RBCT Chapter 7 The Nightmare Two Years Ago
Chapter 7 The Nightmare Two Years Ago
"I really want to ask you, you're always talking about mining all the time, are you really involved with that Bitcoin thing? The one that can buy pizza?"
Kim Soo-ho drove the M3, swerving into the corner at a tricky angle. The tires screeched, and the centrifugal force slammed Lee Jung-il against the car door.
"In 2012, they were $8 each, and I bought some."
Kim Soo-ho frantically swerved the steering wheel in the opposite direction while yelling.
"How many points? Enough to buy a garage full of model cars?"
Li Zhengyi said casually, "About 20,000."
Kim Soo-ho's hand slipped, and the rear of the car swung violently, almost scraping against the wall.
"Damn it!!!"
His voice cracked.
"How much? Twenty thousand? Did you rob the bank to buy it? Didn't I only lend you 1000 million won?"
"Yes. During the Eurozone debt crisis two years ago, I shorted the market with 50x leverage and made some initial capital."
Kim Soo-ho took a series of turns, overtook a GTR, and kept talking.
"Holy crap! Holy crap! So you're now... you're... what's that word again? Financially independent. I saw you were still working at a convenience store, and I was even thinking of sponsoring you."
The car swerved through the bends, and Kim Soo-ho kept talking.
"Just having money isn't enough, bro. If you want to really get into the upper echelons, you need to have some prestige. You need to have an industry or achievement that you can talk about and get on the financial news."
Li Zhengyi was a little dizzy from being shaken.
"I invested in a TV series called 'Misaeng,' which seems to be doing alright. I also created an app called VIBE, aiming to compete with Melon. I have a game in development. And I started a cosmetics brand, with the factory in China."
Kim Soo-ho paused for a second, then burst into a thunderous laugh.
"Hahaha! Absolutely incredible! Working like a corporate slave at a convenience store at night, and remotely acting as a multinational CEO during the day. If your dad knew his good-for-nothing son was doing this, he'd probably smash his brand-new Rolls-Royce! Hahahaha!"
As he accelerated onto the straightaway, Kim Soo-ho sped up to an alarming pace.
Kim Soo-ho's laughter stopped abruptly, and his tone suddenly became gossipy.
"By the way, speaking of your family, do you know what kind of crazy thing your second brother has been going through lately?"
Li Zhengyi's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't reply.
Kim Soo-ho looked at him with disdain.
"He's chasing after a girl group, Red Velvet's Bae Joo-hyun. He's like a total simp, no, a bully trying to abduct her. I heard SM Entertainment is almost overwhelmed by the pressure. That girl's really tough, she hasn't given in yet."
He glanced at Li Zhengyi sideways.
"You know Bae Joo-hyun, right? She's from that group that just debuted recently with SM Entertainment, the really pretty one."
I've seen her on TV. She's alright-looking, nothing special.
"Holy crap, what do you mean by 'not bad looking'? Apart from Yoona from before, none of the female idols who debuted in recent years have been as pretty as her."
Li Zhengyi continued to dodge the question.
"Your cousin is pretty too, she'll be debuting with YG soon, right?"
"You mean Jisoo? No, no, no, she's such a brat, I can't stand the sight of her, don't mention her to me."
Li Zhengyi shrugged.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the siblings see each other as ugly.
The finish line is in sight, and the engine roars to life.
Kim Soo-ho roared.
"Fuck him! I'm the God of Speed on Mount Heng!"
This heavily modified BMW M3 and the Porsche 911 next to it drive side by side.
Lee Jung turned his head to the side and met Kim Tae-ah's gaze.
They tacitly exchanged middle fingers.
"Whoosh!"
M3 crossed the finish line first.
When Kim Soo-ho dropped me off at the convenience store entrance, it was almost dawn.
"Zhengyi, I'll call you again next time we race."
The M3's taillights disappeared at the alley entrance, and the exhaust pipe made two loud noises, like farting.
Li Zhengyi stood in front of the roller shutter door, fumbling for his keys. His fingers were frozen like carrots, and it took him several tries to finally get them into the keyhole.
