"the whole time i was looking into this choi family has been infuriating and exhausting," mingyu says, slumping himself on the couch in jeonghan's new office. his shoulders drop like all the weight he's been carrying finally caught up to him. tons of folders are scattered messily on the table.

"why? what did you find out?" jeonghan asks, his voice low, as he watches wonwoo quietly sit in front of mingyu. wonwoo doesn’t say anything, he just flips through a folder, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"things we already know of—killings, drugs, manipulation, corruption, slandering... and there are even cases of arson," mingyu responds, sliding his hand through his hair, pushing it back like he’s trying to clear his mind.

jeonghan crosses his arms, leaning against the edge of the desk. his eyes narrow, jaw tightening. "i'll start from the very beginning for this." mingyu says slowly.

"we know that the choi family now are from a noble family since the 1800s. the family’s been in power even from the start. however, the ties between the hong and choi families began in 1959. the first hong lawyer, hong ga min, had a client involving the victim of choi lee hyung. choi jae hyung’s father. to keep it simple, choi lee hyung raped and assaulted the victim. then he made a deal with hong ga min, the brother of hong joshua’s grandfather. then the case just… closed. hong ga min lost. it signified the start of the choi’s control over the hong family."

jeonghan’s face darkens, his knuckles turning white as he grips the edge of the table. he stood up and walked towards where the two is. wonwoo doesn’t even blink, his eyes locked on the file in his hands.

"1969," mingyu continues, his voice a bit rougher now.

"hong ga min tried to break free from his ties with the choi family. he was sinking deeper into their crimes—killings, cover-ups… i found out he witnessed one himself." mingyu stops, reaching into one of the folders and sliding out an old black-and-white photo. the edges are worn, and there’s a faint stain on one corner.

"this is him," he says, pushing the photo forward.

"hong ga min. standing right behind choi lee hyung." jeonghan picks up the photo, staring at it like it holds all the answers.

"later that year, hong ga min’s mother and wife was killed in a fire at their home. the police stated it was accidental. but we found out choi lee hyung was behind it, it wasn’t an accident. it was a message. a sign that hong ga min belonged to them, that he should never even think about leaving."

"but why does choi lee hyung want hong ga min so much?" someon suddenly speaks up from the doorway. he must’ve heard everything. jun walks in slowly, sitting beside wonwoo, who still hasn’t lifted his gaze from the files.

"the man was talented in every area," mingyu replies, his voice almost bitter.

"as a lawyer, he could solve their company’s problems. he even convinced an american and japanese investors to pour money into their businesses and offer protection. choi lee hyung saw his potential and he didn’t want to lose that kind of talent."

mingyu’s voice drops lower now, like he’s afraid the walls might hear. "1978. hong ga min’s brother, hong seung ji, found out about his ties with the choi family just days before his death. hong ga min died of cardiac arrest in his home on august 31, 1978. he left letters, photos, proof of all the crimes he committed, witnesses against the choi family, and all the evidence he tampered with when he represented the choi victims."

"the public thought hong ga min was fighting against the choi family, but the truth is… he was working for them all along, making sure their victims lost. over time he felt guilty about it, that’s why he tried to break free in 1969." jeonghan sat beside mingyu, rubbing his face with both hands.

"when hong seung ji found out, he confronted choi lee hyung, who was already sick with heart disease at the time. fast forward towards the end of that day, hong seung ji learned everything hong ga min did. and he was forced to fill his brother’s place in the family. that day, he came home with bruises, wounds, and… fear. they threatened to kill his wife and child. since then, the hong family... every single one of them, even hong ga min’s children worked for the choi family. until... of course, hong joshua made a move to break it by representing choi jae hyung’s ex-daughter-in-law."

silence fills the room, thick and suffocating. the only sound is the faint rustle of papers and the heavy breathing of four men drowning in truths too dark to ignore.

jun finally speaks, his voice a broken whisper, "this… this is bigger than i thought."

mingyu nods slowly, his eyes dark and empty. "and it’s far from over."

"i've looked into choi jae hyung... and he is the devil himself. he killed tons of people, even his own children. he's involved in so many crimes. far too many to even count. he really is just evil," mingyu says, his voice low and with a hint of anger.

jeonghan picks up the folders, flipping through pages filled with photos, documents, blood-stained reports—evidence of choi jae hyung's crimes. his jaw clenches tight. his hands tremble slightly, but he grips the papers harder, refusing to let the emotions show.

joshua knows all of this. he’s the one who choi jae hyung wants dead the most.

"he had exactly 14 children from 9 women. 2 children from his legal wife, park min ha. their youngest died last year. now, only two children remain in this world. his other 11 children died. some did not even had the chance to reach the age of 7," mingyu's voice cracks at the last part, his throat dry, like the words are burning him inside out.

"those poor children," jun whispers, tears welling up in his eyes. he tries to wipe them away quickly, but they keep falling. his fists clench on his knees,  frustrated.

"that fucking monster," he adds under his breath, his voice shaking with fury.

"choi jae ha, and oh jae min," mingyu continues.

wonwoo freezes. his hand, flipping through another file, stops mid-air. lips parting slightly as if he’s about to say something but holds it back. mingyu notices.

"yes... the oh jae min that almost killed sungkwan during the mission. the same one seungcheol kicked hard," mingyu adds, his gaze locked on wonwoo.

"like father, like son. they are the most similar, out of all the child he has." mingyu mutters, pulling out more files.

"oh jae min has committed crimes himself since he was 18. rape, assault, drugs... he even caused a death from reckless driving. all of which was covered up by hong nam, the firstborn of hong ga min."

mingyu throws pictures on the table—victims, bruised faces, broken bodies. the room falls silent, only the sound of mingyu’s breathing fills the space. jeonghan stares at the photos, his eyes dark, his fingers tightening around the folder until the edges crumple.

"and i just found out that the hotel oh jae min stayed at, when he was hurt by seungcheol is under fire now because of all the tweets he posted," mingyu adds, sliding his phone across the table. the phone displayed screenshots of vile, arrogant tweets that oh jae min made.

"he’s really more like choi jae hyung than choi jae ha or even choi ha neul themselves," mingyu whispers.

jeonghan takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second like he's trying to hold back. "do we know the owner of the hotel?"

"yes. kim taehyung. i believe you know him?" mingyu replies.

jeonghan’s face twitches slightly, the name stinging like an old scar being poked. "yes... not personally..." he mutters, bitterness seeping through his words.

"get me the phone number of his father," jeonghan says.

"copy that."