Intuition is an ability that seems all-powerful, yet isn’t.
To put it simply, even if I desperately wish, ‘Please find the culprit behind this poisoning of the Owner Family!’ it won’t tell me.
Well… not directly.
First, as the amount of information I see increases, my intuition naturally reveals things I don’t even want to know.
That’s why I called an emergency meeting.
Thanks to the help of the media, I, too, have a fair bit of insight into melodramatic chaos.
And in such a world, the poisoning of the Owner Family?
It’s obvious without even looking.
It’s highly likely to be an insider, someone as close to the Owner Family as possible, and the motive is probably resentment or disappointment in the Owner Family.
If so, it’s only natural that the culprit is likely among the people summoned to this emergency meeting.
Sure enough, the moment I stepped into the conference room, my intuition surged violently toward two people.
One was a clear rage directed at my very existence.
‘You shouldn’t be alive!’
That’s about the gist of it.
The other person, however, was a bit different.
It was a negative emotion, but…
Strangely, its texture was subtle.
If I had to put it into words, it was a hint of regret?
But that made me feel even worse.
Because it felt like murderous intent and expectation were mixed together in one place.
And the owner of that emotion was.
“Yun Changseop, the former Chief Secretary, seems to be the culprit in this case.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Jeong Mincheol, the Director of the Future Strategy Planning Department, appears to be his accomplice.”
At my words, Choi Yuna’s eyes widened and she closed her mouth.
As if she couldn’t grasp where to even begin asking for the reasons.
She cautiously asked me.
“How did you come to know that?”
“It’s hard to explain in words, but I’m certain of it. Perhaps it’s a feeling similar to how I’m certain that Secretary Choi is on my side.”
“I see.”
“?”
What.
I was just thinking about how to talk my way around it next, but Choi Yuna nodded as if she understood right away.
It’s better for me since I don’t have to bother with extra explanations.
“Let’s first hear the story about the Director of the Future Strategy Planning Office.”
“Director Jeong Mincheol is a man with a great appetite for results. Things like higher positions and more influence.”
At my words, Choi Yuna adjusted her glasses and began to fluently spill out information about Director Jeong Mincheol.
Indeed, when it came to Seonghwa Group, it seemed there was nothing Choi Yuna didn’t know.
“He also frequently gave gifts to the members of the Owner Family.”
“Gifts?”
“Yes. Anniversaries and birthdays were the basics, and most of the items were quite expensive.”
Hmm.
I thought I had a general idea just from listening.
As Choi Yuna explained, Jeong Mincheol, the Director of the Future Strategy Planning Office, was a man honest with his desires.
And it’s a cliché that such people are usually weak to temptation. If someone dangles a sweet enough deal, they’ll waver more easily than you’d think.
Meaning he can never rise above the position of a villain’s helper…
“What about the former Chief Secretary? Now that I think about it, he was your boss, right?”
“…Yes.”
Choi Yuna’s expression visibly changed.
The texture was different from when she was explaining Jeong Mincheol earlier.
Respect for Yun Changseop.
Or rather, a feeling close to pure trust.
“Former Chief Secretary Yun Changseop wasn’t simply someone who assisted the Owner Family.”
She continued slowly.
“He’s the one who built Seonghwa alongside Chairman Kang Seongcheol, the first Chairman, from the very beginning. From the second Chairman, of course, to Vice Chairman Kang Junhyuk, who was a strong candidate for the next Chairman. He served them from the closest possible position, dedicating himself to Seonghwa Group.”
“He’s practically a fossil.”
“…Yes. And he was highly respected by the employees as well. Not just in the Secretary’s Office, but also among employees in other affiliates.”
He had a good personality and didn’t treat people carelessly.
They even said he was incredibly good at his job.
So good that his work was so clean there wasn’t even a single flaw to find.
Just hearing about him made me wonder if such a perfect person could even exist.
“But two months ago, he abruptly stepped down from his position as Chief Secretary.”
“And even Secretary Choi doesn’t know the reason?”
“The stated reason was retirement age… but honestly, I thought it was too early. He was still participating in important decision-making and deeply involved in matters related to the succession structure.”
A loyal retainer who had served since the first Chairman.
A perfect Chief Secretary who earned even the respect of the employees.
But two months before the incident, he suddenly stepped down from his active role, and now he reappears under the guise of an advisor…
I felt something click into place in my head.
After all, it’s a well-known cliché that the more capable a person is, the easier it is for them to fall to the dark side.
But that’s not really important.
The heartbreaking backstory of the madman who put me in this state?
Common sense dictates I wouldn’t be curious about that.
There’s no negotiating with terrorists, after all.
That’s why.
“Have you found any trace of Department Head Kim?”
I needed to catch Department Head Kim even more.
Personally, I was convinced that Department Head Kim was the key to this case.
Why?
I still vividly remember the face I saw at the very end.
His face, which looked somehow sad.
Was that expression because he failed to kill me? Or was it guilt from being forced to kill me?
I…
wanted to hear that answer.
I still don’t think he’s a bad person at all.
Perhaps he, too, is a victim of the messed-up scenario that Yun Changseop set in motion.
“I’m sorry. The current status of tracking Department Head Kim’s location isn’t very optimistic. The possibility of him fleeing overseas is also entirely open.”
“Hmm… Then what about Department Head Kim’s family relations?”
“Family relations… I believe his spouse passed away from illness three years ago.”
Choi Yuna paused to check her tablet screen before continuing.
“And he has virtually no contact with relatives. His parents passed away long ago, and it seems he’s been out of touch with his siblings for quite some time.”
“So you’re saying there’s no one Department Head Kim could call family at all?”
“No. There is one. Her name is Kim Seoa, and she has a daughter who just turned six this year.”
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
His wife died from illness.
No relatives.
