Chapter 60: Go Abroad
Before getting out of the car at the company, Dohyuk had Director Choi buy a black baseball cap. He pulled it down over Yeon’s head and handed him sunglasses. Since Yeon was wearing a leather jacket with black slacks, he looked rather suspicious overall.
“Don’t take off the cap or sunglasses, no matter who you meet.”
After this caution, Dohyuk got out of the car first and gestured for Yeon to follow. Despite going to such lengths, the reason he didn’t leave him at home was that he judged it more dangerous to leave him alone. Fortunately, Yeon had no interest in appearances, so he followed Dohyuk’s instructions.
“Don’t answer anyone who speaks to you.”
Riding up in the elevator, Dohyuk warned him once more. Yeon wasn’t much of a talker to begin with, so he just nodded in understanding.
“Managing Director, welcome…”
The secretarial staff who stood up to greet Dohyuk’s arrival trailed off as they noticed Yeon following behind.
Who is that suspicious person? The same question appeared on everyone’s faces.
“Ah, Managing Director, right now inside…!”
Just as he was about to open his office door, one of the secretaries urgently spoke up. When Dohyuk turned to look at her, she looked around nervously before answering, “Madam is here to see you.”
Despite the sudden intrusion at this early hour, Dohyuk wasn’t surprised at all. He had already anticipated that she would storm in today or tomorrow, given the matters he had set in motion. Ignoring the secretary’s report, he took Yeon inside.
The secretaries’ curious eyes turned to Director Choi. They couldn’t ask the Managing Director directly, but they clearly expected Director Choi to satisfy their curiosity. Director Choi swallowed a sigh.
“The Managing Director…”
Is this really the right way to answer? How will we handle all the rumors afterward…
“He’s someone the Managing Director has decided to sponsor.”
Though he answered as Dohyuk instructed, his feelings were complicated.
“Ehhh! Really?”
The secretaries exclaimed in unison, as if they had coordinated it. They were more surprised than when Yeon had previously been introduced as a bodyguard. Even then, rumors about sponsorship had circulated, but the director’s secretaries had scoffed, saying that with Managing Director Kang’s personality, sponsoring someone would be like the world turning upside down. But now Director Choi had explicitly confirmed it was sponsorship, so their confusion was understandable.
“What brings you here so early?”
Dohyuk sat down at his desk, ignoring his mother’s glaring gaze. His mother, who had opened her mouth to snap at him, frowned when she saw Yeon following behind him.
“Who is that? He doesn’t look like a bodyguard.”
It was a criticism asking why he had followed him all the way in. But when Dohyuk didn’t budge, his mother’s gaze grew fiercer.
“I have something to discuss, send him out for a moment.”
“There’s nothing to worry about, just say what you need to.”
“Dohyuk! This is important.”
She hinted that it was something others shouldn’t hear, but again, Dohyuk paid no attention. He already knew why his mother had barged in, so there was no reason to hide it from Yeon.
“I said just speak.”
His mother flinched at his cold, rigid tone, which was closer to a business manner. She exhaled loudly, then turned her eyes away from Dohyuk.
“What have you done to Representative Lee Seoyoung?”
Having decided to treat Yeon as if he weren’t there, her voice became calm.
“I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”
“I told you not to touch Representative Lee Seoyoung!”
When he feigned ignorance, her voice rose again.
“The tax investigation into Hovan Gallery—that was your doing, wasn’t it?”
“Did you tell Representative Lee Seoyoung that?”
“Of course not! If Representative Lee finds out, she won’t let it slide.”
His mother was still his mother after all. She apparently hadn’t revealed anything to Representative Lee Seoyoung, fearing Dohyuk might become a target.
“Anyway, it won’t take much investigation to figure out it was your doing. What are you trying to accomplish? If the people backing Representative Lee Seoyoung find out, who knows what they’ll do to you…!”
His mother was pouring out words in agitation, a mix of concern for her son and anger that he hadn’t listened to her, but she swallowed her words the moment her eyes met Dohyuk’s. This was because a faint smile had appeared on his lips.
“I found that the people backing Representative Lee Seoyoung all have connections to a shamanic group called Muryeong.”
“Dohyuk…”
His cold, dry tone made Dohyuk’s smiling face look eerie.
“No one will be able to step in and help Representative Lee Seoyoung, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“You… do you intend to turn all those people against you? If you do that…”
“Who said that?”
Dohyuk cut off his mother and asked.
“I never said I’d turn them into enemies. I’ll just become their closest ally, holding their weaknesses.”
It was simply that those who had backed Representative Lee Seoyoung would take Kang Dohyuk’s hand instead of hers. His mother’s face turned pale as she processed her son’s words.
“When you brought a shaman to me, didn’t you prepare for this much?”
Dohyuk asked lightly. The look in his eyes as he gazed at his mother included criticism that she prided herself on knowing her son well, but in reality, she too was just an outsider.
“You’ve heard about Kang Sunhyuk’s mother being murdered, haven’t you?”
Dohyuk changed the topic. His mother’s eyes widened, apparently not expecting this subject to come up at this timing.
“Things might get noisy for a while, so you should go abroad.”
