Chapter 47: The Anonymous Package

A few hours earlier.

While Qi Huai was still at RC Entertainment listening to Eun Chul-woo’s eloquent speech, Yoon Nam-hyuk had already left the restaurant and returned to the company.

He had spent several years turning Woosan Entertainment from a loss-making company into a profitable one, gaining the approval of the shareholders. The next step was to gradually acquire the shares of the smaller shareholders.

As for the major shareholders who had “deep” relationships with his father, he could only shut them up by finding a sufficiently powerful partner. Overseas capital was the best option, and he already had several suitable targets he was in contact with.

But on Qi Huai’s side…

Yoon Nam-hyuk once again took out the note from his pocket and rubbed it slowly. He pursed his lips, his beautiful eyes complex and dark.

Should we talk?

Or should we wait until everything is settled?

He wouldn’t easily reveal a plan he had been preparing for years to someone he had only known for over a month. But at the very least, he wanted to tell Qi Huai that there was a reason for everything he was doing.

“I…” Yoon Nam-hyuk gently kissed the words on the note.

I like you, really.

Knock, knock—

“Sorry to disturb you, President.” Assistant Yoo pushed open the door with an uneasy expression before Yoon Nam-hyuk could respond, his voice urgent. “Chairman Yoon suddenly called and asked you to come home. He said he must see you within thirty minutes.”

Yoon Nam-hyuk put away the note and frowned. “What’s he on about now? Didn’t I already go on the blind date today?”

Assistant Yoo shook his head, equally confused. “I don’t know. The Chairman was very angry. He didn’t give any details, just said you should rush back immediately.”

Yoon Nam-hyuk’s brow furrowed tightly. “I know.”

The company was not far from the Yoon family’s main residence in Hannam-dong. After delegating the remaining work, Yoon Nam-hyuk arrived home right on the thirty-minute mark. However, as soon as he stepped through the door, he was greeted by an English-style teapot thrown at his face by Yoon Tae-min.

The elegantly shaped teapot shattered on the floor with a loud bang. Porcelain shards flew, one grazing the back of Yoon Nam-hyuk’s hand. Hot water soaked through his sock, scalding his ankle and the top of his foot. But Yoon Nam-hyuk didn’t flinch.

This proud and indifferent posture inexplicably reminded Yoon Tae-min of Yoon Nam-hyuk’s deceased mother. He was furious and began to shout, “Yoon Nam-hyuk! Look what you’ve done! You’ve always turned a deaf ear to my warnings and teachings! Do you think I don’t exist?!”

Yoon Nam-hyuk sneered and wiped the blood from the back of his hand, shaking the tea leaves from his sock, enduring the burning pain. “Father, you seem to be dissatisfied with me every day. What is it this time? Didn’t I go on the blind date this afternoon? I had a very pleasant time with Ms. Kim Nam-joo. I think she’s very nice, although she seemed a bit dissatisfied with me, but…”

Yoon Tae-min: “Ha! How could she be satisfied! Kim Nam-joo’s parents already know about all the disgraceful things you’ve done! The Kim family specifically called to ask me why I would set up their daughter with my gay son! My face has been thrown into the trash!”

What?

Yoon Nam-hyuk frowned. His first reaction was that Kim Nam-joo had leaked their deal, but it made no sense. It wouldn’t benefit her at all. Even if she had suddenly changed her mind and didn’t want to cooperate, finding an excuse like not liking him would be better than directly starting a conflict.

The next moment.

Yoon Tae-min slammed a stack of photos and an iPad playing a video onto the table.

Yoon Nam-hyuk looked at the screen, his pupils contracting.

No matter how many photos there were, none were as direct and stimulating as a short video. The scene in the video was all too familiar to Yoon Nam-hyuk. Last night, the Cheongdam-dong apartment, at the front door.

His argument with Qi Huai, their embrace, their deep kiss—it was all there. Even with the iPad’s sound turned off, Yoon Nam-hyuk knew what shameful sounds he and Qi Huai were making in the video. It was the uncontrollable desire of two adult men.

The video ended only when Qi Huai pushed him into the house, the closed security door finally separating the two entangled bodies from the secretly filming camera.

Yoon Nam-hyuk closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

The video was too clear. This time, it was professional equipment. The embrace, the caresses, the intertwining of lips and tongues—every detail was captured. There was no way to deny it.

Yoon Tae-min was on the verge of exploding. “No wonder you didn’t come home last night. Assistant Yoo even said you were working overtime. So you were out with a low-class man who can only make a living by selling his body! He looks very familiar, ha! Is it the one from the last scandal? His face is very clear. A new artist from the company, right? Terminate his contract immediately, blacklist him, right now!”

He was so angry he grabbed a brass table lamp and slammed it on the desk to vent his anger. “Luckily, the other party was only after money. For a higher price, they sent it to Kim Nam-joo’s parents! If this content were to be leaked to the media, the Yoon Group’s stock would plummet! Don’t you know that?!”

