As soon as I returned to Shanghai, I headed straight to the hospital to et the survivor, with Bo Xilai’s permission.
The hospital had already been sealed off by ard police in preparation for any unforeseen incidents.
After passing through the checkpoint, I arrived at the hospital. As soon as I stepped out of the car, the commanding officer of the ard police greeted .
“I’ll guide you.”
I nodded and followed him inside.
Even inside the hospital, ard officers were stationed everywhere.
“The security is pretty tight.”
As we entered the elevator waiting on the first floor, the commander answered.
“There were three assailants who entered the operating room, but only one survived. In case soone tries to kill the only witness, the Secretary personally ordered us to take control of the hospital.”
Makes sense. They already killed Wei Zhengcheng to silence him. Killing a witness would be even easier.
The elevator didn’t stop once and went straight up to the floor with the patient rooms.
“This is it.”
The commander opened the door to the room. The sharp sll of disinfectant rushed out.
Inside the dark room, only the chanical beeping of dical equipnt could be heard.
I entered with Manager Ma. Before closing the door, the commander left a final warning.
“He’s an important witness. Ask only a few questions. And under no circumstances should you kill him.”
Instead of answering, I nodded and slowly walked toward the bed.
A man lay there as if he were dead.
“I know you’re awake, so stop pretending to sleep.”
At that, the man slowly opened his eyes and looked at .
The mont he recognized my face, his eyes trembled.
“So you do recognize . I’ll ask a few questions. If you answer properly, I’ll take responsibility and make sure you live. If you understand, blink twice. Then I’ll have the oxygen mask removed so you can speak.”
The man blinked twice. At my slight gesture, Manager Ma removed the oxygen mask.
“Ha... haaah...”
The man struggled to breathe, letting out rough gasps as I began.
“Was it Wei Zhengcheng who ordered my assassination?”
The man slowly opened his mouth.
But his voice was too faint, mixed with his ragged breathing, to make out.
Manager Ma leaned in, and the man spoke again.
“He says he doesn’t know who the client is, boss.”
I hadn’t expected much. The ones carrying out the job rarely knew the client.
“Then who gave the direct order?”
Manager Ma brought his ear closer again.
Despite the faintness of the voice beneath the loud machine beeps, he managed to catch it.
“He says the order ca directly from the boss of the organization.”
“Organization? What kind of organization?”
I kept pressing. The man clearly looked like he was struggling, but I couldn’t stop.
“He says it’s a group made up of forr soldiers from the Chinese military.”
“So... rcenaries.”
I asked several ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) more questions, but nothing aningful ca out.
This man was nothing more than a pawn.
He didn’t even know who I was. He said all he did was guard the staircase to protect the sniper.
After a few more exchanges, his breathing beca too labored to continue.
The machines in the room began to beep wildly.
The door burst open, and doctors, nurses, and the commander who had guided earlier rushed in.
The dical staff quickly put the oxygen mask back on him and began ergency treatnt.
The commander looked at with a blank expression.
“We should go now. He won’t last any more questioning.”
“Alright. I’ve asked everything I needed.”
There was no regret. I had already learned everything that mattered.
Just like when we arrived, the commander escorted us out with polite formality.
After leaving the hospital, I went to et Bo Xilai.
“President Kim, welco.”
We shook hands and sat down. He pointed to a stack of docunts on the table.
“These are the facts and evidence we’ve gathered so far.”
I slowly read through the materials he had prepared.
Then sothing caught my eye, and I lowered the docunt slightly.
“So... it wasn’t suicide.”
He had said they would conclude Wei Zhengcheng’s death as suicide.
But the report said otherwise.
Homicide.
That single word stood out.
“Yes. If it’s revealed that a figure like him was murdered, it could cause major internal turmoil. So the Princelings and the Youth League agreed to close the case as suicide.”
So even a person’s death becos a political matter.
I nodded and continued reading.
Then I stopped at a photograph.
“Who is this man?”
“He’s the leader of the organization that attempted to assassinate you. We’re already tracking him.”
“What did he do before this?”
“He used to be in the intelligence bureau of the People’s Army. After leaving the military due to various incidents, he recruited forr special forces soldiers and carried out different operations. Even Beijing didn’t know his identity.”
I studied the photo carefully.
A face I didn’t recognize at all.
“You found him faster than I expected.”
“We uncovered a lot of evidence at Wei Zhengcheng’s residence.”
At that, I set the docunts down and let out a small laugh.
Bo Xilai glanced at , confused.
“Am I the only one who finds this strange?”
“Is there a problem?”
His cautious tone only made smile wider.
“I don’t enjoy playing on a stage soone else has already set. This feels... unpleasant.”
“Soone is pulling the strings.”
He said nothing.
“A group no one had ever heard of suddenly appears. And within days, we have the leader’s photo, his history, everything—as if soone wrote the script in advance. Doesn’t that feel off?”
“...”
“It does to .”
“You’re saying soone orchestrated all of this? But who would—”
“Well. Think carefully. I already have soone in mind.”
Ye Xiaotong. They called her China’s greatest lobbyist—turns out she’s also a master at setting the stage.
