Chapter 57
by GideonHe searched for his phone, unable to remember when he’d last used it.
“Use mine,” Dong-yeong offered.
“Yeah, let me borrow it.”
Yundo dialed Madam Park on Dong-yeong’s phone.
“It’s me.”
—Yes, Yundo. Where are you?
“I’m at the hotel, Mother. Please send a toothbrush for Grandmother with Driver Kim.”
—A toothbrush? Why?
“I’ll explain later. Just send it without Grandmother knowing.”
—Alright.
The sound of Madam Park’s subdued voice choked him with emotion. He wished Chairwoman Kang, who had plunged everyone into grief, would pay the price.
Dong-yeong worked tirelessly for the two days the DNA test was underway.
Yundo scanned the records, his eyes sharp. “Is this all of President Kang Deok-ho’s financial transactions?”
The hotel room was so spotless it was hard to believe it was the same one from two days ago. With his shaggy hair and beard neatly trimmed, Yundo had returned to his usual, polished self.
“Yes. I combed through everything, but there’s absolutely nothing unusual.”
“It’s too clean. I suspect he’s using a borrowed-name account. What do you think?”
“I thought so too. But President Kang is so paranoid—he wouldn’t use an account unless he was absolutely sure it was secure.”
“That means he must have stolen someone’s identity. Someone who wouldn’t cause any problems later, or someone he’s certain is on his side.”
“Could he have stolen Kang Ok-tae’s identity?”
“No. That would cause problems with his siblings after his death. If I know that, there’s no way Kang Deok-ho wouldn’t know it too.”
“Kang Deok-ho isn’t married, so he doesn’t have a wife. And he wouldn’t use the names of women he’s only seeing casually.”
Who does Kang Deok-ho trust? Who shares his goals and walks the same path…
“What about Chief Ma?”
“No way. I’ve already looked into it—they’re not involved.”
“They could still share a common goal. I’ve been wondering about this for a long time: why has Chief Ma been by Chairwoman Kang’s side for over twenty years? She’d even pretend to die if the Chairwoman told her to.”
“I don’t know.”
Chief Ma had joined the Sewon Group’s executive office through the same standard procedures as everyone else. He had caught Chairwoman Kang’s eye with his quick wits and pleasing demeanor, but he’d never received any special favors from her. While his salary had increased after becoming her personal secretary, it wasn’t enough to make him live like her lapdog.
Yundo pulled his laptop closer and clicked on the personnel file he had created when he was appointed vice president.
“Chief Ma is single. No family members with expensive illnesses or anyone causing trouble.”
“So that means there’s absolutely no reason for him to be working his ass off at fifty?”
“Exactly.”
“Got it. I’ll contact Director Jeong and tell him to dig into the connection between Kang Deok-ho and Chief Ma.”
Yundo’s suspicions were correct. Director Jeong had found Chief Ma’s offshore account.
“They were in cahoots all along. Quite the star-studded lineup, wouldn’t you say?”
Since Kang Deok-ho had taken office as CEO, there had been countless deposits from various clients. It was clear he was determined to shake Sewon Group to its very foundations.
“Start by identifying the people Kang Deok-ho sent money to.”
They had done ‘something’ for him, and Kang Deok-ho had paid them for it. They needed to find out what that ‘something’ was.
Just then, a fax came through.
“It’s from the lab. The results are in.”
A and B are confirmed to be mother and son with a 99.998% probability.
Yundo clenched his jaw as he stared at the DNA test results for Chairwoman Kang and Kang Deok-ho.
Chairwoman Kang had shown him such blatant favoritism for all these years because Kang Deok-ho was her biological son. He was certain that Deok-ho couldn’t have been unaware of this fact. Why had he only just realized the true meaning behind the unusually sly tone in Deok-ho’s voice when he called her ‘Auntie’?
Kang Deok-ho had suspected as much when he saw the results showing a partial genetic match with his legal father, but seeing the confirmation still sent a surge of unbearable fury through him.
Dong-yeong, having received a call from Director Jeong, spoke quietly.
“Now that we’ve confirmed it, we need to move on to the next step. We’ve found Cheon Gil-woo.”
He was the shaman whom Chairwoman Kang trusted blindly.
His real name was Cheon Gil-woo, and he was 41 years old.
Though he had undergone an initiation ritual five years ago, he was a five-time convicted fraudster.
Chairwoman Kang claimed the shaman was traveling to famous mountains across the country for spiritual training and could only be met on dates he specified. In reality, this was a ploy to eliminate any chance of him being caught.
