Into The Thrill-Chapter 11.8

Haewon wore the sleep mask on his chin like a face mask and looked at Woojin. Woojin pulled it up and covered Haewon’s nose and mouth.

“We're not stepping a single foot outside the hotel, so don’t even think about it.”

“Not even the pool?”

“I’ll switch it to a pool villa.”

“Then at the pool...”

“...”

“At a private pool where it’s just the two of us... I’ve never committed public indecency at a swimming pool before... A prosecutor planning to commit a crime like it’s nothing. That’s not right. You need to be punished.”

“Just go to sleep.”

Woojin pulled the mask down slightly, and when Haewon kept mumbling while sneaking a peek at him, he covered Haewon’s mouth with his hand and forcibly leaned him back into his seat.

∞ ∞ ∞

Arriving at Incheon Airport on a Monday morning flight, Woojin walked out of the arrival lobby wearing a thick coat over his summer clothes. He received the car that the parking attendant brought over.

He loaded two suitcases into the trunk. Though it had only been a short trip, Haewon’s skin had tanned slightly under the scorching Bangkok sun. Wearing sunglasses, he was staring off into the distance. Woojin turned his head to follow Haewon’s gaze.

Reflected through the glass wall, the large television screen in the airport lobby showed Kim Jung-geun in a gray suit, standing with his head bowed at the prosecutor’s photo line. He was facing hundreds of camera flashes with a hardened expression.

Haewon turned to Woojin.

“Isn’t that CEO Kim Jung-geun?”

“Get in.”

Once Haewon was in the car, Woojin drove them out of the airport. When Woojin rested his elbow on the console and held out his hand, Haewon quietly stared at it, then took it in his own.

Haewon likes holding hands. Haewon likes doing things in the pool. Haewon likes Thai food. He likes the sound of Hyun Woojin’s voice on the phone, and he’s good at secretly taking pictures of Woojin. A few more data points had been added about him.

“Actually, after I broke up with you, I was going to go to Bangkok, but I couldn’t.”

“Why? You should’ve gone and cleared your head.”

“It’s not that I didn’t go because I didn’t want to... Don’t even get me started. After we broke up, it was like Murphy’s Law—nothing but bad things kept happening. You wouldn’t believe it even if I told you. I really thought I was going to lose my mind. I guess the nine-year curse is real.”

Haewon shook his head, as if it had been truly horrible. Woojin gripped his hand tightly.

“See, if you’d listened to me, none of that would’ve happened. Take off your sunglasses.”

Haewon # Nоvеlight # took off his sunglasses and hooked them onto his round-neck shirt. He reached out to hold Woojin’s face and kissed his right cheek.

“Thanks. I’ve never had such an amazing birthday gift before. I want to go again. It was seriously fun.”

“Happy birthday.”

Even though he’d already celebrated it quite thoroughly, Woojin said it again. He wanted to celebrate it even more intensely next year. He wanted to congratulate him for making it through twenty-nine safely. They hadn't left the pool villa at all, but time had flown by. He’d also newly discovered that Haewon became bolder and more assertive in unfamiliar places.

“But that really was CEO Kim Jung-geun earlier, right?”

“I didn’t get a good look.”

“You don’t know what it’s about? You’re close with him.”

“You said he’s like a dog.”

“...”

“That’s why I don’t go when he calls anymore.”

“That’s not what I meant... I just said that without thinking.”

Because that had been the excuse for keeping his distance, Haewon’s eyes welled up and trembled. He had once asked Woojin if he was the guy’s dog, if he was selling his body to swallow HanKyung Group—he had insulted him. Woojin gently patted Haewon’s hand, telling him it was okay.

“Someone said he looked like a dog, so I figured I shouldn’t keep being friendly with him. What if other people start thinking he really does look like a dog?”

“...”

Haewon’s expression completely deflated, and he looked down. Woojin had only said it to stop him from asking more about Kim Jung-geun, but it ended up making Haewon lose confidence.

“It’s not even our department. It’s the special prosecutor investigating, so I don’t know anything.”

