Living with an Ex-Husband - Chapter 69: Strategy (1)

Chapter 69: Strategy (1)

“Contract? What do you mean by that?”

“Oh my, you didn’t know about that?”

With an exaggerated expression of surprise, So-hyun revealed all the details. As expected, Woo-sung was taken aback.

“So in the end… everything is part of Tae Lee Joon’s plan?”

“Yoon Eunchae, who even had a child with him despite a business contract, is no different. It’s as if the two of them planned it together.

So-hyun, who dared to make such a crass statement, raised an eyebrow when she saw Woo-sung’s reaction.

‘Looks like he’s really fired up.’

The judgment was spot on. Woo-sung was consumed by uncontrollable rage. His eyes gleamed dangerously as he clenched his fists, biting his lip in fury.

“Did you say that to vent your anger?”

After a long silence, Woo-sung’s question broke through and a flicker of surprise flashed in Sohyun’s eyes. The energy emanating from him had changed completely. The man who had once seemed as calm as still water had turned into a fierce predator.

“Yes, to vent my anger. I can’t live with losing what’s mine.”

“Do you really think what you’re suggesting will be enough to vent your anger? Even if we gather the shares and remove Tae Lee Joon, wouldn’t his skills just bring him back to the top?”

“What… do you mean?”

Seohyun’s tone sharpened as she squinted at Woo-sung, sensing something unusual in his response.

“We’ll discuss the details when we meet with President Tae Seong-min. There are a few things I need to verify first.”

As Woo-sung smiled slyly and lifted his teacup, So-hyun instinctively swallowed hard. It seemed she had chosen her ally wisely.

***

In the soft light of dawn, Lee Joon ran on the treadmill, sweating profusely. The hotel gym he frequented was close to his in-laws’ house, so he resumed his workout after taking a break while living in Eunchae’s two-room apartment.

He increased the speed of the treadmill. As his breathing became ragged and sweat poured down, his heart began to beat faster. But he did not slow down.

While exercising was partly to maintain his stamina, it was also a way to deal with his pent-up s*xual desire, built up from not being able to hold Eunchae.

The doctor had informed him that light s*x would be possible once Eunchae reached a stable condition.

But Lee Joon had no intention of doing anything about it. Eunchae was already weak, and having a child was not a small matter.

Even when Eunchae coughed, he would suddenly feel a jolt of fear that she might have caught a cold.

Because of the baby, she can’t even take medication. And if Eunchae were to get sick, no matter how safe the doctor said the medicine was, with her personality, she definitely wouldn’t take it

For this reason, Lee Joon was on high alert and checked on Eunchae’s condition every day. It was so pronounced that even Eunchae’s parents commented on how overprotective he was.

“Hah…”

After finishing his run, Lee Joon took a moment to catch his breath and drink some water. Just then, someone cheerfully greeted him.

“Aren’t you overdoing it this early in the morning? Are you training for some competition?”

At the familiar yet unwanted voice, Lee Joon turned around. As he expected, Young-jun was grinning widely and waving at him.

“Good morning bro.”

“What are you doing here?”

Lee Joon frowned when he saw Young-jun greeting him. Not only was he displeased to see that smug face so early in the morning, but it was also absurd to meet Young-jun there.

From the gym to the golf club to social gatherings, the two had carefully planned their schedules and chosen places to avoid crossing paths. It was an unwritten rule between them.

The fact that they met in the same gym, however, suggested it was an intentional encounter.

“At least acknowledge me, Lee Joon. People might think we’re strangers with no blood relation.”

Young-jun said with an overly casual smile, trying to lighten the mood. Lee Joon narrowed his eyes in suspicion, finding his cousin’s behavior disturbing.

“You know I come here regularly, so why are you showing up and acting like we know each other?”

“I was thinking of starting to come here too.”

“What?”

Lee Joon couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh as the responses became more absurd.

What exactly is he up to?

With a wary look, Lee Joon studied him, while he kept poking at him, testing his patience.

“How’s your wife doing? Is she okay? In the early stages of pregnancy, you need to pay close attention and take good care of her. You have to keep a close eye on things.”

“Did you send someone to watch over Eunchae?”

The moment Yong-jun mentioned Eunchae, Lee Joon’s gaze turned deadly. The intensity of his glare was so fierce that Yong-jun instinctively shrank back, taking a step away.

Oh, damn. His gaze is always so threatening. It’s like a blade.

Feeling intimidated by Lee Joon’s piercing eyes, Yong-jun’s expression quickly hardened and he stammered.

“No… it’s not like that… Why are you only after me? You had someone watching me too! You even investigated me!”

“Lower your voice, will you? Is this something to brag about? Do you want the whole neighborhood to know that our family is such a mess, with cousins spying on and investigating each other?”

At the stern reprimand, Yong-jun quickly shut his mouth and looked around. Fortunately, it was early in the morning and there weren’t many people around.

Seeing Yong-jun’s pitiful state, Lee Joon let out a sigh.

“We can’t hide this forever. Soon everyone in the family will know that you two have reconciled. So…”

“So what? What do you want to say?”

