Chapter 44: There’s a cure
The next day, the hospital room felt cold and tense. Jethro’s eyes widened in pure terror as Min Ho grabbed him by the collar with a strong, icy grip.
The man’s face was hard and dangerous, like a storm about to break. "Tell me," Min Ho said in a low, threatening voice, "where did you get the ingredients for that drug? And how dare you produce the exact same poison used in the underworld and then use it on an innocent person?"
Jethro had thought the whole nightmare from the night before was just a bad dream. But when he woke up in this hospital bed with machines beeping around him, reality hit him hard. This was no dream.
The person standing in front of him was Min Ho himself, the man known as the Dragon in the underworld. Fear gripped Jethro so tightly that he started shivering uncontrollably. His hands shook as he tried to hold onto the bedsheets.
"I’m very sorry, boss," Jethro stammered, his voice weak and full of panic. "I’m now one of the doctors working for the underworld and the black market... that’s why I had access to those things."
Min Ho released his collar for a second, only to grab him by the neck instead. His fingers pressed firmly, not enough to choke him completely but enough to make Jethro feel real danger. "Who hired you?" he demanded.
Jethro clutched at Min Ho’s hand in fear. This man could kill him right here and no one, not even the police, would ever find out.
Even if his family tried to sue, there was always Liam, Henry’s younger brother and a terrifying lawyer, who would make sure nothing happened. That same lawyer was the reason Jethro had given up on being a normal lawyer and turned to illegal work as a poison doctor instead. He did not really know how to treat or cure people properly. All he was good at was making deadly drugs.
"Or maybe I should just donate your brain to other doctors so they can study it," Min Ho added coldly. The threat was so casual and creepy that it sent chills down Jethro’s spine.
"It’s Jeff!" Jethro confessed quickly, his words tumbling out in terror. "Jeff, the Phoenix’s second in command. I heard he’s one of the big bosses in the underworld and very dangerous. His second-in-command hired me, sir."
Min Ho rolled his eyes and loosened his grip a little. "Did Jeff know you were working for Selena?"
Jethro blinked rapidly and shook his head. He admitted he had cheated his way into the job. Even if he had not confessed, Min Ho would have found out anyway.
After all, Min Ho was the big boss of the entire underworld. Everyone feared him. One word from him could change everything for people like Jethro.
Min Ho’s crazy anger grew even stronger, and the look on his face was enough to scare Jethro half to death. In his life, the two people he feared most were Min Ho the Dragon and Phoenix. But Selena had promised she knew them personally and that they would not do anything to her. That was why he had agreed to cheat his way in. Now he regretted it deeply.
Min Ho asked seriously if the drug had any cure. He was not a fan of poison drugs like this one. Jethro hesitated and said he did not know for sure.
That was the wrong answer. Min Ho grabbed his neck again, tighter this time. "You better figure out what you are going to do," he warned. "Because if Henry catches you himself, your body will be chopped up and treated in ways that will make you beg for death. And the funny thing is, even death will reject you, and heaven will turn its back on you once he is done with his plans."
Jethro cried openly now, tears rolling down his face. He found this man incredibly creepy and terrifying. In a desperate voice, he begged Min Ho for help. "Please, sir. You knew my father. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been trying to restrict myself and stay careful."
Min Ho pushed him away roughly and sighed. He did not really know the boy well, but he had already investigated him. Jethro’s father had been a very good man to his mother, but his mother was too soft and easy to confuse. That was probably where Jethro got some of his foolish ideas.
"The girl is also connected to Oliver Lancaster," Min Ho said with a smirk as he turned back to him. "Do you know how complicated your chances of not dying are getting?"
Jethro blinked in confusion. He had no full idea what these people were truly capable of, but their names always came up when people warned about the most dangerous men in the city.
Selena was greedy and only thought about herself. If he joined forces with people like Min Ho and the others, it would probably do him more good in the long run. Especially since they might pardon her but not him. He stood up straight on shaky legs and quickly said, "There is a solution to cure the drug."
Min Ho raised an eyebrow, looking mildly impressed. That was good news for Jethro, because Min Ho had already started planning to throw him into Oliver Lancaster’s territory for three full days.
A little time there would definitely bring more sense into the young man’s head and teach him not to play stupid games with powerful people.
The hospital room stayed heavy with tension. Jethro sat there sweating and grateful that he was still breathing, while Min Ho watched him like a dragon deciding whether to burn everything down or spare one foolish mouse.
The whole situation had layers of danger, old connections, and surprising twists that made even a simple interrogation feel like the start of something much bigger and more complicated.
Jethro realized he had stepped into a world where one wrong move could end his life, and Min Ho’s calm but terrifying presence made sure he would never forget that lesson.