Are You Trying to Hit on Her?
Due to the sudden brake, Tae Ju-ha and Heo Yu-rim lurched forward, their seatbelts snapping taut as their minds went blank for a split second.
At the same time, the bodyguard in the driver’s seat turned to look at them.
“Director! Chief Heo! Are you all right?”
Tae Ju-ha shook her head to clear the dizziness and asked, trying to grasp the situation.
“What happened?”
“The vehicle ahead cut in without warning, so I had to stop. I’ll assess the situation first and clear it up quickly.”
In the meantime, the doors of the car in front opened and several men spilled out.
Tae Ju-ha spotted one man among them—well-dressed and composed.
“An Min-ki…”
Heo Yu-rim, hearing the name, gasped in shock.
“You mean that An Min-ki? Kang Do-young’s secretary?”
“That’s right. Now I understand why that car blocked us.”
The man identified as An Min-ki approached slowly with a sly smile. He rapped on the rear window with polite restraint, as if knocking on a door, and spoke in a courteous tone.
Knock, knock, knock—
“Director Tae Ju-ha. Our Representative Kang Do-young requests a meeting. I would appreciate it if you refrained from making the situation any louder than necessary.”
By then, the bodyguards from the vehicles that had been following had also stepped out.
The two groups of men, occupying one side of the road, radiated open hostility toward each other.
Watching the scene, Tae Ju-ha studied An Min-ki’s face through the glass.
It had always been like this, even before her marriage. He would deliberately create an inconvenient situation and pressure her, as if threatening her into going to Kang Do-young.
Just like now.
“Director. You’re not seriously thinking of going with them, are you? That could create even more unnecessary gossip.”
They were blocking the tail end of a four-lane road and then some. The cars backed up behind them blared their horns and hurled curses as they tried to squeeze past.
Yet An Min-ki would never quietly step aside. He would only inflate the situation until it became a bigger nuisance. If that happened, Tae Ju-ha would have no choice but to accept further damage to her image.
“But…”
Two years earlier, one of the major reasons Tae Ju-ha had agreed to that absurd marriage was to escape Kang Do-young—the sole heir of KQ Group, who harbored a terrifying obsession with her. The representative position at Tae Shin Asset Management had been only part of the equation.
After returning from New York, he had nearly caused a disgraceful scene at Chairman Kang Chun-gyu’s autobiography launch party, which had left her uneasy. He had been quiet lately, so she had hoped the matter was settled. Apparently not.
Of course Heo Yu-rim worried even more; she had learned the full details of that relationship from Tae Ju-ha while they were still in New York.
“Let’s call the police first.”
“We can’t. You know exactly how Kang Do-young will respond.”
Even if the police became involved, the matter would devolve into a corporate power struggle. In that arena, Kang Do-young—the legitimate heir of KQ Group—would inevitably hold the advantage over Tae Ju-ha, the illegitimate daughter of Tae Shin Group.
“Then what do you plan to do? Are you really going to follow him?”
“For now, I’ll step out and…”
Screeeech—
Before she could finish, another vehicle cut in sharply between her car and An Min-ki’s, stopping on a razor’s edge.
The men standing in front scattered in panic to avoid being hit, reacting to the screech of brakes.
The atmosphere grew even uglier as the men closed in around the new arrival.
Then the rear passenger door and both front doors opened, and Kang In-hyuk, Hong Yu-geon, and Van Hester stepped out.
Kang In-hyuk muttered quietly.
Kang Do-young’s secretary, An Min-ki, recognized him instantly. His brows knitted tightly as he moved away from the rear of Tae Ju-ha’s car and strode forward.
“Representative Kang Do-young wishes to speak with Director Tae Ju-ha…”
“Who the hell are you to drag someone away like this?”
The abrupt interruption made An Min-ki’s expression turn icy.
“…I am An Min-ki, secretary to Executive Director Kang Do-young of KQ Group.”
“Oh, a secretary? So it’s KQ Group? I thought you were some kind of gangsters—!”
He deliberately raised his voice so the surrounding onlookers could hear every word clearly.
The pedestrians who had paused to watch now focused their attention even more intently.
