RB - 74

74. The Winged Necklace and the Saint’s Choice

Chairman Shin didn’t fully grasp that he had been stabbed as he looked down at his abdomen. Something red and hot was gushing out in spurts.

“Sung Ho-yeon… How could you do this to me?”

Professor Sung had clearly aimed for Chairman Shin’s abdomen with the jackknife, but his expression was vacant, like a soldier who had just fired a stray bullet.

“If you ruin my plans… I can’t forgive anyone, not even you, Chairman Shin. Say it now—tell me you’ll return my money.”

Chairman Shin glared stubbornly at him.

“You devilish bastard, Park Yeowan told me everything. You fear returning to the days when you were dirt poor, don’t you?”

Just as the irrational Professor Sung pressed the jackknife against Chairman Shin’s neck, the door flung open with a bang, and Seo-yeon’s voice echoed through the room.

“Are you insane, Professor Sung? Do you really need to kill someone to feel satisfied?”

Seo-yeon rushed to Chairman Shin, groaning in pain, and quickly assessed his condition. Seeing the pool of blood on the floor, she realized the bleeding was severe. She tore the hem of her long dress and pressed it firmly against Chairman Shin’s abdomen. A faint groan escaped his lips. As Seo-yeon performed emergency first aid, Professor Sung calmly locked the door with a click.

The sound of the lock jolted Seo-yeon back to reality, and she glared at Professor Sung. He gestured toward the chair opposite him, signaling her to sit. Without a word, their silent exchange conveyed everything.

“Chairman, please hang on. People will be here soon.”

Seo-yeon whispered softly into Chairman Shin’s ear before taking a deep breath to steady herself. No matter how evil Professor Sung might be, he was still just a human being with red blood flowing through his veins. She resolved not to be afraid.

“Our patient Han Seo-yeon has come to find her place to die. Bad luck, indeed.”

“Do you see where others are supposed to die, Professor? But not your own? I never imagined you’d be so reckless and impulsive.”

“Look at this one! She’s fearless. How dare she talk back to a doctor like that. What kind of upbringing did she have? Ah… come to think of it, aren’t you an orphan? You wouldn’t have received any proper family education, would you?”

Professor Sung openly stared down at the petite Seo-yeon, attempting to intimidate her. However, she showed no sign of fear. Instead, her eyes gleamed fiercely like those of a predator. For a moment, Professor Sung thought her gaze resembled Chairman Shin’s.

“Our patient Han Seo-yeon seems to need more treatment. Let me teach her some manners.”

Before Seo-yeon could react, his palm came flying at her. With all his strength, Professor Sung slapped her across the face, and she collapsed onto the floor like a broken doll.

The silence was filled with Seo-yeon’s labored breathing, Professor Sung’s intermittent creepy laughter, and the faint sound of Chairman Shin’s shallow breaths.

Seo-yeon grew anxious. If they delayed any longer, Chairman Shin might bleed to death. Crawling over to him, she pressed down hard on his abdomen again.

“This girl keeps putting up a fight. Stubborn little thing.”

Professor Sung kicked Seo-yeon’s hand away. Though the pain of her wrist breaking made her grit her teeth, she continued pressing down on Chairman Shin’s wound.

With a sharp blow, Professor Sung struck the back of Seo-yeon’s head with the edge of his hand.

Seo-yeon staggered and lowered her head. The world spun around her as if she were experiencing tinnitus, and before she could brace herself, nausea surged violently within her. She vomited everything she had eaten. The warmth and bitterness lingered unpleasantly on her tongue. By now, there was nothing left to throw up except bile, yet the retching wouldn’t stop. Perhaps it was tears pouring out instead; she continued dry-heaving for what felt like an eternity.

Finally, when the vomiting subsided and she managed to lift her upper body, a searing pain shot through her throat. Slowly, Seo-yeon raised her head.

“You insolent brat. There were countless nights when Park Yeowan writhed beneath me in pleasure. Do you think you’re any different?”

Professor Sung turned his gaze toward the collapsed Chairman Shin. Obscene words flowed from his thin lips.

“Chairman Shin, I assume you’ve only ever tried missionary position with Park Yeowan? Pity you won’t get to experience it now. You see, Park Yeowan’s anus is particularly tight—I spent years stretching it out myself. At first, he cried out in pain, but later he begged me to take him there. Too bad you’ll miss out on that sensation in the afterlife.”

Seo-yeon trembled with disgust. She had never imagined enduring such humiliation. Glaring at Professor Sung, she shouted defiantly:

“A psychiatrist like you should know better than to spew such filth. Aren’t you ashamed?”

“The more I look at you, the more you remind me of Park Yeowan in his youth. You and your mother share one common trait—you both use your pretty faces to drain the life force from the men of the Shin family.”

