Free Web NovelThe hospital room was dark. With only the sliver of light coming through the open door, he could barely make out a shape.
“Wh– what? Who’s there?”
Startled by the figure pinning him down, Seo Jaehun asked, but the man still didn’t answer.
Seo Jaehun struggled and tried to push the man away with the arm that wasn’t strapped to the bed, but he couldn’t move him at all.
Regardless of that, the man took a thick rope out of his jacket and slipped it right over Seo Jaehun’s neck.
“Isn’t there anyone outside?!”
Seo Jaehun shouted urgently. But there was no answer, no sound.
“What are you! Who sent you?”
“What am I, you say.”
“I’ll give you more! Ten times—no, I’ll give you as much as you want. So just...”
Seo Jaehun pleaded desperately, but the man didn’t answer and instead began tightening his grip on the rope.
The thick rope constricted around his neck. At the chilling sensation, Seo Jaehun flailed his hands wildly in resistance.
“S– stop...”
The man didn’t strangle him all at once. He slowly closed off his airway and spoke.
“No use. I’m not someone who moves for money. So just die.”
“D– don’t...”
Seo Jeahun swung his hands again, but he had even less strength than before.
He couldn’t even reach the man anymore, and it felt like he was only tightening the rope further around his own neck.
Because of his struggling, the metal cuffs on his wrist clattered nonstop.
But no matter how much he thrashed, the cuffs weren’t going to come undone.
Instead, the impact only made wounds open up on his wrist, blood seeping out.
“Ugh...”
Even more strength entered the man’s hands.
The color drained from Seo Jaehun’s face. Only after confirming that his eyes had rolled back did the man ease his grip.
“Could’ve just killed him. Why drag it out like this.”
Muttering under his breath, the man dusted himself off and stood.
He removed the rope from Seo Jaehun’s neck, gathered his things, and left the room.
Left alone, Seo Jaehun didn’t move for quite some time.
A moment later, Hong Seokki and the security team stormed in. The entire hospital was thrown into emergency mode.
* * *
I narrowed my brows as I watched the recorded footage.
“You’ve confirmed the guy’s location, right?”
“Yes. He’s a Joseonjok in Daerim-dong. We’ve already confirmed the exact spot. What shall we do?”
Manager Ma had already tracked the suspect’s location.
I thought for a moment, then spoke.
“Hold him for now.”
“Yes, boss.”
I looked at the footage of Seo Jaehun once more, then turned it off.
“He obviously has no intention of killing him. I can’t understand what he’s after.”
He had two chances to kill him, but he didn’t.
Was it because of blood ties, so he couldn’t bring himself to kill him? Or was there another reason he couldn’t kill him... I had no idea.
“When was the appointment with Seo Heekyung?”
“If we leave now, it’ll be the right time.”
“Alright. Then ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) let’s go.”
We arrived at the Yeoksam Ilseong Hotel, where Seo Heekyung was acting president.
Seo Heekyung—or rather, Cheon Jisoo—had begun seriously taking over hotel and department store operations, and her influence had changed.
She had completely renovated the old hotel, upgrading Yeoksam Ilseong Hotel from a 3-star to a 5-star.
It definitely felt different from before.
“Are you President Kim Muhyuk?”
As soon as we entered the lobby, a man stopped me and asked. Manager Ma responded for me.
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“I’m the general manager of Ilseong Hotel. From here, I’ll guide you. This way, please.”
The man, introducing himself as general manager, bowed deeply.
Manager Ma and I followed him. An employee was already waiting, having secured an elevator just for us.
Without wasting a single second, we arrived directly at the restaurant inside the hotel.
Even though it was dinner time, there wasn’t a single customer in the restaurant.
“So they’re not open today, it seems.”
“Yes. The president gave special orders. Likely to serve you, President Kim.”
The general manager answered and guided me further.
I let out a faint laugh as I looked around the restaurant. Being part of Ilseong Hotel, the sales must not be low.
