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Chapter 60

Trickle.

The ball rolling toward the hole caught the rim and veered off. Today, a lot of his shots were missing. The scattered balls around the hole were grating on Sang-hoon's nerves.

"It won't fucking go in."

Just as he was about to place a new ball and try again, a knock sounded. His concentration broken, the ball rolled in the wrong direction. Sang-hoon's irritated gaze turned toward the door.

"Who is it!"

His raised voice was met with silence on the other side. Whoever it was, sensing his mood, stayed quiet before a subdued voice answered: "It's Director Jin."

When permission to enter was given, Director Jin cautiously opened the door and stepped inside. The sight of Sang-hoon, one hand gripping a golf club and standing in a crooked stance among scattered white balls, told him he'd come at a bad time. But he was already here, so he pressed on.

"I have something to report."

Making a face of extreme annoyance, Sang-hoon gestured with the club for him to sit. Then he took his own seat.

"What is it?"

Director Jin could see that Sang-hoon still held the club, resting it across his shoulder. If his report turned out to be trivial, he looked ready to swing it right then. Jin felt himself shrinking back.

"Two things. First, regarding Jo Gun-young..."

He lowered his voice, knowing the sensitivity of the matter.

"Jo Gun-young?"

"The factory manager's son..."

"Ah... that bastard. Is he bitching again about being cooped up?"

Sang-hoon had been dealing with a lot lately. He'd thought the tide was turning in his favor against Hae-joon, but his father, Chairman Kim, remained noncommittal about the future. With the annual general meeting and everything else, Chairman Kim's decision would almost certainly determine the successor, given his firm control over Hanil Group.

Opinion was split—some argued that Sang-hoon, as the Chairman's son, should naturally succeed, while others believed that in a world of rapidly changing IT, Hae-joon, with his strength in online markets and younger age, should lead.

Just when it seemed Sang-hoon was gaining ground after the fresh food delivery incident, Hae-joon's U-Market was recovering, and voices supporting him were growing louder. Meanwhile, tabloids were circulating unsavory stories about Sang-hoon. His mood was already sour, and the name Jo Gun-young had been erased from his mind.

"They're guarding him 24 hours, but he keeps complaining."

"So I told you to just get him out already!"

"It's not easy to arrange illegal departure—the police are on his trail."

After nearly being caught by the police once, they'd tried to send him out of the country by stowing away, but ports in Busan and Incheon had tightened security. They were looking into other options, but nothing was easy.

"Hey, Jin Hyeon-tae."

Sang-hoon's face was a mask of irritation as he called Director Jin by name. The sudden use of his name—not his title—made Jin uneasy.

"If I wanted easy work, why would I pay you?"

Sang-hoon tapped Director Jin's shoulder with the golf club. The weight of it was significant, and the pain was considerable.

"Ugh..."

"Hurt?"

"...No."

"In a country surrounded by water, how hard can stowing away be? The cops aren't guarding the whole coast. Am I wrong?"

"No, sir. You're right."

"From the start, you should have used someone smarter. Instead, you bring me a moron... with such a small brain. He should have finished the job when he stabbed him. Tsk, tsk."

Clicking his tongue, Sang-hoon muttered to himself. Watching him, Director Jin swallowed hard. He knew Sang-hoon harbored deep hostility toward Hae-joon, but this was practically wishing for his nephew's death. It made him realize Sang-hoon would go that far to get what he wanted.

"We've thrown off the police tail for now, but Gun-young's condition is unstable. I'll find a way to get him out quickly."

Sang-hoon shook his head, set the club down, and pulled out a cigarette. Director Jin quickly lit a lighter and held it out as Sang-hoon put the cigarette to his lips. Smoke curled up as it caught fire.

"If it comes to it, just get rid of him quietly."

"...Understood."

Director Jin understood the meaning clearly. He was being told to make Jo Gun-young disappear. He preferred to avoid bloodshed, but if necessary, he'd have no choice.

