Even after work, Ha In was still plagued by a tense atmosphere.

Returning home, Ha In habitually headed to the study. The scent of paper from the stacks of books brushed past her nose.

Ha In leaned back against the wall-like bookshelf.

She couldn’t imagine how much effort she had put in from the shadows to get her hands on the Cheonha Group case.

Chairman Lee, who trusted no one but himself, had run the company meticulously, but he was caught by the tail by his new wife, Hyun Baek Hap.

There were signs that Hyun Baek Hap had her hands on the stock price.

The speculation was that it was for the sake of inheritance to her daughter with him, Lee Je Ni.

Even before the prosecution officially launched an investigation, Cheonha Group sensed it and firmly locked the gates to prevent information from leaking out.

They would be scheming to claim that Hyun Baek Hap was not involved in this case.

In the end, it would be a battle of evidence, and a strong move was needed to surely cut off their lifeline.

“Lee Je Guk.”

His name slipped from Ha In’s lips.

He was the son of Cheonha Group’s Chairman Lee and the late lady Yoon Joo Hwa.

Now, he was the CEO of Cheonha Group and the next in line to become the head.

To Ha In, he was the person who gave her room to breathe in the Cheonha Group mansion and helped her escape from there, a savior and benefactor.

Ha In slowly sat down, releasing the strength in her legs. Her barely calmed heart swelled again.

Ha In was unsure how Je Guk remembered her, if he dismissed her as a fleeting acquaintance and completely forgot about her, or what kind of image she had in his memory.

She had no confidence.

If she told him she became a prosecutor for revenge, she couldn’t even imagine how he would react.

She had come this far, but if she got swept up in emotions and ruined things, she felt she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself.

Looking at it coldly, Je Guk was not someone for Ha In to reject, but someone she absolutely needed.

In the big picture, Je Guk should not interfere with Ha In’s revenge with all his might.

In terms of investigation, Je Guk was also someone who could provide important evidence.

If he was an opponent she couldn’t beat, making him an ally was also a method.

* * *

Arriving at work earlier than Gang Jun, Ha In blankly stared at his empty seat.

“Good morning.”

At the sound of Gang Jun’s greeting, Ha In came to her senses and quickly turned her gaze to her laptop.

Gang Jun placed the bread and coffee he brought on Ha In’s desk. Ha In looked intently at Gang Jun.

“Ah, if it makes you uncomfortable, should I take it back?”

He spoke while gauging Ha In’s reaction.

Normally, it would have been a kindness she flatly refused.

But Ha In treated him with a duller attitude than usual, feeling she would have many things to ask of Gang Jun in the future.

“You’re here?”

Ha In found her own question awkward, and she could only imagine how Gang Jun felt.

As expected, tension filled Gang Jun’s face. Soon, he smiled.

“Choi Detective.”

“Yes, senior.”

Ha In picked up the documents she was looking at and rose from her seat.

“Shall we review them together?”

“Yes, I’ll prepare right away.”

Ha In and Gang Jun sat at the meeting table. Ha In placed a document in front of Gang Jun. Gang Jun carefully examined the document.

“The stock trading account is key evidence. Other than that, I don’t think Cheonha Group will readily provide the necessary evidence.”

Gang Jun nodded at Ha In’s words.

“They’ll demand a tremendous justification even for a single request. While we prepare the justification, they’ll find alternatives.”

“For now, we need to gather even small pieces of evidence or testimony.”

“As quickly as possible. Even that won’t be easy. Especially the testimony. Who would risk their life to testify?”

At Ha In’s words, Gang Jun’s bright expression gradually stiffened. Ha In also understood that he couldn’t help but be deep in thought.

“I guess I put too much pressure on you.”

“No. It’s not pressure, but I’m already anxious thinking Cheonha Group will really act like that.”

Gang Jun’s expression was not just stiff, but had a coldness to it. Ha In fueled Gang Jun’s passion.

“So, I’m saying. Let’s find someone who won’t die even if they testify.”

“Someone who won’t die even if they testify?”

“Yes. Someone who can’t be bought off right now, and who they can’t touch even if that person testifies.”

“Would such a person exist?”

Considering Cheonha Group’s wealth and scale, it would be difficult to find such a person. But it wasn’t that there was absolutely no one.

There was Lee Je Guk.

Ha In planned to hide her intentions until Gang Jun didn’t find it forced, and approach him calmly.

“Let’s look for one.”

* * *

Je Guk looked out the window. Behind him, matters awaiting his decision were piled up.

After Je Guk took on the position of Cheonha Group CEO, most tasks had to go through his hands for approval.

It wasn’t that he could wield so much authority overnight.

His innate insight combined with bloody efforts led him to his current position.

As Je Guk led many aspects of Cheonha Group’s management, Cheonha Group continued to thrive even in difficult situations.

However, recently, as the person known as the Chairman’s new wife began to meddle in the subsidiaries, several headache-inducing incidents occurred, and eventually, even suspicions of stock price manipulation surfaced.

