“Hello.”

I smiled and greeted Choi Gyeongu, who had arrived first and was already waiting.

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Choi Gyeongu.”

“I heard you wanted to meet me.”

“That’s correct. I was curious what exactly you’re thinking, trying to develop Guryong Village. Can you answer that?”

It was an extremely direct question.

Well, that was much better than talking in circles.

“When it comes to business, are there really any other reasons? It’s to make money, of course. And for the first project I’m putting my own name on, something as large as Guryong Village seemed suitable.”

“Hm. That explanation doesn’t really fit Dreamhigh’s actions up until now. Compared to the profit you’d gain, the risks are too large.”

“Well.”

When I answered vaguely, Choi Gyeongu narrowed his eyes.

“If President Kim were merely someone chasing money, you wouldn’t have established a scholarship foundation.”

“You seem very interested in me.”

“Even if I weren’t interested, it would be impossible not to hear about you. Haven’t the media covered you in considerable depth recently?”

What exactly did Choi Gyeongu want to hear from me?

I met his gaze and asked:

“I dislike beating around the bush. What is it you really want to hear, sir?”

Choi Gyeongu’s actions were completely different from those of ordinary rich men.

The more people had, the more they wanted.

That was unavoidable human nature.

But Choi Gyeongu had poured his wealth out generously for the poor.

After staring into my eyes for quite some time, Choi Gyeongu finally spoke.

“President Kim. What relationship do you have with Joongwon?”

“Why are you curious about that?”

“Joongwon already possesses the development rights, yet suddenly your people appear and start buying up land. I can’t understand the current situation.”

“Is that important?”

“At least to me, it’s the most important thing.”

Does he have some kind of issue with Joongwon?

I decided to answer honestly.

“We have absolutely no connection. We simply wanted to speak with the residents’ council before taking away the development rights Joongwon currently possesses. Joongwon doesn’t care about the residents’ council in the first place, does it?”

Choi Gyeongu nodded in agreement.

“That’s true. Those people only care about the profit right in front of their eyes.”

“I’ll say it again. We have no relationship whatsoever with Joongwon. We’re simply going to take the development rights and the land they currently hold.”

“They’re not exactly easy people to deal with.”

“That’s not something you need to worry about, sir. That’s our problem.”

The fact that he kept bringing up Joongwon made it seem like there was definitely some kind of history between them.

And one more thing.

It seemed Choi Gyeongu didn’t fully know what kind of person I was.

If he did, he wouldn’t be saying that Joongwon wasn’t easy to handle.

“I see. So you’re confident.”

“I never start fights I’ll lose. Now, may I ask something? Sir, did something happen between you and Joongwon?”

From what we had investigated, there was no clear connection between Choi Gyeongu and Joongwon.

Joongwon had approached him to buy his land, but beyond that, there didn’t appear to be any other link.

“President Kim. Do you know who’s behind Joongwon?”

“Are you talking about Chairman Byun Heebong?”

Choi Gyeongu’s eyes widened.

“You know that, and yet you still intend to take the Guryong Village redevelopment project?”

“Is that a problem?”

“Behind Byun Heebong, that man... there are heavyweight politicians.”

Clear hostility radiated from Choi Gyeongu as though he were chewing up Byun Heebong’s name and spitting it out.

“I know that as well.”

“And you still think you can win?”

“Of course. Like I said earlier, I don’t fight battles I’ll lose.”

When I answered firmly, Choi Gyeongu stared at me silently.

I didn’t know what he saw in me, but eventually his expression relaxed slightly and he nodded.

“If you take the redevelopment rights for Guryong Village away from Joongwon, I’ll hand over the land I own. I’ll also mediate with the residents’ council. Provided, of course, that you keep the promises you made regarding support for the residents.”

The words about handing over his land came out far too easily.

‘He seems to hate Byun Heebong intensely. What exactly happened between them?’

On top of that, the fact he offered to mediate with the residents’ council also caught my attention.

According to Manager Ma’s report, Choi Gyeongu held considerable influence within the residents’ council.

“Setting the land aside, would the residents’ council really agree that easily?”

“It’s not difficult. Some hardliners may get greedy, but most residents will be satisfied so long as they can secure a place to live.”