"What's next?"

Sang-hoon took a deep drag and exhaled.

"Regarding President Kim Hae-joon. Recent intelligence suggests he's seeing a woman."

Sang-hoon, who had been tapping his cigarette ash, shifted in his seat. Anything about Hae-joon was always of great interest to him.

"Hae-joon is seeing someone?"

There had been tabloid rumors of Hae-joon leading a promiscuous life, but Sang-hoon knew better than anyone that Hae-joon actively avoided women. After all, Sang-hoon himself was the one who had ingrained that obsessive wariness in him.

With his personality, he wouldn't have made the first move. Which meant the woman must have approached him.

"The source is solid?"

"I've verified it multiple times."

He'd checked thoroughly, knowing that if he delivered false information, he'd face consequences—especially concerning Hae-joon, a subject Sang-hoon scrutinized with extra care. Director Jin had confirmed it enough times to be certain: there was a woman Hae-joon was interested in.

"Who is it?"

"Secretary Cha Si-hyun."

"What? Cha Si-hyun?"

Sang-hoon was incredulous. There had been rumors about Hae-joon and Si-hyun, but he'd dismissed them as just gossip. He'd pretended to suspect otherwise, but he knew Hae-joon would never be interested in Si-hyun. And now they were seeing each other?

"Here..."

He took the envelope Director Jin handed him and looked inside. There were photos of Hae-joon entering a modest-looking house, and standing side by side with Si-hyun. The photos themselves weren't damning.

"That house is Cha Si-hyun's residence, and the location where they're standing together has no relation to work. It was also on a day off."

"I see?"

Hearing this, Sang-hoon looked again and found it somewhat odd. Hae-joon was the type who didn't even like people entering his own home—he wouldn't easily enter someone else's. Even when he visited the family home a few times a year, he'd make his reluctance clear. And meeting on a day off, at a non-work-related location, suggested a personal relationship.

Sang-hoon stubbed out his cigarette and examined the photos more closely. The more he looked, the more intriguing they seemed.

"Things seemed off, so I had someone watch them."

Director Jin hinted at his own contribution, hoping for praise, but Sang-hoon was fixated on the photos, ignoring him entirely. Then, he smirked.

"Well, well. Are they actually dating?"

"Should I leak this?"

"No, no."

Sang-hoon shook his head, placed the photos on the table, and crossed his legs. His mind was already racing with ways to use this.

"Rumors are already circulating. Would adding more change anything?"

"Then..."

Director Jin couldn't follow Sang-hoon's thinking. He was a man of well-developed cruelty, adept at harming and disrupting others. There was no telling what kind of scheme he might be concocting for his own gain.

"This could make for quite an interesting picture. Let's think it over carefully."

Sang-hoon smiled wickedly and picked up the photos again. Director Jin felt a chill at that smile.

"If you're done, you can leave."

"Ah, yes."

Director Jin stood, bowed at a ninety-degree angle, and started toward the door. Then he stopped, remembering something.

"Sir, one more thing."

Sang-hoon, still looking at the photos, turned his head.

"I heard Lee Su-ah has visited President Kim Hae-joon a few times."

Sang-hoon's expression soured at the mention of Su-ah. This was the cost of not tying up loose ends—trouble kept popping up. She'd been useful before, but now she was becoming a nuisance.

"I thought she went back to the US?"

"It seems she'll be staying in Korea for now."

"What does she want?"

"Nothing was said. It seems she came back to see Kim Hae-joon."

"Now what does she think she can do? Tsk, tsk."

Clicking his tongue again, Sang-hoon frowned. Troublesome matters kept piling up. He just wanted to sweep them all away. Whoever got in his way—whether Kim Hae-joon or anyone else—he'd deal with them.

"Keep an eye on her. Report anything unusual."

Director Jin agreed and left.

Sang-hoon decided it was just as well. He thought about finishing them all off quickly and decisively.

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