The Soul-Harvesting Puppeteer - Chapter 50

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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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Episode 50
Lee Min-gyu suppressed his smile and shifted the direction of the conversation.
“By the way, isn’t the Strategic Operations Division Chief quite impressive?”
“What are you suddenly going on about now?”
Lee Min-chul narrowed his eyes.
But Lee Min-gyu wasn’t deterred in the least and pressed ahead with what he wanted to say.
“Min-chul, what was the Strategic Operations Division Chief’s greatest strength? Wasn’t it precisely Joo Hyung-sun? With one of only two awakened individuals in Midland Seoul backing him, that’s why the Strategic Operations Division Chief was ranked first among candidates to succeed as chairman.”
Lee Min-gyu’s argument diverged from the facts.
Even without Joo Hyung-sun, Lee Myeong-woo would have been a strong candidate for the next chairmanship.
Moreover, no matter how formidable Joo Hyung-sun’s influence was, his power alone couldn’t have placed his son-in-law in the chairman’s seat.
Thus Lee Min-gyu’s argument contained a logical flaw, yet no one at the gathering pointed it out.
In fact, all the fourth-generation Owner Family members gathered here today had bet everything on the opposite side—on Pioneer Corps Commander Lee Seong-woo.
Lee Min-chul fixed his distant cousin Lee Min-gyu with a steady gaze and asked.
“Min-gyu, so what exactly are you trying to say?”
“Nothing much. It’s just a random thought that occurred to me.”
Lee Min-gyu downed another glass of whisky the beautiful woman beside him poured and leaned toward Lee Min-chul, speaking in a hushed voice.
“The thing is, the Strategic Operations Division Chief’s greatest advantage was Joo Hyung-sun standing behind him, right? Conversely, his greatest weakness is that he has no children, so the group’s succession is shaken. But the Pioneer Corps Commander’s greatest weakness is having no awakened figure like Joo Hyung-sun backing him, and his greatest advantage is having dependable children like you and Min-chul. Isn’t that right?”
……
Lee Min-chul remained silent, as if inviting him to continue.
Lee Min-gyu made a throat-cutting gesture with his hand and went on.
“But now Joo Hyung-sun has suddenly died, hasn’t he? Ha-ha-ha. So the Strategic Operations Division Chief’s greatest advantage has vanished, and isn’t that quite the coincidence? Right at that timing, he pulls out a child from nowhere, someone no one’s ever heard of or seen before. Wow. It’s like he lost his advantage and immediately got rid of his weakness to balance it out.”
Now that he laid it out, Lee Min-gyu’s analysis had a certain persuasive power.
Lee Min-chul cast a sharp glance over the rim of his glasses.
“So you’re saying this Han-eol is something your uncle did intentionally?”
“The timing is just too perfect. Ha-ha-ha.”
Lee Min-gyu grinned and reached over to the beautiful woman beside him.
“Oh, don’t do that.”
The woman twisted away as if tickled.
Lee Min-gyu grinned and tried to put his arm around her.
Lee Min-chul stopped Lee Min-gyu.
“Min-gyu, Min-seo is here too—keep it reasonable. Anyway, about that Han-eol—is he really your uncle’s biological child?”
“Hah. Who knows for sure? But the Strategic Operations Division Chief wouldn’t just bring some random stranger in, would he? He’d face an immediate rebuke from the Chairman if he pulled something like that.”
Lee Min-gyu released the woman and shrugged.
“Hmm. That’s true enough.”
Lee Min-chul readily conceded.
Chairman Lee Kang-hyun had a clear preference for bloodline. Had the Strategic Operations Division Chief Lee Myeong-woo schemed to bring in some complete stranger and claim him as a son, there was no way Chairman Lee Kang-hyun would have permitted it.
“So the boy is definitely your uncle’s biological child… but where in the world did he come from?”
It was then that Lee Min-chul voiced his question.
Lee Min-seo, who had been standing beside them with her arms crossed, suddenly interjected.
Chapter 2
“Oppa, shouldn’t I try to meet him? That Han-eol?”
Lee Min-seo was the daughter of Pioneer Corps Commander Lee Seong-woo and the biological sister of Lee Min-chul.
“You want to meet him?”
“Why would there be a reason not to? If he’s our uncle’s son, then he’s our cousin.”
