Chapter 3
Chapter 3
‘You’ve been played. Denying it won’t help. Didn’t you know? This is war. If the other side sees a weakness, they’ll do whatever it takes.’
That was what Eun Kyung Lee, the divorce lawyer, said.
To summarize her words: the people who came to the hotel and took photos were either hired detectives or her side. They had taken pictures of him alone in a hotel room with a woman as evidence.
Who had hired them was obvious.
They had bolted after that. Cho Min-gi calmed the startled Do Ye-rip and finished the nearly completed handover before sending her off.
As expected, a few of those photos were submitted as evidence in the lawsuit.
No Mi-ra’s fault was undeniable, but they were trying to paint Cho Min-gi as a neglectful husband, dragging him into a mudslinging fight.
Suddenly, he was a shameless man, luring a woman into a hotel room under the pretext of work.
If it were only about himself, he could fight to the end—he had a legitimate reason to be there. He had a text confirming it was for the handover. There was no decisive evidence of an affair.
But…
“What do you want to do?”
“This is ridiculous.”
“Legal battles are always like this. Especially divorce and property disputes.”
“Exactly. So they’re trying to sue Do Ye-rip as the mistress?”
“That’s what their lawyer said.”
“But she came for a work handover!”
“Even I think it’s absurd. Who does a work handover in a hotel room? Do you think a judge would believe that?”
“…Haa.”
True. Even the lawyer didn’t fully believe it—how could a judge?
It was just meant to make things easier for him. To get back at rude people like Lim Hyuk-soo or Director Jin Jong-pil. But the law didn’t care about that.
“So what’s the bottom line? What do they want?”
“They offered 30 million won to quietly end it. Then they won’t file the mistress lawsuit.”
“Minimum of 100 million, wasn’t it?”
“That was before the photos.”
“Haa… 30 million… After lawyer fees, how much do I actually get…”
“Exactly… If only the client hadn’t made a critical mistake…”
Arguing with the lawyer was pointless.
If she were really a mistress, No Mi-ra wouldn’t sit still. Or maybe she didn’t care about Cho Min-gi at all.
He could fight to the end with a clear conscience—but the problem was that they were trying to drag Do Ye-rip into a mistress lawsuit.
Cho Min-gi thought of Do Ye-rip’s face.
An innocent rookie being mistaken as a mistress because of one careless encounter with her supervisor.
In three months, he had gotten to know her—bright, cheerful, smart, kind-hearted, empathetic, and delicate. She had just started her career, full of hope.
And now they wanted to sue her as a mistress?
No Mi-ra would likely spread rumors at the company. Regardless of the truth, Do Ye-rip could be socially destroyed. Her career could be ruined before it even began.
Cho Min-gi shook his head. That couldn’t happen.
He’d never met a boss like that, but even as a supervisor, he wanted to protect his subordinates.
“Alright.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s do it their way. No matter how rotten the world is, you protect those you can.”
Eun Kyung Lee’s eyes widened at Cho Min-gi’s words.
“Wait… you really weren’t having an affair with her?”
“No, really… you’re a lawyer, you have to believe your client!”
She huffed in surprise.
“I’m sorry, I was just curious. But really, nothing happened, right?”
“I said no!”
If there had been an affair, it wouldn’t feel unfair. But Do Ye-rip—so pretty, smart, and well-built… damn it.
With the lawyer fees deducted, the only thing left was a small room in a boarding house.
He needed to start a new life. To do that, he had to cut ties with the past.
The first step: changing his phone number.
All of his relationships had been built on lies. He hardly knew anyone; only one friend, Park Kyung-tae, who he could call anytime for a drink.
He wanted to be completely alone, physically tired and emotionally exhausted, like a rag rolling in the mud.
A simple dinner from the boarding house, instant noodles for the rest. Just living.
Not despair or frustration—he desperately wanted to live. Not a life of wealth, but a life driven by sheer will to survive.
He waited for the dormant energy within to stir, for his desire to live to awaken.
He sent resumes to various places, but the problem: he didn’t want to include his three years at SG Global.
They’d ask why he left. He didn’t want to lie or explain.
He wanted to erase those years. Naturally, no company contacted him for interviews.
Who would want a 27-year-old with a two-year degree and a three-year gap?
In that sense, Director Jin’s words had been painfully accurate:
‘You were hired because you’re the boss’s son. Who hires a two-year college grad in this company?’
He regretted not studying harder in school, not getting into a four-year Seoul university—but that was the past. He could live properly from now on.
