A few months after Cheon Sungheon realized things, a bolt of lightning began to strike his family which almost destroyed them overnight.
The collapse began when an anonymous tip reached a lawmaker, and he demanded the head of the National Tax Service conduct a tax investigation on a company headed by Cheon Sungheon’s grandfather during a parliamentary session.
As a result of the tax investigation conducted by four teams from the Seoul Regional Tax Service’s Investigation Bureau 1, the additional tax amount to be paid by their family was expected to reach hundreds of billions of won.
It wasn’t just their company that was hit by lightning.
An investigative agency notified Cheon Sungheon’s family that they’d be summoned as suspects in several cases.
— The lawyers are ready. Just match the timing. We’ll push the wheelchair well from behind and a good picture will come out.
— Are you telling me to stand in front of the reporters?
— You want your son to face the people?
— N-no, father, where am I supposed to send my sick son then?!
— What kind of safety are you talking about?! If you’d just taken care of your son in the first place, none of these things would happen!
Everyone received a summon, starting with Cheon Sungheon’s half-brother, who was the vice president of a key affiliate.
In the end, everyone except Cheon Sungheon was indicted without detention.
In addition to major charges like tax evasion, marketplace manipulation, bribery, infringement of trade secrets, fraudulent transactions, and business malpractice, there were many detailed and additional charges that came out after a series of investigations.
Their stock prices fell day by day amid rumors that Cheon Sungheon’s family would soon collapse.
Among the many shareholders of their company, only Cheon Sungheon was smiling.
‘It’s going well. We have the same blood anyway, and that means I’m just as ruthless as them.’
The anonymous tip-off was from Cheon Sungheon.
He was only reluctant to shine because of his jealous half-brother, but Cheon Sungheon was actually born with the great talents of a businessman.
He had an excellent eye and extensive knowledge of business operations and the flow of funds, and it wasn’t that difficult to recognize internal illegal activities in the company.
‘I thought someone would at least suspect me… It seems like I overestimated this family.’
Even as the situation got worse, no one suspected Cheon Sungheon.
He was wise enough not to show any hint of hostility to his family in public, and more than anything, no one would think that Cheon Sungheon would attack a company that would be his in the future.
‘…Maybe they don’t even remember who Euishin hyung is.’
Just as those people easily destroyed Jo Euishin’s life, perhaps the thought of him hadn’t even crossed their minds after.
That’s why Cheon Sungheon’s family never had a doubt about the gentle-looking Cheon Sungheon.
Aside from that, there was one more reason.
— You know this, but I haven’t touched anything about your admission process, and your grades are all clean. Don’t worry about it.
— Thank you.
— Yeah, your advice last time was quite helpful. The share adjustment you suggested last time…
Cheon Sungheon was also attacked by the media and the prosecutors.
Cheon Sungheon, who hasn’t graduated from university yet, was suspected of corruption in the admission process and illegal solicitation to professors to improve his grades.
He entered one of Korea’s most prestigious universities with his own skills, but his half-brother did not.
When his half-brother’s illegal admission to the university was discovered, Cheon Sungheon was naturally suspected as well, and someone even gave an anonymous tip which led to his being investigated as well.
Even when Cheon Sungheon’s professors vouched for him and even provided data from the admissions office, the media was stubborn about the case.
‘There are only suspicions in my case, there’s no concrete evidence. I didn’t know it would get this big.’
When he plotted his revenge, Cheon Sungheon accepted the fact that he would be just another piece on the chessboard waiting to be used.
And so when he gave the anonymous tip, he knew he would be risking his name without hesitation.
Using the secret of his birth, the media tried to paint a story of Cheon Sungheon, the illegitimate son, being entered into a university by his rich family in order for him to become a competent successor.
As a result, the people who were hovering around Cheon Sungheon disappeared like ebb and flow.
Even though the results of the investigations weren’t released yet, a lot of people began to treat Cheon Sungheon as a student illegally admitted to the school.
‘This is for the better. The silence is nice.’
In the meantime, Jo Euishin remained unchanged.
There’s no way he hasn’t seen the news, but he still treated Cheon Sungheon as a close hoobae.
That strengthened Cheon Sungheon’s resolve further.
‘I should see this to the end for Euishin hyung.’
He had no intention of stopping his revenge on just his half-brother in the first place.
As long as that wicked family has strength left in their blood, who knows what things they are capable of?
Cheon Sungheon wanted to take away their power to control other people’s lives.
— What do you mean the lawyers want to resign?!
— Someone above is messing with us!
— That CEO Choi punk had just gained some things, go look into him. Maybe it’s that bastard who’s behind all these.
— You had a big fight with your cousin in the past, right? Maybe…
As the saying goes, dark ghosts appear when suspicions arise.
The family began to suspect their relatives one by one.
Cheon Sungheon coldly watched the family slowly crumble.
‘I shouldn’t show any mercy. It’s going to strike me back one day.’
Cheon Sungheon thoroughly destroyed his family.
It is said that even if a rich family goes bankrupt, they can still last for approximately three years, but Cheon Sungheon didn’t want to see that happen.
His stepmother made a grave mistake when their lawyers wanted to resign from the intense legal battle.
— There’s a ‘hospital’ called a ‘hotel’. Father, we’re thinking of putting our son there.
— I said he’d see this fight to the end in court…
— And what? If we don’t get him out of here, he’ll be sentenced and immediately arrested in court! I’m going to send him to that ‘hotel’ to cool off.
