Chapter 1026: Her Plan (1)

Before the regression, Jin So-Mi had been an entertainment lawyer at Top Entertainment who handled every dirty job Kim Dong-Soo gave her. She had faced countless threats while dealing with those jobs, yet no matter the situation, she had always protected her daughter. To Jin So-Mi, Jin Gong-Ju was more precious than her own life.

That was why I couldn't believe Jin So-Mi had abandoned Jin Gong-Ju.

I comforted the crying Jin Gong-Ju and asked her what had happened. "Gong-Ju. Tell me slowly. What do you mean your mom abandoned you? Why?"

Jin Gong-Ju answered between sniffles, "Mom said... she didn't like me anymore... and never wanted to see me again. She said if I went to Hoop Entertainment, I'd at least be able to make a living, so I should go there... Sob. Waaaaah!"

Overcome with grief, Jin Gong-Ju burst into tears again. There was no way I could get a proper conversation out of her, so I turned to the man in his late twenties who had come with her.

The tall, gentle-looking man in his late twenties bowed his head in greeting. "I'm Jin Taek-Soo, Gong-Ju's biological father."

That was a lie. I knew Jin So-Mi had conceived Jin Gong-Ju with a married judge in his forties whom she had met while working as a hostess at a bar.

With Jin Gong-Ju beside us, however, I showed no reaction and instead brought up what Jin So-Mi had told me. "I heard Gong-Ju's father had already passed away."

"Apparently, that's what Gong-Ju's mother told people. We were separated for a long time, so there are a lot of circumstances I can't talk about. Anyway, I've officially received custody of Gong-Ju, so I doubt I'll have any reason to see her mother again. Oh, and before coming here, I terminated Gong-Ju's contract with Ace. I heard Hoop is the best these days."

If I wanted to uncover this endless string of lies, I needed to get Jin Gong-Ju out of the room.

"I see. If you're here about a contract, let's go upstairs and talk in the meeting room."

"All right."

Cheon Song-Hee and Cheon Min-Hyung were waiting in the Ventley I had driven over, so I reached for my phone to call Lee Yung-Jin or Jung Sang-Bong.

Just then, Lee Yung-Jin came out of the company entrance.

I called out, "Yung-Jin!"

"Yes?" Lee Yung-Jin came over to me.

"Show Ms. Cheon and her brother the place they'll be living."

"I was about to go check Unit 204 anyway. Got it."

Lee Yung-Jin ran over to my Ventley. Only then did I head into the company with Jin Taek-Soo and Jin Gong-Ju.

***

After going up to the fourth floor, I called over Do Ran-Hee, who had been working. "Ran-Hee!"

Do Ran-Hee hurried over. "What is it, Mr. Jung?"

"Look after Gong-Ju for a little while."

Do Ran-Hee paused briefly, since she knew what Jin Gong-Ju's mother had done during the custody battle with Miso.

Nevertheless, she soon smiled and held out her hand to Jin Gong-Ju. "Gong-Ju. You saw me on set, right?"

"...Yes."

"Good to see you again. Want to come with me and have some strawberry gummies?"

At that moment, Jin Gong-Ju looked at Jin Taek-Soo, the man claiming to be her biological father.

Jin Taek-Soo smiled and nodded. "Gong-Ju. Go have some gummies and look around the company for a little while. I'm not going anywhere."

"Really...?"

"Of course. I will never abandon Gong-Ju."

Still anxious, Jin Gong-Ju looked at me and made a request. "Uncle Yoon-Ho. Don't let my dad... go anywhere, okay?"

I smiled and nodded. "Don't worry. Your dad and I will be talking. I promise."

Only then did Jin Gong-Ju let out a small sigh and disappear into the break room holding Do Ran-Hee's hand. Meanwhile, Jin Taek-Soo watched her go with a wistful look in his eyes. He wasn't even her real father, yet the affection in his eyes seemed genuine.

"This way."

"All right."

I took Jin Taek-Soo into the meeting room.

Thud.

Rustle!

As soon as I closed the door, I lowered all the blinds so no one could see inside.

The moment Jin Taek-Soo sat down, I began pressing him. "Mr. Jin Taek-Soo. I know who Gong-Ju's real father is. So tell me the real reason you came here."

Jin Taek-Soo's expression stiffened. He clearly hadn't expected me to know who the child's real father was.

"I... am her father."

"If you're going to keep insisting on that, take Gong-Ju and leave. I don't know if you're aware of this, but Mrs. Jin So-Mi and I aren't exactly on good terms."

