Chapter 17
Inside Chae Song-hwa’s officetel living room.
“Ms. Chae Song-hwa.”
Her gaze slowly moved toward me.
Her eyes were filled with deep caution and anxiety.
I lowered my voice.
“Park Dong-sik is deceiving you.”
The moment I finished, her eyes shook violently.
Her lips began trembling too.
“This is a photograph of him entering a hotel with his divorced wife.”
I quietly placed the photograph on the table.
“This is the evidence.”
I calmly watched her.
Fear and confusion appeared together on her face.
After a breath, I continued carefully.
“I know what you’re seeing in that photograph may be uncomfortable.”
I took another breath.
Then added in a firmer voice,
“But for your own life, you need to look at this coldly while you still can.”
She stared at the photograph for a long time with trembling eyes.
Her fingertips shook.
The movement even reached the coffee cup on the table.
The coffee inside rippled faintly.
I glanced toward Uncle.
He was holding his breath and carefully watching the atmosphere.
Then it happened.
I looked directly into her eyes.
Inside them, I felt something heavy.
Not simply anger.
Not simply sadness.
Something closer to killing intent.
After a brief silence, she asked sharply,
“So what do you want?”
She looked directly at me.
There was even cold hostility in her eyes.
I didn’t rush.
I answered calmly.
“I already know Park Dong-sik hid assets under your name.”
My voice remained neutral.
No impatience.
No excitement.
“We’ve already checked the account records, property registrations, and transferred assets.”
Her expression hardened further.
She silently stared at me.
Anxiety and nervousness were obvious on her face.
After watching her reaction for a moment, I spoke again.
“I’m not bringing this up for no reason.”
I took a breath.
I was careful about how she would receive my words.
“You know that money doesn’t completely belong to you, don’t you?”
Chae Song-hwa said nothing.
She only blinked several times.
There was subtle acknowledgment mixed with anxiety.
I softened my approach.
“I don’t think you need to take responsibility for every problem Park Dong-sik created.”
Her gaze shook again.
A small crack had appeared in her emotions.
I immediately pushed into it.
“We already have evidence, so compulsory enforcement will begin soon.”
After a brief pause, I added more strongly,
“Property placed under your name won’t be excluded.”
She lightly bit her lip.
A moment later, she finally asked,
“What should I do?”
From this point onward...
It was a negotiation.
“I’ll cooperate.”
Chae Song-hwa spoke shortly.
Of course, that absolutely did not mean she planned to obediently return all the assets Park Dong-sik had hidden under her name.
“Cooperate” only meant she would move within the limits she personally chose.
I could see through that perfectly.
So I decided to provoke her more.
I slowly spoke.
“But about Park Dong-sik...”
She looked at me.
There was caution in her eyes.
But curiosity too.
I met her gaze.
“He apparently sleeps with his wife in hotels instead of motels.”
Her expression instantly froze.
I could tell her pride had been deeply wounded.
I ignored the change and pushed again.
“From the photos I received, it looks like he only takes you to cheap motels.”
I deliberately attacked her pride once more.
Her emotions needed to become as intense as possible.
A short silence followed.
Then I asked sharply,
“What do you think about that difference?”
Her body stiffened.
Her brows trembled slightly.
I believed I needed to attack even these small details if I wanted her to truly act.
Clear anger and humiliation appeared in her eyes.
I softened my voice again.
“Do you have anything I can use to pressure Park Dong-sik?”
Chae Song-hwa looked away as if hesitating.
A short but heavy silence filled the room.
Finally, she slowly reached toward a drawer.
Then she took out an ultrasound photo and handed it to me.
I looked at it and breathed out in relief inside.
Got one.
This could pressure someone else properly too.
I asked her as politely as possible,
“May I take this photograph?”
She silently nodded.
Her fingertips trembled slightly as she handed it over.
“You can.”
Her voice shook a little, but it was firm.
After a brief silence, she spoke again quietly.
“I have to raise the baby that’s going to be born...”
She let out a short, deep sigh.
Her expression darkened.
Then she lowered her voice as if revealing a secret.
“So I have no choice but to hide the money I’m supposed to receive from Park Dong-sik.”
There was a firm determination in her final words.
She stared intensely at me.
“So keep what you promised earlier.”
I carefully watched her expression.
Then slowly nodded.
“Yes. I promise.”
Only then did she finally breathe in relief.
