Chapter 1
Han Jiyoung sat alone in his office, the faint glow of the computer screen reflecting in his cold eyes. His fingers moved mechanically across the keyboard, line after line, deal after deal-building an empire that was never truly his.
The legacy of the Han family.
A legacy he carried like a punishment.
Silence filled the room. The kind of silence he preferred. The kind that didn't ask questions.
Then-
His phone buzzed.
Once.
Twice.
Again. And again.
The sound cut through his focus like a blade.
Jiyoung's brows furrowed. Slowly, he turned his head, eyes landing on the screen. Unknown number. Multiple missed calls.
His jaw tightened.
Without a word, he picked it up-and turned it off.
As if that would silence everything else too.
He returned to his work.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Urgent. Uneven.
"Sir? Sir, Han Jiyoung? It's me... Alex. Please... can I come in?"
Jiyoung closed his eyes for a brief second.
Annoyance. Irritation. Disruption.
He inhaled slowly, exhaled just as quietly.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Alex stepped inside, his movements stiff, hesitant-like he was walking into something dangerous.
Jiyoung didn't look up immediately. He kept typing for a moment longer before finally stopping.
The silence stretched.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
"What is it?" he asked flatly.
"Sir..." Alex swallowed. "We just received information from Han Group in Korea."
Jiyoung's fingers stilled.
Something about the tone.
"Your uncle..." Alex continued carefully. "He's been arrested. For money laundering."
The air shifted.
Jiyoung slowly lifted his gaze.
Dark. Sharp.
"Don't joke with me."
"My uncle?" His voice dropped, colder than before. "Lee Gwang Sik?"
Alex nodded. "Yes, sir. And... there are additional charges. Data falsification."
He stepped forward and handed over an envelope.
Jiyoung stared at it for a second before taking it.
"Data falsification..." he muttered under his breath, tearing it open.
His eyes moved across the document.
At first-confusion.
Then disbelief.
Then something else.
"What kind of joke is this...?" he let out a hollow scoff. "Forgery? Misuse of funds?" His voice sharpened. "Money that was meant for my siblings... redirected?"
His grip tightened around the paper.
"They were never under his care?" he read, his voice lowering with every word. "They never received anything?"
His breathing grew uneven.
"Jihoon finished his studies," he said, almost to himself. "I made sure of that. I checked. I trusted-"
The sentence broke.
"What is this nonsense?!"
The paper slipped from his hand, falling to the ground like it meant nothing.
But it meant everything.
Alex picked it up quietly, his expression heavy.
"Sir... we verified everything. The schools your uncle listed-middle school, high school, university..."
He hesitated.
"...none of them have any record of Han Jihoon or Han Jiwoo."
Jiyoung didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
"They never studied there," Alex continued softly. "All the documents... were forged."
Silence.
Thick. Suffocating.
"And... sir..."
Jiyoung's fingers curled slowly.
"They haven't been living in your parents' mansion."
That made him look up.
Slowly.
"They were forced out," Alex said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Fifteen years ago."
Fifteen years.
Fifteen years.
"The ones living there now... are your uncle, his wife, and his son."
Something shattered.
Not loudly.
Not violently.
But completely.
Jiyoung's hand trembled.
His lips parted, but no words came out at first. His eyes darted, unfocused-like he was trying to grasp something that no longer existed.
"What... are you saying...?" His voice was no longer steady. "Did you confirm this properly...?"
He shook his head, almost desperately.
"This isn't real. It can't be real. This is something his enemies made up... right?"
Alex couldn't meet his eyes.
"I'm sorry, sir... but it's true."
And just like that-
Everything Jiyoung believed in collapsed.
His knees weakened slightly as he took a step back, gripping the edge of his desk for support.
Fifteen years.
Fifteen years of trust.
Fifteen years of absence.
"I... left them..." he whispered, barely audible.
His shoulders trembled.
"I left them with him..."
Tears fell-slow at first, then unstoppable.
"You're telling me..." his voice cracked, breaking under the weight of it all, "they had nothing? For fifteen years?"
His breathing turned ragged.
"They were thrown out...?" he repeated, as if saying it again would make it less real. "How did they live...?"
His voice rose, desperate now.
"How did they survive without me?!"
The question echoed.
But no one answered.
"Where are they...?" he demanded, his eyes now burning with something fierce. "Where are Jihoon and Jiwoo?!"
Alex lowered his head.
"We're trying to locate them, sir."
"I don't care how," Jiyoung snapped, his voice trembling with rage and grief. "Find them."
His fist slammed lightly against the desk.
"Even if you have to tear the entire country apart-find them and bring them to me."
Alex's phone rang.
The sound felt distant.
Muted.
He answered, spoke briefly, then ended the call.
"Sir... the Korean authorities are requesting your-"
"I'm going back."
Jiyoung cut him off.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
His tears were still falling-but his eyes had changed.
Cold.
Deadly.
"If even a single word of this is true..." he said quietly, his voice filled with something far more dangerous than anger-
"I will make Lee Gwang Sik beg for death."
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