Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Money Thicker Than Blood (2)
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Amid the white chrysanthemum petals, Seo Yoon-ji's face came into view.
She was smiling.
Even at her own father's funeral.
It wasn't the hollow laugh of someone collapsing from grief.
Nor was it the forced smile of someone trying to act fine through red, tear-streaked eyes and alcohol.
It was simply the relieved expression of someone who had cast off a massive shackle that had bound her.
And that look vanished in an instant the moment our eyes met.
“Han Seo-jun… Chairman? Fancy running into you here.”
Was it because people were milling about, making this a public place?
Seo Yoon-ji addressed me formally.
As if she'd seen something she shouldn't have, a faint twitch ran through the corner of one narrowed eye.
“I never imagined I'd see you again in a place like this. My condolences on the passing of the deceased.”
“Well. Isn't what our Chairman Han desperately prays for not my father's eternal rest, but my ruin?”
She crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly to the side.
Along the corridor, between the white chrysanthemum arrangements on either side, our gazes clashed in midair.
An unpleasant confrontation surfacing in this open venue.
Already, a few business figures passing by had noticed the scene and begun whispering among themselves.
The battle for Cheolhwa Semiconductor acquisition. And ultimately, the conflict ignited by the Defense Ministry's new weapons development project.
There was no need to draw unnecessary spectators. That was why I had no desire to raise my voice in a place like this.
However…
“You must know the train has already picked up speed. Representative Seo.”
“You intend to block my path… to the very end?”
The opposition had begun, the conflicts entangled.
Interests twisted too deeply together made it impossible to dismount from the tiger's back.
Was it anger?
Seo Yoon-ji's voice began to tremble faintly. Meeting her eyes, I nodded and replied.
“It's a situation that's gone too far to turn back now. The moment you try to redirect the train's head here.”
It wasn't just for my prestige or achievements. The Ammunition Group train I'd boarded at the front car was linked by iron chains to an endless string of cars stretching behind.
That was why… the rudder could not be turned.
From my lips, now resolved, came words that were perhaps ruthlessly firm.
“The roar of destruction will be aimed at Ammunition Group. So… please endure the sacrifice without pointless struggling. Representative Seo Yoon-ji.”
“Then watch closely to the end.”
Her face drained of all color, layered with emotions tangled like a knotted thread.
As the scent of incense burning for the deceased stung my nose, she opened her mouth.
“How a person with nowhere left to retreat climbs atop the predator and tears out its throat.”
Our staring gazes locked in firm stances.
Onlookers gathering closer. The murmur grew louder, filling the corridor.
“Whew…”
No need to drag it out any longer.
I swept my hair back and turned away, leaving one final remark.
“Let's leave it here for today. There are too many eyes, and I have no intention of causing a scene on the late Chairman Seo's final journey.”
“Final journey.”
Her voice came from behind. As the distance between us grew, her voice grew smaller, barely reaching my ears.
With a touch of sorrow.
“No one here truly prays for my father's eternal rest. Not me, not you, and…”
Right then, the sight of the chief mourners entered my view.
Taking in their figures—black attire pinned with hemp scraps—I left this distasteful scene behind.
“Not even those child-killers over there. Right?”
* * * *
If asked who embodies the essence of management at Ammunition Group, nine times out of ten, they'd point to the white-haired old gentleman and say this.
Vice President Yang Taek-su. No one else could fill his shoes, even if you searched with eyes wide open.
“Heh, you're too kind. What has this old man even done?”
“You keep the slightly mad Chairman and the completely mad Secretariat Chief from going off the rails, don't you? You have great prestige among the employees.”
“Heh heh heh. The Chairman is good at jokes too.”
Back at the Yangpyeong fishing spot.
Vice President Yang Taek-su threaded dough bait onto the hook and cast the rod far out with a scattering motion.
Plop. With a small sound, the submerged hook traced a few gentle hoop-shaped ripples on the surface before quickly stilling, as if nothing had happened.
Present yet absent, submerged beneath like its aged owner bearing countless burdens.
“I'm always grateful to you, Vice President. Especially for all the help with setting up the overseas intelligence network this time.”
“It was just advisory. I don't waste my time idly, so I still have my little bluebirds in the cage, passing along this and that.”
His connections spanned the entire industry. No, they stretched beyond its fences. Vice President Yang Taek-su's ears were always open, not just to those under the chaebol group, but even to subcontractors and SMEs.
SA-Cheolhwa Techwin. And… all the rumors circulating about Seo Yoon-ji.
“So, what did those bluebirds chirp this time?”
