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Chapter 232: Approach (1)

Lee Yung-Jin looked around the surroundings and spoke cautiously. "And Mr. Jung, Choi Seong-Lak and Park Hee-Tae have been acting shady lately. They\'re quite messy."

At that moment, a thought occurred to me. "Are they using marijuana?"

Lee Yung-Jin\'s face hardened instantly. "Ho-how did you know that?"

In my past life, I had caught Park Hee-Tae and Choi Seong-Lak using marijuana. But I didn\'t know if they were still doing it, so I asked Lee Yung-Jin to find out.

"I heard they smoked it a month ago but it\'s not certain," Lee Yung-Jin added.

"Got it. I\'ll handle it from now on," I replied.

Lee Yung-Jin looked at me with a troubled expression. "Don\'t tell me you\'re going to...you\'re not, right?"

I patted Lee Yung-Jin on the shoulder. "Just pretend you don\'t know anything. It\'ll only get more complicated if you get involved."

Lee Yung-Jin made a stern face. "But please do let me know if you need my help. I\'ll help with whatever it is."

I smiled at Lee Yung-Jin. "Anyway, I owe you big this time. Tell me anything you want to eat. What do you want?"

"I want Hanwoo," said Lee Yung-Jin without hesitation.

Hanging out with Do Ran-Hee seemed to have given Lee Yung-Jin a taste for Hanwoo.

"How about unlimited beef instead?" I counterproposed.

Lee Yung-Jin shook his head firmly. "I want Hanwoo. I don\'t eat imported beef."

"You used to eat it just fine," I remarked.

"I quit a month ago! They say it\'s bad for you," Lee Yung-Jin explained.

I shook my head. "It\'s probably the same."

But Lee Yung-Jin insisted stubbornly, "I\'m telling you, it\'s different."

I nodded with a sigh. "Okay, fine. Let\'s go have it for dinner then."

At that moment, Lee Yung-Jin made an unexpected suggestion. "And while we\'re at it, let\'s bring Ran-Hee too. She\'ll feel left out if it\'s just us two..."

My eyes widened as I looked at Lee Yung-Jin. "Why bring Ran-Hee~? No way. Surely not...?"

When I teased Lee Yung-Jin, he immediately hardened his expression and said, "No, that\'s not it,Mr. Jung!"

A hint of embarrassment crossed Lee Yung-Jin\'s face, but he desperately kept his composure.

I folded my arms and smiled. "Then why insist on bringing Ran-Hee? Let me hear you out. I\'ll bring her if you have a good reason."

"Ran-Hee has been having a hard time lately, you know? She keeps talking about wanting Hanwoo and I\'d feel guilty eating it without her," Lee Yung-Jin explained.

Tomorrow was the day Kang Ha-Na\'s music video would be released on her MeTube channel, followed by a live broadcast.

Since Kang Ha-Na was about to debut, Do Ran-Hee had been extremely busy as the person in charge, staying up late almost every night.

I had intended to treat Do Ran-Hee separately, but Lee Yung-Jin was taking care of her as if she were his girlfriend.

‘It seems their relationship has progressed quite a bit for sure...’ I thought to myself, trying to suppress my grin.

At that moment, I saw Do Ran-Hee sneaking up behind Lee Yung-Jin. Do Ran-Hee put her finger to her lips and asked me to keep quiet.

That\'s when I felt a mischievous urge to tease him.

I pretended to frown. "Yung-Jin, I\'m afraid that\'s not a good enough reason. If you really want to bring Ran-Hee, let\'s go to MyeongRyun Sato Galbi for ribs instead of Hanwoo. I\'m broke these days."

Do Ran-Hee, who was creeping up, stopped and waited for Lee Yung-Jin\'s answer.

I thought, ‘Yung-Jin, this is your chance to score points. You have to choose Ran-Hee over Hanwoo.’

I could see the anticipation on Do Ran-Hee\'s face.

However, Lee Yung-Jin made the wrong choice.

Lee Yung-Jin sighed and said, "Oh come on~. Then just buy Hanwoo for me alone."

At that moment, I instinctively yelled without realizing it. "Hey! That\'s not right! You just said we should take care of Ran-Hee and bring her with us too!"

"I was thinking about it, but today I really want Hanwoo. Ha ha ha," Lee Yung-Jin chuckled.

Do Ran-Hee\'s expression twisted as she saw Lee Yung-Jun laughing heartily.

When I sighed in frustration, Lee Yung-Jin looked at me with a sullen expression. "Are you upset because you don\'t want to buy Hanwoo? You said you would."

I shook my head. "Sigh~. Yung-Jin~."

Lee Yung-Jin tilted his head at my sigh. "What?"

I let out a sigh and pointed behind him with my chin. "Someone behind you is looking at you like they want to tear you apart. I hope I\'m wrong."

Do Ran-Hee stood with her fists tightly clenched with a smile behind Lee Yung-Jin.

Lee Yung-Jin gulped for a moment. "You\'re joking, right? Please tell me you\'re joking!"

I clasped my hands together in pity.

