Unhealthy - Chapter 45

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 45. Crude Schemes

A moment later, Ji-min returned after seeing Jae-jun off, setting down her teacup and sinking deeply into the backrest.

The look in her eyes as she gazed at her niece was starkly different from the composure she had shown in front of Jae-jun—instead, there was a chilling coldness, as if she were looking at an unpleasant stone thrown into a peaceful lake.

“What brings you all the way here? You never contacted me even once all this time.”

The atmosphere was precarious, as if one wrong word would provoke her great anger.

“I think I need… help.”

“Help? What are you talking about?”

The situation she had feared was becoming reality, gripping Hae-yeong’s heart tightly.

“I came because I have a favor to ask.”

“Hae-yeong, why do you think I abandoned even my name and surname to hide in this corner of a foreign land? I threw away my entire life to escape from thugs like your father and eldest uncle, from that detestable den.”

No one could blame her. Hae-yeong could understand why the blood relative before her was treating her so coldly.

“But now that you’ve come here dragging that karma behind you, won’t the foundation I’ve worked so hard to build all this time be shaken?”

Ji-min seemed unaware that those she despised to death were no longer of this world. No, she wouldn’t know.

To Ji-min, An Dae-jin and An Dae-cheon were merely chains from the past that had bound her.

“That young man who just came, and this Gi Chairman or whatever he’s called. I don’t know who any of these people are, but seeing that you brought such people all the way here, you seem no different from your uncles, which honestly disgusts me.”

“I, that’s…”

“If it’s about marriage approval or something like that, I’ll give my approval, so go back now.”

To Ji-min’s firm declaration, Hae-yeong said calmly.

“Father has passed away. Uncle too.”

Ji-min’s fingertips, which had been tilting her teacup, paused for a moment.

Then her eyes, which had been trembling faintly, returned to calm.

It was closer to a strange emptiness rather than sadness. Ji-min soon let out a short, hollow laugh.

“The end is obvious for people who live reeking of blood.”

Ji-min showed not a single drop of sadness. Rather, after hearing the news of their deaths, as if they had truly become strangers with no relation to her, she pointed toward the foyer even more firmly.

“So? Did you come here asking me to take care of you?”

Ji-min’s merciless declaration was like a ripple that instantly severed the path of salvation Taejun had secured.

Hae-yeong gripped the notebook fragment in her bag tightly. The precious time Taejun was holding out for her was scattering meaninglessly before her aunt’s cold rejection.

Ji-min looked down at her cold teacup and tried to get up from her seat.

Hae-yeong gathered her last remaining breath and opened her mouth.

“There’s property. Left by Father and Uncle.”

Her gaze turned toward Hae-yeong very slowly.

A strange expression crossed her coldly indifferent eyes.

“What does that have to do with me?”

“They’re trying to take all that money. There’s too long a story to tell you, but the reason that man who just came asking for permission is rushing my marriage, the reason he chased me all the way here—it’s all because of that money.”

Hae-yeong caught her breath for a moment and added.

“The inheritance rights to the property the two of them left are in Aunt’s name.”

Hae-yeong stared directly into Ji-min’s wavering eyes without even wiping away her tears.

It was sad to see Ji-min finally reacting to the practical value of money, but now it was appropriate to use even such small changes.

“Uncle talked about Aunt a lot while he was alive. He said that when the situation improved, he definitely wanted to find Aunt and apologize for past events. I heard that the reason he tried to grow Jiwon Capital into a respectable company was because he wanted to show Aunt a better version of himself.”

“Ha, really.”

Ji-min let out a hollow sigh.

“Both of them felt sorry toward Aunt until just before they passed away. I can’t understand everything, but I think there’s definitely a portion they wanted to leave for Aunt.”

Ji-min’s lips trembled slightly. They were blood relatives she had denied her entire life, thugs she had cursed and left behind. But the words that they had sought her out before death created a small crack in Ji-min’s solid fortress.

“At the very least, I think we must prevent the inheritance from being helplessly stolen. Whatever kind of money it is, we can’t hand it all over to such demonic people right now. If you help me, we can protect both Aunt’s share and our family’s honor.”

Ji-min sat back down. Her indifferent attitude from before had disappeared, replaced by eyes that were fiercely calculating something.

She gripped her teacup again with faintly trembling hands.

“You said it was a massive fortune? Just how much is it that those bastards chased you all the way here?”

“It’s much larger than what Aunt is imagining. It’s the funds that became the root of Jiwon Group. If you help me, we can find a way to protect that inheritance. It’s something only Aunt can do.”

Ji-min’s gaze turned toward the window, toward Jae-jun’s car submerged in darkness.

Her fierce eyes, as if calculating the greedy shadows that targeted her niece like prey, remained fixed on empty space for a while. Ji-min soon looked at Hae-yeong and murmured quietly.

Though Ji-min’s voice still contained no warmth whatsoever, she nodded at Hae-yeong as if she had made some decision.

“Go upstairs for now. I’ll handle getting rid of that bastard waiting outside. In any case, I’m the owner of this house, and this is Japan. He can’t act like he did in Korea.”

Hae-yeong nearly collapsed as her legs gave way from relief.

***

Only dry and chilly air, denied even the night breeze, filled the alley completely.

After confirming that Hae-yeong had completely disappeared into the darkness, Taejun didn’t ask questions or say anything to the thugs who were acting ready to pounce at any moment, their mouths full of bloody curses.

Even the act of questioning who sent them or whose fault this crude scheme was would be nothing but worthless noise to him.

Taejun casually pulled out a thick bundle of bills from his wallet and placed it in their hands.

Faced with the large sum of cash suddenly thrown before them, the thugs forgot even whose orders they had received and grabbed the money first.

The pettiness of whoever was behind this, believing such vulgar and low-grade tricks would work on him, was almost laughable.

Taejun ruthlessly trampled the sharply broken rear lamp fragments and pressed the accelerator pedal deep again.

As he approached his destination, a black sedan blocking the path came into Taejun’s view.

Instead of braking to slow down, Taejun parked his car threateningly close to that car, almost touching it.

The friction sound of tires cut through the silence.

Soon, Taejun’s gaze as he got out of the car met head-on with Jae-jun, who was leisurely leaning against the entrance gate smoking a cigarette.

“You finished up faster than I thought? I expected you to have some trouble on the way here.”

Jae-jun exhaled thin, trembling smoke, lightly tapped the cigarette between his fingers, and smiled cheerfully.

The reason Taejun could be certain that Gi Jae-jun had joined hands with Gi Chairman was because his smooth attitude clearly showed inflated self-esteem and arrogance beyond usual. The disgusting way he put on airs as if he had become the master of this game also proved that he had become Gi Chairman’s faithful hunting dog.

Taejun silently approached, cast a contemptuous glance at Jae-jun’s feet, then stared piercingly into his eyes and murmured quietly.

“Did you receive an opportunity from Father? Seeing how you came running all the way here wagging your tail.”

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