Lee Min-seo spoke with confidence.
Lee Min-chul shook his head.
“Min-seo, don’t rush in without thinking. You could end up causing our father trouble.”
At her older brother’s negative remark, Lee Min-seo let out a sharp cry.
“Oppa! When are you ever going to stop treating me like some reckless fool? How am I going to cause Father any harm?”
Lee Min-seo’s voice was so loud that everyone at the gathering simultaneously covered their ears with their hands.
But the responses that followed differed from person to person.
“Hey! Min-seo. Tone down that bristling personality of yours.”
That was the reaction of her older brother Lee Min-chul.
“Ha-ha-ha. Our Min-seo really is spirited. Sometimes that kind of breakthrough energy can actually be useful.”
Meanwhile, Lee Min-gyu offered a tone that seemed to be encouraging his distant female cousin.
At that, Lee Min-chul’s expression hardened.
“Min-gyu, I’m warning you. Don’t egg on a well-behaved girl for no reason. And Min-seo, now is not the time to rush in. Not only your uncle but the Chairman himself is paying close attention to Han-eol right now. If you get tangled up with him at a moment like this, you could end up facing backlash instead.”
“But oppa, I want to help Father too.”
Lee Min-seo stamped her feet.
Then Lee Min-gyu ignored Lee Min-chul’s warning and interjected again.
“Hehe. Our Min-seo is a dutiful daughter. Such devotion. Min-seo, don’t rush. Wait a moment longer. A good opportunity may yet come knocking. Hehe.”
“Min-gyu. Stop egging Min-seo on like that.”
Lee Min-chul turned sharply to face Lee Min-gyu.
Lee Min-chul was, and remained, the head of this gathering.
But Lee Min-gyu kept overstepping.
The moment Lee Min-chul raised his presence, the entire atmosphere froze cold.
“Haha. Sorry. My mistake.”
Lee Min-gyu raised both hands in immediate apology to Lee Min-chul, then leaned in toward Lee Min-seo as if nothing had happened.
“Min-chul’s right. If you go after Han-eol yourself right now, things could get messy. But give it a little time. There may be ways to get what we want without lifting a finger.”
“What? Get it without lifting a finger? What does that mean?”
Lee Min-seo’s curiosity was clearly piqued. Once she fixed her attention on something, neither her brother Lee Min-chul nor her father Lee Seong-woo could easily talk her out of it.
Lee Min-gyu twisted one corner of his mouth into a smirk.
“The Strategic Operations Division chief never had any children of his own. Because of that, all sorts of collateral relatives swarmed around him, each desperate to get their own children adopted as his son or daughter. So what do you think they’re feeling now? Like they’ve all been blindsided. Hehe.”
“Ah.”
Lee Min-seo slapped her knee in delight.
Lee Min-gyu pressed on further.
“And aren’t you curious what the Strategic Operations Division chief’s wife is thinking? Her husband brought home a child from outside and now wants to register him in the family register. Do you really think there’s a woman in this world who’d let that slide? Hehehehe.”
“Oh. Now that you mention it, you’re right. Min-gyu really does have a sharp mind.”
Lee Min-seo tapped her temple with her index finger, praising Lee Min-gyu.
“Hehe. I do have a way with these things.”
Lee Min-gyu responded with a knowing grin.
Lee Min-chul’s brow deepened with displeasure as he watched him.
‘Min-gyu, I know you’re the brains of this group. And I know you’re quick at gathering confidential information. But lately you keep crossing the line.’
The analysis Min-gyu had whispered just moments ago seemed sharp, but it was nothing Lee Min-chul hadn’t already thought through himself.
More troubling was the way Lee Min-gyu kept trying to pit the Strategic Operations Division against the Pioneer Corps.
‘When the Chairman first consolidated power in the group, he coldly pruned his own bloodline. But that doesn’t mean the third generation—Father and Uncle—are destined to tear each other apart in family strife. Yet the people around us keep stirring the bloodlust. Parasites like that Min-gyu, for instance.’
If one were to measure bloodline distance, Lee Min-chul and Lee Min-gyu were fifth cousins, but Lee Min-chul was actually a second cousin to Han-eol.
Depending on how things unfolded, he might find himself closer to Han-eol than to Min-gyu down the road.
