Chapter 834: An Unexpected Encounter

His expression remained impassive but the emotions conveyed by his eyes were a different story.

Ye Xiaotong who had been pouring out her story for a while was startled by the tears that welled up unbidden.

She wiped her tears and spoke with her head bowed.

“I didn’t come here expecting you to do anything. I was just curious. If you knew I existed you could have come to find me.”

…

Woo Young-shik tried to maintain a stoic expression but he felt a pang of sympathy as he watched Ye Xiaotong’s tears fall.

He struggled to appear calm but his gaze remained fixed on the top of Ye Xiaotong’s bowed head. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

An awkward silence stretched between them.

Finally, Ye Xiaotong composed herself, regaining her composure as she lifted her head.

She met Woo Young-shik’s gaze as he stared intently at her.

“Say something.”

Woo Young-shik slowly broke the long silence.

“Who told you about me?”

Ye Xiaotong’s eyes widened at his soft voice.

Realizing that Ye Xiaotong had come knowing everything, Woo Young-shik decided to speak candidly.

“Does it matter?”

“Of course. Senior Ye Xianping wouldn’t have told you about me. Who was it? Who told you about me?”

“Does it really matter? Is that all you have to say?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to know about me. It’s better this way. Senior Ye Xianping and I both agreed on that.”

…

Ye Xiaotong seemed speechless, her mouth opening and closing without a sound. But Woo Young-shik continued calmly.

“My existence would only be a weakness for you.”

“What do you mean…?”

“It was like that in my time. My country and yours were enemies. What would happen if it became known that Ye Xianping’s granddaughter carried Korean blood? Before my life, what about your life as a child? I simply couldn’t make a choice that would ruin your life.”

“But you could have taken me with you.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t have regretted following me?”

Ye Xiaotong hesitated.

“Since you can’t answer immediately it seems Senior Ye Xianping’s affection for you was genuine. I’m relieved.”

Woo Young-shik smiled sadly.

Ye Xiaotong’s heart grew heavier as she recognized the fatherly affection in his smile.

“What about your life? I heard you lost everything you had built in this country.”

“How much do you know? No, I think I understand now. Who told you about me. It was Kim Mu-hyeok.”

…

“Even though I asked him not to. Not to approach you. He broke that promise…”

Woo Young-shik didn’t bother hiding his anger towards Kim Mu-hyeok.

Ye Xiaotong quickly interjected.

“No, you’re wrong. It wasn’t Boss Kim Mu-hyeok who approached me. I sought him out first.”

“Don’t get involved with him. Nothing good will come of it for you.”

“What do you mean…?”

“That man will do anything to achieve his goals.”

She was well aware of this. Ye Xiaotong nodded and said.

“I know. That’s why I need him. You don’t know but that man is obstructing the path of the person I love. I have to stop him.”

“…Then you shouldn’t have come to Korea. This is his country. Did you make any mistakes with him?”

Woo Young-shik’s worried question made Ye Xiaotong shake her head.

“No. In fact, I helped Boss Kim Mu-hyeok.”

Woo Young-shik let out a sigh of relief and nodded.

“I’ll say it again. Don’t get close to Boss Kim Mu-hyeok. No matter what you’re doing.”

“…I’ll take care of that myself. I don’t understand why his name keeps coming up in the first meeting between a father and daughter. I want to hear your story.”

“Haha. My life… The biggest regret of my life is giving up your mother.”

Woo Young-shik’s eyes drifted into the distance as if reminiscing about the past.

But he trailed off without finishing his sentence.

After that the two talked for a long time but the gap between them didn’t easily close.

Ye Xiaotong said she wanted to treat him as a father and Woo Young-shik told her to forget his existence and never seek him out again.

Just as their conversation seemed to be running in parallel lines, a knock came at the door.

Ye Xiaotong, her irritation rising, called out sharply.

“Tao!”

Besides Woo Young-shik, there was no one else who would come looking for her.

At Ye Xiaotong’s call, Tao approached the door with his hand tucked inside his suit jacket.

Hidden inside was the pistol given to him by the Chinese Embassy staff at the airport.

