Chapter 58
by Gideon“So this all started before my father died? But he died of a heart attack!”
Yundo turned to Cheon Gil-woo, his voice harsh. “Did you lay a hand on my younger brothers, Cha Yun-seok and Cha Yun-woo?”
“No! They only talked about the eldest grandson!”
“Then why did you tell them I was involved?”
“They said it would prevent future problems. They told me they’d find a woman to act as a scapegoat, and if I just followed their instructions, they’d give me a cut.”
Cheon Gil-woo, having given up all hope, confessed everything without resistance.
So, there was never any need for a scapegoat in the first place. Hyewan had simply been caught in their web. This entire scheme had been orchestrated for Cha Nam-gyun and Cha Yun-do. Yun-seok and Yun-woo had been spared only because they were too young to participate in the company’s management.
Wait, what about Haetsal?
“Dong-yeong.”
“Yes?”
“Find the driver who caused Hyewan’s accident. Right now!”
“Uh, okay.”
If they hired someone to kill Haetsal too…
Yundo’s fists trembled with rage.
Sleet began to fall from a sky that had been shrouded in gray clouds all afternoon. After finishing her day’s treatment, Hyewan sat in her wheelchair and gazed out the window before going to bed.
It was better when she was in the middle of her grueling rehabilitation, sweat pouring off her body like rain. When she was left alone with nothing to do like this, her heart ached. A clear sky made her sad, and a snowy sky made her sad.
How much time would it take to crawl out of this hell?
Min-suk and Gyeong-ae told her to live well, to show everyone she was thriving, but she couldn’t do it.
Those damned documents.
The office building in Seocho-dong, the studio apartment just ten minutes from the law school—every time she thought about them, her anger flared. As time passed, she hated herself for starting to understand Yundo, for starting to pity him.
Strictly speaking, Yundo was a victim too.
The night they spent together, neither of them knew anything about the other. And Yundo had said he’d been drawn to her from the very first moment.
Besides, Yundo had always disliked Chairwoman Kang. He’d made no effort to hide it, even telling Hyewan not to visit her family home. After the accident, he’d even suggested they flee to Hawaii together. This meant that to him, Hyewan had truly been his wife, not just a talisman to ward off bad luck. And what about Haetsal?
No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, the truth remained unchanged.
I’m not forgiving him. I’m just… stating a fact.
How could I ever forgive him after he lied to me?
Her heart swayed like a reed in the wind. In moments like this, only physical exhaustion could quiet her mind. Leaning on her walker, Hyewan rose from her wheelchair and began to pace the hospital room.
As she glanced out the window, her breath caught.
Yundo was standing beneath the streetlight. Even from the ninth floor, she recognized him instantly. Seeing him there, braving the falling snow, Hyewan quickly pressed herself against the wall, hiding from view.
Hyewan cautiously peeked outside. He stood there, motionless. Her legs gave way, and she sank onto the bed before she could collapse.
I can’t forgive you, so why are you doing this…
Yundo had handed Cheon Gil-woo over to Director Jeong. Until everything was confirmed, Kang Deok-ho and Chief Ma had to remain in the dark, so Director Jeong agreed to take responsibility for Cheon Gil-woo until then.
How deep must I dig into this, even into my father’s death—which I thought was a sudden passing—before it finally ends?
He gazed up at Hyewan’s hospital room with somber eyes. He wanted to lean on her. He wanted to unburden himself of the rage that felt like it would burst his heart and find comfort in her.
How shameless of him.
A shadow flickered across the window. My wife. My Hyewan.
Just seeing her shadow brought him a wave of relief.
But he couldn’t go to her. He knew he absolutely couldn’t. Dong-yeong had contacted him, saying he’d found the driver responsible for the accident. On his way to meet him, Yundo had only hoped to catch a glimpse of Hyewan’s shadow—nothing more.
He hadn’t confronted the driver yet, but he already knew the truth. This wasn’t an accident. He had prayed it wasn’t the case, but his worst premonitions always seemed to come true.
If Haetsal had been killed by Kang Deok-ho and Chief Ma, then Yundo could never see Hyewan again. Everything had started with him, after all.
After staring at the empty window for a long time, Yundo finally turned away.
An hour later, Yundo wished he were dead. The driver from the opposite lane and the one from the next lane over were accomplices.
