“Shin Secretary, here. Chief Heo’s son-in-law, Kim Minjun, invested in James Kang’s energy project, right? Withdraw that money immediately.”

Talking about the money of the one who holds it.

“And if they ask for a reason, tell them to ask Chief Heo directly.”

Indeed, he was her man.

“What? What are you talking about?”

Holding his phone, Hye Gyeongjun’s eyes vibrated intensely.

[James Kang has withdrawn all the investment funds! No, brother-in-law! What on earth is happening? If James Kang pulls out from here, the future investments will stop coming in!]

“Why are you asking me? You should know!”

[Ask your brother-in-law! What on earth did you say during the last meeting?]

Hye Gyeongjun recalled his last meeting with Taejun.
However much I think about it, he seemed to have done nothing wrong. Nevertheless, one thing felt uncomfortable in my mind, and that was connecting him to the fake witness.

Could it be that he found out? About the fake witness?

My heart began to pound.

If he did find out, retrieving the investment funds would not be the end.

“Brother-in-law, you have to resolve this. If James Kang pulls out, we’re done here, finished! The money you invested will evaporate into thin air!”

“Got it. Hang up for now.”

After hanging up, Hye Gyeongjun found the phone number for Goyeonghee, which he had kept from before. If he knew that she was a manipulated witness, there must have been some signs to her.

“Hello?”

Goyeonghee’s voice echoed through the phone.

“Hello, this is Hye Gyeongjun.”

“Oh, yes…”

“To get straight to the point, did you make any mistakes with that man back then?”

Suddenly, he tried to blame all the mistakes on Goyeonghee. However, Goyeonghee vehemently denied it.

“What are you talking about? No, there was nothing like that. And as I mentioned last time, that man was really shocked and left.”

“After that, no contact at all?”

“No. None. Why would there be a reason to contact?”

Her voice overflowed with certainty. Only then could Hye Gyeongjun breathe a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it seemed she didn’t get caught as a fake.

“Understood. If by any chance that man contacts you, please call me immediately.”

“Yes. I got it.”

After hanging up, Hye Gyeongjun fell into thought. If Goyeonghee wasn’t exposed as a fake, why did James Kang suddenly retrieve the investment funds using that excuse?

No matter how much he thought about it, there was only one reason.

Investment was just a means for a meeting with him. However, now that the goal had been achieved, there was no reason to invest such a large sum of money anymore.

“Like a cunning son…”

The moment I briefly sympathized with him was wasted.

Nevertheless, I had to somehow change his mind.

If the energy business fails, not only would the entire property be lost, but even the retirement pay would be gone.

In the end, Hye Gyeongjun had to pick up the phone again for a regretful conversation.

Hye Gyeongjun moved exactly as Taejun predicted. Since he proposed to meet first after retrieving the investment funds, Taejun called Seorin while on his way to the agreed meeting place. She, too, had decided to meet Chairman Jo today.

“Are you on your way now?”

“Yeah. How about you?”

“I’m not yet. The appointment is at 7. We have some time.”

“Right. Then I’ll check on the chairman first and let you know. Don’t act hastily before that.”
“Got it. But… will the chief spill the beans?”

“No, he probably won’t spill everything. But the chief I met last time didn’t have a perfect poker face. So, he’ll definitely be shaken.”

Taejun was confident. He believed he could sufficiently grasp and shake Hye Gyeongjun. And he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to read Hye Gyeongjun’s expression and body language.

“But I’m worried about you. I still don’t know what kind of person Chairman Jo is.”

“I know. So, don’t worry and focus on Chief Huh.”

“Got it. I’ll contact you later.”

After hanging up, Taejun drove for about 5 more minutes and arrived at a shabby restaurant. It was the same place he had come to once before to meet Hye Gyeongjun.

As expected, Hye Gyeongjun had arrived earlier and was already seated. It seemed like he had reserved the entire restaurant as there were no other customers.

“Have you arrived?”

Hye Gyeongjun stood up and greeted him. Taejun unbuttoned his suit and took a seat.

“You came early.”

“Yeah. The traffic wasn’t bad.”

“But what’s the matter that you wanted to meet for?”

Taejun pretended not to know anything and asked. Hye Gyeongjun’s thick eyebrows twitched at that.

“First, let’s have a drink. The story requires some alcohol.”

Hye Gyeongjun poured soju into his glass, looking lucky. Taejun, in turn, downed the drink in one gulp and opened his mouth slowly.

“Now that we’ve had a drink, go ahead and speak.”

“…….”

“First, I’ll be impolite and ask directly.”

“…….”

“Why did you retrieve the investment funds?”

The air inside the shabby restaurant became instantly heavy at Hye Gyeongjun’s question. A moment of brief silence passed.

But shortly after, Taejun’s smirking laughter broke the silence.

“Ha! Ah… that… ”

He didn’t easily give an answer but stalled for time. However, his appearance was like a calculated crouch of a predator searching the surroundings for hunting. It gave me the chills.

How could such a young guy have such an aura?

Hye Gyeongjun was once again surprised by Taejun’s momentum and reluctantly opened his mouth.

As it was a matter of life and death, he couldn’t delay it any longer.

“I agree. Why did you invest? To question the death of your mother and to resolve it, you invested that much money with the purpose of meeting me.”

“…….”

“So, I thought I had fulfilled my duty. If the value of exploitation decreases, how will I and my brother-in-law fare when you suddenly retrieve the investment funds like this?”

Taejun silently listened to the small voice of discontent emanating from Hye Gyeongjun. His expression was so blank that I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.

But then, at that moment, Taejun showed a faint smile and extended a soju bottle toward him. Hye Gyeongjun swiftly brought his empty glass.

What does that subtle laughter mean?

Is it a positive sign?

Hesitatingly receiving the drink Taejun poured, his sonorous voice pierced sharply through my eardrums.

“Then, let me ask you one directly as well.”

“…….”
“Why did you order false testimony?”

Once again, Hye Gyeongjun’s glass was overflowing with alcohol.