TDIMEH Chapter 66

 

66. Account Verification

Se-ah’s heart dropped with a heavy thud.

Even though her eyes were wide open, everything in front of her turned blindingly white.

"D-Did your memory come back?"

Even as she asked, her gaze remained locked on Junhyuk, searching for any sign—anything at all—that might confirm it.

But any lingering hope she had was shattered when he calmly responded,

"Yes, Jin Se-ah. My memory is back."

"……."

She should have said something—told him she was relieved, that it was good news. But the words wouldn't come out.

She wasn’t even sure if she was smiling or crying.

It should have been a natural outcome, yet a dull ache spread through her chest.

It felt as if she had suddenly lost something precious.

Her eyes burned with an unfamiliar sting.

Junhyuk, who had been quietly observing her, let out a small chuckle.

"Why do you look so shocked? Aren’t you happy that I got my memory back?"

"N-No, I mean… Congratulations."

She barely managed to compose herself and forced out the words, but even to her own ears, they sounded awkward.

"You don’t look happy at all."

"That’s not true."

"Let’s deal with this situation first. We can talk about everything else later."

Junhyuk’s words snapped Se-ah back to reality, and she finally registered the watchful eyes around them.

The shock of his return had made her completely forget their surroundings.

"What are you two whispering about? Judging by the look on the lady’s face, it seems that money really does exist, huh?"

'Was my face really that obvious?'

A wave of heat flushed her cheeks.

Had she really looked that regretful about his return? Enough for others to notice?

But this was no time to be lost in thought.

Se-ah bit down on her lower lip, forcing herself to focus.

"So you're saying you can send the money by tomorrow?"

The man directed his question at Junhyuk.

"Yes. Just wait until tomorrow morning."

"Why tomorrow? Transferring money shouldn’t take that long."

"This isn’t exactly legal money. A sum that large needs time to be processed discreetly. It has to be laundered through cryptocurrency to avoid catching the attention of financial authorities. You should know that, shouldn’t you?"

Junhyuk was stalling for time, but what he said wasn’t a lie. A transfer of that magnitude would undoubtedly trigger tax investigations and regulatory scrutiny.

The man, who had been silently listening, finally nodded.

"Fine, I can wait that long. So your only condition is that your wife and the others are spared?"

"That’s correct. And I suggest you don’t try any tricks."

"You’re telling me not to pull anything?"

"Yes. If I have to go all the way to the bank with my wife just to withdraw the money, it’s both a hassle and a risk. It’s in your best interest to take my money and end it cleanly."

Before Junhyuk could finish speaking, a sharp blade pressed against Se-ah’s neck.

"Or… I could use her life as leverage to take your money, then take hers too. Wouldn’t that be easier?"

The man’s true intentions were now out in the open.

With so much money at stake, of course he would get greedy.

Junhyuk’s brow twitched slightly at the sight, but he remained composed and shook his head firmly.

"That’s not a deal I’m willing to make. If I transfer the money first, there’s a high chance you’ll kill us all anyway. No point in paying for our own deaths. If threats are all you’ve got, then let’s just all die together."

He shoved Se-ah aside and stepped forward, exposing his own throat to the blade.

The startled thug instinctively twitched, causing a thin red line to form on Junhyuk’s neck.

Se-ah inhaled sharply, horrified.

Despite the wound, Junhyuk remained completely unfazed. The man, seemingly impressed, signaled his subordinate to lower the weapon.

"Alright. I’ll go along with your terms. But first, prove the money is in your account. If it’s not, you’ll be the first to die."

"For that, I need a computer. And my phone fell into the ocean, so I have no way to verify my credentials. I also need to contact my assistant to retrieve the security program."

"There’s a computer in my room. Use it. How long will it take?"

"That depends. I won’t know until I start."

"Take him. And start preparing to evacuate. I have a bad feeling about this. The moment we get the money tomorrow, we leave immediately."

At the man’s command, his subordinates moved to drag Junhyuk away.

Se-ah instinctively tried to follow, but Junhyuk’s firm grip on her shoulder stopped her. His sharp gaze bore into hers.

"Jin Se-ah. Stay here."

"I can’t just let you go alone."

"If you don’t want to see me lose control, stay put."

Junhyuk’s expression was so sharp and deadly that Se-ah couldn’t insist any further.

"It’ll be fine, Coco. It’s not just anyone—we’re talking about Do Junhyuk here."

Boss Nam, who had quietly approached, tried to comfort her as she sat in a daze.

'He’s right. This isn’t the time to lose focus.'

