Chapter 826: Party Crasher

The guard at the hotel entrance spoke to her.

“Invitation please.”

Cheon Ji-young pulled out an invitation from her small handbag and handed it to the guard.

“Confirmed. No bodyguards allowed.”

At the guard’s words Cheon Ji-young said with a perplexed look.

“Can’t I take them in? They’re not supposed to leave my side.”

“I’m sorry. No exceptions.”

At the guard’s firm response Cheon Ji-young nodded reluctantly.

Taking the invitation back from the guard and putting it in her bag, Cheon Ji-young spoke to the bodyguards behind her.

“They said bodyguards have to wait outside. Wait here.”

“We were ordered to stay by your side miss.”

“But there are no exceptions so there’s nothing we can do. Besides my brother is inside so there shouldn’t be any big problems.”

The bodyguards already knew that Kim Mu-hyeok was attending the inauguration party.

Seeing the bodyguards exchanging glances, Cheon Ji-young preemptively said.

“I came without my brother knowing so please do me this favor. I won’t be going around alone.”

“…Alright. This is the only time miss.”

At the head bodyguard’s words Cheon Ji-young replied with a bright smile.

“Thank you.”

Cheon Ji-young took out her phone and called somewhere.

“Sis. Where are you? Huh? You’ll be a bit late so I should go in first? What am I supposed to do alone when I don’t know anyone? Ah, alright. Come quickly.”

Cheon Ji-young ended the call so everyone could hear, left the bodyguards outside and went in.

People recognized her from the hotel lobby and glanced at her.

Hiding her face behind dark sunglasses she headed to the grand banquet hall.

Entering the party hall she looked around for Kim Mu-hyeok but he was nowhere to be seen.

Fortunately she spotted a group of Chinese celebrities she knew in the party hall.

She walked towards them.

“Hello.”

The Chinese actors turned their heads at Cheon Ji-young’s greeting.

Cheon Ji-young took off her sunglasses and smiled gracefully.

“I don’t know anyone here, can I join the conversation?”

“We’d be honored if it’s Miss Cheon Ji-young.”

The actors didn’t shun her. No, they were full of welcome.

“Are you resuming activities in China?”

“I probably will.”

“It would be great to be in the same project.”

“Me too.”

Cheon Ji-young chatted with the actors while waiting for her group.

As they chatted over wine the atmosphere kept heating up.

Some of the actors she was talking with met their partners and went elsewhere, leaving only a few.

Just then a man approached Cheon Ji-young.

“Well, well, who is this?”

Cheon Ji-young turned her head towards the voice and narrowed her brows.

“Why so standoffish when I just want to grab a meal? How boring.”

Cheon Ji-young ignored his words and spoke to another actor.

But the other actor turned away, avoiding her.

He seemed afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

Seeing that, the man became even more emboldened.

“Are you ignoring me?”

“I have no intention of eating with you. So don’t talk to me.”

Cheon Ji-young sighed and said that and Wi Jeong-seong glared at her response.

“What?! You want to end your career? Do you know who I am?”

“It doesn’t matter who you are. If you want someone to play with, look elsewhere. I’m not interested.”

Cheon Ji-young glanced at Wi Jeong-seong and coldly turned away.

But Wi Jeong-seong, unable to contain his anger at being treated like trash and never having been treated like this before, raised his hand.

Then he grabbed her wrist as she turned and yelled.

“Where do you get off acting so pricey, you entertainer!”

He had grabbed her slender wrist with such force that the area quickly turned red.

Cheon Ji-young couldn’t bear the pain and screamed.

“Agh!”

“Follow me! I’ll show you who I am today.”

Wi Jeong-seong threatened and forcefully pulled Cheon Ji-young.

“Let go! Let me go!!”

Cheon Ji-young screamed but no one helped.

People who recognized Wi Jeong-seong just took a step back.

“Shut up! What makes you think you’re so special! Do you not know who I am?”

As she was dragged away, Cheon Ji-young saw people avoiding her and started to get scared.

She didn’t know what would happen if she was dragged away like this where no one would help her.

Just as Cheon Ji-young was about to scream again, someone approached.

Cheon Ji-young barely held back her tears when she saw the man who grabbed Wi Jeong-seong’s arm and twisted it.

“B-brother.”

* * *

The fact that Cheon Ji-young, who shouldn’t be here, was here was the second problem.