“Don’t tell me you did that too?”
A sigh escaped him at the thought of how many times he’d heard this same question.
“What benefit would killing that woman bring me? However, it does seem certain that someone wants me to take the blame for it.”
“You’re being framed?”
“Who knows.”
Dohyuk’s eyes narrowed. If someone was trying to frame him, they would have been more thorough. Perhaps what the murderer wanted was for Kang Dohyuk and Kang Sunhyuk to become completely estranged. They probably knew they couldn’t actually have him arrested for murder anyway.
“It might be closer to sowing discord than framing. So if you don’t want to get caught up in it, go stay somewhere quiet for a while. If possible, don’t tell anyone your destination.”
As Dohyuk’s expression became deliberately serious, his mother’s face hardened. By now, she should have understood that if she didn’t want to be murdered like Kim Yumin, she should flee.
After glaring at Dohyuk for a long time, his mother picked up her bag and rose from her seat.
“Ah.”
When his mother’s hand touched the doorknob, Dohyuk spoke as if he’d forgotten something.
“Don’t worry about Representative Lee Seoyoung. I’m not trying to finish her off, just making sure she knows who’s in the superior position.”
His mother exhaled a long sigh.
“Take care of yourself.”
With only those words, she left the office. In the end, despite everything, her son’s well-being was her top priority. Muryeong, Representative Lee Seoyoung—they were all just things she had judged to have value for her to use.
Only after the office door closed did Dohyuk’s gaze turn to Yeon, who was standing quietly to one side. With his face almost completely covered, his mother hadn’t realized at all that he was a shaman from Muryeong. If she had known, would she have withdrawn so readily? She would have thought he was moving to possess Yeon, and she would have been very hostile toward him.
So it was better that she didn’t know yet. By the time she returned to Korea, everything would already be settled. To the point where there would be nothing she could do about it.
“Don’t just stand there, sit down.”
“If you were worried about your mother, you could have spoken more kindly.”
Yeon criticized Dohyuk’s tone from earlier.
“It wasn’t just worry.”
While it was certainly to prevent her from suffering the same fate as Kang Sunhyuk’s mother, there was also the intention to move her out of the way temporarily, as it was obvious she would be an obstacle to what he wanted to do if she remained in Korea.
Yeon shook his head, seemingly tired of how Dohyuk treated even his own mother that way.
“You can take off the cap and sunglasses in front of me.”
Now that his face was completely covered, Dohyuk felt somewhat regretful. With Dohyuk’s permission, Yeon removed the sunglasses, placing them on the table, and then took off the cap. The thin hair that had been hidden by the cap scattered softly.
Suddenly, an impulse arose to reach out and touch that hair.
“Is something wrong?”
Yeon asked, perhaps because Dohyuk was staring at him so intently.
“Nothing urgent, I suppose.”
After all, he’s mine now anyway.
“I’m going out for a bit. You stay here.”
He changed the subject.
“Where…?”
Yeon had started to ask where he was going but seemed to think it wasn’t his place to interfere and swallowed the end of his question.
“To see Kang Chahyuk.”
Dohyuk satisfied Yeon’s curiosity in one word and picked up the phone to contact the secretarial office.
“Check if Director Kang Chahyuk has arrived.”
After saying just that one sentence, he put the phone down and looked at Yeon. Yeon, sitting on the sofa, was gazing at Dohyuk with nothing else to do. Dohyuk liked that. The fact that Yeon’s gaze was directed solely at him was as satisfying as finding something important he had lost.
A moment later, a secretary reported that Director Kang Chahyuk had arrived at work. As he left the office, leaving Yeon behind, Dohyuk gestured to Director Choi to watch the office. Director Choi bowed his head in acknowledgment, understanding that he was to guard Yeon well.
***
“What brings you here? You actually came looking for me.”
Even though Dohyuk visited without notice, Kang Chahyuk greeted him with his usual smooth smile. Dohyuk sat on the sofa and just stared at Kang Chahyuk, raising only his gaze. Sensing the atmosphere was not good, Chahyuk cleared his throat and composed his expression.
“I assume you’ve heard that Kang Sunhyuk’s mother was murdered.”
“Ah, yes. I got the news. Should I go to the funeral? I heard you reported it? Why were you there?”
Kang Chahyuk poured out a stream of questions, but Dohyuk didn’t answer any of them. He just stared steadily at Kang Chahyuk.
“Why are you looking at me like that? It’s unsettling.”
“The detective suspected me.”
“What? Those bastards are always like that, accusing the person who reported it. Ignore them, just ignore.”
As he listened to Chahyuk cursing the detective, Dohyuk suppressed a scornful laugh. He was spewing insincere words without even changing his expression. That was a talent, if you could call it that.
“Was it your doing?”
When he asked directly, Kang Chahyuk’s eyes widened.
“What’s wrong with you! Why would I do anything to Kang Sunhyuk’s mother? Are you trying to pin this on me because you’re a suspect?”
Kang Chahyuk vehemently denied it, jumping up in protest.
“This morning, Kim Seonuk came to see me.”
Dohyuk’s gaze on Kang Chahyuk grew even sharper.
