Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: The Woman's Name is Im Seoran
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The woman's name was Im Seoran.
She was a minor actress.
She was stunningly beautiful but had never made it big due to her lackluster acting skills—a textbook case of a pretty face with nothing else to back it up.
Struggling to make ends meet, Im Seoran had stumbled upon Club Gold Moon by chance.
Eager to catch the eye of chaebol heirs, she started frequenting the place and was eventually scouted by Kim Hyun-seung.
Her role? Approach the chaebol scions Kim Hyun-seung needed to cozy up to and get the party started.
But this time was different.
She wasn't there to liven things up—she was there to lure the target into a trap.
*How childish.*
Lee Daehyeok inwardly clicked his tongue.
Jeong Su-chang and Kim Hyun-seung didn't know him well, so they could resort to such juvenile tricks.
But Lee Daehwan knew him to a certain extent.
He knew Lee Daehyeok ran an investment firm managing 300 billion won, and that he'd squeezed 100 billion out of Seojin Construction.
So Daehyeok should have expected he wouldn't fall for something this obvious.
It was probably because Daehwan still saw him through those old tinted glasses from the past.
Even so, those tinted glasses were still an opportunity for Daehyeok.
Including the woman trying to seduce him right in front of his eyes.
*Fine. Let's have some real fun.*
It was the end of the year—a hot night didn't sound half bad.
Though his version of "hot" meant something a little different.
"You're a beauty yourself, Miss Seo Garam. At least, the most beautiful woman I've seen tonight."
"There are so many prettier women here than me."
"Where? I don't see any."
Lee Daehyeok grinned as he looked around.
Im Seoran burst into laughter.
"I know it's just flattery, but it still feels good. Thanks."
"How should I prove it's not just flattery?"
Im Seoran responded to his question not with words, but with a smoldering gaze.
He could read the meaning in her eyes.
If you only looked at that gaze, anyone would think she had fallen for him at first sight.
*If she acted like this all the time, she could've been a great actress...*
Who would suspect drugs in their drinks with eyes like that?
Her acting talents seemed specialized for this kind of thing.
"Shall we move somewhere else?"
After exchanging heated looks, Im Seoran spoke first.
Truth be told, she had hoped he'd suggest it.
But he just kept smirking without saying a word.
In the end, she had to take the initiative to complete her mission.
Lee Daehyeok nodded with a satisfied expression.
"Sure. I'm not familiar with the area—any good spots nearby?"
He asked with the innocent look of someone completely clueless.
"...Pardon?"
For some reason, Im Seoran felt like she was being led along by his plan.
The script called for him to seduce her, and her to play the innocent victim following him.
*But now it feels like I'm the one taking the lead!*
Even without Kim Hyun-seung's orders, Lee Daehyeok was attractive—but this felt off.
What could she do, though?
To land a sponsor under Kim Hyun-seung, she had to trap Lee Daehyeok tonight.
Plastering on her brightest smile despite her inner thoughts, Im Seoran replied.
"...Yeah. Just follow me and trust me."
***
In the president's office at Club Gold Moon.
Kim Hyun-seung loosened his tie, staring straight ahead with a nervous expression.
Fortunately, he'd just gotten a report that Im Seoran had left the club with Lee Daehyeok.
At the designated hotel room, Lee Daehyeok would drink the spiked booze.
After that...
*The reporters and cops burst in, right on cue.*
Ugh.
Kim Hyun-seung let out an involuntary groan.
*But... why does this feel so off?*
If everything went according to Lee Daehwan's orders, there was nothing to worry about.
Losing a future Daehan Group chairman as a sponsor would be a huge loss—not just for him, but for everyone at Gold Moon.
*Everything's great. But what if it fails? You think Lee Daehyeok will just sit there?*
Running Club Gold Moon had connected Kim Hyun-seung with some gangsters.
Their help was essential for distributing drugs.
Among the thugs he called brothers, there was a guy named Park Cheon-ho.
He was a lunatic who dealt in organ trafficking, so they never got too close.
They exchanged greetings, that was it—until he heard Park's organization had suddenly crumbled.
Rumor had it Lee Daehyeok was the one who dismantled it.
*It's got to be bullshit. Has to be.*
He didn't fully believe the rumor himself.
Could be a namesake.
But as the saying goes, where there's smoke, there's fire.
At the very least, it meant Lee Daehyeok had enough power and connections for such rumors to spread.
If he hadn't met Lee Daehyeok in person, the thought might never have crossed his mind.
But that chilling glint in his eyes had planted seeds of unease.
Clench!!!
Kim Hyun-seung balled his fist.
No point dwelling on it anymore.
Even if the rumors were true and Lee Daehyeok had crushed Park Cheon-ho, Lee Daehwan's power still overshadowed him for now.
Whew!
With a sigh, Kim Hyun-seung made up his mind.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Lee Daehwan.
"Yes, Director Lee Daehwan. It's Kim Hyun-seung."
***
"Yeah, good work. Oh, the year-end party will be on your end. Let's catch up soon."
Click!!!
A smile crept across Lee Daehwan's lips as he ended the call.
Lee Daehyeok.
The cocky little pet had finally walked into the trap.
He knew it was a sleazy ploy.
But sleaze was what worked best on people, wasn't it?
A woman and drugs.
With those two, burying Lee Daehyeok would be easy.
"Something good happen?"
Park Jisook asked, noticing her son's smile.
He nodded with a gentle smile at his mother's question.
