“He left the hotel and took a taxi.”

“I told you to follow him discreetly.”

Ho-beom glared at the video on the tablet. It showed Baek Soo-hyun and his father, Baek Gwang-mu, at the nursing home a few days ago. Gwang-mu occasionally regained consciousness but couldn’t communicate. Yet on this day, he had written something on Soo-hyun’s hand.

And today, Soo-hyun had made his move. According to the person tailing him, he left the hotel with his face hidden behind a cap and mask. Ho-beom zoomed in on the paused frame, but the image quality was too poor to make out details. What could his father possibly have written…

“Not a single peaceful day around here.”

As he let out a bitter laugh, his eyes caught the shopping bag stuffed under the back seat. Ho-beom picked it up and took out the box inside.

Opening the lid revealed a red cardigan. He didn’t know what Kim Woo-jin was thinking when he gave this to Soo-hyun, but he could tell the intentions weren’t purely innocent.

Was he trying to get revenge because Ho-beom had forcibly separated him from the guy he was seeing last year? Or did he genuinely like Soo-hyun?

He sighed deeply as the car arrived at the family home. He wasn’t sure why the old man had summoned him so late at night, but one thing was certain—his voice had sounded unusually pleased.

Maybe the old geezer found himself a new woman. Surely not someone young enough to be his daughter?

With these outlandish thoughts, Ho-beom got out of the car and walked through the main gate. Chairman Yang’s secretary and the household director came out to greet him respectfully.

Unlike usual, all the lights in the house were on. This meant visitors at this hour. Just then, Kim Woo-jin appeared in the distance, still with that porcelain doll-like face.

“You’re here, brother.”

As Woo-jin greeted him, Ho-beom strode over, messed up his hair, and pressed down firmly on his head.

“Don’t get cheeky.”

Woo-jin flinched, and Ho-beom walked past him with a silent laugh. He didn’t dislike the kid. He certainly preferred him to Kim Woo-young, who lived for drugs. He had planned to take Woo-jin under his wing after college graduation. But that was as far as it went. If he crossed the line, blood relation or not, Ho-beom wouldn’t spare him.

As he took off his shoes and entered, Secretary Choi and another employee followed.

“Do we have an important guest?”

“You’ll see when you go in.”

Ho-beom strode down the corridor, passing through several sliding doors. Who could be important enough to be received in the bedroom rather than the reception room at this hour? Curious, he opened the final door and froze.

Standing at the threshold, he watched Chairman Yang, who was sitting on a traditional mattress drinking tea, look up at him.

“Why are you standing there? Come in.”

Ho-beom coldly stared at the person sitting across from Chairman Yang.

“Boy, is that any way to look at our guest?”

Why was Seo Min-jun here…

As he stepped inside, the door closed behind him with a thud, and he could hear Secretary Choi dismissing people outside.

Taking a seat, he glanced sideways. Seo Min-jun was kneeling in front of a tea table, not even sparing Ho-beom a glance.

“What an unexpected guest we have.”

Chairman Yang lifted his teacup. It was chrysanthemum tea, his favorite. He always served this tea when welcoming special guests.

Ho-beom’s gaze shifted to the gold cloth beside Seo Min-jun. Whatever was wrapped in the bundle didn’t look like a gift box.

“Prosecutor Seo says he wants to make peace with you, Beom. Says there’s been a misunderstanding all this time.”

Ha! Ho-beom openly scoffed. Peace? What nonsense. He guessed that Seo Min-jun must have discovered that Chairman Yang had tracked down people who knew about his relationship with Soo-hyun and even recruited the now-retired detective who had handled the case back then.

“I’m curious why our prosecutor suddenly had a change of heart.”

Seo Min-jun, who had avoided eye contact until now, finally turned to look at him. The sight of his haggard face and tired eyes gave Ho-beom a thrill. Had Soo-hyun’s existence weighed on him that heavily? As tense gazes passed between the two men, Chairman Yang intervened.

“You know, when an ornate porcelain gets scratched, people often overlook it. But not with white porcelain. When something pure and noble gets even the tiniest blemish, people won’t let it slide. Isn’t that right, Prosecutor Seo?”

Seo Min-jun’s expression subtly changed. Listening to this, Ho-beom laughed in disbelief. White porcelain, my as$. What kind of righteous, clean person sleeps with a minor?

Now that his crimes might come to light, this sly bastard was making preemptive moves.

While Ho-beom glared at him with disdain, Seo Min-jun pushed the wrapped bundle forward and spoke.

“This is everything I have. From this moment on, I won’t mention anything about you or your grandson for any reason. I’ll also arrange a separate meeting with my father-in-law.”

“Ho-ho, that’s good. No need to meet with opposition assembly members and invite unnecessary talk.”

Seo Min-jun, who had been bowing like a criminal, raised his head.

