Han Ji-yeon was stunned as the artworks owned by DS Telecom were proudly displayed.
She had expected this, but she thought there would be three or four pieces at most, or perhaps only one or two. However, when about ten works were revealed all at once, she could not help but be shocked, even though she was a third party.
Ji-yeon quickly calmed her expression and looked back at Jinhyuk Park, who was sitting beside her. She wondered if Jinhyuk would be furious, considering she was this surprised herself. Contrary to her expectations, however, Jinhyuk’s complexion remained unchanged. There was only a mysterious smile playing on his face, different from before.
Jinhyuk was equally surprised by the unexpected turn of events. But just because he had not anticipated it did not mean he was startled. Rather, his mind was busy calculating how to handle the situation and what move to make next.
“What do you think? Many fine works have been presented. And they are more affordable than you might think. As you know, we conduct one-on-one transactions, so as long as the price is right, you can own the artwork without the emotional exhaustion of an auction,” Amelia said, looking back and forth between Ji-yeon and Jinhyuk.
It seemed she intended to hand over all the works to the two of them since they had already come this far. Jinhyuk nodded deeply as if satisfied and stood up from his seat.
“There are more pieces than I thought. Are there any more?”
“More? Are you asking for more than this?”
The value of the pieces currently displayed in the room already far exceeded ten billion won. Yet, Jinhyuk was casually asking for ‘more’.
Amelia thought for a moment before speaking. “Of course. Since we have done these types of transactions many times, we always have the quantity our clients desire ready. However, the pieces currently here are all we have for this session. I will make sure to contact you first when new items arrive in the future.”
“I see. Good. It is convenient not to have to travel to various places.”
“Yes. From us — “
“Then, I think it is now time to tell you who I am.”
Amelia, who was about to launch into a long-winded explanation about the museum, looked at Jinhyuk as he suddenly cut her off to introduce himself. Earlier, she had been curious about his identity, but now it did not matter. Given that Ji-yeon had vouched for him and he seemed ready to make a deal immediately, her interest in who he was had long since faded.
However, her expression gradually soured at his following introduction.
“My name is Jinhyuk Park from DS Telecom. I assume you have heard my name at least once?”
Amelia failed to react immediately to Jinhyuk’s words. Ji-yeon remained seated, watching the interaction between Amelia and Jinhyuk with an amused expression. Jinhyuk walked past Amelia and stood before a painting.
“I do not understand why this is appearing here. These are pieces that were taken from our company not too long ago under the pretext that they would be kept in safe storage. Why are these works, which should be safely tucked away in the warehouse of Byeoksong Art Museum, here?”
“That has nothing to do with us.”
“Is that so? As far as I know, we purchased these paintings through Jeonghwa Art Museum… where did you get them?”
“I cannot reveal a client’s personal information.”
“Right. There is no reason to necessarily know the person who sold the goods. However, is it not normal to be suspicious if the items you sold reappear on the market through someone else? Or at least check with the person you sold them to?”
“We do not bother with such trivial matters. Once we receive a request to sell an item, our job is to find a buyer.”
Amelia’s voice, which had been soft and friendly before Jinhyuk introduced himself, was now stiff and cold. She was responding to Jinhyuk’s words, but she was only giving minimal, business-like answers.
Even as he listened to Amelia, who clearly did not want to continue the conversation, Jinhyuk did not stop speaking.
“Really? Let’s see if you can say the same thing in front of the police and prosecutors.”
“Director Park. You are saying this because you do not know any better, but nothing good comes from making a scene out of things like this.”
“Is that so? But since I do not know any better, I would prefer to make a scene so that I can understand it well. What shall we do?”
“Director.”
Amelia looked at Ji-yeon with a pleading expression. But Ji-yeon only smiled, showing no intention of intervening in their conversation. Amelia turned her head back toward Jinhyuk.
“There are many people involved. And do you really think an investigation will proceed properly? Do not go looking for trouble where there is none.”
“It does not matter if many people are involved; it has nothing to do with me. Why should I care about that?”
“The Madam of DS…”
Amelia caught her mistake and quickly shut her mouth before she could mention Seyoung Oh. However, Jinhyuk did not miss that slip. He kept his body facing the painting and only turned his head toward Amelia.
