episode_0008

As summer approached, rain became more frequent.

Seol-hee met Secretary Choi at a cafe.

“You’re from the same orphanage?”

When Seol-hee asked in surprise, Secretary Choi nodded.

“Yes, Miss. As soon as Bin Hye-yoon took over as boss, there was someone she looked for……. When I investigated, I found out that person was from the same orphanage as Bin Hye-yoon.”

“Hmm….. So that’s what happened.”

Seol-hee looked around at the photos on the table.

A photo of Woo Sung-won’s face.

He’s an ordinary-looking man. A face you’d quickly forget if you happened to run into him on the street.

“Well, Bin Hye-yoon was in an orphanage until she was fifteen. It wouldn’t be strange for her to find friends from the same orphanage. Did Bin Hye-yoon find friends from other orphanages?”

“I don’t think I found it. I just found that guy named Woo Sung-won.”

“What kind of person is this Woo Sung-won?”

Secretary Choi took a sip of the iced tea in front of him and answered indifferently.

“He is a completely different person from Bin Hye-yoon. He has no criminal record, and has absolutely no record of being involved in any minor crimes or incidents. He is a person who has lived a very upright life. He is so unusual that it was quite difficult to investigate this Woo Sung-won.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes, Miss. Woo Sung-won is a person who lived in a completely different world from Bin Hye-yoon. The only thing Bin Hye-yoon and Woo Sung-won have in common is that they have few friends.”

“That’s strange. Do you think Woo Sung-won also knows that Bin Hye-yoon is a mafia boss?”

“You probably know. Bin Hye-yoon has become famous.”

“I don’t understand how such a decent person can be with a mafia boss…. If you get involved with the mafia, your life can get messed up.”

“There may be circumstances we are not aware of.”

“…….”

Seol-hee sipped her black coffee without sugar and looked at Secretary Choi without answering. Her large eyes were filled with curiosity.

Secretary Choi continued speaking with his head held high.

“Woo Sung-won and Bin Hye-yoon are from Saeheemang Orphanage. Saeheemang Orphanage is an orphanage in the countryside… I found out that it is famous for being a dead end place. There is even a rumor that the director of the orphanage killed a child and buried it in secret. There were many children who were beaten to death, starved to death, or took their own lives there.”

“Yes?”

Seol-hee’s expression became serious.

Secretary Choi sighed deeply and continued speaking.

“Anyway, Bin Hye-yoon grew up in a place like that. So did Woo Sung-won. Isn’t it strange? They grew up in the same place, but one became a devilish mafia boss and the other became a flawless, upstanding citizen.”

“Yes. After hearing your story, I think there might be something we don’t know about. I’m curious.”

“Miss. What are you going to do now?”

“I’ll ask my father.”

“Yes?”

Seol-hee drank her coffee elegantly and answered clearly.

“Please leave the Bin Hye-yoon problem to me.”

***

I took a deep breath and nervously tapped the phone screen to dial the number.

It’s almost time to get a call whether I passed or failed… but why haven’t I heard anything?

I submitted my application to a company I liked, but I didn’t hear back.

I swallowed hard. I held the phone close to my ear.

Doo do …

“Woo Sung-won? Wait a minute. Oh no. You were disqualified from the document screening. I’m sorry. Please apply again next time-”

I stopped listening and hung up the phone.

If you fell, you should have called me and told me. Are you making me call you like this to make sure you get killed? Huh?

I lay on the floor and lamented my fate again.

Yeah. I don’t have a very good education, nor do I have a very flashy career.

I know that these days the economy is tough and it’s not easy to get a job.

Even so, this is……. too much. Really.

As I was scratching my stomach and complaining about my life, I remembered what Hye-yoon had said.

If you rely on Bin Hye-yoon, you can live comfortably…….

I shook my head, momentarily shaken by temptation.

No. Bin Hye-yoon is a mafia.

I have lived a healthy and honest life without doing anything bad. I have never thrown away even a single piece of trash on the street. I didn’t want to hear that I was from an orphanage without parents if I did something that would make me liable.

My pride won’t allow me to live off the mafia’s money.

