Chapter 194: I Can’t Allow This

I had many questions to ask Chief Ha.

What were Grandfather’s last instructions, and what had he said to Cheon Su-man?

“Did Grandfather order you to kill Cheon Su-man? Or did he instruct you to send him back overseas?”

But he remained silent.

He just looked at me quietly.

“I know it’s an order from Grandfather, but you need to be loyal to me now, Chief. I won’t allow my people to keep secrets from me.”

My words struck him with weight, making Chief Ha’s face harden even more.

“I have no intention of defying Grandfather’s last wishes. I won’t stop you from carrying them out, but I need to know what they are.”

I needed to understand why Grandfather’s final directive had left him with such a solemn expression.

“Is saying not to become like Cheon Su-man a warning to avoid committing the same mistake by killing him, thus spilling my own blood? So did Grandfather ask you to do it instead?”

I would never forget the shock on Grandfather’s face when he learned that Cheon Su-man had been ordered to kill my mother.

That was when I had driven a nail into Grandfather’s heart.

So… I hesitated about killing Cheon Su-man.

Having experienced the sorrow of losing family, I thought I couldn’t bear to make Grandfather suffer such agony again.

“I must know. I need to hear what Grandfather said. Even if it goes against his wishes, I need to know.”

Chief Ha, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke.

“Can’t you simply pretend you don’t know? Cheon Su-man will never appear before you again.”

I shook my head firmly.

I had to know. A sense of dread told me that if I didn’t find out now, I might lose Chief Ha for good.

“It’s not that I’m asking you not to tell me. I just need to understand what happened and why Grandfather let Cheon Su-man go.”

Whether to kill him, imprison him, or send him abroad, it didn’t matter to me. I wasn’t trying to stop any of it.

I wanted to know why Grandfather had let go of Cheon Su-man.

“…Boss.”

What could possibly make him hesitate like this?

Frustration welled up in me, causing my brow to furrow instinctively.

“I need to hear it from Cheon Su-man himself.”

I could easily find out where Cheon Su-man had been taken if I wanted to.

Chief Ha’s subordinates were basically Grandfather’s subordinates. In the end, they had to listen to me, the heir.

“…It’s not something good to hear.”

“But please tell me. I’ll make the judgment myself.”

I could vividly picture the furious expression Chief Ha had when he insulted Cheon Su-man, saying he was worse than an animal.

What on earth had occurred?

At last, with a slow breath, Chief Ha’s tightly sealed lips began to part.

“Just promise me one thing.”

“A promise?”

“Yes. Promise you won’t stop me from handling this.”

I assessed Chief Ha’s gaze. His sunk eyes reflected determination.

“Hah… I promise.”

I nodded, releasing a deep sigh.

Finally, Chief Ha revealed the secret he had been concealing.

“…After you went to Pyongyang, Cheon Su-man visited. I didn’t think much of it since he was someone who regularly came by for formalities.”

I knew that while Cheon Su-man didn’t come often, he did check on Grandfather’s condition.

“He left after about twenty minutes. The next morning, the chairman regained his senses.”

Chief Ha detailed the events leading up to my phone call while I was in Pyongyang.

“After ending the call with you, the chairman instructed me to extract blood from him.”

He asked for a blood draw.

The moment I heard that, an ominous feeling coursed through my mind.

“So I extracted blood myself and even conducted a blood test without anyone knowing.”

“No way… It can’t be true, right?”

I asked in a trembling voice, hoping that the scenario I envisioned was far from reality.

Chief Ha licked his chapped lips and answered.

“The blood test revealed nothing unusual.”

No matter how much of a beast Cheon Su-man was, I hoped it wasn’t something dire.

Fortunately, it seemed Cheon Su-man hadn’t fallen to the very bottom.

“…The chairman ordered me to eliminate him if Cheon Su-man acted out at his funeral or caused trouble. He said to keep your hands clean and that I would handle everything.”

Did Grandfather anticipate Cheon Su-man’s actions? He instructed me to take care of him?

“The chairman said that he would bear all the consequences himself… He asked me to handle it all for him.”

But that alone didn’t clarify why he had given up on Cheon Su-man or why he had behaved like a docile lamb.

Grandfather would never have let go of Cheon Su-man for something so trivial.

Did Chief Ha notice the confusion on my face? He opened his mouth again.

“The blood test showed nothing wrong, but…”

Chief Ha hesitated, lowering his head unexpectedly.

“I’m sorry.”

Sorry? I couldn’t comprehend why he was apologizing as I bit my lip and narrowed my eyes.

“There’s a camera in the hospital room that only I know about.”

“A camera…?”

“The chairman had asked for that to be set up when he still had strength. He said if he ever collapsed or needed a long stay in the hospital, not to tell anyone and to record what happened in the room.”

At that moment, my expression hardened.

I hadn’t expected that directive at all.

However, what followed was even more shocking.

“The chairman asked me to confirm the timing of Cheon Su-man’s visit. If what he saw was true… then he ordered his death. If not, he said to send him abroad.”

“He ordered his death? What could Grandfather have seen…”

“He recorded the moment Cheon Su-man injected something into the chairman.”

“…”

Until now, Chief Ha’s voice had been calm, but now it was filled with anger.

Cheon Su-man… You truly were a monster who gave up your humanity.

“I don’t know what that drug was. So I plan to find out. I want to know who was involved and what was injected into the chairman.”

