Snake Venom Ch 98

Chapter 98

 

In stark contrast to the shabby exterior, the interior brimmed solely with an obsession for self-display. Cheon Wooshin swiftly scanned the walls gilded in garish patterns and the sleek marble before glancing at the chandelier suspended from the ceiling. The pathological ostentation, devoid of any aesthetic sensibility, no longer surprised him.

 

Venturing deeper, heads lolling on oversized leather sofas turned sluggishly. Less a check of entrants than an unconscious response to sound and presence. Among them, one man thrusting his hips frantically cried “Aaaah!” in a high-pitched moan, shuddering in climax. Yellow streams spurted from a member that had likely endured repeated erections and ejaculations. An excessive, lascivious gesture that forcibly seized the gaze.

 

The visual shock proved more intense than anticipated; Lee Yeonwoo could not easily tear his eyes away. The man at his peak grinned with eyes rolled back. Instinctive revulsion seeped down his spine—when Cheon Wooshin’s calm voice pierced his ear.

 

“Don’t waste your eyes.”

 

With that quiet command, he redirected Lee Yeonwoo’s gaze, his own expression unaltered. Merely exuding boredom, he proceeded. Lee Yeonwoo concealed his flustered reaction, treating Cheon Wooshin as his compass.

 

Yet the indiscriminate medley of liquor fumes, drug odors, artificial perfumes, and unrestrained estrus pheromones confounded Lee Yeonwoo’s senses. His mucous membranes already felt tainted by the stench, but he firmly recalled his duty.

 

Shin Junseong was meticulous in unexpected ways. Though all appeared drug-addled, no one could rule out surveillance mingled among them. Lee Yeonwoo clenched his fists repeatedly to resist rubbing his nose.

 

Then a man approached, shoulders swaying loosely. Eyes unfocused, he was too intoxicated—by drugs or alcohol—to stand steadily. Cheon Wooshin passed him swiftly, deeming him unworthy of engagement. Lee Yeonwoo, shadowing like a wraith, intended the same—when the man abruptly quickened and reached for him.

 

“Something new. I’ll eat first.”

 

The abrupt lunge was irrational. Lee Yeonwoo retreated half a step, but the man, as though discovering fascinating prey, extended both arms to embrace him. Observing the frantic bidder, Lee Yeonwoo briefly pondered. Politeness would avail nothing; perhaps simply kick him away.

 

“Guhk!”

 

A hand shot forth from somewhere, precisely seizing the man’s throat—nearly twisting it.

 

“Always wondered.”

 

Cheon Wooshin muttered indifferently, kicking the man’s ankle. Without time to regain balance, the fallen man received a boot to the nape.

 

“Seems you hire voyeurs for pay here.”

 

A jab at the guards who witnessed the rude advance yet stood idle. Cheon Wooshin signaled those along the wall.

 

“Shall I handle it?”

 

Raising his tone’s tail while pressing his toe, his trousers strained taut over firm thighs. The compressing motion was slow, yet the force threatened to snap the neck in an instant if willed. The pained groans vibrating beneath his foot registered as mere noise to Cheon Wooshin.

 

“……”

 

In that moment, Lee Yeonwoo detected a peculiar aura rising somewhere in his gaze. Subtle enough to escape notice without close scrutiny—yet unmistakable to one who had observed him keenly.

 

The expressionless face, impassive eyes, the chilling stare probing another’s agony revealed unmistakable pleasure. A private facet Cheon Wooshin would never ordinarily expose lingered as naturally as if it had always been his.

 

Déjà vu surged with nausea. The current Cheon Wooshin inevitably overlapped with the man who had handled him capriciously.

 

Belatedly arriving guards seized the man by both arms and dragged him away. Cheon Wooshin resumed walking. His unadorned back exuded characteristic restrained elegance. His expression was pristine, as though never tinged with bloodlust. A hallucination? Recalling the fleeting chill, Lee Yeonwoo followed.

 

Guided by a guard, they ascended to the upper floor.

 

“Here already?”

 

From afar, behind the sofa, a laughter-laced voice flew.

 

Shin Junseong coiled once more in the innermost sanctum of his own creation.

 

Raising a hand high in delight, his relaxed face bore a smile indistinguishable between good mood and clouded mind. Cheon Wooshin offered no greeting—merely a brief glance.