“Politics can change at any moment. It’s better to have multiple ships to sail. Chairman, you can use them however you see fit.”

Chairman Yang smiled with satisfaction.

“I thought Prosecutor Seo was quite rigid, but I see that’s not the case. Ho-ho.”

Listening to their conversation, a sneer spread across Ho-beom’s face. You crazy bastard. You pretended to be so righteous, but when pushed into a corner, you’re no different from anyone else. Soo-hyun should see this—when he learns the man he liked is only this much of a man, whatever lingering attachment he has will disappear.

While Ho-beom was inwardly mocking him, Chairman Yang called out.

“Beom.”

“Yes?”

“Hand over the Ire Construction slush fund files.”

Ho-beom frowned. The old man might have planned this from the beginning. Soo-hyun was just bait. There was no reason to disobey. From his first year in office, Seo Min-jun had been desperate to take down Chairman Yang.

Despite pressure from above, he had stubbornly persisted in finding a reason to put the Chairman behind bars.

The reason Seo Min-jun hadn’t been able to imprison Chairman Yang wasn’t for lack of evidence. It was power—he didn’t have authority comparable to Chairman Yang’s. But if by some chance his father-in-law Kim Hyun-sik were elected and power shifted to their side, things would change.

“What a shame. I was looking forward to watching you tumble into bed with Soo-hyun.”

Before Ho-beom could finish speaking, Seo Min-jun openly displayed his emotions.

“He’s an ex-convict. Who would believe him?”

Ha, the audacity. Should I record this and play it for Soo-hyun? I hate to see him crying his eyes out, but I also want to see it. When tears soak that clear face, it strangely turns me on.

“If you’re so confident, why didn’t you hold out? What scared you into joining hands with the old man?”

As their fierce gazes clashed, Chairman Yang raised his hand to stop them.

“Enough. Don’t waste energy fighting at this pleasant gathering. I’ll handle what Prosecutor Seo mentioned earlier.”

Ho-beom’s gaze shifted to Chairman Yang. What did he mention earlier? As Ho-beom looked at him questioningly, the Chairman lit his pipe, took a deep drag, and exhaled smoke.

“Nothing major. Prosecutor Seo wants us to take care of Baek Soo-hyun.”

F*ck. Ho-beom’s eyes turned ice cold. He jerked his head to glare at Seo Min-jun, who sat like a wooden statue.

“Now that you’ve caught the rabbit, you’re discarding the hunting dog?”

“Beom.”

Chairman Yang stared at Ho-beom intently, like someone trying to penetrate his thoughts. Ho-beom didn’t avoid his gaze. The old man must know what Ho-beom had done to Soo-hyun after bringing him home.

He had eyes and ears everywhere. He probably thought Ho-beom would end things easily like before. That’s why he had turned a blind eye.

“Don’t become like your father. This old man couldn’t bear it.”

When the old man mentioned his father, Ho-beom felt his chest tighten, making it hard to breathe. His expression seemed to ask: Will you abandon your grandfather like your father did? Don’t get swayed here.

With a composed face, Ho-beom stood up.

“It’s late. I’ll come back when it’s daylight to finish that conversation.”

Before leaving, he looked at Seo Min-jun. If he could, he’d beat him to a pulp and kill him. He barely swallowed his rising anger, clenching his molars. Until the door closed, he could feel the old man’s gaze drilling into the back of his head.

Walking down the corridor, he thought: My father chose my mother and abandoned his grandfather. That’s why he died and couldn’t protect Mom either. I’m not my father. I don’t like Soo-hyun, and I won’t make foolish choices. So it’s right to follow the old man’s wishes.

I know this. But why…

Stepping outside, he could breathe again. Dismissing Secretary Choi who was following him, he reached for a cigarette when Park Tae-jun approached. Observing Ho-beom’s expression, he cautiously began to speak.

“Director.”

“Yeah?”

“Baek Soo-hyun…”

Park Tae-jun looked extremely apologetic.

“We lost him. He took a taxi in Seoul and got off at Jecheon Terminal, but then vanished without a trace. I’ve ordered a thorough search of the area.”

When Ho-beom remained silent, Park Tae-jun continued.

“As soon as it’s daylight, we’ll secure the surrounding CCTV footage and definitely find him.”

After a long silence, Ho-beom threw his cigarette on the ground and turned toward the car.

“Leave it.”

“Pardon?”

“Don’t look for him.”

“But if he escapes like this—”

Ho-beom stopped abruptly and turned to Park Tae-jun. What did he read in that gaze? Park Tae-jun quickly shut his mouth and bowed his head. “I’m sorry.” Before getting into the car, Ho-beom turned toward the main house.

Today, the lights were exceptionally bright, illuminating beyond the walls. What further conversations were Chairman Yang and Seo Min-jun having?

So this is how it ends up, he thought, a bitter smile escaping his lips.