Free Web NovelFaced with the unfamiliar atmosphere he had never experienced before, Chairman Jo couldn’t respond at all.
Having lived his entire life as Minister Yoon’s asset manager, he had likely never once encountered such an oppressive situation.
Both his grandfather and father had been servants of Minister Yoon’s household.
Though the class system had been abolished through the Joseon era and the Japanese colonial period, what could a former servant do after leaving the household he had served?
The Yoon family had been among the most prominent landowners in Gyeongsangbuk-do. Leaving their side would not have been a welcome choice for them either.
“You’re Chairman Jo Pandeuk, correct?”
At the sound of his name, Chairman Jo flinched. Instinctively, he seemed to realize who was in control of the situation.
What could have made someone who had served as the Yoon family’s keeper of assets for generations change his mind?
“Why exactly were you trying to run away? Director Yoon told me she would support you so you could live comfortably even after liquidating the real estate.”
“......”
“Well, I suppose human greed is like that. Even if you’re holding a hundred, losing one feels unfair... but that was never yours to begin with, was it?”
Perhaps Chairman Jo had managed the Gangnam real estate for so long that he had begun to believe it all belonged to him.
When Minister Yoon was at the height of his power, the land had been purchased under Chairman Jo’s name to avoid scrutiny. After his retirement, the real-name financial and real estate systems introduced by the president who dismantled the military regime made it impossible to reclaim ownership at the right time.
And so, Chairman Jo ended up managing the properties far longer than expected.
Even after Minister Yoon passed away from old age, Yoon Hyunju had never once asked him to transfer ownership.
“If you have a mouth, say something. Do you know how shocked Director Yoon was because of you? Don’t you feel any guilt?”
Even under harsh criticism, he kept his lips tightly sealed. Looks like I’ll have to push harder.
“Manager. Bring Director in.”
After Manager Ma left, I crossed my arms and looked down at him as if he were trash.
“So this is Chairman Jo—the one who pays the most property tax in Gangnam?”
At my nod, Yoon Jaehan said with a surprised expression,
“He doesn’t look like it at all. I’ve met more than enough rich people. But he doesn’t look like someone with strong greed.”
As Yoon Jaehan said, the people who came to Yoon & Jang were wealthy—most of them openly displaying their desires.
Chairman Jo was different from the people the heir of a law firm like Yoon Jaehan usually encountered.
“That’s probably why no one suspected him.”
If he had flaunted his wealth or spent extravagantly, the media would have exposed him one way or another.
But he neither evaded taxes nor aggressively avoided them—he paid everything faithfully and kept a low profile.
If people had taken a closer look, the origin of his wealth might have been exposed.
That’s why it made even less sense. If he had been reckless with money, his greed would at least be understandable.
But someone who had lived a restrained life for decades—why make such a choice now?
At that moment, Manager Ma returned with Yoon Hyunju.
She stood behind him and quietly looked at Chairman Jo.
Her face, as she looked at the kneeling Chairman Jo, was filled with complicated emotions.
Hearing the door open, Chairman Jo turned his head—and saw her.
“Y-Young Lady.”
Locking eyes with Yoon Hyunju, Chairman Jo crawled toward her like a dog.
“Young Lady, it’s all a misunderstanding. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but how could I ever betray you? This is all a setup.”
It wasn’t a pleasant sight—an old man groveling before a woman who had just entered middle age.
“Uncle... why did you do it?”
But his desperate excuses didn’t work on Yoon Hyunju at all.
She spoke down to him naturally, despite the large age gap.
“A misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding am I supposed to have when you took the seal and documents I told you to bring—and headed to Incheon Airport?”
Beneath her calm tone, there was a hidden blade.
Her firm demeanor, completely different from when she first came to my office, made one of my eyebrows twitch.
‘Unexpectedly... Chairman Jo’s betrayal might actually lead to a good outcome for her.’
Before learning of his betrayal, Yoon Hyunju had been indecisive and soft.
She said she wanted to take control of the company from her husband, yet insisted she would never divorce him—and even asked to spare him from imprisonment, siding with a cheating husband.
But that version of her seemed to be gone now.
The woman in front of me was staring down at Chairman Jo with venom in her eyes.
“Uncle, tell me. Why did you do it? I told you—even if all the Gangnam real estate was sold, I would make sure you lived comfortably. And you know the assets aren’t only in Gangnam. There’s still land across Seoul and the metropolitan area. I said I trusted you with everything... so why? Why would you do this to me?!”
Her calm voice eventually broke as she shouted in anger.
Chairman Jo looked flustered, clearly shaken by her outburst.
“Y-Young Lady...”
Chairman Jo had watched Yoon Hyunju grow up, and Yoon Hyunju had trusted him as a reliable adult since childhood. freewёbnoνel.com
That meant they knew each other extremely well.
And in all those years, he had probably never once seen her raise her voice at him like this.
“Jo Pandeuk! Answer me! Why did you do it?!”
Her tone grew harsher. She shook off his hands that clung to her leg.
“Speak! I said speak!”
Chairman Jo could only stare up at her blankly, unable to respond.
“Nothing to say? Not even ‘I’m sorry’? Instead of that pathetic excuse about a misunderstanding, apologize!”
Yoon Hyunju shouted sharply. At this rate, she might collapse.
