EBE Chapter 1025 IU
Chapter 1025 IU
After that dramatic farce, the celebration banquet ended abruptly. On the way back to the hotel, the atmosphere inside the van was unusually strange. Uzi, Karsa, and Ming squeezed into the back seat, occasionally glancing furtively at Xu Mo in the front passenger seat with a mixture of awe, curiosity, and a hint of fear.
Xu Mo remained calm and composed, leaning against the window and watching the dazzling neon lights of Seoul's streets, as if the person who had just made the local tyrant of Gangnam kneel and beg for mercy with a butterfly knife was not him at all.
“Mo…Mozi,” Uzi hesitated for a long time before finally mustering up the courage to speak, “What…what did you do before?”
This is the question that everyone in the car wants to ask.
Xu Mo turned his gaze away from the window, glanced at the several faces in the rearview mirror that were filled with gossip, and said indifferently, "Before? I played some... different kinds of matches."
This answer clearly failed to satisfy everyone's curiosity, but Xu Mo didn't say another word, and the atmosphere in the car fell silent again.
Back at the hotel, everyone went to their rooms. Xu Mo had just swiped his card to open his room when he found Tabe standing there with a serious expression.
“You were too impulsive.” Tabe cut to the chase, her voice tinged with reproach. “I know you’re not an ordinary person, but this is South Korea, 'Nightingale's' territory. By doing this tonight, you’ve essentially exposed yourself to their scrutiny.”
“I never intended to hide.” Xu Mo took off his coat and tossed it onto the sofa. “You can hide for a while, but you can’t hide forever. Since they’ve come knocking, it means they already know I’m back. Rather than passively waiting for them to make their move, I’d rather take the initiative and flip the table, letting them know that the rules of the game have changed.”
Tabe looked into Xu Mo's calm yet profound eyes and sighed helplessly: "Do you know that Park Jun-woo's father, Park Jung-tae, is one of the four top executives of 'Nightingale' in South Korea, in charge of all the underground entertainment industries? Making him kneel in public tonight is like slapping Park Jung-tae across the face. They will definitely not let this go."
“I know.” Xu Mo walked to the minibar and poured himself a glass of water. “I want him to come find me. Some old scores should be settled.”
Tabe wanted to say something more, but seeing Xu Mo's calm demeanor, he knew it would be useless to try. He shook his head and said, "Anyway, be careful. I'll try my best to handle things with the club. We're going back to China tomorrow; they won't dare to be too arrogant there."
"Mm," Xu Mo responded, without saying anything more.
After seeing Tabe off, Xu Mo didn't rest. He walked to the window, drew back the curtains, and looked down at the city that never sleeps. His finger lightly traced the shape of a nightingale on the glass.
“Park Jung-tae…” he murmured the name, a cold killing intent flashing in his eyes.
Back then, it was this man who personally set a trap, crippling the hands that could have led him to the pinnacle of the world. It was also this man who caused his family to be destroyed, forcing him to live in anonymity and flee to a distant land.
Now, he is back.
Carrying an MSI championship trophy, and burning with boundless rage.
He knew Park Jung-tae would definitely come. And he had already prepared a big gift for this "old friend".
The next morning, the entire RNG team prepared to head to the airport to return home.
However, when they arrived at the hotel lobby, they found it filled with a large crowd of people. Dozens of burly men in black suits and sunglasses blocked all the exits from the lobby.
Leading the group was an elderly man with gray hair, but a vigorous spirit and sharp, eagle-like eyes. He wore a well-tailored Tang suit and held two glossy walnuts in his hands. Just standing there quietly, he exuded a powerful aura that sent chills down one's spine.
He is Park Jung-tae.
The hotel manager and security guards were already too intimidated by the commotion to stand aside and dared not utter a sound. The RNG team members also tensed up instantly and instinctively moved closer to Xu Mo.
Park Jung-tae's gaze swept over everyone else and landed precisely on Xu Mo. His cloudy eyes revealed no emotion, only a bottomless gloom.
