Chapter : 47
“Fortunately, the wound isn’t deep.”
Maybe because he was used to this sort of thing, Taeshin didn’t even blink while she wiped away the blood with disinfectant and applied ointment. But when Iseol gently blew on the wound, the muscles in his arm stiffened.
“Does it hurt?”
Taeshin shook his head and quietly watched as she put a waterproof bandage on.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“I’m fine.”
When Iseol still looked unconvinced, Taeshin asked,
“Should I take off my shirt and show you?”
“No.”
Her cheeks flushed as she averted her gaze.
She organized the first-aid kit and set it aside on the table, then picked up her phone and showed him the message saying that 1.8 billion won had been deposited.
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“I found Ever Dining’s accounting ledger at Myunghyun Joo’s house.”
“Really?”
“She hid it on a USB and concealed it inside a lighter.”
“Oh my… I’m so glad you found it.”
“I handed the USB over to the prosecution. The evidence is clear, so Myunghyun Joo will stand trial. The money transferred into Mr. Yoon Sangwon’s account was part of the funds she embezzled—we managed to recover some of it. Since she returned part of the money, she’ll probably get a reduced sentence.”
“She’s not the kind of woman who feels guilty. She wouldn’t have handed over the money willingly—how did you manage it?”
Did he hurt his arm trying to force the money out of her?
Taeshin stared at Iseol for a moment, then chuckled softly and said,
“The injury on my arm has nothing to do with that.”
“Thank you.”
She tried to speak calmly, but her voice caught in her throat.
All the hardships she’d endured flashed through her mind like scenes in a film.
Her father’s accident.
Being dragged to Mirae Credit and suffering through humiliation.
The gangsters who would wreck her grandmother’s shop whenever they felt bored.
The time she spent suppressing herself—giving up the food she wanted, the clothes she wanted—just to survive quietly.
“A simple thank-you isn’t enough… I don’t know how to fully express how I feel…”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
“You don’t know what this money means to me. It feels like I’ve been pulled out of a deep swamp I could never escape, no matter how hard I struggled. I was barely breathing with only my head above the surface.”
“It’s nothing compared to you saving my life.”
Taeshin raised his hand and gently brushed her cheek.
She hadn’t even realized she was crying.
As time passed, the walls of caution she had around him kept crumbling.
It felt like little by little he was stealing her heart, and one day she might fall completely for him and end up getting hurt.
Even so, she no longer wanted to push him away.
How could she push away a man who protected her so thoroughly and even helped her reclaim a life buried in debt?
“There are a few things I’m curious about.”
“Go ahead.”
“You said you confirmed Myunghyun Joo’s fingerprints with help from the prosecution. What kind of relationship do you have with them?”
Taeshin smirked.
“It’s not like the prosecution checks fingerprints for just anyone.”
“I have a friend at the Southern District Prosecutors’ Office. You could say we’re very close.”
“You seem to have a lot of high-level friends.”
Even if he ran a capital company with underworld ties, it didn’t seem like Taeshin only associated with people from that world.
“But… someone from that dark side and a prosecutor… that’s quite an unusual combination.”
“….”
“Oh, sorry. I just…”
“It’s fine. You’re right—it’s an odd match. You know the type—smart but lacking social skills.”
“Yes.”
“He was like that. Back in school, he was bullied by delinquents, and I stepped in to protect him.”
“Ah.”
She understood instantly.
Back then, Lee Taeshin must have been someone nobody dared to mess with.
Being his friend would have been like having an invisible shield.
“Then you must be his benefactor.”
“He became the youngest prosecutor ever. I never imagined there’d be a day when I’d be the one receiving his help.”
“You really never know how life will turn out.”
Taeshin nodded.
“Oh… I’ve been talking too much. Do you want to go wash up?”
“That’s a dangerous thing to say.”
Iseol flushed and turned her head away.
Leaning his arm over the back of the sofa and tilting his head, Taeshin said in a soft voice,
“You seem to have a lot of questions. Go ahead—ask more.”
His gaze was so gentle it made her heart flutter.
She wanted to know more about this man.
Who his other friends were.
What he was like at work.
What kind of reputation he had.
Even though she knew her curiosity about him was dangerous.
After hesitating for a moment, Iseol spoke again.
“Why… were you late?”
She wanted to ask if he had been with another woman, but she didn’t have the courage.
Watching her avoid his gaze, Taeshin asked,
“Are you wondering why I was at a bar?”
“Ah… I didn’t check on purpose… I mean…”
When she glanced up, his eyes were smiling.
As if he found her adorable.
“Are you worried I might be seeing other women?”
Iseol waved her hands in denial.
“N-no way. We’re not even dating, and who you see isn’t any of my business.”
“Oh, really.”
“I mean—it’s not that I don’t care at all… I do care a little, but…”
Cold sweat formed on her back.
She was rambling.
Even she didn’t know what she was trying to say.
“That sounds like you don’t want me to see other women.”
Taeshin pointed out exactly what she meant.
Embarrassed that her true feelings had been exposed, Iseol hurriedly tried to cover it up.
“It’s just… this isn’t really the time for you to be dating anyone. You know that better than anyone.”
Why is it so hot in here?
“Want a beer?”
She stood up, took two cans from the refrigerator, and pressed one of the cold cans against her cheek.
Only then did the heat seem to fade a little.
She returned to the sofa and handed him a beer.
He took hers too, opened both cans, and handed one back.
“Thank you.”
“One of the executives is helping me—someone my father trusted. I met with him to find out what’s going on inside the company.”
You could’ve said that from the start.
I didn’t think you were the teasing type.
“They’re holding a board meeting next week to discuss removing the CEO.”
“Are you the one being removed?”
“If I don’t return, that’s probably what will happen. There aren’t many people in the company who can stand up to the vice chairman.”
“What happens if you’re removed?”
“The vice chairman will become CEO.”
“Ah….”
So the one who tried to kill Taeshin was that vice chairman.
“But to have voting power, he needs more shares than I do. He’s been gathering shares from everywhere—using threats, persuasion, every method possible. The directors can only hold out for so long.”
“….”
“Don’t worry too much. It’s not like we have no options.”
“Options?”
“If we trigger a tax audit, we can delay the removal by a month or two.”
“A tax audit?”
“Capital companies undergo regular tax audits anyway. We just need to raise a small suspicion of tax evasion and move the schedule forward.”
“So there’s a way like that.”
She took a sip of beer, and the heat slowly began to fade.
“Is there a way for you to go back to Seoul?”
“The prosecution is currently watching my back in exchange for evidence on the vice chairman’s illegal business dealings and tax evasion. When the time is right, I plan to take him down.”
Taeshin continued calmly.
“Right now we’re at a disadvantage, but we’re gathering people who can help us. And if we make good use of our relationship with the Mirae faction, we can turn things in our favor.”
“Use your relationship with the Mirae faction?”
“They’re the largest organization outside the Seoul–Gyeonggi area. But operating only in the provinces has its limits, so they’re trying to expand their territory into Seoul.”
So he already knew everything.
Well, he probably had access to all kinds of information—and in a way, they were in the same industry.
No matter how powerful they were in the provinces, they couldn’t rival the population and influence of the capital region, so it wasn’t hard to guess that the Mirae faction wanted to expand their interests.
