Sweet tooth-Woosan

Part 26

Chapter 25

San stood in front of his full-length mirror, adjusting the cufflinks on his sleeves, his gaze unwavering. The man staring back at him wasn't the same person he had been months ago. His face was harder, his posture straighter, and his eyes, once soft and uncertain, now burned with purpose. A far cry from the quiet, somewhat distracted heir he had been in the past.

Ever since returning to Korea, he'd changed—his focus shifting entirely from the frivolous aspects of his previous life to something far more pressing. Wooyoung's disappearance had ignited a fire within him, and now, every decision, every move he made, was driven by a singular need: to uncover the truth, to expose the people who had taken his lover from him, and to bring down those responsible for threatening Wooyoung's life.

The phone in his pocket buzzed, and without looking, San knew it was Bogum. Since their encounter in Italy, Bogum had been constantly helping San with gathering info in exchange for helping him with his own business.

He pulled out his phone, quickly glancing at the message from Bogum:

"San I have very important info. Meet me at the place, midnight."

San typed a quick reply, his fingers flying over the screen with ease:
"Ok"

He put the phone back in his pocket, his thoughts already back on the task at hand. Today, he was focused on the list of names—nine individuals who had attended the masquerade ball that had been the source of so many unanswered questions. San had gone over the footage from that night a dozen times, narrowing down the suspects. Of those nine, one had been hard to identify but found was Mr. Lee, a well-known figure in the business world, with ties to powerful people. His presence at the ball had been crucial—he was directly connected to the night Wooyoung's parents were killed. San was sure Wooyoung knew it so he had to gather other helpful information.

But the other person—someone Mr. Lee had been speaking to—had been difficult to find. That part of the conversation had happened in a blind spot. San's instincts told him that whoever Mr. Lee had been talking to was the main person behind all of the events. The fact that they'd managed to avoid every camera in the place meant they were likely someone highly familiar with the layout or even part of the event's organization.

The problem was, no one seemed to know who they were. San's team had combed through every lead they could find, but nothing concrete had come up. That person was still a ghost, hidden in the shadows.

San's eyes darkened as he grabbed his briefcase and headed out the door. His stepmother had been furious with him ever since he'd re-focused his attention on the company's dealings. It was the final straw after years of him staying out of their affairs. She had always been the one pulling strings behind the scenes, whispering into his father's ear and making sure San stayed out of the way. But now, he was taking charge. He no longer cared about playing nice, about keeping up appearances. All he wanted was to bring the people behind his parents' death to justice—and for that, he needed power. The kind of power only the company could give him.

He had dropped everything else—the pleasantries, the distractions. He no longer cared about the family image, the events, or the expectations his stepmother had placed on him. Every decision now revolved around gathering the resources, the connections, and the authority he would need to protect Wooyoung and uncover the full scope of the conspiracy.

As he arrived at the office, the first thing he did was call a meeting. The senior members of the board had already gathered, each of them exchanging uncomfortable glances as they filed into the conference room. They had heard the rumors about his sudden transformation—the whispers of how he'd changed over the past few weeks. He wasn't the same laid-back heir anymore. No, San was all business now, and it terrified them.