She couldn’t just sit around feeling helpless.

She still didn’t know Junhyuk’s exact plan, and she needed to figure out a way to ensure a safe rescue.

Even if Junhyuk actually handed over the money, there was nothing stopping the captors from killing all the hostages anyway.

As her gaze swept over the prisoners, she noticed Amihan on the verge of collapse.

She had hoped he would hold on until morning, but his condition was deteriorating much faster than expected.

"I have a request."

Se-ah quickly called out to the man.

"Did you forget? The deal is with your husband, not you."

He sneered as he spoke.

"We’re family. And it’s not a big request."

"What is it?"

Perhaps because he was already set to receive a large sum of money, the man seemed more lenient than before.

"Please save Amihan. There’s an antidote in my bag—please let him take it."

"That weakling?"

The man immediately pointed at Amihan, who was slumped in a corner.

"Yes."

"Fine. Give her the bag—remove anything dangerous first."

The moment Se-ah received the bag, she rushed to Amihan’s side.

She quickly poured the medicine into his mouth, though she wasn’t sure how fast it would work. Still, anything was better than doing nothing.

Seeing the familiar medicine bottle, the man let out a dry laugh.

"When did you even manage to steal that? You guys are seriously something else."

***

"Code One. Execute."

Junhyuk, using a borrowed phone, instructed Chief Secretary Jung to send over the necessary program files.

Among the neatly organized folders on his computer, Junhyuk already knew exactly which files he needed.

— Are you safe, sir?

"Of course."

— I should have gone with you.

"Even if you had, the outcome would have been the same. Don’t blame yourself."

— I have no excuse. Ah, by the way, we identified the person who leaked the documents to the Vice President. It was Assistant Manager Kim—turns out he was working for her all along. Since you’re not here, he only received a temporary suspension.

"I’ll take care of it as soon as I return. Any other news?"

— The Vice President has gone to the Philippines herself to find you. I tried to accompany her, but she excluded my entire team, citing the need for confidentiality. It’s strange—she’s always been eager to bring you down, so why is she taking such an active role now? Please be careful, sir.

"She’s coming here?"

Junhyuk’s expression hardened.

Do Yeonsoo wasn’t the type to move without a reason. She wouldn’t go through all this trouble just to suppress a few rumors.

Something about this situation didn’t sit right.

"What about the person I assigned to watch her?"

— The call came in earlier. He said she went to the Philippines with a half-Filipino person she met in Korea. However, we have yet to identify that person.

"Then assign someone locally in the Philippines to keep an eye on her."

— Understood. I’ve also sent over the files you requested. Please check them now. I’ve created a separate account with the 20 million dollars, and it’s included in the same folder as the cryptocurrency program.

Junhyuk clicked open his email and accessed the files his secretary had sent.

"Got it."

"Why do you need that file?"

The program in question wasn’t real cryptocurrency—it was a test model Junhyuk had developed.

Originally, he had designed an automated investment program that included cryptocurrency as part of its simulation. However, it turned out to be so realistic that he had scrapped it, fearing it could be misused for illegal activities.

Since only the original developer could distinguish it from the real thing, Junhyuk planned to link this fake server to the captors’ accounts.

The 20 million dollar account was just a distraction.

Within a few days, they would realize they had been tricked.

If they discovered the deception before he could act, he would simply send the real money.

"I need it for something. I don’t have time to explain right now, but I’ll call again later."

Just as he was about to hang up, his secretary spoke again from the other end of the line.

— I don’t know what’s going on, but please don’t do anything reckless. You can always make that kind of money again. Just do what the kidnappers want and return safely. Sei is under my care. She seems to be waiting for you.

Back in the U.S., Junhyuk had developed an automated financial management program and founded a small company around it. With a team of developers, he continuously upgraded the system, and over time, the company had become a leader in the robo-advisor industry.

Unlike personal finance software, his system was designed for corporate clients, and the transaction fees alone were substantial.

Junhyuk’s bank account grew with a steady influx of large sums every month.

The only reason he had stayed at GK was because of Do Yeonsoo.

Had Yeonsoo left him alone to live as he pleased, Junhyuk would have continued focusing on his work, and she would have secured the position she wanted without interference.

But he knew better—Do Yeonsoo was always looking for a chance to eliminate both him and his mother. To prevent unnecessary trouble, he needed to maintain his position at the top.

"Alright. Please take care of Sei a little longer. And keep an eye on the office—I’ll be back soon."

After ending the call, Junhyuk focused entirely on installing the program.

Soon, the screen he had been waiting for appeared at the center of the monitor.

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