The fact that Team Leader Moo Sehoon had contacted her directly ant that the matter was serious.
Moreover, he had set the eting place at an external café rather than at Hyesung Group.
That ant it was a matter requiring secrecy.
Is it about Seo Jaehee and ?
Assuming it was an order from the chairwoman, Suin imdiately responded.
—I’m on my way.
As she pressed her lips together and left the executive director’s office, she received an ill-tid call from Professor Seo Seongyeok.
[Suin.]
"Yes, professor."
Suin tensed, thinking, So it really is about the two of us.
[Jaehee was discharged a little while ago and went straight to Hyesungga. I just wanted to let you know.]
"Thank you, professor."
It was an unnecessary worry.
Feeling relieved by Seo Seongyeok’s gentle consideration, Suin let out a small breath.
However, he didn’t end the call imdiately. He had another purpose.
[Suin… you wouldn’t be able to stop by Hyesungga after work, would you?]
She flinched but tried to keep her voice emotionless.
"No."
[Hmm, I see…]
Sounding disappointed, he smacked his lips before carefully asking,
[You’re really leaving?]
"Yes, professor."
[Can’t you reconsider? Forget Jaehee for a mont. The chairwoman’s been looking unwell lately. I think it’s because she’s struggling with the thought of letting you go…]
"I’m sorry, professor."
[Right, I suppose it’s not my place to interfere.]
Though he respected her decision, Seo Seongyeok couldn’t help feeling regretful.
Suin understood, but she couldn’t take back her choice. She had already made all the necessary preparations to leave.
Still, she felt unsettled about Woo Ilhwa.
Hyun Jiye had recently ntioned that Woo Ilhwa’s health wasn’t in good condition.
Although she had been reducing her workload as much as possible, she still seed distracted and unfocused—sothing that had never happened before.
Should I have visited today?
In the past, she would have rushed over without a second thought.
Her current situation left a bitter taste in her mouth.
***
When she arrived at a countryside café on the outskirts of the tropolitan area, Moo Sehoon was waiting in a private room. A docunt envelope lay on the table.
"Is this about the chairwoman or the executive director?"
Suin asked bluntly as she took a seat across from him.
"It’s about the chairwoman."
Another miscalculation.
Her intuition had been off all day—perhaps that had been a warning sign.
Moo Sehoon pushed the envelope toward her.
"The chairwoman ordered
to handle this in strict secrecy, but I felt you needed to know, Chief. That’s why I contacted you."
"Alright."
"I also need your help."
Instead of questioning him, Suin opened the envelope first.
Inside were printed screenshots and a USB drive.
She set the USB aside and focused on the printouts.
Her eyes sank into deep hollows, and a faint tremor ran through her fingertips.
"A rather unfortunate situation, isn’t it?"
Moo Sehoon remarked with a hint of dry sarcasm.
Suppressing the chilling sensation creeping up her spine, Suin asked curtly,
"The location is Moon River, isn’t it?"
"Yes."
After confirming his answer, she calmly examined the contents.
The first page contained a series of still images from a video, captured inside a private room at Moon River—Woo Ilhwa’s usual bar.
In the photos, Woo Ilhwa was embracing a young man with her shirt removed.
Judging by the quality, they were screenshots from a video recording.
"The angles are odd. Was this taken with a hidden cara?"
"It appears so."
She turned to the next page.
A text ssage had been sent to Woo Ilhwa’s phone from a caller ID restricted number, blackmailing her.
The ssage detailed her inappropriate behavior and demanded 300 million won in exchange for silence.
"Is this number from a burner phone?"
"Yes."
"Is it him?"
Suin pointed at the young man in the first set of images.
Moo Sehoon nodded.
"The number doesn’t match the one he registered at Moon River, but he’s the pri suspect. He’s a 25-year-old part-ti worker who had been employed there for a month but stopped showing up a few days ago."
"He’s not answering calls, is he?"
"He’s blocked all incoming calls."
Moo Sehoon added,
"The chairwoman says she doesn’t rember anything from that night. Since her manager wasn’t present, he doesn’t know the man either…"
His voice trailed off with uncertainty, and after a brief pause, he carefully asked,
"Do you know this man, Chief?"
"Did you call
here because you don’t trust the chairwoman?"
Suin imdiately cut to the heart of the matter.