Cheon Sungheon’s stepmother didn’t want her paralyzed son to go to prison.
There is a prison in Korea dedicated to disabled inmates, and it’s obvious that a son of a chaebol family is bound to get special treatment, but his mother hated the idea very much.
And so she planned to take advantage of a loophole in the law to save her son.
— We can prevent imprisonment if he’s hospitalized. He already has a health condition, so it’s going to be easier.
— It’s not going to be as easy as you think. He’s already submitted all medical records to the military to report his exemption.
— There’s a place in the neuropsychiatry department that gives out medical certificates. Start from there.
Cheon Sungheon saw this as an opportunity to further carry out his revenge.
He began to move as soon as he knew of his stepmother’s plan.
He decided that his half-brother should be hospitalized in another hospital, not at the ‘hotel’ that they were talking about.
Not knowing that the name of the hospital they were originally eyeing had changed, the stepmother put a lot of money to put her son through hell.
His stepbrother became stuck in a mental ward in a restraining jacket while all communication devices were taken away from him.
Meanwhile, his ignorant mother was proud that she was able to “save her son”.
— How did things go with the kid?
— It’s a place that can’t be easily reached by reports or the police. No one’s going to be able to reach him for the time being.
Maybe by the time they could reach their son again, they’d be completely bankrupt and won’t be able to afford to take him out.
Well, his family would be in prison anyway so it wouldn’t matter.
And a year after Cheon Sungheon’s revenge.
By the time the attention on Cheon Sungheon, who was the only one in the family acquitted of all suspicions, had cooled, he left their house and completely put behind the life that he had.
Everyone in his family was imprisoned, so there was no one to stop him.
Even distant relatives were rather happy with Cheon Sungheon leaving as they were able to take control of the previous company’s management.
Chung Sungheon unsubscribed himself from the chaebol family and headed to a certain gosiwon.
— …Sungheon-ah, what are you doing here?
Jo Euishin, who just came home from his part-time job, looked surprised to see Cheon Sungheon sitting at the counter of the goshiwon.
Cheon Sungheon replied with a smile.
— I’m going to work here as the general manager starting today, Euishin hyung.
Jo Euishin didn’t ask further and continued to treat Cheon Sungheon as he always did.
He wanted to take Jo Euishin out of the gosiwon right away, but he knew that his sunbae wouldn’t agree so he just decided to work at the gosiwon to take care of him.
‘Hyung will be able to freely get a job now. I’m going to work at the gosiwon for a while and then… I’ll quit right away.’
Now there wasn’t anyone who would interfere with Jo Euishin’s life.
There won’t be people from service companies who will threaten landlords to drive away Jo Euishin.
However, Jo Euishin continued to be locked in his room ever since.
‘…What’s going on? Maybe because Euishin hyung was unemployed for a year? Why isn’t any HR team looking at Euishin hyung? Have their eyes all gone bad?’
Contrary to Cheon Sungheon’s worries, when his half-brother’s influence disappeared, Jo Euishin eventually succeeded in getting a job.
What he didn’t expect at all though was that Jo Euishin would receive a death sentence while conforming to company health examination policies.
‘Since he’s been busy and having a hard time, maybe hyung should get some rest. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a break first before getting a formal job.’
Cheon Sungheon could only comfort Jo Euishin by giving him snacks and cough medication.
But despite Jo Euishin’s grave condition, he never failed to worry about Cheon Sungheon first.
— You haven’t graduated yet. When are you going back to school? Some professors asked me about you too.
Cheon Sungheon took a leave of absence from school due to the controversies he and his family had faced.
However, the controversy had already been resolved and his advisor also recommended that he return to school.
Jo Euishin recommended the same, as well as introduced him to a different part-time job.
— My former student needs a private tutor. Do you want to take it?
— You won’t do it, hyung?
— I’m busy applying to other jobs, so…
The compensation received from the job recommended to him by Jo Euishin was much larger than what he makes at the gosiwon.
Jo Euishin never said anything directly, but he seemed to want Cheon Sungheon to quit his job at the gosiwon.
Cheon Sungheon became increasingly anxious.
‘…He’s coughing so much these days. Shouldn’t I take him to a hospital? But something’s a bit odd about hyung.’
Cheon Sungheon couldn’t pinpoint it.
He had all kinds of doubts and guesses in his mind, but too many negative things filled his head.
And one day, when the final chapter of PMH was uploaded…
‘I shouldn’t disturb Euishin hyung…’
He decided not to bother Jo Euishin, a fan and long-time player of PMH, but he was extremely anxious for some reason.
He hovered around Jo Euishin’s room, pretending to clean the area.
— Uwek… Cough… Cough…
He could hear Jo Euishin’s coughs through the thin door.
He usually has coughing fits that last a few seconds, but this one was especially long.
Cheon Sungheon decided to knock.
“Euishin hyung, it’s me, Sungheon. Are you okay?”
— Cough… Cough… Ughh!
Instead of an answer, more aggressive coughs were heard by Cheon Sungheon.
Cheon Sungheon felt like something was wrong.
“Hyung, I’m coming in!”
He opened the door and was met with a blinding light.
After the light subsided, he could barely register the small room and the bed with several pieces of paper and a smartphone.
And blood.
However, there was no sign of Jo Euishin.
When he looked around the room, Cheon Sungheon discovered a white envelope.
He opened it and read the contents with a perplexed face.
‘This is…’
On the envelope, Cheon Sungheon’s name was written.
It was a suicide note.