“Mr. Xu,” he began, his voice hoarse yet carrying a metallic quality, “my son is ignorant and offended you; it’s my fault for not disciplining him properly. I’ve come here today specifically to apologize to you.”
As he spoke, a burly man behind him stepped forward, carrying a silver briefcase, and opened it.
Inside the box, stacks of crisp new US dollars were neatly arranged. A rough estimate put the amount at least in the millions.
"This is just a small token of my appreciation. I hope Mr. Xu can forgive my son's recklessness," Park Jung-tae said calmly.
Uzi and the others were stunned; they had never seen anything like this before.
However, Xu Mo didn't even glance at the box of money. Meeting Park Jung-tae's gaze, he slowly stepped forward and calmly said, "Mr. Park, do you think I'm short of money?"
Park Jung-tae's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What does Mr. Xu want?"
Xu Mo smiled, a smile that sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.
"What I want, you can't give me." He walked up to Park Jung-tae, leaned close to his ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Three years ago, in that abandoned warehouse at Incheon Port, you broke my right hand with your own hands. Do you remember?"
"boom!"
Park Jung-tae's body jolted violently! The walnuts he had been playing with for decades almost slipped from his hands! For the first time, his usually calm and collected face showed an expression of utter horror!
He stared intently at Xu Mo, as if he were looking at a demon that had crawled out of hell!
"You...you are...'King'?!"
The long-buried code name, when uttered by him, carried boundless fear. Three years ago, the boy who single-handedly swept through the entire Asian underground esports scene, hailed as "King," shouldn't he be a cripple by now? How could he possibly be…
"Looks like you're not senile yet." Xu Mo straightened up, his smile growing even brighter. "I won't kill you today, nor will I cripple you. I only want one thing from you."
"Wh...what is that?" Park Jung-tae's voice began to tremble.
Xu Mo reached out and pointed to Park Jun-woo behind him, who was already pale with fright and hiding in the crowd.
"I need one of his hands." Xu Mo's voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like a death sentence. "Will you do it yourself, or should I help you?"
Park Jung-tae's face turned deathly pale instantly.
On one side was her only son.
On the other side was the demon king, who had returned from hell and whom he could not possibly afford to offend.
He knew that if he didn't give a satisfactory answer today, what awaited him and his son would be a fate worse than death.
After a minute of deathly silence, Park Jung-tae closed his eyes, his aged voice filled with endless pain and despair.
"Someone is coming."
"Take off that rebellious son's left hand."
"Yes."
Two burly men walked forward expressionlessly and supported Park Joon-woo, who had already collapsed to the ground.
"No! Father! No! Ah—!"
A piercing scream echoed throughout the hotel lobby.
The RNG players were speechless, stunned by the bloody and brutal scene before them. They felt as if they weren't in the real world, but watching a top-tier gangster movie.
Xu Mo watched all of this expressionlessly, as if he were simply enjoying a play with a pre-written script.
He turned around and said to his teammates, who were already stunned:
"Come on, it's time for us to go home."
After saying that, he picked up his suitcase and was the first to walk out of the hall shrouded in blood and fear.
Sunlight streamed in from outside the door, falling on him and casting a long, long shadow.
As Xu Mo pulled his suitcase and was the first to step out of the lobby shrouded in blood and fear, the midday sun made him squint slightly. The screams and pleas for mercy behind him seemed like background noise from another world, completely out of sync with his current inner peace.
He didn't immediately head towards the waiting van, but instead turned towards a convenience store next to the hotel. The thrill of revenge brought him little satisfaction; instead, it brought back the weariness that stemmed from the depths of his memories. He needed something sweet to neutralize the lingering bitterness in his heart.
The air conditioning in the convenience store was blasting. Xu Mo walked to the freezer and casually grabbed a box of vanilla ice cream. Just as he turned to pay, a figure wearing a fisherman's hat and a mask, completely covered up, was hurrying out with his head down. The two bumped into each other.
