Former Mastermind To Chaebol Son-in-Law

Chapter 5

I Even Considered Divorce

Kang In-hyuk was momentarily at a loss for words at the sudden appearance of Tae Ju-ha.

After a brief silence, Tae Ju-ha looked back and forth between the two of them and spoke first.

"... What exactly are you doing?"

In-hyuk stood there in just a bathrobe, looking as if he had just showered.

Meanwhile, Go Mi-ah, with her red hair and youthful face, sat on the sofa.

It was a scene anyone would find suspicious.

"Ah... that's..."

Tae Ju-ha wasn't alone.

Her secretary, Heo Yu-rim, came in, pulling another suitcase and also witnessed the situation.

"S-Surely you're not hav—!"

In that instant, In-hyuk shouted urgently.

"It's not like that! Absolutely not, so please don't get the wrong idea!"

But Tae Ju-ha's expression was colder than it had even been at their wedding photo shoot.

"Then what kind of situation is this?"

"We met because of business."

"... Business?"

The atmosphere only deepened the misunderstanding.

"No, it's not that kind of weird business. It's really about work. Isn't it?"

Just moments before, they had been speaking informally to each other.

But as In-hyuk spoke formally, Go Mi-ah seemed to recall something and smirked.

"Of course. I'm here for work. And I was just about to leave now that we're done talking."

Go Mi-ah said this, then picked up the sunglasses and mask she'd left on the table. Heading toward the door, she looked back and called out,

"See you later, In-hyuk oppa."

With those words, Go Mi-ah made a hasty escape out the front door.

"Hey—! You—!"

At the same time, Tae Ju-ha and Heo Yu-rim looked at In-hyuk as if he were an unsightly stain on the street.

"I thought at the very least you'd be ethically upright... I never imagined you were this kind of person."

"What exactly were you thinking?"

"I don't even want to voice the possibility. Ms. Heo, please put my luggage in that room and head home for the day."

As requested, Heo Yu-rim brought Tae Ju-ha's suitcase into the other bedroom.

But rather than leaving immediately, she stood close at Tae Ju-ha's side.

"... Shouldn't we at least report this to the police?"

"With only circumstantial evidence, it won't do any good right now."

"Then maybe you should go to a hotel for the time being. I'll find somewhere else for you to stay as quickly as I can."

Their exchange was sincere.

At this, In-hyuk sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

"I said it's not what you think..."

"Then explain yourself. Why, for work, were you meeting such a young woman, and why were you dressed like that when you greeted her?"

The word "young" was especially emphasized.

"Haa—! She's an informant for my stock investments. I needed an urgent report on the company I'm working on. And she's not as young as you think. She's a student, yes, but not a minor—she's a university student, 24 years old and a junior."

The two women still gave him untrusting looks.

And the fact that Go Mi-ah had called him "oppa" before leaving only made things more suspicious.

"......"

"......"

"If you don't want to believe me, don't. Anyway, you returned to the country today, didn't you? Are you planning to stay here?"

As soon as they got married, Tae Ju-ha had lived in America for a whole year.

In-hyuk had naturally assumed she would find her own place upon her return.

"It's my house too, you know. And it's close to the office, so it's convenient for commuting."

She wasn't wrong, but it still didn't sit right with In-hyuk.

"Haa... Then I'll just stay elsewhere."

In-hyuk had no intention of living with Tae Ju-ha.

He knew there was something Tae Seokho wanted him to do, but he assumed it would be smoothed over if Tae Ju-ha didn't come home.

Of course, even if they did end up living together, he'd never intended to follow her wishes from the start.

As he turned to gather his things and go to his room, she spoke.

"You know very well that's not what the chairman and my father want."

Her tone made it clear she hadn't chosen to move in of her own accord.

In-hyuk responded expressionlessly.

"You finally got what you wanted—becoming CEO of Taeshin Asset Management. Do you really need to care what they think anymore?"

Somehow, he'd come back to the past, inhabiting the married Kang In-hyuk.

But what he needed to accomplish going forward didn't depend on that relationship.

"Could it be... you found out about the deal I made with my father?"

Tae Ju-ha hadn't mentioned that issue at the wedding either.

Nor could In-hyuk find anything about it in the original Kang In-hyuk's memories.

But since Tae Ju-ha became CEO of Taeshin Asset Management after a year, he could guess.

"Not all of it."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. And the deal isn't over yet."

"What's left?"

If there weren't any major issues, In-hyuk was even considering divorce.

"Even though I became CEO, it's hard to keep that seat with only the shares I have. That's why my father agreed to give me the shares I need after two years of marriage."

"So you intended to divorce from the very start?"

Tae Ju-ha bit her lip lightly at that.

If the marriage lasted less than three years, division of property didn't apply except in special cases.

For them, no matter how you looked at it, In-hyuk was just there to suppress Tae Ju-ha's strength—nothing more, nothing less.

"... That's right."

"If all we have to do is stay married, then I could just live elsewhere, couldn't I?"

"The chairman wouldn't approve."

Even at the age of 92, chairman Tae Gun-seung of Taeshin Group was still vigorous.