“Guess he did something wrong. He’ll probably be out soon. The other day I got a call from that lady.”

“Lady?”

“Soprano Seo Ok-hwa.”

“Don’t get close to her. She’s uncomfortable to look at.”

“Got it, manager.”

Haewon nodded as if he’d do just that. Haewon, who listened so well it was almost admirable, was so sweet that Woojin, having stopped the car, leaned in and gave him a long kiss on the lips.

He dropped Haewon off at his officetel. Woojin had used the opportunity to both avoid Kim Jung-geun’s calls and celebrate Haewon’s birthday, taking an unplanned vacation. He changed into a suit and headed straight for the Central Prosecutors’ Office.

Tomorrow, they were scheduled to raid the home of CEO Kim Jung-geun of HanKyung Group. Near the prosecutor’s office, a temporary special prosecutor’s office was being set up, and documents and equipment were being moved in.

On his way to his office, Woojin spotted Kim Han-se and stopped walking. Han-se also noticed him and slowed his hurried steps. They faced each other on the landing between the stairs. Most people at the Central Prosecutors’ Office knew the two didn’t get along. One investigator, seeing them, deliberately turned around and took a different route up the stairs.

“I heard you got assigned to the special prosecutor.”

Woojin said with a faint smile on his face.

“Yeah, that’s how it went.”

Han-se, not realizing Woojin had orchestrated it, replied indifferently.

“Looks like you’ll end up at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office before me.”

“They probably need guys like you who are good at politics more than idiots like me who only investigate. I don’t expect much. I’m fine here.”

“Make sure you investigate thoroughly. Don’t miss anything.”

“...I heard something strange today.”

Han-se stepped closer until he was right in front of Woojin. With his hands stuffed in his pockets, Woojin turned his head slightly as Han-se leaned in close, whispering in his ear.

“Didn’t you used to be engaged to Kim Jung-geun’s daughter?”

“...”

“And she died?”

“...”

“What the hell are you doing? What do you even want?”

“Kim Han-se, you’re not the only prosecutor. I’m a prosecutor too.”

“You’re not a prosecutor. Hyun Woojin, you’re human trash.”

“I want the world to change more than anyone, just like you. Our methods are different, but our goal is the same.”

Han-se froze at Woojin’s words, staring at him like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Then he twisted his lips into a sneer.

“Don’t give me that bullshit. It’s not even funny.”

He deliberately shoulder-checked Woojin as he passed. Woojin brushed off the shoulder like it had been dirtied and walked up the stairs.

He headed to Chief Lee Seung-min’s office. Spotting Woojin, Jung Ho-myung quickly followed after him. They knocked and entered the office. Lee Seung-min was waiting, shaking his leg as he looked at his laptop, and stood when they entered.

“Kim Han-se has been put into the special prosecutor’s team. The appointment will be announced at the Blue House tomorrow. I was nervous, so I asked the chief to include Ho-myung too.”

When Woojin looked at Ho-myung, he nodded.

“As soon as the special prosecutor is officially appointed, the raid will start. The order will come down this afternoon, so the special prosecutor probably doesn’t know yet. Han-se will go to HanKyung HQ. We’ll send Prosecutor Jung to CEO Kim Jung-geun’s house. There’s something important we need to retrieve.”

Woojin explained the details of the raid to Jung Ho-myung. They had already received a memo from the presidential office via the chief of staff. Prosecutors assigned to the special investigation, investigators, and even police officers planted by the chief of staff would be involved. Woojin had a rough idea of where the slush fund ledgers, secret documents, and financial records were hidden. He explained to Ho-myung the location of Kim Jung-geun’s safe, something impossible to find without an insider. Han-se would be sent to HanKyung’s main office, and Woojin would accompany the team raiding Kim Jung-geun’s house.

“By the way, where did you go? Your face looks a bit tanned. Heard you took a key witness with you?”

“It’s better if you don’t know.”

Brushing off Lee Seung-min’s question, Woojin got up from the sofa.

