Chapter 43: The Reason She Got Into an Accident

After lunch, Chairman Park Yeongil hurriedly left, saying that he had business to attend to. Cha Jiham understood that the old man had deliberately left him alone to handle things, but he did not show it.

The moment he returned to the department head's office, he was immediately greeted by Saho, who leaped into his arms as though he had been waiting all this time. Sitting in the chief's chair with the wild cat in his lap, Jiham gestured for Chief Secretary Kang Inhan and Korea Investment Venture Fund Director Cho Myeongsu to sit down. They took seats on either side of him.

Stroking Saho's head, Jiham addressed Director Cho.

“Buy as many shares of Endivia as possible.”

“There must be a good reason for that, right?” Director Cho asked.

“At the moment, Endivia's stock growth has slowed because of disruptions in the supply of high-bandwidth HBM chips. Once news hits the media that Hangang Electronics will be supplying those semiconductors, the stock price will shoot through the roof and soar into the sky.”

“Ah, now I understand what you mean,” Cho Myeongsu nodded.

Leaving Director Cho to ponder that, Jiham turned toward Kang Inhan.

“The people in the debt collection department... were they recruited from orphanages or among former convicts?”

“No. About half of them are former special forces soldiers, ex-police officers, and professional athletes.”

“I see. Ah, I almost forgot. Please assign a male secretary to my office.”

“Is there a particular reason for that decision?”

“Chief Kang, you know very well what effect that herbal tranquilizer I took has,” Jiham hinted.

At the moment, Cha Jiham was seriously worried that a female secretary might start wagging her tail in front of him.

“I understand your concerns, but if we do that, others may interpret it differently.”

“Differently?... Ah, you mean they'll think I prefer men?”

“Haha. I won't deny that possibility. Then perhaps when recruiting a secretary, we can simply mention that the department head already has a fiancée whom he intends to marry?”

‘Because of the effects of that tranquilizer, I have to resort to tricks like this.’

“Come to think of it, that's the cleanest and most reliable solution.”

“Haha. Very well, then.”

“By the way, when will I receive the report regarding the hit-and-run accident involving my younger sister?”

Kang Inhan immediately dialed someone, issued a brief order, and hung up.

“Department Head, a place has already been prepared for you in the conference room.”

“Well then, let's head there.”

Jiham had intended to leave Saho behind before going to the meeting. However, sensing something, the wild cat darted toward the door faster than his master. No matter how one looked at it, taking a wild cat into a conference room seemed inappropriate.

“You stay here,” Jiham said firmly.

But Saho froze by the door, clearly showing that he intended to go all the way. Watching the animal's stubbornness, Kang Inhan spoke.

“Perhaps we should take him with us?”

“He'll just make noise.”

“My opinion differs from yours a little, Chief Cha.”

“What do you mean?”

“Last Saturday night, when a black sedan parked in the alley in front of your house for two or three minutes, this little fellow instinctively sensed danger. And it turned out that the man sitting in that car is a key figure in your sister's accident.”

That changed everything.

“Fine, Meowy. If you promise to behave and not wreck the place, I'll take you.”

As though he understood human speech, Saho purred and wagged his tail ingratiatingly.

‘He acts exactly like a dog even though he's not one...’

***

Conference room.

As soon as Jiham opened the door and entered, Security Team Head Jeong Gwangseok and all the employees instantly jumped to their feet in greeting. Such overt respect was still unfamiliar to Jiham, but he decided not to show it. Even though he had dropped onto them like a well-connected parachute appointment, the fact remained that he was now their direct superior.

Walking confidently to the head seat, Jiham sat down. Kang Inhan and Director Cho Myeongsu took seats to his right and left. Saho deftly jumped onto the table itself and sprawled out comfortably like he owned the place.

Looking around at the employees whose faces were tense to the extreme, Jiham spoke calmly.

“Please sit.”

“Yes, Department Head.”

Like soldiers following regulations, they answered in unison and sat down together.

Pointing at the cat lying on the table, Jiham began.