Smiling faintly, Choi Gyeongu continued:

“I heard you planned to support relocation costs and build rental apartments in Gyeonggi Province, even if not within Seoul proper. Will you keep that promise?”

“I don’t make promises I have no intention of keeping. We’ll coordinate with Seoul and Gyeonggi Province and move forward with it.”

Choi Gyeongu nodded.

“I’ll trust the man who established a scholarship foundation to help underprivileged students.”

It seemed the scholarship foundation had left a favorable impression on him.

I nodded as well.

“I’ll definitely keep my promise.”

As the conversation neared its end, my curiosity surfaced again.

What kind of ill-fated relationship existed between Choi Gyeongu and Byun Heebong?

“Sir. What happened between you and Chairman Byun Heebong?”

“Was it that obvious?”

Though Choi Gyeongu chuckled hollowly, hostility once again appeared in his eyes.

“In my life, Byun Heebong... that man is someone I can never erase. If I could bring him down, I’d gladly hand over everything I own.”

“Mm.”

If Byun Heebong were standing in front of him right now, it looked like Choi Gyeongu would stab him with a knife.

The vivid hatred made me unconsciously let out a low murmur.

What in the world had happened?

Perhaps he read the expression on my face, because Choi Gyeongu sighed and spoke.

“Are you curious? About what happened between me and Byun Heebong.”

“To be honest, yes.”

“It’ll be quite a long story. Will you really listen? Everyone who knew this story is already dead.”

“You can always make time.”

Not only did our conversation flow surprisingly well, but as a person, I found Choi Gyeongu genuinely interesting.

I wanted to talk with him a bit more.

“Manager Ma. Cancel all my appointments today.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll handle it.”

“Sir. Would you like a light drink?”

Choi Gyeongu nodded.

After asking for a simple spread of drinks and side dishes to be prepared, I looked at him and said:

“Then let’s hear this long story of yours.”

Choi Gyeongu slowly began speaking.

“My ill-fated relationship with Byun Heebong...”

As Choi Gyeongu unraveled stories from the past, I slowly sipped my drink.

Listening to him, I suddenly remembered the anonymous informant who had exposed Chairman Byun Heebong in my previous life.

‘Back then, nobody ever found out who the informant was.’

Choi Gyeongu and Byun Heebong had been friends since childhood.

After inheriting wealth from his parents as an adult, Choi Gyeongu invested business capital into Byun Heebong’s company.

That was when the discord between them began.

“Even so, I wanted to trust Byun Heebong until the very end. But he betrayed my trust.”

At some point, even Choi Gyeongu’s speech had become more casual.

After finishing bitterly, he drank the whiskey straight without even diluting it.

Setting down the empty glass, he continued.

“...Then my son died.”

For the first time, I interrupted his story and asked:

“Did Byun Heebong kill him?”

“I don’t know. But at the very least, I believe he ordered it. My son entered that company in my place and worked there.”

“I see.”

If Choi Gyeongu’s son had continuously monitored things within the company, Byun Heebong might have found him inconvenient.

“After that, I cut ties with him. But his influence only continued to grow. To the point where I could no longer do anything about it.”

“With your wealth, sir, couldn’t you still have done something?”

No matter how many politicians backed Byun Heebong, Choi Gyeongu’s wealth wasn’t insignificant either.

He should’ve been able to borrow the power of politics as well.

“...Back then, I was afraid. Afraid of losing everything I had.”

The deep regret in his lamenting voice was unmistakable.

“Because I hesitated, his power has now become too great for me to touch. So all I can do now is interfere with his plans in small ways like this.”

In my previous life, Guryong Village ultimately failed to be redeveloped until the very end.

In other words, Choi Gyeongu had achieved his objective.

Only after a long while did his lengthy story finally end.

“Thank you for listening to an old man’s lament.”

With his face flushed red, Choi Gyeongu thanked me.

“No. It was interesting. But if you were once afraid of losing what you had, why do you now say you could give everything away?”

“As I’ve grown older, I realized none of it really means anything. Before I die, I simply wanted at least a small measure of revenge.”

The anonymous informant from my previous life really did seem to be Choi Gyeongu.