Go upstairs.
Take off your shoes.
He collapsed onto the bed.
The room was quite damp, but the blankets were always dry.
The college couple next door are arguing again. You can hear the girl yelling through the wall, "What time is it? Why aren't you asleep? Your game is more important than me!"
The man replied, "Of course the game is important, I'm playing ranked matches."
Then there was the sound of something hitting the wall.
Li Zhengyi closed his eyes.
The water stain on the ceiling still looks like a turtle.
The turtle seems to be moving.
No, it's his eyelids that are drooping.
Never mind, let's go to sleep.
My consciousness began to sink.
down.
down.
……
then.
boom.
Li Zhengyi stood in the living room of the top-floor apartment in Hannandong.
The Han River is visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The sunshine was unbelievably good, and yachts floated on the river like dumplings.
The living room is so big you could run a horse through it.
The TV is as big as an entire wall.
Sitting on the genuine leather sofa, you sink right in; it's so comfortable you want to swear.
A fruit platter sat on the coffee table, the cherries sculpted like billiard balls, and the strawberries an unnaturally red.
A row of suits in the dressing room.
Armani, Zegna, and Brioni, with their tags still on, were piled up in the corner.
Limited edition sneakers are piled up like mountains in the shoe cabinet.
There are only a few thousand pairs of the Nike Air Mag with automatic lacing worldwide, and he wore them as slippers.
garage.
Press the elevator button to go directly underground.
The people who live here are all rich and powerful.
There are several Rolls-Royce Phantoms.
Bentleys, Lamborghinis, and Porsches are everywhere.
His Ferrari 488 Pista, matte black with red calipers, was parked at the very back.
There was also a modified Nissan GT-R next to them, specifically used for racing with Kim Soo-ho.
"Young Master Zhengyi, your car has been serviced and filled with gas."
The speaker was the apartment's property manager.
The service far surpasses that of ordinary property management companies; even if you just want to temporarily hire a few beautiful women to come to your home, you can do it with ease.
Of course, the property management fee is not an ordinary price either.
I took the car keys and started the V8 engine.
Today is CJ Group's 2012 annual charity gala.
The crystal chandelier on the top floor of the Shilla Hotel is so bright it's blinding.
Lee Jung-il held a glass of champagne, wore a custom-made suit, and was surrounded by celebrities and socialites.
"Young Master Zhengyi, it's been a long time~"
"Third Young Master, I've been considering that investment project you mentioned last time..."
"Annyeonghaseyo, Jung-il oppa, nice to meet you, I'm Sulli from f(x)..."
A smiling face.
All of them were smiling faces.
She smiled so much it looked like she'd been painted on.
Li Zheng felt incredibly awesome.
Kim Jisoo.
She was wearing a princess dress, her hair was tied in a ponytail, and her face still had a bit of baby fat.
Standing behind a pillar in the corner of the banquet hall, he stared intently at Li Zhengyi.
To be precise, she was staring at the woman in the deep V dress next to Li Zhengyi.
"Oppa, who is she?"
"friend."
"What friend?"
"It's none of your business, little brat. Go play somewhere else."
She was so angry that her face puffed up and her eyes turned red.
Li Zhengyi felt annoyed at the time.
When we were little, I was always following him and Kim Soo-ho around, calling them "Oppa, Oppa" as my short legs moved quickly.
Think about it now.
Did that girl hate me back then?
Forget it.
unimportant.
Keep drifting.
That was the family dinner the next day.
Lee Jae-hyun sat at the end of the long table, rarely moving his chopsticks and saying little.
But after each sentence was spoken, no one dared to respond with a second sentence.
"Chenghao, the Longshan project is progressing too slowly."
"Yes, Father, I will go to the site in person next week."
"The subsidiary's stock price has been performing poorly recently."
"We're already preparing for a new project, and things should improve next quarter."
Li Zhengyi sat at the very end, silently eating his rice.
"Woo-bin, what's going on with last month's credit card bill? Fifty billion? Explain this to me."