After parting ways with Lee Seung-min, who was off to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, Woojin and Jung Ho-myung headed to the rooftop of the building.

Woojin took a cigarette Ho-myung handed him and leaned in to light it from his flame. Ho-myung also lit his own cigarette. The smoke they exhaled quickly scattered in the wind.

Even though there was no one around, Jung Ho-myung lowered his voice.

“Chief is really curious what the hell you’re doing, sir.”

"It’s not the chief who’s curious—it’s someone else. Keep an eye on who Lee Seung-min calls frequently, who he meets."

"...Yes."

Woojin fundamentally didn’t trust anyone. The very concept of trust didn’t exist for him. He had never truly trusted another person in his life. Not even his own parents. Jung Ho-myung was no exception. It was just that, back when Ho-myung was a rookie, he’d made a mistake so serious it could’ve cost him his badge, and Woojin had cleaned it up for him. Ho-myung knew better than anyone that Woojin held all the material on him.

"And you don’t need to report exactly where I go."

"I’m sorry. He kept asking, so..."

"No need to mention that I went anywhere with a key witness either."

"...I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly."

Jung Ho-myung bowed his head, clearly remorseful, to Woojin, who only exerted leadership when absolutely necessary.

"There’s no such thing as my side or the other side here. Just follow the guidelines I give you. Do only what I tell you."

"I’ll keep that in mind."

Woojin flicked the spent cigarette to the ground in front of Ho-myung’s feet and crushed it with the heel of his shoe.

He left the rooftop and returned to his office.

"Did you have a good business trip, Prosecutor?"

"Thanks for holding things down while I was away. Let’s start with the urgent ones."

After exchanging greetings with the administrative staff, Woojin entered his private office, took off his jacket, and hung it up before sitting at his desk.

After more than ten hours of a surprise raid on Kim Jung-geun’s residence, Jung Ho-myung had managed to locate exactly what Woojin had been looking for. The chief of staff had called several times, but Woojin ignored them and headed to Kim Jung-geun’s house after the special prosecutor and investigators had left. Even with dozens of HanKyung legal team members and bodyguards standing their ground, they couldn’t nullify a court-issued search warrant.

The household manager, upon seeing Woojin, hurried over.

"The special prosecutors left about an hour ago."

"What about Madam?"

"She hasn’t left the bedroom. They didn’t just take the documents—they even rifled through her personal safe and took everything, even scraps that looked like trash."

Woojin entered Kim Jung-geun’s study with the manager. The interior was utterly wrecked. The staff, who had been trying to clean up, bowed their heads when they saw Woojin.

He carefully examined the study to see whether the special prosecutors had conducted the search properly. There were a few places they’d missed, but they’d taken the critical items, so the rest didn’t matter. Among what they took, there was nothing Woojin wasn’t already aware of.

"Woojin."

He turned at the sound of a trembling voice calling his name. Standing there, face bare of makeup, was Seo Ok-hwa. As Woojin approached, her legs gave out and she staggered. He quickly reached out to support her.

"You should go rest. We’re still organizing things."

"What’s happening? Is my husband really going to be arrested?"

"If it comes to that, we’ll file a warrant review. I’ve already discussed it with the defense team."

"No way, right? He didn’t do anything that bad, did he? Did he?"

"..."

"Did he do something really bad?"

"Yes."

Woojin answered honestly, even if grimly.

"We have to stop it. I heard the special prosecutor isn’t someone you can mess with—is that true? Is he really going to prison?"

Seo Ok-hwa, her face pale with disbelief, kept asking the same thing over and over.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

"First, please take care of your health. I’ll do whatever I can to protect Father, so don’t worry. The temporary shareholders’ meeting for the merger is coming up soon. You can’t fall apart. With Father gone, you’re the one who has to keep it together."

Woojin gripped her arm firmly and spoke with unwavering determination, telling her not to falter. When he pressed her to take charge in Kim Jung-geun’s place, Seo Ok-hwa trembled with fear.

"Woojin, I can’t do that. You know I can’t. I don’t know anything about business. I really don’t."

