Chapter 171 – (Episode 171) 26. Heavenly Punishment

(Episode 171)

The Thompsons went out first. Because she was supposed to go back to Los Angeles before lunch, Jennifer was ready.

So, going out with the Thompson mother and daughter, who had many things to worry about from makeup to clothes, took place after quite some time.

Mr. Thompson started at the company and went to show off his dazzlingly beautiful eldest daughter, then headed to a club that only the highest class in New York entered.

Myeong-sik Han stopped by Thompson’s mother and daughter at her department store for shopping, then headed to a famous three-star restaurant in the Michel ○ Guide that had been reserved for lunch.

Up until this point, it was enough to show the Thompson family a harmonious appearance for both the eldest daughter and the prospective son-in-law, whom they had not met in a long time.

Haha, did you see Richard’s pupils flicker?”

“Whoops, you didn’t notice me at first, did you?”

“Yes, yes, haha”

Mr. Thompson seemed to be in a better mood when he saw the reaction of his eldest daughter’s childhood friend, whom he met at a club he frequented.

“Dad, have I changed that much?”

“Honestly, if we hadn’t been on video calls for a while, we wouldn’t have known.”

“But… My life has changed a lot after meeting Myeong-shik.”

“I’m just saying it because it’s my dad, but it’s changed so much that Richard, who was close like her brother and sister, didn’t know.”

“Does it look like you had plastic surgery?”

“That doesn’t matter, but as a father I’m pretty sure that her beloved older daughter isn’t a woman trying to achieve something with her appearance.”

“Dad… Always so confident about me and my family.”

“What do you mean, whatever worries… ?”

“No, more than that, what do you think, Myeong-shik?”

She got the impression that she had something to say, but out of respect for her eldest daughter’s judgment, Mr. Thompson didn’t bother to ask and laughed it off.

“I like it, I really like that spirited look and expression.”

“He’s Korean and he’s not particularly interested in marriage, right?”

“How is that, I can see how much my daughter loves me.”

“Dad…”

Jennifer shed tears at the thought that there would be no other father in the world who was so caring and devoted to his daughter, but she held it in for the work she had prepared.

“Shall we have lunch? You always order pie when you come to your dad’s club.”

“Whoops, you remember, the apple pie here is the most delicious in the world.”

Haha”

When the Thompsons were spending a friendly time after a long time, the Thompsons, who had finished her lunch, were taking her Hanmyeongsik to a special place.

“How are you?”

“This is a place I sometimes use when meeting friends.”

“Is it like a club?”

“It’s similar.”

Looking at the secluded location far from New York City or the thorough security procedures and independent space provided at the entrance,

It was not difficult to guess that it was a membership facility only for upper-class women.

I was able to enter the room only after keeping personal items such as cell phones separately from a body search by a sturdy and handsome security officer who was waiting.

“And… ! I didn’t know there was such a wonderful facility so close to New York.”

“It’s tacky.”

Charlotte’s sarcasm at her Han Myeong-sik’s admiration was rude, but Mrs. Thompson laughed it off, but she didn’t point it out.

“Would you like to sit down and have a cocktail?”

“I guess it’s too early for a drink?”

“A guy who argues with that isn’t fun.”

Seeing that Mrs. Thompson’s voice and expression had changed considerably, I was convinced that the event I was preparing for would happen.

When the Hispanic waiter delivered three unordered cocktails and left, Myeong-sik Han spoke first.

“Tell me why you brought me here.”

“Oh, are you quite aware?”

I reacted as if I was surprised, but the feeling of looking down on Han Myung-sik was evident in his eyes and expression.

“You must have come here because there is a story that neither Jennifer nor Mr. Thompson should ever tell. Including the threat Charlotte made to me yesterday.”

“Threat, take it as a polite warning. Did nothing happen?”

“Something happened, but I don’t think this is the right time to discuss it.”

Charlotte grinned as she took a sip of her cocktail, as if she thought she had changed from yesterday.

“What do you believe in and are so confident about?”

“Your sister.”

“Oh… Because your girlfriend is a CIA agent?”

“No, because the woman I love.”

“What can Jennifer do for you?”

“That’s what you’ll know when you see it.”

“You asshole, did you tell me that?”

Her 18-year-old daughter’s rude cursing caused Mrs. Thompson to lean back on her couch and twitch.

