Chapter 192
You Wouldn’t Cut Ties With Me, Would You?
Park Geum-ju approached her husband, who was sitting in his study with a scowl. There was only one thing that made Chairman Yu wear such an expression: his sons-in-law.
“The grandchildren are all grown up now. Don’t be too hard on them.”
“Hmph… I suppose I should…”
In Chairman Yu’s eyes, his two sons-in-law were not up to his standards. He had relentlessly hounded them until his daughters had their first children, but after that, he had managed to get along with them for the sake of his grandchildren.
However, as he began organizing his assets, the sons-in-law’s shortcomings resurfaced, causing sporadic bursts of irritation.
“But it’s not like I can just not give them anything…”
If Chairman Yu had his way, he would quickly pass the chairman position to his son and spend the rest of his life comfortably playing golf. He wanted to provide for his two daughters without leaving them wanting, but his sons-in-law were a source of deep concern.
“Come to think of it, it seems there’s some friction with the secretaries…”
“How did you know that?”
“The rumors about that side aren’t very good.”
Park Geum-ju had various sources of information within the group. It was because of her that Chairman Yu could manage the company with peace of mind. But the news she brought him now was shocking.
“I heard there are even rumors that he might have assaulted a long-serving secretary by shouting and throwing things at him…”
“What did you say?”
Chairman Yu shot to his feet. I need to worry about his blood pressure… Park Geum-ju hastily added.
“Surely he wouldn’t do that? Everyone’s desperate to inherit your wealth.”
“Hmph… I suppose you’re right.”
“In any case, the rumors aren’t good. I wonder if something’s wrong…”
“Tsk, let’s not talk about it anymore.”
Chairman Yu turned his head away, displeased. The son-in-law, who acted magnanimous but was actually timid and cowardly, had an insidiously cunning side to him. He didn’t like how the man intentionally humbled himself while watching for an opportunity.
“I’ll have to go and have a word with him.”
“Why would you talk to him?”
“I’m doing it because you can’t. Who knows if he turned out this way because you’re too hard on him?”
“Then we should make them divorce!”
“And what about our daughter’s opinion?”
Unable to argue, Chairman Yu clamped his mouth shut. If it hadn’t been for Park Geum-ju, his daughters might have received divorce papers long ago. Yet, perhaps because he still held onto the old ways of thinking, Chairman Yu also hated the idea of his daughters becoming divorcées.
“Don’t worry too much. Let’s get some rest.”
Park Geum-ju left the study. Baek Seo-jun and Park Jeong-ho had gotten close to “the head” without Yu Eun-ho and Yu Yeon-seo’s knowledge, and Park Geum-ju had willingly offered herself as bait.
“The thing is… it’s because I couldn’t handle my work properly…”
“Oh dear. Still, you shouldn’t shout so loudly that everyone can hear.”
When Secretary Hwang Seung-jun, having been berated for being incompetent, fled the office, Park Jeong-ho intentionally approached him.
“Excuse me, but who are you…?”
“I’m Director Park’s secretary.”
They had already guessed who “the head” was through “the tail.” Moreover, Secretary Hwang had been attached to him like a shadow since before the incident, so the timing was right.
At the mention of being Park Geum-ju’s secretary, Secretary Hwang’s expression shifted for a fleeting moment. He had been weighing his options on whom to align with, and one of the best candidates had just approached him first.
“If you have any concerns, feel free to contact me without hesitation.”
“Th-thank you.”
Secretary Hwang began with small favors.
“Oh my, are you alright?”
And Park Geum-ju played along with Park Jeong-ho. She was well-respected among the staff and often looked after her two sons-in-law. When Secretary Hwang was being scolded for not doing his job properly, Park Geum-ju would approach him as if by chance and build goodwill.
I hope some useful information comes out of this.
The operation to win over Secretary Hwang was proceeding smoothly. He had even parted his lips as if to tell Park Jeong-ho something.
Watching Baek Seo-jun engrossed in his work, Park Jeong-ho asked casually.
“By the way, is it really okay to do this?”
“What is?”
“Without telling the Senior Managing Director and the Young Master.”
“We should have done this from the start. They got too deeply involved. It’s not good for them mentally.”
Park Jeong-ho nodded in agreement. However, the blame for when everything came to light would fall solely on Baek Seo-jun. Knowing this, he let out a small sigh.
“Please put in a good word for me later. This is all for their sake…”
“Understood.”
“…You wouldn’t cut ties with me, would you?”
Yu Eun-ho might not, but that Yu Yeon-seo kid just might. Baek Seo-jun chuckled and focused on the screen.
After finishing his schedule at the film festival, Yu Yeon-seo quietly returned to the country. Having mingled not only with Benjamin Price and Christopher Martin but also with film industry figures from various nations, he spotted Lee Tae-gyeom waiting for him at the airport and rolled his suitcase over.
“You’re here? What’s with the no-look pass?”
“I’m here.”
Lee Tae-gyeom caught it smoothly and led the way to the parking lot.
“Anything happen?”
“Nothing. Other than getting over a hundred calls a day asking if you’ve really not decided on your next project.”
“Lucky you, huh? When I rest, you rest too.”
Halo Media had a special clause, one born from Yu Yeon-seo’s terrible personality. In short, it was a clause stating that no one was to mess with Yu Yeon-seo’s exclusive manager.
He didn’t have to fill in for other managers at the agency; his only job was to assist Yu Yeon-seo with his entertainment activities. Plus, with Im Seung-hyeon always around, there was nothing inconvenient about it.
“So, about that… can’t I just follow you around while you’re resting? Is there anything for me to do?”