The second brother stopped eating, looking a little embarrassed.
"I... treated some friends to a few meals and bought some things..."
"You bought a yacht and then invited your friends to dinner? Do you think I'm senile?"
"..."
Snapped.
Put down the chopsticks.
"If this happens again, all cards will be suspended."
The second brother's face turned green.
Li Zheng lowered his head and ate, thinking to himself, "Thank goodness it wasn't me."
Now that I think about it, were the old man's hands shaking back then?
No, it's not trembling.
It's exerting force.
He was holding back something.
study.
Li Zheng sneaked into the kitchen to get some food in the middle of the night, passing by his father's study.
The door wasn't closed properly, and a ray of light leaked out.
He glanced inside.
My father is taking his medicine.
He swallowed a handful of pills with whiskey.
What kind of medicine is so plentiful?
Butler Uncle Li stood to the side, head bowed.
"President, should we call a doctor...?"
"unnecessary."
The medicine bottle was put away in the drawer.
Lock it.
That night, my father's face was ashen and his lips were purple.
Li Zhengyi didn't think much of it at the time.
Several times, when Li Zheng turned his head, he happened to meet his older brother's gaze.
He stood there, holding a wine glass, or leaning against the door frame, just watching quietly.
That look in his eyes was strange.
It wasn't about being close to her younger brother, nor was it about looking down on the spoiled brat, but it wasn't entirely cold either.
Anyway, Li Zhengyi felt a tightness in his chest, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.
Li Zhengyi comforted himself at the time, saying that he was under a lot of pressure managing the company and that he couldn't stand anyone.
Underground parking garage, 2 a.m.
Li Zhengyi had just returned from a high-speed drive, and the engine was still running.
A black Bentley was parked in the corner.
The older sister got out of the car.
The driver was a man in his forties or fifties, wearing glasses, and with a respectable appearance.
But it wasn't her husband.
Her husband stays home to take care of the child.
The two exchanged a few words, and the older sister smiled.
Not that kind of social smile, but that kind of...
Never mind, I won't describe it.
The Bentley drove away.
Li Zheng turned off the GT-R, sat in the dark, and waited for ten minutes before going upstairs.
He didn't tell anyone about this.
Memories of the birthday party are coming back.
The scene shook more and more violently, the lights became glaring, the sound of clinking glasses amplified, and the guests' laughter was distorted, as if heard through water.
That day.
Those people.
Those sounds.
He remembers everything.
But I just can't remember how that glass of wine was handed to him.
The older brother walked over carrying two glasses of champagne.
Happy birthday, Zhengyi.
"Thank you, brother."
drink.
done.
then.
dizziness.
The screen started rotating.
ceiling.
chandelier.
Those faces.
Everything turned into a vortex.
Then there is blank space.
dark.
scream.
"ah--!!"
A woman's scream.
Li Zhengyi suddenly opened his eyes.
My head hurts so badly it feels like it's been split open.
Bed.
The stepmother was standing nearby.
His clothes were disheveled.
Outside.
The older sister covered her mouth.
Behind.
A lot of people.
Many pairs of eyes.
Many mobile phones.
The father rushed in.
Golf clubs.
Swing it down.
Li Zhengyi did not dodge.
It's not that I don't want to hide.
It's completely immobile.
My whole body felt like it was filled with lead.
pain.
blood.
Then came the father's voice.
"From today onwards, you are no longer my son, Lee Jae-hyun."
"Removed from the family genealogy."
"roll."
"Never come back."
The older brother was standing at the door.
His expression was calm.
My second brother is behind me.
He's laughing.
The older sister covered her mouth.
Between the fingers.
The corner of the mouth.
It was also hooked.
Li Zheng couldn't manage a smile.
He looked at his father.
His eyes were bloodshot.
The father believed it.
I really believed it.
My father didn't ask me a single question.
The club swung down again.
Li Zhengyi closed his eyes.
The body is falling.
down.
down.
Like jumping off a building rooftop.
weightlessness.
The sound of the wind.
All those faces are on it.
It's getting further and further away from me.
further and further.
then……