“…Professor Sung, you’re cornered now, aren’t you? Resorting to such dirty talk to provoke me shows just how much hell resides within you.”

Professor Sung pressed the jackknife against Seo-yeon’s neck. Though tears threatened to spill from her eyes due to the overwhelming fear, she refused to show weakness to someone as vile as him. She clenched her teeth tightly. If death came, so be it—she wouldn’t beg for her life.

In that desperate moment, Jung-hyuk’s face flashed in her mind. Seo-yeon steeled her resolve. After much deliberation, she reached one conclusion: She would become the bait to capture Professor Sung Hoyeon and save Chairman Shin. It was a dangerous path, but Seo-yeon felt a strong sense of responsibility.

This choice wasn’t born out of disregard for her own life. Han Seo-yeon, herself, was made from Park Yeowan’s flesh and blood. She felt as though the sins Park Yeowan committed were strangling her through the umbilical cord, and this was the only way to atone for the wrongs done to the three Shin brothers.

Seo-yeon pressed hard against the dazed Professor Sung.

“Even if you endure this, once caught, murder charges will only pile up. Chairman Shin is losing too much blood.”

“…Do you think I have another option? That old man froze my account. Now we all die together.”

“Take me hostage and plan for the future. You’ve done your research, haven’t you? You know that I, Han Seo-yeon, am the woman Shin Jung-hyuk is obsessed with—the heir to Taesung Group.”

Professor Sung’s lips twisted into a sneer. What nonsense was this cunning girl spouting?

“There’s no way you’d offer me something advantageous. Trying to save Chairman Shin’s miserable life, are you?”

“So what? You don’t have a choice anyway.”

Seo-yeon witnessed the moment Professor Sung’s resolve faltered and strengthened her determination.

“Hurry up. I’m willingly becoming your hostage. Delay any longer, and people will swarm in.”

After a brief silence, focus returned to Professor Sung’s eyes. Clutching the jackknife close to Seo-yeon’s waist, he walked briskly down the hospital corridor.

As they approached the elevator, Seo-yeon scanned for opportunities. Spotting the red fire alarm on the hallway wall, she struck it without hesitation. The piercing siren blared, nearly shattering eardrums, and Seo-yeon smiled triumphantly.

“You damn bitch!”

Professor Sung cursed and grabbed a fistful of Seo-yeon’s hair. Ding, the elevator arrived, and he dragged her inside like an animal.

Regardless, security personnel were stationed at every entrance—the main gate, the back door, even the underground parking lot. Despite the excruciating pain in her scalp, Seo-yeon endured, knowing that once they reached the lobby, Sung Ho-yeon would be caught.

But her hopes were dashed. Instead of heading to the first-floor lobby or the underground parking, Professor Sung pressed the PH button for the rooftop.

What? As Seo-yeon gasped in shock, Professor Sung struck the back of her neck with the edge of his hand. She went limp, unconscious, and he skillfully supported her like a seasoned caregiver.

Ding, the elevator doors opened. The place Professor Sung took Seo-yeon was in front of a medical evacuation helicopter. The pilot, who had been waiting upon Sung’s call, quickly greeted them.

“It’s an emergency patient. We need to take off immediately.”

Something seemed off to the pilot. The woman in the dress, slumped over, hardly looked like an emergency case. Critical patients requiring helicopter transport were usually brought on stretchers. Moreover, Professor Sung, a psychiatrist, had never used a medical evacuation helicopter before.

Confused, the pilot scratched the back of his head, prompting Sung to bark at him.

“Are you a doctor? Who decides the severity of the patient’s condition? Will you take responsibility if something happens?”

The weight of the word “responsibility” served as the catalyst to quickly bring the pilot under control. Moments later, the helicopter roared to life and ascended into the sky.

---

Meanwhile, chaos erupted once again in the conference hall because of Jung-hyuk’s sudden announcement from the podium.

“I am not the successor of Taesung Group. As everyone knows, our company follows the principle of primogeniture. Since I am not the eldest son, I cannot possibly be the successor. Let me make that clear here and now.”

“Vice President Shin Jung-hyuk, when did you plan this? Are you also one of the victims in this Professor Sung incident?”

“Are you saying there is another true successor? Should we interpret this as meaning there is a hidden sibling?”

The reporters in the conference hall went wild. Jung-hyuk frowned and clamped his mouth shut, but microphones and cameras were thrust at him from all directions. Jinhyuk faced a similar situation.

Reporters stormed the stage recklessly, and bodyguards in black suits moved in to protect Jung-hyuk. They formed a solid human wall around him, pushing the reporters back roughly. Trapped behind the barrier, the reporters shouted about the “public’s right to know.”

At that moment, the deafening sound of the fire alarm reverberated throughout the hospital.