while? I need to ask you a favor."

Chanyeol's steps were brisk. He ignored Mr. Cho who tried to stop him from entering his father's office. Throwing the door opened, Chanyeol saw his father talking with his private detective who was seemingly ready to leave. He didn't care though and walked up to his father anyway.

His father noticed Chanyeol and turned to his detective again. "I'll deal with that rubbish gangster later," the vice chairman said before dismissing him.

"Sir, please-" Mr. Cho belatedly entered the room to stop Chanyeol, but Park Changsun raised a hand and gestured for his PA to be dismissed too.

Standing in front of his father's desk, Chanyeol was already panting with angry breaths when he heard the door closed by Mr.Cho and his father finally turned his attention to him. "You were really the one behind this!" Chanyeol slammed a photo on the desk.

His father, though, did not flinch even for a bit. He calmly took the photo to take a look. "Ah..." He only nodded making his son even more frustrated.

Chanyeol gritted his teeth. "We caught on camera a guy whom we believed to be the one disrupting the signal. He had a tattoo which we have now discovered to be that of a gang. And that guy-" he pointed at the photo his father was holding "- is the leader! The same guy I saw come out of this very office once before! The same guy you talk with!"

Park Changsun's rounded eyes blinked as he pursed his lips and nodded. "Impressive!"

Chanyeol groaned then slammed his palms on the desk, leaning over it to look down at his father. "Do you even know what you are doing? You may get caught in a crime! You might already have! You need to stop, Dad!"

Park Changsun's initial calm look turned clouded with anger and bitterness. "No! Not until I bring them down. Both the Wu's and the Oh's!"

They held each other's gazes; one with anger and the other with disappointment. Yet, Chanyeol's gaze wavered when he felt a sting on the back of his eyes.

He let out a shaky breath. "Why?" He asked; brokenness coated his question. "Why are so adamant in doing this?"

For a moment the look of tenderness accompanied by shame crossed his father's face. The man brought his gaze down. "I told you this is for your mom. For our family!"

"Again with that excuse!" Chanyeol pushed himself away from the desk and tousled his hair. "Mom wouldn't want you to go down this path-"

"You don't know anything!" Park Changsun abruptly stood up while furiously pointing a finger at him. "They killed your mother!" He revealed and Chanyeol stared at him with disbelief.

"What are you talking about? Mom died in a car accident."

"On a winter night!" His father added. "Why do you think she was out on the road on a winter night?" Responding to his son's silent confusion, he continued, "Your mother was Oh Jaehan's best architect. And he sent her to oversee a site on that damned winter night when he knew how slippery the road could be!"

"I-it-it's still an accident," Chanyeol tried to reason; his words came out in stutters. "And it's not an excuse to destroy Kris hyung."

"Your mother was not someone who could say no. She was very hardworking. You know why she worked really hard?" Changsun rounded his desk and strode to his son. "Because she was trying her best to help save our family from a debt. I was only a lowly manager here back then and she knew my wages wouldn't help pay the debt. 

"She wouldn't have to work for extra money if only Yihuang agreed to lend me some money. He was supposed to be my friend. But that damned filthy rich man turned his back on me!" With gritted teeth, Changsun stared at his son who was only a little taller than him. "If Jaehan didn't give the opportunity for your mom to go that night, if Yihuang would just give a hand of help from the start, you wouldn't lose your mother. I wouldn't lose my wife!" Changsun panted with his released rage; his nostrils flaring.

Chanyeol, on the other hand, was too stumped to give any reaction other than clamping his mouth and staring back at his father with tearful eyes. His heart shattered. He always wanted to understand why his father did all this. Now he understood. He understood the loss, bitterness, and rage that prompted his old man to take the path of revenge. He understood him very well now. But still, Chanyeol knew this was all wrong.

Changsun suddenly scoffed to himself. "That arrogant son of Yihuang just had to break my daughter's heart too. That was the last for me." He looked at Chanyeol again; jaws tensed. "Now you know it all. I'm not going to stop! There's nothing you can do." He grasped on his son's shoulder. "So I suggest you either follow me or stay out of this all together and just shut your mouth. Unless you want me to send you away again," he threatened before abruptly going out of his office leaving Chanyeol standing alone. Confused. Frustrated. Broken.

Can you believe I forgot I actually already wrote chapter 57 and spent more than a month trying to make a plot for that very chapter because I thought I haven't written that? Yeah, that happened. Your author is this type of person. I feel bad for y'all haha. Forgive me.