Mixed-Blood in a Gender Role Reversed World - Chapter 39

 Chapter 39 : Our Way (5)

"Minwoo’s mother! How many times have I told you?!"

"Stop talking about the mafia! I’m hanging up!"

The woman, snorting angrily, slammed the phone down as if she meant to break it. The thick layer of fat on her body hinted at her lack of physical activity.

There was no need for it. She was a prosecutor, after all.

Why would she bother moving when everyone around her took care of everything? Her pride in her profession was immense, and she continued to huff indignantly.

To think that someone running a company of that scale would be scared of something as trivial as the mafia.

"They’re telling me to drop the lawsuit because they don’t know who’s behind it? Who do they think I am? I’m a prosecutor… a prosecutor of South Korea…"

Already frustrated by being stuck in a backwater like Chuncheon due to backing the wrong faction, the call from Hyemin’s mother was the spark that ignited her fury.

"Yes, it’s me! Just trust me and come out!"

"The mafia? I’ve explained this time and again, but those women can’t do anything here. I’ll take care of everything!"

Before she knew it, she was back on the phone, tirelessly persuading parents. Convincing these cowards was a bit taxing, but thanks to her impassioned pleas, she managed to achieve her goal.

After hanging up, she sank her heavy frame into a luxurious chair. Only then did her true self emerge, seething with resentment.

"Hmph. Her son’s in that state, and she’s still so cautious. Unbelievable."

She seemed to resent the parents, but part of her understood why they acted that way.

People want to maintain a comfortable life where they can sleep in a warm bed and eat their fill. Especially with their kind of jobs, they could live quite comfortably for the rest of their lives.

For such people, the scariest thing was having that happy life shattered.

No matter how precious their son was, they wouldn’t want to risk getting stabbed or putting their entire family in danger just to seek revenge.

Or perhaps it’d be a gun.

"Idiotic women. What era do they think this is? Russian mafia, of all things? Ridiculous."

The Red Mafia had a brief moment of glory, but now they were scattered and weak, barely able to unite.

And a high school boy being part of the mafia? What nonsense.

With that thought, she let out a derisive snort but suddenly pursed her lips, struck by a fleeting sense of unease.

A few years ago, she vaguely recalled hearing rumors about an emerging Russian mafia organization. One that had been on the brink of collapse but rose to dominate Russia’s underworld shortly after a woman took over as its boss.

It was information she’d overheard when she was closer to power. She didn’t know if it was true, but it seemed implausible.

How could a single organization control a landmass that vast?

Pfft—

She let out a deflated laugh. If it was some mafia heir, why would they bother with someone like Sia, who’d lost all real power?

Sia, who’d quit her job, probably just wanted a taste of some fresh, handsome boy and approached him casually. Without the protection of the Sung Yujin family, sia was nothing but a paper tiger.

"I’ll make sure you end up in prison. You won’t get out until you graduate high school. I’ll make it happen."

Her bloodshot eyes gleamed with ferocity as she bit her lip and muttered.

*Click.*

"Honey! Time to sleep."

At her husband’s words as he entered the room, she silently rose from her seat and headed to the bedroom, lying down on the king-sized bed to rest.

For tomorrow.

---

___

"I’ll be back."

After bidding farewell to her husband, she got into her car and headed toward Yeonjeong High School. Checking the time as she drove, she entered a quiet mountain road and set her phone aside to focus on driving.

The winding two-lane road was dangerous one wrong move could lead to an accident. The right side was a cliff with only a guardrail, so she had to be extra cautious.

As she drove carefully, she noticed a truck approaching from the opposite direction. When it flashed its high beams, she cursed under her breath, startled.

"What’s wrong with that lunatic? Flashing high beams in broad daylight… What the—?!"

The truck suddenly swerved toward her car. It came at an angle that made dodging nearly impossible, so she yanked the steering wheel to the left to avoid it.

*CRASH!*

Her car veered left and slammed into the mountainside with a deafening roar. The sound of dirt or debris raining down on the car echoed around her.

"Ugh… ugh… damn it… what kind of crazy woman…"

Blood trickled from her forehead as she muttered curses and lifted her head. The car’s hood was visibly crumpled, and white smoke was rising from it.

Even in her dazed state, she realized the car might explode if she stayed. She hurriedly opened the passenger door and stumbled out.

As soon as she crawled out, a figure clad entirely in black stood waiting, flashing a sly smile with their eyes. The hat and mask obscured everything but those eyes.

"Hello, Prosecutor."

"You… you damn bitch… do you know who I—argh!"

She glared at the figure but couldn’t finish her sentence. Something sharp pricked her neck, and her body collapsed to the ground.

The figure slipped their hands under her armpits, hoisting her up, and said, "God, you’re heavy. Ever think about exercising?"

Her trembling eyes locked onto the figure’s. In those bottomless black eyes, she saw her own terrified reflection and her aging, crumbling body.

*Heave.*

As the figure loaded her into the passenger seat, she couldn’t even muster the strength to resist.

Slowly.

Her body grew weak, and her vision blurred.

As she sat in the passenger seat, staring vacantly, the figure spoke with a tone laced with pity.

"Tsk tsk… do you know what the boss hates the most?"

"The… boss…?"

Her body twitched as if she’d realized something, but the figure continued, unperturbed.

"It's when people act like he doesn't exist in their eyes. What gave you the guts to try throwing him in prison?"

The figure’s mocking laughter rang out. She reached out with a trembling hand, grasping the figure’s wrist through her foggy vision.

"My… family… don’t touch them…"

Her final plea hung in the air, but the response she hoped for never came.

She lifted her head to look at the figure’s face.

Even with the mask, she could tell.

The figure was smiling.

Realizing what that meant, she tried to struggle and speak, but her body wouldn’t obey.

