ILLICIT AFFAIRS. wsn ✗

Chapter 19

At that time, it was a very tempting deal. Jongho would get the claims to the Reapers, and Sunghan will get extra cash, which will then also flow into Jongho's account. Jongho was thinking that he could finally get away from the Reapers, leave it to Mingi when he leaves, and he can go and open a law firm along with Yeosang with the new money. That had always been Jongho's plan when he agreed to do things according to Sunghan, but he just didn't expect things to have gone the way it has.

Sunghan was extremely persuasive as well. He promised Jongho that he would get 40% of the cut (which is quite a lot of money when Sunghan promised the exact amount of money Jongho would get monthly), and no one will ever know about their agreement. Jongho had no idea how anyone knew about this agreement, let alone Yeosang knowing about it, but once they did, chaos ensued.

Jongho never meant for things to happen this way, it just did.

"C'mon, Jongho, it's just one little sacrifice you have to make to get the Reapers under your name! It's not that hard of a choice, is it?" Sunghan asked when Jongho told him to come over the day after Yeosang left the compound. Sunghan was furious, and he wanted Jongho to kill Yeosang. But Jongho couldn't. He knew no one in the Reapers would be capable of killing Yeosang.

Jongho shook his head, "it's not a choice, Sunghan, it's-it's impossible to kill Kang Yeosang. Even when we were in law school, if he wanted to disappear, he'll disappear. He didn't come to school for three months one year and no one was able to find him, not even the police."

"We're not the fucking police force, are we, Jongho?" Sunghan retorted, "we're better than them! We can find him! Why are you so scared, huh? What are you scared of? You're scared you'll lose his friendship? Scared you'll lose your cousin? Well, that's the fucking price you have to pay for wanting something more than what you have!"

Sunghan was close to throwing one of the vases next to San's desk onto the floor, and Jongho raised his gun and pointed it at Sunghan before he could. Sunghan read the warning and chuckled, putting his arms in the surrender position, "hey, calm your tits, Choi Jongho. You don't need to be overcautious and anxious around me. I'm a chill guy, yeah?"

He walked over to San's desk and slammed his palms on the desk, "but if you don't kill Kang Yeosang within a day, consider our deal done. You will be dead in no time once people around the province know that you broke a promise."

He got closer to Jongho until Jongho could feel his breath on his lips, and Jongho was squirming away, but Sunghan placed a firm hand on Jongho's nape, forcing him to stay in position, "look, we're so close to getting what we want—we are so goddamn close. So if you just fucking cooperate and do what I tell you to do, then you'll get what you want. You've been getting the money I give you, so now it's time for you to return the favour. Once you kill Kang Yeosang, I want you to appoint me the new Head of the Reapers."

Jongho's eyes widened, breaking away Sunghan's hold and glaring at him, "that wasn't part of our deal, Jung Sunghan."

Sunghan let out a chilling laugh, "well, Kang Yeosang running away wasn't part of our deal, either! There are things that have gone wrong, and they have all gone wrong under your watch, Choi Jongho. So I think the only solution is to replace the problematic head of gang into someone less problematic, like me!"

Jongho didn't reply. He knew this was wrong—everything about this was wrong. There's no way that the Reapers would ever flourish under someone that wasn't San, and trust him, Jongho had tried to outdo what San has done to and for the organisation. There just simply wasn't a better person to be the leader of the Reapers than Choi San. Jongho took out a cigarette from San's drawer and lit it up with his lighter. He was never a smoker himself, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and Jongho needed to think.