Chapter 42: Chapter 42

What kind of connection could Team Leader Seo Hyun-joo possibly have with Koryo Prestige?

Koryo Prestige is the holding company that controls the largest corporation in the country, and yet, she has their Royal Exclusive VIP card? I’m not entirely sure what the qualifications are for obtaining such a card, but it would have to be something that requires significant influence.

The fact that it was issued by Koryo Prestige itself, rather than Koryo Card, added to the suspicion. It wasn’t merely an affiliate; it was truly a card issued directly by Prestige.

"…."

The benefits also went far beyond anything reasonable.

Out of curiosity, she tried using the card on non-food items, and the results were the same across the board. Everything received a uniform 90% discount.@@novelbin@@

She could buy a 100,000 won outfit for just 10,000 won, or a luxury bag worth 5 million won for 500,000 won.

Who would have thought such a card even existed?

Unable to contain her curiosity, she researched the card until Hyun-joo returned home. But she couldn’t find any details on the card's issuance requirements, which was the most crucial piece of information.

"Welcome back."

"Yes."

Hyun-joo, returning late at night, looked exhausted. Yet, despite her fatigue, she appeared neat and fresh, as if she had just showered somewhere.

Yoon Hayeong returned the card to her.

"Ms. Yoon, feel free to order something more expensive if you like. As you’ve noticed, it’s a special card."

"Oh… I-I see. Thank you."

She wanted to ask about the card, but ultimately kept her mouth shut. She wasn’t sure if she was allowed to ask.

If she did ask… and received a shocking answer…

‘I don’t think I could handle any more shocks….’

The next day.

Even though it was Saturday, Hyun-joo was busy preparing early in the morning. She looked like she was getting ready for a trip.

"Are you going somewhere today?"

"…."

She hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Yes. Every weekend…."

Then, she placed the same card on the table as before.

"I’ll be back on Monday. Use this while I’m gone."

"Uh… Monday?"

"Every Saturday morning to Monday night. That’s the time I’m away from home each week."

What could she be doing that requires her to be away for so long?

‘No, it’s probably just the weekend. Monday is a workday, so technically it’s only Saturday and Sunday… But where does the Team Leader go during those days?’

The card on the table felt even more mysterious.

An ordinary person could never acquire a card like this.

A Team Leader who leaves home for several days every weekend.

And,

‘That incident….’

The unforgettable scene from the video.

All of these were surely separate incidents, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were somehow connected.

‘Let’s hypothesize. That “Young Master” figure is someone high up in Koryo Prestige. He received sexual favors from Rainbow Miracle. The trainees that Secretary Kim Dong-ki was delivering were actually gifts for him. I reported on that, and although the Team Leader pulled the article, it must have reached that high-ranking individual’s ears. So, she was summoned to apologize and paid the price through brutal rape….

And then, the video was sent to my email the next day.’

But if the relationship between the Team Leader and that “Young Master” continued even after that…

Could that explain how she received this card?

The Team Leader is competent, holds a respectable social position, and is quite attractive as a woman.

Though it’s a crude way to put it, she would certainly be worth keeping around as a plaything.

‘The disappearance of all evidence about Rainbow Miracle… Could that have been the work of Koryo Prestige? Controlling Koryo Group is essentially synonymous with controlling the country… It’s not impossible.’

There was also another possibility:

Perhaps, from the beginning, Team Leader Seo Hyun-joo and that “Young Master” were in bed together, so to speak.

"Why do you give Rainbow Miracle special treatment? Aside from the fact that you saw a video that could be interpreted as rape involving Team Leader Seo Hyun-joo, aren’t they just like any other agency?"

‘….’

She shook her head. She wasn’t willing to entertain that thought.

The video had been very real, and from what she saw, it looked like Seo Hyun-joo was genuinely being assaulted.

"Ugh… Team Leader, just what are you…!"

She quickly prepared to leave.

In no time at all, she grabbed the card from the table and headed out the door.

‘I hope I’m not too late.’

Outside the apartment, she spotted Hyun-joo just as she was getting into her car. Yoon Hayeong frantically looked for her own car and hurried over.

"Someone wrote this song before~ And I could tell you where it’s from The 4736251 to put my mind at ease~"

A nostalgic song played, as if trying to take her back to a glamorous yet beautiful past.

