Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Friends Close, Enemies Closer (4)
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A fact I knew, having turned back time.
Secretary General Lee Hak-cheol was Yoo Jin-ha's man.
The reason Yoo Jin-seok fell in the previous life... was because Yoo Jin-ha had moved Lee Hak-cheol. Because the trusted aide of Yoo Jin-seok's eldest son, Yoo Seon-jun, was Lee Hak-cheol's second son.
The infamous Daeha Group succession battle in the previous life.
Yoo Jin-ha had used information from Lee Seon-pyo, who had lived his entire life as Yoo Seon-jun's trusted aide, to have his nephew Yoo Seon-jun arrested on drug charges, then rode that momentum to take down Yoo Jin-seok as well.
What a terrifying man.
Both my uncle Yoo Jin-ha... and the Secretary General.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A memory etched into my brain flows through my mind.
A memory of Lee Si-hyeon.
"Ah, to be honest, it's a bit of a hassle for me too.... But it's manners when meeting important people. I just came back from seeing the Secretary General."
"Aha, so Si-hyeon thinks I'm not important? Sigh, I'm disappointed, Si-hyeon. No, well. I figured it might be that way... but hearing it so directly hurts."
"W-what are you saying! Miss!"
"So, who is it? Come to think of it, I've only heard about your siblings from your brother, never their names. You said there were two, right?"
"Ah, the boy is Si-woo, and the girl is Si-ah. They're twins."
"Disqualified. Tell them to change their names and come back."
"Why? Why?"
"How did you know that..., did you do a background check on me?"
"You wouldn't do a background check when picking a secretary to keep by your side forever? And it wasn't me who did it—the Secretary General just told me. I don't know the details."
"Heh, so Si-hyeon enjoys traveling with handsome guys? When you go with me, you complain the whole time."
"N-no, what... how could I..."
"Yeah, yeah. Truth is, Older Brother Seon-jun isn't your type anyway."
"...Pardon?"
"Oh, is it because of my age...?"
"No, no. More than that, your personality? Something like that."
-Click.
I pressed the gun barrel under Lee Si-hyeon's chin and grabbed her ponytail, lifting her head up.
"Even after I gave you all those hints..., you're still testing the waters?"
The person who recommended Lee Si-hyeon to me?
Secretary General Lee Hak-cheol.
And the person who did the background check on Lee Si-hyeon?
That was also Secretary General Lee Hak-cheol.
My relationship with Lee Si-hyeon... had all passed through the Secretary General's hands. Meaning, if he wanted to, he could manipulate my secretary at will.
Even the person who directly saved her life, her benefactor— that was all the Secretary General.
And...
They were from the same main family line.
I tossed a document at her.
A document Lee Si-hyeon had once handed me.
It was a partial list of incoming freshmen from a prestigious university, accumulated over several years.
"I asked your alumni..., if they knew a pretty, athletic girl named Lee Si-hyeon."
At least her academic credentials weren't faked, and I got some info from her alumni.
For example, that Lee Si-hyeon's father was actually the younger brother of someone quite important.
How would Lee Hak-cheol, busy managing the group, have met a low-class citizen from Seoul's underbelly, and what did he see in her to pay for her college tuition?
The answer was simple. Lee Hak-cheol had found a useful niece at the funeral of his once-estranged wastrel brother.
An absolutely trustworthy spy he could plant anywhere.
Of course, she herself had no idea...
That's what made her all the more capable. A spy who doesn't even know she's a spy is one who never gets caught.
"...!"
Lee Si-hyeon's face stiffened. I gently stroked her cheek.
"I-I—"
Shh.
I covered her mouth and smiled brightly.
"Si-hyeon. Yeah, yeah, I know what you're trying to say. 'I've already chosen your side,' right? You did feel something was off..., but you decided to be loyal to me... something like that."
It was the indirect answer I'd already heard last time.
That Lee Si-hyeon was quite serious about betraying Lee Hak-cheol.