Yet they had emptied the place out for an entire day—just to make a statement.
Quite excessive. This wasn’t something Seo Heekyung would do.
There was only one person who would pull something like this.
The general manager opened the door to the innermost room of the restaurant.
Inside the French-styled private room, it wasn’t Seo Heekyung waiting—it was Cheon Jisoo.
“Knew it. I told you if you showed up in front of me again, I wouldn’t let it slide, didn’t I?”
I asked with narrowed brows, and Cheon Jisoo simply smiled.
Smiling faintly, she stood from her seat.
“Mom will be here a little later. Talk to me first.”
“I have nothing to say to you. Tell President Seo Heekyung to come. Otherwise, I’m leaving.”
“It’ll only take a moment. You can spare that much, right?”
I spoke to Manager Ma beside me.
“Contact Seo Heekyung right now. I’m already not pleased, and now she can’t even keep an appointment.”
“Yes, boss.”
As Manager Ma pulled out his phone, Cheon Jisoo spoke urgently.
“It’s not Mom’s fault. She thinks the appointment is an hour from now. I changed the time on my own.”
“You really do whatever you want. As if we have anything left to talk about. The deal is done. We agreed to separate the hotel, department store, and distribution from Ilseong Corporation and they’re already reorganizing the shares. What else do you want now? What more are you trying to grab?”
But Cheon Jisoo shot back just as sharply.
“Then why did Mom want to meet today? Isn’t it because she has something to say? Mom doesn’t know anything. I know better. So talk to me. I know why you’re here.”
I raised one eyebrow. How did she know what I intended to ask?
I lifted my hand to stop Manager Ma for a moment.
“You know everything? You know what I was going to ask?”
Cheon Jisoo jerked her chin at the general manager. Reading the mood instantly, he excused himself and left the room, closing the door behind him.
“It’s because of Vice Chairman Seo Jaehun. So talk to me. Mom doesn’t know anything.”
“Yeah, I figured it would be you. I’m not even disappointed anymore, but seriously, impressive. Truly Cheon Jisoo. You really can’t hide your bloodline—your father’s daughter, through and through.”
At my mention of Cheon Sooman, a crack appeared in her expression.
“So it does make you mad to hear that? You really are funny every time I see you.”
“...”
The only family I had left were Grandma and Cheon Jiyoung.
The rest were strangers. No, worse than strangers.
Ignoring Cheon Jisoo’s clenched fist and glare, I headed to the table.
“Alright, let’s hear it. I was curious why you wanted to meet, knowing full well you wouldn’t get anything good out of me. What the hell are you plotting? You’re not even going to kill him, so what is this trick supposed to be?”
I sat and motioned with my chin. She said she wanted to talk, but she was still standing.
“Sit. Or stand if you want. You wanted to talk. What, you don’t like it?”
“Huu...”
With a deep sigh, Cheon Jisoo sat down.
“No one treats me like this except you. You know that?”
“You know exactly why I do, don’t you?”
“No. Let’s stop that topic.”
Knowing she’d only lose if we kept going, she quickly changed the subject.
I nodded quietly and asked again.
“Talk. What are you trying to do? You were scared of Seo Jaehun, weren’t you?”
“...I have no reason to be scared anymore.”
She had definitely been terrified of Seo Jaehun.
She’d come begging me to protect her.
“Really? Well, I guess that’s possible. He is someone who’ll spend the rest of his life in prison. So what, you want revenge? Want him to feel the same fear you did?”
“No. There was another reason. And it’s all settled now.”
“Why’d you do it, then?”
She hesitated. After stealing my time like this, why was she acting like that? My voice turned irritated.
“If you’re going to talk, talk. If not, then don’t. Don’t waste my time.”
“...It was Chairman Seo Yonggeon’s slush fund. That was the goal. We told Seo Jaehun multiple times through a lawyer to hand over the slush-fund accounts, but he refused. So as a warning...”
I let out a hollow laugh.
All this over Seo Yonggeon’s slush fund.
