Chapter 195

Cheon Sangcheol had gone bright red, incensed to the roots of his hair, and was snorting through his nose.

He looked ready to charge me like a bull any second.

"You dare drag Julia and Han Jewoon off like this?!"

Watching him huff and jab a finger at me, I was left flat-out speechless.

I didn't drag them anywhere — they dragged ME along!

Rushing at me in a fury, he flinched to a stop only when Han Jewoon and Julia slid smoothly in front of me.

Only then did he seem to properly notice who was standing at my side.

Hurriedly pulling back the savage glare he'd been leveling my way, he squeezed out a forced smile for the pair.

"H — hold on! You can't just slip in with the Deputy Guild Master and leave me out! You have to enter with me too. Come on, back out to the press wall—"

Cheon Sangcheol pawed at them, trying to latch onto each of their arms.

But Han Jewoon just waved him off like it was too much bother.

"Ohhh~ Sadly, I've taken a few too many flashes and I'm feeling wiped. Just take Julia."

Julia leveled a cool glare at Han Jewoon for tossing her forward as his shield. Then she turned to Cheon Sangcheol and answered, icy:

"Enough photos of the three of us entering have already been taken. I'll go in with you. But I won't step back out to face the press. If you're that desperate for photos, hire a personal photographer."

A firm line drawn: no grand entrance, just quiet photos.

Cheon Sangcheol's eyelid twitched.

But when it came to reading which way the wind was blowing, his instinct was uncannily quick.

"…Understood."

Cheon Sangcheol ground his teeth and forced the answer out through his fury.

In the meantime, Han Jewoon slung an arm firmly around my shoulders.

"Well then — you two have a nice photo shoot~ We're heading in!"

"Wh — hey! Wait a second!"

"Get caught out here any longer and it'll drain us both. Let's head in first."

Han Jewoon barely finished whispering in my ear before he yanked me along with a brutal grip, giving me no chance to resist.

Dragged along by that iron grip, I glanced back on instinct — and locked eyes with Cheon Sangcheol, still glaring murder at me.

I swallowed a small sigh inside.

Haah, whatever. He's already got me on his shit list anyway…

Resigned, I let Han Jewoon steer me toward the banquet hall entrance.

The massive doors, flanked by grim-faced security.

As we approached, the heavy panels — sealed shut until now — slid smoothly open.

And in that moment.

"Wow…"

An involuntary breath of amazement slipped out of me.

The first thing to overwhelm the eye was the massive golden clock tower rising at the center of the hall.

Above it, hundreds of chandeliers packed the ceiling wall to wall, spilling blinding light.

Top-grade carpet cradling every step, endless rows of lavishly set banquet tables.

At one end of the hall, a full orchestra was performing live, its majestic strains rolling through the space.

This place is easily double the size of the banquet hall I went to with Han Jewoon last time. Korea's top conglomerate really does operate on another scale.

I was standing there taking in the overwhelming splendor when someone spoke up.

"So this is where you were."

Seo Jihyeok, coming in through another entrance, with Kang Taemin.

Giving me a light nod in greeting, Seo Jihyeok slapped Han Jewoon's arm off my shoulder with an audible thwack.

"Ah! Why the hitting!"

"You've come all the way out here, Guild Master — earn your keep. See all those eyes fixed on you? Political and business elite, end to end — go make the rounds."

"Aww~ but I want to hang out with our Junhyeok more~!"

"Enough. Move."

Seo Jihyeok grabbed the clinging Han Jewoon by the scruff, gave me another polite nod, and mercilessly hauled him off into the crowd.

"Haah… what a whirlwind."

With Rank One and Rank Three no longer flanking me, the tension that had been strung tight finally slackened.

I took a relieved look around — the banquet hall was, quite literally, a feast of stars.

Political and business heavyweights and high-rankers who normally only appeared on TV were spread through every corner of the room.

But the space around me was empty, as if an invisible barrier had been thrown up.

Plenty of sidelong glances, but no one stepping forward to approach.

