MIM 63

Despite calling continuously until getting in the car after leaving the hospital, Shin-woo didn’t answer. As the ringtone dragged on endlessly, Jae-seung started feeling increasingly unwell and urged the innocent driver to slow down. It took twice as long to reach his mother’s mansion at minimum speed, but during that long time, he never put down the phone.

After repeatedly calling, hanging up, and calling again, his anger rose to the top of his head. After confirming with Butler Hwang that Shin-woo had left the mansion early, he couldn’t take it anymore. Jae-seung threw his phone aside and buried his face in his hands, breathing heavily. He felt like he was going crazy when the guy who usually responded promptly wasn’t answering for so long. Though it wasn’t long ago that he’d driven him away and ignored his contact, he couldn’t even remember how he’d endured it.

This won’t do. I need to install a tracking app on his phone. If it was true that he killed Hye-jung and threatened his brother, he needed to know what he was doing and where he was when not answering the phone. He planned to order him to report everything about where he was going and who he was meeting whenever he went out.

“We’ve arrived.”

The sun had already set when they reached his mother’s mansion. Though his body had traveled comfortably in the car, his energy was drained from waiting for Shin-woo’s call. The conversation with his brother hadn’t been easy, and the upcoming meeting with his mother wouldn’t be simple either. This whole process was just eating away at him without any pleasure.

Nevertheless, he had to know. He had to move forward by running around and investigating personally. Jae-seung steeled himself again as he stepped out of the car.

Having caused such a big scene the last time he visited, he wondered what to say first when seeing his mother. On his birthday morning, his mother had called to congratulate him as if nothing had happened, but there was no way she was truly unbothered.

Should I offer to get her a new blanket? Lost in trivial thoughts while following the servant, Jae-seung stopped abruptly. He was planning to wait after hearing there was a guest, but the figure just coming out of the reception room was strikingly familiar.

“Oh? Young master.”

Standing in the hallway alongside his mother was none other than Shin-woo. Upon seeing Jae-seung, his eyes widened. Seeing him smile brightly after ignoring so many calls made his blood boil.

“…What are you doing here? After not answering any damn calls.”

“Ah, your mother called for me.”

Shin-woo answered nonchalantly, glancing sideways at his mother. What wind suddenly blew for his mother, who had never once called for Shin-woo before? At his questioning look, Joo-yeon awkwardly cleared her throat.

“Hmm… Yes, I called him. I wanted to chat a bit, see how you were doing.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“You’re busy, aren’t you? I wanted to know how school was going… Anyway, we didn’t talk much, so don’t worry.”

The fact that she deliberately emphasized they hadn’t talked about much made it more suspicious. I must have been their only common topic. If these two who wanted his money had resolved their antagonistic relationship, there must be a reason.

Did mother decide to join hands with Shin-woo because I wouldn’t cooperate willingly? Jae-seung stared at Shin-woo intently and asked.

“Why didn’t you answer the phone?”

When he asked again seriously, only then did he check his phone. His brow twitched as if surprised when he saw the missed calls.

“You called… 78 times. Did something happen?”

“Answer even if nothing happened. Don’t keep me waiting. Mother, let’s talk.”

After slowly spitting out the command, he rolled his eyes and stopped his mother who was standing beside him. Though she turned back toward the reception room saying “alright,” she carefully examined Jae-seung with wary eyes.

As expected, she seemed to think her son wasn’t in his right mind. Well, it’s understandable since he’d left the bed in that state and stormed out without a word. Maybe she was so shocked then that she decided to change tactics. It would be easier to work with that money-obsessed guy than to persuade her mentally unstable son. If money is the absolute standard, at least it’s easier to understand.

As Joo-yeon went back into the reception room, Shin-woo gave Jae-seung a slight bow.

“Then I’ll wait outside.”

“No.”

Before he could raise his lowered head, Jae-seung cut him off. He slowly moved his hand from Shin-woo’s shoulder to rub the barcode-marked area near his neck. Then he commanded.

“You come in too.”

While listening to the obedient footsteps following behind, Jae-seung coldly looked down at the table where tea was being set. When he plopped down opposite her, his mother slightly pulled her chair back. Despite saying she called Shin-woo because she was curious about her son’s recent life, Joo-yeon, who had her nose practically buried in her teacup, seemed more interested in the tea than her son.

She didn’t add any sugar cubes today though she usually added plenty. Was it due to nervousness? This probably wasn’t a comfortable situation for his mother either. Jae-seung put his hand on his chin and immediately brought up his brother.

“I saw my brother today.”

Extremely curious about how these two would react to this unexpected news, Jae-seung carefully observed both his mother and Shin-woo in turn. While Shin-woo showed no change in expression, his mother was so startled she put down her cup.

“What? Wasn’t he in a mental hospital?”

“Yes.”

“Why would you go there? You’ll catch bad energy!”

“Brother seemed perfectly sane, did you know?”

Despite these shocking successive revelations, he just threw a few sugar cubes into his tea without even twitching an eyebrow. After glancing at his hands, Joo-yeon burst out,

“What makes you say that? He seemed fine when you visited? You can’t tell just by looking. He’s always been very strange. Do you think they’ll admit just anyone who asks to a mental hospital?”

“You,” Jae-seung, who had been staring at Shin-woo the whole time, suddenly cut in.

“Did you know?”

At these words aimed at him, his brown eyes slowly rose to meet Jae-seung’s. Hoping to catch even the slightest wavering, a moment’s fluctuation in his eyes, Jae-seung didn’t look away for an instant. He thought there might be some slight outward sign if he really had put his brother there, but instead, the guy wore a puzzled expression as if wondering why he would ask such a thing.

“No. How would I know?”

“You knew nothing at all?”

“I just knew he was deeply grieved about what happened to the Chairman.”

Shin-woo remained calm even while mentioning his father’s death. It was better that he didn’t even pretend to be regretful.

While he might not know everything else, there was a high possibility that his threatening his brother to agree to the will was true. After talking with him, he could be certain. His brother wouldn’t have transferred all the shares to him if it hadn’t been an unavoidable situation.

Yet this bastard remained composed even while talking about someone he had threatened. Even though he must have guessed what kind of conversation took place since he mentioned meeting his brother, he showed no sign of anxiety. Did he believe his brother hadn’t told him anything? Or did he not care what his brother said now that he was firmly settled by his side?

“If he’s sane, couldn’t we just ask him to come out?”

Shin-woo asked, tilting his head. His face showed complete bewilderment at what could possibly be the problem with such a simple solution. Facing such a brazenly shameless person, Jae-seung could understand why his brother was hiding in the hospital.

Carefully selecting from his conversation with his brother, Jae-seung deliberately made the content more provocative. He turned to look at his mother, who hadn’t touched her tea.

“About father’s will. Brother thinks it was forged too. He says Hye-jung was seen stealing the seal from father’s study.”

“Right! I knew it, Hye-jung was the type whose face showed everything. She must have done something bad. What did I tell you?”

His mother excitedly slapped her knee, then cleared her throat when she realized Shin-woo was watching. Since the three of them had discussed Hye-jung before, he would know well that suspecting Hye-jung ultimately meant suspecting him.

Nevertheless, Shin-woo still sat there just blinking his eyes as if all this information was completely new to him. His mother, who had once asked if he had killed Hye-jung, this time just observed quietly with closed lips.