"Everyone's like that, aren't they? Life's not that big a deal. You start doing it, you start liking it, you get a bit greedy..., and you pick up a new hobby too."
"What's that?"
"Serving a spoiled little miss who thinks the world revolves around her? I'd love to do it until I die, if possible."
"I didn't think you had a thirst for power. Surprising."
But Lee Si-hyeon wasn't a traitor.
Didn't Grandfather say it? People don't even know what they really want.
In the end, no matter how much she chased power, she wasn't ruthless enough to break through the walls of basic human decency. Lee Si-hyeon couldn't forget the uncle who had saved her when she was on the edge of a cliff.
Of course..., not telling me about it was still a mistake.
"... ."
"But you're misunderstanding one thing."
The secretary's eyes trembled.
"Why do you get to decide that? I understand how you feel.... But stop testing the waters when I give you a chance, and confess everything to me right now and beg forgiveness."
I understand.
She probably didn't want to betray him. Betraying 'family' just for a taste of power must have felt too much. Uncle wasn't trying to harm me anyway, so handing me a knife to stab him with felt wrong...
She must have been mistaken.
I smiled.
The Secretary General sure knew how to pick 'em.
"Testing the waters should be done in moderation, Si-hyeon. No matter how much of a benefactor he is to you... you think I gave you 50 million won for nothing? Nothing in this world is free."
Someone you're close to for a long time treats you well, and inevitably, your heart wavers.
Remember this. People aren't visual novel characters whose affection hits 100 and never drops after.
Distance the body, and the heart follows. Managing a subordinate's loyalty is a pretty important issue.
If you don't manage it, they might betray you later.
"...Ah, uh."
Si-hyeon trembled all over, completely out of it. Seeing the always confident and tough Si-hyeon look so cute like that kept stirring my sadistic side.
I smiled and brushed my secretary's cheek.
"Well..., I'll give you one more chance. I'm merciful, after all."
I didn't accept the secretary recommended by Lee Hak-cheol for nothing.
Friends close, enemies closer.
Even better... is turning enemies into friends.
"Y-yes. S-sorry, Miss."
Lee Si-hyeon nodded frantically, not even knowing what she'd done wrong. I could see her dress pants were soaked.
"Ahaha, our Si-hyeon is so cute. It's okay, it's okay. Relax."
I had no intention of killing her.
As Yoo Seon-jun said, I'm greedy—I won't be satisfied until I have it all.
And stealing someone else's is always more thrilling.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I might be strict about betrayal, but I had no intention of killing Lee Si-hyeon.
Because... she hadn't become a mole of her own volition.
Lee Si-hyeon still seemed clueless about the situation, her eyes unfocused as she washed her pants and panties in the hotel bathroom sink.
-Splash splash.
"Si-hyeon! Stop that and come eat some ramen."
Tears streamed from the eyes of my secretary, who was down to just a shirt in a no-pants fashion disaster.
"A-am I really going to die? Like, last supper or something...?"
"Ugh, Si-hyeon. At this point, I can't kill you even if I wanted to? I don't even have a gun."
If she were a real traitor, I couldn't handle it like this with eyes everywhere. What am I, a gangster?
"And everyone knows you're always by my side. If I were going to deal with you, it'd be a quiet accident. Tsk tsk, I told you to work on your situational awareness. You spilled everything from getting spooked."
Even I acted more shamelessly in front of Chairman Yoo Seong-pil. If it seems like something's been found out, quickly admit what you can and hide the real secrets.
And if your closest aide is a traitor, doesn't that prove my incompetence? My myth will have fitting trials, but no 'stains'.
"I-I still don't get it.... Why am I a mole...?"
Lee Si-hyeon teared up like she was truly wronged.
If she really were wronged, I'd have just docked some loyalty points and called it a day... but this time it was clearly her fault, so it was fine.
"Yeah, yeah, it's okay. I'll explain it step by step."
