# Chapter 54
After I revealed who I was, the police seemed to move much more diligently.
They found dozens of cameras hidden throughout the house, and Grandfather’s secretarial office was deployed for this task.
It was a few days later when Uncle surrendered, but even at that moment, he didn’t look particularly frightened.
Seeing me sitting with Grandfather in the chairman’s office, he approached with a smile and wore an amused expression as if to say he’d taken quite a hit this time.
I could well guess why he was making that expression.
My indiscretion with Cha Yeonwoo.
He knew about it and was confident he could silence me.
That he could use Crop Five, which I cared about more than my own well-being, to keep me quiet.
“If you stop the police from investigating who installed the cameras, I won’t disclose what was captured there. I don’t think it’s a bad deal for you, Seomin. It’s good for you and for Crop Five that you care so much about.”
Looking at his smile, I had an amusing thought.
“You can do that if you want. But if Crop Five falls, the damage to Seyoung Electronics would be considerable. Noona, who’s been hailed as Seyoung Group’s hero, would be thrown to the ground in an instant. Not to mention Grand Tamer, which has been preparing to go public riding on Crop Five’s success. Seyoung Media has established such a solid platform that it wouldn’t be greatly affected by a Crop Five scandal. It should be interesting. I think I can rise again. I’ve decided to accept the hand extended by Seyoung Media. You seem to want self-destruction. Go ahead and try. Would Seyoung Media let go of me, their golden goose, because of my small personal issue?”
By the time I finished speaking, the person smiling had changed.
The smile had disappeared from his face, and I was the only one laughing.
“The police investigation won’t be stopped. So, Uncle, just do what you want to do. There’s nothing to fear no matter what happens. Hasn’t Crop Five earned enough already? It’s not like they’ve committed a crime, so being pointed at by others is nothing. Without external pressure like this, they would continue to overwork themselves without realizing how their bodies are deteriorating. This might actually be good for the boys. It was getting boring since they couldn’t play with me because of their overseas concerts, so this is perfect timing.”
As Uncle’s face hardened, Grandfather burst into loud laughter.
“It’s like seeing your father. Your father looked gentle but occasionally backed your uncle into a corner.”
Seeing Grandfather laugh, Uncle shouted as if he couldn’t stand it anymore.
“You find this funny? This boy is a homosexual! He was caught on camera kissing a Crop Five member. What do you think will happen if that gets out? And it’s not just with one guy. He did such things with members in their dorm too!! He even had sex with one of them. Do you understand?!”
Uncle probably didn’t like feeling like he was the only one being made a fool, but it was truly a stupid move.
He had thrown away a card he should have held onto and used only when his life was truly in danger.
“That shouldn’t be made public. But you have it. Then I don’t think I should let you leave here. What do you think, Jihyuk?”
Grandfather spoke slowly in a voice devoid of emotion.
“…”
I didn’t immediately understand the meaning of those words.
What did he mean by not letting Uncle leave?
Was he going to keep him confined here?
But Uncle’s actions were faster than my thoughts.
He shook his head and stepped back.
“You can’t do this to me. Don’t do this to me. I did it for the company!”
“Right. Well said. For the company. Then why not accept this too for the company? If you truly did it without a hint of greed, just for the company. I think you might also be responsible for your younger brother’s sudden disappearance.”
“Don’t say such strange things. Those are all lies made up by people who blind you and slander me. There are too many such people around you, Father. Those people will ruin you.”
“Still, I didn’t go find this child and tell him the lie that Grandfather instigated his kidnapping.”
“…”
“Why did you say such a thing to a wounded child? I can understand that you wanted him to rely on you, but you shouldn’t have done that. You would have been better off being born as someone else’s child and living an ordinary life.”
“Fa… Father.”
Instead of getting angry at those words, Uncle seemed terrified and tried to turn around and run away.
But before he could notice when the door opened, several people entered.
I was stunned by what was happening before my eyes and could only stare at them blankly.
The people who entered, not rushing, as if they thought they could fully control the situation, approached Uncle as if herding him.
It was an overwhelming pressure.
These didn’t seem like people who would just scare someone and leave it at that.
It’s a strange thing to say, but I thought they wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone.
“Father. Father. Why are these people doing this? Make them stop right now! Get away. Don’t touch me. I said don’t come near me!!”
A scene completely devoid of any sense of reality.
But I didn’t feel any sympathy.
Uncle turned to me and suddenly fell to his knees.
“Seomin. Seomin. Please save me. Please save me. I’ll keep my mouth shut. I won’t say anything. No one will know about it. So please help me just this once. How have I treated you all this time! You know, don’t you!!”
I didn’t say anything.
I didn’t feel a great hatred for him, but I also didn’t feel like listening to what he was saying.
Thinking that this was enough of a connection with him and that it would be better not to get entangled with him anymore in the future, I just turned my head away.
A person approached and roughly pulled his arm.
Uncle was by no means scrawny or thin, but he was easily dragged away.
The people took him and left.
The strange thing was that they didn’t exit through the original entrance.
Come to think of it, they seemed to have entered through a different place as well.
As I was watching, not knowing such a place existed there, Grandfather spoke.
“Are you scared?”
“Why would I be scared when it didn’t happen to me?”
“You might still be afraid. It could happen to you too.”
“By that logic, it could happen to you too, Grandfather. Aren’t you scared?”
He stared at me blankly and then burst into laughter.
“You’re really something else.”
Then he shook his head.
“Weren’t you afraid? When that guy threatened to expose you.”
“It wasn’t an empty threat. He really intended to do it.”
“Then you’d be fine if those Crop Five guys got taken down too?”
“They didn’t do anything wrong, and it wasn’t a crime. If they chose to enjoy popularity and become public figures, they should be prepared for consequences. If you can’t prevent something, you can only deal with it. I think there’s no use in holding onto something that’s already out of your hands.”
I believed that was right.
I didn’t want to go into the details of my love life in front of Grandfather, nor did I want to ask for understanding that my orientation might be different from others.
It would probably be difficult to understand.
It was my affair and something that happened to me, but it was difficult for me to understand too.
I had no desire to change myself now, and I didn’t think it was our flaw either.
“I understand. Take charge of Seyoung Media. That’s where you should be.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You don’t need to start from the bottom. How about starting as a department head?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. I thought you would stubbornly refuse until the end, but you’re reasonable. What should we do with Jiyoung? I’ll do as you say.”
“Noona reached her position with her own abilities. There might be more issues to be revealed beyond what’s been discovered this time, but if nothing else specifically comes to light, I think it would be best to continue entrusting Seyoung Electronics to her. Don’t you need to be smart enough to look after your own interests to protect the company?”
“You have quite a broad perspective. Alright. I understand.”
It was strange that he frequently asked for my opinion.
“Then may I leave now?”
“Aren’t you curious?”
Grandfather’s counterquestion followed my words.
“About what?”
“What will happen to your uncle.”
“I don’t think that’s something I need to know. I have enough to deal with just looking after myself.”
He laughed again.
