Translator: Nox

Chapter 98

98. Clue

2023.08.06.

Sleep eluded him.

All he had managed was a brief nap while his driver took him to his parents' house this morning, and another on the way from there to the office.

Kim Tae-joon leaned his head against the back of his chair, squeezing his eyes shut before forcing them open.

This wouldn't do. Time was still passing. He was growing further and further away from the moment Han So-eun had left him.

He had to find her quickly, before she drifted any further.

Sitting up straight, Tae-joon turned on his PC. He immediately checked his email, hoping someone had found a trace of Han So-eun in the meantime. Unfortunately, there was no news.

After Bobae and Eun-pyo left, Mun-gyeong returned to the office with tea on a tray.

"Director, are you alright?"

"Yes."

Tae-joon replied, skimming through his inbox with a touch of irritation. Concerned by his heightened sensitivity, Mun-gyeong added,

"You should get some rest."

"I'm fine."

"Please don't overdo it..."

"I said I'm fine."

With a rather sharp reply, Tae-joon's hand, which had been moving over the keyboard, slammed onto the desk.

He had simply placed his hand down, but suddenly, the tempered glass supporting the desk's surface cracked with a loud crack.

Mun-gyeong flinched in surprise.

"Who put glass on this?"

Tae-joon muttered coldly, annoyed by the existence of something he hadn't even been aware of.

"I should have gotten rid of this in the first place."

The soliloquy felt ominous, and Mun-gyeong swallowed hard. Tae-joon apologized nonchalantly.

"I'm sorry. I must have startled you."

"...It's alright."

"Don't clean it up yourself, call someone. It's better without the glass."

After the soulless, robotic exchange, Tae-joon stood up.

"Cancel all my appointments for today."

"Yes, sir."

"And if anyone touches Han So-eun's position, contact me immediately."

Mun-gyeong watched him leave the office. She noticed a faint trace of blood pooling on the edge of his right hand. He didn't seem to notice it at all.

\

Leaving the company, Tae-joon returned to Kwonseon-dong. The mail in the mailbox was untouched, and apartment 304 remained the same. After parking in front of the building and watching the entrance for a while, Tae-joon recognized the car he had seen a few days ago parked in the same spot. The black box light was blinking inside. Tae-joon immediately contacted the car owner, offered extra money, and received a copy of the black box footage.

Next, he went to the apartment where So-eun's aunt lived.

So-eun's aunt, who had been her guardian until she became an adult, lived in public housing on the outskirts of Seoul. Reluctantly, Tae-joon dressed formally, bought a set of high-end beverages, and rang the doorbell at So-eun's aunt, Lim Soon-mi's, house.

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.

After ringing the doorbell three times, a sound came from inside the front door.

A woman, who had been sleeping in the middle of the day and was awakened by the noise, opened the door with a scowl, but softened her expression slightly upon seeing Tae-joon's face. However, she didn't completely drop her guard.

"Who is it?"

"Hello. My name is Kim Tae-joon, a colleague of Han So-eun."

"......"

"I'm sorry for the sudden visit. Please accept this first."

"She doesn't live here. It's been a while since she's been here."

Lim Soon-mi trailed off awkwardly as she accepted what Tae-joon had brought.

"Yes, I know."

"Then what brings you here?"

"I came to ask you something. Han So-eun suddenly quit her job recently, and she hasn't claimed her severance pay."

"Why? Did she win the lottery or something?"

Lim Soon-mi's eyes narrowed at the mention of money.

"I haven't heard anything about that, so I don't know."

"That's strange. The severance pay can't be a small amount. So, did they send you to deliver it to us?"

"If Han So-eun doesn't appear, you may be able to receive it on her behalf. Although the process is complicated."

"Oh my goodness. But, what company did she work for?"

"...K Electronic Service. An after-sales service company."

"K Electronic Service? Then that's a K Group company, isn't it?"

"That's correct."

Only then did Lim Soon-mi's lips part as she realized which company Han So-eun had worked for.

"So that's why..."

Lim Soon-mi readily revealed the information she knew.

"Her father used to work at K Group and caused a big accident. She suddenly called me a few days ago to ask about it. Where her father used to work."

"...Han So-eun called you?"

"Yes, out of the blue."

"......"

"So-eun is a bit foolish, but she's also kind. It seems she feels guilty for not knowing until now. Maybe that's why she quit. Oh, poor thing..."

Tae-joon looked disapprovingly at Lim Soon-mi, who shook her head and clicked her tongue.

Han So-eun, you found out about it yourself? After living your whole life without knowing anything?

There must have been a trigger.

Lim Soon-mi smiled slyly and asked Tae-joon, who had fallen silent in thought.

"But how do you receive the severance pay?"

"I'll contact you again if Han So-eun doesn't appear. And may I ask you one more thing?"

He was overwhelmed with the desire to avoid her, but Tae-joon patiently asked one more question.

"20 years ago, when Han So-eun left the K Group family, you were the one who took her in, right?"

"That's right."

"Who contacted you to take Han So-eun at that time?"

At Tae-joon's question, Lim Soon-mi's eyes lit up as if recalling an object of admiration.

"I remember that clearly. It was the first time I had ever seen such a high-ranking person. You know, K Group Chairman Kim Jae-pil's daughter."