“The shaman has gone to a hotel for his training today. He’s staying in a suite at the W Hotel.”
Dong-yeong sneered. “That son of a bitch…”
Yundo hissed a curse through clenched teeth.
“What should we do? Should I go get him?”
“He’s a VIP. I’ll go myself.”
He intended to handle everything personally. Before that, he gave Dong-yeong a set of instructions.
“Make sure everyone keeps their mouths shut. Assign guards to Hyewan and my mother-in-law’s shop. Contact the main house and have them send my mother and Yun-woo to the Jeju Island villa.”
“What should I say if they ask why?”
“Tell them I’ll explain everything later. Tell my mother not to contact Chairwoman Kang and to switch to a new phone. Do the same for Yun-woo.”
“Understood. There’s no need to worry them for no reason.”
Yundo offered Dong-yeong his sincere thanks. If it hadn’t been for him, he would never have known any of this.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t just say it. You’re treating me to a fancy meal once this is all over, okay?”
“Deal.”
Yundo grabbed his jacket and stood up.
“W Hotel, a suite?”
“That’s what I heard.”
“Let’s go.”
I’m going to kill that bastard who thinks he can manipulate people’s lives with his silver tongue.
They arrived at the W Hotel and burst into the suite. A naked man and woman were tangled together on the bed in the master bedroom. The woman, spotting Yundo first, shrieked and scrambled into the bathroom to hide. A moment later, the man scrambled to his feet, shouting, “Fuck! Hey, who the hell are you?”
Yundo closed the distance in a blur and slammed a fist into the man’s cheek.
The man—Cheon Gil-woo—collapsed sideways with a choked gasp.
“Drag him out.”
The guards at the door immediately seized Cheon Gil-woo.
“How dare you—do you have any idea who I—gack!“
Yundo’s hand clamped around the man’s throat, squeezing the life out of him. He felt he could actually kill him. This bastard had turned his and Hyewan’s lives into a living hell with his silver tongue.
“Kkkh… H-help…”
The man’s eyes bulged, the blood vessels within them bursting.
“Tell me the truth, and I won’t kill you.”
The man, who had been strangled by Yundo, nodded frantically.
“Kuh… Huh… Ack!“
As his airway cleared, Cheon Gil-woo gasped like a wild animal.
Dragged into the living room, Cheon Gil-woo was forced to his knees, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. Yundo pulled on the black gloves a guard held out to him.
“Chairwoman Kang Ok-seon of Sewon Group.”
Cheon Gil-woo flinched at the familiar name.
“You did it? You told her Chairwoman Kang’s eldest grandson needed a flesh-shield to ward off evil?”
“That’s… That’s true… Ack!“
Yundo’s fist slammed into Cheon Gil-woo’s face. Who would have thought he’d ever use the boxing he’d practiced as a hobby since his teens for something like this?
Cheon Gil-woo, who had been kneeling with his hands bound behind his back, sprawled across the floor. The guard standing behind him hoisted him back up like a sack of rice, forcing him into a proper sitting position.
“If you value your life, start thinking,” Yundo snarled. “That ‘curse-breaking’ stunt you pulled—can you take responsibility for those words?”
“I-I…”
In a flash, Yundo yanked Cheon Gil-woo’s hair, pulling it so hard it felt like he was trying to scalp him.
“You bastard! I told you to answer me!”
“It wasn’t me!” Cheon Gil-woo shrieked, pissing his pants in terror. “She told me to do it! She said I just had to say what she told me to!”
“Who told you?”
“Ma Gyeong-jin! That woman came to see me three years ago. She told me she’d be bringing an old woman soon, and I had to tell her that the eldest grandson was cursed.”
Cheon Gil-woo was so terrified he was out of his mind.
“She told me to act well, that they’d believe whatever I said because their son was about to die.”
Yundo couldn’t believe his ears. “Their son was about to die?”
“I didn’t know it back then, but the one who died was President Cha Nam-gyun. He died exactly three days after Ma Gyeong-jin visited.”
Yundo’s heart seemed to freeze. “If you’re lying, I’ll kill you.”
“It’s the truth! I swear it’s true!” Cheon Gil-woo cried out desperately, tears and snot streaming down his face. “I have a ledger at my shrine. It’s all there—who paid me, when, and how much!”
Yundo released Cheon Gil-woo and turned away. His body was trembling violently. Dong-yeong, who had been guarding the door, was also pale with shock.
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