‘Maybe it’s not easy right now, but there’s no need to harbor preconceptions about him from the start. Wouldn’t you agree, Min-gyu?’
Lee Min-chul’s gaze toward his fifth cousin Lee Min-gyu turned icy cold.
Chapter 3
In the pavilion overlooking the waterways of Subyeok-won, a scene that evoked a landscape painting in itself, Lee Kang-hyun and Lee Myeong-woo sat facing one another.
After a middle-aged woman brought tea and excused herself, a proper conversation began between father and son.
“Has the information been contained?”
“Yes. As you instructed, I’ve notified the Security Corps. I’ve warned several household staff as well. The commotion that occurred here at Subyeok-won that day will be quietly buried.”
“Good. But tell me, this Division Chief—”
“Speak freely, Chairman.”
“Han-eol. The boy’s grown quite well.”
At those words, Lee Myeong-woo looked up at his father in mild surprise.
‘Has the Chairman ever praised anyone in such a manner before?’
Lee Myeong-woo searched his memory, but found nothing.
Sensing his son’s hesitation, Lee Kang-hyun pressed deeper.
“Why? Is it so strange for a grandfather to praise his grandson?”
“Not at all. It’s not strange.”
Lee Myeong-woo answered at once.
But inwardly, he was even more startled than before. Lee Kang-hyun had several grandchildren, yet he had never permitted any of them to be addressed with terms like “grandfather” or “grandson” before.
‘What’s brought on this change of heart? Does he really think so highly of Han-eol?’
Lee Myeong-woo stared blankly at his father—a man from whom not a drop of blood could be squeezed—and ventured his question.
“Chairman, I heard you had a blood relationship test conducted for Han-eol.”
“I did. You have to test a bridge many times before you cross it.”
Lee Kang-hyun acknowledged it readily.
“So you only recognized him as your grandson after seeing those results? Forgive the impertinence, but you seem so satisfied with Han-eol that I took the liberty of asking.”
“Hmph. A blood relationship test is merely a procedure to verify whether someone carries our family’s bloodline. A result alone cannot earn my recognition.”
“Then what aspect of the boy convinced you to acknowledge him as your grandson?”
As Lee Myeong-woo asked, he harbored a quiet hope within.
Lee Kang-hyun let out a brief laugh.
“What aspect, you ask? Let me turn the question back on you, Division Chief. What aspect convinced you to bring Han-eol here? I don’t believe you’re the sort to carelessly bring someone into this house merely because they share our blood. Crkhehe.”
Lee Kang-hyun’s words were true.
Had Han-eol failed his Awakening—
Lee Myeong-woo would have quietly hidden him in the shadows, away from the world.
What if Han-eol had succeeded in his Awakening, but the ability fell short of expectations?
In that case, too, Lee Myeong-woo would have chosen to keep Han-eol hidden.
Lee Myeong-woo believed that would have been the better path for Han-eol himself.
The weak could not survive in the Owner Family of Shinyoung Group. This world was a jungle where the feeble were devoured and the strong preyed upon others.
But Han-eol was a predator.
Not a predator’s cub, but a predator itself.
That was why Lee Myeong-woo had presented Han-eol confidently before the family’s members.
‘Of course, I didn’t announce it to the entire group—only the Owner Family came to know of Han-eol’s existence.’
It was as Lee Myeong-woo was thinking this.
Lee Kang-hyun shifted his question, a deep smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“Let me ask again. What did this Division Head see in Han-eol? To be honest, I saw something in that child myself.”
“Is that so? What I saw was precisely…….”
Lee Myeong-woo paused for a moment.
Lee Kang-hyun, unable to contain his rising excitement, blurted out first.
At the same time, Lee Myeong-woo continued.
“I saw my aunt in that child.”
“Your grandmother, sir. If I may be so bold, I felt that my grandmother’s image was projected onto Han-eol.”
The answers from father and son poured out simultaneously.
The length and tone of their words differed, but the content aligned perfectly.
“Huh?”
“Chairman!”
The pupils of Lee Kang-hyun and Lee Myeong-woo dilated as they stared at each other.
The Soul-Harvesting Puppeteer
Author |
Junon
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Department
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The contents of this book may not be used in any form or by any means without written permission from Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dreambooks.

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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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