Chapter 123: The Secret of the Watch
TL: Aniea
'...This guy.'
Chairman Kim Seok-ho furrowed his brows as he looked at the bold young man in front of him. Otherwise, he felt like the corners of his mouth might curl up without him realizing it.
'Honestly, he exceeded my expectations.'
Even before Butler Kim recommended it, he had already thought that he should meet face-to-face and talk at least once.
It was just that he hadn’t placed much expectation on meeting Kang Woo-ju.
And for good reason. Even the most elite individuals, not to mention his own children who had been through all sorts of life experiences, would clam up in front of him and fail to say much.
'But this guy...'
From the moment he walked through the door until now, he hadn't taken his eyes off him for a second.
Maintaining a straight posture, he continued to meet his gaze directly without the slightest tremble in his pupils.
His eyes were so confident and full of certainty, to the point that they even seemed arrogant. At first, he didn’t particularly like that.
-Was that acting too?
-If I had to simply answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’, then yes. I prepared an appearance you would like, Chairman.
He hadn’t expected him to speak his mind so openly. It might sound like an obvious thing, but saying it out loud is a whole different matter.
Especially in front of the person in question.
And even more so to someone who holds your lifeline in their hands, being this brazen is no easy feat. In crude terms, one could say he’s got guts.
‘This guy. He has truly interesting eyes.’
He was different from ordinary people.
No, different from anyone else.
While Kang Woo-ju’s outward expression was endlessly calm like a lake deep within a forest, Kim Seok-ho peered into the emotions sunken beneath.
His pupils were so clear and transparent that his own reflection appeared in them. The very same gaze one gives to prey.
‘To dare show such eyes to me, Kim Seok-ho.’
Click-click-
Kim Seok-ho swallowed his laughter inwardly. Just how long had it been since someone looked at him with such a challenging gaze?
Ever since he became the head of Mirae Group and brought a daughter of a presidential family into his own, even the old men from the neighboring districts had curled their tails in front of him.
‘...Tsk tsk. If only Jin-cheol were even half like this guy.’
Thinking of his eldest son, who grovels and tries to please him every time they meet, Kim Seok-ho clicked his tongue.
Of course, this alone wasn’t enough for him to acknowledge Kang Woo-ju. He had seen countless people who postured without any real ability.
And the guy’s job was none other than an actor. Every movement and glance could very well be just part of his act.
‘...Still, it seems he’s done his homework quite thoroughly.’
While the information on Park Ji-hoon’s secret business had been provided by his own side, the fact that Kang Woo-ju even knew about JP Bank was quite intriguing.
It wasn’t publicly known information, and there were countless people in the country who didn’t even know the name.
There was no way Kang Woo-ju could’ve gotten such intel on his own, so it was obvious he had help from Kim Eun-ha.
Even taking that into account, he was clearly well-versed in the information regarding the prospective groom candidates.
‘Fine. I’ll admit you’ve got a silver tongue.’
Originally, he had only planned to scare him a little and send him away. But the story he brought up about the watch was quite interesting.
Even if it was just a rehearsed line, from the listener’s perspective, it wasn’t bad at all. He had stirred the heart of an old man, and he would have to pay for that.
So, Kim Seok-ho decided to listen to him a bit longer. Curious to see just how far Kang Woo-ju had prepared.
“You’re saying you’re more attractive than those guys?”
“Yes, I am.”
“If you're going to spout some naive bullshit about true love or anything like that, then cut it out. I don’t keep idealists around me.”
“Then why are you still wearing that wristwatch?”
“.......”
At Kang Woo-ju’s words, Chairman Kim Seok-ho looked down at his left hand for a moment. There, an old and rough wristwatch sat firmly.
‘This guy couldn’t possibly....’
No, no way.
There are only two people in the world who know the story behind this wristwatch.
And one of them, Butler Kim, would never have said anything. He himself had never mentioned it either. Which meant the chances of Kang Woo-ju finding out were as close to zero as possible.
“What about it?”
Having reached that point in his thoughts, Kim Seok-ho didn’t show a hint of being flustered and casually waved his left hand. Seeing that, Kang Woo-ju continued speaking.
“To put it simply, it’s an item that doesn’t suit the image of the chairman of Mirae Group. It’s not from a famous brand, nor is it high-end, it's suspiciously ordinary.”
“What. Do you think every chaebol chairman only drives expensive foreign cars and eats food sprinkled with gold flakes? If so, you’ve completely got the wrong idea.”
Tsk-
A wave of deep disappointment surged through Kim Seok-ho. He wondered if all that buildup had been just to say something so trivial.
Then, as if he had anticipated such a reaction, Kang Woo-ju calmly added an explanation.
“Of course, that’s not all. The reason I was curious is because the person in question is none other than the renowned watchmaker, Chairman Kim Seok-ho.”
“.......”
“A man so obsessive that he meticulously adjusts every clock in a workshop he visits only a few times a year, if he’s attached to an item, of course I’d be interested.”
“...Do you know what this is?”
“It’s nothing more than a crude guess.”
“Say it.”
Kim Seok-ho spoke with a completely serious face. This wasn’t just to intimidate like before; this was a genuine, murderous intent rising from within.
Yet Kang Woo-ju, who had touched a nerve without hesitation, remained just as composed as before. Without erasing the smile from his lips, he said,
“That wristwatch was made by the father of CEO Kim Eun-ha, who was not only your child but has now passed away, wasn’t it?”
“...Was it Butler Kim?”
Though it was practically a question of confirmation, Chairman Kim Seok-ho didn’t have the time to think that far. His mind became entangled all at once.