“This wild cat's name is Saho. He has been trained to understand human speech.”

“Chief Cha, Saho doesn't exactly look like an ordinary house cat, am I right?” one employee asked.

“That's right. In fact, he isn't a cat at all, but a wild leopard cat.”

...

Heavy silence immediately settled over the conference room. It was obvious that everyone present knew what kind of predator that was. To ease their fears, Jiham quickly added:

“Saho is very well trained, so there's nothing to worry about. When the time comes, I plan to release him back into the wild.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Team Head Jeong, I'd like to hear the results of the investigation into the accident involving my younger sister.”

Upon hearing his name, Security Team Head Jeong Gwangseok stood up and began his report in a steady voice.

“On January 27 of last year, around 11:30 p.m., Cha Hyeonji was crossing the road at a crosswalk near Jonggak Station when she was struck by a red sports car that ran a red light. Unfortunately, there were no surveillance cameras in the area, but two witnesses were found. Their names were Han Jeongsu and Park Seunghun, and they were friends.”

“I heard that those witnesses emigrated to Canada and New Zealand in September last year. Have you discovered why they left so suddenly?” Jiham asked.

“At present, both men are officially listed as missing persons, so we have been unable to determine the exact reason. However, it is known that before that they repeatedly failed to find jobs.”

Jiham immediately connected the dots. From the beginning, the culprit had planned to eliminate the witnesses. He had approached them, tempted them with overseas employment, and then disguised their murders in Canada and New Zealand as accidents.

Jiham voiced his suspicions and asked Jeong Gwangseok whether they were correct.

“We share exactly the same opinion, Department Head,” Jeong Gwangseok confirmed.

“I see. Have you identified the person responsible?”

“One moment, please.”

As soon as Team Head Jeong finished speaking, the lights dimmed and an image of a man who appeared to be in his forties appeared on the screen.

And then things got out of control.

The moment Saho saw the photograph, he bared his sharp fangs, crouched low on the table, and assumed an aggressive stance, preparing to pounce.

“Saho, do you know the man in this picture?” Jiham asked in surprise.

The wild cat growled deeply and nodded clearly.

“Wait... This man came to our house when Hyeonji and I weren't home?”

Saho let out another furious growl and nodded again.

“So that's how it is. Team Head Jeong, can you tell me who this man is?”

“His name is Li Jiahan. He is a Chinese citizen who entered our country in February of the year before last. According to our confirmed information, he is a high-ranking executive of a triad whose main base is somewhere in China.”

Even at first glance, Jiham had instinctively sensed that the man was Chinese, and his intuition had not failed him.

“Weren't the triads completely destroyed during the large-scale purge carried out by the Chinese government?” he asked.

“The media portrayed it that way, but reality is far from the headlines. Still, there is no denying that their influence is much weaker than before.”

“However, they are still active in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South America, and the United States,” Kang Inhan added to help Jiham understand the situation better.

“I see. Chief Kang, do you know where this triad's headquarters are?”

“There are rumors about Hong Kong and Macau, but no one knows the exact location.”

Jiham nodded and turned back to Jeong Gwangseok.

“So this bastard was the driver who hit my sister and fled?”

“We cannot say with certainty whether he was personally behind the wheel. But there is no doubt that he is directly connected to the accident.”

“And what is that conclusion based on?”

“By tracing the witnesses' contacts and movements before they disappeared, we determined that this man personally offered them opportunities to relocate.”

No matter how prosperous Canada and New Zealand were, they were still foreign lands for Koreans. The witnesses must have understood that, yet they had still chosen to emigrate. Jiham asked whether they knew what had pushed them to make that decision.

“Since we cannot question them directly, we do not know the exact reason. However, we have confirmed that after moving to Canada and New Zealand, they lived lavishly and denied themselves nothing.”

“So Li Jiahan simply bought their silence with money and sent them abroad?”

“That is also my opinion.”

“And how did they settle down overseas?”

“Both men were fictitiously employed by companies with Chinese capital. As it turned out, those firms have deep ties to the triad.”

