Chapter 15
Unexpected Winds (2)
The detective tried to sound casual, but Noh Hyung-jin wasn’t someone easily fooled.
“Pro bono, my ass.”
A law firm helping locate the heir to a massive conglomerate? Hyung-jin knew exactly what kind of power that represented. Still, their personal greed had nothing to do with him. What mattered was that—given his limits as a middle schooler—having an official lawyer, a legal representative, would vastly expand his reach and protection.
“Are they really helping us?”
“Yes, if you agree.”
“You’ve heard what I’m going through… I’m in no position to turn down help like that.”
“Then I’ll contact them right away. They should be here soon.”
Everything afterward moved quickly. It was clear the other party had been prepared—they even arrived with a pre-written authorization form. After all, plenty of people were likely competing for this kind of “connection,” so getting things in writing early made sense.
“How will the lawsuit proceed?”
“First, we must identify the defendant. Since Yoo Min-taek’s identity is publicly known, that part won’t be a problem.”
They sounded confident. Once they secured a DNA sample from Yoo Min-taek, it would all be over.
“With everything ready, we just need the court to issue the DNA test order.”
They let their guard down—forgetting that the world rarely works so easily.
Thud.
The court’s official letter dropped onto the table. The moment she saw it, Yoo Sang-ho’s mother, Kim Hwa-ja, went pale.
“What is this?”
“Uh, Mom… that’s, um…”
The envelope from the court was already torn open—someone had read it.
“Your father didn’t see it. I opened it first. What on earth have you done?”
Relieved that his father hadn’t found out yet, Sang-ho exhaled.
“Well, I tried to fix it somehow, but the Jirashi rumors exploded… too many eyes are watching.”
“And you just sat there until a court order landed on our doorstep?!”
“I was going to—”
“How many times have I told you? When necessary, you must be ruthless.”
“Then what should I do?”
“With our resources, we can make it look like an accident, can’t we?”
“Wouldn’t people suspect something?”
“Let them! What can broke nobodies do? Money rules the world.”
Kim Hwa-ja clicked her tongue in frustration. Outwardly, her son projected strength and confidence, but in truth, he was a mama’s boy paralyzed by indecision. He tried to hide it in public, but at home, he always leaned on her.
“Pathetic. No wonder they already call you useless.”
Still, she couldn’t allow her only son to fall.
“We have to get rid of that woman.”
“But we don’t know where she is.”
“Idiot! She’ll meet the lawyer, won’t she?”
“Oh!”
“Send someone to tail the lawyer. They’ll meet sooner or later. Before things go to court, deal with the woman—and the child.”
“O-okay.”
Panicking, Sang-ho grabbed his phone and barked into it in his most authoritative voice.
“Chief Koo, it’s me. Put someone on the case lawyer. No matter how simple the hearing, they’ll have to meet eventually.”
Watching her son, Kim Hwa-ja sighed deeply.
“Why did I ever give birth to this fool?”
Frustrated as she was, she couldn’t bear to see him destroyed.
“How many times have I told you, son? You must be ruthless when the time comes.”
“…Yeah.”
“That time is now. Harden your heart.”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Good. I trust you.”
Mother and son comforted each other, steeling their resolve.
“This is strange. We should’ve seen some reaction by now.”
Oddly, there had been no word from the Daeryong Group. If they’d taken it positively, their lawyer should’ve reached out by now; if negatively, they would’ve filed defamation charges. Yet a whole month passed without a single response.
“Why do you think that is?”
“No idea.”
The lawyers from Saeron Law Firm, who had taken the case, began feeling uneasy. There should have been some reaction—but the silence was absolute.
“Did they receive the court’s notice?”
“They did.”
“Then at the very least, we should’ve gotten a reply brief.”
“Let’s meet with Ms. Kang So-young again. Maybe she’s heard something.”
They decided to do just that. When So-young heard the request, she called the one person she trusted most—Noh Hyung-jin.
“No response, huh?”
Hyung-jin chuckled when he heard it. The situation was so predictable, it was barely worth commenting on.
“Classic behavior.”
“Classic?”
“Yes. They’re testing our position—stalling for time. Which means they’re preparing something.”
“How can you tell?”
“Because only an amateur wouldn’t.”
Korean lawyers, unlike their American counterparts, were weak at psychological warfare. Most came up through academia and the Judicial Research and Training Institute, so they were clueless about social tactics—attack and defense beyond the courtroom. Worse, the culture of collegiality among alumni kept them from engaging in serious strategy.
“In the U.S., that would never fly.”