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Then who was it?”
“As I already said, it’s merely a guess.”
“You arrogant bastard-!!”
Unable to contain himself, Chairman Kim Seok-ho shot up from his seat. He let his fury boil over without restraint.
Even so, Kang Woo-ju did not change his expression and calmly raised his head to look at him.
“Chairman, please calm down.”
“Calm down? Did you just tell me to calm down!? I gave you some leeway because I found you amusing, but now you’re climbing over your place! Just who put you up to this....”
“The burn mark under the watch strap.”
“...What?”
Chairman Kim Seok-ho paused at the sudden and random comment. In response, Kang Woo-ju spoke a few more words.
“The item you're wearing is unique in that it has only one hole in the watch strap. Almost like it was made custom for someone.”
“.......”
“And yet, it doesn’t match your taste at all. It’s obviously not something you made yourself either. Compared to the pieces displayed in your workshop, the quality is clearly inferior.”
“.......”
“Most decisively, the timing aligns. From the year CEO Kim Eun-ha’s parents passed away, you’ve worn only that wristwatch.”
“What on earth are you talking about now...”
As Kang Woo-ju laid out the grounds for his assumptions one by one, Kim Seok-ho found himself at a loss for words.
Partly because his words were so unexpected, but mostly because the look in Kang Woo-ju’s eyes was chilling enough to cool his boiling rage.
“Since you’re so frequently involved in public affairs, it wasn’t too hard to find photographic records that helped support my assumption.”
“.......”
Even so, could this matter really be guessed at from a few photos and a vague memory of visiting the workshop once?
‘No, that’s impossible.’
On this, Kim Seok-ho could say with certainty, it was not possible. It’s just that the man standing in front of him, Kang Woo-ju, was someone who defied conventional logic.
...Was this guy a monster?
That thought came naturally.
“Please don’t look at me like that. I was just deeply impressed by someone I met before, and because of that, I looked into things a bit more thoroughly.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that now?”
“This is nothing more than a personal assumption. If Chairman ever tells me it’s ‘false,’ then I’ll take it as such.”
“.......”
Kang Woo-ju kept leaving him speechless. Chairman Kim Seok-ho glared at him for a moment, then slowly sank back onto the sofa.
“Setting everything else aside for now, explain the burn mark first. Just how much do you know? Don’t tell me Eun-ha also...”
“CEO-nim does not know yet.”
“You're wise.”
Kim Seok-ho nodded sincerely. Had Kang Woo-ju spoken carelessly, he wouldn’t have walked out of this place on his own two feet.
“It’s not a particularly great deduction. CEO Kim Eun-ha’s claustrophobia and mild fear of fire, combined with that, I simply pieced it together.”
“.......”
Though Kang Woo-ju made it sound trivial, Kim Seok-ho realized just how outrageous of a feat it truly was.
Each piece on its own couldn’t even be called information. Yet he had gathered them to get close to the truth. His ability was fearsome.
At the same time, he was again impressed by his nerve. Until just before Kim Seok-ho exploded in anger, Kang Woo-ju himself must have been uncertain.
‘...He made a bold bet.’
Had Kang Woo-ju’s guess been even slightly off, Kim Seok-ho would’ve thrown him out without hesitation.
Likewise, if their conversation had remained ordinary from the start, he would have lost all expectations for the man.
Kang Woo-ju knew this. And so he went all in. Not with anything else, but with his own life.
‘...Truly a cunning bastard.’
It was different from what Team Leader Kang Dae-ho had described, and also different from the personality Butler Kim had mentioned.
It didn’t feel like Kang Woo-ju had deceived them, but rather that he had shown them what they wanted to see. The appearance before him now must be part of that too.
In the end, his gamble had been a great success. Since he had placed his life on the scale, it was only natural he’d aim to gain plenty in return.
“What is it that you want? Since I jumped to conclusions and got angry, I’ll grant you one request within reason, as an apology.”
“I didn’t say any of this expecting something in return.”
“You dare lie in front of me?”
When Kim Seok-ho widened his eyes and issued a threat, Kang Woo-ju scratched the back of his head with an awkward expression, completely unlike before.
“Ahaha... I’m not looking for anything presumptuous. I just hope that Chairman would continue to watch over us a bit longer.”
“Now I see you're not very good at lying. No, if even that expression is part of your act...”
“It’s not that!”
Kang Woo-ju waved both hands in a panic. His flustered face made one question whether he was really the same person who had just been having a sharp conversation.
Kim Seok-ho tried to figure out which side was the real one but soon shook his head.
‘Pointless.’
Just as he had said at the beginning. There’s no meaning in separating the two. Whatever the appearance, it’s all a part of ‘Kang Woo-ju.’
‘...No wonder Eun-ha is interested.’
It was a moment when he could partially understand why Kim Eun-ha, who had never so much as glanced at any man brought before her, had chosen Kang Woo-ju.
“That’s enough. Even if you hadn’t said so, I planned to watch you for a while. So I won’t count this as your reward. Tell me something else.”
“Then there’s just one thing I’d like to ask.”
“Hm? Go ahead.”
What a brazen bastard.
Kim Seok-ho raised the corners of his mouth as he watched Kang Woo-ju jump in like he had been waiting for the moment. Could he have anticipated even this?
If so, then perhaps even a somewhat excessive request should be granted. With that thought, he waited for Kang Woo-ju to speak.
“Please tell me who killed Eun-ha ssi’s parents.”
“......!!”
But the moment Kang Woo-ju opened his mouth, Kim Seok-ho’s face twisted in devastation.
*****
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