Chapter 217: Change of Plan (3)
The day before Congressman Kim Han-Gyo went to meet Chairman Ji, he had gone to meet Congresswoman Hong Oh-Yeon late in the evening. Congresswoman Hong had also been dumbfounded like Chairman Ji to have been contacted by Han-Gyo. Although congresspersons did indeed meet often, Han-Gyo’s offer had been completely out of left field in her perspective.
Han-Gyo came to her office at 10:30 PM and chuckled as he saw Oh-Yeon’s tidy desk.
“That tendency of yours to keep tidy hasn’t changed a bit.”
“...Why did you ask to meet me?”
Oh-Yeon had not invited Han-Gyo to her office to be praised by him.
Han-Gyo remarked jokingly as he looked around her office, “This place isn’t bugged, is it? I’ve come to dislike having important conversations indoors because of what happened to my son.”
“If that’s what you're worried about, why don’t you just leave?” Oh-Yeon warned.
Her reply exhibited her considerable dislike for Han-Gyo. He sat down on a chair while laughing. He did not seem to have any intention of leaving.
“The reason why I asked to meet you is...” he slurred as he stretched out his hand toward her.
Oh-Yeon asked warily, “What’s the meaning of this?”
“It means that I’m asking us to join forces.”
He was proposing an alliance, and it was for the same reason that he had given Chairman Ji. He wanted to eliminate the masked woman first, so he was offering a temporary ceasefire with the enemies that he had fought against for a long time. Oh-Yeon did not have to think for very long.
“I’m sorry, but I have a huge number of supporters that dislike you. If I form a ceasefire with you, then I will be put in a very awkward position.”
Oh-Yeon had absolutely no desire to help Han-Gyo, who relinquished his hand in disappointment.
“I guess it can’t be helped, then.”
There were times when it was better to just give up quickly.
As Han-Gyo was about to get up and leave, Oh-Yeon asked, “Does that masked woman really exist?”
Unlike Chairman Ji, Oh-Yeon did not believe Han-Gyo. She had thought that he was aiming to get the public’s sympathy by appealing to them that he was mentally unstable, but considering that he had come to ask for a ceasefire, she wondered if the masked woman really did exist.
.
Han-Gyo answered concisely, “She does. I saw her with my own eyes.”
He then left Oh-Yeon's office without a shred of regret.
***
Kang Ra-Eun had heard the entirety of their conversation from Congresswoman Hong.
“I’m sure he proposed the same thing to Chairman Ji.”
There were talks floating around that Han-Gyo was purposefully going around meeting his enemies recently, most likely to eliminate the problem that was the masked woman first.
Park Du-Chil unintentionally said to himself once he heard Ra-Eun, “It feels like we’ve become public enemy #1.”
However, Ra-Eun thought otherwise.
“We’re not the public enemy. Our enemy has always been one person, Kim Han-Gyo.”
Congresswoman Hong had thankfully refused Han-Gyo’s offer, but Ma Yeong-Jun was bothered by Chairman Ji’s answer.
“I wonder how Chairman Ji answered?”
It would have been great if they had overheard his answer, but Ra-Eun was not very worried.
“I’ve decided to meet Chairman Ji soon, so I can just ask about it then.”
“I see.”
Their plan would change based on Chairman Ji’s answer. Ra-Eun clapped twice and focused the two men’s attention on her again.
“In any case, good work. You can rest now. Are you hurt anywhere?”
Du-Chil had not been hurt since he had only focused on running away, but Yeong-Jun had gotten slightly injured because he had rolled around the thickets, climbed over a wired fence, and even fought a bodyguard.
“I’m fine except for some pain in my shoulder.”
“Really? Then take your clothes off and have a seat here.”
Yeong-Jun flinched from Ra-Eun’s request to take off his clothes. Ra-Eun giggled.
“It’s not like I’m gonna eat you up. Why are you so scared?”
“...I didn’t get scared.”
He obediently complied despite his grumbling. He took off his top and sat down with his back facing Ra-Eun. He was so big that even two of Ra-Eun would be covered if they stood behind him. Ra-Eun took out a pain relief patch from her desk and asked Yeong-Jun which shoulder was hurting.
“My right,” he answered.
“Here?”
“Yeah, right there.”
Ra-Eun put the patch on the area and strongly slapped it. Yeong-Jun flinched with the crisp impact sound.
“Can’t you put it on a bit lighter?”
“The patch stays on better like this. Just wait. I’ll put on one more.”
Yeong-Jun’s back was so wide that Ra-Eun decided to put on one more patch. Yeong-Jun stood up to put his clothes back on. Just then, Ra-Eun’s gaze shifted to his rock solid abs.
“What’s that scar?” she asked.
A long scar ran across his stomach.
Yeong-Jun answered as if it was no big deal, “I got it back in a gang fight. One guy slashed me real good with a knife.”
It looked similar to the scar on Du-Chil’s face. Ra-Eun clicked her tongue.