"Something good. Yeah."
"What is it? Don't keep me in suspense—spill."
"Isn't it good enough just to see you here in this study, Mother?"
"Your flattery's improved."
"Call it more affection. Heh."
Lee Daehwan meant it.
He truly loved his mother.
The mother who could give him not just love, but so much 'power.'
This study held meaning beyond just books, too.
Park Jisook gazed warmly at her son and spoke.
"Someday, I'll pass this study on to you."
"Thank you."
Handing over the study meant handing over the people who visited it, as well.
Lee Daehwan was slightly moved.
He'd always thought of it as his anyway.
But thinking it and hearing it straight from his mother's mouth were different.
Sensing her son's feelings, Park Jisook looked at him with tender eyes.
"You're not quite at your father's level, but I have many people in my corner too. They'll follow you. But..."
"......?!"
Lee Daehwan felt a flicker of confusion.
His mother's eyes still held affection.
But her tone was growing heavier.
Her gaze followed suit.
At some point, it had turned cold with hostility—not at him, but at someone else.
"You have to show them—and your father—your capabilities."
"I've already shown my capabilities..."
"He's a step below, sure, but that kid earned 100 billion on his own. He even landed a blow on Seojin Construction—no, Seojin Group. He's probably racked up points with your father, who harbors an inferiority complex toward Seojin Group."
"That bastard did something stupid. It wasn't pragmatic at all."
Lee Daehwan voiced his honest thoughts.
"Do we really have to beat the top dog? Couldn't we join forces for an even brighter future?"
"A brighter future?"
"Yes. If Daehan and Seojin combined their strength..."
Bang!!!
Park Jisook slammed the desk as she listened to her son.
"......?!"
Stunned by her reaction, Lee Daehwan fell silent.
"Mother?"
"Daehwan, a group has to prioritize profits. If Daehan was number one and Seojin number two, reacting like you did wouldn't be wrong."
Park Jisook was a wise woman.
Without ability, just blind ambition never would have built Daehan Group with Lee Myung-guk.
And she'd spotted her son's mistake.
"It's not the number two who has the right to propose joining forces—it's the number one."
For number two to ask number one to team up wasn't ambition.
It was surrender.
Surrender meant they'd take everything as the price.
"You don't need to think about beating Seojin. But you don't need to roll over weakly from the start, either. Do that, and you'll lose everything."
"...Understood."
Lee Daehwan replied in a deflated tone after his mother's advice.
But his thoughts were different.
No matter how wise she was, his mother was still old-school.
She clung to pointless rivalries that offered no business value.
Reveal his real thoughts, and he might face her wrath.
For now, he'd play the dutiful son.
"Teach me more from now on, Mother."
"Of course. Go say hi to your father—I just need to wrap up here and I'll follow."
"Yes, Mother."
Lee Daehwan quietly left the study at Park Jisook's dismissal.
Bang!!!
Once her son was gone and the door closed, Park Jisook clutched her forehead without realizing it.
*He's fine in every other way... I raised him too softly.*
She truly loved her eldest son.
She loved her other children just as much.
But he was the only one who met 100% of her expectations.
He had desires, but lacked ruthless ambition and drive.
He already had everything—no hunger to climb higher.
But she and her husband were different.
They had much, but their goal was to make Daehan Group Korea's top conglomerate.
To them, Seojin Group was a mortal enemy.
And now, the son meant to inherit Daehan Group thought like that.
It was heartbreaking...
"Pathetic."
Park Jisook bit her lip.
If her husband caught on to Lee Daehwan's mindset, he might tilt even more toward Lee Daehyeok.
Then what would become of her eldest son?
*He won't get the chairmanship—maybe a few affiliates if he's lucky.*
She had to eliminate Lee Daehyeok as quickly as possible before that tragedy unfolded.
After that, reshaping her son's thinking wouldn't be too late.
***
At that very moment, as Lee Daehwan and Park Jisook evaluated him from different angles.
Lee Daehyeok was showering in a hotel near Club Gold Moon.
Shhhhhhhh!!!
Outside, a beautiful woman waited with beer in hand.
Any ordinary man would be in heaven.
New Year's Eve, hotel VIP room. A beauty and beer.
*Gotta add one more. Drugs.*
Grinning broadly as he washed his hair, Lee Daehyeok thought to himself.
It might look like he'd fallen into the trap at first glance.
But soon, things would get interesting.
A year-end party of a different sort from Jeong Su-chang's.
.
.
.
A few minutes later.
Lee Daehyeok emerged into the living room wearing a bathrobe, towel-drying his hair. He flashed Im Seoran a grin.
She sat with her legs crossed, accentuating her long limbs, beaming back at him.
"I should wash up now too. Wait for me with the beer, Mr. Lee Daehyeok."
Im Seoran rose from her chair per the script.
While she showered, Lee Daehyeok would drink the drugged beer and kill time—then the cops and reporters would storm in.
Even if questioned by police, she could just claim she'd been forcibly dragged there and assaulted by a drugged-up chaebol third-gen.
Once this simple job was done, 20 million won would be hers.
*Maybe snag this handsome guy and head overseas?*
Still, things could get messy, so playing victim for a while wasn't a bad idea.
Lost in such thoughts as she headed to the bathroom, Im Seoran froze.
Lee Daehyeok had called her name.
"No need to wash up, Miss Im Seoran. Let's just talk."
"......!!"
Her real name.
Boss, Become a Chaebol