Chapter 119
But I decided to ask again, just in case.
“By any chance, is the artifact an old gun?”
“A gun? Ha, an old gun.”
Right? Who would use such an old-fashioned–─
“It was a very old double-barreled shotgun. I bought it because it was an artifact, but the only good thing about it was that it was solid, so it’s been sitting on the wall in my study, unused, I guess.”
“A shotgun…….”
“Yeah, come to think of it, that’s what I happened to have on hand when your father asked for my permission to marry your mother, so I shot him with it. Well, it didn’t kill the damned thing…….”
“What?”
“Hmmmm, no big deal. He seemed to be in pain anyway, so it must have done the trick…….”
‘No, you can’t tell us you tried to kill our father like this…….’
No matter how many times I heard it, I couldn’t help but think it was just what I was looking for.
“Grandpa, did you shoot him?”
I wondered if he was reminiscing.
His words came out so casually that Jiyun stopped chewing her meat and asked.
At this, Han Jin-wol’s expression stiffens as he realizes his mistake.
“It’s not what you think, it’s just a joke. A joke. Do you understand?”
“A joke? I know, joke!”
“Yes, a joke. Joke.”
Somehow, I managed to smooth things over.
Still, I couldn’t just turn around and leave, especially not after realizing that the one thing I came here for was missing.
“Grandpa.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Do you mind if I stay here for the night?”
“Hmm? Here?”
Grandpa, surprised, as if he had heard something unexpected from my mouth.
“What…..I don’t care, but are you sure, you have to get ready for the academy and get permission from your father.”
His expression quickly returned and he said so in a blunt tone, but his legs were shaking violently under the table.
“I’ll convince my father, and the assignments for the academy……can be taken care of in no time.”
Luckily, this week’s assignments aren’t too many, and none of them are difficult, so I suppose it won’t matter.
Or maybe not, but does it matter now?
“Hmmm. Well, if you say so……then I see no issue.”
“You mean that?”
Haru glances in my direction at the question directed at her. In response, I nudged her leg and smirked.
“Is that okay?”
It would be much more helpful to have Haru around to help me move the way I wanted to.
Luckily, Haru nodded as if it wasn’t a problem.
“I don’t mind either, since most of my work can be easily done online.”
“Really? Did you say that Haru……lives alone?”
“That’s right.”
“Well …..Yes. By the way, Eugene, you should ask your father first. No matter how good the two of you are, if your father says no, I can’t help it.”
“Yes. I see.”
As Grandpa said, I must ask my father’s permission first so I left immediately and called my father.
* * *
To conclude, it was a great success.
At first, my dad was confused, but then I told him that since I hadn’t seen my grandfather in a long time, I wanted to make sure I spend some time with him.
“So I’m going to sleep over at your house?”
Jiyun asked grandfather with her head held high.
In response, Grandpa strokes Jiyun’s head and nods.
“Yes, I think so. Kang-chul, will you prepare the rooms for the children and those from Corleone?”
“Of course, sir.”
Hearing grandfather’s order, Kim Kang-chul leaves the room first.
After making sure he’s completely out of the room, I look back at grandfather.
“I’m sure you’re busy, Grandpa, and I apologize for coming so abruptly.”
“You shouldn’t be so sorry. I was planning on taking it easy this weekend anyway, and I’m in pretty good shape, if not as strong as the Awakened, thanks to my three meals a day of elixirs.”
Even though he was already past the prime of his age, his straight waist, sturdy physique, and firm-looking eyes made him look livelier than he could be.
“I’m glad to hear that and that’s why I was wondering if you’d mind if me and Haru could spend a day catching that thief……grandfather?”
“You mean you?”
“You mean us?”
Grandpa looked at me as if he was surprised by my remark, and Haru looked at me as if he didn’t know what I was talking about.
Nevertheless, I persisted.
“First of all, me and Haru are both cadets at the Academy, so we won’t be a burden, it’s just that……got me interested.”
“Interested?”
I pulled out [Al Capone’s Tommy], which I use as my Academy ‘unique weapon’, to make it easier for him to understand.
“Actually, I like antique firearms like this, and I’d like to see it in person.”
Of course, this was a lie.
I’m sure that’s what grandparents with grandchildren in South Korea do when they see something like this…….
“Haha, that’s why, yeah, if you’re looking for it, just take it.”
This is how they were supposed to give it to their grandchildren as a gift.
“Well, now that you mention it, I’m not going to ask for…….”
“Okay, okay. If you need anything else, you’ll have to speak to the butler you just saw, and……hmm, are you sleepy?”
