Chapter 9
Had the schedule changed a little?
Kim Tae-jin had spoken with his daughter Kim Seo-ah, the things he had never been able to say before.
Was there no fear?
Had she eaten properly?
Were there no sore spots?
And...
“Dad, I really thought I was going to die.”
Kim Seo-ah said in a small voice.
Her honest words were exactly what a child would say, but they hit Kim Tae-jin like a stab to the chest.
Still, Seo-ah smiled faintly.
“But Oppa said everything’s okay now.”
“...Oppa?”
“Yes! Kang-geon Oppa!”
The moment that name left her lips, Kim Tae-jin’s face twisted in complicated emotion.
Unlike him, Seo-ah continued as if bragging.
“When I was crying, Oppa bought me banana milk and said I could hold his hand if I was scared!”
“...”
“And Dad promised to come home no matter what! And he actually did!”
Seo-ah laughed brightly, just like in the photo with Kang-geon.
The more she smiled, the heavier Kim Tae-jin’s guilt grew.
He knew it.
The person who had made his daughter’s smile was not him.
Kang-geon.
He had tried to kill him.
But the very person he had targeted had saved his daughter, comforted her, and even let her meet him like this.
“Why...?”
He honestly could not understand it.
He should have hated him more.
Should have resented him even more.
Why was the man acting this way toward him?
At that moment.
Click-click-
The sound of a password being entered on the door lock rang out.
And the door slowly opened, with Kang-geon and Choi Yu-na walking in together.
Exactly one hour later, just as he had promised.
And he immediately turned to Seo-ah.
“Seo-ah, I need to talk with your dad alone for a bit. Is that okay?”
“...Am I being scolded?”
“No, we’re just going to have a short adult conversation.”
Kang-geon let out a light laugh and ruffled Seo-ah’s hair playfully.
“In return, I’ll buy you something delicious today too. What do you want to eat?”
“Hamburger!”
“Good. Then once that’s over, I’ll go get it for you.”
The moment Seo-ah heard that, her expression lit up instantly.
Meanwhile, Kim Tae-jin’s face grew steadily stiffer.
He had sensed it instinctively.
The real main topic was about to begin.
And so Choi Yu-na took Seo-ah into a small room, leaving a moment of awkward silence in the living room.
The first to speak was Kim Tae-jin.
The current chairman of Seonghwa Group asked the young man he had secretly raised all this time.
“...Why did you mention kidnapping my daughter in the text? Anyone would see that doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s so you’ll get out quick. Maybe you were thinking of taking all the blame and dying to save her?”
Kim Tae-jin’s body jerked for a second.
When he looked up, Kang-geon’s sharp gaze was fixed on him.
And since Kim Tae-jin could not refute it, Kang-geon let out a soft sigh and continued.
“So you talked well with Seo-ah?”
“Thanks to Young Master... I mean, Chairman... I was able to talk with her.”
“Hah. Even to the likes of you, you call me that. It’s good you talked well, at least.”
Kim Tae-jin clenched his fists tight.
And after a struggle, he spoke again.
“I really don’t understand.”
“What?”
“Why are you treating me like this?”
Kim Tae-jin’s voice trembled.
“I tried to kill you, Chairman. If I had been even slightly off, it would have been a disaster.”
“...”
“In your position, you would naturally resent me. And after all these years of facing each other, it’s even worse.”
He let out a bitter laugh.
“But you saved my daughter and let me meet her so easily. Why...!”
“Because I didn’t die, did I?”
“...Huh?”
“From the beginning, you and Seo-ah are the victims, and I was dragged in too. When the perpetrator is this clear, why should the victims fight each other?”
Kang-geon’s gaze slowly softened.
There was no anger in his eyes toward Kim Tae-jin.
Or rather, to be precise.
“I just don’t like the people who created this situation for us.”
The target of his anger was clear.
And Kim Tae-jin had no reason not to feel the same.
“Because of them, you almost lost your daughter, and Seo-ah almost became fatherless. People who are willing to destroy a family without a second thought, and you’re not even angry?”
“That’s...”
Of course he should have been furious.
After all, touching a family was crossing a line.
But at the time, Kim Tae-jin had no means to resist after he had already sensed the girl’s movements and the kidnapping.
Or rather, he didn’t even dare to try.
But now everything had changed because of one person.
“I plan to pay them back properly... What about you, Manager Kim? Are you just going to leave the ones who touched Seo-ah?”
Kang-geon looked straight at Kim Tae-jin and said it.
Kim Tae-jin was still clenching his fists, but for some reason...
“I will never allow that.”
He spat it out and looked incredibly relieved.
Kang-geon let out a knowing chuckle.
It was time to...
Hand out a bill to the perpetrators of this mess.
A strange rumor began to spread inside Seonghwa Group.
That the chairman Kang-geon was looking for someone inside the company to help him lead the current situation.
It was not an odd thing to think about.
The entire owner family had died.
And a nineteen-year-old boy had suddenly taken the chairman position.
No matter how capable or shrewd he was, it was impossible for one person to manage the entire group alone.
He needed reliable allies, including his dedicated secretary Choi Yu-na.
Of course, the person had to understand the internal affairs of the company and have the ability to sort out the current chaos.
