A few hours before the emergency interim board meeting.

With a clunk, the safe door opened. Jeho carefully moved aside the wooden box and picked up the ledger placed underneath. After briefly skimming the cover, he opened the ledger and checked the numbers on the very last page.

“Huh, just as expected.”

Jeho let out a dry laugh, closed the safe door, and threw the ledger he was holding into the trash can under the desk.

“Uncle, how can you be so simple-minded?”

When he had first set the bait, he hadn’t expected Executive Director Kwon to fall for it so easily.

Jeho deliberately leaked to Executive Director Kwon’s close shareholders that he had obtained a secret ledger from Director Yoon. He also added that it was important evidence that could reveal the real reason why Vice Chairman Kwon was forced to step down 10 years ago.

That information quickly reached Executive Director Kwon, and he retrieved the ledger through underhanded means. Jeho hadn’t anticipated that Executive Director Kwon would use Yuri.

He wasn’t sure how he had managed to get her on his side, but just looking at how the ledger was swapped, it seemed like a pretty good solution. However, that small success Executive Director Kwon could enjoy was only up to that point.

Executive Director Kwon, who arrived late to the board meeting, wore a dumbfounded expression at the completely unexpected situation.

“You’re late. Please come and have a seat.”

Jeho smiled brightly at Executive Director Kwon.

“Now is when the real action begins.”

Executive Director Kwon, who had been frozen in place without moving an inch, staggered to his seat when Chairman Kwon frowned and let out a fake cough. After Executive Director Kwon sat down, Jeho turned back towards the screen.

“It will be easier to understand if you look at the chart.”

Jeho continued, looking at the directors filling the conference room.

“This is data on the corruption, embezzlement, and breach of trust committed during the progress of this Arcadia complex shopping mall project.”

That bastard!

Executive Director Kwon’s eyes blazed as he glared at the chart filling the screen. He had been caught off guard in an area he hadn’t even considered.

Was claiming to have obtained the secret ledger just a ploy to divert attention elsewhere?

Executive Director Kwon had thought Jeho was trying to uncover the truth about the incident 10 years ago that forced Vice Chairman Kwon to step down. He had only considered it an action to restore the honor of his father who had suffered an unexpected traffic accident…

He never imagined Jeho would dig into the corruption entangled in the Arcadia shopping mall project.

Of course, he had harbored some suspicion that this might happen. But he wasn’t too worried. Most of the corruption in the Arcadia shopping mall was Minwoo’s doing, and he himself had only picked up the scraps that fell around.

“First, please pay attention to this number. This is the amount that was initially proposed when the order was first received.”

As Jeho’s explanation grew longer, the expressions of the directors filling the conference room gradually darkened. The scale of corruption and embezzlement kept growing to a point where even Chairman Kwon himself couldn’t cover it up if he intervened.

Executive Director Kwon was even taking the fall for Minwoo’s embezzlement. It was all because of the sudden overseas assignment.

Damn it, I warned him repeatedly to cover his tracks thoroughly before leaving!

Executive Director Kwon gritted his teeth, resenting his son who couldn’t handle a single task properly.

Since it was a massive project worth trillions of won, even just the scraps were large enough to warrant removal from the executive director position.

But if combined with what Minwoo had done, in the worst case, he might be sued for embezzlement and face actual prison time.

“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s stop there.”

Chairman Kwon, who had been listening silently, turned on his microphone. At the chairman’s words, all eyes turned to the head seat.

Executive Director Kwon swallowed hard and looked at Chairman Kwon with anxious eyes. The only person who could save him here now was Chairman Kwon.

It wasn’t like he had only committed corruption or embezzlement for a year or two, and Chairman Kwon had known everything but had turned a blind eye.

However, that was only as long as it didn’t go too far. If he ended up taking the fall for what Minwoo had done as well, the situation would change dramatically.

After remaining silent as if deep in thought, Chairman Kwon finally spoke.

