Chapter 12

Kang Jinwook’s expression was dumbfounded as he was left alone in the place Choi Sunwoo had departed.

What just happened?

“Director!”

Secretary Kwak, who had heard the news late after finishing a meeting, came running breathlessly.

“What on earth is going on?”

Director Kang Jinwook’s face was as hard as ice. His eyes were blazing.

Secretary Kwak swallowed hard, sensing that Director Kang Jinwook seemed ready to take action at any moment.

It had been a while since Secretary Kwak had seen Director Kang Jinwook like this. He became very tense.

Until now, he had been trying to appear normal by restraining himself, but why now…?

“Secretary Kwak, bring Choi Sunwoo here right now.”

Director Kang Jinwook ordered, his eyes flashing dangerously.

“What? Secretary Choi? Where did Secretary Choi go?”

Having briefly left his post to finish the meeting and coordinate with executives, Secretary Kwak had only heard that Choi Sunwoo had left.

Had something else happened in the meantime?

“How dare he run away from me? Drag him here immediately.”

But seeing Director Kang Jinwook’s chest heaving with anger, Secretary Kwak swallowed his questions and quickly made a phone call.

“Prepare the car right away and have three guards follow.”

* * *

While Secretary Kwak was rushing to the officetel to capture Sunwoo on Director Kang Jinwook’s orders, Sunwoo had gotten off the taxi midway and was at a real estate agency.

“I want to put my house up for sale. Please do it as quickly as possible.”

Sunwoo refused the coffee offered by the agent and got straight to the point.

The agent, who couldn’t help but offer something to a customer, handed him a glass of water and clicked his tongue.

“If we put it up for a quick sale, you might not get full value…”

“That’s fine.”

Sunwoo answered slowly as he sipped the cold water several times.

Money wasn’t important anyway. The agent tilted his head at Sunwoo’s words, but soon nodded up and down. He thought that there are always people with circumstances in this world, and the young man in front of him must be one of those.

Judging by his clothes and appearance, he didn’t seem to be in urgent need of money, so the agent guessed that he might have suddenly been transferred abroad.

Having understood the situation roughly like that, the agent nodded decisively.

“Alright. I’ll try to hurry as much as possible. So when do you plan to move?”

“This week…”

Sunwoo was about to say he’d clear out this week, but changed his mind.

“No, tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

The agent couldn’t hide his bewildered expression.

He had dealt with people asking for quick sales before, but he had never met someone who said they would leave in just one day.

“Yes.”

“Um, then, is the house empty?”

“No. I’ll clear everything out today, or by tomorrow morning at the latest.”

Sunwoo was planning to call a waste disposal company as soon as he left the real estate office. And since he intended to entrust it to the fastest service, it wouldn’t take long.

“Okay. Well, I understand.”

Curiosity rose in the agent’s mind again, but he nodded and swallowed his questions.

“Still, the house won’t be sold right away. We’ll just put it on the market for now…”

“Yes. That’s fine with me.”

The agent showed another curious expression at Sunwoo’s words, but soon cut off his interest and replied.

“Alright. I’ll contact you if there’s someone who wants to see the house.”

“Yes. Please do.”

Having taken care of one task, Sunwoo left the real estate agency. The sun was still shining brightly outside.

He thought about going home to rest for a while, but soon changed his mind.

As the saying goes, ‘strike while the iron is hot’, since things had come to this, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go to the small city he had in mind and look for a house.

First, he needed to stop by the bank. He needed to know how much money he had.

Sunwoo looked around and headed to the nearest bank he could find. He thought he’d ask if it was the bank he used, and if not, he’d look for another one. Luck was on his side, as it turned out to be his main bank.

As soon as his identity was confirmed, Sunwoo was guided to the VIP room and learned about his assets through the branch manager. He left with a dumbfounded expression, surprised by the assets that were more than he had expected.

The newly issued bankbook had an overwhelming number printed on it, and the amount in trust was also enormous.

Also, on the branch manager’s recommendation, he spoke with someone called a proxy that he didn’t even know existed, and it seemed there were quite a few properties in Secretary Choi’s name.

“I really was… rich.”

With this kind of wealth, it seemed he could really live as a lifelong unemployed person. No, he could even open a small bookstore and run it at a loss without much problem.

Sunwoo looked down at the envelope of cash he had withdrawn to avoid possible tracking, and without hesitation, got into a taxi.

“Well… It’s quite a distance, so the fare will be quite high.”

“It’s okay. I’ll pay double.”

Sunwoo, now a wealthy unemployed person with money to spare, boldly held up two fingers. The taxi driver blinked, calculated for a moment, and then nodded willingly.

“Alright! Let’s go! What the heck, let’s consider it a drive.”

