Supreme Freedom

SK Cartel - The Beginning of the End

Joon was at his desk as usual. As soon as he had seen the message, he was internally debating how to handle the situation. He stood up and went to look for Somin. But before he could find her, he ran into Jongwoon.

Jongwoon: "Joon, is Hyungnim still in his office?"

Joon: "No, he left earlier. Did you need something?"

Jongwoon: "The deposits -"

Joon motioned for him to stay quiet. He looked around and told him to follow him. They headed down to the basement, making sure no one else had followed them.

Joon: "Changmin is still stealing money?"

Jongwoon: "He's definitely stealing but that's the weird thing, I don't think he's stealing from Hyungnim. I don't know if Changmin made the mistake intentionally or accidentally. He knows I'm meticulous and look through all the expenses. I checked the money going through the businesses and there's something odd. I think he's stealing the deposits from the kids and Huta."

Joon sighed and looked away.

Joon: "Hyungnim won't care then. He probably already knows or gave him the order to do so."

Jongwoon looked at him in disbelief.

Jongwoon: "Why bother giving them a place if he was going to do this?"

Joon: "He's looking at the bigger picture."

Before they could continue their conversation, they heard someone approaching the basement door. They pretended to look for something and headed towards the door as it opened. They were relieved to see it was Gikwang and TOP looking for Jongwoon.

Gikwang: "Oh, is something wrong?"

Jongwoon shook his head and gave them a look. TOP and Gikwang nodded before changing the subject.

TOP: "We were going to order some food, do you all want something?"

Joon shook his head and excused himself. Jongwoon motioned for them to go towards the garage.

Gikwang: "Won't we get in trouble for leaving without permission?"

Jongwoon: "Ah, we'll just go and come back. Go ahead and order it and tell them we'll be there in 20 minutes. Let's go."

The others looked at each other but still ran after Jongwoon. As they headed to the restaurant, Jongwoon filled them in on his conversation with Joon. Gikwang and TOP were just as upset.

TOP: "I can't stand the sight of his face. He's always so smug, acting like his money comes from being a lawyer when he's nothing but a thief."

Gikwang: "We can't rule out the possibility that Hyungnim is doing this on purpose. You know how much he hates Huta."

Jongwoon: "But then what about the kids? What did they do wrong?"

TOP: "Joon didn't say anything else?"

Jongwoon: "He just said Hyungnim was looking at the bigger picture, I just don't know what he meant. But that's when we heard you guys coming and thought you were someone else."

Gikwang: "Hm... The bigger picture... Why do I have the feeling that we're not going to like it?"

They stayed quiet the rest of the way. They knew that whatever Hyungnim planned, it was only for his own benefit. They thought about how to warn them but it was hard to warn them without knowing what they should be worried about. They got back to the mansion with the food as the guards waited for them at the entrance.

Guard: "Open the trunk."

Jongwoon rolled his eyes and motioned for TOP to do as they said. The guards inspected the vehicle and the food before letting them through.

Gikwang: "What was that about?"

Jongwoon: "Just be prepared for the scolding Hyungnim will give us later. For now, let's just enjoy our food."

They nodded and went over to the dining table to eat. They saw Irene and Somin passing by and invited them over. They all sat together and ate as Changmin entered. He made another snarky remark but they ignored him as they continued talking amongst themselves. Changmin rolled his eyes and left. As soon as he was gone, TOP sat back in his chair and threw his chopsticks on the table.

Gikwang: "What's wrong?"

TOP: "Even if I try to ignore him, he always makes me lose my appetite."

Gikwang: "Why let him bother you that much? We shouldn't waste this tasty food."

Somin: "Just finish eating, it's not much anyway."

TOP looked over at her as she turned back to her food. TOP leaned forward and finished eating. After they cleaned up their mess, they headed to their respective rooms. Jongwoon stood by his window and watched as some birds flew by.

Jongwoon: ~How lucky they are... To have that freedom...~