I can do just fine on my own.

Yeah. Fuck! You can do it!

After making that resolution, I stood up, poured myself a cup of cold water, and drank it in gulps.

Okay. Should I go back to the job search sites and look again?

While I was posing like that, the phone rang.

Huh? Who is it? Did the company I applied to contact me?

I hurriedly picked up the phone I had thrown against the wall earlier.

…….Why did this kid call me?

It’s Yeonlim.

I stared at my phone for a moment and then answered the call.

“…….”

“…….”

silence.

I picked up the phone but no one spoke.

“What is it?”

In the end, I was the first to open my mouth indifferently.

Yeonlim, who had been silent for a long time, finally reacted.

“How are you?”

It’s a more subdued voice than when she sat me down in front of her and told me to break up.

Why did you call me? Why did you call me so harshly?

“Eat well and live well. Why did you call?”

My voice became stiff for no reason. Well, that’s understandable. Just the fact that I received this call just now shows that I’m a mature adult.

How did Yeonlim dump me?

“No. It’s just…. Well. I think I spoke too harshly back then… It kept bothering me. Even though we only dated for a short time…”

“That’s why you called?”

I don’t know what Yeonlim is thinking. Is that really why you called?

“Yeah. I was wondering how you were doing……”

“Don’t worry, I’m doing fine. And I hope we don’t have to talk to each other again.”

“Okay, wait a minute. I finally made up my mind to call you, so why are you reacting like that?”

“Ah? You made up your mind to call? Then you don’t have to call anymore? Just keep dating that skinny guy.”

I answered like that and hung up the call.

It feels refreshing……. On the other hand, it feels bitter.

If your relationship has become worse than that of others, it would be best not to get involved any more.

I don’t know why Yeonlim called me…

I scratched the back of my head and thought, and then something popped into my mind.

card.

The card I received from Hye-yoon.

Surely you didn’t call me after seeing that card at the mart?

Hey. No way.

No matter what, a human wouldn’t be that shameless. Especially Yeonlim, who is so arrogant.

***

the next day.

Black Emily Building.

In the large conference room, the organization’s executives were gathered together in tense postures.

The purge within the organization is not over yet. Bin Hye-yoon thoroughly filled the executive staff with only people she could trust. If there was anyone who was even a little suspicious, they disappeared without a trace.

-Crunch. Crunch. Crunch, crunch.

When the sound of high heels was heard from afar, all the executives stood up from their seats.

Soon the door opened wide and Hye-yoon, dressed in all black, appeared. Then all the executives stood up at once and bowed their heads respectfully.

Hye-yoon, who had been smoking a thin, long pipe, opened her mouth coldly as soon as she sat down.

“Please sit down.”

Then all the executives sat down.

Silence fell in the spacious conference room.

Hyeyoon, who had been sitting with her legs crossed and reading through the documents, opened her mouth again as she looked around at the executives.

“Did you get the items you were supposed to sell to the Samadhoe guys? You said they would open up a distribution network for you.”

Hye-yoon always used polite language in public settings.

The honorifics felt even more suffocating to the executives gathered there.

One of the young executives sitting over there opened his mouth.

“That……. Our organization is planning to import it at a low price because our own production is not enough. We just got a call from a Mexican organization saying they are selling the item to us at a low price.”

“Mexico is far away. How are you going to get the items?”

“I bribed the customs office. There was a ship coming in from Mexico-”

“You have to trust who you can trust. I’m going crazy.”

The conference room became quiet as Hye-yoon nervously threw her pen onto the desk. The executives gulped.

“If you do things so naively, the organization’s income will decrease. Think about it before you do your work. Don’t you know that the customs office staff changes frequently, so giving them money is meaningless? And how did you negotiate with the Mexican organization guys? Did they pick out high-purity items and give them to you? Yes?”

“That, that…….”

“If you don’t want to die, do your job right. There will be no next time.”

The executive who had answered lowered his head and his face turned pale.

As Hye-yoon stood up after the meeting ended, the executives all stood up at once.

Hye-yoon left the conference room, leaving the executives with their heads bowed behind.