Yet, he was a father who diligently raised his young daughter all alone…
How should I put it.
It feels like the world has become so transparent to me, from my perspective.
And suddenly a line like this comes to mind.
-Department Head Kim, if you don’t cooperate, your daughter will be in danger.
…
But all of this is just my speculation.
Simply.
“Secretary Choi, please investigate the whereabouts of Department Head Kim’s daughter. As quickly as possible!”
If my guess is right, Department Head Kim might soon make the worst choice.
Thirty minutes after I asked her to investigate the daughter’s whereabouts.
Choi Yuna returned with urgent steps and news.
“It’s been confirmed that Kim Seoa hasn’t left her kindergarten for the past three days. And regarding the reason, Department Head Kim is said to have answered like this.”
That his daughter was sick, so he wouldn’t be able to send her to kindergarten for a while.
But Department Head Kim’s residence is currently empty.
If that’s the case, where has his daughter, Kim Seoa, disappeared to, just like him?
There’s a possibility they fled together, but…
“I think the possibility of kidnapping is high. The Department Head Kim I know isn’t insane enough to go on the run with his daughter.”
“So you’re saying the culprits kidnapped his daughter, Kim Seoa, to threaten Department Head Kim?”
I nodded.
“After all, a father can do anything for his precious daughter, right? Anyway, let’s keep this possibility open and start with rescuing Kim Seoa.”
“But Chairman… We have too few clues. No one knows how long it will take.”
“Ah, regarding that. Is there perhaps a warehouse managed under the Seonghwa Group name or a facility with restricted access?”
Choi Yuna blinked for a moment.
But she set aside her doubts and gave me the answer I wanted.
“The warehouse facilities on the Seonghwa Logistics side are operated nationwide. However, most of them have frequent traffic due to logistics movement.”
“What about places with restricted access or low usage frequency?”
“…There are. There are warehouses that were used in the past but are now practically abandoned, affiliate sites scheduled for cleanup, or facilities where general employee access is restricted for security reasons.”
I asked her to compile them into a list.
After all, it’s always darkest beneath the lamp.
If someone like Yun Changseop, who knows the inner workings of Seonghwa Group well, would obviously use this, wouldn’t it?
I skimmed through the list Choi Yuna handed me.
Even if I predicted their intentions, finding them through conventional means would take quite a while.
But the moment my fingers slowly flipped through the list-
I couldn’t help but grin.
“Secretary Choi, the sun is about to set, right?”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Then we need to visit the security team as quickly as possible.”
“…?”
Choi Yuna’s expression was visibly flustered.
I looked at that expression and smiled brightly.
“Let’s rescue Department Head Kim’s daughter before the day is over.”
***
Kim Taejin.
Called Department Head Kim within Seonghwa Group, he blankly stared up at the sky.
The midday sky was clear and peaceful.
Unlike the Korean Empire of yesterday.
The unprecedented premeditated crime of poisoning the entire Owner Family of Seonghwa Group, and the boy he had served standing tall at the center of it all.
These were probably the loudest days of the 21st century.
But the noisier the world became, the heavier Kim Department Head’s guilt grew.
That’s why he couldn’t look up at the sky with a clear conscience.
He never deserved to in the first place.
He lowered his gaze again.
The fierce wind blowing.
And beneath it, the vast river spreading out.
Department Head Kim stood alone in silence on the overpass.
His fingertips trembled.
Not because he was cold.
Nor because he was afraid.
Simply…
because he knew everything was over.
“…Ha.”
A low breath that resembled a laugh escaped him.
He never imagined something like this would happen to him.
He had lived fiercely and worked harder than anyone else.
It was all because he wanted to be a father his daughter wouldn’t be ashamed of.
So that his daughter, who had no family but him, wouldn’t feel inferior in front of others.
He wanted to be someone who could fill the void left by her mother without any shortcomings.
Even if he wasn’t the kind of person others called great.
-Our dad is the best!
He wanted to live a life where he could at least hear those words…
But in the end, he couldn’t even fulfill that wish.
Kim Taejin slowly closed his eyes.
As he closed his eyes, his daughter’s face naturally came to mind.
“…I’m sorry.”
A cracked voice leaked out.
He knew.
He knew better than anyone that this choice would plunge his daughter into a lifetime of pain.
Still, as a foolish father, he couldn’t think of any other way.
The poisoning of the Owner Family.
The assassination attempt on Kang Geon.
If he took on all those sins and just ended it here-
At least former Chief Secretary Yun Changseop would keep his promise, considering his resolve.
That man wasn’t the type to break a promise.
Then at least Seoa can live.
And.
“…Young Master Kang Geon.”
Come to think of it, there was one more person he needed to apologize to.
Of course, he wasn’t sure if the other party would accept his apology.
In fact, even thinking of being accepted was selfish.
‘I nearly killed that person, after all.’
But this was the last selfishness Kim Taejin allowed himself before dying.
He steadied his breathing, turned on the phone he had kept off since yesterday, and tried to call the boy named Kang Geon.
But then a question arose.
Secretary Team Leader Choi Yuna was attached to his side.
Given her personality, she would have immediately disposed of his old phone…
If so, should he leave a message for Choi Yuna to pass on his apology?
Kim Taejin smiled bitterly.
Of course, that expression too was quickly replaced by confusion.
Because.
“…?”
For some reason, it started when he checked the message Choi Yuna had left for him.
And the moment he confirmed its contents, Department Head Kim’s mouth fell wide open.
He couldn’t help it.
In the photo, his daughter was beaming brightly in someone’s arms.
Not anyone else…
but in Kang Geon’s arms.
“Wh-What is this?!”
Beneath it, a message was written.
[Department Head Kim, your daughter is really cute ^^]
[So I kidnapped her without thinking]
…It said.