“Um… it’s just that.”

Yong-jun couldn’t find the words because Lee Joon’s expression and tone were so cold. Then he noticed Lee Joon’s tracksuit top and his eyes lit up.

“Have you been losing your hair lately? It looks like you’ve lost some hair.”

Yong-jun quickly pulled two strands of hair out of Lee Joon’s shirt. Lee Joon frowned at the unwelcome kindness.

“What kind of hair loss? It’s just a few hairs that fell out when I flipped my hair while exercising. If you’re just going to say useless things, you might as well go”.

“I get it. You’re still as prickly as ever. I guess you inherited that personality from your mother. Your uncle isn’t like that at all. Isn’t the genetics a bit skewed?”

Lee Joon narrowed his eyes as Yong-jun teased him with a mischievous smile. The words kept getting on his nerves.

“Tae Yong-jun.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll go. I’m going!”

Achieving his objective, Yong-jun glared and raised his voice.

“You have to fix your personality, Lee Joon. Only then will people stay with you longer and happiness come to you. Keep my words in mind, okay?”

With a mocking grin, Yong-jun held his head high and left the room.

“What the hell is that guy doing?”

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed, causing furrows to form on Lee Joon’s forehead. His feelings were strange; Yong-jun’s behavior made him feel insecure.

As soon as he arrived at work, he asked Manager Kwon for an update.

“We have made significant progress in identifying those who have accumulated shares through shadow accounts. However, during our latest investigation, we discovered something unusual.”

“Is there anything more unusual than what you have previously reported?”

At Lee Joon’s furrowed brows, Manager Kwon reported with a serious expression.

“Didn’t Geumyoung Construction absorb and merge its subsidiaries, Geumyoung CM and GN Asset Management, and change its name to Geumyoung BNC?”

“Wasn’t that all done in coordination with the head office?”

Lee Joon leaned back in his chair as he mentioned the situation at that time. No matter how much competition there was for succession, everyone was part of “Geumyoung”, and cooperation was essential in business.

Geumyoung Construction had set up shell companies to secure the majority of bids for the “public housing land allocation” as part of a national project. They funneled contracts to Geumyoung Chemical and other subsidiaries to boost profits. When the Fair Trade Commission began scrutinizing internal transactions, Geumyoung Construction had to undergo multiple mergers and acquisitions to address the issue.

“Exactly.”

Manager Kwon nodded as if they both understood this part.

“The problem began after that. Following the Fair Trade Commission’s investigation, Geumyoung Construction stopped funneling work to its affiliates and started contracting directly or bidding with companies like Songhwa Paint.”

As Manager Kwon continued with the detailed explanation, he handed a report to Lee Joon.

“When we investigated these companies closely, we found that they were all linked to the Seoryeong Group. Songhwa Paint is represented by the cousin-in-law of Kim So-young, vice president of the Seoryeong Foundation. Other companies also have relatives, such as cousins or sixth cousins, registered as representatives”.

“So… you’re saying they’re engaging in another round of work funneling? Through in-laws?”

“Yes, sir.”

As Lee Joon quickly grasped the core issue, Manager Kwon added further details.

“Currently, in every subsidiary established by Geumyoung Construction or formed as a joint venture, there are numerous relatives of Seoryeong and Mrs. Hong Min-ja involved.”

“You mean we’ve been overlooking this crucial fact all along?”

Lee Joon’s question carried a tone of reprimand.

Manager Kwon, eager to clarify, responded, “It wasn’t my oversight, sir.”

“It seems that the subsidiaries owned by related parties were deliberately left out of the group’s reports. That’s why we didn’t catch it right away.”

“Ugh…!”

A disbelieving laugh escaped Lee Joon’s lips as he studied the report. He had always known that the family running the smaller company was incompetent and short-sighted, but he hadn’t realized it was this bad.

“It’s like we’re not even trying. We’ve given the fish to the cat.

Lee Joon sighed, his eyebrows furrowed. The small company was too dependent on the Seoryeong Group due to its greed for property.

At this rate, when Geumyoung Construction finally achieved full independence, the chances of being swallowed up by Seoryeong were very high. If Seoryeong, with its close ties to the political sphere, made a move, Geumyoung would never stand a chance.

“The problem isn’t the smaller company, it’s Seoryeong.”

Lee Joon muttered and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The sudden obstacle had caught him off guard.

“Hmmm…”

He let out a shallow sigh before quickly organizing his thoughts and giving instructions to Manager Kwon.

“We can’t be sure how prepared the other side is, so let’s proceed cautiously. The affiliates that have been omitted from the reports are disguised. We should submit this information to the Fair Trade Commission and wait for their response.

“Yes, sir.”

As Manager Kwon left the office with the instructions, Lee Joon’s phone rang. Checking the caller ID, he quickly answered the call. It was Mrs Hwang.

“Yes, it’s me, mother.”

“Tae, what are we going to do about this?”

As soon as he answered the call, Mrs. Hwang’s voice came through, and Lee Joon’s expression immediately turned serious.