Chapter 243: Unveiling Secrets in the Wake of Loss

Hearing about the background check on his grandmother would have been enough to shock anyone, but Executive Director Woo Byung-joon remained unfazed.

“This won’t be easy.”

This was the first time he’d responded negatively right off the bat since he started working for me.

Is it that difficult? Or is it because it involves my grandmother?

“Is the difficulty with the task itself, or the subject?”

“I don’t let the subject influence my actions. Pinpointing art transactions is inherently challenging.”

It occurred to me then that Woo Byung-joon was human after all, and a faint smile touched my lips.

“I’m not exaggerating.”

Perhaps misunderstanding my amusement, his expression tightened.

“Accurately tracking high-value art deals isn’t just about finding records. Many transactions are clandestine, with payment made exclusively in cash.”

“Are you suggesting we need to investigate people?”

“Yes. We need to extract information from individuals involved in these deals, which is why I said it would be difficult.”

“When it comes to loosening tongues, money and force are the most reliable methods.”

A hint of surprise flickered across Woo Byung-joon’s face. He probably hadn’t expected such a direct answer from me.

My own experience was the opposite.

My job was to use money and force to silence people.

Pregnant women, assaulted men, hit-and-run accidents, drugs, and more.

I padlocked the victims’ lips and greased the palms of the investigating officers. Expensive gifts were sent to the homes of perceptive reporters, effectively turning off their loud speakers.

Making someone talk and making them shut up are essentially the same task.

“You know your way around these things. You’re right.”

“Didn’t you say you don’t use violence?”

“Yes. Instead, I hire people who do use violence. And they need to be the expendable type, easily cut off.”

“Which also requires money… So, the difficulty lies in finding someone who’s good at using violence but also easily disposable.”

“They also need to be sharp. A dullard will only elicit irrelevant answers to irrelevant questions. And the other side has their enforcers too. Expect some roughhousing, and smoothing things over if a conflict erupts….”

He was being unusually talkative.

Normally, even when facing a challenge, Woo Byung-joon would simply say, ‘Understood, though it may take some time,’ and leave it at that.

Could it be?

“You already know something, don’t you? Am I right?”

It was amusing to see Woo Byung-joon, usually so composed, flustered. When he’s nervous, he blinks more frequently.

“I momentarily forgot how perceptive you are.”

I didn’t want to push him further into discomfort.

“I won’t press for details, but it needs to be done, however difficult. It’s essential.”

Woo Byung-joon’s rapid blinking ceased.

“Yes, sir. I’ll proceed immediately.”

“I’ll provide ample funds. I’ll have one billion won delivered to my studio apartment today. Take it from there.”

“Understood, Chief of staff.”

After Woo Byung-joon left, I headed to my grandfather’s house where the wake was being held.

* * *

When Chairman Jin’s three sons entered the now-vacant study, they simultaneously frowned.

Their mother was sitting there as if she owned the place, before their father’s scent had even faded.

Words teetered on the edge of their tongues, but the solemnity of the wake house dictated silence, so they composed themselves.

“When did you arrive without so much as a word?”

“About a week ago.”

“You could have at least called….”

As Jin Sang-ki voiced his displeasure, she cut him off.

“Enough about the past… What in the world have you been doing?”

Her gaze locked onto her eldest son.

“What are you talking about?”

Jin Young-gi scowled, clearly annoyed by his mother’s reprimand.

“Why is that impudent brat still hanging around the company?”

Everyone knew the ‘impudent brat’ she was referring to was Jin Do-jun.

“Is it so difficult to get rid of one insignificant person from the group?”

“Mother, we’ll handle the group’s affairs. You don’t need to tire yourself with unnecessary worries.”

Though energetic for someone in their eighties, her children, nearing sixty, couldn’t help but bristle at their mother’s interference and nagging.

“Pathetic excuses for men!”

Reading the blatant dissatisfaction and annoyance on her sons’ faces, Lee Pil-ok’s eyes narrowed.

“That boy is gnawing away at your father’s Soonyang. What do you mean, ‘handle it yourselves’?”

“Mother, we’ve already made plans, and we’ll implement them as soon as Father’s funeral is over. Do-jun won’t be able to set foot in the group. So, leave it to us.”

Jin Dong-gi couldn’t wait to escape this conversation. Outside, everyone was busy preparing the wake, while his mother seemed to care little about his father’s funeral.

“Hyung-nim, what are you talking about? What plans?”

The usually quiet Jin Sang-ki’s eyes widened as he spoke.

Stirring up trouble….

Thanks to their mother, a casual remark had drawn in the uninformed youngest son.

“You’ll find out soon enough. We’re not trying to exclude you, and there’s no reason to. Father may have excluded you from the group, but we’re different. Anyway… we’ll tell you everything after we get through this. Just be patient.”

As Jin Young-gi attempted to placate his younger brother, Lee Pil-ok slammed her hand on the desk, unable to contain her anger.

“You pathetic fools! Is it any wonder that old man doted on that young Do-jun!”

“Mother, please calm down and lower your voice. The servants outside can hear you.”

The eldest son’s attempt to soothe her was futile.

“Sang-ki, you! Tell me, they say your father gave you all of his personal assets? How much is it? Over a trillion won? What about real estate? Did you get dozens of buildings and millions of acres of land?”

