GMC 156

As he committed every word of the report to memory, he thought about the man known as Lee Yeon-rok. Various emotions surfaced in a disorganized flurry. The most distinct among them was a desire for possession. It was the very same emotion that Moon Gyeon-woo and Choi Hwan displayed so blatantly.

Though not as intense as theirs, this feeling made Yeom Cheon-ho feel somewhat childish. He felt satisfied that Yeon-rok lived in his house. At the same time, he felt displeased by the other two’s cohabitation. It was a negative, private sentiment—one that was not particularly beneficial to reveal given that they shared the same name.

Whether they liked it or not, the four of them had to live together for the foreseeable future. This was especially true considering Moon Gyeon-woo’s recent research results. Therefore, it was only right that he mediate their fights instead of adding fuel to the conflict, but recently, the results had not been very good.

If he had been rational before, these days he merely had to pretend to be. He wore a mask of being a good person to meet the expectations of Yeon-rok, who revered and looked up to him. It was because of the satisfaction he gained from the way Yeon-rok looked at him every time. The other’s affection was like tasting sweet cream…

With those thoughts in mind, Yeom Cheon-ho finished reading the report and handed the tablet to Kim Jeong-seong.

“It seems Yoo Young-taek would have been ruined even if I had just left him alone.”

“That is correct. He ruined many things due to his hot temper. If it weren’t for his mother-in-law’s help, it would have been difficult for him to become a district representative.”

Despite the loyalty he had proven twenty years ago, even sacrificing his own child, the recent Yoo Young-taek had not received support from the Heavenly Truth Ming Cult. This was because he had offended Yeom Cheon-ryul several times, unable to control his own temperament. Thus, one could imagine how delighted he must have been to see Yeon-rok attending the banquet last spring as Yeom Cheon-ho’s name partner.

Buzz—. A vibration sounded. Yeom Cheon-ho checked his phone screen and smiled crookedly. [unauthorized copy]It seemed the child he had discarded now felt like a lifeline [stolen content]descending from heaven. Tapping the text message from Yoo Young-taek a couple of times with his fingertip, Yeom Cheon-ho spoke.

“Representative Yoo Young-taek is calling me his son-in-law.”

Kim Jeong-seong, who was sorting through important matters among the proposals sent from the company, scoffed.

“Son-in-law? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all year. What an absurd claim.”

While replying appropriately to the text, Yeom Cheon-ho fell into a brief contemplation.

He thought of his name partner, who was exceptionally soft-hearted and gentle, and therefore prone to loneliness. In front of Yeom Cheon-ho, Yeon-rok acted quite composed. Nevertheless, Yeom Cheon-ho could still read a lingering hope for kinship in Yeon-rok’s eyes. That was why he wanted to help so that Yeon-rok would no longer suffer.

No, to be honest, he wanted to quickly sever the powerful and tenacious bond of kinship—the so-called “heavenly ties.” Just as he had completely severed and confirmed the death of the existence of Yeon-rok’s former lover in the past.

“For now, shall we make it so that Yoo Young-taek can neither hear nor say the word ‘son-in-law’ ever again?”

Yoo Young-taek’s own family background was insignificant. He was a case of someone who succeeded by marrying well; the person who covered up every incident and accident he caused was his mother-in-law. But would she truly trust and help her son-in-law if the fact that her proud son-in-law had betrayed her daughter and cheated became known to the whole world?

What if that mother-in-law herself had a history of divorce due to her husband’s infidelity? Yeom Cheon-ho closed and opened his [unauthorized copy][[visit our site]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">unauthorized copy]eyes, which were stiff with fatigue.

“Hmm… Let’s see, shall I try weaving a plot this time by involving my father as well?”

Yeom Cheon-ho did not inform his name partners, especially Yeon-rok, in detail about the fight he was waging against Yeom Cheon-ryul.

There had been countless attempts: attempts to break into the house, attempts to plant people near him, and attempts to kidnap or harm his name partners. Out of those myriad attempts, the few cases that had actually succeeded were all the three of them knew.

It was his own way of being considerate toward the three, who had already spent a perilous and difficult childhood entwined with him. Above all, even if they knew the details of the situation, there was nothing to be gained. They would only share unnecessary stress. Because of this judgment, the facts the three knew were merely the tip of the iceberg of the schemes Yeom Cheon-ryul had orchestrated.

Of course, it wasn’t as if Yeom Cheon-ho was simply being victimized by Yeom Cheon-ryul.

Yeom Cheon-ryul’s greatest weapon was people. They were fanatics who were willing to devote both their minds and bodies to a religion decades old, people who could not be bought with money. Therefore, Yeom Cheon-ho had spent a long time painstakingly chipping away at that human wall.

