DOTH Volume 3 Chapter 10.7

“I was thinking of having you, Lee Haejin-ssi, to deliver the gift to the reporter.”

“Is Secretary Kim Chulwoo bringing it?”

“He should be on his way now. He will probably be here along with Chief Nam.”

Lee Haejin’s expression twitched slightly, but he nodded soon after. The reporter could still prove useful even after the article went live, so it wouldn’t be a bad move to tie him closer to Director Yeon.

“Director, that article from earlier today… Did you buy off the person who wrote it?”

Instead of drinking the strawberry latte Lee Haejin had given him, Jung Heeyeon absentmindedly ran his fingers along the glass and quietly asked. He’d been silently listening to the conversation, but something didn’t add up. The article was unfavorable to Director Yeon, so why would they buy off the person who wrote it?

“Technically, I didn’t. He did.”

“I mean, I know you probably can’t stop the article from going up, but… I don’t understand why you’d buy him off. That article will make things become troublesome for you.” 

“We’re planning to use him for the follow-up article.”

“Follow-up article?”

Jung Heeyeon mulled over the word ‘follow-up’. It seemed like they were planning to use it to turn the tables on Sunha.

“Remember earlier when I said the plan changed?”

“Yes.”

“If it turns out the gun used in the incident didn’t belong to Jiwoo, the next question will be where the gun came from.”

The gun model wasn’t distributed domestically, so naturally, people would try to trace its distribution route.

“If it turns out Sunha supplied the gun, then people will start suspecting the entire incident was staged. And if a follow-up article drops right around then, public attention will automatically shift to them. Especially since it’s coming from Sunwoo Daily, and from the same reporter who broke the original story.”

“So you’re planning to have the follow-up article suggest that the incident was fabricated?”

“Yeah.”

“But you don’t have proof for it.”

“He might have it prepared already.”

Lee Haejin answered casually in Director Yeon’s stead, swirling a crystal bottle of golden liquid in one hand. The sleek curve of the bottle matched his pale hand surprisingly well.

“Kim Jaeho told me they just left the container photo from Busan alone. That one picture with your face plastered huge right in the middle of it. I’m guessing they did it on purpose, knowing Sunha would have used it to start a media war… They’ve probably already secured video or photo evidence of them tampering with your container too, haven’t they?”

“Did Chief Nam tell you that?”

“Well, something like that.”

Lee Haejin shrugged lightly, brushing his lips against the liquor with no ice in it. Jung Heeyeon’s gaze lingered on the clear glass.

“Chief Nam handled it properly. We confirmed it was a subcontractor from Sunha’s side.”

While quietly listening to their exchange, Jung Heeyeon took a moment to piece together how things were unfolding, then asked another question.

“You said nothing went missing from the container last time. …Ah, Director, you’re planning to frame that Sunha tampered with your container to pin something on you?”

“Our Heeyeon is quite the smart one.” 

“I see.”

“Kang Seohyo will be the one responsible for this case. If he takes the fall, Chairman Jung, who backed him, will also go down with him. We’ll handle them both at once, it’s easier that way.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Jung Heeyeon accepted it easily, even while fully aware that Director Yeon’s methods were neither legal nor ethical. It didn’t matter what kind of work he did or in what way he handled it. What mattered was that it was Director Yeon doing it. Jung Heeyeon’s standards were not aligned with society’s laws and norms, they were set solely by Director Yeon himself.

“Why isn’t Chief Nam Soohyun here yet?”

“Do you want to see her, Heeyeon?”

At the unexpected question, Director Yeon slightly furrowed his brow. If it had been someone like Lee Haejin, who was also an omega, he could have understood. But Nam Soohyun? The thought of those pretty lips speaking kindly, only to mention another alpha, especially one not from Jiwoo’s, didn’t sit well with him.

“Pardon? Oh, no. You mentioned she’d be here today, but I didn’t see her around, so I was just curious. I’ve only met her once… and it never really crossed my mind that I wanted to see her again.”

“Hmmm, you’ve never thought about wanting to see her? That’s very nice of you.” 

The furrow between Director Yeon’s brows relaxed gently. He gave the glass of strawberry latte a light nudge, urging Jung Heeyeon to drink.

“She had a separate matter to take care of, so she went to meet Kim Chulwoo first.”

Before his sentence was finished, the door cracked open. Though the movement was quiet, Director Yeon’s gaze immediately darted toward it.

“Director. It’s been a while. Good evening to you too, Mister Lee Haejin.”

The alpha who entered was not Nam Soohyun, but Kang Seoui. Both Jung Heeyeon and Lee Haejin frowned simultaneously.

