Contract Marriage with a Male Friend - Chapter 66

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#66

A contract.
Not an actual marriage?
An Soo Yi continued speaking with deliberate calm, meeting the gaze of Dok Go Hyung Jun, who stared at her with the bewildered expression of someone encountering an entirely foreign language for the first time.
“Twelve years ago, there was a company called Ian Distribution in Yung Young District among those absorbed into the Kangho Group. It had established its own foundation in that region.”
Her father’s company had even received a commendation from the district office for its contribution to regional economic development by prioritizing local residents in hiring.
Though not as immense as a conglomerate, it had been a cherished workplace that allowed her family to live in relative comfort and abundance.
“The president of that company, An Dong Jin, received an enticing proposal one day—an invitation to join a development project that the Kangho Group chairman himself was directly overseeing.”
A subtle shift crossed Dok Go Hyung Jun’s face.
“Two others who had received similar proposals and maintained close ties—a representative named Yun and a president named Kim—also joined the venture.”
“Mm…….”
“A proxy connected to the Kangho Group chairman’s office took the three of them to a gathering to discuss business, and during that meeting, what was supposed to be a casual dinner bet took place.”
An Soo Yi’s voice dropped lower.
“After he drank a beverage the proxy offered—claiming his throat was dry—his mind became clouded.”
When he came to, the casual bet had spiraled into something uncontrollable.
“In that dazed state, he was manipulated for only a few days before losing the entire company.”
It turned out the place had been an illegal gambling den.
The proxy threatened her father, leveraging the president’s moral character and involvement in illegal gambling to expose it to the press.
In the end, all the company’s shares and assets were transferred to Kangho Construction in an instant.
“After successfully concluding that project, Kangho Construction and the group experienced exponential growth. It seems there’s always a hidden story behind success like this.”
Dok Go Hyung Jun, who had been listening quietly to An Soo Yi’s account, finally spoke with measured weight.
“That President An Dong Jin…… he would be your father.”
“……Yes, that’s correct.”
Dok Go Hyung Jun’s eyes wavered with visible turmoil.
After a long hesitation, he barely managed to speak.
“Did you marry Beom Jin to seek revenge on me?”
An Soo Yi shook her head.
“I only learned this truth a few days ago.”
“A few days ago?”
“Beom Jin was the one who first proposed this marriage and took the lead. So I…… I wondered whether Beom Jin’s approach to me was meant as silencing—to cover up the sins of the past.”
Just as you’re suspicious of me now, sir.
A wistful hollowness resonated deeply in An Soo Yi’s voice as she added this.
“I understand it’s an age where those deceived are called fools. But now that I’ve become part of that fool’s family…… I don’t think I can keep a composed face about it.”
Dok Go Hyung Jun’s fingers tightened on the armrest.
The old man’s mind unrolled memories from twelve years prior like a panorama.
As An Soo Yi had said, since that project had been the springboard for the Kangho Group’s transformation into the massive corporation it now was, even across the years, the details remained vivid.
Yet the documentation that had been submitted had been flawless.
‘……The documentation was flawless?’
In that moment, a memory flickered across Dok Go Hyung Jun’s mind.
The man who had handled those documents at the time was his most trusted confidant.
During the Kangho Faction days, when his power waned and everyone abandoned and fled from him, this man had remained at his side until the end.
He was someone who had even taken a blade meant for him and nearly died in the process.
Yet shortly after the project concluded, he was caught in a suspicious traffic accident and died suddenly.
By cruel coincidence, the accident occurred near the villa of his second son, Dok Go Jin Su.
At the time, Dok Go Jin Su had been striving desperately on this project to win his father’s favor, stepping into the dead man’s place as the heir apparent.
For Dok Go Jin Su, who needed to prove his qualifications as successor, the stakes were such that he had to produce results by any means necessary—to the point of abandoning his pride and clinging to that executive.

“All you need to do is put my name at the bottom of the approval documents, right? Yes? Director, or rather, sir! Please.”
“If you just set aside a small share of the project for me, I’ll repay you handsomely later. You know how much I’ve adored you since I was young.”

There was no better way to display incompetence than to leverage personal connections in business.
So he had scolded Dok Go Jin Su quite severely.
But Dok Go Hyung Jun had trusted his confidant absolutely.
The man was so taciturn and prudent that the old man had been certain his thoughtless second son could never persuade him, no matter how much he pressed and cajoled.
But what if that weren’t the case.
What if, succumbing to his son’s persistent importuning and the sweet promises of future gain, even that trusted aide had been turned.
What if all the documents in his hands had been falsified and manipulated.
That hypothesis conjured a terrible possibility he could not control.
If it were true, his second son would likely be deeply implicated in the confidant’s sudden death.
To cut loose ends and silence witnesses.
In fact, after the man died, hadn’t Dok Go Jin Su begun participating actively in managing the group to fill that vacancy.
“…….”
The old man’s silence as he retraced these memories appeared to An Soo Yi as an acknowledgment of guilt.
An Soo Yi rose slowly from her seat.
At the sound of movement, Dok Go Hyung Jun suddenly lifted his head.
“The sin of deceiving you and your family…… I will repay by forgiving the sins you committed against my father in the past.”
Dok Go Hyung Jun could say nothing.
Regardless of the circumstances, it amounted to the same thing—something he himself had done.
He was the ultimate responsible party for that massive project, and every occurrence within it fell under his accountability.
It was not a matter that could be dismissed with the irresponsible claim of ignorance.
Not knowing was itself a problem.
It was proof of his incompetence—that he had failed to perceive what was happening around him.
And at the same time…… An Soo Yi’s eyes were already speaking for her.
That she could no longer remain here, in this household, at Beom Jin’s side.
“……I know this sounds like an excuse, but it wasn’t something I ordered. Beom Jin knows nothing of this matter either.”
Yet An Soo Yi’s expression remained unmoved, her heart untouched.
Dok Go Hyung Jun felt that keenly as well.
“Thank you for everything. Though I’m sure it’s presumptuous, I’d appreciate it if my Letter of Resignation could be processed accordingly.”
An Soo Yi bowed deeply in a final farewell, then carefully removed her Employee ID Card from around her neck and set it quietly on the table. Without hesitation, she turned and left the Executive Office.
Thud—.
The sound of the door closing felt heavier and slower than ever.
Watching An Soo Yi turn her scarred eyes away from him, Dok Go Hyung Jun found himself utterly powerless to stop her.
‘The karmic debt of my own carelessness.’
The old man, drawing his hand wearily down his face, exhaled a long breath. He then summoned the secretary general immediately.
“Bring me all internal documents related to the Capital Region Strategic Satellite City and resort development project from twelve years ago. Search out and bring in everyone involved—all the field personnel from that time.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“And—”
The old man’s gaze sharpened.
“Thoroughly investigate whether there’s any connection between Dok Go Jin Su and the deceased Shim Hyung Chul. Particularly focus on whether there’s any evidence of the two being entangled in relation to the Ian Distribution company that operated in Yung Young District.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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