Tao cautiously checked the peephole and turned to report to Ye Xiaotong.

“It’s Boss Kim Mu-hyeok.”

“What? Kim Mu-hyeok?”

“Why is Kim Mu-hyeok here?”

Both of them called out his name at the same time.

* * *

After arriving at Gimpo Airport I stepped off the private jet and left the airport.

As soon as I got in the car I asked Manager Ma.

“Where is Ye Xiaotong?”

“She’s staying in a suite at the Jongno Hotel. Senior Secretary Woo Young-shik also went to the hotel.”

“Let’s head there. I need to resolve my curiosity quickly.”

The car sped through the roads and arrived at the Jongno Hotel.

Taking the elevator I reached Ye Xiaotong’s floor and said to Manager Ma.

“Manager Ma, please clear out this entire floor.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Manager Ma gave instructions to another subordinate.

In the meantime I walked slowly to the innermost room and arrived at the door.

I stopped Manager Ma who was about to ring the bell and knocked on the door.

There was no response for a long time.

Just as Manager Ma was about to knock again the door opened.

“How did you know I was here?”

Ye Xiaotong’s bodyguard asked.

“You’re Tao, right? I’m here to see Ye Xiaotong.”

“Please return another day. The boss is having an important conversation right now.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. I’m not the type to let my curiosity go unanswered.”

…

Tao stood দৃঢ়ly blocking the door without budging.

“Move. You’ll get hurt.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Then I have no choice.”

Before my words even finished Manager Ma stepped forward.

“Tao!”

Just then Ye Xiaotong’s voice came from inside.

“Let him in.”

As soon as Ye Xiaotong’s command was given Tao immediately stepped aside.

Loyalty is good, but you should know when and where to apply it.

I lightly tapped Tao’s shoulder as he moved aside and gave him a small smile.

“Loyalty is a virtue, but too much can be poisonous. This isn’t China, so don’t overdo it. If you get hurt, Ye Xiaotong will be in danger.”

Tao simply bowed his head without a word. I walked past him into the room.

“Senior Secretary Woo Young-shik, you’re here too.”

I said, seeing Woo Young-shik and Ye Xiaotong sitting across from each other.

“What brings you here?”

“I came to have an important conversation with my daughter.”

“Didn’t I ask you not to? Don’t think of using my daughter. If that happens, I’ll use everything I have…”

“You seem to be misunderstanding something. Your daughter approached me first. I kept my promise.”

…

Leaving Woo Young-shik, who was glaring at me, I turned to Ye Xiaotong.

“I’m sorry. I know you’re in the middle of an important conversation but I couldn’t stand my curiosity so I came here.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“Nothing is unknown to me in Korea.”

“That’s a scary thing to say.”

“It’s the truth.”

I shrugged and turned to Senior Secretary Woo Young-shik.

“Please continue your conversation later, Senior Secretary. Please leave for today.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not a pleasant topic. I don’t mind, but… your daughter won’t want you here.”

Woo Young-shik glanced at Ye Xiaotong.

“I’ll contact you again tomorrow. Let’s have a meal and continue our talk.”

…

“Please, Dad.”

I was quite surprised by Ye Xiaotong’s quick acceptance of Woo Young-shik as her ‘dad’.

“Alright. Let’s talk again tomorrow.”

At Ye Xiaotong’s request Woo Young-shik reluctantly got up and stood before me.

“Boss Kim. I’m warning you. If you harm my daughter… I’ll risk my life to bring you down.”

Woo Young-shik had stepped down from all official positions but he was still one of the people who knew me best.

I had no intention of becoming enemies with him.

But that didn’t mean I would back down from someone who was threatening me.

“Is that so? I’m getting more curious about your reaction now.”

“Boss Kim!”

“Haha. Just kidding. I just came to have a conversation. I had a very interesting experience in China.”

“…Let’s talk later.”

Woo Young-shik glared at me once more and left. Ye Xiaotong remained seated and spoke to me.

“Take a seat. You came here to talk, didn’t you?”

I nodded and sat in the seat Woo Young-shik had just vacated.

As soon as I sat down she pressed me.

“So what is it? It must be urgent if you came here without an appointment.”

