Chapter 177 – Hmm…… – Part 1

Chapter 177 – Hmm…… – Part 1

As Woojin was about to enter the mansion, a man who appeared to be in his late 50s was just coming out.

He bowed slightly to Woojin.

Woojin likewise greeted him and asked,

“How is Chairman Lee doing?”

It was none other than the doctor.

“His mental fortitude is very strong.”

“Does he respond well to medication, cognitive rehabilitation, and memory training?”

“Yes. He is very proactive.”

Woojin nodded his head.

Still, the illness Chairman Lee suffers from can worsen at any moment.

“You’ve worked hard. Please be careful on your way.”

“Alright then.”

After the doctor left, Woojin immediately entered the mansion.

Upon entering, a man who appeared to be in his mid-30s bowed his head.

“You’ve arrived.”

His tone indicated he had seen Woojin more than once or twice.

“Where is the Chairman?”

“He is on the second floor.”

Woojin strode up the stairs, which were coiled like a snake.

Then he knocked on the door.

“Chairman Lee, it’s me. Shin Woojin.”

“Come in.”

Woojin opened the door and entered, seeing Chairman Lee standing with his hands behind his back, looking out the window.

Outside, the stream water was gently flowing.

As Woojin approached, Chairman Lee turned.

His hair was whiter than before, as if covered in frost.

Chairman Lee smiled and asked Woojin,

“How do I look?”

“You look as consistent as ever.”

Chairman Lee shook his head and laughed.

“It lightens my heart to hear such an extraordinary person as yourself say so.”

“I am just an ordinary person.”

“There’s a saying that too much humility is a curse.”

Chairman Lee sometimes thought Woojin seemed to have foresight.

He would not only match a person’s past by looking at them but also foresee their future.

He claimed he could see it by understanding the other person’s personality, actions, and surrounding environment, but it was hard to fully grasp.

He called it cognitive inference, but he thought about it based on statistics and mathematical calculations.

Just looking at this, he was no ordinary person.

As Chairman Lee sat on the sofa, Woojin spoke.

“What did you do today?”

Chairman Lee chuckled.

“Are you treating me like a patient too?”

“You need to experience the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. The mountains are a very suitable place for experiencing the five senses.”

Stimulating the five senses greatly helps with illnesses.

“You’re still studying hard and eating well, so come and sit here.”

Woojin sat facing Chairman Lee.

Naturally, a Go board lay between them.

Chairman Lee scraped the Go stones in the bowl with his hand and said,

Scrape.

“My attending physician said that Go is very helpful for dementia.”

“That’s right.”

“You said you wouldn’t give me more than ten handicap stones, didn’t you?”

Woojin smiled and shook his head.

“I’ve changed my mind. No more than six stones.”

Chairman Lee knew why Woojin said this.

It meant he hoped it would help with the illness he was suffering from.

In other words, he was telling him to keep using his brain.

“Alright, six stones.”

Chairman Lee placed the Go stones down with a tap before starting.

Then he opened his mouth.

“Lately, I keep seeing my son who passed away.”

Chairman Lee looked at Woojin with a wrinkled smile.

“Please understand if I call you Jeong Man. I’m a patient, after all.”

Chairman Lee said this so casually and comfortably.

Of course, these were words he couldn’t say to just anyone.

“It’s a delusion where you only see what you want to see. Strengthen your mind.”

“Tsk, you’re a heartless person.”

Chairman Lee said that, but his smile remained.

Woojin said,

“Then, shall we make a bet before we play?”

I have something in mind.

Tell me.

Chairman Lee, who had been scraping the Go stones in the concave bowl, finally spoke.

If I win, you’ll marry my granddaughter Hyerim. That child has a kind heart and good business acumen.

It was shocking in a way that would make others’ eyes widen, and they would immediately nod in agreement.

But Woojin didn’t bat an eye.

No, he slowly nodded his head.

If I win, please transfer 1% of Shinhwa Group’s holding company shares to Miss Lee Hyerim.

As Chairman Lee’s wrinkled eyes widened slightly, Woojin continued.

Miss Lee Hyerim is currently doing well with the Chairman’s instructions. She’s overcoming the pressure from the Chairman’s children. I think she must be having a very hard time. I think that kind of gift is appropriate.

Chairman Lee quietly watched Woojin as if observing him.

Woojin looked at Chairman Lee for a moment, then shifted his gaze to the window and looked at the scenery.

They observed each other, but for Woojin, just a brief glance was enough.

Chairman Lee, who had been watching Woojin, slowly nodded his head.

He must have feelings for Hyerim.

You need to think carefully. Even 1% could make things harder for Hyerim.

Because his children wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

If you’re not considering Miss Lee Hyerim as your successor, observing the situation might not be a bad idea.

If you give me four more handicap stones, I’ll consider it.

As I said a moment ago, I cannot give you six more handicap stones. Even for the Chairman’s sake.

Chairman Lee’s smile deepened.

Even National Assembly Members stammered in front of him, but the young man had shown no such behavior from the start.

That’s why he liked him even more.

Good.

Thud!

Chairman Lee’s Go stone made a crisp sound as it tapped the Go board.

“Let’s see if our Jeong Man can beat his father. Hahahaha!”

***

The next day.

Chairman Lee’s children gathered in one place.

Lee Hyerim’s father, Lee Jeongcheol, was nowhere to be seen.

Lee Jeongmi, with her arms crossed, snapped at the eldest son, Lee Jeongho.

