Episode 16
[This is a follow-up report on the man found in the Han River early this morning. Last night, the man was seen with Director Seo Yi-hyun, and CCTV footage reveals a one-sided assault by Director Seo. Let’s take a look.]
The TV broadcasted CCTV footage of Yi-hyun kicking Do-young. That very scene, and only that scene, was being aired.
Why was it that only the elevator CCTV was conveniently broken, while the others were intact?
The intention behind it was obvious—someone was behind this.
—
S Group Main Residence
“Father, are you really going to let Yi-hyun continue like this? First, he wanted to marry that low-level secretary Minji, and now this is the second time S Group is being dragged into the news. Last time it was about marrying his ex-fiancée, and now it’s assault leading to a suicide attempt!”
“On top of that, being seen clinging to a man at a hotel while clearly not in her right mind? I can’t let my son marry such a woman. He may not be my biological child, but I raised him like he was. I didn’t put all my time and effort into raising him just to end up in the headlines over some scandal! Father!”
Hwaran raised her voice deliberately, pretending to be distraught so she could express her concern over her son’s future.
Chairman Seo looked troubled. Though he had vowed to always be on Yi-hyun’s side, he couldn’t deny that what Hwaran was saying had some truth to it.
—
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Knock knock.
A moment later, the housekeeper came to report.
“Chairman, Miss Yeo-eun from Sium Group is here. What shall I do?”
Yeo-eun.
“Yeo-eun? Oh, let her in quickly.”
Without waiting for the chairman’s response, Hwaran beamed and replied excitedly.
Yeo-eun’s visit was unexpected even for Hwaran, but she knew it would lend even more weight to her argument. She was thrilled.
Soon after, Yeo-eun entered Chairman Seo’s office, guided by the housekeeper.
“Chairman, hello. I’ve met you a few times before, but this is the first time I’m greeting you formally. I’m Yeo-eun.”
She bowed politely toward both the chairman and Hwaran. Her demeanor was that of a well-raised child from a prestigious family.
“So, this is about Yi-hyun, I assume? I heard the matchmaking went smoothly, so I’m not fond of unannounced visits like this,” the chairman said. He still remembered the tension he had sensed at the inauguration ceremony.
He knew she wasn’t here with good news.
“Yes, Chairman. I promise to contact you first next time. The matter was too urgent, and I didn’t have time to call. Please forgive me.”
Yeo-eun bowed respectfully again, putting on her most courteous expression.
“So, what is this urgent matter?”
“Yes, sir. It’s not about Yi-hyun directly… It’s about Miss Joo Ha-rin.”
Although the chairman had already heard from his secretary that Yeo-eun and Ha-rin were high school classmates and that there was some history between them, he was curious about what Yeo-eun would say.
“Yes, Chairman. Ha-rin and I were classmates in high school. I was very surprised when I saw the engagement article, but I assumed Ha-rin had changed a lot since then. Because I know how difficult it is for someone like Yi-hyun to open his heart to someone. But… oh, I’m sorry.”
“What do you mean by ‘changed a lot’?”
Pretending it was a slip of the tongue, Yeo-eun let out a subtle insult. As she expected, Chairman Seo frowned and questioned her.
“It’s hard to talk about… It might shock you.”
“Don’t worry and just tell me. I’ll judge for myself. But you must speak only the truth—no lies.”
“Yes, Chairman. I’ll tell you everything truthfully.”
Yeo-eun hesitated for a moment, swallowed hard, and began.
“Ha-rin has always had a lot of boyfriends since high school. There were rumors that she liked men a bit too much… and they weren’t just rumors. She even stole boyfriends from other girls…”
“I thought she had changed when she got engaged to Yi-hyun, but apparently not. If I had known it would come to this, I would have told you the day the engagement article came out. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry.”
There wasn’t a single person who didn’t fall for her lies—except for one: Seo Yi-hyun.
That was why Yeo-eun had been drawn to him from the beginning.
He never paid attention to her lies or even to her as a person. Unlike other men who were easily swayed and danced in the palm of her hand, Yi-hyun was cold and disinterested.
It was as if he already knew her true nature and was warning her to stay away.
She had never been able to get close to him.
He was the only man she had ever given up on. But this time, she would not give up.
They had been young back then. But now, she was no longer that young girl.
“I think Ha-rin approached Yi-hyun with a plan. She must have known about the matchmaking meeting that day. There’s no way a secretary wouldn’t know. She deliberately targeted Yi-hyun, who is emotionally weak.”
Hearing this, Hwaran saw her chance and chimed in with a raised voice.
“I never liked her from the start. Pretending to be modest like a bear but really sly like a fox, seducing men left and right! A girl who gets engaged right after breaking up with her last boyfriend? There’s no way she’s of sound mind! Oh, my poor fate! Father, I can’t let Yi-hyun marry her! I spent my youth raising him, and I won’t give him to a girl like that! Never!!”
Hwaran pounded her chest with her fists as if she had been wronged.
“It’s my fault too, Father. I should have agreed to the marriage when you told me to. Who would have thought she was sneaking into her ex-boyfriend’s hotel room while planning her wedding? I’m sorry. I should’ve stopped it earlier… Oh, and there’s this as well…”
Yeo-eun then played an audio recording from her phone.
It was a conversation between Ha-rin’s aunt Jin-sook and someone else at Ji-eum Art Gallery. Yeo-eun’s voice had been edited out—the recording only included Jin-sook’s voice.
[“That girl, I don’t know if she’s lucky or cursed. The day of the accident, her parents died instantly, but she was the only one who survived. At first, I thought she was lucky, but ever since she came to our house, my husband’s business collapsed, and my son got hurt… Only bad things happened. Ugh. What kind of curse did that girl bring into our house? A couple years ago, I tracked down where she lived and some man answered the door. Back in our day, we called that being wild, but nowadays, that’s no big deal, right?”]
Chairman Seo’s expression grew darker and stiffer as he listened to the recording.
Yeo-eun was sure of it. To the chairman, who had built S Group from the ground up and had only one surviving heir after his son’s death, Yi-hyun was the most precious thing in the world. That’s why Yeo-eun was confident this would sway him to her side.
And judging by the hardening of his expression, everything was going according to her plan.
“And what’s your reason for playing me this now?”
“Honestly, Chairman, when Ha-rin’s aunt told me this, I was shocked. I struggled for a long time, wondering whether or not I should tell you. But with everything that’s happened… I felt it was right to come forward now.”
Chairman Seo stared directly into Yeo-eun’s eyes. He had dealt with many people in his life, and could often tell truth from lies just by looking into someone’s eyes.
“You’re saying everything you told me is true?”
“Yes, Chairman. All of it is the truth.”
Yeo-eun was confident her lies would never be uncovered.
There was no evidence, no witnesses.
This was a game she was destined to win.
