Waking up from sleep, Taesu raised his head discreetly. The touch that had gently laid Jaeeun on the pillow after holding her in his arms was careful, as if handling something delicate.
“Yeah….”
Jaeeun obediently moved away from Taesu and lay down again. As the warmth that enveloped her disappeared, Jaeeun crouched again and fell asleep. Watching her, Taesu pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulders.
Having struggled throughout the day, shivering in the strong winds of Chicago without adapting to the time difference, Jaeeun had fallen into a deep sleep from the early evening. Although the hotel was famous for its beautiful night view, Taesu, upon waking, tightly closed the curtains to prevent any light from entering.
After carefully checking to ensure there was nothing to disturb Jaeeun’s short nap, Taesu left the bedroom. He drank cold water, shaking off the drowsiness. After checking the time on his phone, he tilted his head as he scrolled through the call log and attempted a call.
“…Not answering?”
Ted, who always wore wireless earphones in his ears except when sleeping, usually picked up the phone before the signal beeped three times.
But he wasn’t answering. Moreover, considering the time in Korea, it was barely past lunch. It wasn’t a time when Ted would be sleeping or showering.
After two more unsuccessful attempts, Taesu finally called Amber.
“Why are you calling when you’re busy doing what I asked you to do? Don’t rush me. I’m doing it. I’m doing it.”
{How much did you do?}
“Don’t ask about that.”
{Why isn’t Ted answering the phone?}
“…Ted isn’t answering the phone?”
{Yeah.}
After a moment of silence, Amber angrily retorted.
“…I don’t know! How should I know!}
{Really don’t know?}
“People might not answer the phone! Why are you bothering me when Ted isn’t answering the phone?}
{When did I bother you?}
“Bothering me is asking how much work I’ve done by calling like this. Taesu, if you have something to say, tell Jaeeun to convey it!}
Unconcerned by the abruptly disconnected call, Taesu checked the call log again.
“Yes, Director Jang.”
“What did you say?”
“We still maintain the position that there are no conditions for demands. If there is any information that is not needed for us, we will immediately hand it over to the prosecution. Since they are asking for a response today, it seems Chairman Jo Dae-hoon is trying to wrap up the work before leaving the prosecutor’s office.”
Director Jang was currently in contact with Kim, the director close to Jo Dae-hoon, on behalf of Taesu. Before coming to Chicago, Taesu had already received a report about and met Kim, so he was well aware of him.
Kim, known as “Jo Dae-hoon’s dog,” was famous for his loyalty. That’s why his betrayal was suspicious.
“Director Jang, I doubt Kim’s loyalty. Wouldn’t it be better to hand it over directly to the prosecution?”
That wouldn’t be a bad idea. However, there was a big difference between having the information in hand and not having it. It would be better to let Kim hand over some of the information to the prosecution and use the rest to pressure the Jo Dae-hoon family.
This might be a trap too. It’s not just that Director Kim betrayed Chairman Jo Dae-hoon, but it’s hard to understand that Chairman Jo Dae-hoon entrusted everything to Director Kim before that.
“That’s probably true.”
Actually, it’s quite well-known in the secretary world. Chairman Jo Dae-hoon often replaced other secretaries, excluding Director Kim, because he wasn’t good at trusting people.
Taesu, who had been lost in thought, raised his head. He had been staring at the lights of the John Hancock Tower sparkling beyond the living room window, and he finally spoke.
“Chairman Jo Dae-hoon didn’t trust Director Kim.”
Then…
“He trusted the money.”
Jo Dae-hoon was, above all, a person who pursued money and honor. Kim, the director who had assisted Jo for nearly 30 years, would naturally have known about the existence of a considerable slush fund.
As far as Taesu knew, at some point, Jo Dae-hoon and Director Kim had a relationship that went beyond that of superiors and subordinates.
Although Jo Dae-hoon ordered the creation and embezzlement of a massive slush fund, Kim, in fact, executed all the tasks directly. While Jo Dae-hoon might have considered Kim’s greed amusing, Director Kim, who had been touched and managed a large sum of money every day, gradually took over the authority for money laundering and embezzlement from Jo Dae-hoon, eventually taking the initiative.
Jo Dae-hoon might have found it pleasing. He probably hoped that Kim’s growing greed and the situation where Kim managed and coveted his money like his own would continue.
“It’s obvious that there will be a tax investigation related to the slush fund and embezzlement. If that happens, some of the money accumulated will be tied up, and the rest will be swallowed up by fines and taxes. It would be regrettable even from Director Kim’s perspective.”
Ah…
“He probably thought it would be better to covet and protect that money.”
But why did they contact us?
My Ex-Girlfriend Is The Regent In The Female-dominant World (Male lead transmigrates to the matriarchal world)
Two years ago, Gu Sui picked up a homeless woman in ancient costume from the street.
Apart from occasionally claiming to be a princess from a female-dominant country due to illness, her figure, appearance, intelligence, and martial arts skills were impeccable.
Naturally evolving from roommates to girlfriends, as time went on, Gu Sui found it increasingly difficult to tolerate her queen syndrome.
“Mu Jiulu, can you stop controlling me inside and out? Let’s break up.”
Gu Sui made a breakup call, and since then, he couldn’t find any trace of her.
A year later, Gu Sui, who was planning to move, woke up the next day and found himself in a different place.
“Young Master, today is the day you choose your Wife-master through martial arts competition at Jade Dew Pavilion. Please get up quickly.”
Gu Sui: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
As the only son of a general’s mansion in a female-dominant dynasty, the young empress personally issued a decree allowing Gu Sui to select his Wife-master through martial arts competition. Whoever could defeat him could marry him.
Gu Sui: “……”
He didn’t inherit the original owner’s martial prowess, so anyone could defeat him! And what the hell is a Wife-master?
Forced to come to Jade Dew Pavilion, the densely packed women below made Gu Sui’s agoraphobia act up, and his face was full of resistance.
Until he saw the Regent sitting on the second floor, with a smile on the corner of her lips, her eyes wicked and nonchalant.
Hmm… she looked a little familiar.
It turned out that the Regent also found him a little familiar.
Mu Jiulu fiddled with her bone clasp, her deep gaze locked on the man who was out of place in this world.
“Finally, I found you.”
Male transmigrates into female-dominant world
One-sentence summary: What goes around comes around, taking turns in the crematorium
