Episode 15

“I don’t know who it is, but I pity them.”

Of all people, they had to get caught by that cold-blooded bastard. Baek Mu-gyeong clicked his tongue as he looked at Gye Won-ho and Han Geon-hui. There was no way Gye Won-ho would be romantically interested in a woman—let alone a target.

He must have some other scheme in mind. But what could it be?

“Ugh, it’s too cold. I don’t think I can play winter golf anymore. Let’s hurry up and finish so we can eat!”

Baek Mu-gyeong, resting his driver on his shoulder, bit down on the candy in his mouth and swallowed it. Only then did Gye Won-ho’s gaze shift to him.

Sensing the tension, Han Geon-hui quickly shut his mouth, gave a slight bow to the two men, and moved away.

“You’re the one who dragged a busy man out just because you thought a snowy day was charming.”

Gye Won-ho, who had strolled over leisurely as if nothing had happened, curved his lips into a faint smile.

“Oh? Did I?”

“Since dawn, before the sun was even up.”

“That just means I missed you that much. I even called Kwon Tae-rim, thinking the three of us could have a nice little golf bet for old times’ sake, but that bastard didn’t even bother to reply. Always acting like he’s the only busy one.”

“Baek Mu-gyeong. Are you playing golf with your mouth?”

“There’s a thing called oral golf, you know. Alright, since our dear Executive Director Gye is watching, let’s get started.”

Baek Mu-gyeong glanced at the caddies and attendants standing silently behind them before stretching out his languid body.

“Nice shot—ah, damn, it’s a miss.”

True to his nature, Baek Mu-gyeong lost interest just as quickly, barely bothering to adjust his stance before sending the ball flying.

Since he hadn’t aimed properly to begin with, the ball veered off in the wrong direction and disappeared into the snow.

Only the caddy, unaware of his temperament, offered empty words of consolation, saying that scores didn’t really matter in weather like this.

“Hyung, I heard Seoyoung is throwing a party for her gallery opening. Are you going?”

Baek Mu-gyeong, twirling his golf club carelessly, asked the question.

“Not my thing. Gives me the chills—people pretending to be sophisticated, acting like they have class. Maybe it’s because I grew up without all that? Makes my skin crawl.”

Waving away the approaching caddy, Gye Won-ho took Baek Mu-gyeong’s golf club in his place and answered indifferently.

“Not my taste either.”

He ran his gaze along the driver in his hand, from the grip down to the clubhead.

“Mu-gyeong, Chairman Gye is going to tie up a loose end. Just look the other way.”

“What? Someone else dead again?”

“Jang Taek-gi.”

At the unexpected name, Baek Mu-gyeong’s eyes widened before he frowned.

“You killed that old man?”

Gye Won-ho swung Baek Mu-gyeong’s club lightly through the air.

“Didn’t lay a hand on him. He was considerate enough to die on his own.”

His tone was casual, but his expression showed he’d found the man to be a real nuisance.

“I got the transfer contract signed before he kicked it.”

Of course. There was no way Gye Won-ho would let a useful man like Jang Taek-gi go without extracting every last bit of value. Watching him shrug shamelessly, Baek Mu-gyeong let out a disbelieving laugh.

“So basically, you got everything you wanted and tossed him aside.”

“If he’d lived a little longer, things would’ve been easier for a while.”

Jang Taek-gi had been one of the founding members of Taekang Group and a key figure among the high-ranking executives who managed its subsidiaries.

On the surface, he pretended to be an easygoing old man without greed, but in reality, he had siphoned off an enormous amount of money while hiding behind the guise of being Chairman Gye Myeong-oh’s childhood friend.

Judging by how he had already sent his children, grandchildren, wife, and even his mistress off to Southeast Asia, he must have been wary of Gye Won-ho’s growing influence. Perhaps he feared that Gye might one day push Gye Myeong-oh out and take the chairman’s seat for himself. But he never imagined he would die first.

It was almost surprising that Gye Won-ho had let him live this long. Of course, the only reason he had been tolerated was that the shares he held had effectively prolonged his life.

“Aren’t you worried that this might push Chairman Gye over the edge? He was already itching to take you down—what if this just speeds things up?”

Jang Taek-gi’s death wasn’t the real issue. The real concern was how Chairman Gye Myeong-oh would react.

Gye Won-ho had already been facing direct opposition from the chairman, who had reluctantly adopted him as his legal heir under pressure from Choi Jung-pil, the mayor who backed Taekang Group. Now, with Jang Taek-gi—the chairman’s most solid ally—gone, his next move was unpredictable.

“For now, Chairman Gye will be too busy looking for Jang Taek-gi’s body.”

Legally and within Taekang’s internal affairs, without a body, Jang wasn’t officially dead—just missing.

The story had been wrapped up neatly: Jang had fled the country with the slush funds he had secretly accumulated over the years. His lifeless body, which hadn’t even been able to close its eyes in death, had been laid to rest somewhere fitting for a man like him.

