I Became a Scoundrel of a Chaebol Family-Chapter 452
Back home, Park Hyejeong stripped off her damp clothes and tossed them aside before heading into the bathroom.
Even on the drive back, her heart had been pounding so hard it felt like she’d shaved ten years off her life from the strain.
“I almost... died...”
It was only because things had turned out well that she was still alive. She had really come close to dying—
and in the most horrific way imaginable.
Even if he was a spy, to expose someone to massive doses of radiation and make them die slowly...
Was there even any reason to kill in such a grotesque way?
It drove home again just how vicious Biotech and Minji-ah really were.
In the past, such an evil act would have made rage boil up inside her,
but now, she didn’t feel that way at all.
She could think “That’s too much”, but it didn’t stir into any intense emotion.
Is it because I feel relieved?
— You know, if you see even one cockroach, the place is already crawling with them.
The spy’s death was pitiful, but thanks to his stupidity in getting caught, the overall risk level had gone up.
People would be on higher alert, and Minji-ah would be on edge as well.
And of course, Go Muyeol would be too.
He might even detect the ultra-advanced facial masking and cognitive filters that had helped her succeed in countless past missions—using more precise scans than ever.
If that happened, she would meet an end as gruesome as that aide’s, something too horrific to look at directly.
No—she might even come to think death was a blessing.
But now... I get to take the lead on this... because I... am the Chairwoman of the Intelligence Organization Committee...!
It was an incredible stroke of luck.
A spy being assigned to hunt other spies—
and not just as a participant, but as the one in charge.
Could the job possibly get any easier?
Surely this is what people meant by divine fortune.
No wonder her petty anger was buried under the overwhelming sense of relief.
...
Of course, she knew better than anyone that wasn’t the real reason.
Shhhhh.
“They... said they trusted me...”
Like an echo, Minji-ah’s words circled in her head.
— Yewon, I trust you.
“Was I... lonely?”
It was the simplest of phrases.
Something one could toss out in passing: I trust you.
It could be an empty promise, or a line meant to deceive.
But she couldn’t—no, she didn’t want to—suspect it.
She was drawn to those words “I trust you” so much that she wanted to be pulled along, to settle down quietly in that embrace.
Pfft.
A laugh slipped out.
To think she’d been driven this far, this hard.
That the great Park Hyejeong could end up like this.
“Humans really are... powerless.”
Once, she had been armed with a fierce sense of duty and patriotism,
ready to throw her life away as she entered enemy territory.
She had been the first to notice the danger Go Muyeol posed,
reporting it multiple times, and when headquarters failed to grasp it,
she had seriously considered taking matters into her own hands for the sake of the nation.
She had been ready to stake her life entirely for her country and people.
But over the past several months, her resolve, her determination, her nobility—
had been eaten away, piece by piece.
Now, she could no longer feel the passion she once had.
Words like nation and people, which once swelled her chest with pride,
now felt as plain and lifeless as stones on the roadside.
If there was anything left, perhaps it was her feelings for the colleagues who had shared her hardships—
but even that was becoming stained with resentment and betrayal.
Now she could feel it herself: there wasn’t much time left.
Truly...
not much time at all.
Not much time left for her to remain as Park Hyejeong, and not just Heo Yewon.
After her shower, she dried off and threw herself onto the waterbed in the living room.
Feeling the soft, yielding cushion beneath her, she thought for a moment before finally picking up her phone.
“...”
A passion that no longer burned.
She shone a light on the small ember barely clinging on in the ashes.
“...Please... trust me... I feel like I’m about to disappear somewhere.”
With the feeling it might be her last chance, she reached out after a week of silence.
****
“A week without answering calls or showing your face—feeling a pang of regret now?”
“You!!”
In a secluded spot they had met before,
Park Hyejeong met with Agents A and B—
on the outskirts of the Namdong Industrial Complex, at a construction site.
Before, A and B had summoned her,
but this time, she had summoned them.