“Well... Fighting’s good and all, but don’t do anything too dangerous. I’ll get worried.”
Hearing Ra-Eun’s honesty, the corners of Yeong-Jun’s mouth faintly rose.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He liked how occasionally kind Ra-Eun was.
***
Today’s film shoot was outdoors. Ra-Eun was standing by for her turn outside.
“I’m freezing to death over here.”
She had brought several hand warmers with her, but they did not stop her from being cold.
“It’s really cold today, huh?”
As she was shivering slightly while trying her best to warm herself, Ji Han-Seok approached her and put the coat that he had been wearing on her. It was covered in his warmth since he had just taken it off.
“Thank you very much, sunbae.”
Han-Seok smiled. “You got the call from my grandpa, right?”
“Yes. I’m going to head over to Do-Dam Group headquarters as soon as the shoot is over.”
She had been contacted by Chairman Ji to meet if she had the time. It was likely because of the meeting that he had with Han-Gyo.
“Want me to come with you?” Han-Seok asked.
He had suggested it because he thought that Ra-Eun might find it uncomfortable to be alone with his grandfather, but Ra-Eun shook her head to express that it was okay.
“Your scenes last until past midnight, sunbae.”
“I have about two hours to spare in the middle, so I can go with you and come back before then.”
“No, you don’t have to go that far for me, sunbae. I’d feel sorry about it.”
Han-Seok was a kind and courteous man, but Ra-Eun was not planning on going so far as to depend on that same kindness and courtesy even in her meeting with Chairman Ji. Just then, a staff member called out to her.
“We’re ready for you, Ra-Eun. We can begin the scene right away.”
“I understand.”
Ra-Eun slowly got up from her chair and handed Han-Seok’s coat back to him.
“Thank you for the coat, sunbae.”
“No problem. Do your best.”
“Okay.”
Han-Seok stared as Ra-Eun hurriedly walked off. Min Se-Min arrived right next to him before he had realized it.
“Ra-Eun really is hard to get.”
Everyone wanted her, but she did not easily open her heart to them. Han-Seok occasionally thought that he would be willing to do anything if he could make Ra-Eun his.
***
Ra-Eun arrived at Do-Damn Group headquarters and immediately headed to Chairman Ji’s office.
“Come take a seat,” Chairman Ji expressed.
“Yes, Chairman,” Ra-Eu said. She asked for his understanding before sitting down, “I’m sorry, Chairman. I wasn’t able to change because I headed out as soon as the shoot was over.”
She was wearing a short skirt that fully exposed her toned thighs. She did not have enough time to change, so she had unavoidably come to meet Chairman Ji in such provocative clothing. He chuckled and said it was alright.
“Should I get you something to cover yourself up with?” he asked.
“No, I have a lap blanket.”
Ra-Eun always made sure to have a lap blanket in her bag on days that she needed to wear a skirt. Chairman Ji smiled as he laid eyes upon Ra-Eun sitting up straight with her knees modestly together. He could see why his grandson wanted her so much. Although Ra-Eun herself would never acknowledge it, she had a charm to her that pulled people toward her, regardless of gender.
Chairman Ji sipped his coffee and spoke first, “I haven’t told you this, but I’d met Congressman Kim recently.”
Although Ra-Eun had already known, she pretended not to.
“What did you talk about?”
“He asked me to join forces with him again.”
“I see.”
It had been exactly as she had expected. Han-Gyo had given Chairman Ji the same proposition that he had offered Congresswoman Hong. Ra-Eun wondered how Chairman Ji had answered him.
“I refused on the spot.”
Chairman Ji was also a fairly temperamental man; there was no way that he would join forces with Han-Gyo again after having been backstabbed by him time and time again.
“Even if I do join forces with him, it’ll only be after I give him back what he’s due, haha.”
Ra-Eun also softly laughed with him. Revenge was her favorite word, so there was no way that she couldn’t laugh.
“That aside, Han-Gyo said something pretty weird,” Chairman Ji mentioned.
“Weird how?” Ra-Eun asked.
“He asked me who it was that brought me, Congresswoman Hong, Vice President Park and the other congresspersons together.”
Ra-Eun’s smile suddenly disappeared.
Chairman Ji continued, “He suspects you.”
Ra-Eun was indeed fairly suspicious if one thought deeply about it. She had been the one who had brought together the people that harbored ill feelings toward Han-Gyo, and there was also the existence of the masked woman. Considering how fast Han-Gyo’s thought process was, he might already be suspecting Ra-Eun to have some sort of connection to the masked woman.
‘I admit, I pushed myself a bit too close to the forefront.’
There were times when she occasionally crossed the line, blinded by her revenge. She mustn’t forget that she needed to make her moves while keeping her identity fully concealed. One wrong move and her revenge would end before it even began.
‘I’ll have to be more careful.’
She decided to take a short moment to reflect on her carelessness.
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