Silence enveloped them as Seon-Woo contemplated Woo-jin’s words, which struck at the core of their predicament.
He knew. Uttering the name “Hae-gang River” aloud would be catastrophic. Once the secret escaped his lips, Yoon Geon-ho would inevitably reveal what he knew. It was painfully evident which revelation would be more devastating. Yoon Geon-ho’s revelation would only harm the status of Hae-gang, but Seon-Woo’s revelation would result in the loss of human life.
“Chairman Yoon must be facing a considerable predicament as well. The two potential successors are ruthlessly tearing each other apart,” Woo-jin mused.
Seon-Woo’s relaxed and carefree expression vanished, replaced by a solemn expression that spoke of the weight on his shoulders.
“Why don’t you mind your choice of words, Representative Min?” Seon-Woo replied, his voice a mere whisper, as if slithering along the floor.
A low chuckle escaped Woo-jin’s lips in response to Seon-woo’s cautionary words. However, he swiftly wiped the smile off his face and closed in on Seon-Woo with purposeful strides.
The space between them had shrunk to a mere 30 centimeters. With a slightly elevated vantage point, Woo-jin peered down at Seon-Woo, his mouth parting to unleash an unusual streak of aggression.
“If you wanted me to, you should have safeguarded that hand of yours first,” Woo-jin admonished.
“Min Woo-jin,” Seon-Woo uttered, his voice tinged with a mixture of anger and surprise.
“You should consider yourself lucky that I didn’t strike you here. I doubt a few blows would have sufficed to quench my frustration,” Woo-jin continued, his words biting and laden with a sense of restrained fury.
Seon-woo’s eyes flickered in response to Woo-jin’s statement.
Until now, Yoon Geon-ho had been the only one capable of uttering such cutting words to Seon-Woo. Despite being an illegitimate child, he still carried Chairman Yoon’s blood within him, and those who dared to gossip about him often found themselves facing his wrath.
But to hear such audacious remarks from someone else was beyond belief.
“If it’s not over,” Seon-Woo challenged, his face contorting with anger.
Woo-jin remained calm and collected in the face of the fierce gaze directed his way. Seon-Woo’s agitation only seemed to fuel his resolve as he pressed closer.
“If it’s not over, you can take action,” Seon-Woo pressed on, thrusting his head forward in defiance.
A smooth smile curled
Woo-jin’s lips as he locked eyes with Seon-Woo, their faces in close proximity.
“Well, you’ll have to contemplate your options carefully, step by step. But don’t fret. Unlike you, I am not beholden to anyone’s gaze or swayed by external pressures,” Woo-jin proclaimed.
He stood apart from the two potential successors to Moon Ik. Charlie owned the company he grew up in, and he was the sole owner. In essence, he answered to no one and faced no consequences, even if he were to indulge his own selfish desires.
“So, hold your breath and wait. Someone else will reveal the secret. I am considering it,” Woo-jin concluded, leaving Seon-Woo to grapple with the implications of his words.
Seon-Woo’s expression turned vacant for a brief moment.
He stood there, surprised by Woo-jin’s sudden departure, without even exchanging a casual greeting as he walked down the path that Hae-gang had taken.
There was no need for Woo-jin to warn him against going near the river again. A warning implied forgiveness for a transgression, and Woo-jin had no intention of forgiving even once.
Seon-Woo’s gaze lingered on Woo-jin’s retreating figure until it disappeared from sight. The urge to plunge a knife into his back was almost unbearable. His fingers twitched involuntarily, prompting him to clench his fist tightly in order to suppress the impulse.
Meanwhile, he squeezed the back of his hand, which still bore the red mark from the burn. He suppressed his surging murderous intent and climbed into the waiting car.
“I made a mistake,” he muttered to himself, his eyes fixed straight ahead, without even bothering to check if the driver was alright, as if expecting a flicker of response.
“Oh, I should have just killed him.”
His somber self-talk reverberated through the silent confines of the car.
Yoon Geon-ho and Min Woo-jin. It would be so convenient if he could eliminate them all the way to the Seohae River.
A sudden recollection jolted him out of his rage, and he addressed the driver in the front seat.
“What about Jaemin?”
“I can’t reach him.”
Did Jung Jae-min have a change of heart and return to Yoon Geon-ho? Seon-Woo pondered this possibility momentarily before shaking his head.
On the contrary, it seemed more plausible that Geon-ho, who knew everything, had dealt with Jae-min. Forgiveness was an unfathomable concept for Yoon Gun-ho.
Seon-Woo loosened his tie with a nervous touch, feeling a sense of unease creeping over him. Woo-jin’s words continued to gnaw at him.
“Someone else exposed the secret. I’m thinking about trying it.”
What on earth was Woo-jin thinking? Did he really intend to confront Yoon Geon-ho head-on?
“Certainly an audacious move,” Seon-Woo muttered under his breath. If that was truly the case, there was no other way to describe it except as sheer madness.
Seon-Woo clicked his tongue briefly. Perhaps it would be wise to observe the situation for a while longer. If Min Woo-jin could prevent the Hae-gang from falling into Yoon Geon-ho’s hands, it would still work in his favor.
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