The atmosphere inside the residents’ council office changed the moment the Federation of Urban Poor Residents arrived.

“So you’re the one? The guy pushing ahead with negotiations with the residents’ council while ignoring us?”

Manager Ma turned his head toward the voice.

The man who had spoken flinched at the emotionless gaze in Manager Ma’s eyes.

“What the hell is with that look...?”

“Who are you?”

Even his voice carried no rise or fall whatsoever.

Faced with a man who looked like you could stab him with a knife and not draw a single drop of blood, no one dared to speak carelessly.

At that moment, Jeon Jihoon, who had been standing behind the man who spoke first, suddenly shouted furiously.

“What do you mean, who?! Who the hell gave you permission to negotiate without us?!”

He even pointed a finger at Manager Ma as he spoke.

As though trying to erase any suspicion, Jeon Jihoon deliberately acted even angrier.

“You should’ve negotiated with us first! That’s the proper order, isn’t it?! And what about the rest of you people? Isn’t this messed up? We stepped up for your sake, and this is how you stab us in the back?!”

As Jeon Jihoon raged and stomped around, the members of the residents’ council lowered their heads.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s any point continuing this conversation.”

Manager Ma rose from his seat without the slightest hesitation.

Watching him, Choi Gyeongu spoke.

“You’re just going to leave like that?”

“There’s no reason to continue speaking with people who clearly have no intention of negotiating further.”

At Manager Ma’s words, Choi Gyeongu nodded.

“That’s true enough.”

“What the hell?! Who said you could leave?!”

Jeon Jihoon shouted and stepped forward, grabbing Manager Ma by the shoulder.

At the same time, Hong Jinpyo’s eyes trembled violently.

“Secretary General, what are you doing right now—”

Before Hong Jinpyo could even finish speaking, Manager Ma moved first.

He seized the hand gripping his shoulder and twisted it.

The moment he applied force, Jeon Jihoon screamed and collapsed to his knees.

“A-AAAGH!”

“Don’t touch me without permission. This is your warning.”

Manager Ma looked down at the kneeling Jeon Jihoon and spoke indifferently.

“Ack! Aaaagh! Let go! Let go of me!”

Manager Ma silently stared at the screaming Jeon Jihoon for a moment before releasing his hand without another word.

“Y-you bastard!”

Jeon Jihoon clutched his arm and tried to spit out a curse, but the moment he met Manager Ma’s eyes, his mouth snapped shut.

Turning around, Manager Ma looked at Hong Jinpyo.

“Let’s go back now.”

“Y-yes. Let’s do that. This isn’t an atmosphere where any more discussion can happen.”

Manager Ma walked out first, with Hong Jinpyo following behind him.

The surroundings fell silent. Only Jeon Jihoon’s groans and the tapping sound of Hong Jinpyo’s cane echoed through the office.

When Manager Ma reached the door, he quietly looked over the members of the Federation of Urban Poor Residents.

The startled men stepped aside and opened a path.

Just before stepping outside, an old man’s voice called out from behind them.

“Make sure you pass on my words. Tell him I’d like to meet him.”

Manager Ma gave no reply and ignored Choi Gyeongu completely.

The moment they stepped outside, Hong Jinpyo bowed his head.

“I’m sorry, Manager.”

“That man who stepped forward earlier was someone you recruited, wasn’t he?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That’s probably why he acted so aggressively. Which is why I responded even more forcefully. If he starts barking because of this later, increase his compensation a little. The Boss will allow at least that much.”

Before Hong Jinpyo could answer, Manager Ma continued first.

“Then let’s meet again another time. I should return to the Boss now.”

“Yes. Please go ahead first. I think I need to head back inside and talk with them some more.”

Manager Ma nodded. But he didn’t forget to leave behind a warning disguised as advice.

“Don’t give them any definite answers.”

“Of course not. I’m not foolish enough to overstep my bounds. I’ll just find out why the Federation suddenly appeared.”

“Good. Don’t overdo it. I’ll report everything to the Boss.”

Hong Jinpyo returned to the office.

Manager Ma watched him briefly before climbing into the car.

“The Boss?”

“He’s still at City Hall.”

“Then head there.”

“Yes, sir.”

The vehicle carrying Manager Ma began moving toward City Hall.

* * *

Sitting alone on the sofa, Oh Changhoon tilted back another glass of liquor.

As the number of empty bottles gradually increased, the sound of someone entering the passcode echoed from outside.