In America, lawyers even hunt other lawyers.
“There are two possibilities,” Hyung-jin continued. “One: they think the claim is worthless. But knowing Chairman Yoo Min-taek’s temperament, that’s unlikely. Two: they’re buying time to prepare something—something nasty.”
“Something… nasty?”
“Yes.”
“What do you mean?”
So-young tilted her head in confusion, but the lawyers’ faces turned pale—they had all heard rumors about the darker side of Korea’s business elite.
“They wouldn’t go that far… would they?”
“Money’s a terrifying monster.”
Silence fell. Hyung-jin glanced out the window. The street below was packed with cars—many illegally double-parked.
Honk! Honk!
Drivers were blaring horns as one vehicle blocked the already narrow lanes.
“No way that’s a coincidence.”
He’d chosen this café for a reason: it was the last kind of place shady men would enter unnoticed. Lawyers could come for meetings, but if someone followed them here, it would stand out immediately.
On top of that, the area was infamous for traffic jams. Anyone trying to surveil them would struggle to find parking. Right now, the illegally parked cars were forcing even the tailing vehicle to double-park, drawing annoyed honks and attention—reducing the pursuers’ freedom of movement.
“You’ve brought a tail,” Hyung-jin said casually.
“A… tail?”
Sipping his slushie, he nodded toward the window. The lawyers turned and went pale.
“When did—?”
“It’s not when. You should’ve expected this.”
“How could we have known?”
“And that’s why Korean lawyers always lose internationally.”
He thought of his years watching U.S. corporate battles—where surveillance, wiretapping, even drones were common.
“Since So-young keeps moving locations, and her phone’s off, they can’t track her number. So what’s left?”
“Oh… right.”
Now they understood. The phone So-young used was registered under a staff member’s name at the firm—impossible to trace directly. Sure, they could investigate the entire firm’s roster, but that would take too many people.
“What should we do?”
Worry creased So-young’s face. Even though the lawyers hadn’t told her everything, she wasn’t naive—she could tell someone out there wanted to harm her.
“We get out of here,” said Hyung-jin.
“How?”
“Why do you think I came here?”
“Huh?”
He pulled something out of his bag. The others gasped—then nodded in understanding.
“You’re awfully young to know this kind of stuff.”
“Try dealing with American corporations for ten years. You’ll learn fast.”
In those wars, surveillance was normal—because lawsuits could mean billions, not millions.
“Go to the subway. Take a train from here to Sindorim Station. Then transfer to any line you want and call us from wherever you get off.”
“Why Sindorim?”
“It’s rush hour. Sindorim is hell right now. They’ll never keep up.”
The rule of pursuit was to keep distance. If they followed too closely, they’d be spotted. Even if they tried to chase her, Sindorim Station at rush hour was a nightmare—she could lose them easily in the crush of commuters.
It was a trick often used to ditch tails in the U.S.
“What about you?”
“Me? I’ll play the crazy girl.”
“Crazy girl?”
“Yep.”
“She’s coming out.”
After a group of laughing high school girls exited the café, a woman in a hat—So-young—and the lawyers slipped out quietly. She said goodbye to them and walked in the opposite direction.
“There she is. Got you, bitch,” muttered Chief Koo, following at a distance. Finally, he thought, he could report success and clean up the mess.
Then—
“What the—?”
So-young suddenly kicked off her high heels and changed into sneakers. Before he could even react—
Thud-thud-thud!
She sprinted away at full speed.
“What the hell?!”
“She’s running! After her!”
They had no choice but to leave their car and chase on foot. But she was small, fast, and agile, weaving through the crowded street, while the bulky men tripped over each other.
“Damn it! Catch her!”
“Block her off!”
A full-blown chase erupted in broad daylight. Eventually, the main road gave way to a maze of alleys. There, she ran into a dead end—trapped by a high wall.
“Haah… got you, bitch.”
“Where were you planning to go?”
“Grab her!”
“The car’s not here yet!”
“Hold her till it arrives!”
“The kid’s not with her.”
“Beat it out of her then! Pretty face like that won’t stay quiet after a few punches.”
Chief Koo gritted his teeth, sweating from the chase.
Then—
“Hehehe…”
A low chuckle escaped the woman’s lips. No—it wasn’t a woman’s voice.
“Thank you very much,” said a man’s voice.
“What the—?”
“A man?!”
Before they could process it, the “woman” ripped off the wide-brimmed hat.
“You—!”
“What the hell?!”
“What do you think? Just a passing lunatic—no, a passing madman.”
“Damn it, we’ve been tricked!”
