Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Cheolhwa Semiconductor Acquisition Battle (5)
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Not even a hint of motion sickness—Kim Won-cheol stared intently at the laptop screen inside the jostling car.
Last night, I had called in Kim Beom-ho and urged him to confess to the drug use and adultery. When that came up, Kim Won-cheol insisted he needed to dig deeper into the details and demanded to see the evidence himself.
“Whew… these days, the young masters really know how to have fun, huh? So hot-blooded like this? Man, this is no joke.”
A sharp glare pierced from Yoo Se-na, seated in the front passenger seat.
The silent scream of *how can you say something so outrageous* reflected off Kim Won-cheol’s bald head in the rearview mirror.
Even as I subtly nudged him with my elbow to signal him to cut it out, it was like my hint fell on deaf ears.
“Ahem, Secretary Kim?”
“Man… this is straight out of some American movie nightlife scene. If I were just twenty years younger, I’d have that kind of fire in my veins too…”
Finally, Yoo Se-na turned around, unable to take it anymore.
Her lips curled in disdain for Kim Beom-ho, and Kim Won-cheol’s reaction clearly wasn’t sitting well with her.
Of course it wouldn’t—she’d gone so far as to get slapped by Seo Yun-ji while gathering that evidence firsthand.
“Huh? Why’s Advisor Yoo looking at me all weird again? It’s not like you’re shooting laser beams from your eyes.”
Kim Won-cheol even clasped his hands together, mimicking laser blasts.
That mischievous, bratty expression was deliberate—he knew exactly what he was doing.
“Pew, pew! Pew! Zzzzt!”
I couldn’t let myself laugh at his childish antics. I had to hold it in.
To avoid souring things between Yoo Se-na and him as they worked together, I made an excuse to wrap it up.
“Anyway, enough. Hand back the laptop. We’ve got to readjust the schedule after heading to the main house.”
* * * *
The main house in Pyeongchang-dong, after far too long.
Snow blanketed the pine branches, and the old-fashioned exterior greeted me just as always.
But the one who welcomed me most enthusiastically was, without a doubt, Mom.
The moment I stepped inside, she came rushing out in her socks, practically flying to me.
“Oh my! Seo-jun’s here? Goodness, no matter how busy you are, you need to visit more often! Come on in.”
Now proudly listed on the Han family registry of the Ammunition Group, Mom’s life seemed utterly serene.
She occasionally gave off a bored vibe, but nothing serious yet.
“Just seeing your face like this makes me so happy, you know? Right, Cheongju-ssi?”
“You see him in photos every day… there’s hardly any difference between the picture and the real thing.”
“Oh! This lady, really—how can you be so utterly devoid of romance!”
The usual harmonious scene.
After some light small talk, I headed toward the stairs to the second floor.
To the right, the grandmother’s study, once suffocating with its oppressive weight. Now, it was a haven of wisdom I could approach with calm peace.
The creak of metal hinges was followed by that familiar voice settling into my ear.
“There you are. Have a seat.”
“I should’ve visited more often. I worry it’s been too infrequent.”
“Hah! You’ve gotten quite the silver tongue.”
Grandmother let out a small snort at my words.
Unlike before when she was Seo Taehu, her frozen winter-river expression had thawed a bit, softening even.
She rose from her seat, placed a hand on my shoulder, and spoke softly.
“The seat you’re in now, Seo-jun, leaves no room for leisure. With hundreds of thousands riding on your shoulders, how could you not be busy?”
“That’s why I’ve come. Before any big decisions, a sage’s wisdom is always essential.”
“My slippery Kim Won-cheol already gave me the rundown. You’ve decided to acquire Cheolhwa Semiconductor?”
Kim Won-cheol had vanished mid-conversation with Mom earlier. They must’ve had a private chat in the study by then.
Grandmother paused to gather her thoughts, then continued.
“It’s a bridge for the Defense Ministry’s new weapons project, but Cheolhwa Semiconductor has real potential on its own.”
“So, your thoughts are…”
“Exactly. You must make Cheolhwa Semiconductor yours this time. And…”
She trailed off, staring straight through me in silence.
A hush fell over the study.
Grandmother wore an unusual smile, one I’d never seen—like playing a long-forgotten score from memory alone.
“Is something the matter…?”
“Heavens, blood will out. Your father once tried to get his hands on Cheolhwa Semiconductor too.”
“Father did…?”
About twenty years ago, during the Ammunition Group’s rapid expansion.
I’d heard they’d snapped up companies wherever funds allowed.
The story of Father regretting failing to acquire Cheolhwa Semiconductor.
Grandmother nodded, reminiscing, then spoke with distant eyes.
