Chapter 70 – MOTHER (1)
After arriving at Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport in China with Im Hee-yeon, Shin-woo was riding in a car.
Until then, the two hadn’t exchanged much conversation.
Shin-woo, who had been staring out the window, finally spoke.
“Is the destination still a secret?”
“You’ll know once we get there.”
For such a secretive trip, their car was rather openly surrounded and escorted by vehicles filled with bodyguards.
However, this escort team was composed solely of members of Im Hee-yeon’s Special Security Team 5.
That alone made clear that no one could know where the two of them were headed.
The car continued southeast of Qingdao. Before long, they climbed a hill and entered a large mansion built halfway up the mountain.
From there, both the city of Qingdao and the sea could be seen clearly.
‘Does someone like a Chinese tycoon live here?’
From the mansion gate all the way to the inner courtyard, heavily armed guards were stationed. Just from the atmosphere, it was obvious this was no ordinary place.
The car kept climbing until it stopped in front of the mansion.
“Team Leader Song, please wait here.”
“Please return safely.”
The bodyguards were ordered to remain in the car.
At that moment, an elderly man dressed as a butler came out of the mansion entrance and spoke in Chinese.
“It’s been a long time, young lady.”
“Yes, it has, Butler Hwang. Have you been well?”
It was Hwang Jin-yu, the mansion’s butler. His gaze then shifted toward Shin-woo, standing beside Im Hee-yeon.
“As for me, it’s always the same. And this must be the young master.”
Hearing their conversation, Shin-woo also spoke up.
“我叫白信飛. (My name is Baek Shin-woo.)”
His fluent Chinese pronunciation made both Hwang Jin-yu and Im Hee-yeon blink in surprise.
“Thank you for the introduction. I am Hwang Jin-yu, the butler here. Please, just call me Butler Hwang.”
With that, Hwang Jin-yu led them inside the mansion.
During this, Im Hee-yeon quietly asked Shin-woo,
“…You can speak Chinese?”
“A little.”
“Doesn’t sound like just a little.”
Even though it was only a simple introduction, his pronunciation was so natural it could easily be mistaken for a native Chinese speaker.
“It’s not that hard.”
As their conversation ended, Hwang Jin-yu guided them to the left end of the mansion’s first floor, where a large glass door opened.
Inside was a greenhouse full of green plants, arranged like a garden. In the center, a middle-aged woman was drinking tea and reading, attended by maids.
“Chairwoman, the young lady has arrived.”
“Thank you. You may go.”
When Hwang Jin-yu withdrew, Im Hee-yeon approached and stood before the woman.
“My apologies for visiting so late, Chairwoman.”
The woman set a bookmark in place and looked at Im Hee-yeon. She appeared to be in her early fifties, with short brown hair.
“Will you always say that every time you see me?”
“……”
“Really, is that how it’s going to be?”
Pressed further, Im Hee-yeon sighed and finally spoke again.
“Sorry. I came too late… Mother.”
At last, the woman smiled brightly, rose from her seat, and embraced Im Hee-yeon tightly.
“That’s right. Daughter, you should call me Mother. You almost made me feel truly hurt. And don’t say sorry to me when you haven’t done anything wrong.”
“…Alright.”
This time, the woman locked eyes with Shin-woo.
“And you must be our Hee-yeon’s son?”
“…You must be Chairwoman Cheon Hye-rin of Cheongwoo Group. I’m Baek Shin-woo.”
“Good pronunciation. But… have we met before?”
Chairwoman Cheon Hye-rin of Cheongwoo Group had never once appeared at an official event.
Even the location of her residence was unclear, so unless one had met her directly, it was almost impossible to know her face.
But Shin-woo knew her—he had met her before. Not now, but before his regression…
“No. We have not.”
“Then how do you know me?”
He couldn’t possibly explain the reason right now.
“Let’s just say I have decent access to information.”
Cheon Hye-rin gave a small exclamation at Shin-woo’s confident demeanor before her.
“Oh-ho. I’ve heard you’ve got a good business mind in Korea, but you’re bold as well? As expected of Hee-yeon’s son.”
“I don’t appreciate such words.”
“Even the prickliness is just like hers.”
The more she drew connections, the more Shin-woo grew irritated at her half-compliments.
“Rather, I’d like you to explain your relationship. The two of you.”
She had called herself mother and daughter.
But Im Hee-yeon’s biological mother had died of acute leukemia 26 years ago.
On top of that, Chairwoman Cheon Hye-rin of Cheongwoo Group had never married, nor had any children.
“You heard me. Hee-yeon is my daughter.”
Cheon Hye-rin smiled warmly as she pulled Im Hee-yeon close again into her arms.
But Im Hee-yeon’s expression was visibly uncomfortable.
“She’s my adoptive mother.”
“Adoptive mother?”
義母 (Yi-mo).
There were several dictionary meanings.
A mother gained through the father’s remarriage, a mother who did not give birth but raised one, a mother bound by obligation.
It was impossible that Myung Joong-hwan had married Cheon Hye-rin, and Im Hee-yeon had not lived in China for long.
So the last meaning was the most appropriate.
“When I was attending university in the U.S., that’s when the bond was formed. Since then, we’ve been like this. She helped me a lot while I worked at MH Group too.”
“Is that what you call just a bond? She saved my life. If it weren’t for my daughter, I would’ve died on the street.”