I smirked faintly.
“Who is it?”
“I’ll tell you once I’m certain.”
He was clearly curious, but I avoided answering with a smile.
Not a na to say out loud here.
“For now, thanks to you, a difficult situation was resolved. I’ll repay this favor next ti.”
“Haha. It’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for .”
“That’s separate. Once things settle, I’ll create a source of inco for you so you won’t need to take bribes anymore.”
His face brightened imdiately. In Chinese politics, money was everything.
“That said, don’t take money from anywhere else. Until the next leadership is established, you need to lie low. And never oppose the central governnt.”
“Of course. Why would I go against them?”
I knew exactly how he would rise to power.
So I warned him again.
“I an it. Do not go against the central governnt. No matter what.”
At my firm tone, he swallowed dryly and nodded.
After confirming, I stood up.
“Once I finish my schedule, I’ll return to Korea. See you next ti.”
As soon as I left his office, I took out the business card Ye Xiaotong had given .
Then I called her.
— Hello.
“This is Kim Muhyuk.”
— Oh! President Kim Muhyuk! What a surprise.
Her cheerful voice flowed through the receiver.
“I’d like to et now. Where are you?”
— You want to et first? I’m honored. But... that might be difficult. I’m at the airport, about to board a flight to Korea.
“I see. You’re going to et your father?”
— Yes. I’m going to talk to him. Thanks to you. Thank you.
Her voice lingered, emphasizing the word “thank you.”
“Then I’ll go to Korea as well. Let’s et there. I’ll introduce you to a good restaurant.”
— I’ll look forward to it. My flight is about to depart. The attendant is asking to turn off my phone. See you in Korea, President Kim.
The call ended.
I looked at the silent phone and let out a dry laugh.
“As expected... it was Ye Xiaotong.”
That call, her movents—everything confird who had written this ridiculous play.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket and said to Manager Ma:
“Let’s head to the airport. The person I need to et is already on a flight to Korea.”
* * *
After arriving in Korea, Ye Xiaotong checked into a hotel.
Sitting on the bed, she fidgeted with her phone, hesitating for a long ti.
In her left hand was a slip of paper with the number of Woo Youngsik written on it.
“Tao... what should I say?”
“Reveal who you are and ask to et, boss.”
“...Will he welco ?”
She had co to Korea to et the man who was supposedly her father.
But now that she had arrived and unpacked, countless thoughts flooded her mind.
“....”
Tao stayed silent. He understood her feelings too well to answer lightly.
She let out a small laugh and took a deep breath.
“Right. I’ll just call.”
She dialed the number.
Music played through the phone.
It was her mother’s favorite chanson.
Before the song even ended, the call connected.
— This is Woo Youngsik.
“....”
— Hello. This is Woo Youngsik.
His voice—her father’s voice for the first ti—was deep, calm, and trustworthy.
— If you don’t respond, I’ll hang up.
She wasn’t fluent in Korean yet.
But she understood enough to know that wasn’t sothing good.
“I’m Ye Xiaotong. Is this Woo Youngsik’s number?”
She spoke in English.
— ...Ye Xiaotong?
There was a slight delay.
“Yes. It’s . Is this Woo Youngsik?”
Then fluent Chinese ca through the line.
— Yes. This is Woo Youngsik.
“You know who I am, right?”
— I do. You are the granddaughter of Ye Xianping.
“Not that. You know who I am. Let’s et. We’ll talk in person.”
— ....
No answer.
“I’m in Korea. I have to et you.”
— ...Where are you? I’ll co to you.
She gave him the hotel na and room number.
— I’ll be there right away.
He hung up first.
“...I’m more nervous than I thought.”
Her hands were trembling.
Tao silently handed her a glass of warm water.
“Thank you.”
After drinking, she steadied herself and rummaged through her bag.
A printed photo.
A picture of Woo Youngsik she had found online.
“Why didn’t I realize sooner? We look so alike.”
Their eyes. Their nose.
She traced the photo absentmindedly and waited.
About an hour passed.
Knock knock.
At the sound, she clutched her chest. Her heart felt like it would burst.
“Boss, I’ll open it.”
“No. I’ll do it.”
She stopped him, checked her expression in the mirror, and forced herself calm.
Then she walked to the door and opened it.
Woo Youngsik stood there.
“Co in.”
She stepped aside.
He entered without a word.
They sat facing each other.
Looking straight into the eyes that mirrored her own, she asked:
“You’re my father, aren’t you?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“Is that really what matters right now?”
“....”
“I’m asking if I’m your daughter.”
“....”
He said nothing.
“If it’s yes, say yes. If it’s no, say no.”
Still, silence.
“Say sothing. I heard you ruined your career doing what my grandfather told you—for ! Did I ever ask for anything? Did you think a daughter who never even knew your face would be grateful?!”
Her voice rose, but he only stared at her.
Finally, tears began to fall.
“Do you know how badly I wanted to call soone ‘Dad’? Do you have any idea what it’s like to grow up without one?!”
At the word “Dad,” his expression finally cracked.
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