Six months had passed since his adoptive parents died. Divorce, losing his job, lawsuits—storms of events had passed. His grief had softened into mere fondness.
Sometimes he thought of the child—but only in thought. They could never meet again.
[Knock! Knock! Knock!]
While lying in the boarding house bed, someone knocked.
Had he forgotten to pay rent? Not thrown out food waste properly?
He opened the door.
A man in his fifties, wearing a fine suit that clashed with the shabby boarding house, was looking at him.
“Cho Min-gi?”
“Yes?”
“I am Attorney Ko Yoon-seok, Legal Director of JW Corporation.”
He handed over a business card.
“Lawyer? Why are you here…?”
Ex-wife… or rather, former ex-wife, No Mi-ra, must be up to something. Cho Min-gi stared at him cautiously.
“Don’t be surprised. I know you’ve been through a lot recently.”
“What is this about? Tell me the purpose first.”
“Shall I? Standing here? It’s better if we go somewhere quiet, like a café.”
“Alright.”
He grabbed his coat, locked the room, and followed the man.
“You know you were adopted, right?”
“Yes.”
“Your real name is originally Jung Jin-woo.”
“What?”
Cho Min-gi froze, staring at Attorney Ko.
“You’ve never been called by that name before, of course.”
The story about to unfold seemed serious.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not eloquent, but please bear with me. Time is short.”
Ko Yoon-seok glanced at his watch.
“Okay… There was a woman he loved. Her family was wealthy; he was poor and an orphan. They loved each other, but her family opposed. She had a fiancé already. This was common back then. Anyway…”
Cho Min-gi concentrated fully, hanging on every word. This was the secret of his birth he had long wondered about.
“When they refused to part, her father tried to have him killed. He survived several near-death experiences but was badly injured. Determined, he vowed to become rich.”
“Why such opposition? Even if wealthy, it doesn’t justify….”
“The family had plans. Marriages were arranged for business consolidation, common in those days.”
He had heard of that—a betrothed set before birth.
“But… the woman was already carrying his child. She hid it, hoping that if she gave birth, they could marry. Around seven months, her family discovered the pregnancy. Too late to abort, she had to give birth. That child was placed in a Catholic baby box. You guessed it—that child was you, Cho Min-gi.”
“Phew…”
A discarded child would surely have a story. It was bittersweet to hear it aloud. Born unloved, abandoned even as grown.
“The woman married the man her family chose, threatened that otherwise her father would kill him. To save him, she complied. He was crushed but eventually married another woman. That woman later became pregnant by another man.”
“Not a TV drama… it’s tragic.”
Fate had come full circle. His presumed father had experienced similar betrayal. Cho Min-gi smiled faintly, and Ko Yoon-seok also chuckled.
“The reason he learned about the affair was because an accident caused him to lose reproductive ability when her father tried to kill him. Embarrassing to say, but… you’ve lived long enough; it’s okay for you to know.”
“So?”
“He divorced… grew disillusioned with women… and worked tirelessly to make money.”
“Is he really my father?”
“Yes. Your father is Jung In-seok. Despite failures and debt, he persevered with a single goal: to find his only child someday and leave him all his wealth.”
“Ah…”
He couldn’t help but empathize.
“He amassed unimaginable wealth—selling Russian weapons to Philippine rebels, fighting for African diamond mining rights. Legal or illegal, he did whatever it took. So…”
Ko Yoon-seok finally smiled at Cho Min-gi.
“He now possesses immense wealth beyond imagination.”
“Wow…”
Flatly said, but the pride in his father’s success was clear.
“At the same time, he never stopped searching for his son. He visited the Catholic church where you were placed, used people secretly, but found nothing. He despaired—rich, but unable to find his only bloodline.”
Cho Min-gi felt he understood a little—how precious the child he now called Joy-seon had been.
“Moreover, due to overworking when young… he contracted a terminal disease. Pancreatic cancer. Life expectancy uncertain, no matter the medical treatment. He’s barely holding on.”
Cho Min-gi stared, wide-eyed.
“Terminal? My father?”
“Yes! Cho Min-gi! Or rather, Jung Jin-woo! Your father, Jung In-seok, is waiting. Would you like to meet him with me?”
“Why tell me this now?”
“You need context to understand him.”
“But he could die anytime!”
Cho Min-gi rushed out of the café, Ko following.
“What are you doing? Let’s go! Damn, no taxi.”
“No need for a taxi. This way.”
A large Cadillac limousine awaited.
“Get in.”
“Yes!”
“Driver Kim, go!”
Ko Yoon-seok spoke in a low voice, and the car glided smoothly forward.