Chapter 14: Kim Seonuk of Star Finance
Light seeped through the window. Dohyuk checked the clock and ran a hand across his face. He had spent the night wide awake. All night, he had stared at the room where Yeon was confined, waiting for him to scream for the door to be opened, but not even the sound of breathing could be heard from inside.
He was tired of that stubbornness. Yeon was definitely different from the people Dohyuk had met so far. He became increasingly convinced that treating Yeon the same way as the others would yield nothing.
Knock, knock. Hearing the knock on the door, he got up and opened it to find Director Choi standing there.
“I was worried when you didn’t answer your calls, so I came up.”
Dohyuk frowned at his words. Come to think of it, he had forgotten that he’d put his phone on silent.
“I’ll get ready and come out soon, so wait.”
“What about him…?”
Director Choi seemed to be looking for Yeon. Instead of answering, Dohyuk indicated with his gaze toward the room connected to the inside of the bedroom. Ah. Director Choi swallowed a short groan and his expression stiffened.
“Your mother will have something to say if she finds out.”
It seemed that his mother had also given instructions regarding Yeon.
“Just make sure he gets meals on time.”
Indirectly implying that he had no intention of opening the door anytime soon, Dohyuk told Director Choi to go out and wait.
After preparing to go out, he stood in front of the room where Yeon was confined for a moment. Still, not even a small sound could be heard. Could he be dead? He grabbed the doorknob to turn it, then smiled bitterly. It was ridiculous how he was acting, being concerned about the guy inside this room all night and even now.
Forget it. He hadn’t done anything that would threaten Yeon’s life. He might just be sleeping. Even if he were dead, it wouldn’t matter.
Before leaving the room, Dohyuk looked back once more at the room where Yeon was, but his eyes were as cold as ever. The door closed with a bang. After that, only a heavy silence remained.
*
A five-star hotel in the heart of Seoul. After checking the room number received by text message, Kim Seonuk confirmed it matched the number written on the door and raised his hand to knock.
Click. The door opened slightly, and the person inside checked Kim Seonuk’s face. Only then did they open the door wide.
“Why did you want to meet in a place like this?”
Kim Seonuk grumbled as soon as he entered, asking why, of all places, a hotel.
“There are too many eyes in other places. No place is as discreet as a hotel, right?”
The other person answered with a grin. Kim Seonuk frowned at the word “discreet,” but then clicked his tongue when he saw the bed sheets inside the bedroom completely rumpled. It seemed they had actually used it for a discreet purpose.
“There’s no one else here, right?”
To the question asking if the woman the other had slept with was hiding somewhere, they shrugged and poured whiskey into a glass. They offered it to Kim Seonuk, asking if he wanted to drink, but he declined. He didn’t want to drink alcohol on top of feeling uncomfortable about entering a hotel in broad daylight. Moreover, the person offering the drink seemed so dark inside that it made him even more cautious.
“Just get to the point of why you called me. I’m busy.”
“Such an impatient personality.”
Unlike Kim Seonuk, who found this meeting uncomfortable, the other person was completely relaxed.
“Baek Hyeri.”
When the name Baek Hyeri came from the other’s mouth, Kim Seonuk’s eyes changed.
“Don’t carelessly mention that name. She’s not someone a bastard like you can freely talk about.”
“Yes, yes.”
The other person replied mockingly, then brought the glass they were holding to their lips. The amber liquid was sucked into their mouth.
“But what can you do? The Baek Hyeri you cherish so much is about to marry another guy, it seems.”
“What?”
Kim Seonuk’s face contorted.
“Dragon Holdings’ Kang Dohyuk. They had a date last night, didn’t you know? Your information is too slow.”
The other person placed a photo on the table. It showed Kang Dohyuk and Baek Hyeri sitting across from each other in a restaurant. A faint smile was visible on Baek Hyeri’s face.
“Doesn’t the atmosphere look good? That spread all over the financial district’s rumors today. Kangsan Construction and Dragon Holdings joining hands. Just that news probably made Kangsan Construction’s stock rise quite a bit, right?”
Unable to believe the other’s words, Kim Seonuk quickly checked Kangsan Construction’s stock price on his phone’s securities app. It was as the other had said. Kangsan Construction’s stock had risen noticeably. The rumor circulating in the financial district seemed to be true.
“They’ll probably announce a date soon. It seems Chairman Kang Mansik of Dragon Holdings is quite determined this time. He won’t let go of Kangsan Construction. And for that, Baek Hyeri is absolutely necessary.”
“But why does it have to be that bastard Kang Dohyuk? He’s not even the eldest son!”
To Kim Seonuk’s complaint, the other laughed as if he were pathetic.
“There may be three sons, but among them, Kang Dohyuk is overwhelmingly superior, isn’t that true? You should know better than anyone.”
Kim Seonuk couldn’t answer and gritted his teeth. Having been a college classmate with Kang Dohyuk, he knew him well. Dohyuk had never failed to be the top student in his department, and although he was always so blunt to the point of being disagreeable, his handsome appearance made him popular with women.
“He’s still just a gangster bastard.”
