Chapter 5: Coincidence
“Baek Hyeri is Kangsan Construction’s only daughter and the future owner of the company. Kangsan Construction lacks the financial strength to proceed with the Yeouido project independently. If you form a legal relationship with that woman, Kangsan Construction will have no choice but to reluctantly give us the lead position for the Yeouido project while they take operational control.”
At least Kang Chahyuk’s brain worked better than Kang Sunhyuk’s.
“You’re going to marry that woman? But is she pretty? How’s her figure?”
Dohyuk frowned at Sunhyuk’s vulgar questions and got into the elevator. He really didn’t want to engage with him.
“She’s pretty. Haven’t you looked her up?”
Chahyuk also entered the elevator and answered with a grin. Unlike Dohyuk, he’d play along with Sunhyuk’s stupidity. Perhaps that’s why Sunhyuk wasn’t as hostile toward him as he was toward Dohyuk.
“But being pretty and having a good figure aren’t what’s important…”
Chahyuk glanced at Dohyuk’s expression. When Dohyuk met his gaze with cold eyes, he smiled.
“If you get Baek Hyeri, there’s a high chance Dragon Holdings will follow.”
“What does that mean?”
Sunhyuk still didn’t understand, even after such a clear explanation.
“The Yeouido project is truly enormous in scale. The Chairman isn’t asking for the lead position for nothing, hyungnim.”
Chahyuk seemed too lazy to explain in detail and advised Sunhyuk to just look at last week’s report to see how many trillion won the project was worth.
“Trillion? Not billion?”
Sunhyuk’s eyes widened, finally seeming to grasp the magnitude. After pondering for a moment, he blocked Dohyuk, who was about to leave the elevator.
“Hey, let me meet this Baek Hyeri or whatever.”
He seemed greedy for either the woman or the company. Dohyuk looked at Sunhyuk with an expression that said, What nonsense is this now?
“Can’t I just sweet-talk her? I’m good at that. I’ve got something pretty impressive here.”
Chahyuk burst out laughing as Sunhyuk pointed to his crotch. Dohyuk stared at him with cold eyes, not even bothering to sigh.
“Just carry on as usual.”
“As usual?”
“Doing nothing and leeching off the company. That’s what suits the Executive Director best. If you interfere and mess things up, you’ll really be out as far as the Chairman is concerned.”
His voice was flat, devoid of emotion, and Sunhyuk caught on a beat late, grabbing Dohyuk’s collar while cursing under his breath.
“You son of a bitch! Don’t you have any respect?”
“Whoa, whoa, what’s going on? We’re at the company. There are eyes everywhere.”
Chahyuk pried Sunhyuk’s hands away. While calming Sunhyuk, he gestured for Dohyuk to leave quickly while he held him back. With a firm motion, Dohyuk brushed off his shirt where Sunhyuk had grabbed it and turned to leave. Behind him, Sunhyuk shouted all kinds of curses while Chahyuk tried to stop him, creating a commotion, but Dohyuk paid no attention.
***
Less than ten minutes after returning to his office and starting work, his secretary reported that Director Kang Chahyuk had come to see him. Even though he told her to have him come back later, since they’d just met in the chairman’s office and there didn’t seem to be any further business, the office door opened.
“I don’t think I gave permission to enter.”
“I know you’re busy, but spare me just a moment. This conversation won’t be disadvantageous for you either.”
Despite Dohyuk never treating him as a younger brother, Chahyuk always affectionately called him hyung.
“Would you like me to bring you a cup of coffee?”
He asked the secretary with a smile and a gentle tone. The secretary, who’d mindlessly agreed, seemed to realize her mistake and glanced at Dohyuk. Dohyuk let out a brief sigh and nodded.
“Don’t be so sharp. I know it’s your personality and you can’t help it, but when you’re like that, it only makes Kang Sunhyuk act worse.”
Though he’d respectfully called him “hyungnim” in front of Sunhyuk, now he casually referred to Sunhyuk by name.
“You should go along with it a bit, like I do. He’s simple-minded and takes things at face value, so it’s convenient, isn’t it?”
Chahyuk grinned, but Dohyuk didn’t smile back.
Fox-like bastard.
Sunhyuk and Chahyuk were very different. While Sunhyuk still retained the habits from his gangster days, Chahyuk wasn’t rough or barbaric, but he always went around with an inscrutable smile, making it impossible to know what he was thinking.
“I’m sure you’re already wary, but be careful of Kang Sunhyuk. If you keep thinking he’s just stupid, you might end up with a bloody nose.”
Though his tone was light, these were words that couldn’t be ignored. As Dohyuk narrowed his eyes, Chahyuk approached the desk and placed several photos on it. They showed Sunhyuk meeting with various people. As Dohyuk examined each photo, his eyes darkened.
Most of the people in the photos were those who’d borrowed money from Dragon Holdings and then failed to repay properly, leading to business closures. In particular, they were individuals who harbored resentment toward Dohyuk for handling their matters coldly, without showing any mercy.
Dohyuk’s hand stopped as he was flipping through the photos. This one didn’t contain Sunhyuk. Instead, it showed a figure Dohyuk knew well.
“Kim Seonuk.”
When Dohyuk correctly named the person in the photo, Chahyuk grinned.
“So you do know each other. I thought you might.”
Dohyuk’s gaze moved from the photo to Chahyuk. In response to Dohyuk’s expression, which seemed to demand an explanation for why Kim Seonuk’s photo was included, Chahyuk swiftly took the photo back from his hand.
“This one isn’t related to Kang Sunhyuk, but to Baek Hyeri.”
