“Tae…”

A dangerous silence settled inside the office.

Then the Chairman spoke quietly.

“I think you’re becoming soft.”

The moment those words left his father’s mouth—

Tae immediately stood up from his chair and walked straight toward him until they stood face to face.

“No… it’s not like that, Dad.”

“What I’m saying is true.”

“There was no reason to kill him.”

“We could’ve used him as bait to lure Uncle.”

The room fell silent once again.

Then the Chairman slowly spoke.

“Tae…”

“When you work in this field…”

“You always need to stay one step ahead.”

“And if they’re already two steps ahead…”

“You need to be five steps ahead of them.”

His sharp eyes locked onto Tae’s.

“You know me, right?”

“I never kill someone without a reason.”

“If I personally went there…”

“That means something happened that should never have happened.”

The atmosphere inside the office instantly became heavier.

Then the Chairman continued in a colder voice.

“You stopped thinking, Tae.”

“You forgot how I think.”

The moment those words reached him—

Tae froze completely.

His lips slowly went dry.

No words came out anymore.

He simply stood there silently like a statue.

After watching him for a few seconds, the Chairman spoke again.

“Tae…”

“Do you know what happened in our club?”

Tae answered quietly.

“One woman died.”

The Chairman nodded slowly.

“So you know that much.”

The Chairman slowly nodded.

“But do you know how it happened?”

Tae lowered his eyes slightly.

“No… Dad.”

“Did you ask anyone what actually happened?”

“…No.”

A faint sigh escaped the Chairman’s lips.

“Hm…”

He slowly walked toward the window before speaking again.

“You need to think like the leader of Tigers.”

“Think like your grandfather.”

His voice remained calm, but every word felt heavy.

“I’m not angry at you because…”

“There was once a time when I became like you too.”

Then he slowly turned back toward Tae.

“Don’t let emotions control you.”

“The moment emotions take over…”

“Your mind stops thinking clearly.”

“You start making decisions without a plan.”

The office remained silent except for the Chairman’s voice echoing softly through the room.

“No matter what happens…”

“You must keep your mind calm.”

“If you become emotional too easily…”

“You’ll eventually lose the thing you wanted to protect the most.”

His gaze darkened slightly afterward.

“I’m telling you this from experience.”

The Chairman loosened the cuffs of his bloodstained sleeves before continuing.

“Your uncle recently got his hands on a drug called Hibiscus.”

“It’s a dangerous drug.”

“It drives people insane with desire.”

“Even old men and impotent people use it.”

“It’s mostly used at high-class parties where celebrities and rich people gather.”

His expression slowly hardened.

“I still don’t know how your uncle got access to that drug…”

“But he started spreading it through clubs.”

“And even a tiny amount is enough to destroy someone’s mind.”

Tae silently listened without interrupting.

Meanwhile, the Chairman continued.

“The man I killed…”

“Baek Ji-Hoon.”

“He came to our club to sell that drug.”

“And while he was there…”

“He saw a woman.”

The Chairman’s jaw tightened slightly.

“He thought she was beautiful.”

“So he approached her…”

“And secretly mixed a small amount of Hibiscus into her drink.”

Silence filled the office.

“After a while…”

“The drug started affecting her.”

“Her body temperature rose.”

“She couldn’t think properly anymore.”

“And he took her to one of the rooms.”

The Chairman slowly clenched his fists.

“At first…”

“She tried to resist.”

“She tried pushing him away.”

“But the drug kept affecting her body.”

“She slowly lost control of herself.”

The office suddenly felt colder.

“She couldn’t even think clearly anymore.”

“Her body only reacted to the drug.”

“And because of that…”

“She couldn’t properly fight back.”

Tae’s fists tightened beside him.

The Chairman continued speaking quietly.

“The next morning…”

“She woke up beside him.”

“At first, she couldn’t clearly remember what had happened.”

“But the moment she opened her eyes…”

“She felt pain all over her body.”

“Red marks covered her skin.”

“And blood was running down her legs.”

Tae’s breathing slowly became heavier.

“She realized something terrible had happened to her.”

“She panicked.”

“She became terrified.”

“But before she could escape…”

“He woke up.”

The Chairman’s eyes slowly turned colder.

“She tried to run away…”

“But he grabbed her leg.”

A suffocating silence spread through the office.

“And inside that same room…”

“He forced himself on her again.”

Even the air inside the office felt heavy after those words.

“After that…”

“He left her there alone and walked away.”

Tae stood completely silent.

Then the Chairman spoke again.

“You asked about the noises, right?”

“Those rooms are soundproof.”

“So nobody heard anything.”

He slowly walked closer toward Tae.

“When I arrived at the club…”

“One bartender told me that two people entered the room…”

“But only one person came out.”

“So I personally checked the room.”

The Chairman paused briefly.

Then quietly—

“When I entered…”

“She was already dead.”

Silence swallowed the office once again.

“We tracked him down through the CCTV footage.”

The Chairman looked directly into Tae’s eyes.

“And because of that…”

His voice became cold and emotionless.

“I killed him, Tae.”