Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Operation
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When it came to business, there was no need to get his hands dirty.
He was Jeon Dae-in, a man who had succeeded in business through his own abilities alone, without anyone's support or any underhanded dealings.
That was an incredibly rare feat.
While ability is important for success in business, desire is another huge secret ingredient.
The drive to earn more, to climb higher, to be admired by others—without that ambition, it's hard to make it as an entrepreneur.
And those with strong ambition are correspondingly more tempted by corruption.
Everyone does it on the sly, right?
If it doesn't break the law, it's legal.
Just do this, and you can reach much greater heights.
Competition is all about taking from others, anyway.
In the end, it's survival of the fittest.
But Jeon Dae-in never succumbed to those temptations.
Because he had learned values more precious than money from his family.
Because he clung to desperate wishes, even if they seemed irrational or superstitious.
Karma—the religious logic that good deeds are rewarded.
He wanted to believe in that, at the very least, for one person.
Yes, in short, he just wanted to save his second child.
And a miracle happened.
Then, for the first time, Jeon Dae-in committed a wrongdoing.
He spread black money to countless people.
All to turn the incident where his two sons became his daughter into something "no one knew about."
He spent a fortune to ensure those two would never be hurt by it.
Karma—is it true that evil deeds bring retribution?
This time, his firstborn fell gravely ill.
No, that was a lie.
His firstborn had been sick for a long time.
Was it that he hadn't seen it, or that he hadn't wanted to see it?
Why had the sharp eyes of a businessman never turned toward his family?
Jeon Dae-in could not forgive those who tormented such a child.
He truly could not forgive them.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ People listen very well to doctors.
In normal situations, women who would never bare their skin in front of a strange man often follow a doctor's instructions without question.
Of course, they have accumulated vast knowledge through immense study, but who vouches for their character?
Likewise, we're taught from childhood to obey teachers, and there's this atmosphere that police orders must be followed.
Strip away the veneer, and they're all just people—so why are we supposed to trust these particular ones so much?
This isn't meant to disparage these professions.
It's just that, to the same degree criminals hide among ordinary folk, there are those among them who abandon morals and ethics.
Doctors who repeatedly commit sex crimes using sedatives, cops who turn a blind eye to gang crimes for black money, teachers who leak major exam questions for cash—they keep showing up in the news.
Korea is an incredibly surveillance-heavy society.
The government and police hold vast amounts of data on nearly every citizen.
It's hard to imagine abroad.
They collect fingerprints even from non-criminals, CCTV covers every corner of the cities with no blind spots, and people dutifully report their addresses.
Jeon Dae-in had bribed several police officers.
It was far cheaper and more efficient than hiring organized thugs.
These days, gangsters hide in the shadows to evade the law, shifting to petty crimes, avoiding violence themselves—the name "gangster" has become a joke. Cops, with the state's power and info networks, are far more useful.
About ten years ago, the smart vehicle tracking system sparked controversy as the first step toward a surveillance state.
Linked to police databases, just search a license plate, and you get the vehicle's movements for the past three months instantly.
Unless it deliberately went somewhere without CCTV or roads, of course.
The place where Seol-yun and the stalker had their chase was Seoul.
Once they tracked the vehicle's path, pinpointing the perp's residence was easy.
The problem was that simply tailing the car wasn't enough for charges.
But with more money, even that becomes solvable.
Using police with their authority and surveillance nets as personal bodyguards or detectives.
With Jeon Dae-in's immense wealth and networks to find corrupt cops, it was possible.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Once was one of the parties involved, so he had to be told.
The question was whether to tell Victory.
Thoughts like, "If he's a friend, I should tell him," versus "It'll just worry him for no reason."
Even if I told him, there's nothing he could really do for me.
And above all, I shouldn't shake him up any more.
'I really shouldn't do this to Wild either.'
Seol-yun's my little sister, Dad's too busy, and relying on someone feels so hard, unfamiliar, awkward for me.
"Keep making that sulky face, and you'll get wrinkles."
"Aren't you the one who should worry about presbyopia first? People thought I was still in high school."
Instead of constant gratitude, I poke fun needlessly—it's because I'm shy.
Receiving comfort makes me so embarrassed.
"What? Did you see a different chat? Viewers thought you were in elementary school."
"That's 'cause it's through the camera!"
"You look small even in person."
"That's 'cause you're unnecessarily tall!"
"Sure, I'm tall, but that doesn't change the fact you're short."
"Hey, you bastard, what month were you born?"
Wild's my age-mate, and I'm a January baby. This is a fight I can't lose.
"December."
"Then call me hyung!"
"But you're a 00 liner, right?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm a 99 liner."
"Huh?"
I thought we were the same age because I'm an early-year baby.
It's been almost three years since we talked about this, so my memory's fuzzy.
"People were born in the 1900s? Amazing."
Now I flip it and paint him as a dusty 90s baby.
"It's just one month difference, you punk."
"I'm 2000s, you're 1000s—practically a millennium apart."
Pointless, nutrient-free banter.
My mood lifted a bit.
My head cleared too.
"Yeah, I won't tell Victory after all. I don't like making more people worry needlessly."
Wild's the weird one; normally,
guys wouldn't want to waste energy on a girl who won't date them.
Probably.
So that's why he...
'Kinda sad.'
Why call it a fishing pond?
I just don't want to date, but want to stay friends.
If it were between guys, not a word would be said.
Just because I'm a girl...
'At least one stuck around, right?'
I feel deep regret and gratitude.
Lee Jun's a really good guy.
Even if he has no wins.
Only runner-ups.
No championships.
But still, great person.
"If that's how you feel, fine."
And so, they decided: report to the police, tell Once, keep it secret from Victory, and not mention it on stream yet.
A few days later, word came that they'd caught the stalker.
No way—how so fast?
Was he planning something huge?
Tailing on a bike alone wouldn't lead to arrest.
If not for Wild's advice, I wouldn't have reported it.
He said piling up reports builds evidence later, so I did.
No point overthinking; better hear the details first.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Even bribing cops didn't mean they could just arrest anyone arbitrarily.
They could only monitor him.
But Seol-yun wasn't satisfied with that.
She wanted to nab the stalker ASAP and reassure Seol-a.
So she deliberately set a trap.
Provoking the stalker into committing a crime.
The stalker rarely left his house.
To target him, they had to go online.
Posting tons about how great Once and Jeon Jeonseol would be together, faking docs about them getting married.
This would stress Seol-a too.
If people kept shipping her romantically despite pleas to stop.
So Seol-yun asked Lee Jun to block Seol-a from communities.
Tae-hoon, Lee Jun, Seol-yun, and Dae-in.
Everyone around her except Seol-a knew; it was a massive op.
She half-doubted it'd work, but it succeeded.
The provoked stalker grabbed a weapon and came out.
Destination: Once's officetel, naturally.
Somehow he found the address.
Waited in the underground parking like before.
The bribed cop, paid by Jeon Dae-in, arrested him the moment he arrived.
July 2023.
Stalker Punishment Law greatly strengthened.
Before, nothing could be done until actual harm.
Now, new clauses for threats, impersonation, doxxing, etc., allowing solid punishment.
Most notable: location tracking.
Upon conviction, wear a mini GPS "ankle monitor," banned from approaching victim, instant alerts on violation.
It'd be processed as Once Jeong Tae-hoon's stalker, not Seol-a's, but still worlds better than vague fear before.
Thus, Seol-a's stalker was dealt with.