#145. Chaos. 5
Woojin stretched after finishing the call.
As Lee Hye-rim's position rose above the water, she felt something filling her chest.
It felt like water drops were falling one by one to quench my thirst.
That feeling of various hormones flowing abundantly through the body.
Woojin, who was stretching and feeling his hormones to his heart's content, put his hands down, fixed his gaze on his phone, and began flipping through the photos.
These were photos of the crime that Kim Tae-hyun sent.
It wasn't Kim Tae-hyun who asked for help.
Woojin was the first to show interest.
That's also why the life Woojin wanted was peaceful.
However, I did not want the brutal incidents to continue to be reported in the media and exposed to my younger sister, Bomi.
It's not a bad thing to be alert, but if you constantly feed yourself anxiety that will never happen to you, anxious thoughts can grow like a worm unconsciously.
You may imagine things that will never happen, and even experience similar phenomena, such as the nocebo effect (the opposite of the placebo effect).
In this way, the media and the press brainwash people and stimulate their primitive limbic system.
Whether it's for ratings or to get views, they don't care about the means and methods.
Woojin hoped that such influence would not reach Bomi.
Bomi was very happy and joyful, and there were many stairs to climb ahead, so the anxiety was only a hindrance.
In that sense, brutal criminals were not only a bad factor for Woojin's desired peaceful life, but also for his younger sister Bomi.
So, Woojin muttered and pledged to himself one thing in the military.
So that whenever I have time, I can catch the murderers.
"penitence……"
Woojin looked at the victim hanging naked on the cross and carefully looked at the signature carved by the criminal.
A total of four murders.
They all had the signature 'Repentance' engraved on them, as if they were the work of a single criminal.
The killer's killing spree stopped a few months before he was discharged.
Criminal experts have expressed the opinion that he may have entered a cooling-off period after being exposed to the media, and have not ruled out the possibility that he may have fled the country.
Woojin looked at not only the crime scene photos but also the information from the National Forensic Service.
Even so, all that was found were microscopic fibers and footprints that appeared to have fallen from the criminal's clothes.
Woojin looked at the back of the person he suspected to be the suspect.
It was CCTV footage taken near the scene of the incident.
But that was all.
It disappeared as if it had evaporated and was no longer seen anywhere else.
The police also thought he was a strong suspect, and searched through the black boxes of surrounding vehicles, but found nothing.
Woojin started to turn the photos back to the time when the crime first occurred.
——————————————–
The next day.
Lee Si-young visited SH Construction to meet Lee Hye-rim.
[Director Lee Hye-rim]
Lee Si-young smiled brightly as she stroked the nameplate.
“Our Hye-rim, has she become successful?”
“I’m only taking care of it for a little while. I won’t be able to eat. As you can see, I have too much work to do.”
As she said, there was a pile of papers next to her.
Hye-rim Lee opened her mouth again, her gaze fixed on the documents.
“We’re not close enough to face each other and talk like this. It’s awkward and uncomfortable.
“I wish you would just tell me what’s going on.”
Lee Si-young's eyebrows slightly gathered and her lips were pulled in.
I was holding back my anger.
No, he quickly hid that expression and found his smile again.
“What do you mean, sadly?”
Lee Si-young approached the window, her high heels making a clicking sound.
“Come to think of it, I guess I’ve been too indifferent to you.”
“It’s okay. You can continue to be indifferent.”
“You must have been hurt a lot.”
“What about the wound? It didn’t even hurt.”
Lee Si-young, who was looking out the window, turned around and approached Lee Hye-rim.
“Hye-rim.”
"say."
“Let me ask you one favor. As your older sister.”
Lee Hye-rim put down her pen and looked up at Lee Si-young.
"ask?"
"okay."
“Sit down.”
Hye-rim Lee got up from her seat and sat on the sofa first.
As Lee Si-young sat down on the sofa, Lee Hye-rim began to speak.
“When I was nine years old… … I must have asked my sister not to pull my hair.”
And for fun I cut my hair.
“I beg you. Please stop.”
“Hye-rim… … ”
“Whenever I was on the swing in the yard, I would always get pushed off. So I asked, ‘Can I just ride it once?’”
“Hye-rim, it’s all in the past. It was just a foolish act when I was young. Are you still holding it in?”
"no."
As Hye-rim Lee started to unbutton her white shirt, Si-young Lee spoke with a puzzled look.
“What are you doing… … ”
Lee Hye-rim revealed one shoulder.
A faint burn mark was visible.
“Do you remember when you spilled a bowl of soup on me? You said you wouldn’t let it go if I told my father. If you had gone to the hospital sooner, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”
“Hye-rim, I can’t remember. Did I really do that? If I did, I’m really sorry.”
Lee Hye-rim, who had changed her clothes again, answered.
“Just like that. You came to ask me a favor?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. We were all young. I was immature. If I had kept that in mind, I would apologize like this. I’m really sorry.”
“What do you want?”
As Lee Hye-rim's voice became more friendly, Lee Si-young's eyes lit up.
“Do you have any money? I need it urgently. I’ll return it to you right away with interest.”
“Can’t you just ask your father?”