A drive and double pay. The taxi driver started the car, humming a tune. And so, Sunwoo headed towards a small city a bit away from Seoul in the taxi.

* * *

At that time, Secretary Kwak appeared at Sunwoo’s officetel with three suited guards. The security guard watching the front of the officetel spotted Secretary Kwak and bowed in greeting.

Secretary Kwak returned the greeting with an expressionless nod and went up. Standing in front of Choi Sunwoo’s house, Secretary Kwak pressed the keypad without hesitation.

Having already known Choi Sunwoo’s house password from before, unlocking it wasn’t difficult.

Secretary Kwak, who entered the officetel first, realized that Sunwoo hadn’t returned yet. Although he had entered without permission, he didn’t intend to wander around someone else’s house freely. Secretary Kwak left the three guards at the entrance and sat alone on the living room sofa, waiting for Sunwoo to return.

After about 10 minutes, Director Kang Jinwook called.

– Where’s Choi Sunwoo?

“He hasn’t come home yet.”

After that, Director Kang Jinwook called every 20 minutes. He was supposed to be busy with a meeting with the overseas business department today, but somehow he managed to find time to call repeatedly.

– Where’s Choi Sunwoo?

“Not yet…”

Secretary Kwak’s face twisted as he waited for Choi Sunwoo until the sky turned red with sunset.

“Where on earth has Choi Sunwoo disappeared to!”

* * *

While Secretary Kwak was wondering about his whereabouts, Sunwoo was exploring the surroundings of the small city he had arrived at, having paid the taxi driver double the fare.

Arriving at a place about 2 hours by car from Seoul, the atmosphere was definitely different. But it wasn’t too rural either, which he liked.

While walking down the street, Sunwoo spotted a brightly lit phone store and headed towards it.

“Welcome!”

As Sunwoo entered, an employee greeted him enthusiastically and stood up.

In front of the employee was a transparent display case with various phones in different colors and designs.

“Are you looking for a specific model?”

“No. Please recommend something I can use right away.”

“Ah, then how about this?”

The employee quickly sized up Sunwoo and promptly placed the most recent smartphone model on the counter.

“This is the best-selling model these days. It takes great photos and has fast processing speed. Also, if you choose a 24-month installment plan, you’ll get a large device subsidy and plenty of free gifts!”

Of course, this was also the most expensive phone in the store.

“Rather than just upgrading your device, switching carriers would give you more benefits. As you can see here, this plan offers more advantages.”

The employee kindly explained while showing Sunwoo the screen on a tablet.

“I’ll take it.”

Sunwoo made his decision promptly, as if he didn’t need to hear anything more.

“Then, how would you like to set up the installments?”

“No, I’ll pay in cash, not by card. How much is it?”

The employee stared blankly at Sunwoo, the cash-rich customer, then nodded and punched the discounted price into the calculator. Sunwoo left the store with a nonchalant expression, holding the latest smartphone model.

He also had a large shopping bag in his other hand, filled with the free gifts the employee had packed for him. After walking a bit, Sunwoo looked down at the phone in his hand again.

‘My goodness… Buying the latest model outright with cash.’

He was surprised that such a thing could happen in his life. He once again realized how wealthy the original Choi Sunwoo was.

Of course, that’s why he could take a taxi all the way here and put his house up for a quick sale.

‘Having such wealth and yet being an extra foreign substance 1. What a waste of looks and money.’

Sunwoo shook his head and looked up at the sky.

The sky above had already turned completely red. Sunwoo thought he should first find a place to stay for the night.

Fortunately, there was a small hotel nearby. Judging by its slightly worn appearance, it seemed to have been built quite some time ago.

It was called a hotel, but the facilities were only slightly better than a motel. Still, considering his sudden arrival, it didn’t seem bad.

Sunwoo asked for the best room and received the key. He took the elevator to the top floor as instructed, and indeed, the room was very spacious.

Thud.

Sunwoo went straight to the bed and lay down.

“I’m tired.”

After spending such an eventful day, his body felt very weary. Once he lay down, he didn’t want to get up again.

Sunwoo blinked his eyes and then closed them. His fatigued body quickly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

While Sunwoo was falling into a deep sleep on that spacious and cozy bed, Director Kang Jinwook finished a boring meeting with the overseas business department and called Secretary Kwak.

“What about Choi Sunwoo?”

– He hasn’t come back yet.

“You don’t even know where he went?”

Director Kang Jinwook’s face contorted.@@novelbin@@

– We haven’t been able to locate him.

“What? What do you mean?”

After camping out at Choi Sunwoo’s house for hours, they still couldn’t track his location.

Director Kang Jinwook immediately hung up. Then he called Choi Sunwoo’s phone. The voice he heard wasn’t Sunwoo’s.

– The number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and try again.