Soon the door opened, and Ha Eunbin stepped inside.

“Oh my, why are you drinking alone?”

Oh Changhoon didn’t even glance at Ha Eunbin and continued drinking in silence.

After taking off her coat, Ha Eunbin sat beside him.

“Did something happen?”

“......”

At his silence, Ha Eunbin tilted her head.

Even so, she wrapped herself around his arm playfully as usual and asked again.

“What’s wrong?”

But instead of answering, Oh Changhoon violently slapped her hand away.

The complete lack of emotion in his eyes sent a chill crawling down Ha Eunbin’s spine.

“......Mayor.”

“Chief Ha.”

Ha Eunbin jolted in shock at him calling her by title instead of name.

But Oh Changhoon paid no attention and continued.

“Don’t come to work starting tomorrow.”

“What? Don’t come to work?”

“That’s right. I’ll handle the resignation letter myself, so don’t show up tomorrow.”

“W-what are you talking about...?”

The more Ha Eunbin stammered, the colder Oh Changhoon’s gaze became.

“I mean exactly what I said. You’re fired.”

“Why?! What happened?!”

Oh Changhoon pulled a photograph from inside his suit jacket and threw it at her face.

Ha Eunbin couldn’t react at all to the sudden photo and merely stared blankly at him.

“I truly loved you. But to you, I was nothing more than a stepping stone. Did you think I wouldn’t realize that?”

Oh Changhoon had always known.

He knew Ha Eunbin wanted to climb upward using him as a ladder.

Even knowing that, he had willingly accepted her.

She did anything he ordered. No matter how filthy the task, she carried it out for him.

And because he loved her.

“You crossed the line. Far beyond the line I could tolerate.”

Ha Eunbin’s gaze slowly dropped toward the photographs. She picked one up from the floor.

The moment she saw it, she bit her lip tightly. The hand holding the photo trembled violently.

“Now do you understand why I’m throwing you away?”

Oh Changhoon asked, but Ha Eunbin couldn’t say a word from the shock.

Whenever she met her lover, she had always carefully checked her surroundings in case she was being followed.

For years, she had never been caught once.

That was why she had grown careless.

“Go ahead. Try making excuses. Who is this man?”

At Oh Changhoon’s words telling her to explain herself, Ha Eunbin saw a sliver of hope.

Her mind spun rapidly before she opened her mouth.

“H-he’s someone I met because of business. This was all for your sake—”

Ha Eunbin desperately tried to explain.

The photos only showed them entering the hotel together. So if she claimed it had been for Oh Changhoon’s sake, maybe it would work.

He loved her. Surely he would believe her if she said that.

“Really? Then call that man here right now. If you do, I’ll believe you.”

At that moment, Ha Eunbin hesitated instead of answering immediately.

Oh Changhoon’s eyes turned even colder.

“You’re deceiving me until the very end.”

Grinding his teeth, Oh Changhoon opened the laptop sitting on the table and inserted the USB he had brought.

Then he played a video and turned the laptop toward her.

The explicit footage playing on the screen made Ha Eunbin’s entire body tremble uncontrollably.

“Now let’s hear what kind of bullshit you’ll spew this time. If you can still convince me after seeing this, I’ll forgive you.”

Unable to answer, Ha Eunbin stared blankly at the video playing on the monitor.

No matter how she looked at it, it was undeniably her.

‘How did he get this...?’

Ha Eunbin desperately tried to think of a way out of the situation.

But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t see any escape.

She had to admit it.

No excuse in the world could get her out of this.

“Ha......”

Ha Eunbin let out a deep sigh.

The veins on Oh Changhoon’s forehead bulged at the sound.

Ha Eunbin finally decided to remove the mask.

“Oh Changhoon. You investigated me?”

Gone was her usual gentle demeanor. In its place were vicious eyes and a poisonous voice.

Stunned by the sudden shift, Oh Changhoon parted his lips slightly, but before he could speak, Ha Eunbin pressed harder.

“Why the hell would you do something this filthy? Were you trying to grab even more leverage over me? I seriously don’t get it. Haven’t I barked every time you told me to bark and bitten every time you told me to bite? I did every filthy thing for your sake, and you still had to do this?”

“What? You crazy—”

The moment Oh Changhoon tried to curse in disbelief, Ha Eunbin cut him off even more viciously.

“And you think you’ll survive if you throw me away? You think I’ll be the only one to die?”