Strangely enough, the reporter, as if they had a grudge against the Yoon family, didn’t try to extort them but went directly to the woman’s family. The electronic version was sent across the ocean to Kim Nam-joo’s parents, while the printed photos were mailed directly to the matchmaker.

This was done very deliberately. It was clear that the other party wanted more than just money. But whatever the reason, Yoon Tae-min had completely lost face. The fact that Yoon Nam-hyuk was gay had already spread to France!

The more he spoke, the angrier he got. He pointed at the cold marble floor of the living room and roared, “Kneel!”

Yoon Nam-hyuk’s face was pale and tense. He clenched his fists and slowly knelt down, his back as straight as a poplar tree.

The floodgates of memory burst open. The scoldings, the beatings, the cold shoulders he had endured after moving in with his father, like filthy sewage that never saw the light of day, rushed out, emitting a stench of decay like maggots clinging to bone.

He knew, of course, what Yoon Tae-min was going to do. It was nothing more than beating him to vent his anger. The father who wanted to live a good life, the father who couldn’t have any more children due to health reasons, the father who had always hated his mother but had to rely on the Woosan Entertainment she had founded to maintain the Yoon family’s status—he could only assert his paternal authority by beating his son.

Yoon Tae-min bent the black lamp cord and gripped it tightly. “Take off your shirt.”

Yoon Nam-hyuk took off his suit jacket.

“Shibal—I said take off your shirt! Has it been so long since you’ve been beaten that you’ve forgotten what to do!”

Yoon Nam-hyuk’s lips were pressed together as he unbuttoned his shirt. The shirt hung open, revealing a smooth, toned torso with well-defined lines. Few knew that this beautiful body had been covered in scars on its back and arms since he was a teenager.

However, before he could take off his shirt, the hickeys and bite marks on his chest made Yoon Tae-min’s eyes widen in fury, almost making him want to vomit on the spot. “Pervert! You pervert! I’m telling you! The heir of the Yoon family cannot be a homosexual! Unless I’m dead!”

After shouting his last sentence hoarsely, Yoon Tae-min, apparently feeling that the lamp cord wasn’t enough to vent his anger, threw it aside and grabbed the brass lamp, smashing it viciously against Yoon Nam-hyuk’s back!

“Ugh—”

Yoon Nam-hyuk bit his lip until it bled but didn’t make a sound. Fortunately, the lamp wasn’t very big, or it might have broken his shoulder blade.

“Omo, omo, omo—”

On the second floor, Goo Ah-ra, who was curled up in the gap of the staircase, recording with her phone, was almost scared to death by the sight of Yoon Tae-min grabbing the lamp and smashing it against Yoon Nam-hyuk!

She covered her mouth in horror, then fumbled to send the video she had just taken to Yoon Nam-woo, typing quickly: 「Honey! Come back quickly, oh my God, Father seems really angry, I feel like someone’s going to die! Come back quickly and try to talk some sense into him!」

Since marrying into the Yoon family, Goo Ah-ra had never seen Yoon Tae-min so angry. It was only then that she realized that what Yoon Nam-woo had always boasted about—that his father favored him—was actually true!

At least Yoon Nam-woo had never been beaten. His chubby body didn’t have a single scar.

「Honey! Reply when you see this, honey! Father is at his angriest right now. If you come back and comfort him, show your loyalty, Father will definitely realize that you are his most obedient, most perfect son, and he will start to value you more, honey!」

Goo Ah-ra sent message after message.

The phone on the table dinged incessantly.

If this had happened yesterday, Yoon Nam-woo would have rushed home and thrown Yoon Nam-hyuk under the bus. But today was different—

At this moment, Yoon Nam-woo was extremely panicked and uneasy. His face was stiff, his lips and fingers trembling uncontrollably, as if he had just suffered a huge shock.

Just half an hour ago, Yoon Nam-woo had received an anonymous package. Inside was a thin document—a paternity test between him and Yoon Tae-min.

The result: Yoon Tae-min is excluded as the biological father of Yoon Nam-woo.

No…

Impossible…

It must be a prank!

No!

This is beyond a prank!

It’s a setup!

Someone must be setting me up!

Yoon Nam-woo shrank into the sofa, frantically biting his nails. How could it be? he thought. I’ve been doted on by Father since I was a child. I got whatever I wanted. How could I not be a child of the Yoon family?!

It must be that guy Yoon Nam-hyuk! That’s right… to cover up his disgusting sexuality and scandal, he framed me, trying to make Father despise me, because Father cares most about continuing the family line. Everyone knows that… Yes, it must be Yoon Nam-hyuk…

He huddled on the sofa for a long time before he regained his strength. In a daze, he swiped open his phone and frowned deeply. “Aish, what a noisy woman. Really…”

The KKT chat window was filled with a series of videos, photos, and Goo Ah-ra’s texts, filled with exclamation marks.

Yoon Nam-woo irritably clicked on one of the videos. His father’s roar instantly blasted from the phone, startling him: 「The heir of the Yoon family cannot be a homosexual! Unless I’m dead!」

This is…

Yoon Nam-woo watched all the videos one by one, and combined with Goo Ah-ra’s texts, he immediately understood what had happened.