Now that Han Jewoon and Julia were gone, the reaction was a far cry from the frenzy outside.

Well — Bureau Chief's son or not, I'm just the deputy of a fledgling guild.

An oddly awkward position for slotting in among the big shots.

Better this way, honestly. I've had enough hassle for one night.

Hands in my pockets, I leaned back against a quiet stretch of wall along the edge of the hall.

At some point, Kang Taemin held out a plate without a word.

Finger foods and cold drinks, laid out perfectly to my taste.

Nibbling from the plate Kang Taemin was holding, I let my eyes drift over the crowd.

Come to think of it — where did Leo end up? He said he'd come separately.

I was tilting my head and scanning the crowd when—

"Deputy Guild Master Chae Junhyeok, I presume."

A smooth, dignified voice.

!

When I turned my head, there stood a man who looked like the very definition of a conglomerate chairman.

Somewhere in his mid-forties, maybe.

Hair swept neatly back with streaks of silver mixed in — which only lent the effect a deeper dignified elegance — and a three-piece suit cut from the finest cloth, wrapping a solid, well-kept frame perfectly.

Warm, approachable eyes and an easy smile — a flawless textbook businessman, not a seam out of place.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance. Cheon Sangmin, of Cheonun Group."

The high-quality business card he offered with impeccable courtesy read:

[CEO of Cheonun Distribution — Cheon Sangmin]

…This guy is Cheon Sangcheol's brother?

So pristinely put-together, so completely opposite, it was hard to believe he shared blood with the man — my jaw dropped before I could stop it.

Hiding my shock, I returned the greeting.

"Ah, yes. Pleased to meet you. Chae Junhyeok, Deputy Guild Master of Nest Guild."

At my greeting, he gave a friendly smile and dipped his head a fraction.

"I've heard our youngest has been causing you no end of trouble lately. As his elder brother, I'd like to apologize on his behalf for his shortcomings. I'm truly sorry."

For a beat, a cool sensation ran down my spine.

He's already caught on to my connection with Cheon Sangcheol? Don't tell me he even knows about the meeting.

Tension surged inside, but outwardly I kept it as unruffled as possible.

"Hm… right."

"If it wouldn't be too forward, I'd like to have you over for a proper meal soon, by way of apology."

He extended the offer smoothly.

But I had no intention of getting entangled with Cheonun Group by so much as a millimeter.

Part of it was that his inscrutable competence had my guard up — but the real reason lay elsewhere.

Eight years ago, Cheon Sangcheol had killed Choi Jiyeon and Yeon Minjun — but in the end, it was Cheonun Group that had buried the whole atrocity, clean and complete.

Wearing a fake smile at the corner of my mouth, I drew a firm line.

"I'll accept the sentiment. But it's not the sort of thing that warrants a meal."

A knife-clean refusal.

He should have taken offense — but he didn't flinch a fraction, laughing it off with perfect naturalness.

"I was too forward for a first meeting. I didn't mean to put you on the spot — my apologies. By the way, how are you finding tonight's party? Is the food to your taste…?"

Turning even the sting of a refusal into leverage to pivot the conversation — the man was a snake.

I was batting back with clipped one-word answers, but the conversation kept going, when—

"Oh my — brother dear. Even out here you don't know how to drop that hypocrite mask, do you?"

A sharp, catty voice cut in and sliced the conversation clean in half.

…?

When I glanced sideways, a woman was clicking closer, richly waved hair swishing.

She looked to be somewhere in her late thirties. Huge chandelier earrings dangling at her ears caught the light and threw off a glare bright enough to blind.

A sharp, straight nose and cool-set eyes.

Her features bore a strange resemblance to the man in front of me, and I clocked her identity instantly.

Don't tell me…

Unlike her courteous brother, she pulled a business card from a designer clutch and held it between her index and middle fingers, flicking it lazily.

"Cheon Sangyeon. Pleased to meet you, Deputy Guild Master Chae?"

A proud, arrogant smile — and, somehow, magnetic in spite of it.

Caught off guard, I took the card.

