Chapter 68: One Photo, One Lie

“What do you mean, make a deal with me?”

“A deal… yes.”

For a moment, Chae Il-joo seemed frozen. Then a burst of laughter escaped him. It was loud and hearty, without the slightest trace of displeasure, as though he had genuinely heard something amusing.

“Haha. My dear son-in-law certainly knows how to tell a joke.”

But the expression that appeared once the smile faded was different. He was still smiling, yet his gaze had turned sharp. It almost seemed to ask, Who do you think you are, daring to propose a deal to me? Or perhaps it was a warning that Ha-jin’s antics had gone a little too far.

“To be precise, Chairman, I’d like to revisit the terms of our arrangement. Frankly, isn’t it better for you that I’m the one running the art center rather than Jae-yi? To be honest, there isn’t much for me to gain from the position anyway.”

“I can’t exactly deny that.”

“I chose to let the bracelet incident go because I wanted to put our family first. Father-in-law properly apologized by handing over the art center, but Jae-yi doesn’t seem remorseful at all. Seeing that, I started thinking it shouldn’t simply be overlooked.”

Chae Il-joo already knew the truth of what had happened. He had entrusted household matters to Lee Ah-seong, but that didn’t mean he lacked people willing to report what went on behind the scenes.

He had already pressured Manager Yang into telling him the full story. Even so, he had remained silent and pretended not to know.

“So what are you saying? That we should get rid of the chairman and Jae-yi?”

“No! Of course not. How could I do that to family? Love them or hate them, they’re still family.”

The moment Go Ha-jin saw the cold edge that flashed in Chae Il-joo’s eyes, he immediately changed course. The fact that Chae Il-joo had buried the incident despite knowing the truth told him that the man’s concern for family was genuine.

Judging by the chill that entered his gaze whenever Ah-seong or Jae-yi were mentioned, suggesting that Jae-yi be cast out was clearly the wrong move. At least in front of this man, attacking family members was a mistake.

“Rather than that… it seems like Woo-seok is still being excluded from important work.”

“Hm?”

That was the last thing Chae Il-joo had expected to hear.

“Jun-seok hyung’s projects are apparently doing very well, but Woo-seok isn’t even getting the chance to work properly. I’m really worried about him, Chairman.”

The words came out sounding half like a complaint and half like a whine. Once Chae Il-joo understood what Ha-jin was saying, laughter rose from him again.

‘How sly.’

The young man was every bit as ambitious as he looked.

“So you want me to restore your husband’s position?”

“…No? Actually, if possible, it’d be even better if you transferred him to the electronics division.”

Watching Ha-jin casually make such an outrageous proposal, Chae Il-joo became certain of one thing:

This one is valuable.

For someone like Woo-seok, who showed no interest in company affairs whatsoever, Ha-jin might be the perfect partner.

“You do realize what kind of position that is?”

“Oh, what would I know? I just mentioned it because it’s SHS’s biggest subsidiary.”

‘As if.’

A transfer to SHS Electronics was effectively a demand that Woo-seok be pushed further toward becoming the successor. It was the group’s flagship company.

The moment Woo-seok was moved there, newspapers would be flooded with articles claiming the succession race had been decided.

“And do you think that fool would even accept the title if I gave it to him?”

“…That’s the problem. But I’ll try to convince him.”

For the first time, even Chae Il-joo found himself tempted.

Creating a position was easy enough. The reason he had never done it before was simple: he had never believed Woo-seok would actually do the job. Even placing him where he was now had been a constant struggle.

“In exchange, I’d like one small favor.”

After laying extensive groundwork with the topic of Woo-seok’s promotion, a matter he personally cared nothing about, Ha-jin finally arrived at the real purpose of his visit.

Framed this way, it would appear nothing more than greed for SHS’s future leadership.

Now all he had to do was dispose of Jae-yi as an added bonus.

Seeing the curiosity in Chae Il-joo’s eyes, Ha-jin had a feeling the negotiation would go well.

****

“So… my sister found out about your secret.”

Before meeting Chae Il-joo, Ha-jin had contacted Woo-seok first. There hadn’t been time to explain everything, so he had only given the rough outline. After settling matters with Chae Il-joo, he came straight down to Woo-seok’s office.

