Unhealthy - Chapter 57

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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 57. Pathetic Downfall

Though his tone was deliberately stern, Taejun’s touch as he brushed back Hae-yeong’s hair was infinitely gentle.

“It’s fine since you opened your eyes.”

Hae-yeong recalled the moment when Taejun had collapsed unconscious in the driver’s seat, and hastily wiped away the tears that unknowingly welled up again.

The terror from that time still remained like an indelible mark in a corner of Hae-yeong’s heart.

***

The next day, Taejun planned to handle his morning work at the hotel.

His wounds hadn’t fully healed yet, making him unfit for long hours sitting at the company, and more than anything, he wanted to wait for her, matching Hae-yeong’s schedule when she finished school.

Secretary Lee, who had come to the hotel to deliver Taejun’s office laptop and confidential documents, began speaking with a heavier expression than usual.

“Um, Managing Director.”

“What is it? A report on the directors’ movements?”

Taejun asked without lifting his gaze from the documents he was reviewing. But Secretary Lee’s answer came from a completely unexpected direction.

“An unidentified male corpse was discovered in the mountainous region of Nagano Prefecture, Japan. According to local police information… it appears to be your missing brother.”

As Secretary Lee’s report ended, Taejun’s lips pressed into a tight line.

Blue veins bulged on the back of his hand gripping the pen.

During the heavy silence that followed, Taejun’s mind became tangled with complex possibilities.

Gi Jae-jun was dead. The news that he, who had crossed over to Japan chasing An Ji-min, had returned as a corpse carried implications beyond simple death.

“Are you certain?”

“I received some investigation records and photos through the local police network. Would you like to see them?”

When Taejun nodded heavily, Secretary Lee took out his phone and showed him a photo. The image quality was poor, but the truth contained within was conveyed completely.

“Some time has passed since the discovery, and there’s severe damage from wild animals, but the clothing and physical conditions are clearly…”

“Those are the clothes he wore when we met in Ueda. It’s definitely Gi Jae-jun.”

Taejun was certain, looking at the sleeve decoration of the luxury jacket the man in the photo was wearing.

It was exactly what Gi Jae-jun had worn when they last met.

“Is there a possibility Father made a move? That old man would be more than capable of silencing someone.”

“That can’t be ruled out. The ones who caused the contact accident were also Chairman’s subordinates. Probably fearing that your brother, who learned the whole truth, would become an uncontrollable variable, he likely took direct action.”

Taejun closed his eyes. Gi Chairman was a man who used even his own children as tools for his ambitions, discarding them when they were no longer useful.

But another hypothesis arose in a corner of Taejun’s mind. An Ji-min.

Could it have been an accident that occurred during a confrontation between her, who had been living quietly in hiding, and Gi Jae-jun? If so, this matter would become another hell for Hae-yeong.

“Is there a way to go and confirm it directly?”

“Considering the current domestic public opinion and your physical condition, leaving the country would be difficult. For now, I’ve contacted our embassy to formally file a missing person report, so it would be better to move when the identity confirmation results are officially notified.”

“I understand for now. Make sure Hae-yeong never finds out about this news.”

“Yes, Managing Director. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“If any more news comes in, let me know immediately regardless of day or night. Especially if it’s a clue about Ms. An Ji-min’s whereabouts.”

“Understood. I’ll look into it right away.”

After Secretary Lee left the room, alone in the living room, Taejun looked down at Seoul city center outside the window.

Taejun pressed firmly on his still-unhealed wound area, vowing once again to prevent Hae-yeong from facing the end of this ugly truth.

***

Gi Chairman’s trial was more like a well-orchestrated machine moving toward a conclusion than an emotional revenge drama.

Only suffocating silence pervaded the courtroom, and Taejun quietly stared at Gi Chairman’s back sitting in the defendant’s seat.

The man who once controlled everything from the pinnacle of Jiwon was now nothing more than an old man in prison clothes, anxiously watching only the judge’s lips.

Gi Chairman’s defense team persistently harped on his health condition in their closing arguments.

It was a seasoned strategy aiming for suspension of detention or probation by presenting early dementia diagnosis and advanced age. However, the recorded evidence Taejun submitted neutralized all such logic.

The calm sentences flowing through the speakers were the embodiment of the greed and desire Gi Chairman had hidden all his life.

That level of evidence was sufficient to prove how clear his intentions were at the time of the crime, and that it was a calculated choice rather than an impulsive accident.

The court pointed out in detail through the verdict how the defendant had abandoned human ethics for wealth accumulation, and how he had even harmed his own son to cover up his crimes.

Finally, the word “life imprisonment” fell from the judge’s lips.

It was the result of all charges of murder conspiracy, attempted murder, and embezzlement and breach of trust amounting to hundreds of billions of won being found guilty.

The moment the sentence was pronounced, Gi Chairman couldn’t rise from his seat as if his soul had left him, and though he later tried to shout as if something was unfair, he was swiftly removed by the guards.

His retreating figure resembled more the wretchedness of a trapped beast than the misery of one who had fallen from the pinnacle of power.

With the verdict’s confirmation, Gi Chairman’s legal guardianship status over An Hae-yeong immediately lost its effect.

This was the signal for the rights restoration work the legal team had been preparing for a long time. An Ji-min’s written pledge, which Taejun had completed notarization procedures for in advance, gained legal binding force as it aligned with the investigation results.

An Dae-cheon’s inheritance that Gi Chairman had tied up in his own name or borrowed-name accounts, as well as core shares of Jiwon Group, were formally returned to An Hae-yeong through the criminal proceeds recovery and rights restoration procedures specified in the verdict.

The fake life built by stealing others’ possessions for years collapsed in an instant, and An Hae-yeong’s name was recorded at the highest position on Jiwon Group’s shareholder list.

Taejun stood at a distance watching the heavy courtroom doors close and the noisy reporters scatter following the transport vehicle.

He felt no sense of achievement or joy. Only the fatigue of having finished one terribly old task washed over him.

As soon as Taejun got in the car, he rolled down the window slightly.

News of Gi Chairman’s downfall was already spreading as breaking news. The world was consuming the fall of an era like an entertaining spectacle, but for Taejun, this was not a spectacle but the result of survival.

The air inside the car was cool. Taejun leaned back deeply in the rear seat and closed his eyes.

As tension released, the pain in his back clearly raised its head again. The itching, throbbing sensation as the wound healed constantly reminded him that he was alive.

“Managing Director, shall we go to the hotel?”

In the place where quietness had settled, instead of the expected sense of achievement or joy, only the fatigue of having barely finished one terribly old task sank heavily.

One man’s downfall and the end of an era were summarized in just a few pages of verdict, and what remained behind were only the remnants of power reeking with blood.

Taejun took out his phone from his suit pocket to check the time.

It was almost time for Hae-yeong’s lecture to end. Each step down the stairs caused his still-unhealed wound to produce dull pain.

He considered even that pain as his share to bear.

With each step came the determination to keep the blood and filth on his hands thoroughly as his own secret, while making the path Hae-yeong would walk as clean as possible.

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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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