Chapter 244
Chapter 244
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 244
Chapter Title: The True Heir
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Hwang Tae-in glanced around cautiously for a moment before bursting into loud laughter.
"Ahahaha! Exactly. Song Woo-yeon—Woo-yeon. It fits perfectly. Chairman, your sense of humor is outstanding too!"
"...."
"How on earth did you think of that? Ugh. I'm utterly floored by the Chairman's high-class gag.... Ahem."
Hwang Tae-in unleashed a torrent of flattery, only to belatedly notice Hyun Jeong-hu's icy reaction and clamp his mouth shut.
Hyun Jeong-hu furrowed his brow ever so slightly, shot Hwang Tae-in a glare, clicked his tongue, and turned his gaze back to the newspaper.
Clueless as to what had gone wrong, Hwang Tae-in bowed his head deeply and squeezed his eyes shut.
For a man who had spent his entire life as a toady to his superiors, this was beyond bewildering. Over decades of perfecting his craft, no one had ever rejected his sycophancy. Sure, some had feigned embarrassment at the blatant praise and brushed it off, but deep down, they all relished his abject groveling. Hwang Tae-in cautiously raised his head to gauge Hyun Jeong-hu's expression.
"Worthless fool."
"....!"
For an instant, he thought it was aimed at him and jolted in shock, but Hyun Jeong-hu's eyes remained locked on the newspaper. More precisely, on Hyun Tae-seong gracing the front page. Hwang Tae-in had seen it first thing that morning as well. Hyun Tae-seong in handcuffs. He had tugged his hat low and donned a mask to hide his face, but his hunched shoulders and terrified eyes were impossible to conceal. He looked every bit the scurrying rat to anyone who saw it. Far too pathetic and cringing for the heir to <hyunmu>. Hwang Tae-in had no doubt that was why Hyun Jeong-hu had commanded him to support Hyun Tae-seong properly. Assigning a director-level executive as the young master's plaything? The Hyun Jeong-hu of old would never have stood for it. No wonder his disappointment ran so deep.
"Hwang Director."
"Yes, Chairman."
"Did that punk Tae-seong pass along any message?"
"Well...."
Hwang Tae-in broke into a cold sweat. He hesitated, unsure if he should relay it verbatim.
"No need to sugarcoat it—just spit it out. I can't be any more disappointed."
Prodded by Hyun Jeong-hu, Hwang Tae-in had no room left to dally. He bowed his head and carefully conveyed the words.
"Uh, Young Master Hyun Tae-seong said he's reflecting deeply and if you forgive him just this once, he'll never disappoint you again...."
Tsk! Hyun Jeong-hu smacked his tongue loudly before the words were even out.
"Foolish idiot."
The cold rebuke landed like a blade.
"Does that moron think he has the right to prattle on about reflection? After dragging things into this mess."
"...."
"Did I raise him to think that way? Hwang Director—what do you believe is the fundamental principle driving the world?"
Hwang Tae-in recited the creed he had heard drilled into him endlessly.
"Yes. You said the world is built on gains and losses."
"Exactly. Just as the world has light and shadow, black and white—so too is it a zero-sum game of pluses and minuses. That's what I've always hammered home."
Hyun Jeong-hu narrowed his eyes, glaring at Hyun Tae-seong in the paper.
"Begging me for cheap pity."
"...."
"This fool should have come to me with a deal. Dangled the Hyunmu secrets he holds, then threatened to blow it all open if I didn't bail him out—that's what he needed to do."
Gasp. Hwang Tae-in sucked in a breath without thinking.
"Why? Shocked? That such unfilial effrontery would actually be the better play?"
"N-No, not at all."
Truth be told, it was. What parent hears their child's tearful plea relayed and responds like this?
"To reach this seat, you need that kind of nerve."
Hyun Jeong-hu stated it matter-of-factly—not to persuade Hwang Tae-in, but like declaring the sky is blue.
"If survival means ignoring all rules, then that's how you do it. Don't lean on others' sympathy or mercy—carve your own way out."
It was a mentality an ordinary soul like Hwang Tae-in could never fathom. Why else would he grovel so low, eager to lick the toes of the mighty? With a wife and kids at home pinning all their hopes on him, who cared about a scrap of pride? Which made Hyun Jeong-hu—who could coldly cast aside his own flesh and blood in a crisis—a perfect enigma. Swish. Hyun Jeong-hu flipped the newspaper over entirely. The gesture felt somehow chilling, as if erasing Hyun Tae-seong's existence altogether. Hwang Tae-in felt ice settle in the pit of his stomach.
