“It’s my personal problem anyway. Don’t unnecessarily step forward and get crushed when it reaches the ears of that foul-tempered man, just stay quiet.”
“Yes.”
It was better for Choi Dohyun not to know anything. If his father found out that she knew something, he would lay hands on her in some way. He wouldn’t dispose of her, but Choi Dohyun would suffer every time Kyungwoo went into hiding.
“Let’s go.”
Kyungwoo buttoned his suit vest and put on his jacket. Meanwhile, Choi Dohyun put the clothes he had thrown off into the prepared paper bag.
The VIP room where Jung Taeho was located was two floors below the rooftop. On the very top floor were hospital facilities. In effect, he was using the highest floor. It was a characteristic commonly seen in humans who liked to stand at the pinnacle everywhere.
When the elevator stopped, several security guards wearing earpieces greeted Kyungwoo. Personnel were stationed at the emergency stairs and elevator to prevent unauthorized reporters or anyone else from entering.
Choi Dohyun couldn’t get off the elevator. Only Kyungwoo headed to the hospital room, ignoring the security guards.
An employee from the secretary’s office was also waiting in front of the hospital room. Upon seeing Kyungwoo, he bowed his head lightly, then knocked on the door instead.
“Executive Director Jung has arrived.”
With those words, the secretary gestured with a respectful attitude as if he couldn’t even dare touch the doorknob.
When he opened the door and entered, white cloth was the first thing visible. It was a partition set up to prevent the inside from being seen when the door opened.
Turning to the side, he saw a hospital room splendid with high-end interior design that rivaled any decent hotel. By the window was a medical bed plastered with cutting-edge technology.
However, Chairman Jung Taeho, who was said to be deeply ill, was not on the bed. He was sitting in the seat of honor of a sofa set wrapped in the finest leather. Aside from wearing a plush wool gown, he was dressed in everyday clothes.
“I’m here.”
The man who had searched so much that Choi Dohyun had made dozens of missed calls said nothing even upon seeing Kyungwoo. Next to him sat a woman in her 40s, peeling fruit.
After neatly cutting the white fruit, she picked one up with a gold fork and held it out to Jung Taeho.
“Please eat.”
“Mm.”
Jung Taeho, who took the fruit, chewed it with teeth unsuited to his age, crunching clearly.
“You worked hard coming. Sit and eat some fruit.”
“Noona.”
His older sister, Kyungrok, exactly twelve years older, also held out a piece of fruit to Kyungwoo.
“I’m fine.”
He refused because he didn’t have much appetite.
“Sit.”
A gruff shout echoed. Jung Taeho’s gaze finally turned to Kyungwoo. Kyungwoo became a puppet without will and obeyed those words.
He sat on the other side of Chairman Jung Taeho, facing Kyungrok.
“Here.”
Kyungrok, stretching out her arm long, offered fruit again.
“You should consider the sincerity of the person who went to the trouble of peeling it.”
The end of Jung Taeho’s words as he said that trailed off strangely. He had clearly swallowed the words ‘that’s why you’re no good’ inside.
“What sincerity over just one piece of fruit. Don’t be so hard on Kyungwoo.”
Even so, Kyungrok didn’t withdraw the offered fruit. Having no choice, he took it and put it in his mouth. Fragrant fruit juice spread in his mouth, but it was bitter rather than sweet.
“Are you busy these days?”
Kyungrok asked kindly. It was completely different from her appearance before she got married, became a full-time housewife, and gave birth to two children.
Before marriage, Jung Kyungrok served as executive director of Taeryoung F&C, a food-related subsidiary, and based on tremendous drive and outstanding business sense that hit the mark, she was a tremendous talent who positioned the weak affiliate as a core affiliate in one stroke.
“I heard logistics processing efficiency went up? Building that new hub in Chungcheong Province this time seems to have been a good idea.”
“Yes.”
It was his sister’s warm praise, but Kyungwoo answered briefly.
In the old days, Kyungrok was evaluated as a carbon copy of Jung Taeho because of her boldness in removing everything that got in her eyes.
She was someone who would have accomplished anything even if she had been born into an ordinary family, not because she was the daughter of the Taeryoung chairman.
Simply because she was a married woman, she stepped back, and her husband took her place instead. Even if her resentment was as deep as an oil drilling well, it wouldn’t be enough. Yet Kyungrok was quiet like a lie.
He didn’t have great affection for Kyungrok. However, the old-fashioned customs that dominated Taeryoung were disgusting.
The victim of old-fashioned thinking wasn’t just Kyungrok. Kyungwoo, who was in a special situation, was the same.
“Did I do well? The original hub plan was something President Joo did before he left.”
“That was just a rough sketch. Successfully executing a plan is also amazing.”
The father and daughter bickered in front of him. In between, Kyungwoo had no right to speak. Even if he opened his mouth, Jung Taeho only found fault, and the words only grew longer as Kyungrok defended Kyungwoo.
“Where did you go this morning? I couldn’t reach you by phone, so I asked your mother and she said she didn’t know.”
Mother was Jung Taeho’s second wife and Kyungwoo’s biological mother. In reality, the age difference with Kyungrok was such that they could be sisters.
“Why me?”
He was curious about the reason for calling even his mother, who led a life separate from the family.
“I thought we could have a meal together as a family after a long time. Since you’re busy, I’d have to make an appointment in advance, wouldn’t I?”
“Your sister is doing what even your mom doesn’t do.”
Jung Taeho came out defending his eldest daughter again. It was all because of Jung Taeho that his mother had become neglectful of family affairs.