Because of that, he wouldn't relinquish his position, and his sons, Tae Seok-hyun and Tae Seokho, couldn't oppose him openly.

Let alone the grandchildren, who had to be even more conscious of his opinion.

"So, are you saying we need to live together here for the remaining year?"

"It'll be uncomfortable, but there's no helping it. And you must have wanted something from the marriage too, didn't you?"

There was no way to know what the original Kang In-hyuk's intentions were.

But just the files on the H&T Fund he found in the company drawer made it clear it wasn't out of pure affection for Tae Ju-ha.

"I've changed my mind now."

"Then I ask you—let's just keep this up for one more year. In return, within my power, I'll see to it you get what you want."

To Tae Ju-ha, the CEO seat at Taeshin Asset Management was clearly important.

'What does she want to do as CEO? What happened there that got her killed?'

The most likely issue was the data about the H&T Fund she had.

Of course, the accident could have been coincidence, but if not, it was probably because she crossed Tae Seokho.

"If you put it like that, I do have one condition."

"What is it?"

"I want you not to interfere, no matter how our team invests."

"You mean Equity Investment Team 3? But that's under the purview of the executives and each division. Even as CEO, I can't interfere with everything."

In-hyuk knew that all too well.

"There won't be any losses. And if there's a problem, I'll take responsibility and resign. Even if that happens, I'll continue with the marriage for the remaining period."

It was a reasonable offer. Tae Ju-ha considered briefly, then replied.

"... Does that mean the investment will be high risk?"

"Isn't there risk in any investment?"

Tae Ju-ha didn't dwell on it.

"... Fine. I'll speak to Director Choo In-woo."

He was the head of the stock investment division at Taeshin Asset Management.

"You already have allies, don't you?"

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to answer with such certainty.

"I'm only a half-representative for now. I need someone to support me until I can fully claim the position."

"Anyone among the executives?"

"......"

Tae Ju-ha's lips twisted slightly.

In-hyuk could guess the answer without her saying it.

"I understand what you mean. Anyway, since we're living together, let's get along."

"Rather than greetings... shouldn't you at least put some clothes on first, even if it is late?"

Tae Ju-ha and Heo Yu-rim glanced pointedly at the wall and ceiling.

Only then did In-hyuk realize he was standing there nearly naked, just in a bathrobe, and the collar was disheveled from almost attacking Tae Ju-ha earlier.

"... Sorry about that. I have things to do, so I'll just get dressed and be on my way."

He pulled the robe shut and quickly disappeared into the room.

Meanwhile, Tae Ju-ha, perhaps feeling the room heat up, fanned her face with her hand.

"That was the most awkward thing, but at least it's resolved now."

"Y-Yes, it was. Um, CEO! Should I help organize your stuff?"

"It's fine. You can go home. Thank you for today."

"All right. Then I'll see you on Monday."

Heo Yu-rim, her face flushed, left the apartment.

Alone in the living room, Tae Ju-ha let out a shallow sigh and headed back to her room. Then she spotted a round mark on the wall near the door.

It was from In-hyuk swinging something and hitting the wall earlier. The floor was also littered with bits of pen.

"Was he always like that?"

Before the wedding, if there was no reason, he barely said a word.

They'd never even had a proper conversation before getting married.

But the In-hyuk she'd just seen somehow felt different. His speech was colder and more combative than before.

. . .

In-hyuk put on a casual outfit and a padded jacket and stepped outside.

Though he'd planned to check on Baek Si-hwan, his destination was a café behind the officetel building.

"Oh, you're here~?"

There, even in the cold weather, Go Mi-ah was sitting and eating a blueberry smoothie.

"What? Oppa? Do you know how much trouble you put me through?"

"Why? Is your wife jealous? I heard you two are a famous show-window couple... Or is that not it?"

"Not really."

After getting his coffee, Go Mi-ah got straight to the point.

"Let's finish what we were talking about before. How exactly are you going to help me earn ten billion dollars?"

Apparently she'd been so curious about it that she messaged him while he was talking with Tae Ju-ha, demanding they meet again.

"You know where I work, right?"

"Taeshin Asset Management. You're the parachuted department head of Equity Investment Team 3."

"Parachuted... Not wrong, I guess."

"So what does making me money have to do with your company? Wait... you want me to be your client?"

In-hyuk smiled at her, picking up his iced Americano.

"No. You're going to set up a company and invest based on the information I give you. I'll connect you with a backer who'll provide the capital."

"You're saying I should run the company myself?"

In-hyuk typed something on his phone and sent it to her.

"That's right. And what I just sent is a name and pension number you can use as a nominee. With those, register a company in the Cayman Islands. Call it whatever you like."

"You think a company can just be set up overnight? What about the expenses?"

He sent her another message.

"There's a broker named Jacob Greer. Call that number. I'll get you the cash you need by next week."

Go Mi-ah looked at In-hyuk in disbelief.

"... Just what are you?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm your everyday office worker."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"You better believe it. Otherwise, you won't earn ten billion dollars. Anyway, just let me know when you've got everything ready."

After finishing the rest of his coffee, In-hyuk stood up.