"Ye-won is working with Song Woo-yeon, isn't she."
"Ah, yes. She's on staff at [The Song]."
The shift in topic was abrupt. Hyun Jeong-hu had never once inquired after Hyun Ye-won's well-being in all their talks.
"....I see. So that's it."
Hyun Jeong-hu lapsed into thought for a beat. It suddenly struck Hwang Tae-in just how contrived the whole affair seemed. Song Woo-yeon was CEO of [The Song], where Hyun Ye-won worked—and the very whistleblower who had directly exposed Hyun Tae-seong's scandal. Pure coincidence? Hwang Tae-in's eyes bulged. What if this was all Hyun Ye-won's scheme? Folks had shaken their heads at Hyun Ye-won stacking experience not at <hyunmu> but hunkering down at [The Song]. Figuring she had no designs on the succession fight, everyone had cozied up to Hyun Tae-seong, tails wagging. Look at things now. Hyun Tae-seong had crashed into the abyss, leaving fence-sitters abandoned like kites cut loose. Those who had loyally backed Hyun Ye-won even in Hyun Tae-seong's heyday? Their efforts were paying off in full. Hyun Ye-won had sat tight, winnowed out true allies, and risen to unchallenged heir. Logic hit the brakes for a second—but then doubt piled on. A shiver raced down his spine. If Hyun Ye-won had truly bided her time for years with all this in mind... ...Wouldn't that make her the ideal "heir" Hyun Jeong-hu had always craved?
"Hahaha."
Hyun Jeong-hu let out a quiet chuckle. It seemed they'd both arrived at the same revelation simultaneously.
"Looks like I've been outmaneuvered."
Hyun Jeong-hu muttered as if it had just clicked, nodding slowly.
"Yes. Father was right once again."
Hyun Jeong-hu's father—the founding chairman of <hyunmu>, Hyun Moo-jung. He had long known the old man quietly backed Hyun Ye-won. Back then, with a prime alternative in Hyun Tae-seong, he couldn't fathom supporting her just for being illegitimate. But events unfolding this way only proved Hyun Moo-jung's judgment infallible.
"....He never misses. Not once."
The faint smile vanished from Hyun Jeong-hu's face, supplanted by a wintry chill.
"Ridiculous, isn't it, Hwang Director?"
"Pardon?"
"Father's stepped down from the post, yet his shadow still casts this long."
Hyun Jeong-hu gave a wry smile.
"No wonder they jeer at me as a figurehead chairman—I can't even argue."
"H-How can you say such a thing!"
"Enough."
As Hwang Tae-in reflexively geared up for more flattery, Hyun Jeong-hu cut him off sharp. Then issued the command in a frosty tone.
"I need to see Ye-won."
"....!"
Hwang Tae-in bowed low, accepting the directive.
"I'll set up a meeting at the earliest possible date."
Hyun Jeong-hu had already looked away, twirling his pen idly.
"Yes. So it is. Hyun Ye-won..., you...."
The faint murmur dissolved into the air.
Ring-a-ding-ding!
Slam!
The phone barely rang before a swift arm lunged out and smashed the receiver down.
"Ugh...."
In a zombie-like stupor, No Se-hee barely hauled her torso upright and rubbed her eyes awake.
A quick scan showed her team sprawled everywhere, all K.O.'d. They'd fielded a barrage of calls all night and dashed about on damage control—what a disaster.
Desk naps were all they'd managed, leaving eyes gritty and backs screaming.
Out the window, the sun rode high noon. No clue when she'd conked out.
No Se-hee lurched to her feet. Throat parched as dust—she craved water first.
She'd just taken a step when—
Thump.
Her foot snagged on something.
"....Mmgh."
Park Sang-won, flopped on the floor in slumber.
"N-Nooo. No more calls...."
Mumbling like he was trapped in a nightmare, he plunged back into oblivion.
Only then did No Se-hee spot the handful of teammates crashed on the floor amid scattered papers.
Total chaos.
She gawked in disbelief when a voice called from across the room.
"You're up."
"Ah.... Team Leader Jo."
Her all-nighter comrade, Jo Yi-ruk. He proffered a steaming mix coffee, sweet scent wafting.
"Have some."
"Thanks."
The sip hit like nectar, sugar surging through her veins, vitality kicking in.
Her head finally cleared.
"You worked hard."
No Se-hee blurted it first.
"We all did."
"Who'd have dreamed President Song would pull a stunt like that? Unbelievable."
Even now, it beggared belief.
A chaebol scion pinched for a drug-fueled party. Some mystery do-gooder delivering the knockout blow.