“Brother! Are you just going to stand there and watch? Even a 1% stake is about to go to Hyerim!”

When Lee Jeongho, with his eyes closed, remained silent, Lee Jeongmi spoke again, frustrated.

“Brother!”

SH Construction, which should have been in her son’s hands, went to Lee Hyerim, and if the electricity, the commercial building, and on top of that, the holding company’s shares also went to Hyerim… If even a little bit of the shares continued to flow that way…

Her share would gradually disappear.

“Quiet.”

At Lee Jeongho’s words, Lee Jeongmi clutched her chest in frustration, and the youngest daughter, Lee Jeonghye, spoke instead.

“Is Dad sick? Like dementia or something?”

At Lee Jeonghye’s words, Lee Jeongho’s brow furrowed.

His father, who said he was going to rest for a while and not to look for him, disappeared as if he were hiding.

Instead, he secretly sent a proxy to Lee Hyerim.

Lee Jeongho’s closed eyes slowly opened.

And he scanned his father’s house.

He had once thought that his father might be sick.

Lee Jeongho’s hand gripped the armrest of the sofa as if it would tear off.

‘Even so.’

Was he that untrustworthy?

Did he think he would go on a rampage like a legally incompetent person?

Of course, there were other legal systems similar to that of a legally incompetent person.

If his father really thought that…

He really saw it properly.

As expected, he was the Father who built Shinhwa Group from scratch.

Suddenly, I remembered what Father said before.

‘If there’s a Room method, you must make it yours no matter what.’

“It looks like only Jeongcheol Oppa will be having fun.”

Lee Jeongcheol was Lee Hyerim’s Father.

At the words of his youngest daughter, Lee Jeonghye, Lee Jeongho quietly gritted his teeth.

“What you’re thinking won’t happen. Keep your mouth shut and stay quiet.”

Lee Jeongho got up from his seat and moved towards the entrance.

“Oppa, where are you going!”

Even with his sister’s cry, she couldn’t stop him.

“Unni, isn’t this going to cause a real big problem? They were going to give me a Golf Course and some good forest land for my birthday…”

“Hey! Is that the problem right now? Ha~ You frustrating person.”

As Lee Jeongmi got up from her seat, Lee Jeonghye asked.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to meet that bitch Hyerim one more time.”

“Should I come with you?”

“You go home.”

“Unni!”

At that time.

Lee Jeongho, sitting in the back seat of the car, was on the phone.

“So?”

-He’s a stubborn guy. He’s denying everything.

“I’ll go there myself.”

-You coming in person…

Lee Jeongho closed his eyes as if suppressing his anger and let out a long sigh.

No, he couldn’t hold it in.

He spat out the words as if chewing them.

“If you had done your job well, I wouldn’t have had to step in!”

-I’m, I’m sorry.

Lee Jeongho, who unilaterally hung up the phone, unknotted his tie irritably and muttered,

“I have to move myself. Directly.”

Lee Jeongho suddenly looked at the driver.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m waiting for the light.”

“Step on it, you bastard!”

“Yes, yes!”

Vroom-

The car Lee Jeongho was in started speeding down the road.

After driving for about 30 minutes,

Lee Jeongho arrived at a dark and eerie construction site, where he was greeted by a thug in a black suit.

He bowed deeply.

“You’ve arrived.”

Lee Jeongho walked past him and said,

“Where is he?”

“He’s on the 7th floor. This way.”

Lee Jeongho followed the thug’s guidance, climbing the stairs to the 7th floor.

Three thugs stood there, and flames crackled, rising from a drum.

And another person was tied to a chair.

The man’s head was soaked in blood, and his face was the same.

What was more peculiar was that his eyes were covered by a tie.

As Lee Jeongho approached, the three men bowed.

Lee Jeongho ignored them and stood in front of the blindfolded man.

“I’m different from these guys. I won’t ask twice. Where is Chairman Lee?”

When he opened his trembling mouth, thick blood mixed with saliva dangled like snot.

“I, I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

“You received a message from someone you’ve never met before, and you delivered it to Lee Hyerim, is that what you’re saying?”

At Lee Jeongho’s words, he quickly blurted out.

“Yes! It’s true! It’s true! Please believe me!”

“Believe you?”

He nodded his head like a madman.

“Please believe me. It’s really true… It really is!”

Lee Jeongho let out a snicker.

To be merely a delivery person to relay Father’s words, and the item to be delivered was a cellphone.

He was using the cellphone as a disposable item.

Even so, he couldn’t pressure Lee Hyerim.

Since she was in contact with Father in some way, Lee Hyerim’s lips would become even tighter, and Father’s whereabouts could change frequently.

Lee Jeongho, who had been quietly staring at the man tied to the chair, untied the necktie covering his eyes.

Despite this, the man still couldn’t bring himself to meet Lee Jeongho’s gaze.

“Look at me.”

He trembled and lifted his gaze.

“You remember the place where you received the item, right?”

“Yes. Yes. I remember.”

“Where is it?”

The man began to desperately explain the location, like someone standing at the edge of a cliff.

Lee Jeongho nodded, looking into his eyes, and took out his wallet.

Then he took out a few ten million won checks and tossed them in front of him as if scattering them.

“For your medicine.”

Lee Jeongho left his seat and told the thugs,

“Talk some sense into him and send him off.”

“Please go carefully.”

Leaving them behind, Lee Jeongho went down the stairs and made a call to someone.

“It’s me, Prosecutor General. Someone sent a strange item to my nephew. I’m not sure how to find them. Could you lend me a hand?”