Above all, loyalty toward the young chairman mattered.
Because of this, a subtle tension began to flow among the executives.
Who would stand by the chairman’s side?
Who would earn his trust first?
And the person who noticed this atmosphere most keenly was...
The head of the Future Strategy Planning Office.
Jeong Min-cheol.
“It’s finally happening like this.”
He let out a small sigh.
Honestly, he never thought Yoon Chang-seob’s plan would collapse so quickly.
But it was already done.
“It’s more important to seek out the method to survive rather than regret it.”
But for Jeong Min-cheol, the more important thing was getting closer to the highest position.
That was also why he had cooperated with Yoon Chang-seob...
Currently he was in a strange state.
Was he wandering? It felt like he was hesitating.
“Tsk. Just because a single illegitimate child became chairman, he’s this shaken.”
Rather, he should actively use it.
That way he would be even further off the list of suspects.
Jeong Min-cheol was confident it would be very simple.
His performance, political power, and understanding of Seonghwa Group’s structure.
None of those were missing.
Above all.
“In this situation, actively appealing would earn more trust.”
Because of that, Jeong Min-cheol requested a private meeting with Kang-geon.
And Choi Yu-na, his secretary, replied with one condition.
It seemed possible around three in the afternoon.
But there was one slightly strange condition attached.
“Chairman requests that Director Jeong accompany him on an external schedule.”
“Today’s scheduled visit to the Seonghwa Electronics business site.”
“He said he wants to hear advice on future response directions while moving.”
“...Seonghwa Electronics?”
Jeong Min-cheol narrowed his eyes slightly.
But he immediately understood.
No, it was actually a rather wise choice.
Seonghwa Electronics was Seonghwa Group’s core affiliate.
Institutional investors and overseas investors were all uneasy.
What was needed at times like this was one thing.
“Showing your face.”
The chairman himself would appear and send the message to the market that Seonghwa would never waver.
It was enough time to at least buy.
Moreover, the internal situation of Seonghwa Group was practically a battlefield now.
No one knew who was on whose side.
After the owner family poisoning incident, the young chairman would have a hard time trusting anyone.
In such a situation, why would he want to accompany an external schedule?
“Looking for someone to rely on while being cautious.”
And that someone was himself, so it was great news.
Exactly at three o’clock in the afternoon.
Jeong Min-cheol found himself riding in the chairman’s exclusive vehicle in the underground parking lot beneath Seonghwa Center.
The first to speak was Kang-geon.
The boy smiled sheepishly.
“I was most deeply moved by your words from the emergency meeting I hastily called yesterday. I suppose you could say I felt the respect for the owner family. A person like that couldn’t possibly be the culprit.”
“...You flatter me.”
Jeong Min-cheol said it with his mouth, but inside a tiny bit of certainty was already growing.
It seemed he had done well to rant yesterday.
No matter how composed and spirited he acted, in the end he was still a high schooler.
He assumed the situation would flow easily and opened his mouth.
“I think visiting Seonghwa Electronics is a good choice.”
“Really?”
“Right now the market is most anxious about the ‘void.’ Just by appearing personally, you can give enough stability.”
Jeong Min-cheol continued in a calm voice.
“I will tell you all the things the chairman is curious about. Feel free to ask.”
At those words, Kang-geon chuckled and nodded.
The atmosphere inside the car felt quite good.
At least it did to Jeong Min-cheol.
Kang-geon was far more naive than he thought, and he listened to his advice.
Every time, Jeong Min-cheol gained more certainty.
“Done.”
This was enough.
Gaining the young chairman’s trust was only a matter of time.
Since Yoon Chang-seob’s plan had collapsed, all he had to do was step into the new core.
How long had they been driving?
Suddenly Jeong Min-cheol looked out the window and furrowed his brow slightly.
“...?”
It was strange.
No matter how he thought about it, the direction was not toward Seonghwa Electronics headquarters.
Not even a tall building, let alone the city center itself, was visible.
At that moment.
As the car passed a fork in the road, one sign by the roadside caught his eye.
[Direction to Cheongun Mountain →]
The moment Jeong Min-cheol confirmed it, he furrowed his brow even more.
Cheongun Mountain...?
Anyone who had been inside Seonghwa Group would have heard of this legendary place at some point.
The first chairman, Kang Seong-cheol, had personally beaten up violent thugs who had assaulted his son there.
Was it...
No way...
Jeong Min-cheol forced himself to stay calm and cautiously opened his mouth.
“...Chairman.”
“What?”
“Did the schedule perhaps change a little?”
Kang-geon glanced out the window for a moment and nodded shortly.
“Ah, yes.”
Then with a kind smile he said.
“The schedule to visit Seonghwa Electronics has been canceled. There was something even more important.”
“What do you mean by suddenly...?”
Jeong Min-cheol’s words did not continue.
They could not.
Clang-
A short, dull sound echoed from the passenger seat side.
Seeing the bodyguard aiming a gun straight at him, Jeong Min-cheol broke out in cold sweat.
Then he desperately looked at Kang-geon.
“Jeong Min-cheol Director?”
Kang-geon kept his kind smile and continued.
You should behave today.