Countless people had planted someone inside Hoop Entertainment to attack me before. I couldn't rule out the same possibility now, so I spoke firmly, making it clear that I wouldn't give him any room to maneuver.

Jin Taek-Soo looked into my eyes and thought for a long moment. Eventually, he let out a deep sigh.

"Before I tell you what I know, I have one condition."

"What condition?"

"Gong-Ju is happy because she thinks she's found the biological father she thought was dead. So please, don't tell her the truth about that. I don't know what would happen to that little girl if she found out that I'm not her father either."

"If I was going to tell her, I would've done it downstairs. More importantly, tell me what happened."

"The truth is... Noo-nim came to me for the first time in five years, knelt down, and begged me to take care of Gong-Ju."

From there, Jin Taek-Soo began telling me an incredible story about himself and Jin So-Mi.

***

Jin Taek-Soo, who had grown up in an orphanage, said he first met Jin So-Mi when he was in middle school and she was a first-year law student. At the time, Jin So-Mi was a poor law student who had come to volunteer. They were paired one-on-one and spent the day together, though apparently, neither of them liked the other at first.

After her volunteer work ended, however, Jin So-Mi gradually began sponsoring his education. She said it was admirable that he ranked first in his entire school despite his difficult circumstances.

When Jin Taek-Soo was accepted into law school, Jin So-Mi was as happy as if it had happened to her and offered to pay his tuition and living expenses. Jin Taek-Soo knew Jin So-Mi wasn't well-off, so he refused her support and tried to give up on going to college. Nevertheless, Jin So-Mi told him to repay her after he became successful. After much thought, Jin Taek-Soo accepted her offer and enrolled in college.

Before he graduated, however, Jin Taek-Soo discovered that Jin So-Mi had earned his tuition by working at a bar. Shocked, Jin Taek-Soo told her he was going to quit school. At the time, Jin So-Mi told him she had started the job to pay her own tuition anyway and was only helping him with what she had left over. She said that if he really wanted to help her, he should graduate from law school and repay her someday.

So Jin Taek-Soo gritted his teeth and graduated early. Afterward, he saved money, enrolled in law school, and was now in the first semester of his third year.

Then, two months ago, Jin So-Mi, who had lost contact with him after his college graduation, suddenly reached out again. She met with him, knelt down, and begged him to take care of Jin Gong-Ju in her place.

At that moment, Jin Taek-Soo thought his chance to repay her had finally come and promised to become Jin Gong-Ju's real father. To Jin Taek-Soo, Jin So-Mi was his benefactor, the noona he admired, and the woman he had feelings for.

Jin So-Mi told him there was no need to go that far, but Jin Taek-Soo insisted that having no parents made things convenient at times and pushed ahead until they signed the marriage papers. Then, two days ago, they signed the divorce papers, and Jin Taek-Soo officially received custody of Jin Gong-Ju.

With their brief two-month marriage on paper now over, Jin Taek-Soo let out a sigh and continued.

"Noo-nim sent away the woman who'd been helping at home and asked me to raise Gong-Ju only until she became an adult. She said she'd give me more than enough child support. She also said she'd never appear before Gong-Ju again, no matter what happened, and repeatedly made me promise to take Gong-Ju to Hoop Entertainment and leave her with you, Mr. Jung."

I now understood what had happened, but even Jin Taek-Soo didn't know why Jin So-Mi had separated herself from her own daughter. It was clear she had done this to protect her daughter, but I couldn't accept Jin Gong-Ju without knowing the exact reason. I had plenty of people I needed to protect as well.

"Try contacting Mrs. Jin. I need to meet her in person and ask why she left Gong-Ju with me."

Jin Taek-Soo shook his head. "She hasn't answered any of my calls since we signed the divorce papers two days ago. She already transferred the house she was living in to my name and moved out."

In that case, there was only one other option.

"Then do exactly as I say from now on."

As I explained how we would draw Jin So-Mi out, the clock on my phone passed six in the evening.

***

The clock in a special visitation room at Cheongju Women's Prison showed 6:40 p.m. Visits normally weren't allowed at this hour, but Kim Ae-Ja, the former vice chairman of Daechon Inc., had used her influence to summon Jin So-Mi to the visitation room along with a lawyer.

Buzz.

Without even looking at the screen of the phone vibrating in her pocket, Jin So-Mi silenced it. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Chairman."

Kim Ae-Ja, sitting across from her, spoke coldly. "You don't need to see what it is?"

"No. Nothing is more important to me right now than this."