At her words, the fury boiling inside Oh Changhoon abruptly cooled.

He stared at Ha Eunbin with eyes colder than ice.

“Are you threatening me right now?”

“Hah, threatening you? You think this ends with a threat? Who do you think handled all the dirty work you ordered until now? Meeting businessmen, taking money, granting favors...”

Ha Eunbin listed off everything she had done for him.

“And now you’re throwing me away over something like this? No! You can’t throw me away. You’re not stupid enough for that.”

“......”

“I’ll clean everything up. So trust me just one more time. I’ll definitely get you into the Blue House, okay?”

At those final words, Oh Changhoon burst into loud laughter.

“You’ll get me into the Blue House?”

“If we combine our strength—”

“At this point, your delusions are practically art. You really overestimate yourself. There’s no reason to listen any further.”

Speaking coldly, Oh Changhoon pulled out his phone and sent a text message.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

Ha Eunbin screamed sharply and lunged for his phone.

But Oh Changhoon shoved her away without hesitation.

Ha Eunbin collapsed onto the floor and glared at him viciously.

At that moment, the sound of the front door passcode echoed through the room.

Immediately afterward, several large men stormed inside.

Ha Eunbin anxiously looked back and forth between the men entering the apartment and Oh Changhoon.

“You’re finished now. You won’t even be able to run your mouth recklessly anymore, so don’t even think about anything stupid. Next time, it might not be your life that gets ruined. It might be your actual life that gets taken.”

Was it because she sensed the killing intent in Oh Changhoon’s eyes?

Ha Eunbin couldn’t say a single word.

Without hesitation, Oh Changhoon rose from his seat and spoke to the men.

“I’ll leave it to you. Make sure she can’t contact anyone.”

“Yes, Mayor.”

The men bowed their heads.

After glancing at them briefly, Oh Changhoon turned around. Just before leaving, he stopped and spoke without turning back.

“Eunbin. I truly loved you. Even if it meant my own destruction because of you. The one who let go of my hand first wasn’t me. It was you.”

“M-Mayor.”

Oh Changhoon opened the front door and walked out.

Only then did Ha Eunbin desperately call out to him, but the ship had already sailed.

The door closed, and the men approached Ha Eunbin.

* * *

“I see.”

After hearing Manager Ma’s report, I set down the documents in my hands and replied.

So Oh Changhoon had finally decided to abandon Ha Eunbin completely.

I didn’t know exactly what kind of conversation had taken place between them.

“When Ha Eunbin is summoned by the prosecution later, make sure she can’t say anything unnecessary.”

“Understood. Mayor Oh requested the same thing.”

Looks like he really hardened his resolve.

I nodded and walked toward the window.

Even late at night, Gangnam looked no different from daytime.

No, the night view of Gangnam shone even more brilliantly than the day.

I silently gazed down at the glittering cityscape.

“And Mayor Oh requested that we take care of that man as well.”

“Take care of him...”

“Yes. He said he’d grant any request if we do.”

“They say when a woman holds a grudge, frost falls even in midsummer. Guess it’s the same for men too. But what should I do? I don’t think getting rid of that man would benefit me all that much.”

I stared at my reflection in the window and thought for a moment before speaking again.

“Still, bring him in and hide him somewhere for now. If we don’t handle it, Mayor Oh might make a move himself. Mayor Oh needs to remain in office until this project is fully on track.”

“I’ll give the orders.”

I turned back toward Manager Ma and asked:

“You investigated Choi Gyeongu, right?”

“Yes. To the people of Guryong Village, he’s practically a benefactor.”

“A benefactor?”

“Yes. He’s provided a great deal of support to Guryong Village. Here are the related documents.”

Manager Ma handed me a document envelope.

I took it and returned to my seat.

The more I reviewed the documents Manager Ma had given me, the more curious I became about Choi Gyeongu.

“How has someone like this stayed unknown until now? At the very least, the Centrist Party should’ve tried to recruit him.”

“They say he almost never stepped forward publicly.”

“Really? And yet he wanted to meet me?”

“Yes. He said he absolutely wants to meet the Boss.”

I had absolutely no intention of meeting the residents’ council, but this man named Choi Gyeongu had piqued my curiosity.

Setting the documents down, I spoke to Manager Ma.

“I’d like to meet him once.”

“I’ll arrange it, Boss.”

Several days later, I came face-to-face with Choi Gyeongu.

And in his eyes, I could feel a deep curiosity directed toward me.