 

As Cheon Wooshin seated himself in the prepared spot, Lee Yeonwoo stood behind. Observing their movements, Shin Junseong smiled slowly. Intoxication lent leisure to his dulled gestures.

 

“What’s this? A friend?”

 

Lee Yeonwoo’s accompaniment had already been approved. Shin Junseong himself had permitted entry—yet he probed deliberately to savor the reaction. Cheon Wooshin inserted a deliberate pause before answering.

 

“One cannot question the master’s orders. Shall I relay it?”

 

The casual remark precisely implied responsibility’s direction. Complaints now would be conveyed upward through the proxy. Shin Junseong furrowed his brows playfully.

 

“Ah, unpleasant.”

 

Though dragging the tail to express regret, he seemed pleased. Cheon Wooshin did not dwell on the cryptic response. Shin Junseong was generally generous to acknowledged partners, a fact Cheon Wooshin knew well. Capriciousness now changed nothing. The deal would conclude; Lee Yeonwoo and Shin Junseong’s encounter would be first and last.

 

Popping a fruit slice into his mouth, Shin Junseong spoke.

 

“What do you need this time?”

 

Whether from drugs or inherently tasteless, he abruptly frowned and shoved the plate away.

 

Cheon Wooshin stated conditions clearly and concisely. Short deadline, large quantity. Drug type limited to Hephaesi. Renowned for scentless compounding—most elusive to trace—yet that very trait would lull them into complacency. Cheon Wooshin held an exceptional card: Lee Yeonwoo, who distinguished Hephaesi as readily as any drug odor.

 

Ordering Hephaesi in bulk through Shin Junseong would surely activate the factory hidden somewhere in MIRAGE. The plan’s inception—exploiting enemy laxity—began with Shin Junseong.

 

“Feasible?”

 

Cheon Wooshin leaned back against the rest. Legs crossed, he tapped the armrest lightly, eyes lowered. A leisure distinct from Shin Junseong’s drug-feigned ease. Even amid it, intent to calculate shone clear as he spoke.

 

“I’ll pay double. More if supply is assured.”

 

Shin Junseong’s eyes narrowed. Pupils dilated in a sleazy grin contracted subtly.

 

“Hmm.”

 

A short rumble in his throat, then laughter.

 

“You’re in a hurry.”

 

Tone lax, yet eyes oddly sharpened with interest and calculation. Cheon Wooshin did not reply. Misinterpreting the static response, faint excitement laced Shin Junseong’s voice.

 

“Surely the southern defense line isn’t breached? Planning a push there?”

 

Cheon Wooshin tilted his head wordlessly. His silence fueled Shin Junseong’s imagination, granting leeway for self-judgment. Shin Junseong’s lips curled. Suddenly humming, he already envisioned expanding into the widened market.

 

Yet Shin Junseong too was a seasoned negotiator. Suppressing mirth, he leaned back. Less refined than Cheon Wooshin, yet sufficient to reveal cryptic intent.

 

“Ha, so that’s it…”

 

Trailing off again, he raised a brow. Calculations complete, he feigned delay.

 

“You know how the production plant operates? Surveillance tightened since old days; moved factories several times, they say. Backlogs abound—yet suddenly this volume? With a deadline? Placing such an order is rude in itself.”

 

Swiftly balancing after an enticing proposal, then seizing transactional advantage—befitting an underworld entrepreneur. Thus Cheon Wooshin conceded readily.

 

“Your guess is correct. Hephaesi is the condition for opening the line.”

 

Allowing Shin Junseong to presume board control was precisely Cheon Wooshin’s desired tableau. The ultimate aim: activate the Hephaesi factory in one stroke. Cheon Wooshin leaned subtly toward him—an intentional plea.

 

“I need you.”

 

The clinching sentence twitched Shin Junseong’s lips uncontrollably. Even a veteran negotiator succumbed easily to submission—likely the drugs.

 

“Ah, no choice. I’ll exert myself.”

 

The deal was sealed. Cheon Wooshin silently lowered his gaze. False messages exchanged. At the circuit’s end—routed multiple times to evade tracing—stood Joo Doyoung. Receiving the courteous completion notice, he and the team would prepare the next phase per Cheon Wooshin’s directive.