"True. Nothing's more important than making a living."

Jin So-Mi was currently interviewing to become Kim Ae-Ja's personal secretary through Kim Dong-Soo's introduction. Secretary was merely the title, though. What Kim Ae-Ja really wanted was a cleaner to handle her dirty work from now on.

"Are you going to keep calling me chairman? Ae-Ryeon, that bitch, owns Daechon now."

"You're still the chairman to me. And you'll become one again."

Truthfully, Jin So-Mi believed it would be difficult for Kim Ae-Ja to regain control of Daechon no matter how hard she tried. She knew, however, that Kim Ae-Ja had enough power to split off several Daechon affiliates and create a new conglomerate, which was why she addressed her as the chairman.

Unaware of Jin So-Mi's true thoughts, Kim Ae-Ja smiled in satisfaction. "True. Once I get out of here, I might become the chairman again someday. I still have an inheritance coming from my father."

"Yes, Mrs. Chairman."

"All right. More importantly, did you find Jung Yoon-Ho's weakness like I told you to?"

Jin So-Mi took a deep breath, then began answering the question that would determine whether she got the job. "No. Jung Yoon-Ho doesn't have any particular weaknesses. For now, it's in your best interest not to touch him."

At that moment, Kim Ae-Ja's hand struck Jin So-Mi hard across the face.

Smack.

Jin So-Mi's head snapped to the left. Without showing any surprise, however, Jin So-Mi straightened her head and bowed politely to Kim Ae-Ja. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Chairman."

Kim Ae-Ja smirked. "For someone apologizing, you've still got plenty of fire in your eyes. I like that. These days, people get slapped once and start crying about how some chaebol abused their power. It gets on my nerves."

Without even touching her reddened cheek, Jin So-Mi answered, "I'm not the type to lose my nerve over one failure."

Kim Ae-Ja grinned at Jin So-Mi's bold response. "Good. My secretary needs at least that much nerve. And even if you get punished, you must never lie to me."

Apparently satisfied with Jin So-Mi's attitude, Kim Ae-Ja continued with a smile. "There are enough people who've lost to Jung Yoon-Ho to fill a truck. If you'd suddenly come back claiming you'd found his weakness, I would've found that even more suspicious. You're hired."

"I thought I'd failed when you slapped me."

"That was just your punishment for failing the task I gave you."

"I think I'm starting to understand your personality, Mrs. Chairman. I'll keep it in mind for work."

"President Kim Dong-Soo said he was sending me one sharp cookie, so I'm glad to see he was right. Now, hold on."

Kim Ae-Ja spoke to Attorney Lee Seol-Hee, who had brought her in. "Attorney Lee. Get So-Mi here back into law school."

Lee Seol-Hee, the former head of Daechon Inc.'s legal team, asked in return. "Jin So-Mi may be on leave from law school, but she used to be a legal broker and a hostess. On top of that, she got on the judges' bad side during the Jung Miso custody dispute, so there'll be complaints. Are you sure about this?"

"That's what makes her even better. People with plenty of weaknesses are easier to control."

"Then I'll take care of it as instructed."

"Good. Keep the reporters quiet so there aren't any complaints, and slip some money to the judges behind the scenes."

"Yes, ma'am."

After giving her instructions, Kim Ae-Ja looked at Jin So-Mi. "Jin So-Mi. You can finish the rest of the program in a year, right?"

"Of course."

"Good. You'll be busy studying while working. Do your best."

Relieved that she had passed the interview to become Kim Ae-Ja's personal secretary, Jin So-Mi bowed her head. "Thank you."

Then, with a casual expression, Kim Ae-Ja brought up something chilling. "By the way, when you got on the judges' bad side, why didn't you ask your child's father for help?"

Jin So-Mi couldn't help being startled. No matter how impressive a conglomerate's intelligence network was, she hadn't expected Kim Ae-Ja to know that her daughter's father was alive, a fact she had even hidden from Jin Gong-Ju.

"Why? Judge Oh Dae-Gwang doesn't know you have a daughter?"

"No... Judge Oh denies that Gong-Ju is his daughter. I figured meeting him would only make him try to crush me instead."

"You're quick to read the situation. Not bad. Hahaha. Now, this is what I'm really curious about..." Kim Ae-Ja slowly leaned her head closer. "You don't have parental rights over your daughter. What happened?"

Jin So-Mi's heart nearly burst when she realized Kim Ae-Ja had even found out about that. She had prepared for even the worst-case scenario, however, so she answered calmly.

