Chapter 66: Who Has More to Lose?
“Here are the CCTV recordings from one hour before and after the estimated time of Kim Yumin’s death.”
Director Choi placed a USB in front of Dohyuk. He explained that since the CCTV at Kang Sunhyuk’s house had been cut off, they had checked all security cameras in the surrounding area.
“The police requested and we submitted the dashcam footage from your car, Managing Director.”
Dohyuk listened to the explanation without comment, understanding that since they couldn’t find evidence of him killing Kim Yumin through CCTV, they were instead requesting footage from his car’s dashcam. He inserted the USB Director Choi had given him into his laptop.
When he opened the file, there were multiple videos. It seemed they had truly collected footage from every nearby camera.
“I’ll check these myself. You can go.”
Director Choi bowed his head and left the office. Only then did Yeon, who had been sitting on the sofa, approach Dohyuk’s desk.
“May I watch with you?”
In response to Yeon’s question, Dohyuk nodded toward the spot next to him. Yeon came around the desk and stood beside Dohyuk, focusing on the laptop screen.
Neither of them spoke as they checked each video one by one. Being a residential area in the morning hours, there weren’t many people passing by. A few people were captured on CCTV, but no one particularly suspicious. Crucially, there was no footage that directly captured the front of Kang Sunhyuk’s house.
“There.”
Yeon pointed at the screen.
“That person from earlier.”
At Yeon’s words, Dohyuk rewound the footage a few seconds. A man dressed in black was walking through the alley.
“He was in another video we saw earlier.”
Yeon pointed to one specific video among those they had already watched. When they found that video and located a similar timestamp, the same man appeared as Yeon had said. They zoomed in, but the face wasn’t clearly visible. The build seemed somewhat familiar, but without a clear view, it was impossible to be certain.
“Wouldn’t the police have checked this much too?”
At Yeon’s question, Dohyuk leaned back in his chair with a serious expression. Without external pressure, perhaps they would have. But if someone was trying to frame him, a proper investigation might not happen. He didn’t expect the police to be righteous. They were human too, and with enough external pressure, they might pin the crime on an innocent person or sweep the case under the rug.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something. If the person who killed Kim Yumin aimed to drive a wedge between him and Kang Sunhyuk, then Sunhyuk should have come charging at him, intent on killing him in his rage. Would Sunhyuk really do that? No, probably not. He might be desperate to pick a fight whenever he saw Dohyuk for a while, but as he had told Yeon yesterday, that would just be to vent his anger.
For the killer, it would be problematic if Sunhyuk didn’t charge at Dohyuk with murderous intent. Dohyuk would continue to ignore him as before, so if the killer’s plan was to make them fight, it would fail.
What if Yeon was wrong? What if Sunhyuk truly harbored malice toward Dohyuk because of Kim Yumin’s death? In that case, Dohyuk couldn’t just sit back and take it. It would be faster to respond in kind than to explain to Sunhyuk that someone else’s intentions were at play. If that happened, either Sunhyuk or Dohyuk would have to be seriously injured or killed for it to end. That would be the worst outcome, but it might be exactly what Kim Yumin’s killer wanted.
The death of either Kang Dohyuk or Kang Sunhyuk.
If that’s what Kim Yumin’s killer wanted, what would they do when Sunhyuk didn’t act according to plan?
Having thought that far, Dohyuk called Director Choi back in.
“Put men on Kang Sunhyuk. Several of them.”
“If it’s for surveillance, there’s no need to go that far…”
“No. As bodyguards. If possible, tell them to keep their distance so Sunhyuk doesn’t notice.”
“Bodyguards?”
Director Choi asked with a puzzled expression. Yeon also blinked, unable to follow Dohyuk’s thinking.
“If Sunhyuk doesn’t come at me intending to kill me, then he’ll be the next target. And they’ll probably frame me for it.”
Although it was just a hypothesis, using that method, they could get rid of both Sunhyuk and Dohyuk.
“Couldn’t it be the opposite? They could kill you, Dohyuk-ssi, and frame Sunhyuk-ssi. In the current situation, Sunhyuk-ssi has more than enough motive to kill you.”
Yeon worried about Dohyuk. But Dohyuk just snickered.
“If they want to kill me, they’ll have to risk their lives to do it.”
While Director Choi showed no particular reaction to Dohyuk’s boasting, as if he was used to it, Yeon remained anxious.
“They could snipe you again, like last time.”
“I won’t fall for the same trick twice.”
Among contract killers, word had already spread widely that Dohyuk was not to be touched after the recent incident. If they succeeded, good for them, but if they failed, Dohyuk had shown that their careers as contract killers would be over. But Yeon couldn’t know that.
“So this is how it feels.”
Looking at Yeon’s serious expression, Dohyuk lifted the corner of his mouth as if satisfied. Staring blankly at Dohyuk, not understanding his meaning, Yeon watched as Dohyuk’s smile deepened.
“To have someone worry about me.”
Ah. Yeon swallowed a groan down his throat. Director Choi’s expression also hardened, as if Dohyuk’s words were unexpected.
“I’ve worried about you from the beginning, Dohyuk-ssi. That was my assignment, after all.”
Yeon managed to suppress his emotions and answered calmly.