She didn’t seem this impatient before. I could see her eyes were red.

“Have you been crying?”

“Why do you care? Just get to the point. I don’t want to play mind games today.”

I shrugged at her emotional state.

Well, must have been an emotional reunion with her father. It wasn’t a matter that required dragging out, so I got straight to the point.

“Xiaotong. Was it you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m asking if you’re the scriptwriter of this ridiculous play. A very interesting and strange play.”

“Ah, are you talking about Wei Zhengxing’s death?”

As if just remembering, Ye Xiaotong clapped her hands together and offered an exaggerated greeting.

Her actions were so elegant that they actually made me feel worse.

“Ye Xiaotong. How much do you know about me?”

“Well. As much as everyone else, I suppose?”

“Then you know nothing. We’re having a serious conversation, so don’t talk like you’re playing around. I really hate being someone else’s puppet. I’ll ask you one more time. Did you set this up?”

As if it were a lie, the smile disappeared from Ye Xiaotong’s face.

“You’re quite interesting. Yes. I did it. I simply returned the gift you gave me. Thanks to that, things were resolved easily, weren’t they? But I don’t understand why you’re so on edge.”

She admitted it readily. Then she glared at me and added bluntly.

“Of course, you would have had a way even if I didn’t help. You have the power to do so. But it would have taken quite some time. I just shortened that time for you. Are you still dissatisfied?”

As Ye Xiaotong said, I had already made preparations.

However, it would have taken quite some time to clear my name and escape from China.

“Did I do something unnecessary?”

“No. I’m grateful. It would have been nice if you had told me in advance. But…”

She snorted as if to say, ‘See?’ and I continued in a শীতল voice.

“Isn’t it strange? How did you have all the evidence so perfectly arranged? Evidence that Wei Zhengxing ordered me killed and was then killed himself, evidence that couldn’t be obtained unless you were a direct party.”

“Are you suspecting me now?”

Her gaze didn’t waver at all.

“I didn’t know I’d be suspected like this after helping you. Are you saying I tried to kill you?”

Ye Xiaotong looked at me with a bewildered expression, letting out a hollow laugh.

But as China’s top lobbyist, she could easily hide her true intentions.

“Wouldn’t it be stranger not to suspect you?”

“I should have just pretended not to know.”

I couldn’t sense any hint of suspicion from her face, gestures, or tone of voice.

That made it even stranger. To the point where I felt I needed to dig deeper into her background.

“So it was purely your ability?”

“I know Wei Zhengxing well. I put surveillance on him just in case he might harm Ji-young later. That’s how I found out all of this. Thanks to that, I was able to hand over all the evidence I secured to Chairman Hu Jintao’s side.”

She explained in detail how this matter was resolved.

I couldn’t find a single flaw in her fluid explanation.

This made me even more uneasy. I nodded, meeting her gaze after she finished speaking.

“I understand with my head. But my gut tells me you were behind Wei Zhengxing.”

“Aren’t you overestimating me? How could I control a man like Wei Zhengxing?”

“Too much humility is worse than none at all. I hold you in high regard. Supporting Xi Jinping from the sidelines since long ago, you’re no ordinary person.”

Knowing how I felt about Xi Jinping, she chuckled.

“Is that a compliment, not sarcasm?”

“Of course. If I didn’t know Xi Jinping’s true face, I would have supported him too.”

“…What kind of person do you think Xi Jinping is? You keep saying things like that to me.”

“Well, you can find that out for yourself. That’s not what’s important today.”

There was no need to explain it kindly. Instead, I delivered the words I had intended to say today.

“I’m grateful for this. If there’s anything I can do to help you, I’ll help you once. But if you’re even slightly involved in my assassination attempt, then you’ll be facing me as an enemy. I still don’t fully trust you. And…”

I paused for a moment and looked directly into her eyes.

“Don’t do anything related to me on your own without any discussion. This is a warning. Even if it’s something that helps me like this time. I don’t like being a chess piece on someone else’s board. There won’t be a second time, so remember that well.”

Finally, I gave a chilling warning and stared at her coldly.

Ye Xiaotong didn’t avoid my gaze.