“You know, don’t you? The relationship between Director Oh and me. Anyone who knows our family likely knows about it. Do you really think I would miss such a great opportunity?”
“Director Park. Please do not do this. It will not benefit you to provoke the wrong people. There are many who would be uncomfortable if Jeonghwa is mentioned.”
“That is none of my business. And on the contrary, I think there are many more people who would want to know that the pieces you sold are suddenly back on the market. Am I right?”
Jinhyuk turned his head toward Ji-yeon this time. Ji-yeon nodded as she listened to him. She looked like a viewer watching a television drama.
Amelia closed her eyes at Ji-yeon’s reaction. After thinking for a long time, she finally spoke with difficulty.
“If you insist on this, Director, there is nothing we can do. You must be prepared for the damages you might suffer from this decision.”
“Are you threatening me right now?”
Jinhyuk could not contain himself and stood tall. He took a step toward her.
“Are you speaking without knowing who I am? Is a mere broker really threatening me?”
“You are looking down on us. We are not an organization you can afford to take lightly.”
“Not an organization to take lightly… Fine. Then let’s see what happens. Let’s say I have decided to mess with the almighty Jeonghwa.”
When Amelia saw that Jinhyuk was not swayed by any of her words, she finally begged Ji-yeon for help.
“Miss Ji-yeon. Please, say something to him. If the Director attacks us, won’t Cheongwoo be affected as well?”
“Affected? My first thought is that I should go back and check our own collection rather than worrying about future damage. I came here with the Director thinking ‘surely not’… but there is no guarantee that we are any different.”
“No. This is the only time. This really only happened this once.”
“So, you are saying the items were swapped this time, anyway?”
When even Ji-yeon, whom she had hoped would help, looked at Jeonghwa with suspicious eyes, Amelia finally could not hold out any longer and confessed the circumstances.
“Fine. I will tell you everything. In exchange, please let this matter go.”
“I will decide that after I hear your story.”
Jinhyuk sat back down next to Ji-yeon. Amelia spoke with a look of total defeat.
“Director Oh of DS asked for this. She asked us to dispose of the items.”
Amelia spoke and watched Jinhyuk’s reaction. Jinhyuk nodded, signaling for her to continue. Amelia realized that this would only end once she confessed everything.
“I realized there was a problem when I was told to handle it in top secret so that many people wouldn’t know. But the commission she offered was so high that we had no choice.”
“An organization that is supposed to value its reputation over everything else was tempted by a small commission? That is hard to believe.”
“We had no choice either. We have been struggling for a long time due to the recession that started at the beginning of the year.”
It seemed that Jeonghwa was also suffering because corporations were tightening their belts. Furthermore, since Jeonghwa was not exactly a legitimate establishment, it was the perfect place for corporations to cut ties with first.
“So you skipped all the Madams who would know better and contacted someone who knows art but might not know the internal situation.”
“Miss Ji-yeon. No. That… it wasn’t because we looked down on you that we contacted you.”
“I clearly asked if you had contacted the elders at my house, didn’t I? As far as I know, if you had mentioned Baselitz, they would have bought it regardless of the price. That means the call should never have reached me. Yet, a piece came out at a low price and it reached me? Was it because you skipped them entirely, fearing that showing this work to the elders would reveal the secret?”
Amelia was speechless at Ji-yeon’s sharp observation. Following DS, they had now lost the trust of Cheongwoo as well. This was the moment she regretted getting involved just because Seyoung Oh promised to personally give her extra money on top of the 30% commission.
Jinhyuk confirmed that Ji-yeon had finished her piece, then patted his knees and spoke.
“Well then, let’s stop here. Now that I know what happened, I believe we are done.”
“Wait, Director Park.”
Amelia called out to Jinhyuk as he stood up to leave. She instinctively reached out a hand when he tried to leave without telling her how he would proceed. Jinhyuk looked at Amelia, who was gazing at him piteously with her hand raised, and spoke.
“Jeonghwa should make its own choice. Judge for yourselves what path will maintain the name of Jeonghwa Art Museum. It is not my place to tell you what to do.”
“Director. That… please help us just this once. If you leave like this, we do not know what to do.”