The mistress of Taeryoung, who had to take all the responsibility for Kyungwoo’s special situation, found it difficult to even see her own son as an aftermath. Now she was only devoted to cultural sponsorship work.
“How is that Kyungwoo’s fault? Dad, really, you’re always strict only with Kyungwoo.”
“Why would I be strict if that bastard did things properly? Today too, he probably collapsed somewhere and came back after getting medication.”
It was harsh words, but not wrong. If he had time to get sleep anesthesia, he would have gotten it. Before Kyungwoo realized it, his hand touched his tattered right arm.
“How did that go?”
Jung Taeho, who had been scanning his son with a disapproving gaze, suddenly asked. Kyungrok’s gaze also turned to Kyungwoo.
“I handled it.”
“You’ve been dragged around by a mere prosecutor.”
Kyungwoo raised his gaze toward his father, who was clicking his tongue.
“Would such a guy be useful?”
“He’s not such a trivial and easy person.”
“Let’s see.”
“He’ll do well.”
“Not that prosecutor, I mean you.”
Jung Taeho distrusted Kyungwoo’s choice. It was expected. As expected, Jung Taeho tried to evaluate his son lumped together with Seo Jaeha.
“You can leave.”
“Yes.”
“Let me know the time later. For sure.”
Kyungrok added.
“I’ll contact you.”
Kyungwoo greeted his father and half-sister with his eyes, then left the hospital room. He could fully imagine what conversation those two left alone would be having about him without having to listen.
While Jung Taeho, who regarded his son as half-crippled, would turn his daughter’s insides upside down by giving Kyungrok praise that wasn’t even praise, saying she should have been born a son, Kyungrok would silently smile and peel fruit like a mountain.
The elevator had been waiting in place from the beginning.
“Shall we go to your residence?”
Upon getting in the car, Choi Dohyun asked. Kyungwoo closed his eyes without saying anything. The loyal bodyguard interpreted the simple action well.
The black foreign car quietly exited the hospital parking lot and raced through the city center.
The next day.
As soon as he arrived at work, he threw the file at the face of the employee who had been investigating. At the words to get lost immediately if he was going to do work like this, the ashen-faced employee hastily picked up the file that had fallen to the floor and made excuses.
“This is a summary of the reputation circulating among reporters and employees who frequent the prosecution. What’s the problem?”
“You call that something to say? You should have asked prosecutors about a prosecutor’s reputation!”
He had rarely raised his voice at the company. The employee, turning pale, said he would report again and left.
However, the report he brought later was not much different from the first. Still, as if wanting to show he had made an effort in his own way, it was accurately written who he had asked to hear such stories.
Central District Prosecutors’ Office Criminal Division Director Lee Byungdo
In addition, the backgrounds of employees who had worked with Seo Jaeha and the names of fellow prosecutors were also written. Names of hometown friends and university classmates also appeared a few times.
Aside from the bank loan received for apartment allocation, his financial records were too clean. He was the very essence of a sincere office worker with no characteristics.
“Is this content certain?”
“Yes. It’s a consistent evaluation.”
It was a completely different evaluation from the true nature that Kyungwoo knew.
How could there be such an evaluation for a son of a bitch who uses violence and threats so naturally as cards?
If the evaluation was this consistent, it wasn’t the employee’s fault. There was no further interrogation of the employee after this.
That bastard had a dual personality.
Under the judgment that he wouldn’t ruin Taeryoung’s reputation even if sent to the Special Division, Kyungwoo called the District Prosecutors’ Office Chief.
“Hello. Are you doing well?”
The District Chief who answered the phone grumbled first about what crazy person was writing articles with concert tickets.
—What’s so special about concert tickets? Moving people with something like that, would that work? How cheap. I’d refuse to accept such things because they’re dirty.
What the District Chief wanted to say was ‘Did you leak it by any chance? If you’re trying to pressure me with just that, you’ve got the wrong address.’
“Right. How is your wife? I heard she ranked first in sales among the in-house cafes within our group this time. You must be very pleased.”
—Well… that’s right. Hehehe. Thanks to her, she got a good location.
“The problem is that good sales don’t guarantee renewal. But the higher the sales, the better.”
—Hey, why are you being so scary? Hehe. My wife was just saying to bring Executive Director Jung over. My wife has good cooking skills, you see.
“I’ve heard about your wife’s cooking skills. I really want to go, but I’m busy right now. I’ll definitely go later.”
—Really? That’s a shame.
—Ah, I was relieved that Prosecutor Seo Jaeha handled things well this time. As expected of the District Chief’s recommendation… he was reliable.
—Right? That bastard is a bit single-minded, but he’s not unreasonable. Haha.
While hiding his desire to punch the laughing District Chief in the face, Kyungwoo also smiled.
“Please nurture that friend a bit more? He seemed like someone who would become great.”
—Really? Next door? Or upstairs?
Next door was the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, upstairs was the Ministry of Justice.
“I don’t know about that far, but he seems like he’d do well at the Special Division.”
—Hmm. I’ll think about it.
“Don’t worry about your wife’s cafe renewal.”
—Oh, thank you. Alright. I’ll trust Executive Director Jung. Executive Director Jung shouldn’t worry either.
“Well then. I’ll call to say hello again next time.”
—Be careful going home.
The call ended with a greeting warmer than with blood relatives.
First, he needed to know more about Seo Jaeha. Since he had directly inserted him into the Special Division, that bastard had to conduct himself well.
