The night was quiet in the Ryu residence, except for the low hum of the security system and the soft rustling of papers on Tae-jun’s desk. Yize stood by the window, arms crossed, staring at the city lights below as if the answers were hidden in their flicker.
Finally, he said it.
“Su-ah is behind them.”
Tae-jun looked up.
“Behind who?”
“Han-se. Ji-ho.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP074r0cYPg
Yize’s voice was steady.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2Te1ykKs8
“She’s pulling both of their strings.”
Tae-jun’s fingers froze midway turning a page.
“Just her?”
“Yes. But what’s strange is…”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmdg3t4Jke
Yize hesitated.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFHW1YNmNn
“…they obey her like dogs. No hesitation. No questioning.”
Tae-jun leaned back slowly, eyes narrowing.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecdXOm71v2
His brain clicked.
“Then we’re not looking at just manipulation. She has a leash on them.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkU7bEWUblc
“Something powerful enough to keep two grown men—two chaebol heirs—under her thumb.”
Yize nodded.
“Min-jae was under her influence once too… but it looks like she disposed of him when he wasn’t useful.”
Tae-jun clicked his tongue.
“Ryu Su-ah. Korea’s beloved actress. Sweet, kind, ‘nation’s sweetheart.’”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBy5w21VVT
He scoffed.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCfABvgsnN
“She’s a dangerous breed.”
THE ACCIDENT — MIN-JUN INVESTIGATES
That same afternoon, Tae-jun ordered:
“Min-jun. Re-check the vehicle from the accident. I want every screw, every bolt reviewed.”
Hours later, Min-jun returned with files, USBs, and photos.
He threw them onto the table.
“Hyung… the car had one small problem outside. Something no one would notice.”
He pointed to an image.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrFlpqj9lI
A tiny scratch near the fuel line cap.
“But inside? It was a disaster waiting to happen.”
Tae-jun leaned closer.
Min-jun pulled out the internal diagram.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijKbBKyr7c
Red marks everywhere.
“The fuel injection regulator was tampered.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YfegoJGPI
“Brake fluid line pressure altered.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSXyZ6bwNW
“And the steering column had a delayed-response chip installed.”
He continued:
“Individually, these issues look like aging car problems. But together? They guarantee a failure within 3–5 minutes of high-speed driving.”
Yize exhaled sharply.
“Someone planned it perfectly.”
Min-jun’s eyes darkened.
“And one more thing… hyung.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuq8OvyXy1
“The day before the accident, Kang Hae-jin met our grandfather for drinks. After they left, Grandpa went home. But Kang Hae-jin took two hours to reach his house.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlTxfMW9uF
“No cameras caught where he went.”
Silence.
Tae-jun’s voice was soft. Too soft.
“The driver?”
“Dead end,” Min-jun replied.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtYQC3hm0z
“His files vanished. No digital footprint. No employment record. Nothing.”
Tae-jun stood up slowly.
“Leave Kang Hae-jin to me. I’ll handle him… in my way.”
Yize and Min-jun exchanged uneasy glances.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8Hg41cECV
They had no idea what Tae-jun just decided.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyu4HhKXho
But they did know this:
Whenever Tae-jun got that look…44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPfUSMvaQ3
someone’s life changed forever.
And in Tae-jun’s mind, one name surfaced like a haunting whisper:
Kang Hae-won.
THE COLLAPSE OF DA-EUN — AND THE ABANDONED GIRL
Days passed, and the Ryu households shook with scandal.
Ryu Hyung-min publicly divorced Shin Da-eun.
“I will not take responsibility for Ye-rim. She isn’t my daughter.”
Ye-rim stood frozen, face white, as her world collapsed.
Da-eun grabbed Han-se’s sleeve, begging:
“Please take care of your sister—please!”
Han-se stepped back, cold, disgusted.
“Step-sister, you mean.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluzrncD0Im
He kicked her hand away.
Ryu Da-eun was thrown out, bags on the street, crying.
At the same time…
Yoon Hye-jin divorced Sang-ho and left with Ryu Na-eun.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUe6pBTiMld
Both mother and daughter continued their art curator life, moving far away from the Ryu chaos.
But Ye-rim?
She had no one.
No father.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvz2e8jltGj
No mother.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ258ccFNydo
No siblings.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6oBbxGpri
No home.
She knelt in the Ryu garden, trembling.
That’s when Tae-jun approached her.
“Do you want my help?”
Ye-rim laughed bitterly.
“As if you’d help without wanting something.”
Tae-jun gave her a calm smile.
“Do one thing for me. I’ll settle you in Monaco. Money. Job. Apartment. You’ll start fresh.”
Ye-rim’s breath caught.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBVVI63dXd
Monaco… freedom… escape…
“What do you want me to do?”
Tae-jun placed a small metal device in her palm.
“Put this in Han-se’s car. Somewhere he won’t check. It’ll attach like a magnet.”
Ye-rim stared at it.
She understood.
YE-RIM’S MISSION
The next day she asked, forcing a soft voice:
“Oppa… can you drive me to the salon?”
Han-se hesitated but pitied her.
“...Fine.”
During the ride, as he scrolled through his phone at a red light, Ye-rim slid the device under the seat.
It clicked silently — magnetic lock.
Mission complete.
Hours later, she left Korea…44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF43gOq1cuw
And arrived in Monaco with a new identity set by Tae-jun.
THE DEVICE
What she planted?
A live tracker + real-time voice capturing chip.
THE FILTH UNCOVERED
That night, Yize brought more evidence.
“Hyung… those two—Ji-ho and Han-se—are completely rotten.”
He threw down a folder of photos, receipts, text logs.
“They own three entertainment companies. Secretly.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZSiBO7Kkc
“They run them under shell identities.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzD7gLxTbJ
“And the actresses… the trainees… they—”
Min-jun interrupted.
“They fund everything with black money. Gamble. Drugs. Bribes. Hidden parties.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFt3Qzql8z
“And guess who manages them?”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovLSlYmJpl
He looked up.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQzMIRIr0n
“Su-ah.”
Tae-jun’s eyes sharpened.
“She’s using their perversions to control them… that’s the leash.”
Yize nodded grimly.
“She’s more dangerous than we thought.”
Then Min-jun added:
“Hyung… the accident… it wasn’t just an attack.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4GNJUqzvy
He looked down.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh57JOvGRKm
Voice trembling.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJwUcA1aez
“It was a message.”
Silence crushed the room.
END OF CHAPTER — QUESTIONS RISING
Tae-jun stood up.
ns216.73.216.33da2“Yize… Min-jun…”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcV0QUAyUVX
“From now on, no mercy.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfl3x9EVxT
and then Add to home screen.