“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”
“Can’t you tell? I’m informing everyone that KQ Group is mobilizing thugs to start trouble in the middle of the road.”
“Are you really looking for a fight?”
An Min-ki’s forehead creased. At the same time, the men stationed around them began moving toward Kang In-hyuk, only to be blocked by Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester.
Kang In-hyuk wiped the mocking smile from his face, stepped close to An Min-ki, and spoke in a low voice.
“Instead of causing a scene here, go tell Kang Do-young this: rather than venting his anger on innocent people over the mess at Lifestar, he should focus on cleaning it up properly. If he keeps making unnecessary moves, he might lose even the things he believes he holds in his grasp.”
One of the men nearby, having overheard, reached for Kang In-hyuk’s shoulder.
“I don’t recall giving you permission to lay a hand on me.”
In a flash, Kang In-hyuk seized the man’s wrist, twisted it, and slammed him face-down onto the pavement.
“Aaaargh—!”
Everyone froze in shock.
These men were KQ Group bodyguards—most of them former soldiers, police officers, or mercenaries. They had seen real combat and could easily overpower four or five ordinary civilians.
Yet Kang In-hyuk had caught one of them by the wrist in the blink of an eye and driven him to the ground. No one around had even reacted before he was already down.
“Hurry up and get back in the car. Or do you want to watch this guy get his arms folded behind his back?”
With the question, he wrenched the man’s arm back harder. Another scream tore free.
“Aaaargh—!”
Every eye on the street was now locked on them.
An Min-ki made a swift decision and signaled the bodyguards with a glance. Understanding the order, they quickly retreated to their vehicles.
Watching them, Kang In-hyuk lifted the man by his twisted arm and shoved him away like discarding trash.
“You lot get in and leave as well. And relay my message to your boss without omitting a single word.”
“…”
Soon An Min-ki and the man whose arm had been seized climbed into their car and sped off.
Hong Yu-geon clicked his tongue beside Kang In-hyuk and muttered.
“What the hell… they’re just running away like that?”
“Why? Were you hoping for a real brawl?”
“I was just curious how much more skill the… I mean, the director is still hiding.”
Not long ago, Hong Yu-geon had helped Kang In-hyuk raid the UID’s secret base. Although he had withdrawn from the operation point in a rather undignified state, his curiosity about Kang In-hyuk had only grown deeper since then.
“Stop talking nonsense. The situation’s resolved, so get in the car.”
When Kang In-hyuk turned toward the rear seat after speaking, Hong Yu-geon tilted his head.
“You’re not going to see Madam?”
“I’ll see her at home anyway. Oh, and you gentlemen should wrap this up quickly as well. The police may arrive if we linger like this.”
This last remark was directed at the TSS bodyguards who had exited their vehicles to protect Tae Ju-ha.
Afterward, Kang In-hyuk climbed into the car with Hong Yu-geon and Van Hester and drove away.
.
.
.
About thirty minutes later.
An Min-ki arrived at the outskirts of Itaewon, not far from the road where he had confronted Tae Ju-ha.
At the crest of a sloping street lined with upscale shops and old residential houses, he passed through a pristine white iron gate and entered the property.
Inside, Kang Do-young—the man who had given him the order—sat alone in a dimly lit living room, nursing a glass of whiskey.
“Where’s Ju-ha? Why did you return alone?”
“I’m sorry…”
Whoosh—thud, crash!
The whiskey glass in Kang Do-young’s hand flew across the room, struck An Min-ki square in the chest, then shattered on the floor.
“Have you lost your edge after being away so long? Or have you grown arrogant now that you’re back?”
As he said, An Min-ki had only recently returned from the German branch of KQ Distribution. For European or South American posts—unless they were truly remote—being dispatched from headquarters was normally a promotion track for home-country personnel.
But not for An Min-ki. Having served as Kang Do-young’s secretary and not only failing to restrain his reckless behavior but actively enabling it, Chairman Kang Chun-gyu had sent him abroad as a form of demotion.
“No, sir.”
“Then what is it? If I went through the trouble of calling you back, shouldn’t you be working even harder than before?”
“While attempting to bring Ms. Tae Ju-ha… Kang In-hyuk intervened.”
“What? Kang In-hyuk?”