I began explaining kindly to Lee Si-hyeon, as always.
First. Secretary General Lee Hak-cheol is on Yoo Jin-ha's side.
Second. Lee Si-hyeon often talks about me to Lee Hak-cheol. Not exactly a secret. She even tells me when she's going to see him.
Third. However..., Lee Si-hyeon is effectively Yoo Jin-ha's mole. Whether she wants to be or not, the info she shares reaches Yoo Jin-ha's ears.
Lee Si-hyeon murmured blankly.
"...I didn't know. Really. Uncle... how...?"
Exactly.
At this point, the Secretary General probably hasn't asked much. That's why he likely thought it wasn't Lee Si-hyeon with high probability.
The Alpha Fund thing was top secret, after all.
But... he might have judged it okay to tell Chairman Yoo Seong-pil, if not Yoo Jin-ha. Unsure of that, I laid all my cards on the table and confronted her directly.
"I told you. Uncle Yoo Jin-ha is a very smart man."
I shook my head and patted Si-hyeon.
"... ."
Don't know, get screwed. Even if you do know, you can't touch Yoo Jin-ha.
Lee Si-hyeon didn't even know she was betraying me. She just wanted to hide that she'd gotten in through family connections.
In fact, she never hid that she owed Lee Hak-cheol a debt or that she had private talks with him now and then. Thanks to that, I could send her on 'leave' when she might spill something that seemed minor but was actually important.
And even knowing she's the Secretary General's niece..., if you don't know the connection to Yoo Jin-ha, you still get screwed. Info that only the Chairman should know, or that's okay for him, becomes lethal in Yoo Jin-ha's hands.
That's why I was surprised at Yoo Seon-jun. I knew the backstory, so I caught it easily, but Yoo Seon-jun, without future knowledge, wouldn't have realized Lee Seon-pyo was a mole.
"You planned to keep it secret forever, right? Well, if things had gone smoothly for me, I might have too. Great power renders petty schemes pointless, after all."
Lee Si-hyeon poked at her chopsticks, deflated.
"...Yes. I thought it would be fine. I didn't say anything really important anyway, just things the Chairman would know... so it should be okay."
If Lee Hak-cheol had demanded my secrets, she'd have refused, and vice versa.
Lee Si-hyeon might have thought that was enough.
I get it—'Daddy or Mommy?' is always a tough question. And Si-hyeon probably never imagined those two were sharpening knives behind each other's backs.
"Yeah, yeah, good thing. I was worried I might have misjudged you. Luckily, Si-hyeon wasn't a traitor from the start. Let's settle it that way."
"...Pardon?"
"You weren't my person to begin with, right? So... you'll betray him, then?"
I smirked and asked Lee Si-hyeon. The secretary slowly bowed her head.
"......Yes."
A thrilling sense of corruption ran down my spine. Now, finally, Lee Si-hyeon was someone I could truly trust.
Good.
Feels like stealing someone else's lover. That's why managing subordinate loyalty matters.
"B-but.... How long have you known— n-no, did you know?"
Too late to act cool now, Si-hyeon.
I shrugged.
"Probably from the start? I was sure around when I made the Alpha Fund and you recommended your brother. Looking back, it was like catching a rat while the ox backed away."
Showing your brother you getting openly sexually harassed at work? Not easy. That's when I knew.
"So... that's why you told Si-woo to change his name last time."
Half-joking, half-serious.
"Cut all family ties and even change your surname? Yeah, I'd trust that."
But luckily, Lee Hak-cheol wasn't blatantly planting spies in my company. Si-hyeon had just joked about it.
"Si-hyeon, one more thing I want to ask."
-Grab.
Now fully obedient, Lee Si-hyeon stammered her reply.
"Yes? Yes! Ask anything, Miss."
"The Alpha Fund thing, you know? Ha Young-il working there..., you didn't tell Secretary General Lee Hak-cheol, right?"
"...Yes."
Good.
The third premise checked out too.