[Director, Cheonun Research Institute — Cheon Sangyeon]

Once I'd looked, she painted her red lips into a curve and continued.

"Deputy Guild Master Chae, you were once an institute director yourself, weren't you? Maybe it's the shared title, but I feel a strange kinship even at first meeting."

Greetings done, she swung her gaze onto Cheon Sangmin, sharp.

"Brother, why are you leeching onto our guest like this? So tacky."

"Sangyeon, that loose tongue of yours doesn't ease off even in front of a guest, does it. However thin the contents inside, in a place like this you might at least go through the motions of putting on some dignity."

"Dignity? Compared to my brother forcing himself on someone who's already said no, I think I look far more dignified."

"To smear me for simply doing my duty as the eldest and trying to clean up the youngest's mess — I'm hurt."

"Oh dear, I nearly cried. Such tearful brotherly love. But that tearful blood-love — couldn't you have shown a quarter, a fraction, of it any other day? Trying to play the doting brother this late in the game — the acting's just too awkward."

The brother needled cleverly where it stung. The sister struck viper-swift, dagger straight to the throat.

Wow… so this is the famed Cheonun Group succession war up close.

I chewed away at Kang Taemin's finger food and watched the refined dogfight like it was popcorn at the movies.

"I have plenty to talk about with the Deputy Guild Master privately, brother. Take the hint and clear off, would you?"

"I was in conversation first, dear. It's the uninvited guest who steps aside."

Wait — why the hell are you people doing this in front of me, of all people.

Cold sweat was slowly beading down my spine.

With the country's top-conglomerate heirs apparent snarling at each other on either side of me, every eye in the hall was starting to swing our way.

I got that the succession contest was vicious, but — please, for the love of god, take it somewhere else.

Just as the blatant stares had my nerves on edge and my right arm was starting to ache—

— Ah, ah. An announcement for our guests. Shortly, a fifteen-minute New Year's fireworks display will begin on the outdoor terrace. Those wishing to watch, please make your way to the terrace.

The emcee's voice rolled through the hall.

Part of the program leading up to the night's highlight — the midnight countdown.

Fifteen minutes of fireworks, then everyone would gather at the clock tower in the center of the hall to count down the new year.

My chance.

I quietly stepped back from the two who looked ready to devour each other whole.

"Sounds like the fireworks are about to start. I'll head out to the terrace now."

"Oh, what a shame. I'll be in touch separately soon."

"I have more to discuss with you as well — I'll be in touch again shortly."

No — please, both of you, don't.

Inwardly I was screaming for mercy, but on the outside I just gave a rough nod and mumbled, "Yes, sure, do what you like."

Then, without a backward glance, I turned and hurried out to the outdoor terrace, Kang Taemin in tow.

—Bang! Ba-bang! Boom!!

The moment I stepped onto the terrace, a spectacular firework display began painting the pitch-black sky in every color.

"Haah… what a mess."

Away from the crowded hall thick with power plays, breathing the cold winter air deep into my lungs — only then did the pressure choking my chest finally ease.

Leaning on the railing and staring absently up at the sky as it split open in every color, a faint smile spread across my mouth before I noticed.

Makes me think of the kids.

The memory drifted up, faint — the time we'd all ridden up on Han Jewoon's sword and watched fireworks together.

Those little shining faces — hands fisted in my clothes, mouths agape at the sky with a whoaaa.

Little bodies pressed warm and close against me.

It was so nice back then. Maybe it's because today's been so hard — I miss them already.

I was sinking into the wistful memory, my nose starting to prickle—

"Direektuh~~~"

A childlike voice, from somewhere. I let out a wry laugh.

Ha — I really must be missing them badly. Hearing voices now.

But for a hallucination, it was strangely vivid.

"Direektuuuh—!!!"

Sharper, closer, louder.

Not a hallucination.

…Hm?

Just as I was starting to turn my head, puzzled—

—BOOM!!!

At the same moment as a massive burst engulfed the night sky, something crashed hard into me from behind.

"DIREEKTUH!!!!!"