"The truth is, I recently married a younger man I used to know. Once we started living together, though, I realized men are all the same. So I immediately filed for divorce, and that bitch Gong-Ju said she liked her new dad better and wanted to run off with him."

"Really?"

"Yes. I don't know how he won her over while I was always out working, but Gong-Ju said she wanted to go with him, so I let her. She was a burden on my life anyway."

Kim Ae-Ja narrowed her eyes and asked again. "Is that really true?"

"What would I gain by lying? To be honest, I only gave birth to her because Judge Oh said he'd divorce his wife and live with me, and I wanted something to tie him down. Maybe it's because she's Judge Oh's daughter, but she betrayed me too."

"Hehe. Like father, like daughter."

"Exactly. Besides, my second husband probably took Gong-Ju because he plans to squeeze child support out of me, so I let him. I can always earn more money, and I'm glad to be rid of the burden."

Kim Ae-Ja asked as if testing her. "You didn't pull some trick in advance because you thought I might use her as a hostage, did you?"

"Mrs. Chairman. You've watched too many dramas. Do you really think maternal love suits a bitch like me?"

At that moment, Kim Ae-Ja clutched her stomach and burst out laughing. "Pfft. Sorry. A bitch who's lived the way you have wouldn't do that... Sorry, sorry. Spending time around that bastard Jung Yoon-Ho has made me suspicious of everything. Sorry."

"It's fine. You weren't exactly wrong."

Kim Ae-Ja grinned. "I like that I don't have to watch my language around you. Okay. Then I'll be straightforward with you too. Three hundred million won a year, plus a car and a house. I'll give you plenty of bonuses now and then, so the money won't be bad, but you'll be on call twenty-four hours a day. Sound good?"

"Thank you."

"And once I'm out, I'll need to meet with President Kim Dong-Soo and the heads of entertainment companies, so set everything up properly. I want to destroy every last part of that bastard Jung Yoon-Ho's business!"

"I will."

"Good. Then keep up the good work."

Kim Ae-Ja stood and returned to her cell. Only then did Jin So-Mi bow toward Kim Ae-Ja's retreating back before looking at Lee Seol-Hee.

At that moment, Lee Seol-Hee spoke to Jin So-Mi with a displeased expression. "Take good care of Mrs. Chairman. Got it?"

"Got it."

Just then, the phone in Jin So-Mi's inner pocket vibrated.

Buzz.

Lee Seol-Hee looked irritated. "What's keeping you so busy? Is it Kim Dong-Soo?"

Without answering, Jin So-Mi took out her phone and checked the message. At that moment, however, she felt as though all the blood had drained from her body. The photo attached to the message showed Jin Gong-Ju lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask over her face and all kinds of equipment attached to her body.

[J: Noona. They say Gong-Ju's in danger. I thought you needed to know. Please come quickly.]

Jin So-Mi's legs trembled at the sight of Jin Gong-Ju's photo, but she gritted her teeth and held herself together so it wouldn't show.

"What is it? Why do you look so pale?"

"It's nothing. Just a nasty message from some guy I used to be involved with."

When Jin So-Mi put her phone back in her pocket, Lee Seol-Hee clicked her tongue. "That's what happens when you live dirty. You end up tangled with dirty people. Tsk, tsk. It's already seven, so let's eat before we go. You drive on the way back."

"Yes, Mrs. Lee."

Jin So-Mi brushed off the insults directed at her and followed Lee Seol-Hee out of the visitation room.

***

It was eight in the evening, a little over an hour after we sent the message. Outpatient hours were over, so Jin Taek-Soo and I were the only ones sitting on the sofa near the entrance to Kim Soo-Myung's Life Clinic.

Jin Taek-Soo asked me anxiously, "Do you think Noona will come?"

I nodded. "She will. The photo we sent wasn't exactly an ordinary one."

We had immediately brought Jin Gong-Ju from the company to Kim Soo-Myung's Life Clinic and had her undergo a sleep study. For a sleep study, she had to wear an oxygen mask and have all kinds of sensors attached all over her body. The sight made her look like she could stop breathing at any moment. So if Jin So-Mi was the woman I knew, she had no choice but to come.

"True... If I'd seen the photo I sent, I would've rushed over too."

At that moment, a taxi stopped in front of the building, and the door flew open.

Screech.

Jin So-Mi jumped out with her hair disheveled and came running toward us. As expected, Jin So-Mi hadn't completely abandoned Jin Gong-Ju.

In that case, it was time to ask why Jin So-Mi had entrusted her daughter to me, someone who was practically her enemy.