The air in the conference room felt thin.

As soon as Hye-yoon left the conference room, the executives sat down on their chairs and exhaled as if they were finally going to survive.

Again. Again. Again. Again.

The sound of Hye-yoon’s high heels echoed loudly as she returned to her office.

Soon, Secretary Alex quickly approached from over there.

“You look upset, boss.”

“The executives can’t do their jobs. Should we just kill them all? Huh?”

“Isn’t it because the boss is too tight? You should make some breathing room too.”

“Oh my. That’s a dirty joke.”

Alex laughed heartily at his boss’ joke for once.

Alex, who had become serious again, coughed and opened his mouth.

“That…… Interesting phone conversation contents were found in the wiretapping records of Woo Sung-won’s phone.”

“What is it?”

When Hye-yoon, who had stopped in her seat, raised her eyes and asked, Alex scratched the back of his head and smiled before answering.

“Woo Sung-won’s ex-girlfriend called him. Shall I play you the recorded conversation?”

A fire suddenly burst into Hye-yoon’s eyes.

“That’s enough. Go to the office and listen.”

Hye-yoon, who had answered like that, walked quickly to her office. She must have been emotionally shaken, to the point where she twisted her ankle once.

Alex covered his mouth and laughed. Even the boss has a cute side.

Alex, who entered Hye-yoon’s office, put down his phone and pressed the play button.

Hye-yoon sat with her chin resting on both hands and listened to the recorded call coming from Alex’s phone.

“…….”

“…….”

There was silence as the recorded call finished playing.

Hye-yoon, who had been closing her eyes and mulling over the conversation, finally opened her mouth.

“Try again.”

Alex quickly pressed the play button again.

“……”

As the second playback ended, Alex opened his mouth.

“What should I do, Boss?”

“Leave it alone.”

“Yes?”

“Leave it alone. From what I can hear, Seongwon is also looking at that woman like a bug.”

Alex quickly took his phone and answered at Hye-yoon’s command.

“Yes, I understand.”

“The woman who said Sungwon was his ex-girlfriend… What’s her name?”

“I heard it’s Shin Yeon-rim.”

“She just watches. I think it’ll be fun if we leave her alone.”

“Is that so?”

“If I play with Seongwon, I guess I’ll have to wait and see how that woman’s life gets messed up. It’ll be fun to watch.”

Alex smiled and stood up from his seat.

“Anything else of note?”

When Hye-yoon asked, Alex, who had been standing neatly, answered.

“It seems like Hwarang Group is investigating us.”

“Hwarang Group? Chaebol?”

“Yes. The Hwarang Group family is a prestigious family. It is the 4th largest conglomerate in the business world. There are many politicians among the relatives of the Hwarang Group Yu family who are said to have some influence. It is a group that spends money wisely. I don’t think you can mess with it.”

“Hmm… Your family is a bit poor. Should I take a look?”

“I think we’re still investigating whether we’re a conversationalist. This is an industry that’s sensitive to power.”

“Yeah. You have no choice but to watch, right? They’re not people to be taken lightly.”

“Yes, that would be good, boss.”

Hyeyoon stretched her legs out in front of her and muttered, placing both hands on the back of her head.

“It’s still a game of wits. Everything is like that.”

***

Hwarang Group Chairman’s Office.

Seol-hee stood in front of her father.

Chairman Yoo, who had been staring intently at his daughter, frowned and opened his mouth after a long time.

“Can you handle it?”

“Maybe.”

Chairman Yoo reacted with an embarrassed expression, scratching the back of his head.

“Well……. I was worried a lot about how to see Bin Hye-yoon’s reaction…….”

“Dad, can you leave it to me?”

Chairman Yoo’s expression brightened as he heard his father’s voice for the first time in a long time.

He looked over at his daughter and thought.

Seol-hee is also a smart child. It’s not because she’s my daughter… She’s a smart child who I wouldn’t be ashamed to show off to anyone.

Should I leave this child to me for a while?

“What do you plan to do with Bin Hye-yoon?”

The daughter smiled and answered her father’s question.

“We have to stop them from climbing any further. Should I step on them?”