Free Web NovelAfter finishing the warrant hearing, Seo Jaehun stepped out of the Seoul Central District Court to board the transport bus bound for the Seoul Detention Center.
The reporters, already aware that he was undergoing the hearing, were waiting by the bus entrance.
They rushed forward with questions, but Seo said nothing as he was escorted aboard by correctional officers.
The bus pulled out of the courthouse and sped down the road.
After some time, the bus arrived at its destination, and Seo Jaehun stepped down.
“Welcome, Vice Chairman Seo.”
Unusually, the warden himself had come to greet him.
“I’m Yang Bongshik, warden of the Seoul Detention Center.”
“Seo Jaehun.”
“Please follow the officer. You’ll be briefed on the facility’s rules and undergo a medical examination. Then let’s have a cup of coffee in my office.”
“Very well.”
Yang gave a subtle signal to the guards, who led Seo toward the examination room.
“You’re going to give him special treatment?”
Once Seo disappeared from sight, the Head of Security approached and asked.
Yang turned to him with a sly smile.
“The warrant’s just been issued. A cup of coffee won’t hurt anyone.”
“He was arrested on the spot. The warrant won’t be dismissed.”
“He’s the Vice Chairman of Ilseong Group. There’s no flight risk — you never know how this will turn out. And even if he does stay, showing a little leniency now could pay off later, don’t you think?”
“...”
Yang chuckled and added,
“He’s probably never seen how rough the world can be. A man like that will think of all sorts of things after going through a strip search. When I offer him a bit of kindness afterward, he’ll be grateful.”
“This could cause problems later.”
“Who’s going to know if you and I # Nоvеlight # keep our mouths shut? I’ll share the crumbs, don’t worry.”
Yang looked greedily toward the hallway where Seo had disappeared.
The Head of Security frowned but didn’t argue further.
When Seo entered the examination room, the guard’s tone was curt.
“Take off everything, including your underwear.”
“...”
Seo was momentarily speechless.
The guard looked unsurprised.
“It’s mandatory for all inmates. Everyone who enters this facility goes through it.”
“Is that really necessary?”
“Yes.”
Without even glancing at Seo, the guard continued to fill out forms.
“Hurry up. It’s already past my shift. Just follow procedure.”
Had Seo Jaehun ever been treated like this in his entire life?
“Even former President Choi Sunman cooperated when he was here. So please, Mr. Seo, do the same. Otherwise, I’ll have to use force. Let’s not make this unpleasant.”
Reluctantly, Seo undressed — but refused to remove his underwear.
The guard sighed.
“Fine, let’s confirm your identity first.”
He searched through Seo’s belongings, pulled out his ID, and checked.
“Seo Jaehun, confirmed.”
After verifying his identity, the guard went through his phone, logged his possessions, and filled out the intake paperwork.
“Now for the physical inspection.”
Pulling on latex gloves, the guard stood up.
He examined Seo’s body from head to toe, then stepped back.
“Turn around, face the wall, bend over. Take off the underwear.”
“...”
“Quickly. We don’t have time.”
Seo trembled with humiliation and rage.
Born into wealth and power, he had never imagined enduring such degradation.
Meanwhile, the guard looked utterly indifferent — even bored.
When the inspection ended, the guard straightened and said,
“All done. Put your underwear back on and change into this.”
Seo took the inmate uniform with a blank expression, standing motionless.
“Get changed.”
When the guard pressed him, Seo glared back with fury.
The guard sighed, unimpressed.
“Listen, Mr. Seo. Whatever you did out there has nothing to do with me. The warden might kiss your ass to squeeze some favors out of you, but me? I just want to clock out on time. And thanks to you, I can’t. Got it?”
“When I get out, I’ll kill you.”
“Sure, sure. Whatever you say. Now hurry up and put it on.” frёeωebɳovel.com
Seo gave the sneering guard one last glare, then put on the uniform.
The right breast read “3H1,” and on the left was the inmate number “2004.”
“If you’re done changing, stand by the wall and face this way.”
The guard raised a camera.
Grinding his teeth, Seo followed the instruction while the guard snapped several photos.
“Now come sit here.”
The guard gestured lazily at the metal chair across from him.
“Any chronic illnesses or health issues?” freewebnσvel.cøm
“No.”
“Any medication you’re taking?”
“No.”
After scribbling a few notes, the guard slid a paper toward him.
“Here’s a list of your stored items and deposit balance. Read it and sign if correct.”
Seo barely glanced before signing.
“After a shower, you’ll be taken to your assigned cell. Nice meeting you, and let’s not see each other again.”
The guard waved him off without enthusiasm.
“Take him.”
“Yes, sir.”
Two other guards escorted Seo out of the examination room.
Once he was gone, the guard who had been mocking him muttered,
“Goddamn brat. Look at the time. I should be off shift.”
Checking his watch, he swore under his breath and stepped out.
The glimpse of his wristwatch revealed something clearly expensive — far beyond what a correctional officer could afford on a government salary.
“So... how should I mess with this one? The last guy was fun.”
He licked his lips with a crooked smile and headed straight to the warden’s office.
“Warden, it’s the Medical Director.”
