Today was the day new paintings were arriving at the Cheonha Art Museum.

On days like this, there was always an important event where the paintings were exhibited first to the distinguished guests.

Hyun Baek Hap believed that in times of crisis, events should be held even more grandly.

She wanted to show that the prosecution’s investigation had no impact on her whatsoever.

Yet deep down, the existence of Cheon Ha In made Hyun Baek Hap uncomfortable.

Even when she tried to harm her, surveillance didn’t work, which was infuriating.

She couldn’t confirm that it was the Je Guk Group protecting Cheon Ha In, but based on various circumstances, it seemed likely.

However, she wanted to believe it wasn’t true until the end.

If the Je Guk Group was actively assisting Cheon Ha In, it was obvious the situation would become even more difficult in the future.

“Hmm…”

Despite the adversities coming from all directions, she tried not to lose her elegance.

Standing in front of the large mirror in the director’s office, Hyun Baek Hap forced herself to smile brightly. Then, noticing the wrinkles between her brows, she stiffened her expression.

“Ah, stress is the worst for aging. Let’s relax. Relax.”

The plan was to purify her mind while looking at expensive artworks.

She wanted to enjoy champagne with the distinguished guests and reaffirm her position once again.

Just then, there was a knock on the door and the chief secretary entered.

“Oh, Chief Secretary, is everything ready? Let’s go now.”

“It’s still raining heavily so there’s a delay. It looks like it will take about 10 more minutes than expected.”

The paintings weren’t even set up yet, so why did the chief secretary come to the director’s office?

Hyun Baek Hap sensed from the chief secretary’s expression that something was up.

“Oh, but why?”

These days, it would be strange to have a day without any incidents. Every piece of news she heard was never good news.

“Madam, Lady Je Ni caused a scene demanding to be put in contact with you, then fainted.”

It wasn’t that she hadn’t been contacted, but that Hyun Baek Hap had been ignoring her.

Hyun Baek Hap had told them not to report anything to her unless Lee Je Ni was released. So the chief secretary had not reported until now.

“Chief Secretary, didn’t I say not to report about Je Ni’s matters unless everything was resolved?”

Hyun Baek Hap spoke in a voice full of sharpness.

“Ah… I’m really getting old. The only child I have is of no help at all and is making me age because of this. If she would just stay quiet, it would get resolved on its own.”

Hyun Baek Hap massaged her temples. The irritation was rising to an unbearable level.

“What should we do? I heard the prosecution’s summons investigation will also begin soon.”

Hyun Baek Hap looked at the chief secretary in surprise.

“Chief Secretary!”

At the mention of the prosecution, Hyun Baek Hap became even more sharp-tongued.

Now, whenever the prosecution was mentioned, Cheon Ha In came to mind. She was anxious about what else Cheon Ha In could be plotting.

Come to think of it, Lee Je Ni shouldn’t have met Cheon Ha In.

Hyun Baek Hap had not yet explained Cheon Ha In’s existence to Lee Je Ni. Cheon Ha In would not leave Lee Je Ni alone.

Above all, Lee Je Ni did not have the ability to handle things wisely against Cheon Ha In.

The chief secretary looked at Hyun Baek Hap, who had become extremely sensitive, with heightened tension.

“The prosecution said they would summon Je Ni? When?”

Hyun Baek Hap asked the chief secretary with a stiff expression as if she had seen a ghost.

“Ah, the exact schedule is… It’s not certain, but from what I hear, the countdown has begun. It seems they changed their approach after the summons investigation of the chairman fell through.”

Hyun Baek Hap closed her eyes tightly and then opened them.

Only now did she realize that what Cheon Ha In had said during the last summons was a warning.

There were many things she needed to tell Lee Je Ni to keep her mouth shut about.

“I think I need to go see Je Ni right now. Ah, no. Ha… The event.”

Hyun Baek Hap was in a frenzy, unable to do this or that.

“Chief Secretary, contact Director Song and tell him to sedate Je Ni for a while. Have him put her in a deep sleep until I can get there.”

Hyun Baek Hap, who had been telling them not to report anything, looked ready to rush to her daughter right this moment.

“Yes, I understand.”

Hyun Baek Hap wanted to throw a fit in frustration, but she held back because of the important event that was coming up shortly.

“Ha.”

Hyun Baek Hap let out a sigh that sounded like a lamentation out of impatience.

“Get the lawyers to appease her. Tell them to keep her mouth shut. What are they doing with that money?”

Hyun Baek Hap revealed her exasperation.

In a situation where she couldn’t do anything about Cheon Ha In, at least her own child should follow her wishes, but even that wasn’t going as planned.

“Do I have to teach them every single thing from one to ten? Do I have to go to Je Ni leaving this important event today?”

“I will inform the law firm again.”

Hyun Baek Hap, feeling like she would burst, let out consecutive sighs. If not for the event, she wanted to have a drink.

“Ha, how much longer until the paintings are set up?”

“There are about 7 minutes left now.”

Hyun Baek Hap nodded and turned around. She had to stay composed.

