Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Royal Family 17-3
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From the moment he stepped into the room, Assistant Manager An Chang-hee's face was filled with questions.
"Did you receive all the personnel files?"
"Yes, Director. We've secured the files for all five people, including Bae Hyun-mo, the main culprit in this incident."
When Seo Ji-hyeok took the document binder An Chang-hee handed him and opened it, Bae Hyun-mo's file was right on top.
And Bae Hyun-mo's resume didn't seem particularly remarkable.
He had graduated from elementary, middle, and high school, received a military exemption due to vision issues, bounced around a few companies, and eventually joined Taesung Hausys.
Just as Seo Ji-hyeok was about to look away from the document, An Chang-hee's voice cut in first.
"It's a forged resume. We checked, and the diploma and employment certificates were all fakes. The same goes for the rest of them. Nothing checks out."
"Is something like this possible at Taesung?"
"Of course, not the current Taesung—even ten years ago, it would have been impossible. But there was a reason it was possible."
"What's that? The reason."
"Because Hausys wasn't a company created by Taesung; it was an acquisition. We confirmed with the acquisition team at the time that they had thoroughly vetted executives and managers and above, but they hadn't gotten around to the regular employees."
"Where was it acquired from?"
At Seo Ji-hyeok's question, An Chang-hee handed over the remaining document binder he was holding.
"Japan. Ten years ago, Hausys successfully launched in Korea by fulfilling the needs of the upper class with its differentiated housekeeping services. That's the company they acquired."
Seo Ji-hyeok read through the documents as he listened to An Chang-hee's explanation.
And his gaze stopped at one point in the file.
"Murai Trading?"
"Yes. Do you remember Two Hands Finance, by any chance?"
"I do. CM Song made it pretty well-known."
"Right. Murai Trading launched Two Hands Finance and Two Hands Hausys in Korea. Of course, the parent company is Japan's Murai Group."
"And in that process, they just skipped background checks on the rank-and-file employees."
"Yes."
"But the first acquisition was the hotel division, not trading."
"Yes. The hotel business was closest to that field, after all. Later, they sold the shares to the trading division, creating the current structure."
Hoo...
The compass kept pointing toward Kang Mi-young.
Was the lax vetting of Bae Hyun-mo and the other regular employees a mistake, or intentional?
One thing was clear: Bae Hyun-mo had entered through the hotel division, transferred to trading, and infiltrated Taesungwon without raising any suspicions.
But something still felt off.
"Then who ordered the Hausys acquisition back then?"
"The Chairman."
Damn...
It all circled back to square one.
Kang Wook, the Chairman, and Kang Mi-young—those two.
"Got it. Thank you."
No sooner had Seo Ji-hyeok spoken than An Chang-hee stood, bowed his head, and left the room.
And Seo Ji-hyeok's deliberations began.
He had to think coldly.
The Chairman had clearly dismissed Sangcheon, saying they were nothing to worry about.
But given the current situation, it was hard to believe him.
Of course, it wasn't entirely impossible.
If he knew Sangcheon wasn't after his life, there'd be no reason to care.
Of course, Bae Hyun-mo infiltrating Taesungwon might not have been under anyone's protection in the family—it could have been Sangcheon's perfect plan.
If not through Hausys, they would have used another route, and somehow made their way into Taesungwon no matter what.
That possibility couldn't be completely ruled out either.
'Fine. Let's say that's the case.'
Now, who let Sangcheon into Taesungwon didn't matter anymore.
True, confirming who gave the book to his father through Sangcheon was no longer possible, which was regrettable—but in exchange, the Sangcheon threat could be considered neutralized.
Everyone who hadn't answered their phones had been exposed.
Even if they still followed Sangcheon's orders, a revealed blade posed no danger.
So, who gave the book to his father?
With Kang Jin-young and Gong Gap-su out, four cards remained.
Kang Wook, the Chairman; Kang Seon-young; Lawyer Yeo Seong-min; Kang Mi-young.
So, start flipping the least likely cards first.
