Chapter 20 - Two Men. One Woman.
Jonghyun was at his office, working late at night. He was reading up all the information he could on Lim Byungsoo but nothing indicated that he was gay. Furthermore, the fact that he was intimate with Finance Minister Hyun, baffled him. Even though he was not involved in his father's politics, he somewhat knew about the Minister's herculean rise to power.
Born in extreme poverty, Hyun had worked his way up in the government, first with the monarchy and then with the current government. The man was modeled as a rags to riches story but there was more to it than meets the eye. What was even more puzzling was the fact that twenty four years ago, Lim Byungsoo used to assist the Head Physician of the royal household.
Was it a mere coincidence or a setup?
Jonghyun smirked and sat back, crossing his legs on the table. No doubt his adoptive father was the puppeteer behind these men. Hyun was becoming very popular with the masses to the point that he would pose a huge challenge in the upcoming elections. While Prime Minister Lee was still a beloved ruler, he had many enemies. The supporters of the monarchy were still hiding and plotting against the government. They were biding their time to strike.
If Hyun won the elections, then Lee would lose all power and that would be his downfall. Jonghyun knew his father's motives very well. Ever since the old man had rescued him from the palace coup, Jonghyun had to live under a false identity. Lee had removed all his previous identification as Kim San and hid him under the nose of the monarchy supporter who were no doubt looking for him till this day.
From the outside, Jonghyun was being the obedient child but in reality, he was the son in name only. Prime Minister Lee had shipped him abroad many years ago and did not bother to check up on him. Jonghyun only returned recently in secret to plot against the government and take back his birthright. The Prime Minister had no idea what Jonghyun looked like and he was going to keep it that way.
He picked up the cotton candy from his desk and began to chow on it. He was not fond of sweets but only ate cotton candy whenever he felt like it.
"If Hyun goes down, then I can blackmail him into testifying against the Prime Minister," he muttered. But Hyun was not going to fall that easily. He needed to be rattled and threatened. The arrival of the compromising picture was very opportune and he intended to use it.
He pressed his buzzer.
"Haein, are you there?" he asked through the intercom. There was a long silence on the other end.
"Haein?" Jonghyun frowned. "Are you at office?"
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That's strange, he thought. Haein never left office before midnight. The guy was a boring workaholic and while Jonghyun sometimes got annoyed at his overly serious persona, Haein was still very diligent in his work. Jonghyun tried to get him to loosen up many times but his secretary was as uptight as ever.
So it was surprising to find out Haein had left the office early. Jonghyun was about to turn off the intercom when his secretary's voice echoed through.
"Yes sir," Haein said. "You called for me."
"Inform Han Sunye that the cruise is at 7 o'clock tomorrow," Jonghyun stated. "I'll pick her up from her apartment around 6 PM. You'll accompany us as well but stay back on the docks with the car. You'll have to wait for us there."
"Understood sir," Haein's voice came from the other end. "Anything else?"
"Yes," Jonghyun said. "Keep an eye on my dear father's activities. If you find anything suspicious, let me know."
"Alright sir."
Jonghyun hung up and leaned back against his chair, deep in thought. He must corner Hyun during the cruise. His testimony would help them in painting Lim as the culprit and the families of the victims could claim their money. Moreover, if Hyun was Lim's killer, then Jonghyun would be able to tick off one enemy from his list.
Staring at the ceiling, he carefully retraced his plan to avenge those who had taken away his right. And with Han Sunye on his side, he would take them down at all cost.
"I hope you remember me, Sunye," he said out loud.
….
Orea heaved a sigh of relief. She was in her lab, monitoring Jonghyun's office. SD had gone off to annoy his muse and she was stuck answering his calls at LN Partners' office. She had installed a voice moduler with SD's landline at the office so that whenever he was not around, she would use the moculer to communicate with the staff through the phone.
The large screen in front of her flashed Jonghyun's face. The man seemed to be deep in thought and she vaguely wondered what he was thinking of.
"Aish! This guy is hot!" she admired. "If only I was a little older…"
Just then her phone rang. It was SD.
"Oi!" she snapped at him as she picked up the phone. "Where the fuck are you? Your boss was looking for you at office!"
"I was having ramen with Sunye," SD shrugged. "Although she threw me out of her home. I don't know why she does that? Am I not a gentleman?"
Orea snorted. "If you're a gentleman then I'm the Queen of England!" she snapped. "Everyone knows you're a scum. Now stop playing with your toy and talk business!"
She took on a more serious tone. "The Yakuza will be onboard tomorrow and they'll steal those drugs," she said. "I have a rough location of the drugs but you'll have to be quick! You must replace the drugs and then return to Jonghyun's car at the dock. I can manipulate the cameras to show that you were there the whole time but you gotta be fast."
"Relax," SD said in a lazy tone. "I can get in and out of that boat in no time. Once those drugs are replaced, the Yakuza will deal with Hyun themselves. Or Mikhael's team will handle him. I got this, kid."
"Tch!" Orea scoffed. "Why don't you just take a gun and shoot down all your enemies? Isn't that easier?"
"But where's the fun in that?" SD mused. "I love to see my prey suffer."
"Then why are you making that lawyer suffer?" Orea asked. "What did she do to you?"
"Nothing," SD stated. "I can never harm her, Orea. I simply need her in getting access to the Prime Minister."
Orea was silent for a while before sighing. "I can never understand your thinking," she said. "Kim San."
SD was silent on the other end. Upon hearing that name, he did not reply but hung up the call. Orea shook her head and returned her attention to the big screen where Jonghyun was also lost in his own thoughts.
Two men. Two of them with the same identity and goal. And both of them were tied by Han Sunye. Orea could not help but reflect on the bizarre scenario.
"This is not gonna end well," she muttered.