“I see. Continue.”

“Only two days after Li Jiahan arrived in Canada, Han Jeongsu disappeared without a trace. Immediately afterward, the target flew to New Zealand, and three days later Park Seunghun disappeared there as well.”

“So this bastard personally eliminated the witnesses?”

“We have no direct evidence yet, but the probability is extremely high. Moreover, this very man was sitting inside the car that was watching your house in the alley last week.”

At that moment, an important thought flashed through Jiham's mind.

“But how did this scumbag even find out that Han Jeongsu and Park Seunghun were witnesses?”

“We discovered that an internet media outlet had originally taken interest in Cha Hyeonji's accident and intended to publish an investigation.”

“But nothing about my sister's accident was ever published online.”

“That point interested us as well. We made an inquiry to the company and received an official reply that the article had supposedly been deemed lacking in journalistic value and discarded. However, we recently obtained intelligence that Li Jiahan personally met with the upper management of that media company.”

His younger sister Hyeonji might have been slightly behind Yun Sola in looks, but she was still exceptionally attractive. On top of that, she was an outstanding student in the business administration department at Seoul National University, the country's most prestigious university.

News that a beautiful student from an elite university had become the victim of a brutal hit-and-run would have caused a huge sensation online and drawn tremendous attention. Knowing that publicity would do him no favors, Li Jiahan had simply bribed the company's executives to destroy the article.

“Trash. They're even worse than recyclable waste,” Jiham muttered through clenched teeth.

“You can say that again, Chief Cha.”

“Most likely that media company also leaked the personal information of the witnesses and my sister to Li Jiahan?”

“I lean toward that conclusion as well. However, we should not forget that not everyone in the police force is honest.”

In other words, corrupt police officers might have leaked the information.

“Right... Come to think of it, that's entirely possible. By the way, how is my sister's protection going?”

“From the moment Cha Hyeonji leaves the house until she returns, a team of four operatives follows her closely. However, while she is attending university lectures, working as a tutor, or staying at home, the men remain outside.”

“I'll tell her about the protection myself when the time is right. Until then, keep it secret.”

“You need not worry about that at all,” Jeong Gwangseok answered confidently.

“During your surveillance, have you had any direct encounters with Li Jiahan?”

“We haven't seen him again since Saturday night.”

‘Hmm... So Li Jiahan only appears when we're not home. What exactly are his intentions?’

“Still,” Jiham asked another question, “if Li Jiahan eliminated the witnesses so ruthlessly, why hasn't he reached out with those dirty hands to my sister?”

“Our police are very efficient. Most likely, in order to minimize risks and avoid causing trouble inside South Korea, he chose to first move Han Jeongsu and Park Seunghun to Canada and New Zealand before getting rid of them there.”

“Hm, that does make sense.”

“Forgive my bluntness, Chief Cha, but I believe that bastard will attempt to harm Cha Hyeonji in the near future.”

Jiham thought exactly the same as Jeong Gwangseok. It would be foolish to believe that Li Jiahan, who had murdered ordinary witnesses, would spare the key figure—his sister.

“Because of that accident, my sister spent nearly ten months in the hospital. Even now, she suffers from severe aftereffects and complications. I don't want her to go through that pain again.”

“Even if it costs us our lives, we will provide Cha Hyeonji with ironclad protection,” Jeong Gwangseok vowed firmly.

“What is this nonsense about sacrificing your lives?”

“Take it as a metaphor for the fact that Cha Hyeonji's protection will be absolutely flawless,” Kang Inhan hurriedly interjected. “Chief Cha, every man currently protecting your sister came from elite special forces units. They can deal with someone like Li Jiahan with one hand tied behind their backs.”

“Very well. But remember this: no matter what happens, Li Jiahan must be captured alive.”

“May I ask the reason for that order?”

“That bastard is the only one who knows where the bodies of the murdered witnesses are hidden.”

“Ah...” Kang Inhan murmured in understanding, nodding as he completely grasped Cha Jiham's intention.