“Yes. You’re growing more like him every day. In looks, in actions—everything.”
With the performance of that dusty old score—my late father—finished, Grandmother turned the page with a rustle.
Her wrinkled finger paused on the staff of one man’s life.
The next page seemed marked with a repeat sign.
Richer in harmony than what had just played. Making the path ahead all the more intriguing.
“If you’ve come for this old woman’s thoughts, I won’t prattle on. Just…”
At that moment, the evening glow filtered through the window, illuminating the gray newspaper on her desk.
A special feature on the reforms shaking up the troubled Ammunition Electronics—and this Cheolhwa Semiconductor acquisition.
“Keep pushing forward without faltering. Straight to the destination you’ve set your sights on, unwavering.”
* * * *
Yeouido K Hotel.
The penthouse floor, usually rife with issues, carried less of its hazy scent today.
Seo Yun-ji lay sprawled on the long sofa, pipe to her lips—taking it, then setting it down.
She inhaled the smoke from the white powder as usual, gazing at her lover Kim Beom-ho with slightly glazed eyes.
“What’s up with you, Kim Beom-ho? The guy who lived with that pipe glued to his mouth like a madman, now playing coy today of all days.”
“Ah, who said I lived with it glued? I’m just tired, that’s all. Tired.”
Kim Beom-ho’s panic was obvious.
He wanted nothing more than to join her for a deep drag, but he held back.
Thinking of Ammunition Group’s master, who had tossed him into the abyss alongside a frayed rope of hope.
‘Well then, Director Kim Beom-ho. Let me ask one thing. How long until traces of that white powder you inhaled disappear?’
‘Uh… er, probably within a week it’ll be out of my system. It’s not that harsh or super addictive.’
‘A week. Perfect. Just right for the scenario.’
The Ammunition Group master’s smile had been terrifyingly bright.
He’d keep the adultery charge as is, but clear the drug use completely.
Kim Beom-ho flung himself onto the sofa, scratching the back of his head roughly and furrowing his brow.
“Hah, damn… perfect my ass. I’m dying here, blood drying up.”
“…Kim Beom-ho?”
His once-simple mind was growing tangled.
Overworking that rarely used brain of his?
He was so lost in his own world that he didn’t register Seo Yun-ji speaking beside him.
“Hey, Kim Beom-ho! You’re not even listening to me right now, are you?”
“Huh? Oh… yeah…? What’s wrong, why’re you yelling all of a sudden.”
“Hah, you weren’t listening at all? Have you lost your mind today?”
Only after her shrill voice pierced his eardrums did Kim Beom-ho snap to.
Though coming to his senses didn’t soften her tone.
“I asked you a bunch of times—what happened with that bitch!”
“What bitch? I told you, you’re the only woman for me. How many times do I have to say it before you believe me?”
“Who else? That cleaning lady from last week!”
“Oh… that time, her…”
Seo Yun-ji, bizarrely misunderstanding Yoo Se-na, who’d infiltrated as a cleaner.
Unable to speak up, Kim Beom-ho clutched his chest in frustration, his true feelings leaking out.
“Damn…”
“Your face says it all. You must’ve told her to meet up after work.”
It was true, but the context couldn’t be further from it. Lacking the talent for lies, he offered his best excuse.
“Ah, what bullshit. Yeah, I said meet up, but it didn’t go anywhere.”
“Real proud of that, you idiot.”
“Gah!”
Seo Yun-ji’s flying kick landed on Kim Beom-ho’s bare back.
She eyed the red handprint she’d left, then grabbed her clothes and dressed.
“Once the Cheolhwa Semiconductor share swap’s done, divorcing that bastard Im Jae-ho will be quick. Got it?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
“And that means—no rolling your eyes at other girls till then, or you’re dead by my hand. Understand that too?”
Kim Beom-ho nodded frantically. Seo Yun-ji found it adorable.
She grabbed his cheeks with a satisfied smile and planted a quick kiss.
Buttoning her blouse fully, she slipped on her women’s jacket, lips curving.
Oblivious that this fool she kept like a pet—the charming idiot—was really the blade sending her plummeting.
“How long… till it’s done? The Cheolhwa Semiconductor thing.”
“Not long. A month at most? Bidding starts this afternoon.”
Her lover seemed off today. But Seo Yun-ji lacked the mental slack to nitpick small changes.
Leaving Yeouido K Hotel, a short walk away was the Industrial Bank.
Right there… everything for her would be decided.
“I can win. Against Father, my sisters, my little brother—all of them. So…”
Her high heels clicked sharply on the marble corridor floor.
The nails on her clenched fist dug in like sharp resolve.
“Han Seo-jun. I’ll crush that bastard first.”