At his muttered words, the other person’s expression hardened slightly. Yeah, you’re a gangster bastard too—he swallowed the words he wanted to say and pretended not to notice, and the other person also let it pass. There was no point in arguing about whether they were gangsters or not.
“Having lived your whole life looking only at Baek Hyeri, what will you do now?”
The other person smiled cryptically.
“Will you suck your thumb while Kang Dohyuk takes her away?”
“It’s not that simple. Kangsan Construction is trying to join hands with Dragon Holdings because of money.”
“You know well. Money. I don’t know why Star Finance is just watching.”
Kim Seonuk groaned. The Yeouido project that Kangsan Construction was promoting was of enormous scale. Just looking at the business plan, it was clearly worth investing in, but if it failed, the risk was equally great. There were reasons why it took over ten years just to get government approval. Unlike Dragon Holdings, Star Finance was a first-tier financial institution and therefore had to be more cautious.
If it were a decision he could make alone, he would have readily stepped forward from Star Finance, but he was not the decision-maker.
“Unexpectedly powerless.”
The other person dismissed Kim Seonuk. His fist trembled with the desire to punch that irritatingly smiling face.
“Here.”
The other person tossed a bundle of documents.
“What is it?”
Opening it, Kim Seonuk found detailed information about the Yeouido project. It was different from the plan Kangsan Construction had submitted to Star Finance for a loan application a few months ago.
“A plan supplemented by Dragon Holdings. It’s much more specific and realistic than what Kangsan Construction originally presented, right?”
The other person was correct. If Kangsan Construction had submitted such a plan from the beginning, Star Finance would have considered the loan much more seriously.
“Kang Dohyuk supplemented it. Amazing, isn’t he?”
Kim Seonuk’s face hardened at the comment that seemed to compare him to Dohyuk.
“Some people are just born different, nothing to be done about it.”
“Are you picking a fight right now?”
When Kim Seonuk’s voice grew sharp, the other person smiled and shrugged.
“Of course not. I’m on your side. Accept what needs to be accepted—that some people are born different—and instead of trying to win in the same way, find another method. At this rate, you’ll really lose Baek Hyeri to Kang Dohyuk, won’t you? Right now it seems like a professional attitude because of the joint business, but with someone like Kang Dohyuk, won’t Baek Hyeri soon develop genuine feelings? By then it will be too late, no matter how much you struggle.”
This stung more than hearing about the arranged marriage. The idea that Baek Hyeri might genuinely come to like Kang Dohyuk… He wanted to deny it as something that could never happen, but he wasn’t foolish enough to ignore reality. It was entirely possible. Even knowing Kang Dohyuk’s cold demeanor, women were always desperate to become his special someone.
“So what exactly are you suggesting I do?”
“Now we’re getting somewhere.”
The other person raised the corner of their mouth in a smirk. It was a sinister smile full of ulterior motives.
*
It truly was a room with nothing in it. Crouched in one corner of the empty rectangular room, Yeon exhaled a long sigh. Though the heating was on and it wasn’t too cold, still, being without a stitch of clothing left him feeling empty. He never imagined he would end up imprisoned like this.
Even when he was very young, he had occasionally been locked up like this. Back then, it was for minor reasons—for not listening to Muyeong’s words or not being diligent in his training. Whether he was born in Muryeong or abandoned by his parents at a very young age, Yeon had grown up in Muryeong from his earliest memories. To Yeon, Muyeong was a parent, master, and superior.
‘Don’t turn away from the things you see. Face them straight on and learn how to handle them. That will become your reason for living.’
Muyeong was always strict. In his childish mind, when he refused to train, he would be locked in a solitary room and starved. As he matured, he came to understand that defying Muyeong only harmed himself, and he stopped getting locked in solitary confinement.
Compared to the solitary room he was locked in back then, this room was too spacious. Maybe it felt even larger because there was nothing in it. Just a few hours—this was nothing to Yeon.
Click. When he heard the door opening, he raised his head to see the man who had gone shopping for him yesterday at his request entering the room. Carrying a tray with food, the man stopped abruptly when he saw Yeon. He apparently hadn’t expected him to be naked.
“I was told to bring you meals…”
The man, seemingly embarrassed, turned his head away and put the tray down on the floor.
“I’m sorry, but could I ask you a favor?”
The man hesitated at the request. He seemed reluctant to do anything beyond what he had been instructed to do.
“I’d like some clothes, or at least something to cover myself with. As you can see my condition…”
Yeon looked down at himself and smiled bitterly. Who would have thought such a situation would arise because of Kang Dohyuk’s condition?
Fortunately, the man nodded and quickly left, returning with a large robe. Unable to rummage through someone else’s belongings, he seemed to have urgently grabbed Kang Dohyuk’s robe from his bedroom.
“Thank you.”
As he took the robe from him, slipping his arms in and tying the belt, something felt strange. When he looked up, he saw the man staring intently at the gap in the robe. Recognizing the lust in that gaze, a wave of danger washed over him.
“You should probably leave now that…”
“Excuse me…”
The man reached his hand toward Yeon.
“That’s far enough.”
A cold voice flying from behind froze the man in place.