Wi Jeong-seong’s behavior of dragging her and no one stopping him filled me with such rage that my vision turned white.

“How should I kill you so that word spreads well, Wi Jeong-seong?”

“What? You bastard! You want to die? Public Security Bureau! What are you doing! He’s threatening me.”

Wi Jeong-seong yelled and the Public Security Bureau officers guarding the party hall approached.

“What’s going on?”

“Arrest this bastard quickly!”

But the Public Security Bureau officers didn’t do anything after checking my face.

The Central Government and even Bo Xilai had guaranteed my safety so the Public Security Bureau couldn’t harm me.

“What are you doing! What are you doing! Can’t you hear me?”

“I’m sorry Chairman. This isn’t something we can get involved in.”

The Public Security Bureau officers said with troubled faces at Wi Jeong-seong’s browbeating.

“What? Hey, do you not know who I am?”

“We know. But we can’t do anything about him.”

At the Public Security Bureau’s response, Wi Jeong-seong looked at me. I glared back at him with a ferocious look.

“Is that it? Try anything else if you have more.”

I took a step towards Wi Jeong-seong. At the same time the bodyguards nearby came to my side.

“Wi Jeong-seong. It doesn’t matter to me who you are. Even if you were Chairman Hu Jintao’s son it wouldn’t matter.”

“…Are you crazy?”

I walked right up to Wi Jeong-seong and grabbed his collar.

Wi Jeong-seong struggled as I choked him but I ignored it and lifted the arm that grabbed Cheon Ji-young’s wrist.

“Is this the hand? The hand that dared to grab my sister’s wrist.”

Wi Jeong-seong flinched at the শীতল voice and unusual atmosphere.

“What should I do? Should I cut off this hand? Or…”

I purposely trailed off and looked down at his crotch with emotionless eyes.

It would be best to remove the useless part. So he can never do this again.

Wi Jeong-seong read the meaning in my eyes and practically screamed for the Public Security Bureau.

“Y-you crazy bastard! Public Security Bureau! Public Security Bureau!”

But it was Bo Xilai who arrived instead of the Public Security Bureau.

Bo Xilai, who had seen Wen Jiabao off at the hotel entrance, returned and called me with a troubled face.

“President Kim Mu-hyeok.”

I didn’t let go and just turned my head to look at Bo Xilai.

“There are many eyes watching.”

“Party Secretary. Did you know my sister would be attending today?”

Bo Xilai nodded.

“Yes. I knew.”

“But why didn’t you tell me? Did you invite her?”

“No. I also found out today. I’d like to ask, didn’t you know?”

Bo Xilai didn’t invite Cheon Ji-young?

I glanced at Cheon Ji-young, she didn’t have the bodyguards I told her to always keep with her.

Who invited Cheon Ji-young? And made her dismiss her bodyguards.

“…Regardless, let go first and let’s talk.”

At Bo Xilai’s request I roughly let go of Wi Jeong-seong’s collar.

As soon as he was free, Wi Jeong-seong raised his voice.

“Bo Xilai! What are you doing! I’m being insulted like this, what are you doing!”

“Wi Jeong-seong. Do you have some grudge against me?”

But Bo Xilai glared at him coldly instead of placating him.

“What are you talking about! Knowing how much I’m doing for you.”

“Then you cause trouble like this on a day like today?”

“…Are you scolding me because of that man?”

“Go back for now. We’ll talk later.”

What is this? He’s trying to send him away as he pleases. I interjected in their conversation.

“Party Secretary. Who are you to send him away as you please? Did I say you could go?”

Bo Xilai turned to me at my words.

“President Kim Mu-hyeok!”

“Keep your voice down. I don’t compromise when it comes to my family. You know that. If it were any other matter I would respect your wishes, but this is an exception.”

“Brother. I’m fine.”

As the atmosphere grew increasingly sharp, Cheon Ji-young quickly grabbed my arm.

“Where are the bodyguards and why are you alone?”

“They said the bodyguards couldn’t attend so I told them to wait outside the hotel. But Manager Ma and…”

Cheon Ji-young looked at Manager Ma and my bodyguards with a puzzled look.

Then she shook her head and spoke again.

“That’s not important, I’m fine.”

What do you mean fine? I checked Cheon Ji-young’s wrist and her hand was already bruised blue.

“I’m not fine. You stay still.”