Caught off guard, Moo Sehoon hesitated before explaining with a troubled expression.
"…It’s possible she’s just covering it up. If this gets leaked, the fact that she frequents Moon River will complete the affair narrative."
"I understand your concerns, Team Leader."
Since he wasn’t the one to be attacked, Suin offered him a faint smile before reinforcing her words with conviction.
"The chairwoman would never do sothing like that."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes, without a shadow of a doubt."
Hearing Suin’s unwavering response, Moo Sehoon exhaled deeply, as if relieved, before confessing his own thoughts.
"I transferred from Jinsung Group because I was disillusioned by that chairman’s deceit. If Chairwoman Woo was the sa, I was thinking of quitting this line of work altogether."
He seed to have been deeply troubled by his work and its moral implications.
Seeing Suin’s understanding gaze, he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"I must be rambling unnecessarily…"
"No, not at all."
Suin dismissed it casually.
Bringing the conversation back on track, she pointed at the first photograph.
"It seems like the chairwoman walked into a trap. Do we have the original file from the ssage she received, or just these printed images?"
"I’ll send them to you now."
Moo Sehoon quickly forwarded the photos he had received from Chairwoman Woo Ilhwa.
Enlarging the images on her phone, Suin noticed that the resolution had been deliberately reduced—the chairwoman, lying on the sofa, had her features blurred.
Her eyes seed to be closed.
Suin moved her fingers across the screen, scanning the details in the image.
"The whiskey bottle is empty. When I last saw her, about a third of it was still left."
She recalled the day when Woo Ilhwa had summoned her over Jaehee’s situation, piecing together the tiline.
"The chairwoman never drinks more than two or three glasses. Even if she drank daily, there should still have been half a bottle left. From the looks of it, she must have consud more than that on this particular night. She must have been heavily intoxicated."
"So… she got drunk and made a mistake…?"
"No. At this amount, she would have been fast asleep. Deeply."
"Ah…"
Suin was almost certain.
Soone had approached the unconscious Woo Ilhwa, set up a hidden cara, removed his own shirt, and disheveled her clothes to stage the scene of an affair.
I should have been there…
She had always been by Woo Ilhwa’s side, sharing drinks—sotis as a friend, sotis as a daughter.
They had shared their struggles, their small victories.
Now, knowing she could no longer do so, that the bond they had was irreparably broken, left her feeling hollow.
"We need to find this guy first."
"We can’t go to the police, so I hired a private investigator, but he’s gone completely off the grid. No contact since sending the blackmail ssage to the chairwoman."
A twenty-five-year-old part-ti worker with so serious nerve.
To target an intoxicated guest, set up a hidden cara, and demand 300 million won—it was a bold move.
But how had he gotten the personal number of a conglorate’s chairwoman?
Moon River only had Suin’s number on file…
"Team Leader, do you only have Moon River’s CCTV footage from the day of the incident?"
"I have two to three days' worth."
"You said he worked there for a month?"
"Yes."
"We need to check all entrance and exit footage from the entire month. Shall we head to Moon River now?"
"Right now?"
"Yes, it’s urgent."
Suin quickly got up from her seat.
As she swiftly paid for the coffee and made her way to the parking lot, Moo Sehoon followed behind, impressed.
Unyielding.
From the mont she walked into the café to when she first saw those shocking photos, she hadn’t wavered even once. She had remained calm, analyzing the situation and moving toward a solution without a mont’s hesitation.
She’s incredible, Lee Suin.
He suddenly understood why Woo Ilhwa relied on her so much.
Feeling like he had gained a formidable ally, he called out with enthusiasm.
"Lead the way, Chief! I’ll follow!"
"Alright."
Suin gave him a brief nod before getting into her car.
***
Beep, beep—
On the way to Moon River, her phone, resting on the mount, received a ssage.
As she ca to a stop at a red light, Suin tapped the screen with her fingertip.
—Big news! Seo Jaehee is here.
Along with Mi-joo’s ssage was a photo of Seo Jaehee standing in front of Café Li.
The angle was partially blocked by the café’s large glass windows, making his figure appear slightly blurry.
Her fingers froze. Her gaze stilled.
—Your mom told him you hadn’t left work yet, so now he’s standing there, waiting for you.
He had co to her right after being discharged from the hospital.
A lump rose in her throat for no reason.
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