Chapter 7
Chapter 7
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Royal Family
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hurriedly pulling up his pants and fastening his belt, Heo Gyu-seok stormed toward the sofa, breathing heavily as if he were about to grab Seo Ji-hyeok by the collar and hurl him away.
But in that moment, Ji-hyeok pulled out his phone and thrust it right in front of Heo Gyu-seok's face.
"Wh...what the hell is this?"
"Take a good look. You do recognize her, right?"
"You... you son of a bitch, what are you doing? Where's Yu-rim right now?"
"Your daughter's probably safe at home. Why don't you check?"
Heo Gyu-seok, wearing a suspicious expression, hurriedly pulled out his own phone and tapped the screen.
And a moment later,
"Where the hell are you right now?"
"........."
"Didn't I tell you not to go causing trouble?"
"........."
"Shut up! Pack your shit and get home right now. I'm warning you—if you screw up even once more before the meeting with her in-laws, I'll have you locked up in a mental hospital. Got it?"
Yelling into the phone before hanging up, Heo Gyu-seok glared at Ji-hyeok.
Then, without another word, he pulled out his wallet and dumped all the cash inside onto the table.
By rough estimate, it was around five million won.
"What's this?"
"You dare blackmail me? Do you even know who I am? If you want to walk out of here on your own two feet, delete those pictures and take the money."
"Impressive. Are you in the mob or something?"
"Mob? How dare you compare me to those lowlifes? I built Daecheon Transport from just two taxis. You think I haven't dealt with a thug or two? Delete them while I'm asking nicely. If you want to live, that is."
"A little scary. But do you know what 'cloud' means, by any chance?"
"What?"
"Even if you snatch my phone, it won't do you any good. Anyway, you don't seem like the type who'd cave to threats. Guess I'll have to head over to Seyeon Group then."
"W-wait! You little bastard..."
For the past few years, Heo Gyu-seok's biggest obsession had been marrying off Heo Yu-rim to a chaebol family.
Of course, any parent would want their child to marry into a good family.
But Heo Gyu-seok wasn't driven by pure parental love.
As Yu-rim herself had said, his target this time was Seyeon Group.
And from a quick check on the way over, it was clear Heo Gyu-seok had his eyes on Seyeon because of Seyeon Express.
Rumors were swirling that Seyeon Express would soon hit the M&A market.
If this marriage went through and Heo Gyu-seok got his hands on Seyeon Express, he'd rocket straight to the top of Korea's transport industry.
For him, it was an offer too juicy to pass up.
And now Ji-hyeok had just named Seyeon Group.
He wanted to call in an employee and snap Ji-hyeok in half right then and there, but instead, Heo Gyu-seok lit a cigarette.
Everything started with a small hole, after all.
He knew from hard experience that ignoring a small hole meant paying a much bigger price later.
"Hoo... Fine. Tell me. How much do you want?"
"Replace two hundred old taxis."
"What? Who the hell are you? Why would you ask for something like that?"
"I'll explain that later. How about replacing two hundred old taxis? They're due for replacement anyway."
"No deal. Do you know how much that would cost? And what makes you think we even have that many old taxis?"
"I know you run anything as long as the wheels turn. Government records show Daecheon Transport has the highest number of old taxis out of any company nationwide. What if one of those breaks down and causes an accident? What did the passengers do to deserve that? Or the other drivers involved? Right?"
"No. Two hundred is impossible. One hundred. I can maybe swing one hundred."
He was a true businessman, through and through.
Even in a situation like this, he haggled.
Impressive in a way, but he'd picked the wrong opponent this time.
"Anyone hearing this would think I came here to sell you cars."
"What? Then what did you come for?"
"You seem to be misunderstanding. I'm here to sell photos. Photos of your daughter seducing a married man—with a foxy wife and a bunny-like kid, no less. Photos of her rolling around naked with him."
"Fine. One hundred million—no, two hundred million. No cars needed. That should cover it, right?"
"Nah, that won't cut it. I'll head to Seyeon then."
"Wait. Al... alright. Two hundred. But vehicle price at 1.8 million each."
"You're talking nonsense. Model's the KN5 Deluxe taxi, 3.5 million per unit."
"What? At 1.8, that's basically scrap metal. 3.5 million?"
"You sure love your scraps. Let me repeat: Why bargain with me? And don't you know the government gives subsidies per vehicle for replacing old taxis?"
Heo Gyu-seok trembled with rage at Ji-hyeok's words but had no choice but to concede.
The guy in front of him was no pushover.
"Hoo, fine. But how do I know I can trust you?"
"That's on you to figure out, isn't it? Even if I delete them, if you don't believe me, what can I do?"
In the end, Heo Gyu-seok nodded.
But he didn't forget his final jab.
"Fine. I trust you. But I need to know who you are. Fair's fair, right?"
"Of course. Here you go. Put our company as Taesung Special Sales Department on the purchase order."
"What? Taesung? You mean Taesung Group?"
"What other Taesung is there?"
"Who the hell are you, really?"
"See for yourself."
What Ji-hyeok held out was his employee ID.
Heo Gyu-seok's eyes shifted from fury to confusion as he looked at it.
'Who the hell is this guy? Fake ID? But then asking for a purchase order through Taesung doesn't add up. Why would Taesung...?'
No matter how he racked his brain, nothing made sense.
But seeing Ji-hyeok point at his watch, Heo Gyu-seok had no choice but to pick up the receiver.
"It's me. Bring a purchase order. KN5 Deluxe, two hundred units. 3.5 million each."
"........."
"Shut up and bring it!"
"........."
"Taesung Group Special Sales Department! Now, you bastard!"
A moment later, an employee rushed in, face flushed from hurrying, with the purchase order.