"......"

"She looks much older on TV now, but she was so beautiful back then. And it was the first time I had ever seen someone so polite and elegant. Even though her brother was affected by So-eun's father, she never said a single harsh word to us. She thanked us several times for taking care of her."

Aunt, Kim Seok-hwa.

If Lim Soon-mi's words were true, then his aunt had definitely lied to him 20 years ago. But what about this time?

His aunt had told him that she had never met Han So-eun. Tae-joon trusted his aunt to some extent. His aunt wasn't a scheming person like his grandfather.

His grandfather was much more scheming.

A man who kept President Kim Sang-deok close and watched for the right moment to quietly cut him off. A man who never revealed his true intentions to anyone. A true conglomerate chairman to the bone.

After parting ways with So-eun's aunt, Tae-joon returned to his car and opened the black box video he had obtained from in front of So-eun's house. The video contained exactly one week's worth of footage up to the present time, and since the car hadn't moved since last Friday, it was a good way to monitor the situation in front of So-eun's house.

As he fast-forwarded the video, he saw himself on Friday night.

On Friday night, Tae-joon arrived at her house and immediately went inside to get So-eun's bag. So-eun followed him out.

Seeing So-eun's figure, Tae-joon felt a surge of emotion again.

Han So-eun. Before leaving, this stubborn woman unlocked her phone, deleted all her photos of him, and left. It was her way of telling him not to dwell on her sentimentally. Unable to do that, he was now clinging to the small traces she had left behind.

Tae-joon recalled the situation at the time. The bag he had received from So-eun was very light. It felt like it only contained a couple of changes of clothes. It was too light of a bag to leave for somewhere.

Even if she had left in a hurry, there would be certain necessities, things she would need to pack. It would be difficult to buy them every time she needed them. So, he figured there would be another bag. And she would have come back to get that bag. Then he would be able to see Han So-eun's face one more time.

He wanted to see how much Han So-eun had hesitated before leaving home, how much she had struggled.

While he was watching the video, he received a call from the counselor. He had sent a report detailing Yang Hee-wook's movements.

Tae-joon put the video on normal playback speed and skimmed through the document the counselor had sent him on his tablet PC.

Hee-wook had been traveling around to take care of the arrangements and move after his father's death. Everything else was somewhat understandable, but there was one place that stood out strangely. Ten days ago, on the day Tae-joon left for a business trip to the Philippines, Yang Hee-wook had suddenly gone down to Cheonan alone. Arriving in Cheonan by taxi and public transportation without a car, Yang Hee-wook entered a department store in Cheonan and suddenly disappeared.

Yang Hee-wook was somewhat aware that he was being followed, so he would have moved quickly. Tae-joon focused on the event outside the department store. It didn't take long to discover that a government-sponsored event was being held in a park near the department store. And that Chairman Kim Jae-pil, his grandfather, had attended that event.

Yang Hee-wook had gone to meet Jaepil.

After confirming Jaepil's schedule, Tae-joon was certain of their meeting. Meanwhile, in the black box video that was playing, he saw a tall man carrying a large bag coming out of the entrance of the studio apartment building. It was the man he had exchanged a brief greeting with only once when visiting Jaepil's office.

After Yang Hee-wook went to meet his grandfather, his grandfather learned that Han So-eun was dating him. He then began investigating Han So-eun, and after realizing that Han So-eun knew nothing about her father's affairs, he directly told So-eun the truth.

As he pieced together the clues in his head, it was as if the puzzle had been solved. After confirming Jaepil's schedule, Tae-joon immediately drove to K Group headquarters.

\

No one could easily stop the chairman's grandson who had suddenly barged in. Jaepil's secretaries hurriedly followed Tae-joon, who strode confidently to the front of the chairman's office, looking anxious.

"Director, the chairman is currently in a meeting with those who have been promoted to the New Business Division Research Institute."

"I know."

"Ah, yes."

The female secretary at the front flinched at Tae-joon's sharp gaze and lowered her eyes. Tae-joon, who was about to open the office door, paused and turned to the tall man at the end of the group of secretaries.

"Department Head Lee Han-sung."

As Lee Han-sung was startled, Tae-joon moved his long legs quickly.

Everyone was horrified when Tae-joon, who was soon in front of Lee Han-sung, grabbed Lee Han-sung by the collar without warning. The hand was quickly released, but everyone was frightened and exchanged glances.

"Department Head, do you do everything the chairman tells you to do?"

Tae-joon asked as if crushing the chilling air. He no longer cared about the world's reputation. The one and only secret he had to carry forever had been revealed.

After watching Lee Han-sung's face gradually turn red for a moment, Tae-joon turned around and opened the door to the chairman's office.

It was a leisurely tea time.

Even after seeing his grandson suddenly barge in without any prior notice, Chairman Kim Jae-pil didn't panic. While the young talents gathered in the office looked bewildered, Jaepil introduced Tae-joon nonchalantly.

"Let me introduce you to everyone. This is Kim Tae-joon, the head of the Central Headquarters at K Electronic Service."

"Where is Han So-eun, Chairman?"

However, Tae-joon ignored his courtesy and stated his business. He didn't care who was in front of him.