"Ah, (I'm sorry)!" the figure exclaimed softly, the bottles of strawberry milk in her hand rolling to the ground. Her voice was soft and gentle, like cotton candy.
“It’s okay,” Xu Mo replied in fluent Korean, bending down to pick up the milk from the floor for her.
As he handed the milk over, their eyes met for a fleeting moment.
The girl's hat was pulled low, but Xu Mo could still see her clear, doe-like eyes, filled with surprise and a hint of panic. They were incredibly beautiful eyes, as if they held an entire starry sky within them.
Just then, the girl's mask slipped down a little, revealing her small and delicate chin and a hint of cherry-colored lips.
Although it was only a fleeting glimpse, Xu Mo still recognized her.
Lee Ji-eun, IU.
She's South Korea's "Nation's Little Sister," a top-tier solo female singer. Xu Mo had accompanied his sister to her concert before, so he wasn't unfamiliar with her face.
IU was clearly taken aback by the unexpected eye contact; she hadn't expected this seemingly aloof man to speak such fluent Korean. She quickly pulled up her mask, took the milk, and bowed again to express her gratitude: "(Thank you)."
After saying that, she ran out of the convenience store like a frightened little rabbit.
Xu Mo watched her retreating figure, lost in thought. He paid the bill, tore open the ice cream wrapper, and walked out of the convenience store while eating it.
He had just reached the roadside when he saw IU standing next to a black van, anxiously talking on the phone. Her manager seemed to be stuck in traffic and wouldn't be able to get there anytime soon. Several passersby were already pointing and whispering about her, seemingly recognizing her.
Xu Mo frowned slightly. Although he wasn't particularly interested in following celebrities, he knew what the consequences would be if a top star were mobbed by fans.
He walked over to IU and handed her the ice cream he was holding.
"?" IU looked at him in confusion, her beautiful big eyes filled with bewilderment.
"Eating something sweet will make you feel better," Xu Mo said calmly. "Besides, eating will make you seem more natural when you're recognized, which can buy you some time."
IU was stunned. She looked at the unfamiliar man in front of her, then at the ice cream he offered her, which he had already taken a bite of. His logic was strange, but for some reason, it calmed her heart, which was pounding with anxiety.
She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said softly, "Thank you, but..."
Just then, a commotion arose not far away, and several young people carrying cameras were excitedly running towards them.
"It's IU! It really is IU!"
IU's face turned pale instantly.
Without further hesitation, Xu Mo grabbed IU's wrist, pulled her behind him, and took off his coat, placing it over her head.
"Come with me."
His voice was beyond question.
IU's mind went blank; she could only subconsciously follow his steps. His large hand held her wrist—warm and strong. A faint, pleasant scent of laundry detergent lingered on his coat.
Xu Mo pulled her along, choosing not to run, but instead slowly walking into a quiet alleyway nearby. By the time the fans caught up, the two had already vanished.
The alley was quiet, with only the sound of the wind blowing.
Xu Mo released her hand, and IU took off her coat. Her cheeks were flushed with a lovely blush from the tension and running.
"Thank you... for helping me again." She lowered her head, her voice barely audible.
"It was nothing." Xu Mo put his coat back on. "When will your agent arrive?"
"He said...it might take another twenty minutes," IU said somewhat embarrassedly.
Xu Mo looked around and pointed to a seemingly inconspicuous coffee shop deep in the alley: "Let's wait here, it's safer than standing on the roadside."
The two entered the coffee shop. It was small, with only three or four tables, and not a single customer. The air was filled with the rich aroma of coffee.
They chose a window seat. Xu Mo ordered an Americano, while IU ordered a hot cocoa.
During the wait, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere was somewhat awkward. IU would occasionally steal a glance at the man across from her who was quietly sipping his coffee.
He was very handsome, with a sharp, cold, and striking look. His profile was strong, with a high nose bridge and thin lips. Most captivating were his eyes, deep and unfathomable like an ancient well, making it impossible to read his thoughts. (End of Chapter)