I stepped in and calmed her down.
“Director. Take a deep breath first. You’re too worked up. Let’s continue after you sit down.”
Breathing heavily, she took a deep breath and nodded with difficulty.
“...Thank you. If it weren’t for you, President Kim, I would’ve been fooled without knowing anything.”
She spoke weakly, thanking me.
Yoon Jaehan and I supported her and helped her sit on the sofa.
“Manager. Bring him here.”
Manager Ma dragged the dazed Chairman Jo over. He seemed completely out of it—he didn’t react even while being roughly pulled.
“Chairman Jo. There’s no benefit in dragging this out. To anyone, it looks like you were caught trying to flee overseas with your master’s assets. Denying it further is pointless. This is your only chance—to ask for forgiveness and tell the truth.”
Chairman Jo ignored my words and only looked at Yoon Hyunju.
“If he just says ‘I’m sorry,’ things would get easier. But criminals always act like that. They don’t even know what they did wrong.”
At Yoon Jaehan’s muttering, I let out a faint chuckle and asked Yoon Hyunju,
“Director. If you want, I can make him talk—even by force. Do you want that?”
At my question, both Yoon Hyunju and Chairman Jo turned to look at me.
“The people here are professionals. Give us 30 minutes, and we can make anyone talk. We can even make them say things that never happened. If you want, I’ll arrange it.”
Yoon Hyunju hesitated, unable to answer.
Seeing that she didn’t refuse, Chairman Jo hurriedly spoke,
“I—I went to Incheon Airport to see my family. You know my children all live in the United States. I was just going to visit them briefly and come back. It wasn’t sudden—it was planned...”
“Ha... Jo Pandeuk. Do I still look like a child to you? Do I look that stupid?! And you call that an explanation?”
Birds of a feather really do flock together.
Watching this ridiculous farce was a waste of my time.
“If you’re hesitating, I’ll decide myself. Manager. Get everything out of him.”
At my command, Manager Ma called in the subordinates guarding the door.
As they approached, Chairman Jo’s face turned pale.
Being dragged away, he desperately called out,
“Young Lady! Young Lady! I was wrong! Please spare me! Young Lady!”
“President... maybe we should talk first...”
Unbelievably, his desperate plea worked on her.
This is driving me insane. Either be ruthless or be soft—pick one.
I couldn’t understand her at all. In the end, I gave up trying.
I pressed my forehead and sighed.
“Manager. Bring him back.”
At Manager Ma’s signal, the subordinates threw Chairman Jo back down.
Before he could even steady himself, I warned him,
“Chairman Jo. This is your last chance, given at the Director’s request. If you say anything stupid again, you’ll be talking to them instead of me. Understood?”
Swallowing dryly, he nodded frantically.
“Hand over the seal, certificate, and documents you retrieved from the bank.”
At that, the subordinates handed the documents to Manager Ma.
I passed them to Yoon Jaehan.
“Check if everything is in order for the contract.”
“Got it.”
While he reviewed the documents, I turned back to Chairman Jo.
“Now, answer my questions truthfully. If I judge that even a little lies are mixed in... well, you can imagine the rest.”
“Y-Yes.”
“No. Don’t just answer to get through this moment. Think carefully about why I was able to bring you here. I know more about you than you think.”
I asked on Yoon Hyunju’s behalf,
“Where were you planning to run with those documents?”
“...I was going to the United States.”
The answer came immediately. As expected—people speak when fear is applied.
“The United States? Did you think you couldn’t be caught there?”
“I was going to meet my family and then go somewhere else.”
It was true that his children lived in the U.S.
“Why were you trying to run?”
“......”
No answer.
Still not thinking straight. As I raised an eyebrow, one of the subordinates grabbed him by the collar.
Chairman Jo gasped in terror.
“Don’t make me ask twice. Answer immediately. Why were you trying to run?”
“I—I felt it was unfair to only receive the money the Young Lady promised...”
Yoon Hyunju’s brows furrowed.
“What? You call that—”
I cut her off and continued,
“Even if you ran abroad, you couldn’t liquidate the real estate immediately. Who is it? The one who encouraged you. Who said they would help you sell ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) it—or buy it?”
“There is no such person.”
An instant reply.
But that made it more suspicious.
People instinctively try to share their guilt—to find someone to shift the blame onto.
If he didn’t even hesitate, something was definitely there.
“I gave you a chance, and you’re still playing games. Do you think I wouldn’t know? I told you to tell only the truth. Do you know how many people were watching you?”
I clicked my tongue and shook my head exaggeratedly.
In reality, I knew nothing. This was pure bluff.
But using such a roundabout method when there was an easier way—it was starting to irritate me.
“Let’s make this simple. Who is it? The one behind you. I want to hear it from your own mouth.”
Chairman Jo’s eyes darted around before meeting Yoon Hyunju’s.
Her eyes were filled with shock.
She was probably hoping this had been his independent decision.
The person currently forming in her mind was likely the one who had pushed him.
After a long hesitation, Chairman Jo finally spoke,
“...Your husband...”
Unable to hear more, Yoon Hyunju shot to her feet.
She walked up to him and slapped him across the face.
Smack!
The sharp sound echoed through the office.
Tears streamed down her face as her hand struck his cheek.
As expected—the one who had incited Chairman Jo was Choi Woosik.