The old man who was talking to her lowered his gaze to look at Jiyun.
There she was, dozing off, perhaps because she ate too much. Thinking about it, it’s time for a nap in the mansion.
“You know, I’ve been leaving her alone too much.”
Grandpa, who was carrying Jiyun as he stood up, gently waved his arm.
“Since the guest room isn’t ready yet, I’ll let her sleep in my room for now. Would you like to stay here and talk some more?”
“No, we’ve had enough and must get up, so may I have a look around the manor?”
“Yes, make yourself at home. By the way, Haru.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let’s have some tea this evening, just the two of us, and talk about the Inomiya Group.”
“Okay.”
Apparently, the reason Grandpa called Haru was also about the Inomiya Group.
With that, Grandpa and Jiyun left.
“……I’m sorry to ask you for such a sudden favor.”
“It’s okay. If anything, if this story spreads, people will think I have the Hanwol Group behind me, and that’s more beneficial to me.”
That’s all she could think of in such a short time?
She must have done her own math.
“I’m glad you said that…….Shall we get out of here?”
“Where are you going?”
“Outside. I’ve got a lot of work to do if we’re going to catch the killer.”
It was one of those days where she shook her head, not sure what I meant, but I took the lead and she followed me out of the mansion.
Alessia and the gang were waiting in a car in the distance.
As I approach, they step out of the car and bow.
“I heard the story from the butler master.”
“Really? I’m sorry, I had to make this decision so suddenly.”
“I’m out of cleaning so this is a break. The other members of the organization were also overwhelmed by Master’s grace.”
True to her words, the other members’ expressions were also very bright.
“I’m glad you said that. By the way, I need to talk to you for a moment.”
Alessia’s eyes widened in surprise as I outlined what was going on inside.
“He shot Don……with a shotgun, so you’re saying that the chairman of Hanwol Group shot the boss?”
Is she the one who’s surprised?
No, she’s not surprised, but…….
“What……doesn’t make sense?”
Eugene Han Corleone was born speeding.
They call it a shotgun wedding in the West.
Shotgun wedding it’s a time-honored tradition in the Western world where a man points a shotgun at the bastard who impregnated his daughter and asks him, “Will you marry her or die?”
In Grandpa’s case, it’s a bit of an anomaly, as he shot the shotgun as soon as he saw father, but who can ignore father’s noble heart.
Perhaps my father has always felt sorry for my grandfather.
“I think I know what you’re after, how about we start gathering evidence?”
“No. This is grandfather’s mansion, not some other place, and he’s not going to stand idly by while we wander around.”
“Then what do you think we should do?”
“Oh, nothing much. Let’s just kidnap one person.”
“……?”
It was no big deal.
What I asked Alessia to do wasn’t that difficult.
I wanted her to find one of the mansion’s occupants, a maid with a scratch on one eyebrow.
Surely she must be somewhere in the manor, as she had been seen when we first arrived.
So here we were, standing in the garden, talking about our plan.
Alessia, the one who received the mission, arrived.
“I found her.”
“Already?”
“Apparently, the Corleone and the Hanwol Group are connected by blood, and members who want to work in both places often move over. Luckily, a friend of one of the organizers I came with is in charge of security at the mansion, so it was easy to find them.”
With that, she handed me a briefcase of papers.
“The identity and name of the woman you mentioned. And the room she’s currently staying in.”
I checked the photo, name, and age on the papers, and smiled when I was sure it was the person I was looking for.
“Well, then, let’s get right to work.”
It would be simple.
* * *
After being led to our respective rooms by Kim Kang-chul.
“……You mean her?”
Kim Kang-chul is puzzled by the sudden request to meet a maid exclusively.
“She was there when we arrived, and I recognized her, so I just wanted to say hello.”
“…… Is that so? Okay then, I’ll ask her.”
After some time passed a woman’s voice came from outside the door, accompanied by a clicking sound.
-Sir? I hear you’re looking for me.
“It’s open.”
A few moments later, the door opened with a click and a girl with a puzzled expression walked into the room.
The scratch on her left eyebrow caught my eye immediately, she was the person I was looking for.
“I’m here because you said you knew me, but……where have we met?”
“…….”
“And……?”
I didn’t answer.
Instead.
“One day.”
“Yes master.”
Just as she was about to close the door behind her, Alessia, who had been hiding behind the bed, popped out and placed a cotton bag over her head.
“What the-?!!”
She was stunned by what happened so quickly but I walked over to her with my hands in my pockets and whispered quietly in her ear.
“……Do you know what’s going on?”
You’ve been kidnapped.
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