It did not seem like the matter would end simply by losing massive clients like DS and Cheongwoo. If Jinhyuk escalated the situation with his stepmother, they could be swept away in the aftermath. No matter how long Jeonghwa had maintained relationships with various conglomerates in the shadows, they could not stand against the power of DS.
Furthermore, it was Cheongwoo that had brought Jinhyuk Park of DS here. Although she was a daughter who had not properly established her roots in Cheongwoo, she was still the legitimate daughter of the family. Even if she could not exert power due to her stepmother and outside pressures, her father was the chairman of Cheongwoo. No matter how much the art world was a playground for the Madams, there was no way to avoid it if the head of Cheongwoo decided to strike using his daughter as a front.
For Jeonghwa, this might turn into more than just a simple incident.
Seeing Amelia’s sincere plea, Jinhyuk gestured for her to come closer. She slowly approached him. Jinhyuk waited until she was within reach, pulled her closer by the shoulder, and whispered softly in her ear.
“Do nothing. Then you will get through this safely.”
Jinhyuk finished speaking and gently pushed her away. She found hope in Jinhyuk’s words, and the shadow that had hung over her face vanished. Jinhyuk turned and left the room. Ji-yeon gave Amelia one last look and followed Jinhyuk out of the suite.
Jinhyuk and Ji-yeon walked toward the elevator in the quiet hallway. Before they could even get on the elevator, Ji-yeon could not contain her curiosity and spoke to Jinhyuk.
“Why did you tell her to stay quiet?”
“What are you referring to?”
Jinhyuk heard Ji-yeon’s voice but did not stop moving. Ji-yeon took another step toward him and said, “You had the leverage, so if you asked for help, they would have even assisted you. Why did you just tell her to do nothing? Or, if you didn’t like Jeonghwa, couldn’t you have escalated the matter and dealt with them as well?”
“If things flowed that simply, there would be no such thing as headache medicine in the world.”
“What does that mean?”
Jinhyuk stepped into the elevator that had stopped, and Ji-yeon pressed closer to him, looking up.
“The problem between me and Director Oh is something I have to solve myself. If I bring in an outsider, I am not using a weakness; I am exposing my own weakness to an outsider. Do you understand? Handle your own business yourself. You must never forget this.”
Jinhyuk looked down at Ji-yeon, who was standing so close their shoulders were almost touching. It was as if he were teaching her a lesson. Ji-yeon mulled over Jinhyuk’s words.
“And as for dealing with Jeonghwa? They got caught up in it and plotted together, but I do not think it is at a level worth discussing whether to ‘deal’ with them or not.”
“But it is a fact that they sided with your stepmother.”
“Ha ha ha. If you handle things that way, no one will be left standing. You have to understand others to a certain extent and simplify your target before striking to annihilate the enemy. If you deal with everyone you dislike and eliminate everyone who helped the other side, you will have to fight the entire world. Do you have that kind of power, Ji-yeon? The power to turn the whole world against you?”
Ji-yeon realized what Jinhyuk was intending.
Simplify the enemy and strike.
She learned that rather than turning everyone into an enemy, annihilating the enemy through an origin strike was a more efficient way to save time and strength.
Jinhyuk stepped out of the elevator as it reached the first floor.
“They must already be feeling sufficiently threatened. Even though it wasn’t explicitly stated, the eldest son of DS and the eldest daughter of Cheongwoo came and caught their weakness. But if I suppressed them even further, what would happen? Did you really think I had no thoughts about it just because I acted unfazed by Jeonghwa’s threat?”
“The threat worked on you?”
Jinhyuk had acted as if it were nothing when Amelia spoke, even shouting back to ask if she was threatening him. But now that they were alone and he said the threat had worked, Ji-yeon could not tell what his true feelings were.
Jinhyuk smiled at her and said, “If they were prepared to die and mobilized all the connections they know to bury us, both you and I would have suffered damage.”
“Are you saying they would have kidnapped us or something?”
“It is not that simple. There is more than just using force when dealing with an opponent in this world. Do you understand? Even if it is an opponent you do not like, you must know how to show tolerance if they are low on your priority list. Though, there is no need to accept their help, either.”
Jinhyuk finished speaking and waited for the car they had arrived in to be brought around. Ji-yeon fell into thought for a moment as she watched the way Jinhyuk handled matters, something she had only heard rumors about until now.