Chapter 152
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: Kim So-jeong
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The coffee had gone cold.
Watching her ex-husband spout utter nonsense right in front of her, So-jeong felt her mind go blank. She deeply regretted chasing after this man desperately when she was young.
"Rose Shield Clan's GGW raid team, huh? They're pretty famous these days. You're a Melee Dealer there, right?"
"……."
"You even resolved the expansion in Vietnam... Quite the hero, aren't you? Well, our So-jeong's always been full of humanity."
"……."
"So, how's our little So-hyun doing?"
The moment her ex-husband mentioned their daughter's name, So-jeong immediately gulped down the cold coffee.
"Don't talk about the child you abandoned. So-hyun thinks her dad's dead."
"What, what? I'm dead? Why? I'm alive and kicking right here!"
So-jeong gritted her teeth at her ex-husband's mocking attitude. Once again, she felt like an idiot for her past self. To think she'd married a guy like this...
"Whatever. Don't contact me again. And stay away from So-hyun, too."
Her icy words made the man's butt shift uncomfortably in his seat. His briefly flustered face soon twisted into a sleazy grin.
"Why be like that between us? I admit, I was all wrong back then. I was just scared of the responsibility."
"A mistake?"
"Yeah, a mistake."
So-jeong furrowed her brow.
It was ridiculous. They'd dated seriously enough to talk marriage. She knew his personality better than anyone.
But the man took her reaction as lukewarm and kept rambling on.
"I really messed up. Take me back?"
"……."
"I'll be a good dad to So-hyun. Come on? She's only four. She needs her father right now."
He had no such intentions, but he kept laying on the sweet talk. It was the only way to sway this woman again.
'GGW raid team in the Vietnam expansion? She must've made a fortune.'
His ex-wife was already a high-earning hero.
At least a few billion, no, tens of billions for sure. With GGW raids, it could even be hundreds of billions.
'And she's not the type to blow money carelessly...'
Her thrifty nature hadn't changed.
From what he'd looked into, she was living in the clan house dorms. So where had all that money gone? Straight into her pockets.
If they remarried and she luckily died in a dungeon? That fortune would be his.
"Choi Yun-cheol."
"Yes, So-jeong darling."
The man's face lit up with anticipation, guessing what she'd say next. Their relationship had ended badly, but the child was a link.
"Cut the crap. You think I don't know you? When you mocked me and cut contact after hearing about So-hyun's birth! That's when we were done."
Choi Yun-cheol's face darkened like a storm cloud.
'Tch.'
The wound from back then ran deeper than he'd thought. Even as he kept yielding, her responses were stiff. But giving up meant walking away from hundreds of billions.
'No choice.'
Kneeling before a woman was humiliating, but for that money, he could endure it.
For now, he needed to wedge into her heart—for his future and retirement.
Once in, he'd siphon her assets, play dad a bit, then switch to some younger woman.
Scrape.
As Yun-cheol pushed back his chair to stand and apologize once more,
"Sis, what are you doing here?"
A woman's voice rang in Yun-cheol's ears. She was arm-in-arm with an incredibly handsome man.
"H-Hyun-ah? Oh, uh?!"
But So-jeong's reaction upon seeing the man was extreme. She fidgeted like she'd been caught cheating.
"H-How did you get here?!"
So-jeong stared at Hyun-ah in shock. The moment she spotted the man beside her, she froze without thinking. Minguk was staring right at her.
Hyun-ah spoke casually to So-jeong.
"My schedule ended early today, so we thought we'd grab a date. Saw you and came in—nice surprise."
"Oh, right."
So-jeong swallowed hard as her eyes met Minguk's nodding head. She opened her mouth to speak,
"Who the hell are you?"
Yun-cheol's urgent voice cut her off.
The unexpected intruders irked Yun-cheol. His shady behavior wasn't something to flaunt, and the man looked younger and far handsomer than him.
'No way Kim So-jeong joined a cartel?'
Yun-cheol bit his lip subtly. His mind raced.
A divorced woman dating wasn't scandalous. But if she was in that man's cartel, he couldn't muscle in.
Unless he used his father status for So-hyun. Depending on the man's reaction, outcomes varied wildly.
The woman who'd greeted So-jeong widened her eyes.
"Huh? We're So-jeong sis's coworkers."
"C-Coworkers?"
"Yeah. GGW raid team. Oh! You probably don't know who her teammates are."
Yun-cheol anxiously wiped his face at Hyun-ah's words, then spoke slowly.
