Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Treasure Behind the Painting
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There was a very peculiar painting hanging in the Seojin Gallery, operated by Seojin Group.
A masterpiece depicting Perseus holding Medusa's head.
No one knew who painted it, but Lee Dae-hyuk liked this painting the most.
For two reasons.
First.
The content of the masterpiece resembled his own situation.
The monster called Medusa seemed to symbolize Yoo Jae-man.
Perseus was naturally himself, who had to fight fiercely against him for revenge.
And second.
The treasure hidden behind this painting.
It was a treasure safe containing Yoo Jae-man's real valuables.
Commonly known as the SJ File.
A file containing all the weaknesses of key figures in Korea's political and business circles was stored inside the wall behind this painting.
Of course, that included some internal figures from Seojin Group as well.
With just the SJ File, it would become a useful weapon to manipulate Korea's political and business elites.
It was a file he absolutely had to acquire someday.
Lee Dae-hyuk stared blankly beyond the painting and recalled what Yoo Jae-man had said here.
"I don't trust dogs. I trust the leash on the dog."
At that time.
He had ridiculously thought he wasn't a dog.
'I believed... I was a person.'
What a joke.
Wasn't it like mistaking a dog for a human?
Recalling his past self, Lee Dae-hyuk let out a self-deprecating laugh.
Sometimes, regret and self-loathing would creep up on him.
Whenever that happened, Lee Dae-hyuk would come to this gallery to steady his resolve.
'Soon, I won't even have the leisure to steady my mind.'
The [Daeguk Ilbo]'s articles sniping Jaesong-dong were gaining traction.
With people's attention focused, other newspapers were writing articles too.
Of course, they were focusing investigations solely on Park Jung-ki to avoid touching Seojin Group behind the scenes....
In the end.
'They'll go after Kim Jin-taek and Min Seung-su too.'
Now, all he had to do was wait for them to make their move.
And with the 100 billion won he extracted from them, he would take down the Medusa that was Yoo Jae-man.
***
"Ha. Ha. Ha."
Kim Jin-taek's hand trembled as he gripped the newspaper.
The article didn't mention him directly.
But anyone who read it would think of him.
However, unlike his trembling hand, Kim Jin-taek's expression was calm.
The place he was in now was a little paradise Min Seung-su had provided.
An officetel funded by Seojin Construction's sponsorship.
He had just spent a passionate night there with a woman about his daughter's age.
Kim Jin-taek, who had a habit of reading the newspaper every morning, was checking it here too.
[Hanseong Ilbo].
Korea's largest media outlet, with ties to Seojin Group.
Yet even they had published the damn article.
An article sniping Park Jung-ki and the Jaesong-dong redevelopment.
The fact that it had made it this far meant something had gone down.
Right then.
Viiiing-!!!
The cell phone on the desk vibrated.
Grab-!
Kim Jin-taek tossed the newspaper to the floor and snatched up the phone irritably.
"Who is it?"
[It's Min Seung-su.]
"You saw the article?"
[I think we need to meet briefly to talk. I'll come to... no, wherever is convenient for you.]
Min Seung-su, who had been about to say he'd come, corrected himself.
What could they discuss at a place where he was rolling around with a young woman in an affair?
Kim Jin-taek wouldn't want that either.
"There are too many eyes at the company. Let's meet at the usual gallery."
[Yes. Heading out now.]
Click-!
Kim Jin-taek's face was filled with anger after hanging up.
[Hanseong Ilbo], which was friendly to them, wouldn't have run the story first.
That meant some other newspaper had taken the lead.
'I need to crush them starting from there.'
Kim Jin-taek gritted his teeth.
He was a man destined to become the power of a new era.
Even if president was out of reach, with Seojin's backing, he'd climb to prime minister within ten years.
And yet.
'These bastards grabbing my ankle?'
Hoo-!!
Kim Jin-taek breathed heavily, suppressing his rage with effort.
At that moment.
Slither-!!
"Daddy. You're up already?"
A smooth arm wrapped around his waist.
Normally, even in the morning, he would have gone back to bed.
But to the furious Kim Jin-taek now, the woman's seduction only irritated him.
"Let go."
"Huh?"
"I said let go!!"
Slap-!!
Kim Jin-taek shook off her arm irritably and growled in a cold tone.
"Do you know what kind of person I despise most? Someone with no sense. You have ten minutes. Get out now."
"Daddy?"
"Your compensation for all this time will be deposited. Keep your mouth shut and you'll be fine."
"...."
Step, step-!!!
Kim Jin-taek walked to the bathroom, leaving the dazed woman behind.
***
The VIP room of Seojin Gallery.
Min Seung-su and Kim Jin-taek sat facing each other, cooling coffee between them.
To Min Seung-su, Seojin Gallery symbolized success.
For dismissals or holding accountable, they summoned presidents to headquarters.
But for major 'business' assignments involving promotions, they called presidents to the gallery for meetings.
Min Seung-su had been summoned here several times himself.
But today's Min Seung-su was in a tricky spot.
Of course, he wouldn't face discipline over this incident.
Yoo Jae-man, having already been briefed on everything, had simply instructed him to handle it.
Still, he couldn't just be happy about it.
If he didn't resolve it within the given time, harsher discipline awaited.
Yet Min Seung-su looked at Kim Jin-taek with as calm an expression as possible.
Revealing his true feelings to the fuming Kim Jin-taek wouldn't help the situation.
"You don't need to worry about the [Hanseong Ilbo] article. They moved first to prepare a rebuttal piece."
At Min Seung-su's words, Kim Jin-taek furrowed his brow.
"Right. [Hanseong Ilbo] wouldn't betray me."