After fidgeting for a while, Hyun Baek Hap picked up a red lipstick, went to the mirror, and took a deep breath.

Applying the red lipstick to her lips, she smiled brightly like a flower.

She repeated to herself that no one could dare harm her.

* * *

Cheon Ha In, who had gone to see the chief prosecutor for approval, read his discomfort. It made sense since it was after Chairman Lee’s summons investigation had fallen through.

They said it would rain all day, and there was low pressure.

The heavy silence in the office made Cheon Ha In feel stuffy.

Outside the window, a light rain was falling. Cheon Ha In tried to lighten the burden on her mind, thinking it must be because of the weather.

“Prosecutor Cheon.”

The chief prosecutor signed the documents and handed them back to Cheon Ha In, then raised his head. After calling Cheon Ha In, the atmosphere suggested that what he was about to say would be unusual.

“Yes.”

“Even with so much evidence in hand, what’s the reason for not striking?”

The chief prosecutor asked Cheon Ha In bluntly.

“There are still some things that need to be confirmed.”

Although she made that excuse, Cheon Ha In had a separate reason for needing time.

If they pushed forward with the evidence they had now, the Cheonha Group would suffer great damage.

Whether the evidence was true or not, the Cheonha Group had to bear that risk.

She had to be cautious because of a promise she made with Je Guk.

Even without the promise, Cheon Ha In was concerned about the shock he would receive.

Je Guk had asked to minimize the risk the Cheonha Group would face, but for Cheon Ha In, it was more important to prevent Je Guk from getting hurt.

If she approached it a little more delicately, she could satisfy both what she wanted and what Je Guk wanted to protect.

Cheon Ha In was confident she could do it. But if the chief prosecutor pushed like this, someone could get hurt.

“Hmm.”

The investigation had begun amidst people’s suspicions that Cheon Ha In had ties to the Cheonha Group.

Cheon Ha In had taken on the case, staking her position as a prosecutor, assuring the chief prosecutor that such a thing would never happen.

“It would be nice to have unlimited time for the desired results, but anyone can produce results under those conditions, don’t you think?”

The chief prosecutor hid the emotional words that could come out and stated what he wanted.

As expected, what he wanted was swift action. Any superior would be the same, but the chief prosecutor was very sensitive ahead of the promotion season.

The position was important, but the real problem was the rival who was up for promotion this time.

Everyone in the prosecutors’ office knew that the chief prosecutor and he were bitter enemies.

Still, what made the chief prosecutor’s ambition for promotion tolerable was that he was not just a prosecutor seeking a position, but a truly competent prosecutor admired by many junior prosecutors.

“Prosecutor Cheon, didn’t you say to trust you with this investigation? I don’t see any of the investigation style I know from Prosecutor Cheon.”

There was also the credibility he had built up in the organization by tenaciously carrying out any case in order to take on this one.

He was truly known for investigating as if his life depended on it.

It wasn’t for nothing that he was called a tough bastard and a bad guy.

What the chief prosecutor wanted from Cheon Ha In in this investigation was more than that.

“If we wait, trusting in Cheon’s pro skills, and end up failing, I don’t think we can turn this around.”

Not only would the chief prosecutor’s promotion fall through, but the prestige of the prosecution would also hit rock bottom.

“I will try to pick up the pace a bit more.”

“Chairman Lee’s official seal and handwritten signature. You haven’t secured them yet.”

Cheon Ha In flinched but tried not to show it.

Cheon Ha In also knew that was the key evidence, but she wanted to be cautious about going after Chairman Lee.

Previously, he was a person of no significance to Cheon Ha In, but now she had to show at least a minimum level of courtesy. Chairman Lee was Je Guk’s biological father.

So she had planned to determine the course of action after summoning Chairman Lee and talking with him. She felt that way she wouldn’t make mistakes.

“Soon.”

“Let’s conduct a seizure and search.”

The chief prosecutor said, cutting off Cheon Ha In’s words.

It wasn’t that the chief prosecutor was being unreasonable in telling them to conduct a seizure and search.

Perhaps it was something Cheon Ha In should have volunteered to do first.

“If we go in now, I think we can come out with at least Chairman Lee’s seal and handwriting.”

Cheon Ha In was at a loss for words with no excuses to make.

“If you can’t do it, tell me now. I’m always ready to substitute players. If no one says they’ll do it, I’ll jump in myself if I have to.”

A chief-level prosecutor saying he would jump into the field himself showed tremendous will. Cheon Ha In felt so burdened that she almost couldn’t breathe.

The chief prosecutor held out a seizure and search warrant to Cheon Ha In. The warrant had already been obtained.

The chief prosecutor seemed to be staking everything on this case. Cheon Ha In had also put everything on the line for this investigation, but their methods were very different.

“What will you do?”

The chief prosecutor asked for Cheon Ha In’s opinion, but it was essentially a question with no options.

If she said she couldn’t conduct the seizure and search, the prosecutor in charge of this case would be replaced. Pushing the warrant meant he wasn’t giving her time to think.

The answer the chief prosecutor wanted was predetermined. However, the words did not come easily from Cheon Ha In’s mouth.