Chapter 209
“Congratulations.” I smiled, handing Wang Jin-hee a block of tofu. “In Korea, we give tofu to someone who’s just been released from prison. It symbolizes a fresh start.”
She took the tofu and chuckled. “Thank you.” She took a bite. “After weeks of prison food, even tofu tastes delicious.”
“Everything tastes better in freedom. This is much better than prison food, haha.”
“Is it? Hohoho.” We laughed for a while, and I asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Well… refreshed, I guess? I did a lot of thinking in there. Why did I struggle so hard? I should have just lived an ordinary life like other women my age.”
The ruthless, ambitious Wang Jin-hee was gone. “There’s no such thing as an ‘ordinary life’ for you, Jin-hee,” I said, pointing at myself. “Did you think my wife could live an ordinary life?”
“Hoho, that’s true. The chairman of Chunha Group’s wife.” She bowed her head. “Thank you for everything.”
“For what?”
“For everything. For fighting for me, for protecting me.”
I had hired the best lawyers and used all my influence to minimize her sentence. Unlike the other members of the Wang family, who received prison sentences, she got away with a fine. Wang Jin-mi’s leniency had played a major role, of course, but publicly, it was attributed to my efforts and my devotion as a husband.
“It’s nothing. I promised I would save you, didn’t I?”
“I’m grateful.”
I pointed at the car waiting for us.
“Let’s go home.”
“What are your plans now?” I asked her on the way home. She smiled. “I don’t have any. Maybe I’ll learn how to cook.”
“Cook?”
“I want to repay your kindness, but I don’t know how. I’ve never cooked before, but I’m sure I can learn. I’m a Harvard graduate. Cooking should be easy.”
I chuckled. “You’re underestimating chefs everywhere.”
She waved her hands. “It was just a joke.”
“You want to repay my kindness?”
“Yes, I have nothing left but myself. I have to do something.”
I smirked. “Are you offering to become a housewife?”
“What else can I do? I have no other options.”
“You have plenty of options.” I pointed at her head. “You’re a Harvard graduate. Use your brain.”
“What do you mean?”
I smiled. “Management. Don’t you want to try it again?” Her eyes wavered for a moment, and then she said with a seemingly calm expression, “Management? I’m a failure. I’ll just live quietly.”
“It wasn’t your failure, it was your father’s. You did well.”
She hesitated. “…You want me to work at your company?”
“No, you’re not someone who works under others. You’re a leader. You enjoy being in charge, don’t you?”
“……”
“Don’t you want to rebuild Haixin Group?”
Her eyes widened.
“I’m a self-made man. I know the satisfaction of building a successful business. I guarantee you,” I smiled, “it’s much more rewarding than a petty succession battle.”
“What… what are you trying to say…?” she stammered, flustered.
“Haixin Group will be dismantled and sold off. And I’ll buy a part of it for you. A mini-Haixin Group. It won’t be a real group, of course. And we can’t call it Haixin because of the scandal. How about HS?”
She stared at me, speechless.
“Didn’t you enjoy leading the sales division? The satisfaction of leading your team and achieving your goals. Don’t you want to experience that again? Do you really want to be a housewife?”
“I… I…”
“I’ll provide the funds. You’ll build your own Haixin Group, not your father’s. It might start small, but you can grow it. And Chunha Group needs a local partner in China. Don’t you want to become a partner worthy of Chunha Group? Are you not capable?”
A spark of ambition flickered in her eyes. “Are you… serious?”
“Of course, why would I lie? When have I ever…” I smiled gently. “…lied to you?”
She lowered her head, deceived by the words of a master manipulator. “R-really? You’re really doing this for me?”
“Yes, really.”
She looked up, her face glowing with gratitude. “Marrying you was the best decision of my life. Thank you. Thank you so much! I’ll work hard! I’ll dream again!”
“I know you will.” As we were basking in the heartwarming moment, my phone rang.
“Excuse me.” I saw Li Yang’s name on the screen and answered. “What is it?”
-
Chairman, Moon Gil has been abducted.
“We’ve got him.”
Using the composite sketch based on Im So-wi’s description, Cheon Ji-an had mobilized his resources and started searching for Baek In-hwi’s associate. And Yoo Ho-chan had suggested focusing on the area around the meeting place.
Baek In-hwi’s associate would likely be living nearby to maintain his cover identity. Of course, he might be living elsewhere, completely off the grid, but it was worth checking the vicinity first. It was practically impossible to find someone based on a sketch and a vague description in a densely populated city, but Cheon Ji-an’s connections were invaluable.
He obtained photos of residents from the local authorities and compared them to the sketch, identifying a few potential suspects.