“Two things, first. Let me start with Representative Seo Yoon-ji.”
Yang Taek-su gazed calmly at the reservoir.
The rod before the old man, unmoving until now, showed a slight reaction—something tugging.
“Word is, right up until Chairman Seo Guk-cheol's passing, Representative Seo Yoon-ji was handling schedules in the Guangzhou IT Industrial Complex.”
The fish had taken the bait.
The rod shook harder.
I gripped the tip with both hands, reeling in slowly, applying tension then releasing, over and over.
And in my mind, one inference surfaced.
“Then former President Lee Taek-gyu was probably there with her too. Right?”
“…Spot on. Just as you said, that friend Lee Taek-gyu has definitely been confirmed attached to SA-Cheolhwa Techwin.”
Former President Lee Taek-gyu, now fully playing the role of industrial spy.
As expected. No, more pathetic than expected—his current situation only grew more exasperating with each detail.
“And… it might be unnecessary info, but Lee Taek-gyu shows signs of gambling addiction.”
“Gambling… Casino, you mean?”
Yang Taek-su had handled the initial opening operations for Hotel Florence, owned by Ammunition Group.
Which explained his ties to the casino world.
Former President Lee Taek-gyu, known as a big spender in Guangzhou casinos, lavishly burning through stacks of dollars.
“Sunken in the swamp. Such a shame.”
“Casino, casino…”
The rod transmitted intense vibrations.
I reeled in bit by bit, locked in a battle of strength.
Rough on the surface, but like delicately fitting tiny puzzle pieces with fine tweezers—this sensation wasn't unique to fishing.
Veins bulging on my forearms, I pulled it toward me, gradually drawing the fish to the surface.
Just like… this China issue.
“What about [Shanghai Capital]?”
“No direct moves. But they keep meeting with Representative Seo Yoon-ji.”
Splash. With water spraying, a freshwater mandarin fish thrashed before my eyes, hooked on the line.
And the timing was perfect.
From inside, the voice of Kim Won-cheol—lowest in rank here—rang out.
“Vice President Yang! Ramen's ready! Come eat, or should I bring it to you?”
“If I make you work that hard, I'd never hear the end of it. Heh heh heh, no need to serve.”
“Again, hogging all the good roles. Hurry up and come!”
Yang Taek-su tidied up to head inside.
I tossed the printed fish into the icebox roughly and stopped the old man with words.
“Good thing we wrapped up judgment before the noodles got soggy. Hearing you out, Vice President, has sorted out some vague thoughts I'd had.”
He turned back mid-stride.
As if expecting something cheeky, his uneasy expression prompted a cautious question.
“Chairman, what do you mean…?”
“China. Looks like I need to take a business trip. To all those hotel casinos in downtown Guangzhou.”
* * * *
Slot machines whirring amid blaring music, flashing dazzling lights.
Cute fish swimming leisurely in the ocean depths on the screen, lucky sevens floating among them.
At that moment, former President Lee Taek-gyu's hand slammed the big lucky button.
“Okay… stop there!”
A false world of starfish, dolphins, seahorses, and mermaids tempting with gold.
As always, the world never betrayed dreamers. It simply never sided with them from the start.
“Ha… damn it. Always one short. Why the hell another starfish?”
“Hey, big bro. Skip those slots and hit the tables already.”
Baek Deok-gyu appeared out of nowhere with drinks. Eyeing his halved chip stack, he sat beside and continued.
“Blackjack! Poker! If Western games aren't your thing, go Eastern.”
“Eh, cards always bust me.”
“Machines bust you too, what's that logic?”
“Damn it. Fair point. Maybe I should quit casinos.”
Baek Deok-gyu pounded the slot machine with his palm.
He, who had led the headhunting for SA-Cheolhwa Techwin, now had a new task.
Keep former President Lee Taek-gyu pinned in Guangzhou until the Chinese semiconductor shell company was neatly packaged.
‘This guy's suddenly declaring straight living? Making me uneasy for no reason.’
Irritated, Lee Taek-gyu declared no more casinos.
A vow he'd never keep, but with contract time still left, it flustered Baek Deok-gyu endlessly.
Deciding to placate carefully, a memory surfaced—a masked tycoon of unknown identity seeking a dice-game partner.
“Big bro. If cards are out, how about dice?”
“Dice? That exist here?”
Lee Taek-gyu's curiosity piqued slightly.
Seizing the chance, Baek Deok-gyu launched into sales pitch.
“One guy's coming who loves dice. And next to him… a woman with a killer body.”