By the time Chairman Gye Myeong-oh found Jang Taek-gi’s corpse, everything would already be over.

“Let them search all they want, those idiots. They’d never guess it’s been right under their noses this whole time.”

Losing interest in the topic just as quickly, Baek Mu-gyeong shifted the conversation elsewhere.

“It’s freezing out here. Let’s ditch the golf and go see Madam Kim instead. You’ve got something that could drive those women wild—why don’t you put it to use more often? If the four of us get together, it’ll be a hell of a time.”

Gye Won-ho tossed his golf club onto the grass, sending a spray of dirt and snow into the air.

Baek Mu-gyeong scowled in irritation.

“What the hell?”

“Mu-gyeong, it’s because you’re using crap like this that you can’t hit a decent shot.”

A smooth, gentle voice slipped effortlessly from his lips, contrasting with his indifferent smile.

“Use mine. Toss that cheap junk away.”

As they moved to the next hole, the snowfall thickened. Now, they were the only team left on the field. Just as Gye Won-ho raised his club toward the ball, Baek Mu-gyeong, absentmindedly rummaging through the new golf bag Han Geon-hui had brought, suddenly whistled as if something had come to mind. He turned and walked toward Gye Won-ho.

“Hyung, about what Chairman Gye asked for—the mayor’s son.”

“Mm.”

“You’re handling it yourself, right? Doesn’t seem like your kind of job.”

A dry voice responded to his persistent questioning.

“The mayor is the kind of man who won’t even eat food prepared by others for fear of consequences. With something this big coming up, he’d be too cautious to hand it off to just anyone. It’s only natural to take care of it first.”

‘Something big’—he was referring to next year’s presidential election. Since Gye Won-ho was also in the midst of executing his plan to take over Taekang Group, it made sense for the two of them to coordinate without involving any unnecessary intermediaries.

However, Baek Mu-gyeong’s instincts were pointing him in a different direction, unrelated to the mayor’s matter.

“A girl, right? I heard she’s only twenty.”

He stared at Gye Won-ho’s broad back, trying to gauge if there was anything worth digging into, but the man remained solely focused on the ball, showing no reaction.

Losing interest in an instant, Baek Mu-gyeong reached out for the finely polished driver handed to him by the caddy. At that exact moment, Gye Won-ho swung.

Unlike his previous shots, which had been annoyingly precise even in this weather, this one had too much force behind it. The impact was harsh, the sound of the strike overly aggressive.

Baek Mu-gyeong glanced between the ball—now far from its target—and Gye Won-ho. His lips curled into a smirk as he muttered under his breath.

“Well, well… Fuck, hyung. There’s something, isn’t there?”

“Mm.”

Gye Won-ho didn’t deny it.

Baek Mu-gyeong’s grin stretched wider.

“So, what is it? Is she that pretty? Face, body—or is her pussy something special?”

At that, Gye Won-ho’s brows furrowed.

“Pussy? Fuck’s sake, she’s just a kid.”

Baek Mu-gyeong snickered as if he’d caught onto something, but before he could dig further, his phone rang. Seeing Kwon Tae-rim’s name on the screen, he took the call, leaving Gye Won-ho to his own business.

From a distance, Han Geon-hui stood still, watching him through the falling snow. Gye Won-ho lifted a finger, gesturing for him to come closer.

“What is it?”

“She skipped her morning classes and went to see Jin Hye-yeon.”

Han Geon-hui handed him a tablet, the screen displaying a photograph.

In the image, a girl stood leaning against a pillar at a bus terminal, wrapped in a thin, worn-out coat. The cold made her look even more fragile, almost precarious.

“Have they been in contact recently?”

“No, but since it’s the New Year, it seems she took the chance to visit. I’ll report back once I confirm the details of their conversation.”

Without a word, Gye Won-ho pulled off his gloves and shoved them into the front pocket of Han Geon-hui’s jacket.

Han Geon-hui remained motionless despite the rough, almost careless gesture, but the next question caught him off guard.

“She’s too thin. Don’t you think?”

“…Yes. Even compared to others her age, she’s noticeably underweight.”

Gye Won-ho said nothing for a while, then pulled out a cigarette and placed it between his lips.

Seeing the caddy hesitating nearby, Han Geon-hui shot him a look, signaling him to stay put. Then, moving quickly, he took out a lighter and lit the cigarette.

“What does she eat these days?”

“She stops by a convenience store once or twice a day for meals.”

“A convenience store? What does she buy?”

“Mostly cheap, simple food—things like triangular kimbap or bread.”

Han Geon-hui answered based on the reports he had received. While he hadn’t tracked every single purchase in detail, he had made sure to keep a general record—just in case.

Gye Won-ho let out an irritated sigh. Han Geon-hui discreetly observed his expression.

“Is something wrong, sir?”

“She looks like she’d snap in half if you so much as touched her—living off that kind of garbage.”

“……”

“She’s at the age where she should be growing.”

“…Pardon?”

Without another word, Gye Won-ho snatched the tablet from Han Geon-hui’s hands, his expression unreadable.