It must be Reporter Song, right?

Hahahahaha!

A few days ago, he was dissatisfied with his father’s lenient handling of Yoon Nam-hyuk’s public opinion crisis, so he had secretly arranged for Reporter Song to spy on him. He hadn’t expected the guy to actually capture such explosive “evidence.”

Wow… it’s like even God is helping me. A strange, ecstatic joy erupted on Yoon Nam-woo’s face. Although Choi Min-jun didn’t manage to get a video of Yoon Nam-hyuk fooling around with men, the Reporter Song I arranged completed the task, he thought.

Slamming such an unsightly secret directly in the face of the marriage-alliance family was much more serious than just being discovered by his father.

From now on, all the upper-class families in the Republic of Korea would refuse to form a marriage alliance with Yoon Nam-hyuk.

If he and his wife worked a little harder and gave his father a smart and cute grandchild, once there was a third generation, his father wouldn’t even look at that guy Yoon Nam-hyuk!

However, one thought heaven, one thought hell.

The paternity test on the table instantly pulled the ecstatic Yoon Nam-woo back to the cold reality of the human world.

Who sent the paternity test?

Was it really Yoon Nam-hyuk?

If it was, why didn’t he just tell Father directly? If it wasn’t, how did the other person get my and Father’s DNA samples?

Is the test real? Am I really not Father’s son? If it’s fake, it should be easy to expose, right? After all, I just have to do another test to know the truth…

The more Yoon Nam-woo thought about it, the more scared he became. He couldn’t help but imagine what would happen if his father found out he wasn’t his biological son. His father, who was so obsessed with his descendants’ genes, would probably sever ties with him immediately, right? No, severing ties directly would probably be too embarrassing. The entire Yoon family would become the laughingstock of the Republic of Korea. The most likely outcome was that he would be sent abroad…

His English was poor, and he had no means of making a living. If his father ignored him, being in a foreign country would be no different from being sent to his death!

Then his father would only have Yoon Nam-hyuk.

And the Yoon family’s fortune…

From this moment on, a time bomb was planted in Yoon Nam-woo’s heart. He carried this bomb with him as he returned home, trembling, and was greeted by Goo Ah-ra’s impatient face.

Goo Ah-ra complained in a low voice, “Ah, really… honey, what took you so long?”

So slow at everything, only active when it’s time to eat!

Yoon Nam-woo gave a perfunctory “oh, oh,” his eyes glazed over as he randomly scanned the messy broken porcelain on the living room floor and the brass lamp stained with blood. “Where’s Father? Is the fight over?”

“…”

Goo Ah-ra forced herself to be patient. “Father was so angry his heart started to hurt. His heart condition almost acted up. He just had some ginseng chicken soup and is resting now. Little brother-in-law got hit and left with his back still bleeding. Honey, shouldn’t we—”

“Oh, then I’ll go see Father.”

With that, Yoon Nam-woo left Goo Ah-ra and went upstairs. Goo Ah-ra, her words still unspoken, felt a lump in her throat. She cursed “idiot” under her breath and went back to the kitchen.

Yoon Nam-woo climbed the stairs slowly, one step at a time, his eyes staring blankly, his mind heavy with thoughts. He stood at the top of the stairs on the second floor and looked back. Goo Ah-ra hadn’t followed. The maid hadn’t followed. Yoon Nam-hyuk wasn’t home. At this moment, the second floor only held him and his resting, aging father.

He quietly entered Yoon Tae-min’s room. The curtains were half-drawn, the room dim. On the bedside table was a porcelain bowl with the remains of cold chicken soup.

Yoon Nam-woo paced to the bedside and silently observed Yoon Tae-min. He realized that the father he had relied on and looked up to as his everything since he was a child had, in fact, long since grown old.

Yoon Nam-woo’s eyes were complex. He reached out and brushed Yoon Tae-min’s silver-streaked hair. His fingers moved down, towards the loose skin of his neck.

“…Nam-woo is back?”

“Uh, yes, Father.”

An old tiger still has its teeth.

Yoon Nam-woo jumped back in a panic, his hand behind his back, his hastily retracted fingertips trembling uncontrollably. He bowed respectfully and said softly, “Father, I heard you weren’t feeling well. I was worried, so I came back to see you. Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“It’s fine. The doctor has already seen me.”

Yoon Tae-min’s expression was weary. His eyes roamed around the dim room for a long time before they landed on Yoon Nam-woo’s face. “You’ve grown up. You know how to be filial. If only Nam-hyuk were half as sensible as you. They’re both my children, why is one of them a homosexual…”

Yoon Nam-woo forced a smile. “Father, you should rest well. Don’t think so much. Your health is the most important thing.”

“Mmm… you can go.”

Yoon Tae-min closed his eyes again. Yoon Nam-woo left quietly. He returned to his room as quickly as he could and took out a tissue, wrapping the graying hair from his palm in it.

No matter what, he had to get another test done.