“Sir. I think I may be able to carry out that revenge for you.”

Choi Gyeongu’s hand stopped midway toward his glass.

“What do you mean by that?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

I smiled vaguely as I answered.

“If that truly happens, then I could gladly hand over everything I own.”

“No. There’s no need for that. Just help us with this matter.”

“......”

“Think of it as adding your revenge onto something I was already planning to do anyway. Though so much time has passed that I don’t know whether we’ll uncover the truth behind your son’s death.”

“Y-you would really do that?”

Choi Gyeongu asked with a trembling voice.

The wrinkles around his eyes even seemed slightly moist.

“I’ll try. Just don’t expect too much.” 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

I checked my watch.

It was already late at night.

A perfect hour for secret promises to be made.

* * *

[Guryong Village Redevelopment Project and Pillow-Talk Lobbying.]

As redevelopment officially begins for Guryong Village, one of the few remaining shantytowns in Seoul, suspicions are emerging that there were secret dealings between Joongwon Real Estate Development Company and Chief Secretary Ha Eunbin during the process.

This issue extends far beyond simple development profits and involves the public good and the future of the local community, drawing intense social attention.

The Guryong Village redevelopment project originally began with the goal of improving Seoul’s underdeveloped areas and residential environment.

However, rumors have begun spreading that Joongwon Real Estate Development Company engaged in unofficial dealings with Chief Secretary Ha Eunbin to secure development rights.

These allegations are causing major anxiety among Guryong Village residents.

Joongwon Real Estate Development Company is expected to gain enormous profits through this project, leading to concerns that fair competition principles have been damaged and local community interests ignored.

In particular, the allegations involving secret dealings with Chief Secretary Ha Eunbin are further amplifying these concerns.

Given her ability to influence the direction of the project, the allegations must be treated as a serious issue rather than mere rumors.

[Suspicious Financial Flow Within Joongwon Development.]

[Special Treatment Allegations Surrounding Joongwon Development.]

The media was the first to open fire.

Articles filled with suspicions poured out one after another, and Seoul Mayor Oh Changhoon personally stepped forward to explain.

“Former Chief Secretary Ha Eunbin had already been dismissed one month ago over an unrelated issue.”

Oh Changhoon claimed he had no direct connection to the allegations.

“Furthermore, Seoul City has always worked to ensure the Guryong Village redevelopment project proceeded fairly and transparently.”

Oh Changhoon then declared that the redevelopment project would be restarted entirely from scratch.

“We will thoroughly investigate these allegations, and if any issues are found, we will select a new developer according to fair competition principles.”

Watching the television, Byun Heebong hurled an ashtray.

“How the hell did they handle this so badly?!”

The TV screen sparked violently after being hit directly before abruptly dying.

“I’m sorry.”

Lee Jongseong lowered his head deeply.

“What the hell is wrong with that bastard Oh Changhoon all of a sudden? What? He’s going to reexamine the redevelopment project? And if there are problems, he’ll choose a new developer?”

“And...”

Lee Jongseong trailed off while cautiously watching Byun Heebong.

Byun Heebong whipped his head around and glared at him.

“What? There’s more?”

“All the land Joongwon secured has already been transferred to another company.”

“What? What kind of bullshit is that?!”

“That bastard Choi Hyuk sold all the land to another company and ran off with the money.”

“How is that even possible?”

“I apologize. It seems our surveillance over Joongwon wasn’t functioning properly because of other matters.”

“Apologize? You think this can be solved with an apology?!”

Even if they lost the development rights, the land itself remained.

Unless Seoul City intended to directly carry out the redevelopment itself, they still could’ve profited somehow.

But now that the land was gone too, even that final hope had collapsed.

“Find him immediately! Find that son of a bitch Choi Hyuk!!”

“We tracked his movements, but he already left Korea.”

Choi Hyuk had already fled to the Philippines.

The moment he heard that, Byun Heebong shot to his feet.

Just as he raised his fist to hit Lee Jongseong, he suddenly grabbed the back of his neck and groaned.

“Ugh...!”

“Chairman! Chairman!!”

Lee Jongseong hurriedly caught Byun Heebong as he started collapsing backward.