Baek Hyeri of Kangsan Construction?
“If you were to have an arranged marriage with Baek Hyeri as the Chairman wishes, it would be you, wouldn’t it? It’s obvious that a well-bred woman like Baek Hyeri wouldn’t even consider Kang Sunhyuk human, and if anyone could maintain her dignity, it would only be you.”
His tone suggested that he personally had no interest in an arranged marriage with Baek Hyeri.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m happy if you do well. It’s impossible for me to surpass you anyway, so isn’t it better to pick the right side?”
He was saying that he’d be content as second-in-command after Kang Dohyuk, excluding Kang Sunhyuk.
“I heard you don’t get along with Kim Seonuk?”
The topic returned to the person in the photo. Dohyuk wasn’t surprised by the background investigation, knowing that just as he kept an eye on Sunhyuk and Chahyuk, they did the same to him.
“But here’s the problem. I heard that Kim Seonuk is completely infatuated with Baek Hyeri. If he finds out about the arranged marriage talks between you and her, won’t he flip out? Be careful in advance. That bastard is unstable, so you never know what he might do.”
It was unclear whether he was finding it amusing or genuinely concerned. Probably the former.
Kim Seonuk… He was a more troublesome opponent compared to the others Sunhyuk had contacted and incited with resentment against Dohyuk. Star Finance was a group engaged in various finance-related businesses such as banking and securities, ranking within the top 10 conglomerates in Korea. Kim Seonuk was the youngest son of Star Finance.
He and Dohyuk were college classmates, and despite not having much interaction, Seonuk always burned with a sense of rivalry toward Dohyuk. Though his family background was better than Dohyuk’s, he couldn’t beat Dohyuk in grades or any other aspect, leading to an inferiority complex.
“I don’t know if it’s because of Baek Hyeri, but there’s also talk that Star Finance will actively intervene in the Yeouido project. You’ll need to pay attention to several aspects.”
Knock, knock. The secretary entered after knocking, bringing the coffee that Chahyuk had requested earlier. While Chahyuk leisurely drank his coffee, Dohyuk simply scanned the photos spread on his desk without saying a word.
The CEO of Forest Entertainment was also among the people in the photos.
‘You’ve been having a lot of strange incidents lately. Mom thinks they’re not coincidences. Someone is targeting your life.’
Dohyuk inwardly laughed, remembering his mother’s plea as she’d brought the shaman into his home. It was already a known fact that Kang Sunhyuk was desperate to kill him. He’d also guessed that, since Sunhyuk was wary of Chairman Kang Mansik’s reactions, he was stirring up various places in this manner. Nevertheless, Dohyuk had ignored it because they were all small fry who couldn’t match him. He planned to use it as a pretext to eliminate Kang Sunhyuk whenever he caught him red-handed.
So Chahyuk’s advice was unnecessary. Except for the fact that Kim Seonuk was obsessed with Baek Hyeri. The relationship between Kim Seonuk and Baek Hyeri was unexpected.
It shouldn’t affect the business, but it could become troublesome if not handled carefully.
“Honestly, I’m worried. You need to hold firm so that Kang Sunhyuk’s sparks don’t fly my way. My life goal is just to live moderately and enjoy myself, so I prefer someone who can run the company stably. So I’m asking you to hang in there.”
Chahyuk put down his coffee cup and smiled brightly. He was saying that out of purely personal desire, he’d side with Kang Dohyuk rather than Kang Sunhyuk.
“I don’t care.”
It didn’t matter to Dohyuk which side Chahyuk was on. To him, Chahyuk was an insignificant existence.
“Yes, yes, I’m sure you’ll handle it well. Anyway, be careful not to get stabbed somewhere. Even if Managing Director Kang Dohyuk is absent for just a moment, Dragon Holdings will falter.”
Having finished his business, Chahyuk turned, waved, and left the office.
After being lost in thought for a moment, Dohyuk called in Director Choi.
“What about Kang Sunhyuk’s movements?”
When he tossed over the photos that Chahyuk had left, Director Choi didn’t seem particularly surprised. Even without Chahyuk, Dohyuk’s side had been continuously monitoring Kang Sunhyuk, and they were aware that he was meeting with various people and stirring things up.
“Recently, he’s been in continuous contact with this person.”
Director Choi pointed to one of the men in the photos. It was the man who, about a month ago, had poured out all kinds of curses and sworn he would kill Dohyuk. He’d even gnashed his teeth, saying he’d definitely make it happen.
“This is the list of items he purchased yesterday.”
Director Choi handed over a sheet of paper. Dohyuk laughed when he saw what the man in the photo had bought: knives, rope, pesticides—things that showed a clear intention to either kill someone or commit suicide. Leaving such traces meant that even if he achieved what he wanted, he’d obviously be detained immediately. Well, he probably hadn’t considered the aftermath. After all, his life was already over.
“However…”
Director Choi continued.
“Strangely, he burned all the items he purchased today and went down to Buan in Jeolla Province.”
Buan in Jeolla Province? Dohyuk’s eyebrow raised crookedly.
“His elderly mother lives there. It seems she’d been telling him to come down and farm since his business failed, but he’d firmly refused until now. I think his mind suddenly changed.”
“Keep an eye on him.”
Director Choi’s face hardened, and he bowed his head, understanding this was a warning that if another unseemly incident like yesterday’s invasion of the company occurred, it wouldn’t be overlooked.
His mind suddenly changed…
As Dohyuk tapped his fingers on the desk, he laughed at a thought that suddenly occurred to him.
‘My job is to break bad connections.’
Absurd. This incident was just a coincidence.