The words 'Not you, Seojin' nearly escaped, but Min Seung-su smiled and skirted around it.
"It means Senior Secretary Kim Jin-taek still has power left. We trust you too, sir."
They trusted him so much they provided an officetel for his affair and even covered living expenses.
Of course, cutting ties with him now wouldn't trouble Seojin at all.
They'd kept him around only as a needed scapegoat.
A political sacrificial lamb to take the fall if things went wrong.
But for now, Kim Jin-taek was still a useful ally.
"I've set up interviews with a few newspapers. Just meet them, have some tea, and build rapport."
Oblivious to Min Seung-su's intentions, Kim Jin-taek just beamed broadly.
'Yes. I'm still alive.'
Nodding with brimming confidence, Kim Jin-taek spoke.
"Leave the newspaper presidents to me. They've all been under me since the Blue House days."
"Yes. You'll keep them under you, right?"
"Of course."
Min Seung-su inwardly sighed at Kim Jin-taek's firm declaration.
His Blue House days were over.
Yet he was still basking in that past glory.
'That glory will end soon too, Mr. Kim Jin-taek.'
Letting out a small sigh, Min Seung-su lifted the coffee cup in front of him.
***
The next day at six a.m.
Lee Dae-hyuk was running in a nearby park.
Huff, huff-!!
About ten laps in?
His breath reached his chin, his whole body soaked in sweat.
Now that he trained techniques at the gym, he had to make personal time for stamina training.
Stamina training wasn't much, really.
Just running until exhausted.
And whenever possible, push-ups, sit-ups, squats—bodyweight exercises to build his body.
It was a grueling schedule for a commuting office worker.
But Lee Dae-hyuk was managing it.
To suppress his blazing thirst for revenge, he had to cling to something.
No. Those times focusing solely on his body, forgetting his anger, were actually enjoyable.
But a few days ago.
Something strange started happening.
Someone had begun joining his workouts.
Whoosh, whoosh-!!!
He looked like a white man in his forties.
A bit wrinkled face, but a solid build.
His chest and arms suggested plenty of training.
Moreover, despite a much larger frame—not just muscle—he kept pace with Lee Dae-hyuk.
And then something even more interesting happened.
Nod.
At some point, they started exchanging nods.
'Amusing.'
In truth, working out with two people was a bit more efficient than alone.
Why?
A subtle competitive spirit arose.
And at some point, when curiosity overtook the competition.
Lee Dae-hyuk offered the water bottle in his hand to the man standing beside him.
"Thirsty? Oh, you might not understand Korean?"
Just courtesy to a fellow morning workout buddy.
The other responded with a smile to the courtesy.
"Thank you. I understand Korean well and speak it decently."
The awkwardly smiling man took the water bottle from Lee Dae-hyuk's hand.
And in that moment.
"......!"
Lee Dae-hyuk's eyes darkened.
The instant his fingers touched the white man's hand.
Flash-!
Unintended psychometry activated.
It was odd.
Having grown accustomed to this special power, he could control psychometry activation to some extent.
If he kept curiosity about the target in check, psychometry wouldn't trigger.
However.
For some reason today, it activated on someone he had no interest in.
"!!"
The identity of the man he unintentionally discovered was shocking.
'...Wolfgang? That Wolfgang?'
Lee Dae-hyuk flinched slightly, recalling past memories.
Wolfgang.
A Spetsnaz killer.
Master of Systema and Sambo, a notorious murderer in Korea's underworld.
And a psychopath who enjoyed mutilating and dismembering the corpses he killed.
"...."
Such a monster was right in front of him now.
'Park Jung-ki, you invested some money.'
Wolfgang had taken Park Jung-ki's commission.
Advance payment of 1 billion won.
And 1 billion more upon completion.
Hoo-!
Lee Dae-hyuk let out a short breath and sneered.
'This one's going to be tough....'
Not a thug, but a trained pro—a killer from Russia's special forces.
No easy fight.
Tension surged, but Lee Dae-hyuk kept smiling outwardly.
He couldn't let on that he was rattled.
To gain the upper hand in the battle ahead.
For now, he had to play the ordinary, kind-hearted guy who knew nothing.
"Do you work out here often?"
"Yes. I moved here recently."
Wolfgang shook the water bottle with a friendly smile.
"Next time, I'll pay you back one."
His pronunciation was a bit off, but his kind smile made Wolfgang seem quite charming.
Lee Dae-hyuk would have felt the same if he didn't know his identity.
"It's just a bottle of water. No need to worry."
Lee Dae-hyuk shrugged.
But coldness leaked from his eyes.
However, Wolfgang was too busy sidelong-glancing at Lee Dae-hyuk's bodyguards to notice the sharp gaze.
'Even this face seems like a disguise... As expected of a pro?'
Lee Dae-hyuk felt pressure from Wolfgang meticulously observing the bodyguards' positions.
They were both actors now.
And on this theatrical stage, the one who revealed their true face first would lose.
"Looking forward to the next jog."
"Yeah. See you around. Feels like we've become friends."
Friendliness shone in Wolfgang's eyes.
'He could've succeeded as an actor too.'
Applauding his perfect acting inwardly, Lee Dae-hyuk continued.
"Anytime our schedules match."
"I'll be waiting."
After Wolfgang's greeting, Lee Dae-hyuk walked to the car with the bodyguards.
Watching Lee Dae-hyuk walk away, Wolfgang's smile and warm eyes cooled coldly.
'This'll be fun.'
Just as Park Jung-ki described.
Lee Dae-hyuk was no pushover.
He couldn't know Wolfgang's identity, but the moment they shook hands.
Wolfgang had definitely felt it.
'He was definitely wary of me.'