I cut her off and confirmed it again.
“So you pulled that stunt just to get the slush-fund account?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
That ridiculous fake-suicide show was for something like this.
What the hell was she thinking? freewёbnoνel.com
“I’m going insane. So did you get the account?”
“I did get it from Seo Jaehun. But he only gave us 50 billion. There’s no way Chairman Seo Yonggeon’s slush fund is only that much. The other accounts were empty.”
“Fifty billion, huh?”
I finally couldn’t hold back my laughter. Cheon Jisoo looked confused, not knowing why I was laughing, which only made it funnier.
“Then did you tell him you were behind all of this? Otherwise, there’s no way he’d hand it over.”
She shook her head.
“I’m not that stupid. I promised to protect him. He couldn’t think straight from the fear. He nearly died twice. I thought Seo Jaehun was really scary, but he was more of a coward than I was.”
Well, he did beg me to save him. There’s no way he wouldn’t beg her too. He must’ve been really desperate.
“Forget the rest. I didn’t know 50 billion was still left.”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
“What do you think I mean? All of Seo Yonggeon’s slush fund has already evaporated.”
No matter how much she searched, she was never going to find something that no longer existed.
Everything in the slush fund was already gone.
“Knew it. So you were the criminal. Give it back. That money belongs to the Seo family! You have no right to take it.”
She hissed, baring her teeth. I erased the faint smile on my face and stared at her calmly.
“Cheon Jisoo. Do you really think I’d take that pocket change for myself? It’s nothing. I wouldn’t take it even if you gave it to me.”
And I certainly wasn't going to hand it to Seo Jaehun or Seo Heekyung.
“...If it wasn’t you, then how do you know where Chairman Seo Yonggeon’s slush fund went?”
She pressed again, lips tightly bitten.
“Then who has it?”
“Who do you think? The person who managed it. He told me to think of it as severance pay.”
“...Manager Lee Seokmin? You gave it to him?”
I nodded.
“He played a decisive role in taking down Seo Jaehun, and he continued helping me afterward. And he spent decades sweating under Seo Yonggeon. Giving him that much is only fair, isn’t it?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. That money belongs to the Seo family. And with Seo Jaehun like that, of course my mom—”
“Stop talking nonsense. Did the money have a name written on it? How do you know it belonged to Chairman Seo Yonggeon, or you, or Manager Lee Seokmin?”
Her expression twisted with venom.
“I’ll find it all and take it back.”
“Do whatever you want. When you try, I’ll strip you and President Seo Heekyung both to the bone. You think I left it somewhere you could find? Even the national intelligence agency couldn’t track down the owner now. Stop messing around. That was a warning.”
I had run it through several layers of paper companies, completely erasing the trail. Someone like her could never find it.
But she didn’t look ready to give up.
“I need to meet Manager Lee. I’ll ask him to return it.”
Now I was genuinely baffled.
What the hell was wrong with her?
“Do you have no learning ability?”
“What?”
“Then why do you keep saying the same thing without understanding it? Didn’t you hear me tell you not to do anything stupid?”
Only then did she close her mouth.
“If you don’t want to lose everything you have now, stay quiet. Don’t approach Lee Seokmin. Just eat whatever scraps you’re given and live like you’re dead.” ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
“...”
I pushed back my chair and stood.
“No need to meet President Seo Heekyung anymore. I’m not surprised, but still disappointed. I thought there might be another reason. But it was just over that slush fund? You should’ve said it was revenge. At least that I could’ve understood.”
She wasn’t stupid. So was her inability to read the room also genetic?
“Oh, and the Joseonjok is in our hands. And we have the footage of him trying to kill Seo Jaehun. You know what that means, right? Stop entertaining any stupid ideas and get your head on straight.”
I turned away.
“Let’s go. That was a waste of time.”
Manager Ma opened the door as though he’d been waiting.
As soon as the door closed behind me, something broke inside the room.
Smirking, I left the restaurant.