Kang Seon-young and Yeo Seong-min first...
And prepare for the possibility that it was the Chairman.
To thoroughly destroy him, he had to seize Taesung—the weapon he wielded.
That's why he needed to flip the low-probability cards while securing as many shares as possible.
'No matter who it is, my rage will never cool.'
No, Seo Ji-hyeok's fury in his chest was only growing fiercer.
If it was the Chairman, he'd strip Taesung—his life's blood—right from under his nose.
If it was Kang Mi-young, he'd take what was her lifeblood.
And Kang Mi-young's lifeblood was already in his grasp.
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ
The meeting spot with Kim Sun-ho wasn't the convenience store near the prosecutor's office like before.
Seo Ji-hyeok had parked in the underground lot of a nearby building, and soon after, Kim Sun-ho pulled up next to him in his own sedan.
Kim Sun-ho got into Seo Ji-hyeok's car.
Kim Sun-ho had changed a bit.
He wasn't the disheveled man bearing the marks of all-nighters anymore.
His suit was immaculate, his appearance neat.
As a result, his innate sharpness had returned, giving him a somewhat colder look.
"You've brightened up."
"My position demands it now."
"Looks good on you."
"Glad to hear it. Now, ask what you're curious about."
"Shim Sang-seop."
"Officially suicide. But strong suspicions of murder."
"Evidence?"
"The President called him, but he didn't pick up—instead, he took another call. He had two phones. The second one? No outgoing calls ever."
"Wasn't it a Yamada?"
"Right. You knew?"
"We checked on our end too, but couldn't verify since it was Japan."
"Burner phone. We confirmed it. Registered to some Sidahara Rentaro—a homeless guy, not the kind you'd call 'teacher.' Plus, Yamada's too common a name to narrow down. Anyway, suicide from that height? Tough. Not impossible, but even determined suicides don't dive cleanly."
"So someone pushed him."
"Yeah. We could investigate who was in the speaker's office then, but the order is to drop it."
Seo Ji-hyeok had half-expected as much.
He nodded and spoke again.
"Even if it's dropped, could you share the suspect list?"
"Sure."
"By the way, Mirae must be pushing hard."
"Yep. The Chief Prosecutor is their line. But we're negotiating. National Assembly's involved—more Mirae Party reps implicated. Talk of digging into Mirae keeps coming up. They've probably checked internally. Digging Mirae would drag out more Justice Party folks. The Chief's politically ambitious; he can't cover it easily."
"Good. Just enough to match Taesung."
"Yeah. Speaking of, the Taesungwon incident—you?"
"How's it progressing?"
"Passed to the Livelihood and Economy Division to downsize it. They're leaning toward infighting murder among thieves after Taesung's wealth."
Seo Ji-hyeok nodded in response again.
The quick-witted Kim Sun-ho didn't press further.
Instead, he added to what Seo Ji-hyeok was most curious about.
"Anyway, planning to talk to the Japanese side. Even if the Assembly Speaker's dead, we can ask who he talked to. Don't expect answers—they won't hand over info on someone Shim called 'teacher.' But we can gauge their reaction."
"Thank you. And this... poison."
Seo Ji-hyeok turned, grabbed the shopping bag from the back seat.
And handed Kim Sun-ho the bag stuffed full of 50,000-won bills to the brim.
"Damn, real poison. What is this? Should've been ginseng pills."
"Build up your prosecutors."
"Starting a faction?"
"Yes. The Kim Sun-ho faction. Start now."
"This won't even scratch the surface."
"Don't worry. I'll make sure there's plenty more if needed."
"Okay."
This money was part of what Cheol-gyo-ha had kept in Myeongdong.
It was meant for this purpose from the start.
Of course, Jang Woo was using it where needed too.
"Here."
Kim Sun-ho, who had placed the shopping bag on his lap, pulled a single sheet of paper from his inner suit pocket.
Seo Ji-hyeok unfolded it to find a clear list of personal details for the numbers Bae Hyun-mo's phone hadn't answered.