A cold glint passed through Chief Ha’s eyes. His low voice carried a sense of murderous intent.

“And if it influenced the chairman’s death even slightly, I’ll kill anyone related to it.”

Chief Ha hung his head, pressing his lips together tight.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I can accept the position of chairman at Taesan Financial.”

Chief Ha had made up his mind to take responsibility as Grandfather’s sword in the end.

“So you planned to take on everything alone without mentioning what Cheon Su-man did to Grandfather?”

Now, all the pieces started fitting together.

I understood why Cheon Su-man hadn’t fought back and why Chief Ha had been cold to Cheon Ji-won and Cheon Ji-su..

My mind turned frosty. This was all my fault.

I realized that allowing Cheon Su-man to live because of Grandfather’s plea was the root of all these troubles.

‘Grandfather…’

How sad could he have been? How difficult? And how tormented?

Thinking about what Grandfather felt when he gave the order to kill Cheon Su-man made my heart ache.

If I had killed Cheon Su-man myself, he would have left with resentment.

Imagining Grandfather bearing everything alone made my heart tighten.

“I misjudged this situation.”

“You did nothing wrong, sir.”

“No, I was the one at fault. I should have killed Cheon Su-man while he was in Australia.”

If I had killed him earlier, Grandfather wouldn’t have to go through this.

Suddenly, I recalled the Grandfather who had passed away from a heart attack in my previous life.

‘If it wasn’t from old age, but because Cheon Su-man injected him with something like this…’

Then Grandfather suffered in both this life and the last.

Did giving him a moment to sort things out make me the god or the devil in this matter?

I unwittingly bit my lip as a metallic taste filled my mouth.

That helped me regain my focus amid the chaos of anger.

“Find out everyone connected to this incident involving Cheon Su-man. I’ll leave handling him to you, Chief, but I will settle the rest myself.”

“You promised you wouldn’t interfere.”

“Yes, I won’t. I’ll root out everyone involved in this, but that doesn’t mean you have to shoulder everything alone.”

I needed Chief Ha. A sharper sword that had been honed by Grandfather’s death.

“Il-sung is likely involved.. It would be extremely difficult to kill Seo Yong-geon without any preparation. You would likely face danger too.”

Killing a chaebol owner like Il-sung in Korea was next tto impossible.

Of course, it might be feasible if I gave everything up. Just as Chief Ha was doing now.

But the repercussions would be immense.

“I don’t care. Even if the President is involved, I’ll kill him. Even if it costs me my life in the process, I’m taking them down with me.”

The resolute expression on Chief Ha’s face made him trustworthy.

That’s why I didn’t want to lose him. Losing this man would be a massive loss.

“I can’t allow this. I’ll have my revenge, but don’t give up your life, Chief. I’ll take care of everything, and you will deal with their demise.”

If Chief Ha handles everything alone, I can remove the threat easily.

But I never thought of him as just a tool to be used and discarded.

“Chief, trust me and wait. It won’t take long.”

“…”

He looked at me with hesitation in his eyes.

I didn’t avoid his gaze, hoping he would understand my sincerity.

“…But.”

“Trust me. I know how Grandfather felt when he left his last wishes in your care.”

I was grateful to Grandfather for giving me the resolution. However, apart from that, Chief Ha was also precious to me.

“…Understood.”

After a long pause, I finally felt relieved when Chief Ha agreed.

“Of course, I can’t let Cheon Su-man live. Leaving aside Grandfather’s last wishes, I can never forgive that man. Find out everything he knows and take care of it.”

Even if Grandfather had said to spare Cheon Su-man, I probably wouldn’t have followed it.

I just wouldn’t kill him by my hand, so I hoped this would warrant my forgiveness.

“Thank you.”

I nodded, watching Chief Ha bow his head.

I still had one last question to ask.

“…Did Grandfather watch the video?”

Shaking his head with a mournful look, Chief Ha replied.

“No. He only confirmed it after the chairman passed.”

Thank goodness. Doubt and certainty are different.

Grandfather couldn’t have been sure. Whether what he witnessed was real.

If it wasn’t true, then he probably said to send Cheon Su-man abroad with some hope lingering in his heart.

“That’s a relief.”

“Should I be relieved?”

Chief Ha’s bittersweet retort echoed in my mind. I couldn’t reply and lowered my gaze.

“Did he say nothing about Cheon Ji-won and Cheon Ji-su?””

“He asked for a chance for them… However, if they interfere with your actions or contest the will, he told me to deal with it as I saw fit. If they leave in satisfaction, he also wanted me to tell you to forgive Young Master and the Young Lady.”

Although Cheon Su-man betrayed Grandfather’s trust, it wasn’t necessary to hold that against Cheon Ji-won and Cheon Ji-su..

I nodded slightly.

“Understood. I forgive whatever wrongs they’ve committed until now. If they disturb me again, they will receive the same fate as Cheon Su-man.”

Grandfather, I won’t hesitate any longer.

My hesitation was the reason for Grandfather’s death. I could no longer afford to hesitate.

I closed my eyes and lifted my head. After resolving my inner vow, I slowly opened my eyes.

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll need to accept mourners again, so delay handling Cheon Su-man until after the funeral. It wouldn’t look good if you’re absent.”

“Yes, of course.”

Was Grandfather crying?

I turned my gaze toward the funeral home window where heavy rain was pouring down.