Heo Gyu-seok grabbed a large company seal from his desk, slammed it down next to his name, and racked his brain all the while.
'Who is this guy? Definitely not ordinary. My gut's screaming it. Taesung... Taesung... We'll cross paths more if we're supplying them...'
Handing over the order, Heo Gyu-seok snapped a photo of Ji-hyeok's ID—his own little act of diligence.
Ji-hyeok found it amusing, of course.
Tucking the purchase order away, Ji-hyeok returned to his car and checked the time.
4:40 PM.
Calculating the drive back to the office, time was tight—he had to hurry.
Delay now, and things could go sideways.
At least the office was nearby in Cheongdam-dong.
Ji-hyeok floored it.
He arrived in Cheongdam-dong but skipped the public parking this time.
Instead, he pulled up to the security booth of an upscale villa complex, blocked by sturdy iron gates.
"How can I help you?"
"I'm here for Unit 201, Building 3."
"May I ask the purpose of your visit?"
"Just say Seo Ji-hyeok."
"Understood. One moment, please."
True to its Gangnam luxury status, the guard was young and thorough, checking the visitor meticulously.
A moment later, he approached the car again.
"Go straight in—second hill, first building. Please park in Building 3's lot, not the guest one. Thank you."
"Got it. Thanks."
Entering, European-style buildings came into view.
Even at a glance, the premium materials screamed opulence, with four houses spaced widely apart.
A bit later, Ji-hyeok found Building 3's lot as instructed and parked his domestic SUV across two spots amid a sea of luxury imports.
"One, two, three, four. Four units, twelve spots. Impressive."
Stepping out, his car took two spots, but with plenty empty, no one would complain.
Heading to the building, he approached the entrance and was about to ring the doorbell when—
Clunk!
The heavy door swung open on its own, revealing its weight even from the sound alone, as a middle-aged woman appeared.
"Come in."
Her voice was ice-cold.
She glanced at Ji-hyeok's face, then turned and walked inside.
Following her, Ji-hyeok realized he'd underestimated the villa.
It was a duplex structure.
Meaning two households shared the massive building, not four separate ones.
"Whew. Some house."
Entering after her, the living room was so vast that calling it "spacious" felt like an insult.
The woman rustled in her skirt as she sat on the sofa and gestured for Ji-hyeok to do the same.
"Sit. Auntie! Here!"
As Ji-hyeok sat, her voice rose slightly, and moments later, a middle-aged woman entered the living room, bowing her head.
"Yes? You called, ma'am?"
"What would you like to drink?"
"Just some cold water for me."
"One water, and chamomile for me."
"Yes, ma'am."
As the middle-aged woman left, the lady crossed her legs and fixed Ji-hyeok with a stare.
Her name was Kim Su-jin.
She was Heo Gyu-seok's wife and Heo Yu-rim's stepmother—ten years her senior.
With Yu-rim at twenty-three, that made Kim Su-jin just thirty-three.
Ji-hyeok had snapped that photo of Heo Gyu-seok pulling up his pants on his way out of the office and sent it to her, setting up this meeting.
"Show me the rest of the photos. Then we can talk."
"Sure."
Ji-hyeok pulled out his phone and tapped the screen.
The display showed Heo Gyu-seok's adulterous romp with his employee in full detail.
He swiped through the photos one by one, holding the screen toward her.
"Enough. Now tell me what you want."
"How about doing some good with this opportunity?"
"Like what?"
"Buy fifty billion won worth of appliances—TVs, fridges, washers, that sort of thing."
"And how am I supposed to do that?"
"Donate them. To nursing homes, orphanages, those kinds of places. It'll help with tax breaks for your import clothing company too, right?"
"Fifty billion..."
"With these photos, it's not mutual consent divorce—it's divorce for spousal fault."
"Fine. Deal."
"One condition: I'll hand over the photos when you file the suit. I need to squeeze a little something out of your husband first. About ten days. It's not a huge amount, so no worries."
"Alright. But I need something to trust you on."
At her words, Ji-hyeok pulled out the same employee ID he'd shown Heo Gyu-seok.
"This work?"
"Taesung Co., Ltd... Special Sales Department?"
"Yes. That's my workplace. Route the purchase order for those products through our Special Sales."
Kim Su-jin glanced back and forth between the ID and Ji-hyeok's face, her eyes sparkling.
Like a cat spotting something intriguing...
But Ji-hyeok's gaze met hers coolly, transparently conveying that this was all he wanted.
In the end, she let out a small chuckle and raised her phone.
"Yeah, Manager Kim. It's me. Draft a purchase order and email it to me. Yeah. Leave items blank, amount fifty billion. Buyer: Taesung Group Special Sales Department, rep Seo Ji-hyeok. Got it. Okay."
Kim Su-jin's handling was crisp and efficient.
Moments later, she checked her email on her phone and tossed it to Ji-hyeok's device.
"Good?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"Why's Taesung Group sticking their nose in our marriage? Kinda weird to ask now, huh?"
"Yeah, later."
"Fine. You can go then."
As Ji-hyeok started to rise from the sofa, the middle-aged woman entered with a tray of water, tea, and cookies.
"Oh, leaving already? I should've prepared sooner."
"It's fine. Wasn't a long talk. But can I drink this water?"
Ji-hyeok reached for the glass on the tray and gulped it down.
He set it back down and bowed to her.
"Thanks. It was good."
"Oh, no need..."
"I'm off. Talk later?"
As Ji-hyeok turned and waved, Kim Su-jin's eyes sparkled once more.
But he strode away without a hint of lingering, vanishing from the living room.
Like a mirage...
All that remained was Kim Su-jin's lingering, sticky gaze fixed on where he'd been.