The last thing she saw before her vision faded was the passenger door slamming shut with a bang. Trapped in her coffin, she closed her eyes. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Watching the car from a distance, the figure tucked a black box they’d brought just in case into their pocket and grumbled.

"If you liked him that much, you should’ve taken him with you… ugh. Honestly, the boss is too soft. Even after all this trouble they caused."

Well.

They’re bound by the same blood. I get it.

*BOOM!*

The car carrying the prosecutor exploded with a thunderous roar. Sparks flew, and a towering pillar of fire shot into the sky.

The figure quietly watched the blazing car, then waved to someone and said, 

"Don't worry about the family. If we kill them all, he might get suspicious. he's already lost his memories gotta start over from scratch."

With that, the figure climbed into the truck and left the scene as if they’d never been there.

---

___

A deathly silence hung over the room, as if under a spell.

*Tick, tock. Tick, tock.*

The clock’s second hand passed 6:10.

"Well, now. I was wondering why she was late…"

A pleasant baritone voice broke the silence, followed by the sound of multiple people swallowing hard. Hyemin, her face pale as a ghost, trembled as she looked at Sehwa.

His face, feigning surprise and pity, was a mask of deceitful beauty. Behind it, there was surely a satisfied smile, as refreshing as downing a cold soda.

A coincidence. Was it really a coincidence?

That the prosecutor died today, of all days, and at this exact time?

In Hyemin’s mind, Sehwa’s gestures and actions flashed by like a montage.

The way he sat so casually, legs crossed, as if he hadn’t a care in the world, like he was in his own home.

[ "I can go alone." ]

[ I’m starting to feel like forgiving them." ]

Words she’d dismissed as bravado.

[ "Sehwa, you should still show some respect." ]

[ "No need to play nice with someone I won’t see again" ]

When the clock passed 5:30, Sehwa had said that.

Did he know? That the prosecutor was already dead?

Was it even possible in Korea to kill a prosecutor in less than two days and control the timing so precisely?

(Who… who the hell are you? Who are you, damn it…?)

She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to give up the life she was living. If Sehwa told her to lick his feet, she’d do it a hundred times.

(…Did I do something wrong? You said you’d forgive me… please.)

The truth hit her with a fear unlike anything she’d felt before. It morphed into a haze, like cigarette smoke, stinging her eyes and forcing tears to well up. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill.

As she wiped the blood from her trembling hands on her skirt, Sehwa’s low, calm voice cut through again.

"It’s unfortunate, but… what do you all plan to do now?"

His tone carried a hint of irritation, but no one dared respond.

What did he mean?

Was he annoyed that people were still hesitating, even after he’d shown how he dealt with things? She should have spoken up, said they should stop here, but her lips felt glued shut.

Everyone in the room seemed to share her thoughts. Their trembling eyes said it all. Damn it.

"…Actually, we’ve already decided to let it go. The main instigator is gone, so there’s no reason to continue."

Thankfully, her mother snapped out of it and spoke, prompting immediate agreement.

"Y-Yes, exactly. I heard our son was in the wrong first, so we were going to apologize."

"Yes, that’s right! That prosecutor insisted on staying in her position… haha."

The parents, forcing a cheerful atmosphere over the tense air, stood up and apologized to Sehwa.

Bowing to a boy much younger than them, they scurried away when Sehwa waved them off, signaling it was fine. The teachers, initially confused, seemed to realize something and quickly excused themselves, claiming they had work to do.

The parents followed, fleeing the scene, and even Suyoung bolted, leaving only Hyemin, her mother, and Minho.

"Sehwa… it must’ve been tough for you."

"It’s fine. It’s always been tough, so it’s not a big deal. I’m surprised, though, teacher. I didn’t know you could say stuff like that."

At Sehwa’s nonchalant response, Minho’s face darkened to an almost unbearable degree.

Even Hyemin could sense the thorns in Sehwa’s words how must Minho, the target, feel?

His golden eyes, now devoid of light, seemed to say to Minho:you’re next.

As Minho, nearly in tears, tried to cling to Sehwa again, his sharp gaze began to narrow, but Hyemin’s mother intervened.

"Let’s… head out first."

"B-But…"

"…"

Minho, with a desperate look, kept staring at Sehwa but couldn’t withstand her mother’s stern gaze and left.

"What the hell just happened…?"

Sehwa muttered, incredulous, but Hyemin wasn’t fooled anymore.

"…Tch, good work."

"Oh, you worked hard too. Actually, I had something prepared for you…"

"…Huh? Prepared something? C-Come on."

Sehwa’s cryptic words made Hyemin look at him pleadingly, as if begging him not to joke. But his steady gaze, far from playful, sent a chill through the air between them. Hyemin tried to force a smile, but her eyes couldn’t. If she closed them, the tears pooling there would spill.

Please, don’t.

I tried so hard. So hard.

Sehwa, watching Hyemin as she seemed about to collapse, gave a small smile, as if satisfied.

"Guess I don’t need it anymore."

At his added words, Hyemin felt as if her life had been spared. Her legs, barely holding her up, trembled as she fought not to collapse.

Meanwhile, her mother approached Sehwa, cautiously offering words of comfort for his efforts. Sehwa smiled prettily, folding his eyes.

"I’ll get going, then."

Even as Sehwa said goodbye at the door, Hyemin stood frozen, her head bowed by her mother’s firm hand. Sehwa gave a slight nod in return before disappearing from their sight.

Relief washed over Hyemin, and she covered her face with her hands. Then, for the first time, she heard her mother’s voice, filled with uncharacteristic rage.

"…We’ll talk at home."

"M-Mother…"

That day, her mother’s prized golf club nearly cracked. She hadn’t hit a ball, so it was strange. Must’ve hit something hard.

Like Hyemin’s bones.