Following her gaze to the hand on her thigh, Lee Jin-woo smiled faintly. "No worries, it's more reassuring this way."
"…"
Lee Boo-jin was speechless. This guy was getting bolder.
What worried her was how her initial resistance had morphed into a faint anticipation.
She was growing accustomed to this intimacy.
As if…
They were meant to be this close.
But clearly, that was wrong.
Zzzzt~
The partition between the front and back seats rose.
Lost in thought, Lee Boo-jin was gently pulled into his arms.
One arm around her shoulders, the other holding her hand, she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Boo-jin noona, everything will be fine."
The seemingly ordinary Hyundai stopped before a private nightclub.
Red ropes lined the queue channel, packed with young people from all over.
A flamboyant man with an effeminate air and trendy attire, flanked by security, roamed outside the line, occasionally pointing at someone.
The chosen and their friends erupted in excited squeals, as if picked by a god.
When the Hyundai bypassed the queue, parking at the red-carpeted entrance, the crowd craned their necks, eager to glimpse the VIP.
But all they saw were two figures in sunglasses and caps, ushered inside by the driver and security.
The dim glass corridor shimmered with kaleidoscopic hues, like stepping into a surreal, psychedelic world.
Instead of heading to the main floor, Lee Jin-woo and Lee Boo-jin turned at a "No Entry" side path toward the nightclub's office area.
Knock, knock~
The lead security in a black suit called in a low voice, "Boss, they're here."
"Come in."
"Ne."
Pushing open the door, the man shot them a mocking glance. "Go on in!"
Inside, a spacious hall sprawled, filled with tables, chairs, and sofas occupied by burly men.
Each was heavyset, their exposed skin marked with vivid tattoos.
Lee Boo-jin instinctively leaned closer, gripping his arm for safety.
And truthfully, it did make her feel safer.
A nearly 2-meter-tall, hulking mass of flesh blocked their path—an obvious intimidation tactic.
Lee Jin-woo frowned. "Step aside. Don't block the way."
The man's fleshy face twisted with menace. He raised his thick arms, slamming his fist into his palm with loud smacks.
Ignoring the goon, Jin-woo called to the man in the center of the high-end sofa set. "You want to keep wasting time, or solve this now?"
"Let them through."
The "meat mountain" stepped aside. Lee Boo-jin's tense muscles visibly relaxed, her body softening as Jin-woo led her forward.
"Aigoo, our Chairman Lee gracing this filthy place in person? Truly an honor. Even the clouds glow golden…"
The spiky-haired, blonde punk with a foot on the coffee table, exaggerating every word, was the one who lured Lee Boo-jin here.
"Boss, it's night outside," smirked a one-eared subordinate, likely the second-in-command.
"Oh, is it?" The punk's over-the-top act was nauseating.
From the scene, these were clearly gang members.
This matched Jin-woo's hunch. Only a gang could dig up such dirt and demand a massive settlement in such a vile way.
"Aigoo, who's this pretty boy? Chairman Lee's secret lover?" The punk cackled.
Jin-woo stayed calm, but Lee Boo-jin moved to explain, only to be stopped by a subtle squeeze of his hand.
"Your demands."
Seeing no anger, the punk slumped back, bored.
One-ear spoke for him. "We told Chairman Lee the demands. Got the money?"
"I—"
"We want to see the evidence first."
Jin-woo cut her off again.
"What, which one of you is in charge?" One-ear sneered, his tone provocative, itching for a fight.
From the moment they entered, the gang had been trying to rile them up.
Their goal: catch a bigger scandal. The eldest Samsung daughter losing it in a gang-run club, or even throwing punches.
That'd be nationwide news.
Especially with a "pretty boy" by her side.
Pretty boy? Jin-woo touched his face. Where do I look like a pretty boy?
"Hey, didn't you hear me talking?" One-ear roared, spit nearly hitting his face.
Jin-woo stepped back, leaning against the sofa. "I said, the evidence."
Furious, One-ear stomped the coffee table, glancing at his boss.
A slight head tilt, and One-ear barked, "Get my laptop from the desk."
The laptop landed on the table. One-ear pulled a USB drive from his pocket.
A few casual clicks, and he turned the screen toward them.
"Hahaha, baby, come here…"
"Catch me, giggle…"
"Oppa, come get us!"
"No rush, I'm coming. None of you are escaping…"
In the blurry surveillance footage, a grotesque man chased after flitting "butterflies" like a rabid dog.
Though grainy, the man's identity was clear.
Vice President Im, Boo-jin's husband.
His cheap brother-in-law…
But man, did he look ugly on that screen!
"Turn it off." Lee Boo-jin shut her eyes, trembling.
The scene hit her hard.
All her persistence, her fleeting hopes for something good, shattered.
That damn fool—did he think those women cared about his flabby, greasy body?
They wanted the status of Samsung's eldest son-in-law.
She admitted her marriage wasn't pure.
But she'd never betrayed it. And this was his repayment?
Damn bastard, son of a bitch, mongrel!
She cursed him silently with every foul word she knew.
But it didn't ease the weight crushing her chest, suffocating her.
Click~
Hitting the spacebar, Jin-woo yanked the USB, twirling it. "Backups?"
"Here." The punk pulled out another USB.
"How do I know it's the only one?"
"You can choose not to believe. Hand it over or sell it elsewhere—makes no difference to me."
The punk laughed wildly. "Selling it would be more fun, don't you think?"
Selling it would be a riot. Samsung's eldest daughter disgraced, her "true love" myth—defying class, power, wealth, and reality—popped like a bubble.
Samsung would be a laughingstock among chaebols again, post-2005.
Lee Boo-jin would lose her shot at the "crown."
She'd be nailed to Samsung's pillar of shame, cast out by her father, who saw Samsung as his "true child."
In his eyes, "Lee Boo-jin" would be dead.
She didn't want to lose power, leave the family, or "die."
She had to get the USBs and end this.
"Money."
One-ear, cocky, propped a foot on the table, extending his right hand.
"1 billion."
Jin-woo pulled out his checkbook. H Tower had brought him tidy profits.
"100 billion. I said 100 billion." One-ear dug at his earhole, mocking. "Can't understand human words, huh?"
Bang~
One-ear's tilted head flew sideways, a brutal slap knocking him out cold.
The punk on the sofa froze, stunned.
"1 billion."
Calmly, Jin-woo set the checkbook on the table, scrawling a string of numbers.
Rip~
Tearing off the check, he held it out to the punk.
"Ya, shibal!"
An angry roar came from behind. Jin-woo's eyes flashed with exasperation.
He really came to talk reason. Why wouldn't they just settle this?
Must they…
Five minutes later, only Jin-woo and Lee Boo-jin sat on the sofa.
"Ptoo~" Spitting excess saliva from the exertion, he kicked aside a broken chair and approached the half-dead punk.
Lifting him onto the sofa, Jin-woo sat back down. "USB."
The punk, too weak to grab it, tried and failed.
Finally, he looked at Jin-woo pleadingly.
Stepping forward, Jin-woo took the USB, tossed both drives on the floor, and crushed them with his heel.
Crack~
The shattered drives, chips exposed, were tossed into a wine glass on the table.
Swirling the glass, he watched the chips spin and bubble.
Sitting on the table's edge, he loomed over the punk.
"Where are the other backups?"
He didn't buy that these were the only copies.
"N-No more."
Missing four teeth, the punk's bloody mouth slurred, barely coherent.
So, Jin-woo decided to jog his memory.
Grabbing his collar, he raised his right hand. "You'll remember. Fast."
Smack~
The punk's vision went black, his ears ringing.
(End of Chapter)