“With such sufficient evidence, it would be ridiculous to even hold a vote on dismissal. Executive Director Kwon will step down as of today, and he should fill in the damages to the company with his personal funds as soon as possible. Whether the company will press charges or not will be discussed at next month’s regular board meeting. Any objections?”

Under normal circumstances, the directors on Executive Director Kwon’s side would have protested that it was unjust treatment. But today, no one dared to speak up, and they all kept their mouths shut while glancing at each other.

“Then let’s end here for today.”

Sighs of relief erupted from various corners, and as soon as the conference room door opened, the directors who had risen from their seats quickly filed out.

Now only Chairman Kwon, Executive Director Kwon, and Jeho remained in the conference room.

“Father!”

Executive Director Kwon ran to Chairman Kwon with a reddened face and fell to his knees.

“This is unfair. I didn’t do this. It was all Minwoo’s doing. I didn’t eat that blatantly. You know that better than anyone, don’t you, Father?”

“Tsk tsk, you pathetic fool.”

Chairman Kwon clicked his tongue and looked down at Executive Director Kwon with disappointed eyes.

“It’s your own son’s doing. Yet you can’t even pretend to cover for him.”

“Father, please.”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

Chairman Kwon abruptly stood up and walked out of the conference room.

“Father.”

As Chairman Kwon left without even looking back once, Executive Director Kwon glared at Jeho with a vicious expression.

“You bastard! You went around saying you got a secret ledger from Director Yoon, but behind my back, you were pulling a different trick?”

“Calm down and don’t get excited, Uncle.”

“Hey, you little shit. How can I not get excited right now?”

Regardless of Executive Director Kwon’s shouting, Jeho leaned back in his chair with a leisurely gesture.

“Think about it logically, Uncle. Would I have brought up something from 10 years ago at an emergency board meeting? It’s an incident that was already settled and compensated for back then.”

“Then why did you get a secret ledger from Director Yoon…”

“Secret ledger? You said you ordered everything to be burned 10 years ago, so how could it still exist?”

“What?”

Executive Director Kwon’s expression, which had been blank for a moment, gradually distorted.

It meant that even the ledger he had just taken from Yuri wasn’t real. The real one had already been burned and destroyed 10 years ago, and the ledger he received from Director Yoon was also fake.

“So all this time, you bastard. You’ve been playing me along with that bitch?”

“Playing you? What exactly have I done?”

“You, you bastard!”

Executive Director Kwon jumped up from his seat and walked towards Jeho, breathing heavily. He glared at Jeho as if he was about to grab him by the collar, but then seemed to change his mind and twisted his lips into a sneer.

“And then at the end, you pretended to run away trying not to lose the ledger? Tch, if I had known, I should have hit her one more time. Judging by her split lip, I must have hit her pretty hard. Still, Yuri, that bitch won’t be able to sue me.”

“What did you just say?”

Jeho’s expression, which had been calm until then, was greatly shaken.

“Who did you say you hit?”

Jeho’s eyes flashed sharply as he glared at Executive Director Kwon, as if ready to cut him down with a single stroke.

The door that seemed like it would remain locked forever finally opened, and one of the men who had brought Yuri in entered. He bowed politely and then respectfully handed Yuri her phone with both hands.

“We just received a report that the board meeting has ended. You can go home now. If there was any rudeness in our actions, we sincerely apologize.”

Yuri silently took the phone. She checked if there had been any calls or messages from Jeho in the meantime, but there was nothing.

“How did the board meeting go?”

“Well, we only received a report that it ended, we don’t know anything else.”

“I see.”

As Yuri walked out of the dark room, she stumbled momentarily at the bright sunlight flooding the corridor. It was because the extreme tension had suddenly dissipated.

What could have happened?

Yuri carefully moved towards the elevator, supporting herself against the wall. Her mind was so muddled that even walking was difficult.

