— It seems it was people on Joo Kyung-heon’s side who directly made the calls. Especially the bank. They’re dragging out time by giving little extensions on the repayment period, but requesting lump sum repayment and then doing that doesn’t seem typical, right?
“Is that bank by any chance Daeil Bank?”
— Yeah! That’s right. Do you know something?
Rather than knowing something, there was a picture vaguely passing through his mind.
The omega he’d met at the charity event.
— I heard you have expertise in finance too. As you know, our family is also in the financial business. Of course, the work is a bit different.
The one who drew a line with a smiling face saying their family was in primary financial institutions. And then acted all coquettish toward Kyung-heon, that omega.
If there had been some kind of deal regarding Kwak Du-jin’s family, it might have been more natural for those two to talk. Young rubbed his face for no reason at the situation that seemed to fit together, forced or not.
“No, it’s not that.”
— Really?
“Anyway, it means Joomyeong was involved, right? Among them, people around Joo Kyung-heon.”
— Yeah, that’s certain.
“That’s what I was curious about when I asked you to look into it. Thanks.”
— Do you need anything more? What’s come out so far is about this much, should I dig deeper?
“No. I’ll tell you if there’s more.”
The traffic light he’d been persistently glaring at finally changed to green.
“Hyung, I’m driving so I need to hang up now.”
— Okay, hang up. Drive carefully.
Chan added a final reminder to tell him if he needed anything more.
Anyway, he was excessively protective, but there was no family as reliable as this. Young pulled out the earphone that had been in one ear and threw it carelessly onto the passenger seat. Then he turned the steering wheel following the navigation guidance.
He was on his way to check wall construction examples discussed at the meeting with the interior director. After turning from the main road onto a side street, a shopping area appeared with small buildings clustered together.
— It’s a white sign on the first floor, and it’s all glass in front so you’ll find it easily. There’s an empty lot right next to the building, so you can park your car there.
Young, recalling the conversation with the director, slowed down and passed through the narrow road. Just as he said, the white sign with glass windows immediately caught his eye.
The empty lot next to the building was the same. Young, who finished parking, turned off the engine and looked for his cell phone first. He intended to call the director first to say he’d arrived.
But a familiar face passed beyond the glass front.
“…Huh?”
It was Joo Won-ho. Kyung-heon’s brother born the year after him. He’d been caught doing something foolish from their first meeting, but had been quiet lately and out of mind, so it was questionable why he appeared here.
Young looked around, checking the windshield, side window, and even the rearview mirror. No matter how much he looked, there were only neighborhood businesses—traditional restaurants, academies for kids, convenience stores, etc. In other words, it meant this wasn’t a place Joo Won-ho would particularly come to hang out. Judging by how he was looking around, it didn’t seem like he’d been here often either. Young unknowingly lowered his body and secretly watched Joo Won-ho.
He entered a building on the main road side. It was a place with a sauna in the basement, a coffee shop on the first floor, and a PC room and Thai massage parlor lined up above.
Joo Won-ho climbed the stairs clearly visible from the entrance. Then his destination wasn’t the coffee shop or sauna.
It would be strange if he came all the way here looking for a PC room, and even if he came to the massage parlor, it didn’t look good.
“How freely he wanders around.”
Young clicked his tongue—tsk—for no reason.
Then, a long vibration—bzzzz—rang from the cell phone in his hand. The caller was the interior director. Young, whose attention had been stolen in an instant, hurriedly came back to his senses.
“Yes, Director. I just arrived.”
He didn’t know why Joo Won-ho had popped up here out of the blue, but he needed to handle what he had to do first. Young hurriedly opened the driver’s side door and got out.
***
Actually, the site visit was a schedule Young had been secretly looking forward to. Due to the nature of the gallery space, wall finishing had to be carefully decided since it sometimes becomes the stage for artworks. Thinking that actual construction examples would be more helpful than sample books, he’d shouted okay and followed along as soon as the schedule was set.
But he never thought he wouldn’t be able to concentrate this much.
‘From what I heard, it’s true that Joomyeong put pressure on them.’
‘It seems it was people on Joo Kyung-heon’s side who directly made the calls. Especially the bank. They’re dragging out time by giving little extensions on the repayment period, but requesting lump sum repayment and then doing that doesn’t seem typical, right?’
Just the fact that Joo Kyung-heon, who had clearly drawn a line about law and morality in front, was choking his nemesis’s throat from behind was enough to make his insides noisy. But Joo Won-ho, who appeared out of the blue in this small neighborhood with nothing to do, joined in and ate away at his concentration.
The interior director worked hard explaining, even considering variables like lighting, pushing their strength of meticulous finishing. However, making his efforts futile, Young listened to half and let the other half pass.
“CEO-nim?”
“Ah. Yes.”
“Have you seen everything?”
“Can I take some photos?”
The director readily agreed. He was enthusiastic, adjusting the lighting and even telling him angles where the finishing details looked good. Thanks to that, Young was able to take far more detailed photos than expected.
“It would be good to see them all at once, but the coordination didn’t work out well. The day after tomorrow, two places are confirmed, and if it goes well, you might be able to see three places. Think of that time as the real deal.”
“Yes. Thank you for taking care of it.”
With this, today’s external schedule was finished. Young, who exchanged greetings with the interior director, left the shop first.
It didn’t take long to go to the empty lot next to the shop and get in the car. He started the engine and habitually checked his cell phone.
He thought he felt vibrations even in his dazed state. There were several missed calls from his eldest hyung.
Young put the earphone he’d thrown on the passenger seat back in. Then he pressed the missed call history and gently stepped on the accelerator.
— Hey, Young-ah. Were you busy?
“I was taking care of some business outside. Why did you call?”
— It’s nothing much. I reported to Team Leader Joo, but I thought you’d be curious too.
“About what?”
— You know, we had some headaches because of the land ownership. We finally found the real owner. Really the final final final final one.
“Really? Who the heck is it?”
— Someone named Woo Seok-ju, have you heard of him?
“Woo Seok-ju?”
A shallow wrinkle formed between Young’s brows as he carefully drove down the narrow road. At the same time, he was busy trying to recall a name that seemed familiar yet unfamiliar.
But it didn’t take long. Young soon let out an exclamation—”Aah.”
“That young assemblyman?”
He was someone who had attracted attention by taking a position among elderly assemblymen with his young and neat appearance. He received media attention just for his presentable looks alone, and was also a figure who raised his twenties and thirties approval rating by making many realistic statements that young people could relate to.
“They say just the rent coming in falsely from that land is no joke.”
— That’s why he desperately hid and held out. He acted all clean and upright while doing that through back channels. If things went wrong, his funding would be cut off and his corruption exposed, leading to ruin.
Young, who reached the end of the narrow road, stopped briefly and waited for the left turn signal. Once he got the signal and turned the corner, he would enter the main road and be able to drive comfortably.
“He caused so much trouble whether it was slush funds or illegal political funds. So what happens now? Is the land issue resolved?”
— It’s not completely resolved, we’ve just found a clue. It’ll be over once Joomyeong decides whether to make a move or we handle it our way.
Young unknowingly recalled Kyung-heon who had been suffering from headaches over the land issue. His own hand that had pressed his temple as if possessed, and even the body heat covering the back of his hand.
Meanwhile, an arrow pointing left appeared on the traffic light. Young took his foot off the brake and turned the steering wheel left.
“Still, that’s a relief. Good work.”
And as Young’s car gradually picked up speed and crossed the middle of the intersection,
CRASH!