She liked this part of the song.

But now, for some reason, it only filled her with a sense of bitterness.

"Tail detected."

The warning on the car’s dashboard kept flashing. It indicated that another car had been following her.

It was likely Yoon Hayeong’s car.

How foolish.

She’s a journalist, yet she can’t even tail someone properly.

How did she manage to conduct her investigations up to this point?

"I’ll have to give her a lot of training…."

"Ugh… How far are we going…?"

Because tailing a vehicle with AI assistance required the consent of the other party, she had to drive manually.

And trying to tail someone without being noticed was a task that drained both mental energy and stamina.

Fortunately, shortly after her complaint, Hyun-joo’s car seemed to reach its destination.

A large mansion, nestled against a hill on the outskirts of Songdo Future City.

She felt a slight apprehension when she saw the massive gate blocking the road, but it opened automatically as she approached.

‘A mansion of this size, in Songdo, of all places….’

She followed nervously, clenching the steering wheel.

The tension slowly crept up on her.

‘Meanwhile, I’m barely scraping by in a four-pyeong studio in Ganghwa….’

Who on earth lives in a house like this?

And why would Team Leader Seo Hyun-joo visit such a place?

Hyun-joo’s car stopped again at yet another massive gate. After a brief pause, the gate opened, and she drove inside. Through the gate, Yoon Hayeong caught a glimpse of the mansion beyond.

‘I probably can’t get in there, can I?’

The outer gate had been surprisingly easy to pass, but this gate clearly marked the boundary between the mansion and the outside world.

If she hadn’t been invited, there was no way she’d be allowed inside.

Still, she couldn’t abandon her curiosity.

After a few minutes of pacing around, she parked her car at the edge of the road and got out.

She aimed her zoom lens toward the mansion.

"…Of course, I can’t see anything."

Despite using an expensive camera, she couldn’t capture anything.

How powerful must the shielding field be?

She took a few photos anyway, just in case.

"Phew… I guess I should head back-"

Thunk.

Then,

something pressed against the back of her head.

"…Huh?"

Instinctively, she knew.

If she moved, her head would be blown off.

Her body stiffened with extreme tension.

"Uh… I, I must have taken a wrong turn…."

She slowly raised her hands. Her hand holding the camera shook uncontrollably.

‘Shit! I was too careless…!’

She was just about to beg for a chance to leave when she heard something strange.

"Execution mode. Terminator."

And then, as if she were in a robot transformation scene, she heard a mechanical sound and felt something hard pressing into the back of her head.

"Move, and I’ll shoot."

"…!!!!"

Then came a voice that was all too familiar.

"Ms. Yoon Hayeong."

That voice cruelly pierced her ears.

"…."

"…."

As Yoon Hayeong walked slowly into the mansion, her eyes were blank.

She couldn’t comprehend the situation.

‘Why… is Prosecutor Lee Na-eun….’

The object that had pressed against her head,

and the one currently prodding her back.

It was none other than a Terminator.

The ultimate symbol of prosecutorial power and investigative authority.

The moment she pulled the trigger, Yoon Hayeong’s body would be blown into a thousand pieces, just like the ones she had seen a few days ago.

And the voice that had told her not to move was unmistakably Prosecutor Lee Na-eun’s.

‘I had my doubts… There were strange signs, and the more I discovered, the more suspicious I became, but I still believed… But now….’

Yes.

Even considering all of that,

Why was she here?

She couldn’t understand that, no matter what.

"You’re two minutes late, Prosecutor."

A woman standing guard at the entrance spoke with a cold expression.

Prosecutor Lee Na-eun gave Yoon Hayeong a small push on the back.

"I found an intruder. That’s why I’m late."

"Hmph."

The woman examined Yoon Hayeong.

Up until that moment, Yoon Hayeong had been partially dazed, but now she finally recognized the woman.

"!!!"

There was no mistake.

It was definitely,

the officer who had visited her home after she filed the report!!

"Wh-what… What’s going on…?"

Inspector Im Sua scrutinized Yoon Hayeong from head to toe.

"She’s a bit lacking, but I suppose she’s worth bringing in. Strip her and take her inside."