For Yeom Cheon-ho’s greatest weapon was capital.

Using massive capital as his foundation, he bought out Yeom Cheon-ryul’s people. He absorbed his followers. He bribed the politicians, prosecutors, and police officers who supported and protected Yeom Cheon-ryul. It cost an astronomical amount of money. However, it was worth it.

As time passed, Yeom Cheon-ryul’s schemes became more cunning and despicable. Just seeing how a man who always used others had rashly approached Yeon-rok [unauthorized [Read on Read BL Novels]Novels -->copy]showed how desperate he had become. It was because Yeom Cheon-ho had not only manifested a ‘Hwamyeong’ but had become a ‘person who leads three flower name bearers,’ which dealt a heavy blow to Yeom Cheon-ryul’s power.

He probably never imagined that the scheme to kill his son in the past would become a dagger pointed at himself. The gap between them was widening uncontrollably as time went by. Soon, it would be difficult for Yeom Cheon-ryul to roam the world freely.

Yeom Cheon-ho desired an irreversible overthrow so that Yeom Cheon-ryul could no longer breathe. However…

“I must be even more careful from now on. Even a rat bites when cornered, so it will be even more so for an old tiger.”

“I will keep that in mind. Still, it’s a relief that Mr. Choi Hwan has become quieter recently.”

Choi Hwan was always the biggest headache for the security team. He was already a person whose security was difficult because of his fame, and on top of that, his impulsive personality meant that holes in security occurred more than a few times.

That fame was a double-edged sword. While it made him the easiest target for Yeom Cheon-ryul to attack, it also served as a means of protection. Since he was such a famous actor, attacking him could cause a backlash, so he wasn’t openly targeted like Lee Yeon-rok or Moon Gyeon-woo.

“Still, just in case, let’s pay more attention.”

“Yes, Mr. Yeom Cheon-ho.”

However, Yeom Cheon-ho had overlooked a different rat.

The sound of seagulls crying could be heard from somewhere. Since this wasn’t the first or second time such a thing had happened, Yeom Cheon-ho remained motionless with his eyes closed, assessing the situation.

First, he reviewed the events before losing consciousness.

He had been hit by a dump truck while returning home. The reason he hadn’t died despite the violent collision was thanks to the car’s reinforced frame. Having experienced so many assassination attempts disguised as car accidents, he always paid great attention to his vehicles. However, no matter how thoroughly he prepared, there was nothing he could do when a dump truck intentionally rammed into him.

Next, he slowly checked his condition.

Bruises—these didn’t matter. Bleeding from the head—it was a simple skin laceration. Right arm—certainly at least a hairline fracture. Other notable points: his hands were tied behind his back. Seeing as he wasn’t gagged, screaming would likely be useless. Based on the swaying, he was probably on a boat. And…

Lee Yeon-rok.

What was Lee Yeon-rok’s condition?

The rationality that had remained steadfast even during the kidnapping wavered. Yeom Cheon-ho steadied his shaking breath and quietly opened his eyes. As expected, the place where he was confined was a dark and narrow cabin. Since there was no other presence besides a faint sound of breathing, he pushed himself up. A dull pain surged through his body, but he ignored it effortlessly. Lee Yeon-rok was lying unconscious near him. He was likewise bound.

“Yeon-rok-ssi?”

Yeom Cheon-ho called out in a low voice. He quickly and closely examined the other’s physical condition. There seemed to be no visible injuries, but seeing that he had lost consciousness, it was clear he had taken a significant shock during the accident, and Yeom Cheon-ho’s nerves sharpened.

Who did this? At the very least, it wasn’t Yeom Cheon-ryul. If he were in such a defenseless state, Yeom Cheon-ryul would have killed him without hesitation. Therefore, the culprit was likely…

No sooner had he finished the thought than the door swung open, and the person who appeared was Yoo Young-taek. He was in a state of extreme agitation. He was furious to the core, yet simultaneously fearful and anxious. His face contorted violently upon seeing the awakened Yeom Cheon-ho. He forced a smile.

“You woke up just in time. I was just on my way to hand CEO Yeom over to his family.”

“You mean my father?”

“Yes! You must take responsibility for failing to educate your child properly.”

Yoo Young-taek couldn’t even hide his anxiety. His gaze flickered toward his son, who had still not regained consciousness. Yeom Cheon-ho spoke slowly, trying not to provoke the man. Yoo Young-taek’s gaze left Yeon-rok and returned to Yeom Cheon-ho.

“Do you really think Yeom Cheon-ryul will take me back now that you’re offering me up?”