Her tense shoulders lowered slightly.
I carefully picked up the envelope containing the ultrasound photograph and stood up.
Then I looked silently at Uncle.
Kim Dong-su was still staring at me with an expression of complete disbelief.
Jo Sun-ja’s office.
A DNA test report lay on the desk.
Manager Park quietly asked,
“Madam, what are you going to do now?”
“You shouldn’t walk out halfway through an exam.”
She paused for breath.
“We should watch until the end. And take another proper look at Taesan’s abilities.”
After leaving the officetel, Uncle and I got back into the car.
The moment the doors closed, heavy silence filled the inside.
Then Uncle cautiously spoke.
“Taesan, may I ask you something?”
He hesitated while studying my face.
There was concern in his eyes.
And a little curiosity.
I smiled lightly.
“Of course, Uncle. Go ahead.”
He swallowed as if still hesitating.
Then finally asked,
“Are you trying to make Park Dong-sik’s divorced wife repay his debt instead?”
His voice trembled slightly.
It felt like he was asking about my true intentions.
Instead of answering immediately, I looked outside the window.
Then slowly turned toward him.
“Uncle, do you know when a man truly experiences hell?”
He looked at me in confusion.
The sudden question clearly caught him off guard.
I smiled slightly as if enjoying his expression.
“When women properly torment him.”
I looked him in the eyes again and smiled.
“One woman is already difficult. Park Dong-sik has two now. His ex-wife and his mistress.”
Uncle’s eyes widened.
For a moment, understanding and deep sympathy crossed his face.
I calmly explained.
“That’s how he’ll learn to hand over the money himself.”
Only then did Uncle slowly nod as if he finally understood.
The next morning.
Uncle Kim Dong-su and I went to the apartment where Park Dong-sik’s divorced wife lived.
As we walked down the hallway, subtle tension remained on Uncle’s face.
I pressed the doorbell.
After a moment, a sharp-looking middle-aged woman slowly opened the door.
She looked me up and down suspiciously.
“Who are you?”
I calmly held out the envelope of photographs I had prepared.
[Im Seon-hwa]
Current Assets: 970 million won
(Owns a Gangnam apartment and a small commercial building in northern Seoul)
Current Loans: None
Repayment Ability: 100%
(Excellent)
Monthly Repayable Amount: 200 million won
Financial Trustworthiness: 95%
She had even more money than Park Dong-sik’s mistress.
He probably gave the legal wife more assets.
Having nearly one billion won in 1996 made her wealthy.
Either way, malicious debtor Park Dong-sik had hidden a huge amount of money while refusing to repay his debt.
“These are photographs of your husband, Park Dong-sik, entering a motel with another woman.”
Her expression froze instantly.
Her eyes shook violently.
Even her lips trembled.
She asked angrily,
“What did you say? Why are you bringing this to me?”
I calmly explained.
“I’m not here to collect his debt from you. Just pay me for the photo, and I’ll leave quietly.”
She hesitated briefly.
Then hurried into the bedroom and came back with money.
She threw a bundle of cash in front of me.
“There. One million won. Take it and get out.”
I held the money and quietly stared at her.
Strong anxiety and caution remained on her face.
I broke the silence.
“If this photo is worth one million won, I have another one that costs more. Interested?”
She stared directly at me with anxious eyes.
“What are you talking about?”
I deliberately spoke slowly and calmly.
“It’s a three-million-won photograph.”
Curiosity and anxiety appeared together in her eyes.
Her lips trembled.
Her breathing grew rougher.
After hesitating, she quickly pulled a ring from her finger and held it out.
It immediately looked like a wedding ring.
She spoke sharply.
“Will this do? Give me the photograph!”
Her fingertips were still trembling.
Her urgency was obvious.
I slowly took an envelope from my bag.
Then handed her the ultrasound photo Chae Song-hwa had given me.
The moment she saw it, her whole body began trembling.
Her grip weakened so much that she nearly dropped the picture.
Her lips turned pale.
Extreme shock and rage crossed her face at the same time.
She seemed unable to breathe properly.
Without speaking, Uncle and I exchanged glances.
His face was stiff as he silently watched.
Inside, I thought,
From now on, they’re going to become each other’s hell.
There was an old saying.
When a woman holds a grudge, frost can fall even in the middle of summer.
And when a woman truly turns away, she can become colder and more ruthless than a man.
