By Zephyria 
“Going all the way to Washington with Tae-hyun after causing that mess… Okay, let’s say it was unavoidable because of Second Prince’s orders ahead of the Crown Prince Inauguration.”
Assemblyman Seo Hong-gyu calmed his agitation only after confirming the door was properly closed. His composed demeanor, as if he had never been angry in the first place… It seemed that even showing himself losing his temper in front of people was part of his calculation, not a genuine loss of reason.
The assemblyman’s office was always bustling with people coming and going. Scheduled visitors, of course, but also neighborhood folks barging in unannounced, public officials from all fields, aides from other assemblymen, delivery people carrying furniture and wreaths… and reporters.
The news that Assemblyman Seo had uncharacteristically raised his voice at his eldest son would spread far and wide before long.
And that rumor would likely escalate into speculation that Assemblyman Seo, his pride deeply wounded, would try to pressure the DH Group.
“Taking a bullet for Tae-hyun? I’d let that slide too, since it didn’t exactly hurt your image. As long as you’re alive and there are no problems with your health, that’s all that matters.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Seo Baek-han shrugged, perching on the back of the sofa. Since this slippery character had gone so far as to display an uncharacteristic emotional outburst in front of people, figuring out Assemblyman Seo’s true intentions was the priority.
“You caused such a ruckus at the DH Group’s main residence as soon as you got back, did you think I’d let it slide without saying a word?”
“A ruckus… I think prostrate apology is a more fitting term, don’t you?”
“Seo Baek-han.”
Ha, Assemblyman Seo hooked a finger on his tie knot and loosened it. Until just now, it was a performance put on for others, but now he truly felt suffocated and on the verge of madness.
“Do you know how much I’ve been trying to finalize your divorce on good terms…!”
He had repeatedly pleaded with Chairman Joo to consider his position, but DH also wanted to avoid a legal battle over the divorce. Both sides agreed to end it without tarnishing the names of their respective sons.
‘I’m not particularly interested in the division of property. I’ve already brought all of Tae-hyun’s belongings, so you can dispose of the house where the kids lived as you please.’
The settlement of ownership and tax issues arising from the divorce, and the various interests derived from this process, were to be handled by each family.
‘Very well. Baek-han probably won’t continue living in that house anyway, so I might donate the proceeds from the sale.’
‘Donate?’
Of course, Assemblyman Seo had no intention of ending it there. On the contrary, there was much more to be gained from the DH Group than there had been at the time of the children’s marriage. Assemblyman Seo had no intention of letting this opportunity go to waste.
‘Well, the intention is good, but donating the money from selling the place where the kids built their lives, that’s a bit—’
‘Given what Baek-han has been through, I’m trying to come up with measures to prepare for knife attacks. I want to minimize the shame as much as possible… but it’s not easy when it comes to my own child.’
Even if that opportunity was a misfortune that could have cost his son his life.
‘…I’m always grateful to Baek-han. Both during the Pyeongyang University attack and this Kim Seung-jun shooting incident.’
‘No, Saja… Chairman Joo.’
Assemblyman Seo laughed awkwardly, saying he was worried that the affectionate term ‘Sajadon’ was too familiar. Chairman Joo merely twitched his eyebrows unpleasantly.
‘We may no longer be in-laws, but that doesn’t mean the connection between our families is completely severed.’
Chairman Joo was also a veteran who had experienced all sorts of hardships. He couldn’t possibly be unaware that Assemblyman Seo was trying to use his son’s attack as leverage to demand cooperation, not just assistance, from DH.
‘It’s not an apartment in a prime location, but a house, so the sale price won’t be that great… but I think we can still lay the foundation to break ground, at least.’
As always, the justification was what mattered, Assemblyman Seo said with a good-natured smile.
How many figures in the political and business world had a public reputation that matched their true selves? Assemblyman Seo was someone he had known for quite a while, yet he was acting like this. How could he talk about new business ventures using his own son’s life and death as a pretext? He felt a sense of revulsion at the dark side of Assemblyman Seo that he was only now truly confronting.
Nevertheless, Assemblyman Seo was ‘the father of Seo Baek-han, who took a knife and a bullet in place of his beloved youngest son.’ Whether they reached an amicable divorce or went to court, this fact would never change.
