The atmosphere, which had been loose, tensed up at Lajin’s words.
“Where did you see the name Won Sangsub?”
“In Chairman’s study. There was a strange document with a photo, titled ‘H Trends Report.'”
A trends report – was it a list of key figures managed by Myungjin?
Thinking of the acronym ‘H,’ Jiho smirked. Then he took out his phone and searched for the Deputy Minister in the legal directory.
“Is this the person?”
“Oh! Yes, that’s him.”
“He’s the Deputy Minister of Justice.”
How is the Deputy Minister connected to Myungjin? It was the appearance of an unexpected character. While the minister had a faint connection as Myungjin’s distant nephew, the deputy minister had no connection at all.
Instantly, Jiho’s thoughts became entangled like a tangled thread.
“And there was something strange.”
“Strange?”
“Do you see this memo here?”
Lajin tapped on the code written on the paper with her finger and said,
―J, V, Won, 25, M, G, 100M ↓.
“What is this?”
“Under the photos and names, this was written.”
“For every picture?”
“Yes. Each person had a different one. This was for another person.”
Lajin pointed to a different code she had memorized for comparison.
―E, D, Ha, 23, M, HF, 50M →.
“Why would Myungjin write something like this?”
Two contrasting codes. If it was written under the photos, it could be an important marker. What on earth could it mean? Jiho stared intently at the deputy minister’s code, which had some basic information.
Various hypotheses floated through Jiho’s mind.
If J stands for the Ministry of Justice, is V the deputy minister’s position? In that case, Won is the last name. Up to the third one, it made sense. But what about those numbers and arrows?
Jiho glanced intensely at the deputy minister’s profile, then suddenly hit the table.
“Oh! Length of service.”
“Huh?”
“It seems that Myungjin has a unique way of indicating information so that it can’t be easily recognized from the outside.”
Jiho explained briefly about the deputy minister’s workplace, position, last name, and length of service, like an encryption expert.
“And here. Both have ‘M’ in common.”
Lajin fell into deep thought, swallowing her saliva.
“Maybe it’s a membership, something like that? Like a department store membership.”
For a moment, Jiho’s pupils shifted.
“Normally, you have to spend millions to become a department store VIP. Being a VIP comes with various benefits.”
If they provide a VIP membership accumulating large sums for free? That alone could be a significant bribe.
“In that case, G could be golf.”
“Oh! Then HF could be a hotel fitness membership? That’s also expensive.”
The reasonable assumptions overflowed.
For a thrown-out idea, it strangely fit the situation perfectly. Not perfect, but like a puzzle that had been matching hands and feet for a long time, it clicked! Somewhat odd yet quite fitting, it was indeed a peculiar picture.
Jiho smiled at Lajin, who provided clues and ideas he had never thought of.
“It’s too early to conclude, but it seems like a list of people managed by Myungjin.”
“That could be it. It’s from a long time ago.”
“?
“We used to have parties twice a year at Myungjin. Chairman’s birthday and foundation day.”
Perhaps due to the long-standing connection with Myungjin, her memories gushed out like a bursting dam.
“At that time, there were so many ministers and directors that I thought it was strange.”
When did they start managing key figures? Jiho’s administrative play was resisting against their unexpectedly robust cartel. Myungjin’s influence was more extensive than expected, leaving a bitter taste in Jiho’s mouth.
“Was there anything else?”
“Can I talk while having tea? I talked a lot after a long time, and my throat is dry.”
Jiho nodded and stood up from his seat. Following the habit he developed after independence, he placed the used dishes in the sink.
“Oh, just leave it. I’ll do it.”
Startled, Lajin approached and grabbed Jiho’s arm.
“How about if I do it?”
“A guest doing the dishes? No, it’s not allowed.”
“Since you came for work today, let’s split it fairly. I’ll take care of the dining table, and Ms. Lajin can handle the tea.”
Convincing Lajin that this way they could start a serious conversation, Jiho skillfully took off his watch. As he rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt tightly up to his elbows, Lajin hesitated, not knowing what to do, and stood beside him.
“I guess this isn’t right. I’ll just do it.”
“Usually, the one who first gets their hands wet does it.”
As Jiho abruptly turned on the tap, lukewarm water poured out. When she strengthened her stance as if she wouldn’t back down, her hand swayed in the air.
“Oh, no. I’ll do it anyway.”
“You’re giving me tea, right?”
“Of course. It won’t take long… Ha.”
Giving up, she grimaced, and Lajin quickly stepped back.
While pouring water into the electric kettle, taking out elegant teacups, and placing multicolored macarons, she kept glancing at Jiho.
After Jiho finished the short dishwashing task and turned around, Lajin approached with a towel.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m good at dishwashing.”
“Thank you for your hard work. Come and have some tea.”
She really liked flowers; the tea she prepared was chrysanthemum tea. Small flower buds floated in between rising steam. It looked so much like her today, lively and fluttering.
“I didn’t even think about dessert.”
“I stood there blankly while wrapping flowers. The next-door neighbor is a famous pastry chef.”
“Oh, right. But the colors are so pretty; I don’t know which one to eat first.”
As if facing a crucial decision in his life, Lajin carefully picked macarons.
Should he say that he can eat anything or consider promising to buy her more next time if she eats anything? Is he in a position to say such things to her or not?
It was a moment of Jiho’s deep contemplation.
“Mr. Jiho, shall we share them? Half and half amicably.”
Us? Amicably?
For a moment, Jiho’s mind recalled Hojin’s face, shouting ‘office romance.’ It was unnecessary trouble…
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
_____
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