“Then I suppose I’m the one who’s changed.”
Dohyuk answered casually and turned his head, but Yeon didn’t know how to react. Suddenly feeling someone’s gaze, he turned to find Director Choi looking at him with a troubled expression.
“Managing Director, you have a meeting with Director Baek Hyeri this afternoon.”
It was information that didn’t need to be reported, but Director Choi deliberately mentioned Baek Hyeri.
“I know.”
Despite Dohyuk’s answer, Director Choi continued to stand there, staring at him instead of withdrawing. When Dohyuk turned to look at him with an expression asking if there was anything more to say, Director Choi gulped and spoke.
“Madam is waiting for the engagement date to be set.”
Dohyuk’s expression remained indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with him.
“She said she would handle all preparations once the date is set.”
“Who employs Director Choi?”
Dohyuk countered his statement with a question.
“You do, Managing Director.”
“Then stick to your duties. Don’t concern yourself with unnecessary matters. There’s no need to take calls from my mother anymore. She’ll be out of Korea for a while anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
Director Choi’s face contorted, unable to continue.
“Kangsan Construction is crucial for the Yeouido project. It absolutely cannot be disrupted…”
Director Choi tried to add one more thing but trailed off under Dohyuk’s cold gaze.
“Are you saying that if I don’t marry Baek Hyeri, things will go wrong with Kangsan Construction? Is that what you want to say?”
Dohyuk’s voice dropped an octave.
“Or do you think my position within Dragon Holdings will diminish if Sunhyuk or Chahyuk marries Baek Hyeri?”
When Director Choi couldn’t answer and lowered his head, Dohyuk let out a long sigh.
“You seem to be under a misapprehension, but the Yeouido project can proceed without Kangsan Construction.”
While it had been Kangsan Construction’s long-cherished project, it didn’t necessarily have to be Kangsan Construction. As long as Dragon Holdings controlled all the funding, it was Kangsan Construction that couldn’t afford to lose the deal, not Dragon Holdings. Of course, if they formed a strategic marriage with Kangsan Construction, they would become the main axis of the Yeouido project, and given the scale of the project, their position within Dragon Holdings would become solid.
But that only applied to Sunhyuk or Chahyuk. Dohyuk was confident he could dominate all the real power in Dragon Holdings even without Kangsan Construction, and he was already doing so. If anyone would regret losing him, it would be Baek Hyeri, not himself.
***
Kang Chahyuk spread out information about Hovan Gallery and scanned it intently. It was a sudden tax investigation. Lee Seoyoung, the representative of Hovan Gallery, was the youngest daughter of the Hovan Distribution Group, and with the Hovan Group behind her, it wasn’t the kind of place that would easily be subject to a tax investigation. He had wondered what a mere gallery could have that would be caught in a tax audit, but after pulling some strings to find out, the situation didn’t look good.
‘Someone seems to have deliberately tipped them off. With quite solid evidence too. Otherwise, there would be no reason to dig this deep.’
The investigator said there was evidence that funds other than painting prices had been circulating through Hovan Gallery.
“Representative Lee Seoyoung… Lee Seoyoung…”
Chahyuk muttered her name. He had seen Representative Lee Seoyoung at a charity event he’d been half-dragged to by his mother. At that time, Cha Seonyoo, Dohyuk’s mother, was with Lee Seoyoung. They seemed quite close.
The fact that someone had sent him news articles about Hovan Gallery’s tax investigation meant that Hovan Gallery was not unrelated to Dohyuk. What could it be? That connection? It was probably something between Cha Seonyoo and Lee Seoyoung, not Dohyuk…
No matter how hard he racked his brain, nothing came to mind. He cross-referenced Hovan Gallery, Cha Seonyoo, and even the Baekwha Foundation, but nothing came up.
He pressed the intercom connected to the secretarial office, and soon the office’s chief secretary came in.
“Look into anything about Hovan Gallery. Especially whether they’ve met with Cha Seonyoo of the Baekwha Foundation recently, and if so, when and where.”
The secretary acknowledged and was about to withdraw.
“Ah, wait.”
The secretary turned back at Chahyuk’s call.
“What’s Executive Director Kang Sunhyuk up to?”
“Today is Kim Yumin-ssi’s funeral procession. I don’t know his schedule after that.”
“He’s just quietly holding a funeral?”
At Chahyuk’s dissatisfied question, the secretary was puzzled, wondering if that was a problem. Chahyuk waved his hand dismissively, telling the secretary to leave.
“Hah, spineless bastard. If your mother died and in this situation, shouldn’t you be going after Dohyuk?”
Now that Dohyuk knew about the Kim Seonuk matter, he wouldn’t just sit still. Even though Chahyuk had denied it, Dohyuk probably wouldn’t believe him. Dohyuk might not openly threaten to kill him, but he would try to punish him in his own way…
It would be good if Sunhyuk took down Dohyuk before that, but things were too quiet, perhaps because the funeral was still ongoing. If Sunhyuk would act up, Dohyuk would have to focus on him, and the pressure on Chahyuk would be postponed. He needed to do something in that time.
“But who really killed Kim Yumin?”
He was grateful to whoever killed Kim Yumin since it created a favorable situation for him, but on the other hand, not knowing their intention made him uneasy.