I spoke to Bo Xilai again.

“Until I say so, that friend can’t go anywhere.”

“President Kim Mu-hyeok. No matter who you are, that friend…”

“Bo Xilai.”

Bo Xilai flinched as if struck by lightning when I called him by name instead of his title.

“I said no.”

“…”

“It was you, Bo Xilai, who asked me to come in person. What kind of host lets their guest be harassed like this?”

“I apologize. Wi Jeong-seong didn’t know anything and…”

The atmosphere was strange, Wi Jeong-seong approached Bo Xilai.

“Who is he that you’re groveling so much? He’s just a Korean isn’t he?”

“Shut up.”

“What? This bastard has no respect now that he’s the Shanghai Party Secretary? Shut up? Who are you ordering to shut up!”

Wi Jeong-seong was also a member of the Princelings and his father was a high-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party.

Having started his business with his father’s backing, he owned one of the top construction companies in China thanks to various special favors.

And he was providing Bo Xilai’s political funds using his immense wealth.

“Wi Jeong-seong!”

The two were about to start arguing again.

But I had no intention of watching this pointless farce.

“Bo Xilai. I’ll handle it.”

“…”

“Even if I ask, it won’t work?”

“Then let’s move somewhere else first.”

Bo Xilai sighed deeply and spoke while looking around the banquet hall.

I also followed him and looked around the banquet hall.

There were too many eyes watching in the banquet hall.

When I nodded, Bo Xilai took Wi Jeong-seong to the room where he was talking with the Prime Minister.

As Bo Xilai and Wi Jeong-seong disappeared, people who were watching us started talking amongst themselves again.

“What are you doing here?”

“Surprise! Were you surprised?”

“…Do you really want to get in trouble?”

“Ah, relax. I’m getting scared.”

Cheon Ji-young spoke playfully and smiled brightly.

It was obvious she was trying to hold back the pain in her wrist.

She’s probably doing this because of my somber mood. Seeing her trying to lighten the mood, I sighed and said.

“Sigh… How did you get here? Bo Xilai said he didn’t invite you.”

“An older sister I know asked me to come. I was going to refuse but she said you were coming too, so I came along.”

“…An older sister? Who?”

“Ah, you’re going to manage my friends too! There is! An older sister who does business in China.”

“Where did she go and leave you alone?”

“She’s not here yet. She should be here soon…”

Cheon Ji-young looked around as she spoke. Then she found who she was looking for and said happily.

“Sis! Here, here!”

Cheon Ji-young waved her hand towards my back.

I turned around to look where Cheon Ji-young was looking and my face hardened without me realizing it.

“Sis! Why are you so late.”

“Sorry. Something came up. But is this him? Your brother?”

“Yes! He’s handsome, right?”

“Hmm… He’s alright.”

I stared at her as she appraised my face.

“What is it, brother?”

When I just stared at her without saying anything, Cheon Ji-young spoke with a puzzled voice.

“Hello. I’m Ye Xiaotong.”

I kept staring at her as she introduced herself in awkward Korean.

When I didn’t reply and kept staring, she became puzzled and asked.

“Do you know me?”

“Ah, sorry. I was thinking about something else. I’m Kim Mu-hyeok.”

When I spoke in Chinese, she also started speaking in Chinese.

“Haha. Ji-young kept bragging about you so I wanted to see you.”

The illegitimate child of Senior Secretary Wu Jeong-sik.

Ye Xiaotong was standing in front of me as Cheon Ji-young’s friend.

She also couldn’t possibly not know me. But she was pretending not to know me.

“I see. I didn’t know Ji-young had such a pretty and close older sister.”

It was a compliment but she said with a seductive smile.

“Is that a compliment?”

“Of course.”

Why did Ye Xiaotong approach Cheon Ji-young? How long have they known each other?

My mind was complicated but I didn’t show it.

“Sorry for meeting like this, but I have some business to take care of first.”

“Brother!”

“Talk amongst yourselves. I’ll be back.”

Cheon Ji-young was stomping her feet behind me but I left her and headed to the room Bo Xilai entered.

After they were sufficiently far away, I gave Manager Ma an order.

“Send someone right away to Cheon Ji-young’s bodyguards and find out when and how they met Ye Xiaotong.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Manager Ma bowed and turned around. Now Manager Ma will bring the information.

I opened the door in front of me to resolve what I could first.