What if Jeho got into a difficult situation because of the fake ledger she had swapped?

Besides Jeho, only she could open the safe, so it was clear whose doing it was.

“Haa.”

Yuri stopped in her tracks and leaned against the wall, letting out a long sigh.

Should she be happy that her revenge was successful, now that it had been discovered anyway?

Should she blame herself for her foolish decision based on shallow thinking?

Yuri turned her eyes back to the silent phone that wasn’t ringing. Jeho still hadn’t read her message.

She thought he would contact her as soon as the board meeting ended…

She thought he would angrily ask what happened and why she did it…

Is he feeling dejected because everything was ruined? Is he resenting me?

An opponent who maintains a long silence is more unsettling than one who angrily rushes at you.

If she called now, would Jeho answer? Would she at least be able to hear his voice?

With her heart throbbing and her hands and feet trembling, Yuri couldn’t move a single step from where she stood.

“What, has this bastard gone crazy?”

As Jeho grabbed his collar and lifted him from his seat, Executive Director Kwon shouted loudly with a reddened face.

How dare he grab the collar of his uncle, no matter how angry he is!

“Let go of this! Hey!”

“Say it again. Who did you say you hit?”

“Fine, I slapped Chae Yuri, that bitch, a bit. She deserved it, as an adult I was trying to correct her manners… Agh!”

Executive Director Kwon couldn’t finish his sentence before he was slammed to the floor. Jeho had grabbed his collar and violently thrown him down.

“Oh my.”

Executive Director Kwon glared at his nephew standing in front of him while clutching his waist. It hurt so much that he involuntarily let out a groan of “I’m dying.”

“Oh dear, Uncle. Was the shock so great that your legs gave out?”

Despite having just thrown him to the floor, Jeho smiled gently and wrapped his arm around Executive Director Kwon’s shoulders, helping him up from the floor. Then he kindly brushed off the dust on his clothes.

“You, you! You bastard!”

“I’m asking you politely. Please don’t drag Yuri into this disgustingly dirty fight.”

“What? Disgustingly dirty fight?”

To Executive Director Kwon’s ears, it sounded like “Uncle, you’re a disgustingly dirty person.”

“Anyway, whether it’s a bastard raised in an adulterous family, or a guy who hides his dark intentions and plots schemes. Birds of a feather flock together. You cunning bastard! You pretended to be helpless when I threatened to reveal to the media that your father had an affair with his current wife before his ex-wife died, but it was all an act, wasn’t it?”

Highly agitated, Executive Director Kwon failed to notice that Jeho was frowning as if surprised.

“When I presented the paternity test as proof that your sister is an illegitimate child, you turned pale and looked flustered. Tch, is it because she’s Assemblyman Chae’s daughter? Your acting skills at deceiving others are top-notch.”

Assuming that Jeho already knew, Executive Director Kwon spilled out the facts about Assemblyman Chae and Mrs. Ahn’s affair.

“Don’t think I’ll step down quietly like this. You think the Chairman is on your side? He’s just pretending to cast me out because of the eyes around us. Who else but me can lead KG? Don’t even dream that it will go to you. When your father was driven out, you were also erased from our Kwon family.”

After finishing his words, Executive Director Kwon straightened his disheveled clothes and fled the conference room. Although he shouted defiantly on the surface, he was afraid that Jeho might grab his collar again at any moment.

Left alone in the conference room, Jeho recalled what Hyunkyung had told him before.

―That’s not it. Jeho, it started not long after she entered the US. I don’t know the reason. From then on, Yuri tried to leave home, and every time she was caught and beaten.

Then, the reason she couldn’t tell even Hyunkyung was…

That her father and stepmother had an affair, and an illegitimate sister was born from that relationship?

Was that also why she always had a sad face?

…Yuri.

Jeho pressed his palm firmly against his chest.

What on earth have I done to you?

The suddenly revealed painful reality weighed heavily on Jeho.