Prey - Chapter 69
The fire at the orphanage occurred less than a month after that.
After that, I met with Chairman Do and went to America. I quietly stayed in the U.S. and, according to Chairman Do’s wishes, returned to Korea to enlist.
I secretly served in HID under the Defense Intelligence Command.
On the day I received my first leave, I declined Chairman Do’s offer to send a car to the front of the base.
“I decided to have a drink with the people who are on leave with me.”
That was obviously a lie.
I took a taxi and told the driver the address. While moving, I looked out to see if any vehicles were following me, but it seemed there were none.
Since I hadn’t informed the reporters yet, it seemed fine.
Lost in thought, I gazed out the window.
I heard that they would inform the press around the time of my discharge. It seemed they intended to appeal to the public with the hidden grandson as a way to reveal the chaebol heir who completed his military service in HID.
It wouldn’t be possible to suddenly expose a successor who had not existed at all to the media, so I knew they had been gradually working with the press while I was in the U.S.
I didn’t care.
In any way.
No matter how I was exposed to the world, I had no interest.
The only thing I was interested in was…
“Thank you.”
Thud.
I got out of the taxi and walked into the alley. I stopped at the end of the alley.
The country house I saw across the street was Seol Hee-nam’s home.
“……”
I stared coldly at the house.
Seol Hee-nam, who made a fortune by selling his father’s technology to a large corporation, then started his own business.
The newly built country house looked grander than the other houses nearby, proving that his business was thriving.
While it couldn’t compare to Chairman Do’s mansion, it was clear to anyone that it was the house of a successful person.
As I quietly observed, a woman came out from the front gate.
I immediately pressed my military cap down firmly and took my phone out of my pocket. Pretending to look at my smartphone, I sharply raised my gaze.
……Seol Suhyeon?
The woman with long hair was walking towards me. She was wearing a light beige shirt and jeans, carrying a bag on one shoulder.
She still had traces of her childhood face, typical of someone who had just become an adult. Her pitch-black eyes, fair skin, and especially her unusually large eyes stood out.
Seeing Seol Suhyeon approaching, I immediately fixed my gaze on my smartphone.
The woman walked past me.
In that moment, I sensed a fresh rose scent from her long hair.
“……”
Listening to the sound of her footsteps fading away, I lifted my gaze. The woman’s long hair swayed in the sunlight as she walked.
Seol Suhyeon.
Seol Hee-nam’s daughter.
And the girl who had received help at the orphanage.
“……”
I stood there for a while, watching the woman as she disappeared into the
distance.
That was the last time I saw Seol Suhyeon in Korea. I came out on leave a few
more times after that, but I never visited Seol Hee-nam’s house.
After my discharge, I began working seriously at the U.S. branch.
After hiring Manager Joo, I received periodic reports about Seol Suhyeon, but
that was all—just information about those around Seol Hee-nam.
Or at least, that’s what I thought.
Until I heard the report that Seol Suhyeon had come to study in the U.S.
While checking the report in the U.S. branch office, I looked at Manager Joo.
“Is it in America?”
“Yes.”
Manager Joo answered shortly.
“Seol Suhyeon?”
It seemed Manager Joo was trying to gauge the meaning behind my question.
He knew why I was asking him to investigate Seol Hee-nam.
Manager Joo was the only one I trusted to keep my confidence and not disclose anything to anyone, including Chairman Do, which is why I appointed him as my chief secretary.
Regardless of personal trust, a non-disclosure agreement had also been signed.
One should not trust people.
The same goes for even the closest of friends.
No, one should be most cautious about trusting close friends.
Seol Hee-nam was someone who made me painfully aware of that lesson.
“Yes. She’s studying at the Ivy League Y University in Connecticut.”
“……That’s a prestigious university.”
I tried to brush it off with a short laugh. However, I quickly lifted my gaze back to the report.
“Do you know where she lives?”
“Pardon?”
Manager Joo, who had been reporting, looked at me in surprise. I met his gaze coldly and said,
“I mean the place where Seol Suhyeon currently lives.”
Screech.
Manager Joo stopped the car.
“That’s it.”
He pointed with his finger, and there was Seol Suhyeon.
Through the café’s large window, I could see her sitting at a table by the window, reading a book.
“……”
I focused my keen gaze on her.