Je Guk had long known that Hyun Baek Hap, Chairman Lee’s new wife, was slowly buying up shares of Cheonha Group’s subsidiaries.

If Cheonha Group thought a small subsidiary would be out of Je Guk’s sight, that was a big mistake on Hyun Baek Hap’s part.

Je Guk knew Hyun Baek Hap was crawling up from his toes for his position, but he had been quietly watching, not wanting to create a rift.

Je Guk had intended to quietly handle it on his end if Hyun Baek Hap hadn’t been caught by someone else until the end.

But as Hyun Baek Hap’s greed went too far, it seemed to have caught the eye of someone other than Je Guk.

As a result, the whole country learned of this fact, dealing a huge blow to the corporate image as well.

She should have done it in moderation.

Out of respect for his father, Je Guk was letting Hyun Baek Hap slide, but his patience was reaching its limit.

Then suddenly, a thought crossed Je Guk’s mind that this might actually be for the best.

Using this incident to create a situation where Chairman Lee could no longer cover for Hyun Baek Hap was not a bad strategy.

The risk to Cheonha Group would be considerable, but it was a pain that had to be endured to cut out the rotten flesh.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Je Guk turned towards the door.

“Director, the Chairman is calling for you.”

It was a summons to the Chairman’s office.

Je Guk did not want to answer Chairman Lee’s call.

He disliked the Chairman who was being played by Hyun Baek Hap, but he had to separate business and personal matters.

When Je Guk arrived at the Chairman’s office, an unwelcome guest happened to be there. Hyun Baek Hap was sitting uncomfortably close to Chairman Lee.

Hyun Baek Hap was said to be 10 years younger than Chairman Lee. At a glance, the age gap seemed to be 20 years.

After Hyun Baek Hap entered the family, no one could last working at the Cheonha Group mansion.

They had all left, unable to endure Hyun Baek Hap’s viciousness.

The worst of all was that she tried to appear like Je Guk’s birth mother, lady Yoon Joo Hwa, in front of people, despite her venomous nature.

No matter how hard she tried, could she hide that inherent vulgarity of hers?

Even if Je Guk died and woke up several times, she was someone he could never acknowledge as a stepmother.

But since the Chairman insisted he couldn’t live without her, what could he do? Je Guk was treating Hyun Baek Hap as a non-existent person.

But Hyun Baek Hap, who used to be mindful of Je Guk, now boldly slid her hand into the Chairman’s thigh, not caring at all.

“Oh, you’re here. Sit down.”

Chairman Lee answered, not knowing what to do with joy at Hyun Baek Hap’s touch.

Her touch seemed to have the power to move the old Chairman’s cells.

Je Guk was the only one taking the current situation the company faced seriously. Je Guk couldn’t believe this situation.

“I told you to sit down.”

“I don’t have time. There’s a meeting right away. Please speak.”

Je Guk did not want to get caught in the romance between Chairman Lee and Hyun Baek Hap.

Seeing Je Guk’s cold expression, Chairman Lee glanced around and made Hyun Baek Hap stop her hand, sitting up straight.

Even if the Chairman lived like Hyun Baek Hap’s puppet, he would drop dead at his son’s words.

“I saw the news. Those people are spouting nonsense without any fear. Something about stock trading records?”

Je Guk already knew through an internal investigation that this situation was not complete nonsense. But he decided to listen to the Chairman’s words first.

That way, he could also determine his own stance.

“Je Guk, everything the prosecution is saying is a blatant lie. The media, those things will all be taken care of. This company is all mine, so what stock price manipulation? Anyway, they’re ridiculous. They’re doing that to see if there’s anything to leech off of. Ignore it.”

Je Guk wondered if the Chairman was saying this knowingly or unknowingly.

Either way, those words shouldn’t come out of the Chairman’s mouth.

Je Guk suppressed the question he was about to ask, feeling the Chairman’s judgment had become clouded.

“We are currently investigating the truth.”

At Je Guk’s words, Hyun Baek Hap’s expression hardened even more than the Chairman’s.

“You don’t trust your father? When your father is saying this much, it’s disappointing.”

Hyun Baek Hap now openly tried to drive a wedge between them. The Chairman coughed, displeased, and soothed his insides with the cold water in front of him.

“Je Guk, answer me. You don’t trust your father? Is investigating the truth that important?”

Hyun Baek Hap widened her eyes at Je Guk.

Why, do you have something to feel guilty about?

In Je Guk’s eyes, it just looked like Hyun Baek Hap was bringing herself down.

“You should stop too. If a son can’t trust his father, who would?”

When the Chairman took Je Guk’s side, Hyun Baek Hap closed her mouth.

And once again, she clung to the Chairman’s arm. Then, the Chairman’s mouth gaped to his ears.

Hyun Baek Hap had firmly covered the Chairman’s eyes. Je Guk concluded that the Chairman’s office should not be involved in this matter.