At that moment, Do Ran-Hee\'s cold voice mixed with laughter burst out. "Yung-Jin oppa~ You chose Hanwoo over me, huh? I see~ It seems like you like Hanwoo more than me~."

Lee Yung-Jin frowned and signaled to me for help. His eyes seemed to be saying, \'Help me.\'

\'Sorry, Yung-Jin. But I think it\'s too late.\' I replied with my facial expressions.

I shook my head with a pitying look.

Lee Yung-Jin looked at me with lost eyes, but there was nothing I could do.

"I guess I\'ll have to eat jajangmyeon alone tonight," I muttered.

"Mr. Jung, please leave first," said Do Ran-Hee while grinding her teeth.

I answered in a polite demeanor, "Yes, Miss Ran-Hee!"

I immediately fled the office without looking back after answering formally.

***

In Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, three burly men in black suits were traveling in a Merciless Bends S650.

They were the top members of the Daeho gang, tasked with recovering funds for Choi Eun-Tae, Korea\'s top loan shark. But they also held respectable positions as executives of Daeheung Savings Bank.

Choi Yung-Ho who was sitting in the backseat was the boss of Daeho gang and also the president of Daeheung Savings Bank.

Ju Jin-Ho who was sitting in the passenger seat was Daeho gang\'s number two and the vice president of Daeheung Savings Bank.

Even the driver, Jang Ki-Ho, was an executive director at Daeheung Savings Bank.

Leaving behind number three of Daeho gang, Executive Director Park Jung-Ho who handled business at the bank, the other three were out looking for Choi Eun-Tae\'s son whenever they had time.

Ju Jin-Ho in the passenger seat spoke to Choi Yung-Ho in the back seat. "Yung-Ho hyung-nim, when will we ever find Mr. Choi\'s son at this rate?"

Choi Yung-Ho looked out the window and responded, "We\'re not without clues, so it won\'t take too long. The more we investigate, the shorter the time will be."

Approximately 13,000 births were registered in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, between 26 and 27 years ago, and about 913 of them were identified as having no father.

They had already tracked about 400 and narrowed down the candidates to 12.

Choi Yung-Ho\'s method for identifying Choi Eun-Tae\'s son was simple—using secretly obtained birth records, they focused on orphanages, foster homes, or single-parent families to verify the information. They asked if the birth mother was present and where she lived 26 years ago to shortlist potential candidates.

After investigating all 913 records, they planned to meet the candidates in person for a second investigation.

But Ju Jin-Ho in the passenger seat spoke as if he found this method frustrating. "Yung-Ho hyung-nim, no matter what Mr. Choi ordered, we\'re not the type to be chasing after some random kid. If people found out we were doing this, they\'d think we\'re crazy!"

At that moment, Choi Yung-Ho in the back seat frowned.

Choi Yung-Ho had been abandoned in Myeongdong and was raised by a group of beggars and vagrants. Without a proper name, he was nicknamed Big One or Bear Cub due to his size.

At seven, he was caught pickpocketing by Choi Eun-Tae. But Choi Eun-Tae forgave him and gave him a name instead of scolding him.

Since then, Choi Yung-Ho lived for Choi Eun-Tae. He was overjoyed to eat warm meals and feel human warmth.

Despite being scorned as a loan shark by others, Choi Eun-Tae was a father, a savior, and a benefactor to Choi Yung-Ho. And the story wasn\'t much different for Ju Jin-Ho or Jang Ki-Ho sitting in the front seats too.

Because of that, Choi Yung-Ho scolded Ju Jin-Ho in a low voice. "Have you forgotten the grace of Mr. Choi who took us in when we were freezing on the streets?"

"Wh-who said I\'d forget that grace? I could never forget it even in death. But, hyung-nim, now that you\'re also the president of the savings bank, isn\'t it a bit much to be running around in the field at Mr. Choi\'s words?" Ju Jin-Ho replied hesitantly.

Choi Yung-Ho answered, "I volunteered. I said I\'d find his son with trustworthy people. And when I narrowed it down to people who could keep their mouths shut, there was no one better than you guys."

Ju Jin-Ho patted his chest in frustration. "You volunteered? Wow. You\'re surely something else, hyung-nim."

At that moment, Jang Ki-Ho asked. "Hyung-nim, why not just hire private detectives to find him?"

Choi Yung-Ho rebuked Jang Ki-Ho. "Private detectives? Can you guarantee that this information won\'t reach Choi Man-Sik\'s ears?"

"Well, that..." Jang Ki-Ho stammered.

Loan sharks often had close ties with private detectives to catch people who ran away with borrowed money. Someone like Choi Man-Sik, who controlled the loan shark market in Jongro, could easily use private detective agency heads nationwide.

But Choi Eun-Tae and Choi Yung-Ho were worried about only one thing. If they used private detectives or other subordinates, Choi Man-Sik might intervene. For example, he could stage an accident to deal with them.

That was the reason Choi Yung-Ho said he would find the son himself. If he took action personally, Choi Man-Sik wouldn\'t dare interfere.

But the truth was that Ju Jin-Ho\'s discontent stemmed from something else.

