IRLPLBIO Chapter 26 Part 2

Lee Young-hwan gently pulled Na-eun so she would lie facing him, then quietly patted her. He had thought she was still so small and young, but Na-eun had a friend he didn’t know, and the courage to leave alone to meet that friend.

Lee Young-hwan subtly pressed his tired eyes. From the moment he heard Na-eun hadn’t gone to school, he had been half out of his mind for several hours. He felt like he was just an overprotective father, who had acted like a madman, badgering his subordinates and calling everyone he knew.

Ah, now that he had found Na-eun, he needed to contact the people who helped him. Lee Young-hwan opened his folder phone and checked the numerous missed calls and messages.

Click, click, he checked them one by one, then stopped his hand at the name of the person who had contacted him the most. After looking at the screen for a moment, Lee Young-hwan pressed the call button.

“Sister, it’s me.”

“Is Na-eun alright? Did you find her?”

As if waiting for Lee Young-hwan’s call, the other party answered hastily. Her voice dripped with concern.

Lee Young-hwan lowered his gaze. His sleeping daughter had a good eye for people. She had chosen a child who seemed gentle, kind, and intelligent. The problem was that she was involved with someone he couldn’t grasp.

“Yes. She said she just went out to play. She called when she was done, and I’m on my way to pick her up now.”

“Really? That’s a relief. When I suddenly heard the child was missing, I thought my heart would drop out…”

“Anyway, I’m calling to let you know Na-eun has been found. You’re the first person I called, Sister.”

“Of course. If I had heard it from anyone else, I wouldn’t have let you off the hook.”

“…When you say that, it sounds real, and it scares me…”

“Yes, it is real.”

In a voice tinged with fatigue, the other party let out a small laugh. He could almost see her pressing her eyelids and gulping down cold water.

“By the way, Sister, I saw an interesting kid.”

“Interesting? Don’t tell me if it’s not useful. You know how much of a headache I have these days, right?”

“Yes, I know. And I know you’re busy, Sister.”

He knew. Just over a month had passed since the ‘Elder,’ the godfather of the private finance industry, had passed away. After the period of funeral and mourning, discussions about the succession surfaced.

The Elder had no biological children. He treated certain men and women as if they were his children, but their relationship wasn’t legally recognized.

However, there was one person the Elder had empowered during his lifetime. That was Shin Ju-hee.

“Yes, incredibly busy. Who knew that old man would die clutching everything to himself until the very end…? He should have at least tidied things up.”

The Elder cherished Shin Ju-hee. In a relationship forged by money, Shin Ju-hee was an investment that never failed.

Even if the Elder had had a biological daughter, she wouldn’t have earned as much trust as Shin Ju-hee. It was thanks to the Elder’s backing that Shin Ju-hee’s influence, though she joined him relatively late, rapidly rose.

However, Shin Ju-hee also suffered the greatest blow when the Elder died. As she had been secretly called the successor, the scrutiny against Shin Ju-hee was immense.

Would she fall completely, or would she crush everyone and rise to the top? Shin Ju-hee was now at a dangerous crossroads.

Knowing the situation, Lee Young-hwan decided to be someone Shin Ju-hee could relax with, even for a moment. Among the connections Lee Young-hwan had made since his street fighting days, before he became a businessman, Shin Ju-hee was special. She was the only person who knew his wife, Na-eun’s mother, who was no longer in this world.

That was also the reason why their conversations mostly revolved around Na-eun. It was a natural progression to talk about the guy he learned about at the end of Na-eun’s trip.

“He seemed useful. He had good eyes, and for a kid, he even asked me for a deal.”

“A deal with you…? Isn’t he just crazy?”

“Haha, maybe. It was also the first time Na-eun got all flustered over a guy.”

“Na-eun did?”

Only then did Shin Ju-hee’s voice change. She also knew Na-eun’s good eye for people. In that case, she understood why Lee Young-hwan brought it up.

“Are you telling me to take in a dog?”

“If raised well, wouldn’t he be useful as a dog to protect its owner?”

“I’d have to train him, but I’m a bit busy right now. Understood, I’ll look into it once things settle down a bit.”

“Understood. By the way, Sister, is someone from Dae-yeong currently in the provinces?”

…

Shin Ju-hee fell silent for a moment.