“Come in.”
When he entered, his face was once again expressionless, as though he’d never been smiling.
“All done?”
“Yes, completed.”
“No medical issues? He followed orders? Any problems?”
“None.”
When he handed over the report, the eager look on Yang’s face quickly turned serious as he skimmed it.
“I’ll be heading out then.”
“Good work.”
Yang waved dismissively, eyes fixed on the report.
The Medical Director left, got into his car, and drove away from the facility as usual. After some distance, he pulled over by the roadside and made a call.
“Yes, this is Kim Dongmin. Mr. Ma, I’ve got news.”
* * *
“The board convened and appointed a new CEO.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off the documents Eva brought me.
“Well done. This is where it begins.”
Her work was as clean as ever.
I set the papers down and smiled at her.
“Within the month, we’ll take control of all Ilseong Group’s listed subsidiaries. The problem is the unlisted ones under Ilseong Corporation.”
Although the group’s control structure relied on circular shareholding, the unlisted companies were owned through the holding company, Ilseong Corporation.
Ilseong Corporation’s shares were divided as follows: Chairman Seo Yonggeon held 51%, Seo Jaehun 5%, and I owned the remaining 44%.
Those shares couldn’t be directly seized. But there was still a way.
“We’ll use Cheon Jisoo to neutralize Chairman Seo Yonggeon’s voting rights.”
After Cheon Suhan’s funeral, Jisoo had come to me herself — claiming that Seo Jaehun had threatened her and begging for help.
At first, I intended to ignore her. But the shares owned by her mother, Seo Heekyung, and the inheritance she would receive upon Seo Yonggeon’s death were tempting.
Currently, Seo Yonggeon’s shares were being exercised by Seo Jaehun.
However, if Seo Heekyung filed a legal challenge, the shares’ voting rights would be frozen during litigation.
That would allow me to call a shareholders’ meeting and seize management control.
Even if Seo Yonggeon recovered later, by then I would have sold all the subsidiaries to other corporations — leaving him no path to reclaim them.
“Are you sure? After all, Cheon Jisoo is still...”
Eva trailed off cautiously, watching me.
Her concern warmed me. I looked at her with a gentle smile.
“It’s fine. I’ll move fast. It was Grandfather’s dying wish, and they never directly harmed me. You use people while you can — that’s how the world works.”
The group’s department stores and fashion businesses would be transferred to Jisoo. In exchange, I would have Seo Junghee neutralize Seo Yonggeon’s shares.
“Seo Junghee might hesitate at first, but once Seo Jaehun is officially detained, she’ll have no reason to hold back. She’ll move soon.”
Eva nodded in understanding.
“Got it. Then I’ll proceed accordingly with Ilseong Corporation.”
I handed her another folder.
“These are the conglomerates that will acquire the subsidiaries. Handle the transfers cleanly. Once we sell all our holdings, there won’t be any issues. Stage it so that the actual share transfers happen about a year later — no need to make it too obvious.”
Eva set the file down and said,
“Isn’t it a waste to hand them off to other conglomerates? We could just run them ourselves, like Joongwoo Group.”
She had a point.
But greed only ever led to disaster.
“One Joongwoo Group is enough. We already have plenty of influence in the major corporations. Just execute the plan.”
“Understood.”
As she organized the documents, I looked at her and spoke softly.
“I’ve said this before — once this is over, take a break. Think of it as a sabbatical. You’ve never really rested since we started working together.”
“I enjoy working.”
“You’re still going to the hospital, right?”
“Yes. I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Eva had been receiving therapy to deal with her trauma from what happened in Hong Kong.
“Even if it’s fun, you still need to rest properly. This time, you must take a real break. That’s an order.”
“Okay. But shouldn’t you rest too? You work harder than I do.”
“I plan to, once this is wrapped up.”
“Then maybe we should travel together?”
She winked playfully.
Just then, a knock came at the library door. It was Ma, the chief aide.
“The detention center called.”
I patted Eva’s shoulder.
“Good work, Eva. Go home and rest. Let’s have dinner sometime soon.”
“It better be somewhere nice, Boss.”
After Eva tactfully left, Ma continued his report.
“Seo Jaehun has been admitted to the detention center.”
“Really? Did Kim Dongmin contact you?”
“Yes. He says the warden plans to offer him special treatment.”
“The warden?”
“According to Kim Dongmin, he’s new there but already knows the warden is infamous for selling favors to inmates for money.”
There were always people like that everywhere.
“Then we’ll replace him. Start digging — his accounts, associates, everything. Make sure we can appoint one of our own in his place, so Kim Dongmin can operate freely.”
“Understood.”
“Kim Dongmin’s proving useful.”
He had been the medical director responsible for Cheon Suhan’s decline — prescribing not proper medication, but drugs known to cause severe mental damage when taken by healthy individuals.
That was how Suhan had slowly gone insane behind bars.
“I’m sure they’ve put Seo through the same medical exam by now.”
The thought made me chuckle.
“Can’t decide if it’s a shame or a relief I didn’t get to see it myself.”
By dawn, the court had officially issued the arrest warrant for Seo Jaehun.