Furthermore, half of the manager’s salary came from Yu Yeon-seo’s own pocket. He earned far more than other managers. While Yu Yeon-seo was in Cannes, Lee Tae-gyeom had voluntarily helped the other managers, but he had lived a relatively leisurely life. At times, it felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Seo-jun is busy, Seung-hyeon is busy… shouldn’t I be doing something too?
From the atmosphere, it felt like they were at a critical juncture. He knew Yu Yeon-seo was chasing his mother’s killer, and it seemed like they were starting to see results. It felt strange for him to be the only one taking it easy just because there was no entertainment work.
I mean, I’m his friend, sort of. I should help out with this kind of thing…
Sensing his intention, Yu Yeon-seo stopped in his tracks and looked at him, surprised. He could feel the people passing by recognizing him and murmuring.
“…What is it?”
“Nothing. Let’s go before a crowd forms.”
Lee Tae-gyeom scratched his cheek and feigned ignorance.
“So you do have a sense of shame.”
“Hearing that from you feels a little weird…”
“Our boy has grown up so much… Mr. Im Seung-hyeon, what do you think?”
“Isn’t it a bit shameless for you to be saying that?!”
“Hey, people can hear you.”
Yu Yeon-seo poked the fuming Lee Tae-gyeom in the back as he stormed ahead, teasing him. If the slave was volunteering for slavery, there was no reason to refuse.
“Have you heard anything from Seo-jun?”
“Hmm, he seems busy.”
“Really?”
Im Seung-hyeon hadn’t said much either. Had they not found anything yet? That couldn’t be right. He had a bad feeling.
“Anyway, this is great. From now on, you can be my driver.”
“Didn’t you say you were just going to stay home during your break?”
In fact, he had planned to synchronize his remaining memories at home and accelerate his soul-tuning.
“I have to cast a big lure.”
To make Min Seong-cheol come to him.
And there was one more important thing.
“What brings you here?”
Chairman Yu asked bluntly, looking at the grandson who had suddenly appeared at the mansion. Yu Yeon-seo answered brazenly.
“I missed you, Grandfather.”
“…You did? Are you sick somewhere again?”
“It’s not that. Actually, I came to find something in my old room.”
At that, Chairman Yu’s expression relaxed. Seriously, that’s his reaction to his grandson showing a little affection for once? After surrounding him with bodyguards and doting on him, this is how he acts in person.
“It’s late, so I’ll sleep over.”
“Do as you wish.”
As Chairman Yu turned away, his cheekbones were visibly raised. Despite his gruff words, he seemed pleased.
It was around here, I think.
In the dead of night, when everyone was asleep, Yu Yeon-seo headed to Yu Geon-min’s secret hideout. The door was locked, of course, but forcing it open wasn’t difficult. He flinched at the sound of the door being forced, worried someone might wake up, but thankfully, there was no sign of anyone.
“Cough…”
The dust made him cough involuntarily. He opened a window to air the place out and checked the cloth-covered items one by one. There was a scrapbook of Lee Hui-seo’s newspaper articles, as well as movie posters and pamphlets.
“You collected quite a lot.”
He also found the contracts for the rights to every movie and drama Lee Hui-seo had ever appeared in. Yu Geon-min probably couldn’t bring himself to throw these things away. But keeping them somewhere conspicuous would have been a burden.
Let’s start with this one.
He ran his fingers over the DVD of A Happy Farewell. He was curious about the performance that had captivated Christopher Martin. He gathered all the video materials in the room and returned to his own.
When he first arrived in this era in 2018, he had to play the part of “Yu Yeon-seo,” but now, it was time to study Lee Hui-seo.
“He passes by here often?”
“That’s what I’m telling you.”
Two women sitting by the window whispered secretively.
“But is it really okay for us to be here like this?”
“What’s wrong with it? It’s not like we’re stalking him like sasaengs. We’re just seeing him for a moment on our way.”
They had come to the cafe and were waiting on a whim after seeing information from an anonymous account that Yu Yeon-seo was often spotted in this area recently.
“Oh! Over there!”
After a short wait, Yu Yeon-seo appeared in the distance, walking toward them. The two held their breath, admiring him as he drew closer.
“Wow, it’s really him.”
“I heard he’s been going to the gym regularly. They say he always passes by around this time.”
“Wow, this is crazy. He’s so handsome even from far away.”
The two raised their voices in excitement. Hearing their fuss, other customers also looked outside at Yu Yeon-seo and raised their phones.
“Gasp, he’s coming this way.”
While Yu Yeon-seo came inside the cafe and ordered a coffee, they pretended to have coincidentally run into a celebrity and took pictures.
Looks like the rumor has spread quite a bit.
Yu Yeon-seo enjoyed the attention and smirked. He didn’t recognize the two women by the window, but others in the cafe looked familiar. The number of people waiting for him after hearing the rumor was gradually increasing.
At this rate, it must have reached his ears too.
In truth, the anonymous account belonged to Yu Yeon-seo himself. He had deliberately spread his daily routine.
[Generally, stalkers exhibit a pathological sense of possession and obsession towards their target. This usually leads to delusional disorders.]
Min Seong-cheol had considered Lee Hui-seo his lover and harbored a deep hatred for her after she “abandoned” him and married Yu Geon-min. For that to lead to murder, he couldn’t have been in his right mind. What’s more, he was mistaking Yu Yeon-seo for his own son.
[If it were me… I would use the stalker’s fantasy.]
[The original object of obsession. Wasn’t that person the start of it all?]
The first object of his obsession was Lee Hui-seo, and as it happened, his face bore a strong resemblance to hers. If you found traces of Lee Hui-seo in me, would you be able to stay still?
Perhaps due to the feeling of ‘Insight’ given by Beta, the back of his neck had been tingling lately.
If you’re watching, then show yourself already.
He was certain that Min Seong-cheol was nearby. He waited with the patience of a hunter setting a trap for him to make his move.