“Don’t mind what he says. About last time—I’ll apologize for him. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
Even if it doesn’t seem like it... we did it for you. It was just too hard to watch...”
Grim-faced Agent A,
and B chiding him while soothing Hyejeong.
For a moment, Hyejeong’s emotions welled up at A’s words,
but she reminded herself why she had come here and gave a small nod.
Then she pulled two small USB sticks from her coat.
They were ancient tech by modern standards, but for security, physical delivery was best.
“...A spy got caught.”
“What?”
“What?”
“He was posing as an aide to one of our association’s lawmakers. And of all people, he got caught by Minji-ah... Ugh, I almost threw up my breakfast. And that was just from seeing the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) photos.”
“...”
They all held their breath.
A spy being exposed was the perfect pretext for a sweeping purge—
which meant a storm of bloodshed was coming.
The danger had just escalated beyond comparison.
“Still, even if it’s the NIS, a national agency—even black ops—how could they dispose of someone without batting an eye? And in such a horrific way?”
“...You mean someone our side sent got caught?”
“Yeah. Because of that, all our executives got called in for a dressing-down.”
“...”
“I don’t know his exact mission, but headquarters suspects his targets were Chairwoman Minji-ah, Young Master Go Muyeol... and me.”
“...You...?”
“I’m the Chairwoman of the Intelligence Organization Committee.”
“...”
“Or maybe... who knows? Maybe they just wanted to keep tabs on me. See if I’m doing my job properly.”
The agent himself might not have known—
but it was entirely possible someone at headquarters had him spying on her under the pretext of monitoring the committee chairwoman. They had always suspected her, after all.
“I haven’t exactly inspired trust lately... with the company.”
“...”
With a faintly sardonic smile, she handed them the USB sticks.
The sight of her so precarious left both B and A accepting them almost dazedly.
“That’s the guy’s real identity, uncovered by the chairwoman. He’s bound to have a partner—pass it to HQ so they can pull him out fast.”
“...”
B gripped the USB tightly, biting her lip.
“...Just stop and get out now. It’s gotten too dangerous. You can’t keep going.”
Her face was full of desperate urgency.
But—
Hyejeong simply smirked, shook her head, and put a cigarette to her lips.
“You two are always telling me to stop.”
“Hyejeong...”
“I wish you’d believe in my ability and loyalty for once.”
She lit up and exhaled a stream of smoke before continuing.
“I’ve got one more surprise for you. Like you said, they’ve started turning the place upside down—our association... and beyond that, how many ‘pests,’ as the chairwoman calls them, are crawling all over Incheon.”
“You—!”
“And I’m the one who’s going to be the bug spray.”
“What...?”
“What did you say?”
“I’ve been put in charge of the entire spy-hunting operation.”
“!!”
The two agents’ eyes went wide with shock.
“To see which people in our association are hiding their real identities—whether they’re wearing facial masks to disguise themselves... and to see how many more agents are combing through every corner of Incheon leaving markers... I’m going to collect all that intel—”
Hoooo.
“And bring it to me.”
“...!”
“So you don’t need to worry about my safety. Right now, I’m more trusted than anyone.”
“...”
“...”
The two agents said nothing.
No—
it was more accurate to say they were too shocked and baffled to even know what to say.
“I’m going to start by eliminating anyone who might interfere with our operation. And if someone suspects me—or you two—that person’s gone too. So don’t give me that ‘it’s too dangerous’ crap—”
“You really think that’s true?”
Agent A, who had been quietly listening, cut her off.
“You really think Minji-ah gave you that job because she trusts you?”
“...What else?”
“You still don’t get it, do you? How much time do you think she’s even spent looking at you before deciding to ‘trust’ you?”
“What?”
“All you’ve shown her is an excuse not to be suspected while throwing money around, wielding fake power, and hurting people. And you think she handed you that crucial job out of trust? To hunt spies? You?”