"I'm Kim So-jeong the hero's..."
"Yeah, we know. The guy who ditched her and So-hyun. No need to explain—we overheard everything."
Yun-cheol's face flushed beet red at Hyun-ah's direct hit.
His rage-filled eyes landed on the glass of ice water. As he reflexively grabbed it to splash Hyun-ah,
Thud!
The quiet man's hand pinned Yun-cheol's arm down, stopping the glass.
'What strength...!'
No matter how hard he tried, the glass wouldn't budge. As Yun-cheol struggled, the man's calm voice reached his ear.
"I've seen morning dramas where women splash men, but a man trying to splash a woman? First time."
The cafe full of women now eyed the four.
- What's going on?
- The sitting guy's her ex-husband...
- Cartel fight?
The tense vibe between the two men and two women was palpable. One man hid much of his face, but his good looks shone through.
Unable to yank the glass free, Yun-cheol exhaled sharply and spoke. His venomous glare shifted to Minguk and Hyun-ah.
"That's the past. Mind your own business."
Minguk and Hyun-ah glanced at So-jeong, who bowed her head then lifted it.
"No, Choi Yun-cheol. Enough. You think I don't know why you're after me?"
"……."
"We ended ugly, but we dated a long time."
Suppressing her anger, So-jeong continued.
"It's the money, right? How much do you need?"
She twisted her lips after speaking. She'd caught Yun-cheol's eyes darting calculatingly. Regret for her past surged again.
"Answer, or we're done talking. Won't meet you no matter what after this. I'll just send a lawyer."
Yun-cheol scowled fiercely.
His ex-wife followed through on threats. She wasn't the type to cling to a runaway man. But speaking with strangers watching felt awkward.
A few seconds passed.
"500 billion."
"Whoa..."
A woman's scoff came from the side, but Yun-cheol clenched his teeth. With that money, no need to show his face to So-jeong again. Then,
"You insane? You broke up—why give him that?"
Minguk, who'd pieced together the situation, let out a hollow laugh.
'500 billion? It's not a pet's name.'
From the vibe, the ex wanted money. Problem was, this creep knocked her up years ago and bolted. 500 billion to him? Not even 10,000 won. And after years, his first words were demands.
He itched to punch the guy threatening his raid teammate and lover.
The law staff on his back screamed for justice. Bashing him with it would be satisfying.
'But if I do...'
He'd be no better than this scum. Heroes assaulting civilians faced massive penalties. No way he'd give this guy a dime.
"Ms. Kim So-jeong."
"Y-Yes?"
At Minguk's stiff tone, So-jeong stood rigidly. Yun-cheol's eyebrow twitched.
"Honestly, I don't know your full situation. Tried to stay out of it..."
Hyun-ah's involvement forced him up too. But this crossed the line.
"Let's call a lawyer first."
"You bastard! Who the hell are you?!"
Rage overtaking him, the man grabbed Minguk's collar.
"W-What?!"
[Cops are here, total chaos. Send a lawyer quick.]
"This is insane!"
Oh Hyun-jung's face paled hearing So-jeong's story via Hyun-ah. R's Clan's future Raid Leader—humanity's hero—assaulted by a civilian.
Minguk hadn't been hit by the sloppy swing, but it was still outrageous.
The clan lawyer rushed to the scene. Assessing it, Hyun-jung chuckled bitterly.
"So the deadbeat who ditched her and the kid came crawling back for money?"
"Yes."
Common among high-earning heroes—morning drama fodder. Issue was targeting an R's hero and punching the Raid Leader.
"Charged him with assault, locked in holding. No settlement."
"Add blackmail. Oh, right—her ex-husband? Planning to remarry or what?"
A runaway suddenly reformed? Nonsense.
Obviously back because So-jeong was killing it in GGW raids. Hence the money grab. Script was obvious.
Her secretary said,
"No. She's filing a restraining order against the ex."
"Sigh, must be tough mentally. Anyway, our clan'll take heat."
Minguk in an assault spat, So-jeong blackmailed.
Fans would blame the clan.
"Find a way... No, legal means only. Ruin that bastard's life."
Recalling the stranger's face, Hyun-jung seethed.
"Send a counselor to Kim So-jeong too."
She must be shattered.
GGW raid schedule paused. So-jeong needed rest. But the counselor returned empty-handed.
"Doesn't seem like she needs me."
"Huh?"
Hyun-jung tilted her head.
Then she heard it from So-jeong's house: a man's laughter and a child's noisy chatter.