Fourteen people in total.
He'd asked Kim Sun-ho to check if they'd abandoned Sangcheon to hide in Korea or had another agenda.
"Thank you."
"By the way, things are noisy here too. Now everyone's saying Taesung's yours and lining up to pledge allegiance."
"Nonsense. You think so too, sunbae?"
"Eventually."
Seo Ji-hyeok gave a slight smile at Kim Sun-ho's reply.
As if he'd said all he needed to, Kim Sun-ho reached for the door.
"Alright, I'm off."
"Yes. Get home safe."
After sending Kim Sun-ho off first, Seo Ji-hyeok started to drive out but felt a wave of fatigue and got out of the car.
He hadn't told anyone, but dealing with Bae Hyun-mo that day had drained him considerably.
Moving explosively like that wasn't easy, so he'd been feeling worn out for days.
'Yeah. Time to slack off a bit.'
In the end, Seo Ji-hyeok took the elevator up to the coffee shop on the top floor of the building.
He wanted a hot drink and a moment to shut out the company and work, to rest his mind.
Settling into a window seat, Seo Ji-hyeok placed his drink in front and leaned back comfortably on the sofa.
And slowly emptied his mind.
But not even ten minutes passed before irritating words drifted into his ears.
"Heard about it? Dong-yeon?"
"Yeah. Apparently wrecked some girl."
"Kuku. Been quiet for a while, but old habits die hard."
"Who?"
"Not sure. Something about a taxi company heiress."
"Taxi company, but a big one, right?"
"Big or not, it's still a taxi company. Anyway, that bastard's got a long way to go to be human. What age is he, still pulling that crap."
"Exactly. That's why he keeps getting pushed out of succession. Idiot—should watch himself for a bit."
"So now Seyeon Group goes to the second son?"
"Probably."
Seo Ji-hyeok slowly opened his eyes upon hearing that much.
Taxi company, Seyeon Group...
And naturally, one name that followed.
Heo Yu-rim...
"Hoo..."
Straightening his slouched posture on the sofa, Seo Ji-hyeok let out a long sigh.
Then he slowly stood, left the coffee shop, returned to his car in the underground lot, and picked up his phone.
- The number you have dialed is powered off at the customer's request...
As expected, but Heo Yu-rim didn't answer.
No, her phone was off entirely.
Seo Ji-hyeok pondered briefly, then dialed another number.
It barely rang once before a voice answered.
"Hello."
"Hello. This is Kang Ji-hyeok. Do you remember me?"
"Of course. What brings you calling?"
"It's about Yu-rim."
"Hmm..."
Heo Gyu-seok's long sigh seemed to say it all about the situation.
And his lack of surprise at the question meant he already knew about Seo Ji-hyeok and Heo Yu-rim's relationship.
The full story of that incident too.
"Is Yu-rim still living in the villa near her school?"
"Yes. Could you check on her?"
"Sure. I'll do that."
"And... help me out a bit."
"I'll decide after seeing Yu-rim first."
"Alright. Understood."
He hadn't seen his face, but Seo Ji-hyeok could picture Heo Gyu-seok's expression filled with despair.
His voice told the tale.
This wasn't the Heo Gyu-seok who had brazened out getting caught in that embarrassing scene with his secretary.
Seo Ji-hyeok hung up and immediately drove off.
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ
The villa door was firmly locked.
And no answer to the bell.
But Seo Ji-hyeok instinctively knew Heo Yu-rim was inside.
Right there by the door, even.
"Open up. Before I break it down. Counting to three. One, two..."
"Oppa. Please... just go."
Heo Yu-rim's voice from beyond the door was thick with tears.
"You know my temper. If I was just gonna leave, I wouldn't have come. Open before I break it."
"Oppa..."
"Open it!"
At Seo Ji-hyeok's final firm command, a moment later, the lock clicked, and the sturdy door swung open.
Seo Ji-hyeok pulled it wider to find Heo Yu-rim standing there, her face haggard.