Hearing the amount of 20 billion, Sung-han couldn’t close his mouth.
Watching him, Young-ran silently rejoiced.
Indeed, there was nothing that couldn’t be done with money.
Even the unyielding Prosecutor Jo Sung-han, who was said to be impervious to any persuasion or pressure, now seemed half-absentminded, unable to take his eyes off the painting.
Sung-han tilted his head, examining the ink painting from various angles.
“This was painted by Master Cheonghyang Seo Jeongsu.”
“Cheonghyang…”
Sung-han mumbled the artist’s name that Young-ran mentioned as if talking to himself. She, thinking he knew little about painters, lifted her chin slightly and said:
“He studied under Master Kim In-ho and gained a firm footing through several awards in well-known competitions. He received acclaim at a recent auction in Hong Kong.”
Sung-han burst into laughter upon hearing Young-ran’s story. He turned his head and spoke.
“No wonder I sensed a strange atmosphere in the painting. He was a student of Kim In-ho, known for his pro-Japanese stance.”
“Oh, that’s…”
“And Seo Jeongsu, that person, is known for having bad habits while working at the current school. Mr. Director must be aware, too.”
“I don’t pay attention to artists’ private lives.”
“I’m sensitive to such things.”
The atmosphere in the director’s office froze in an instant.
Young-ran’s forced smile flickered slightly. Sung-han stared at her face, seemingly trying to discern something.
“Director.”
“Speak.”
“Have you heard the rumors about me?”
“…I’m not sure.”
Young-ran laughed awkwardly, saying she wasn’t sure. Sung-han observed her face with an uncomfortable smile.
“I’m rumored to be a dog that digs up everything if it smells fishy, uncaring about front or back. Director, you might not know yet. As soon as I took charge of Oh Ju-hwan’s embezzlement case, I sniffed out something fishy. So I’m going to scrutinize everything from toenails to hair.”
At Sung-han’s words, Young-ran clenched her fist in front of her chest.
As if suggesting, “Give it a try.”
“There’s a bit of a smell here, too.”
Sung-han, pointing to the ink painting he had just seen, took out his phone and took a picture. Young-ran’s eyebrows rose sharply as she watched him.
“What are you doing now?”
“It’s evidence collection for the future.”
Sung-han put his phone back in his pocket and sat back on the sofa. Young-ran’s discomfort was clearly revealed. However, Sung-han paid no attention, leaning against the backrest of the sofa as if nothing had happened.
“Don’t casually offer things like this, saying it’s a gift. Someone like me, when I hear such words, thinks, ‘Ah, this person has been through this a few times. If I scrutinize, not only dust but also enormous piles of trash will endlessly come out.'”
“Prosecutor Jo seems to accept the other party’s favor easily, doesn’t he?”
“Our director needs to review Korean language. A favor isn’t giving useless paintings like that; it’s when you share a little water with someone who might die of thirst.”
Sung-han got up from the sofa, finished the remaining water, and turned away without hesitation.
As he left the director’s office, Young-ran sat down and, with a face full of disbelief, muttered, “A low-ranking prosecutor like him.”
Young-ran chewed her lips meticulously. Her face, vividly displaying irritation, was flushed with humiliation.
By chance, Hyuk-joo and Eun-soo, who met Hyun-soo and Saet-byeol at a meat restaurant, had lunch together and discreetly left after the meal.
Moving to a cafe with a view of the turquoise sea, the two enjoyed a leisurely afternoon.
“Did you know about those two?”
“I had a rough idea, but I didn’t know it had progressed this far.”
Taking a sip of coffee, Hyuk-joo continued, “Actually, Hyun-soo had feelings for Saet-byeol.”
“Really?”
“He talked to her, asking for help. Saet-byeol thinks she made a big mistake without knowing what kind of person I am.”
“Mistake?”
Eun-soo’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s.
“He mentioned the meeting we had together.”
“That was cleared up as a misunderstanding, and there’s no problem with it.”
“But Saet-byeol thinks I’ve developed feelings for her because of that incident.”
“So, in the past few days, Saet-byeol has been observing you?”
“Yes.”
Hyuk-joo nodded and hesitated for a moment.
“And…”
“And?”
“Hyun-soo asked for a favor.”
“What favor did he ask for?”
“He asked her to be cold to me until she tells him to stop.”
“Could it be that Hyun-soo used that to exploit Saet-byeol’s weakness?”
Not a weakness, but, adding this quickly, Eun-soo’s words trailed off.
The right words didn’t come to mind. It seemed that Hyun-soo, who was normally distant from such matters, was trying to gain favor by using a method to resolve Saet-byeol’s misunderstanding.
Eun-soo was surprised by the side of Hyun-soo she knew. When someone falls for someone, they become relentless, it seemed; Hyun-soo, who usually kept his distance, seemed to have devised his own plan to win favor by using Saet-byeol’s misunderstanding.
“Looks like Hyun-soo was desperate.”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