“Then I didn’t come to see you. I was in a hurry.”
"how much?"
“About five hundred billion… …?”
I would have liked to have called more, but it seemed like Hye-rim Lee didn't have that much money.
No, do you have 500 billion?
“That’s all I have.”
There was much more than that.
He invested the shares of several hotels he received from Lee Yo-hwan in GH Construction, and just before it fell, he recovered them and created a private equity fund to purchase more hotel shares.
The money grew like a living organism in an instant, bringing a huge sum of money to Lee Hye-rim.
That wasn't all, he was buying up GH Construction's fallen stock prices like he was picking up ears of wheat.
“Sister, please ask me a favor. I’ll definitely give you the interest.”
“Sister, then let’s do it like this.”
"how?"
“I will hold the hotel shares that my sister owns as collateral. It’s all my assets. I think I should also consider the risk when lending it out.”
Lee Si-young's eyes trembled.
The hotel did not sell all of its shares.
As a last resort, he held on to a 0.2% stake, or 300 billion won.
“I already paid it back anyway. If you don’t want to, then there’s nothing I can do. When I get married, I want to do the dowry myself.”
Lee Si-young quickly shook her head.
Where can I go and borrow 500 billion won with 0.2% collateral?
No matter how much I thought about it, it was difficult.
First of all, we had to stop the borrowing of private loans by any means necessary.
“I have 300 billion. 0.2%. I have a stake. Is that okay…?”
Lee Hye-rim opened her mouth as if to cut her off.
“Whether you like it or not, you’re my sister. Instead, you have to pay me back.”
Lee Si-young held Lee Hye-rim's hand tightly.
“Thank you, Hye-rim. I’ll definitely pay you back.”
Lee Hye-rim immediately called the head of the private equity fund that she had established, or rather, that she had created based on Woo-jin's ideas.
“It’s me. I think I need to borrow 500 billion won… … ”
Of course, my sister won't be able to repay it.
I don't think you'll ever pay it back.
With this, the hotel shares that Lee Yo-hwan had and the shares that Lee Si-young had been holding onto ended up in Lee Hye-rim's hands.
As she left Lee Hye-rim's office, Lee Si-young looked as if she had taken a breath.
That was all for a moment, as I entered the elevator, I held my cell phone to my ear.
“It’s me. I’m the banker’s son I saw at the party last time. I’d like to have a meal with him.”
– Huh? Why you? I told you it was like a stick… …
Lee Si-young closed her eyes as if trying to control her emotions.
I pictured him as fat and acne-ridden, with no regard for his health.
“Just make a promise.”
—————————————————-
A few days later.
The GH Construction representative couldn't erase his anxious gaze.
This was because the higher-ups who had been steadily providing him with money for years were avoiding contact and only kept saying that things would be difficult for the rest of him.
“You fucking kids, you fucking filthy bastards who can’t even pay for your food!”
I tried sweeping my hot hair but there was no solution.
With relics being discovered here and there, it is only natural that construction will be halted for several years.
They couldn't even pay the construction costs that had fallen on their feet.
The stock price has hit rock bottom and major shareholders are calling in droves.
It was obvious that his position would be at stake at the board meeting held a few days later.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"who is this!"
The director entered the CEO's office cautiously, accompanied by the CEO's sharp voice.
“Did you find out?”
As the director shook his head weakly, the representative covered his face and rubbed it with his hands.
They tried to transfer the site that had been auctioned to another company, but there was no way that there would be a company that would take over the site where the relics were discovered.
“Um… … Sir. Should we try approaching SH Construction as well?”
The representative's eyebrows furrowed.
They were competitors.
No, it was like that before, but a development that could be reversed has occurred.
While relics are being discovered on its own site, SH Construction, which won the bid for one-third of the new city development site, will be beating drums and janggu and feeling festive.
The company's site and SH Construction's site were completely opposite and far apart, so construction was progressing smoothly.
The representative walked slowly and stood in front of the director.
And then I tapped his shoulder with my finger.
“They’re competitors. Do you think that makes sense?”
“Lee Hye-rim, who took over as the new managing director in place of Lee Yo-hwan, is acting like a tomboy. It is said that the CEO of SH Construction is unable to do anything.”
“You’re talking nonsense! Hey! What good will it do if Lee Hye-rim gently tries to seduce him? Are you saying that Lee Jeong-cheol will just sit still?”
The director flinched at the representative's shouting, but continued speaking.
“I did some research because things turned out this way. It seems like Lee Hye-rim is moving around without thinking to get Lee Jeong-cheol’s approval.
“I think if you set the price a little low and gently scratch the itchy spot, there is a chance that they will bite.”
“Haa… … Are you in your right mind?”
The manager said without giving up.
“I have been by your side for 7 years. I think there is a reason why you have kept me by your side and not abandoned me.
I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to give it a try.
After persuading Lee Hye-rim, if we make the contract without Lee Jeong-cheol finding out… … “
“Try it. Seven years of faith. Prove to me that my faith was not wrong this time. Then you too can sit in the CEO’s seat this time.”
The manager bowed deeply.
He thought it was an opportunity.
This is my chance to get some serious recognition from that son of a bitch and make a killing.