An Min-ki explained the events that had just unfolded.
Kang Do-young’s face twisted with rage.
“…The situation grew too noisy, so we had no choice but to withdraw. Naturally, I believe that was also part of Kang In-hyuk’s intention.”
“Wow, that bastard… He sold me those worthless companies at a premium, and now this. There really isn’t a single thing I like about him, is there…?”
Not long ago, shortly after establishing Lifestar Entertainment, a drug scandal involving a member of the acquired boy group Ignis had erupted. Of course, it wasn’t that he had been unaware.
Even after the acquisition, Ignis’s popularity had been skyrocketing, so they had quietly buried the matter.
But no secret lasts forever. The story broke through persistent paparazzi who had been tailing them for some time.
“…”
While An Min-ki stayed silent, Kang Do-young rose with a scowl and poured whiskey into a fresh glass.
“What did you say earlier? That you couldn’t help it because Kang In-hyuk caused a scene? Since when did you start handling things so delicately? No matter who was watching, you just had to bring Ju-ha, didn’t you?”
“…My response was inadequate. I apologize.”
“You think an apology fixes this? Do you not understand why I called you back? We’re supposed to work together. We did well enough before you went to Europe. So why are you failing me now? Do you want to watch me lose my mind?!”
Even under the biting sarcasm laced with irritation, An Min-ki showed no reaction. He knew this pattern better than anyone.
Still, today’s failure had been unexpected even for him.
He understood Tae Ju-ha’s personality perfectly from past experience. If he had applied just the right amount of pressure, she would have followed without major fuss. The outcome had deviated from the script.
Of course, he had also investigated the man supposedly her husband.
A rising talent producing remarkable results at Tae Shin Asset Management. Yet many aspects made it difficult to believe those achievements stemmed purely from his own ability.
“…This may be presumptuous, but what is your assessment of the man named Kang In-hyuk, sir?”
“Kang In-hyuk? Why bring up that bastard?”
“He had a message for you. He said to clean up the Lifestar incident properly. That if you cause unnecessary trouble, you may lose even what you believe you hold in your grasp.”
There had been more to the original statement, but An Min-ki had condensed it to the essential points.
Kang Do-young’s face darkened with even greater irritation.
“Do I need to waste brain cells thinking about the bastard who stabbed me in the back?”
In truth, the moment the Lifestar scandal broke, he had wanted to storm over and grab Kang In-hyuk by the collar.
But his mother, Jeon Hae-in, had stopped him. Her reasoning was that they must first contain the damage Lifestar would suffer before taking any other action.
An Min-ki knew the details well.
“On the surface, he appeared to be acting frivolously to defuse the crisis, but I sensed something… different. He is not an ordinary man.”
“Are you laying groundwork to praise that son of a bitch?”
“It is not praise. As someone concerned for you, Representative, I am advising greater caution. Especially regarding this Lifestar matter—it may not have been a coincidence.”
Kang Do-young pondered for a moment, then downed the freshly poured whiskey in one smooth motion.
“If it wasn’t a coincidence, then what? You’re saying Kang In-hyuk knew about the problematic members in advance and fed them to me? Do you think I’m a fool?”
From the beginning, Lifestar had conducted a thorough investigation before the acquisition. Yet the drug issue with the Ignis members had been meticulously concealed, only surfacing through the paparazzi once their popularity surged.
Of course, they had been able to buy off the paparazzi and suppress the story at the time, but popularity attracted more cameras. Once the scent of drugs was in the air, it was inevitable that those with sharp noses would descend.
“I know how meticulous you are, sir. However, when I reconsider the exact wording of the message he instructed me to deliver, it implies there is more to the incident. It suggests he knows about other matters that have affected you.”
“Other matters? What other matters?”
“That is beyond my current knowledge as well. I will investigate further and report back.”
Kang Do-young’s mind grew tangled. At the same time, his earlier fixation on meeting Tae Ju-ha immediately began to fade. He collapsed back onto the sofa.
“Sigh—! Do whatever you want. And be cautious with any external movements. If Father learns of this for no good reason, it will only become more troublesome.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
With those words, An Min-ki left the room wearing the expression of a man who had reached a private decision.