Caught off guard by his mother’s sudden barrage of questions, Jin Sang-ki avoided eye contact, prompting his brothers to press him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Tell us. How much is it? Could it be… nothing at all?”

Lee Pil-ok clicked her tongue at her sons’ reactions.

“Don’t you know how much that man lying out there loved money? He amassed it by any means necessary. Did you really think the shares you received were all there was? You fools.”

“Then are you saying he gave all of his personal assets to Do-jun?”

Jin Sang-ki finally managed to speak.

“Of course! Who else would have gotten it? Your brothers? Or me? Seo-yun? Do you have to taste it to know if it’s poop or soybean paste?”

Lee Pil-ok could only stare at her sons, who were exchanging bewildered glances.

“He’s the son of a base woman with unknown roots, someone who just powdered her face for a living. Yet, unfortunately, he inherited your father’s very nature. Sly, greedy, and ruthless….”

Lee Pil-ok pointed towards the outside.

“That’s why the man lying there cherished him so much. Because he’s just like him.”

The three sons remained silent, heads bowed under their mother’s sharp reprimand.

“That cheap woman took my son away, and now her cheap-blooded son is going to take our Soonyang Group? And you’re just sitting here, relaxed, squabbling over who gets to be chairman? Have you lost your minds?!”

Lee Pil-ok pounded her chest in frustration.

“Enough talk. After the funeral, Young-gi, you’ll take the chairman’s seat. Dong-gi, you’ll follow your brother without complaint. With both of your shares, there won’t be any issues, will there? Then, seize the financial subsidiaries that Do-jun controls. Replace the CEO and all the executives with our people. It’s that simple! You fools have missed this opportunity by being busy checking each other!”

Jin Young-gi suddenly felt a surge of affection and gratitude towards his mother. Who knew such a strong ally would emerge?

However, Jin Dong-gi’s expression darkened further.

He wouldn’t relinquish the temporary chairman position easily. Now that he had his mother’s backing…

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Jin Dong-gi addressed his mother.

“We’ve already agreed that Hyung-nim will take the chairman’s position until the share adjustments are finalized. It’s a done deal, Mother.”

“Oh? Well done.”

“Anyway, Hyung-nim and I will handle the group’s affairs. Stop meddling and at least try to look sad during the funeral. People are watching.”

Jin Dong-gi sighed briefly and began to rise, but his mother’s next words stopped him.

“I have some shares of my own. And quite a bit of money I’ve accumulated. Depending on how you handle things, I’ll give it all to the one who pleases me the most. Dong-gi, if you get your hands on that, even your brother won’t be able to treat you lightly.”

Shares?

“M-Mother….”

The surprised Jin Young-gi stammered, but Lee Pil-ok cut off her sons.

“Did you think I lived with your father for over eighty years and remained penniless? I saw how he siphoned money and hid his shares.”

“H-How many shares do you have?”

Jin Young-gi asked urgently, but Lee Pil-ok only smiled.

“It’s a world where parents are only respected if they have wealth, isn’t it? Now you’ll finally listen to your mother.”

Lee Pil-ok rose from Chairman Jin’s seat.

“My shares aren’t much, but combined with the money, it’ll be enough to tip the scales. Cleanse every corner of this house of that cheap woman’s taint. Then, I’ll give you everything I have. I trust you understand.”

Lee Pil-ok ignored her sons’ desperate gazes and left the study.

* * *

In the wake hall, only a few workers were arranging wreaths. I’d just seen my father heading to Yeongbin Gwan, so where were the other chief mourners?

I placed a fresh incense stick and quietly retreated, merely observing the empty hall.

If my grandmother were to see me alone in the wake hall, this place that should be solemn would become noisy again. I resolved to avoid any encounters until the funeral was over.

Just then, the study door opened, and my grandmother emerged. Without so much as a glance at the wake hall, she headed straight upstairs.

Why?

Why did my grandmother go into my grandfather’s study?

It had already been thoroughly cleaned.

Most of the documents were burned, and the essential paperwork was moved to the respective subsidiaries. All that remained were the books on the shelves and the plaques and trophies my grandfather had received.

She wasn’t one to get lost in memories looking at the study.

Just in case, I approached the study, and sure enough, the voices of my three uncles leaked out.

They were plotting something again, their voices too low to make out.

Had my grandmother gathered her sons to scold them?

The answer came quickly.

The expressions on my uncles’ faces as they left the study were grim. If they had just been scolded, they would look annoyed… Something significant must have happened.

I was curious about what they discussed, but I had to push the thought away.

Visitors had begun to arrive to pay their respects.

* * *

As more influential figures from Korea came to the wake, Jin Dong-gi’s expression grew increasingly dark.

They seemed to assume Jin Young-gi was the successor, focusing their attention on him rather than on Jin Dong-gi.

When the Minister of Construction and Transportation, who oversaw the construction industry, spent a significant amount of time in private conversation with Jin Young-gi while barely acknowledging him, Jin Dong-gi felt his blood boil.

Did they not realize he was in charge of Soonyang Construction and Heavy Industries? Being treated as second-in-command by everyone fueled his desperation.

His mother’s shares and money were becoming even more crucial.

And he had learned from his father that what you needed, you took.