"The legal team leader has already received instructions from the chairman. Just do as he says."

"Team Leader Song? Call him here. What’s he even doing, letting a raid like this happen? And my husband trusted someone like that?"

"He’s in continuous meetings with the defense attorneys. He’s there right now."

Kim Jung-geun’s legal team was made up of a who’s who of the legal world—as if the entire Supreme Court had relocated. With such veteran lawyers defending him, the special prosecutor’s position would inevitably grow more precarious. Woojin had anticipated this, but the list Song gave him was even more formidable than expected.

"Woojin, please stay. Don’t leave."

Seo Ok-hwa, swaying in confusion, pleaded with him.

"There are people at the prosecution who know about my connection to Father. They’re not the type to talk easily, but I probably won’t be able to come back here again, so I came just to tell you that. It was hard even making it here today. I’ll do whatever I can on the inside to protect him."

"What do we do now, Woojin? What are we going to do?"

"Don’t worry. HanKyung won’t collapse that easily."

His tone was coldly firm. Seo Ok-hwa looked up at him in a daze and slowly nodded as if to reassure herself. Her lips pressed tightly together, she kept nodding.

Woojin looked at the crumbling Seo Ok-hwa and shifted his gaze to Soyoung, who stood silently behind the study door. She was watching them with a pale face as well.

"Soyoung, take your mother to her room."

Soyoung came over and supported Seo Ok-hwa, leading her back to the bedroom. Woojin slowly scanned the study once again, watching as the staff steadily put things back in order.

After giving instructions to the household manager on what needed to be taken care of, Woojin finally turned to Soyoung, who stood silently waiting for him to finish.

"Let’s talk outside," he said first and walked ahead. Soyoung followed. As they walked through the dim garden, Woojin spoke to Soyoung, who clutched her shawl tighter around her shoulders.

"Take good care of your mother. She must’ve been shocked."

"...Dad’s going to prison, isn’t he?"

"We don’t know yet."

"There’s no reason to make it this dramatic. The Blue House is out to destroy my father."

"Don’t jump to conclusions. Nothing is certain yet."

Woojin didn’t jump to conclusions. Even though he had the full record of embezzled slush funds and black accounts, and had prepared every piece of evidence, he still didn’t declare Kim Jung-geun’s downfall as inevitable. No one knew who might flip the table. Even if Woojin thought he had prepared everything perfectly, Kim Jung-geun might have something even more thorough. The possibility that Kim Jung-geun wouldn’t serve a day in prison had to be considered. First, his limbs had to be cut off. Whether he paid for his crimes or not wasn’t the most urgent matter. What mattered was taking control of HanKyung’s capital, slush funds, and lobbying records tied to both political and financial elites.

"You’re going to take care of it, right? The company... it’s ours. We can’t let it fall into someone else’s hands."

The desire of the powerful to never let go of what they own is several times stronger and more stubborn than the desire of the powerless to finally own what they’ve never had.

Soyoung firmly believed HanKyung Group belonged to her and her family. To her, it was obvious—it was how she’d been raised and how she’d lived.

"We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen."

"You won’t get kicked out of the prosecution because of my dad, will you?"

"Don’t worry about things like that."

"I’m sorry. That this happened because of us."

"How’s your prep for studying abroad going?"

"I’ve looked into schools. But what about Mom?"

"You’re a subject of investigation too."

"...I’m scared. What’s really going to happen to us?"

"For now, take good care of your mom. I’ll figure out the best time for you to leave the country."

"Okay," Soyoung replied weakly, her voice barely alive. Woojin gave her shoulder a reassuring pat and turned to leave.

Haewon’s indifference and emotional detachment toward others were, at times, a relief. He never showed the slightest interest in what Woojin was up to, even if Woojin was clearly digging into something.

At that moment, Woojin was spreading out HanKyung’s ledgers and critical documents all across the floor of Haewon’s officetel, examining them one by one. When handling materials this sensitive, nowhere was truly safe. And so, Haewon’s officetel—completely unrelated to it all—was the safest, most suitable place Woojin knew.