"Okay, fine. I\'ll give you that. But why didn\'t Mr. Choi adopt you instead of that punk Choi Man-Sik...?" Ju Jin-Ho questioned.

At that moment, Choi Yung-Ho instantly spoke in a chilling voice. "How could I dare claim to be the son of Mr. Choi?"

"Hyung-nim," Ju Jin-Ho protested.

"If you bring up such nonsense again, Jin-Ho, you\'ll be in big trouble," warned Choi Yung-Ho.

As Choi Yung-Ho clenched his fist, Ju Jin-Ho pouted and leaned back in his seat. "Fine. But hyung-nim, I\'m too old to be scolded like this..."

"You\'re only 37 this year. What age are you complaining about?" Choi Yung-Ho retorted.

Choi Yung-Ho, 42 this year, treated Ju Jin-Ho who was only five years younger like a child.

But since Choi Yung-Ho was the one who found and saved the three-year-old Ju Jin-Ho abandoned in an alley in Myeongdong, the latter didn\'t dare to challenge him.

In the meantime, they arrived at the Angel Orphanage in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, which they planned to visit today.

Choi Yung-Ho looked at the shabby orphanage building and asked Ju Jin-Ho, "How many were there here?"

"Two. Kang Eun-Gi and Jung Yoon-Ho. Let\'s go inside, hyung-nim," replied Ju Jin-Ho.

Leaving Jang Ki-Ho in the car, Choi Yung-Ho and Ju Jin-Ho entered the Angel Orphanage.

Inside the orphanage was a nun and a young woman working in the field with a pleasant smile.

Choi Yung-Ho cautiously made his presence known. "Excuse me, may I have a word?"

Sister Michaela stood up upon hearing Choi Yung-Ho\'s voice. At the same time, Lee Yeon-Sil also turned her head to the voice.

"What brings you here?" Sister Michaela asked.

Choi Yung-Ho smiled faintly at Sister Michaela\'s question and said, "We\'re from Daeheung Savings Bank. We came to donate to the orphanage."

At that moment, Sister Michaela warmly welcomed them. "Oh, a benefactor! Please come on in."

As Sister Michaela and Lee Yeon-Sil led the way, Choi Yung-Ho and Ju Jin-Ho followed.

The four of them exchanged simple greetings in a small reception room.

But as soon as Choi Yung-Ho asked about Kang Eun-Gi and Jung Yoon-Ho, Sister Michaela\'s expression changed as she questioned, "What do you mean by without a father?"

"There\'s no need to be so wary. We are indeed here to make a donation, but a great benefactor is desperately looking for his long-lost son and we just want to verify that." Choi Yung-Ho explained.

Sister Michaela was momentarily dazed and hardened her expression before speaking. "Kang Eun-Gi and Jung Yoon-Ho were temporarily entrusted to us because their parents were struggling. They are not children without fathers. And they\'re living with their parents now!"

That\'s when Ju Jin-Ho frowned. "Sister, we\'ve already checked before coming and..."

At that moment, Choi Yung-Ho raised his hand to stop Ju Jin-Ho. "Is that so? It seems like we\'ve made a big mistake."

Choi Yung-Ho apologized and took out a check from his pocket. "Still, we hope you\'ll accept this donation."

Sister Michaela shook her head. "I can\'t use money whose source I don\'t know. Please leave."

Choi Yung-Ho put the check away with an awkward smile. "I understand. Then we\'ll send something edible for the children next time."

Choi Yung-Ho bent at the waist and stood up. "I\'ll be leaving now."

After saying goodbye, Choi Yung-Ho left the Angel Orphanage with Ju Jin-Ho.

The puzzled Ju Jin-Ho asked, "Hyung-nim, why didn\'t you look into it more closely?"

"That nun couldn\'t lie to save her life," Choi Yung-Ho replied.

"I\'m sorry?" Ju Jin-Ho replied with a confused expression.

Choi Yung-Ho simply instructed, "Put both of them on the candidate list. I\'m sure neither of them has a father."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Choi Yung-Ho was almost never wrong when it came to reading people.

Then, he asked, "So where\'s the next place we\'re heading to?"

"Yecheon Orphanage and Aladdin Orphanage."

"Let\'s go right away."

After showing his intention to visit all the orphanages within the next two weeks, Choi Yung-Ho got into the car first.

***

As I was leaving the restaurant after eating jajangmyeon, I got a call from Lee Yeon-Sil.

She said some tough-looking gangsters had come to the orphanage looking for Kang Eun-Gi and me.

"Yeah? So what did you do?" I asked.

-Mom made something up. We thought they might be after Eun-Gi oppa or you.

"Good job. Did you contact Soo-Chan?"

After Kang Eun-Gi turned himself in to the prosecution, the remaining organizations and companies were being led by Lee Soo-Chan, who was also from the Angel Orphanage.

-Yeah, I told Soo-Chan oppa and he said he\'d send some people over.

"That\'s a relief."

But at that moment, Lee Yeon-Sil\'s worried voice came through the line.

-But, oppa, what if... those people were really sent by Eun-Gi oppa\'s father or your father?

\'My father?\' I wondered.

At that moment, a strong surge of hostility began to rise from deep within my chest.