Thinking about it, it was truly remarkable that after entering MH Group, Im Hee-yeon had risen to her current position without any foundation.
Of course, her business capabilities were outstanding.
But Myung Joong-hwan’s children would never have left her alone. They must have tried every possible way to crush her.
“…I never imagined you two were in an adoptive mother-daughter relationship. Nor that there was such a story behind it.”
“Human relationships can be truly amazing.”
After the greetings, the three of them sat down at the table.
Steam rose from the warm tea the maid had poured.
“It’s Da Hong Pao from Wuyi Mountain, the finest maocha. I hope it suits your taste.”
It was a luxury tea worth 1.9 billion won per kilogram.
Not only was it difficult to obtain, but Cheon Hye-rin treated it as casually as if it were nothing.
“It has a nice aroma.”
“And you, Shin-woo? Ah, since you’re my daughter’s son, I can speak comfortably, right?”
She was already dropping formalities.
“…Suit yourself. The tea isn’t bad.”
“That’s good.”
For a while, the only sound between them was of sipping tea.
Then Cheon Hye-rin, with a pleased expression, asked Im Hee-yeon,
“What brings my daughter here for once? I heard there was some trouble with your son in Korea. Is it because of that?”
The series of incidents that had happened to Shin-woo had briefly made headlines, but they had soon faded from the surface.
The fact that Cheon Hye-rin still knew meant she had taken considerable interest.
“Yes. And also because the atmosphere in the group isn’t good.”
“Because of Myung In-chul, right? You should’ve handled him quickly. If you had accepted my help back then, it wouldn’t have been difficult.”
“You know that’s impossible.”
Cheon Hye-rin’s Cheongwoo Group—
or rather, Chinese capital and power shaking MH Group, one of Korea’s leading corporations—
that would be the appearance it would take.
Even if Cheon Hye-rin acted for Im Hee-yeon’s sake, the scale of the situation would be entirely different.
“Then what do you want me to do for you?”
After a moment of thought, Im Hee-yeon opened her mouth.
“If… something were to happen to me, I want to ask you to look after Shin-woo.”
At that instant, Cheon Hye-rin’s face froze as if touched by frost.
“That sounds like someone is targeting your life… Is that right?”
“There was an incident early this year. Since then, there haven’t been more attempts, but judging from their organization, the next time might not end in failure.”
It was the incident back when she had met Shin-woo at the café.
The man Shin-woo had subdued then had slipped away even after being tracked.
Because they still hadn’t found a trace even after months, she could not shake off the ominous thought.
“What kind of bastards are they! And why didn’t you tell me immediately back then?!”
Cheon Hye-rin looked ready to storm into Korea right then and tear everything down.
“This is why I didn’t. Besides, I think those men may have started targeting Shin-woo instead of me.”
“You mean the incident where Shin-woo almost died? They weren’t caught either, were they?”
“That’s right.”
Im Hee-yeon herself realized she was not in a safe situation.
At that, Cheon Hye-rin let out a long sigh.
“When you canceled your plan to come to China after finishing things, I should’ve forced you to come no matter what.”
“You know my circumstances.”
“Precisely why I should’ve! You could’ve been comfortable right away, so why put yourself through such hardship?!”
This was the same reason Im Hee-yeon had tried to persuade Shin-woo to come live with her.
Now, Shin-woo also realized it while listening to this conversation.
But if that plan had failed and she had left alone, he would’ve been left behind in Korea as prey for Myung In-chul.
“It was unavoidable, please understand.”
“Instead of asking me to take care of Shin-woo, you should find out who those bastards really are. Isn’t that the priority?”
“Since that incident, they haven’t shown themselves. Even checking around the most likely suspect, President Myung In-chul, turned up no connections.”
Cheon Hye-rin didn’t want her as-good-as-daughter Im Hee-yeon to suffer.
But she also knew if she forcefully brought her to China, MH Group’s Myung Joong-hwan would never stay silent.
“What if I lend you some strength?”
“You know better than I why that can’t be.”
“But I could at least lend you capable people. Or connect you with someone who leaves no traces.”
Cheon Hye-rin, before being one of China’s top business figures, was a capitalist with deep holdings in the underworld.
Naturally, the connections she spoke of were likely figures from the dark side.
“I’ll consider it.”
Im Hee-yeon too had judged that it couldn’t be handled quietly in the current situation, so she was willing to accept such help.
Taking advantage of their momentary silence, Shin-woo spoke.
“I don’t understand why you’re both making all the decisions in front of the actual person involved.”
“Did you feel left out because we excluded you?”
Cheon Hye-rin looked straight at him and chuckled as if amused.
Of course, seeing that only deepened Shin-woo’s displeasure.
“Not particularly. But instead of digging into their identity, don’t. If you’re not careful, even your life could be in danger, Chairwoman Cheon.”
Im Hee-yeon was startled.
At the same time, Cheon Hye-rin could only be taken aback.
“My life? Why do you sound like you know who they are, Shin-woo?”
“Because I do.”
In that moment, both their faces hardened.
Im Hee-yeon glared at Shin-woo.
“And how do you know that?”
“Managing Director, you know their only clue too, don’t you?”
From the man Shin-woo had caught, there had been no trace.
But when Song Tae-hoon and other bodyguards had fought with the unidentified men, they had found that mark on their clothes.
“You mean 666?”
“Exactly.”
“So it was you who took it away?”
“They were after me too. And they’re far more dangerous than you think, Managing Director.”
—
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