“Come now, I haven’t even released any pheromones. No need to be so openly cold, it makes me feel a little awkward here.”

Kang Seoui showed no trace of actual awkwardness as he sat down on the empty sofa. Having been warned by Director Yeon for releasing pheromones around Jung Heeyeon before, he had not the slightest intention of doing so again. Besides, the business partner, Lee Haejin, also detested alpha pheromones.

Kang Seoui wrinkled his nose. It couldn’t be right, but something about the scent in the air was faintly reminiscent of Director Yeon’s alpha pheromones.

That really couldn’t be right. Lee Haejin would never tolerate alpha pheromones. It was slightly different from the dominant alpha pheromones he remembered from last time. Perhaps it was a perfume? But none of the people here would wear perfume. However, Kang Seoui didn’t bother to dwell on it and got straight to the point.

“My eldest brother is absolutely thrilled. Looks like he’s all geared up to take you down, Director.”

Without a word, Director Yeon poured himself a drink. The amber liquid rolled smoothly into the glass. Jung Heeyeon’s attention seemed to be fixed on the motion, making Director Yeon let out a quiet chuckle.

“He seemed so eager to break the embargo and release the article right away. I bet he’s going to be the one refreshing the page to spike the first view count himself.”

“You’ve got a task force in place, I assume?”

“Had it ready even before the accident.”

Kang Seoui leaned back exaggeratedly as he spoke.

“If we want to escalate this, we’ll need to draw it out a bit.”

“If you will do the work, then that would be in my favor, Director. The bigger the mess, the more accountability there’ll be. Once the staged nature of the incident is exposed, my brother won’t be able to keep his seat as president… I did some digging, and he’s planning this to grow pretty big.”

“And once Kang Seohyo steps down, Executive Director Kang Seoui will be sliding right into the president’s chair?”

Director Yeon swirled his glass slowly and asked with a languid tone. The question was blunt, but rather than flustered, Kang Seoui looked almost thrilled at the idea and crossed his legs with delight. The tips of his shoes tapped idly, almost frivolously.

“It’s exhilarating just imagining. Isn’t it fun? A bastard son’s rebellion, coming to fruition.”

“You can’t stop there, Executive Director Kang Seoui.”

Director Yeon’s voice dropped to a soft, slow tone. It was like a serpent’s whisper, sweet and dangerous, coaxing someone into temptation.

“I’ll wipe him out completely.”

The real goal of this operation had always been to drive a wedge between Kang Seohyo, the heir to the Sunha Group, and Chairman Jung. While joining hands with Kang Seoui had opened up further business opportunities, the original aim was solely to sever Chairman Jung from Sunha’s support base, leaving him powerless. It was far easier to remove a helpless guy who no longer had the backing of a major conglomerate.

But the situation had changed. Director Yeon had no intention of letting go of the alpha who had tried to ‘purchase’ Jung Heeyeon. Even if Kang Seohyo had never laid eyes on a single strand of Jung Heeyeon’s hair, that didn’t mean he was off the hook. Just imagining that the innocent omega might have fallen into the hands of a cunning alpha made Director Yeon’s blood boil.

Simply dragging him down from his president seat wasn’t enough. The plan now was to completely ruin him, to the point where he wouldn’t even be able to dream of inheriting the business.

“…Wipe him out completely? To be honest, I didn’t expect you would go that far.”

“But in return, you’ll need to keep your promise, Executive Director.”

At the threatening glint in Director Yeon’s eyes, Kang Seoui subtly averted his gaze. Naturally, his eyes landed on the omega sitting beside Director Yeon. Jung Heeyeon was deep in thought, his expression unusually serious. Considering even Director Yeon had gone so far as to say he kept the omega close at all times, it wasn’t surprising that he was present. But Kang Seoui thought Jung Heeyeon would be kept completely in the dark.

Realizing that staring too long would only earn him a cold glare, Kang Seoui rose from his seat. He had intruded on a meeting meant for Director Yeon, Lee Haejin, and Nam Soohyun, so it was better for the uninvited guest to take his leave with tact.

He had wasted two hours just to exchange five minutes of conversation, but it had been worthwhile. After all, he now had a promise that his eldest brother would be completely wiped out. Kang Seoui grabbed one of the liquor bottles from the table without care, poured himself a glass, and downed it in a few large gulps. The harsh liquor, served without even a single ice cube, scorched its way down his throat like fire.

“Well then, this uninvited guest will take his leave.”

“Goodbye.”

As expected, the only one who acknowledged the farewell was Jung Heeyeon. With a shrug, Kang Seoui left the room.

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