Apparently curious about the details, Woo-seok questioned him the moment he arrived.

“She hasn’t uncovered everything, but if she digs a little deeper, she might.”

“And your solution is to send Jae-yi to Africa?”

“V-volunteer work. I mean, it’s not a bad image, right? We can tell the media the owner’s daughter is reflecting on herself through humanitarian work in a remote region.”

That had been the extra request Ha-jin made to Chae Il-joo.

For the time being, Jae-yi would be removed from management and sent to Africa under the name of the foundation’s charitable activities.

Given her current reputation, she wasn’t fit to run even a small neighborhood grocery store, so wouldn’t it be better for her future if she at least pretended to repent?

“From Father’s perspective, that’s not a bad idea. With you involved, people won’t immediately accuse him of putting on a show.”

“Exactly. That’s why he agreed so easily.”

“Restricting Jae-yi’s movements is fine. But it’s not a perfect solution.”

“That’s why I need your help, Woo-seok.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure the American identity can’t be traced.”

Woo-seok said it as though it were simple, but it wasn’t.

Before anyone connected to Jae-yi could make another move, they needed to create a nearly flawless version of Kevin Go in the United States.

For now, the shock of being exiled to Africa would keep Jae-yi from digging further, but there was no telling what might happen once time passed.

“…I’m sorry. I never expected any of this.”

And he meant it.

Go Ha-jin might be a con artist, but he took pride in his work. That professionalism was why he had never once been caught. It was also why he had always felt confident enough to talk big even in front of Woo-seok.

“Something like this is beyond anyone’s control. I’ll handle the rest. You just make sure Jae-yi is completely dealt with. As quickly as possible. Don’t give her time to start thinking.”

While listening, Woo-seok had already organized a rough plan in his head.

The situation was serious, but when he thought about it, perhaps it wasn’t as disastrous as it seemed.

Still, only now did the reality truly sink in.

The Go Ha-jin he knew wasn’t the real Go Ha-jin.

They had spent a considerable amount of time together, yet he still knew nothing about him. He couldn’t imagine what kind of life Ha-jin had lived, what his childhood had been like, what school years he had experienced.

Those memories must have existed somewhere.

Yet Woo-seok knew none of them.

“Oh, right. You need to change positions.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well… I made a deal with the chairman.”

Ha-jin explained everything that had happened during his conversation with Chae Il-joo.

“Why would you do something nobody asked you to do?”

“…What?”

He had expected Woo-seok not to be particularly pleased. A lukewarm response at most.

But this reaction was far sharper than he anticipated.

It was completely different from when he had revealed that his identity had nearly been exposed.

The heaviness in Woo-seok’s gaze was so intense it felt as though his eyes had turned red.

“Who told you to do something like that? Mind your own business.”

“I-I didn’t really have a choice. If I brought up Jae-yi immediately, the chairman would’ve become suspicious.”

“Ha… this is annoying.”

Woo-seok clenched his fist tightly.

He used so much force that his thumbnail turned white, thick veins rising across his hand and forearm.

Watching him, tension tightened inside Ha-jin.

More than when he faced Jae-yi.

More than when he faced Chae Il-joo.

Far more.

“Don’t overstep again. Especially when it comes to company matters. You’d be wise not to ignore that.”

Under Woo-seok’s gaze, Ha-jin felt as though his body was being carved apart.

That was how sharp it felt.

Unable to offer even a single excuse beneath that low, cold voice, he simply nodded.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Go home. I’ll be late tonight, so don’t wait up.”

Apparently having nothing more to say, Woo-seok rose from the sofa and returned to his desk.

Ha-jin wanted to ask why he was so determined to avoid company affairs.

But this wasn’t the time.

That question would have to wait.

At that moment, Ha-jin found it difficult to put his feelings into words.

Lately, he had believed his relationship with Woo-seok had improved significantly. Partners… no, maybe even friends. Sometimes it had almost felt as though they were a real married couple.

But after today, the distance they had worked so hard to close felt as wide as it had been when they first met.

The possibility of his carefully crafted con finally being exposed was infuriating enough.

Yet what bothered him even more was the way Woo-seok had looked at him, as if he were trash.

He suddenly wanted to make up for it somehow.

The cold expression on Woo-seok’s face left him with that determination.

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