IN INT. LUXURY UNDERGROUND NIGHTCLUB – NIGHT
Strobe lights flicker above the haze of smoke and alcohol. Music pumps through the speakers, but the energy shifts,darkens as a group of hefty men in black flood into the club.
Without warning, chaos erupts.
Bottles crash, chairs topple, screams echo. The men begin beating a handful of patrons, dragging two of them out of VIP booths. The crowd panics, some rush to the exits—but none interfere.
The entrance doors part again, and in walks KIM TAE WON , calm amidst madness.
Dressed in a crisp black tailored suit, sunglasses glinting under the neon, he holds a book in his hand titled "The String in Accounting."
Without a word, he makes his way through the club untouched. People part like shadows around him. He takes a seat at the counter, crosses his legs, opens the book, and begins reading as if at a peaceful café.
THUD!
Two of his men drag a bald man in his 40s, beaten and bloody, and slam him to the ground before Tae Won.
The music dims, the violence halts. All eyes shift to the man now trembling on the floor."You're behind schedule," Tae Won says calmly, still reading.
"Or do you want me to collect it myself?"
"Please… Mr. Kim, business has been slow," the man stutters, bowing his head. "I swear I'll pay it back once things pick up."
SLAM.
Tae Won closes the book with a loud snap.He rises, stretches slightly, then starts hitting the man with the book over and over again.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Blood smears across the book's once-clean cover.
Finally, Tae Won stops. He straightens his suit, gives the book a gentle pat, and nods.
His men hoist the man up, barely conscious.
Tae Won grabs him by the collar, pulling him close, his face emotionless.
"My instinct tells me… you want to go to jail."
"No, no!" the man begs.
"Then don't forget... your records are with me and one more thing -."
The man sobs.
Tae Won raises his hand. A sleek iPad is placed into it by an assistant.
He taps a video and turns the screen toward the man.
ON SCREEN:Grainy security footage of a store being ransacked. A woman screams, pulling her young son behind her as masked men attack, throwing bottles and smashing shelves. The men dragged the boy out of the mother hand and entered the van and doom off leaving the woman crying as they left.
The bald man gasps in horror.
"That's my ex-wife's shop. My son , leave my son out of this. I promise to pay on time."
Tae Won speaks in a chilling whisper:"I give encouragement… in many forms. You've got 72 hours if you want to see that lovely son of your."
He drops the iPad on the man's chest and turns to his men.
"Clean this mess up. We've got more rats to flush out."
As he walks away, he opens his book again, flipping calmly to the last page he read as if nothing happened.
Outside the club,in the parking lot,the night air is heavy, still reeking of smoke and blood. Kim Tae Won steps out of the club calmly, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeves as he heads toward his sleek black luxury car waiting under the dim streetlights.
Just as his hand reaches for the car door, one of his men comes running,clearly out of breath, a bead of sweat trailing down his temple.
"Sir! We have a situation," the man says, voice low but urgent.
Tae Won pauses, slowly turning his head.
"What kind of situation?" he asks without emotion.
"A group of officers showed up at the company… asking questions."
Tae Won's fingers tighten slightly on the car door.
"Which station?" he asks quietly.
"Busan Metropolitan Police Department."
"They're digging into the Cha Xiu Min case."
Silence falls. Tae Won removes his sunglasses, revealing his cold, calculating eyes. He stares off into the darkness, thinking.
"The ones investigating Jungwon Enterprises,So... they're making a move."
He looks at the man.
"Did they take anything or did anyone say anything?"
"No, just questions. We told them nothing."
Tae Won gives a cold smirk.
"Keep it that way."
He opens the car door and begins to step in, then stops.
"And tell the legal department… to prepare a press release. Something loud and distracting.""About what, sir?"
"Doesn't matter. Make something up."
He sits in the back seat, the door closes behind him.
"If the police want to poke their heads into our business…"
He leans back, eyes gleaming.
"…then let's give them something worth choking on."
Inside the luxury car with Tae Won and his assistant Jung Myung ,the city lights of Busan flicker outside the tinted window as Kim Tae Won sits in the backseat of a sleek black car, flipping through his phone. His assistant, Jung Myung, sits opposite him, nervous but trying not to show it.
Jung Myung said in a low voice :
"Sir, the legal team is preparing the press release. It'll be out by morning something about a charity merger to keep the press distracted."
Tae Won nods slightly :
"Good. Feed them noise."
A brief silence.
JUNG MYUNG said in fear :
"...One more thing, sir."
TAE WON irritated said :
"What again?"
Myung hands him a folder with a stamped header from the Busan Metropolitan Police. Tae Won opens it slowly.
Inside are photos, credentials, and records of Detective Kang Do Hyun one of the detective covering Xiu Min case.
JUNG MYUNG continue :
"He's the one sent by the Ministry… from the U.S by the Ambassador of France to Korea to investigate the death of his son Xiu Min.They say he's brilliant and won't stop until he gets his answer.Worked under Interpol. Clean record. Cold instincts. He's the one who sent the police officers over to the company ."
Tae Won's gaze sharpens as he stares at Do Hyun's photo.
Tae Won reads aloud softly)
"Kang Do Hyun…"
He leans back, processing.
Tae Won said:
"So… is he that good?"
Jung Myung said :
" According to our source,he is very good, he's already digging into Xiu Min… and might've gotten wind of the ledger. He's also been seen near Jungwon Enterprises."
A long pause. Tae Won's calm demeanor begins to crack ever so slightly.
Tae Won said,smiling faintly
"Then we might have to make him... disappear quietly or -."
He closes the folder, knocks twice on the window, signaling the driver.
Tae Won said :
"Tell our inside men to keep tabs on him. If he gets too close..."
He leans forward, voice chilling
Tae Won continue:
"....we have to make him go back to where he comes from."
The driver replied :" Yes Sir."
Tae Won open the folder and look at the picture of Kang Do Hyun, pressing it tightly, saying:
"Kang Do Hyun .…"