He sent his men to take photos of them and showed them to Im So-wi, and after a few misses, they finally found him.
The man’s name was Gil Moon, and he owned a small supermarket.
“Where’s Baek In-hwi?” Yoo Ho-chan asked the trembling Gil Moon.
“He says he doesn’t know anyone by that name.”
“We know everything, so just tell us the truth.”
“He insists he’s just a supermarket owner.”
He chuckled. “Should we bring Im So-wi here? She said you always disappeared during your meetings, claiming you had to go to your supermarket. It’s a convenient alibi, isn’t it? And this mole…” he pointed at a small, square-shaped mole on his face, “…she said she noticed it every time she met you. Are you still going to deny it?”
“He still insists he doesn’t know anything. He’s offering money,” Cheon Ji-an translated.
“I don’t need his money!” He grabbed him by the collar. “Where’s Baek In-hwi?!”
“He keeps saying he doesn’t know.”
Just then, one of the men who had been searching the house returned with a document. “I found something.”
“Let me see.” Cheon Ji-an took the document, scanned it, and smirked. “This looks like an organizational chart.”
“What?”
“Names and phone numbers, including his. And his name isn’t Gil Moon, it’s Moon Gil.”
“He was careless, leaving this at home,” Yoo Ho-chan said, almost gleeful. The trembling Moon Gil suddenly said in broken Korean, “You searched my house?” His sudden change in demeanor and his use of Korean surprised them.
“You’re not hiding anymore, are you?” Yoo Ho-chan smirked.
“…”
“With this, we can dismantle his entire network, dozens of people,” Cheon Ji-an said, smiling.
“Now you can’t deny it. Where’s Baek In-hwi?” Yoo Ho-chan shouted, his eyes gleaming.
Moon Gil remained silent, his face grim.
“Where is he?!”
“I don’t know.”
“You think you can get away with this? We can charge you with industrial espionage and countless other crimes! You’ll take the fall for everything if you don’t talk!”
“I still don’t know.”
“Do you want to go to prison?”
“So be it.” His calm demeanor surprised him.
“You’re willing to go to prison?”
“……” He remained silent. Cheon Ji-an nudged Yoo Ho-chan. “Let’s talk.”
They moved away from Moon Gil. “He’s not afraid of prison,” Cheon Ji-an said.
“…It seems that way.” There was no fear in his eyes.
“Why?”
“He probably thinks Baek In-hwi will get him out. He trusts him,” Yoo Ho-chan said after a moment of thought.
Cheon Ji-an nodded. “That could be it. But maybe there’s something he fears even more than prison?” He flinched. “Don’t tell me…”
“Organizations like this don’t value human life. They’ll just eliminate him to prevent any further leaks. He’s probably more afraid of being killed than of going to prison.”
He bit his lip. “Those bastards… how can they treat human life so lightly?”
“We’re running out of time. If Baek In-hwi or his superiors find out about his abduction, they’ll go underground. We’ll lose our lead.”
“…What are you suggesting?”
Cheon Ji-an’s expression hardened. “We have to show him that we’re more dangerous than Baek In-hwi. That we’re willing to kill him, to make him suffer.”
His face contorted. “You’re asking me to torture him? I can’t do that. I’m a prosecutor.”
“Then are you willing to let Baek In-hwi escape?”
His eyes wavered. “B-but I…”
“We’re not asking you to do it yourself. We’ll handle it. Torture is a violation of human rights, it could be used against you and Baek In-hwi. So let us take that burden. You just use the information we obtain. You don’t have to know about the… methods.”
He hesitated. “Even so, as a prosecutor, I can’t condone torture.”
“We don’t have time.”
He still hesitated, and Cheon Ji-an said firmly, “Then just stay here. Get some rest.” He entered the room where Moon Gil was being held and locked the door. “I… I should stop them…”
But he couldn’t bring himself to move.
“I should…” A scream echoed from the room.
“No…”
“Aaaaaargh!”
“This isn’t justice. Justice has to be just, not just in its outcome, but also in its methods.” That’s what he believed. But Cheon Ji-an’s words echoed in his mind,
– We don’t have time.
He was right.
He had finally found a lead.
He couldn’t afford to waste time.
“What… what should I do…?”
The screams continued.
“Aaaaaargh!”
“…” He chose to turn a blind eye, covering his ears and muttering in a daze,
“I don’t know anything… This has nothing to do with me… I just have to catch Baek In-hwi.”
His self-deception, juxtaposed with the screams of agony, was a scene from hell.
Three hours later, Cheon Ji-an emerged from the room, wiping blood from his hands.
“He told us everything.”
Yoo Ho-chan, staring at him blankly, thought,
‘I made a deal with the devil to catch the devil.’