‘Also, we plan to invest in the improvement of the dirty switch for Tae-hyun. This should never happen again to Tae-hyun or anyone else.’
Assemblyman Seo’s demand for investment in new business ventures, disguised under a plausible pretext, continued.
‘Chairman. We need to examine the root cause of why our children had to go through such a thing. When you think about it, innocent shifters have suffered because of the power struggles within the Imperial Family, haven’t they?’
‘…….’
‘You know very well how much effort the group led by the Deposed Crown Prince has put into ruining public opinion about the switch in Korea. They even tried to introduce legislation to restrict shifters using the switch as an excuse.’
‘……’
‘Other countries are working hard to develop new Switch New Drug, but our Daehan Empire is far from securing a leading position in the field. The overall perception of the switch is terrible… it’s unfortunate.’
In summary, he was saying that he would introduce legislation related to switch regulations, so he hoped that DH would invest in the development of new drugs.
The terror countermeasures and training methods were merely a stepping stone for this.
Seeing Chairman Joo clench his lips and only sip his tea, Assemblyman Seo was confident of his victory. More than anyone, Chairman Joo himself would want to remove the dirty switch label that would follow Joo Tae-hyun throughout his life.
‘…Even if it weren’t for Assemblyman Seo’s proposal, it’s a topic I’ve been seriously considering personally.’
It was only recently that he had reached a final agreement with DH, both on the surface and behind the scenes.
‘Oh dear, who would have thought that Baek-han, of all people, would cause such trouble?’ Director Ahn, who had postponed the scheduled special exhibition at the gallery in response to the fluctuating public opinion, sighed deeply as she reviewed the agreement.
‘But seeing that he’s coming back soon, it seems he hasn’t completely lost it, so let’s wait and see. We’re planning to release a press release as soon as Baek-han arrives.’
‘I understand. In any case, the gallery will only run permanent exhibitions for the time being.’
‘Yes. It’s Baek-han, of all people. He’ll know what to do.’
Yes, it was Seo Baek-han, of all people. Perhaps it was because of his youthful vigor. He sometimes couldn’t control his temper and scratched at his insides, but even that part of him was just like him. Assemblyman Seo had no doubt that his proud eldest son would soon come to his senses.
And not long after the Kim Seung-jun shooting incident, Seo Baek-han expressed his intention to return home quickly.
He was indeed his son. Although he didn’t show it to Baek-han, Assemblyman Seo was actually very proud. It was a timely and wise decision to seize the moment when public favor and attention towards him were at their peak.
He had reached an amicable divorce agreement with Joo Tae-hyun but remained on good terms, he would have done the same thing without hesitation even if the person in danger had been someone other than Joo Tae-hyun, he was perfectly healthy thanks to everyone’s concern, he was simply sorry to the public who had felt fatigued by his name being mentioned so often for personal reasons…
Even though he was taken aback by his son’s repeated rejection of the press releases filled with bland and faultless content, he understood that he must be distraught after being shot. He decided to think that he was going through a late adolescence, and after that, he didn’t get angry no matter what fault Seo Baek-han found.
Assemblyman Seo didn’t love his family. But he was certain that there were no partners as compatible with him as they were, and he trusted his eldest son, Seo Baek-han, more than even his wife, Director Ahn Ye-seon, in some respects.
To seamlessly continue the honor and wealth he had grasped from birth. Rather, the ambition to make it shine even brighter with his own power. The arrogance of being pleased to stand above others. And above all, the innate nature and talent to handle all of this.
Because Seo Baek-han had grown up to be the kind of son that Assemblyman Seo most desired, he was willing to overlook this kind of incident once.
He had been frustrated by the childishness of the young ones who insisted on messing up the paperwork when they could have just lived separately and only showed their faces as a couple when necessary, but only for a moment. Seo Baek-han, like his son, had even used the divorce process to his advantage by taking a bullet for him.
Or so he thought.
Until he heard that Seo Baek-han, after returning home, had rushed to Chairman Joo’s main residence in Seoul and knelt down, even turning down the call from the Lotus Flower Palace.