“We were told to hit her just enough,” one of them stammered. “The woman wasn’t supposed to die—only the baby was supposed to be lost in the accident. I’m sorry. I was just so desperate for the money.”
“I’ll accept any punishment,” the other pleaded. “Just please, don’t tell my wife and child. I’m begging you.”
Hearing their words, Yundo had almost killed them on the spot.
“Sunbae, you have to hold back,” Dong-yeong said, restraining him.
Right. I have to hold back. He wanted to kill them, but he would restrain himself. A quick death was too easy. He would make them live to taste hell.
“Who ordered this?”
“H-here, we recorded it.”
The person who had hired them was Kang Deok-ho’s secretary. Which meant the order had come directly from Kang Deok-ho himself.
Yundo burst into the president’s office without knocking. Kang Deok-ho stared at him, his eyes wide with surprise. Yundo didn’t flinch, closing the distance between them with slow, deliberate steps. The door clicked shut behind him.
“Vice President, where are your manners?”
“I set them aside for more urgent matters.”
“…Set them aside? Vice President Cha Yundo. Whether by age or rank, I am your superior. Show some respect.”
“I have no respect to show a murderer.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“How did it feel to kill someone? Was it a thrill? My son was a fetus, so it might not be considered murder. But my father wasn’t, was he? Tell me. How did it feel?”
Kang Deok-ho’s face hardened as he pressed the intercom button. Yundo sneered at the gesture.
“Oh, you can press that all you want. It won’t do any good.”
Yundo remained standing, his gaze slowly sweeping across the room.
“We’re on an island right now. An island completely untouched by civilization.”
“What the hell is this? I can’t believe this! Out of nowhere, you’re asking how I felt when I killed someone, speaking to me informally! Before I’m the CEO, I’m your relative by marriage. If the Chairwoman finds out…!”
Yundo strode forward and slapped Kang Deok-ho across the face. Kang Deok-ho stared at him, cradling his cheek in disbelief.
Yundo tapped his earpiece.
“Send him in.”
The door swung open, and Dong-yeong threw in a man whose lips were so badly split they were covered in blood.
“Chief Kim!”
The moment Kang Deok-ho called out to Chief Park, the recording began to play.
—Just tell them you’ll get rid of the kid. Don’t kill Ko Hyewan yet. She has to be dealt with when we kill Cha Yundo to avoid any problems.
Kang Deok-ho froze. A sneer twisted Yundo’s lips as he addressed Chief Park.
“Chief Park. The punishment for an accomplice is different from that of the principal offender. And the difference between an accomplice and a principal is even greater. So, tell me—how did Kang Deok-ho kill President Cha Nam-gyun?”
“I-Insulin…”
“Shut up!”
Dong-yeong and the guards blocked Kang Deok-ho as he lunged at Chief Park, his face twisted with murderous rage.
“Get out of my way, you bastards! Move! What kind of sick joke is this? Why are you framing me for murder when I’m perfectly innocent?”
Kang Deok-ho thrashed wildly, but the guards shoved him back, slamming him onto the floor.
“I suppose it’s hard for a murderer to admit to his crime,” Yun-do remarked.
The guards dragged Chief Park out, and Dong-yeong shut the door behind them.
“You must have been so jealous of my father,” Yun-do continued, his voice cold. “Born from the same womb, yet while he lived as Sewon’s heir and called Chairwoman Kang ‘Mother,’ you were just an insignificant employee who had to call her ‘Aunt.’ How you must have hated that.”
Kang Deok-ho glared at Yundo, his eyes burning with murderous intent.
“Even a fucking would-be killer needs a mother’s love,” Yundo taunted. “But you had a mother, didn’t you? Or was she your aunt? Was her love not enough for you?”
“You son of a bitch, shut up! Shut your fucking mouth!”
The moment he heard the word aunt, Kang Deok-ho’s expression twisted. He lunged forward like a starving beast, but Yundo snatched him and slammed him into the sofa table. The table shattered.
So that woman is his trigger.
“What’s wrong? Did your aunt not love you? But she was your mother, wasn’t she?”
“Shut up! Shut the fuck up!”
Kang Deok-ho screamed like a madman, grabbing a piece of broken wood and hurling it. Yundo dodged it effortlessly and kicked Kang Deok-ho hard in the stomach.
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