“You...”
Hyejeong’s once-composed smoking face began to twist.
So this was how they’d thought of everything she’d risked her life doing in enemy territory?
Her head throbbed like a migraine was coming on. She sighed and tilted her head to the side—
then spoke, her voice heavy with indignation, pressing each word hard.
“Because I’m the Intelligence Organization Committee Chairwoman. If not me, who would do it?”
“...Or is it because you did something that actually made you trustworthy?”
“...What?”
Agent A pulled something from her coat.
B’s eyes went wide in shock.
“You! You’re bringing that out now—”
“HQ demanded an explanation for something you did a few days ago. At the Intelligence Organization Committee.”
“Ha...”
“They want you to explain why, during committee questioning, you pressured the Planning Director—who was defending the position that ‘special activity funds are classified’—instead of supporting him.”
“Again? How many times do I have to say the same thing? Don’t I get to stop repeating myself? Can’t you two take care of this for me??”
Her plea was tinged with desperation, but neither A nor B met her eyes.
For A—really Ma Yeonju in disguise—that was expected.
But even B’s reaction meant a seed of doubt had sprouted in her mind.
Hyejeong’s increasingly warped attitude,
her stubborn clinging to the committee chair position—
even B had to admit it didn’t inspire confidence.
And the fact that she’d somehow gained Minji-ah’s strong trust was, unavoidably, a reason for suspicion.
Of course,
B wanted to trust her—did trust her—
so she erased that thought immediately.
But Hyejeong had seen that fleeting doubt.
Crack.
Her restraint snapped.
“It was work! As Assemblywoman Heo Yewon, Chairwoman of the Intelligence Organization Committee!
It was my!! Job!!! Why can’t HQ—why can’t the company trust me? You find my actions suspicious? Why?!”
“...”
“Even those devil bastards trust and support me—why can’t you? I’m doing exactly what the company tells me to, so why?!”
Agent A raised her voice too.
“Look at your own actions! Of course we have to suspect you. You’ve constantly interfered, always on the other side! And now, after a week of no contact, you show up saying you’ve gained Minji-ah’s trust and been put in charge of rooting out spies across all Incheon? How are we not supposed to check that? Even for an agent, if there’s suspicion, the protocol is—”
“Protocol!!!”
Hyejeong smashed her fist into the car window.
BANG!
It didn’t break—the car was too expensive—but the sound was loud.
“That damn protocol! This is my life on the line!!”
“...”
“Hyejeong...”
Blood trickled from her mouth.
She’d bitten her lip hard enough to split it.
Tears ran down her cheeks.
“I’m living each day with my nerves shredded to nothing... and now, on top of HQ, you two are doubting me?!”
“We’re not doubting you. We just...!”
Agent A stepped toward her.
“Just stop now. Then everything will be resolved.”
“...”
“If Heo Yewon ‘dies’ by suicide, you can get out and return. Then it’s over.”
“Over...?”
“You’ve already achieved a lot. HQ acknowledges your results. So... if you quit here, your mission ends as a complete success.”
“...”
“No matter what feelings you’ve had while doing it.”
“...!”
Hyejeong trembled violently.
Blood dripped from her mouth to her chin, to the ground—but she didn’t loosen her grip on herself.
Then she opened the car door.
Her voice came out faint and choked.
“...The USB has association-related data too, not just the agent’s identity. Check it and report it in.”
Without waiting for a reply, she got into the car.
“Hyejeong—”
B tried to stop her, but the car pulled away first.
“Ah...”
B lowered her head, her face full of guilt.
But Agent A—Ma Yeonju—just smiled as she glanced at B’s back.
++++
“...Resolved?”
Inside the car,
Park Hyejeong stared out the window with dead, fish-like eyes.
She was watching the night scenery whipping past,
but none of it really registered.
“If I quit here... everything’s resolved?”
Pfft.
“My heart... won’t be resolved.”