Her body was treated with money from her head to her toes, so it was acceptable to look at her age, but she was so unlikable that she didn’t even want to look at her.

“Charlotte, you should speak with dignity.”

“Dignity is a luxury for such an idiot.”

“Didn’t she say we have our own lines to keep, regardless of the other person?”

“Joy!”

It seems that Charlotte is listening to her biological mother, judging by the reaction of her snort and attention turning to her cocktail glass.

‘That’s why her daughter is like that, she’s the same as Jennifer.’

Suddenly, Lee Mi-ri, I remembered the lovely image of the image. She’s the same half-sister, but how could she be so different?

When we first met, she had a problem with her behavior that went against common sense, but seeing that it was a decisive opportunity that brought her today’s happiness,

I wonder if this was possible because her mother Park Eun-jung did not discriminate between her stepdaughter and her real daughter and raised them properly with her sincere love.

While Myeong-sik Han was lost in these thoughts for a moment, Mrs. Thompson threw one of her envelopes on her table and she hinted.

“Take it.”

“What is this?”

“Check.”

With pride, she didn’t want to fight, so she immediately opened the envelope and checked her amount.

“That’s a lot of money, but I’m wondering if the check can be cashed because it’s in someone’s name I don’t know?”

“It’s not a joke, so listen seriously. Depending on your choice, the number of trailing zeros may increase.”

“If it’s a choice, is that what Charlotte said?”

“That’s right.”

“Aren’t you worried that Jennifer will find out?”

“Didn’t you tell Charlotte to understand?”

“No wonder… , Yesterday’s kidnapping was also ordered by her wife.”

It was a question I asked to get the answer she wanted, but Charlotte, who was sitting next to her, came out in a huff.

“You made me do it! Do I look like a woman who can’t even do that?”

“It’s easier for me to accept that my mother made me do it. It’s horrible that an 18-year-old girl did that.”

“This bastard is real!”

Charlotte jumped up from her seat and threw a cocktail glass at Myeong-sik Han.

“I won’t forgive you for doing this kind of thing, you’re just looking at me as Jennifer’s younger sister.”

“… !!”

Aside from the scattered cocktails, the Thompson mother and daughter doubted her eyes when they saw the flying glass in Han Myung-sik’s hand, who momentarily moved it to a seat next to it.

“Uh… How… ?”

Surprised with her mouth wide open, Myeong-sik Han smiled relaxedly at Mrs. Thompson and brought her to the point.

“Rather than that, let’s keep talking about business.”

“Business?”

“Wouldn’t it be an idiot, as Charlotte said, to just go through the task of kidnapping and blackmailing and offering a large sum of money?”

“You wouldn’t be in a position to offer conditions, right?”

“If you had intended to harm me, wouldn’t you have killed me yesterday?”

Mrs. Thompson, who seemed to like Myeong-sik Han’s forward-looking attitude, showed interest in her as she straightened her posture.

“Funny, I’ll listen to what you have to say.”

“First of all, no matter what the circumstances, I will continue to date Jennifer. We really love each other.”

“However?”

“However… If you wish, this relationship can continue unaltered.”

“Unchanged… , Are you saying that you will continue to live together without getting married?”

“If your wife wants it.”

Mrs. Thompson nodded her head with a coquettish smile unbefitting her aging which she had forced to halt.

“Seeing that you find the conditions the other person wants, you have a knack for business, I like it.”

“And she is not giving the money to risk being pursued, but is dividing her property legally between her eldest daughter.”

“Does that mean investing in your business?”

“You are also very understanding. She would look better if she agreed with her father and Jennifer, who could doubt her wife’s pure heart?”

Her cunning suggestion caught Mrs. Thompson’s ears. The difference in amount may be large, but if Myeong-sik Han keeps his promise, what is a safer solution?

“It’s all good, but how can I trust you?”

“You can sign a contract with me and invest in her wife’s name.

“It’s a condition with no reason to worry. Good! I will accept your offer.”

“Certainly, talking to adults keeps things constructive.”

Mrs. Thompson quickly stopped Charlotte from getting angry again at her sarcasm, which was tantamount to revenge.

“You’re partners with us now, be polite.”

“I don’t like it. What business are you doing with that bastard?”

“Sometimes you have to be able to hold hands with someone you don’t like. Didn’t her mom explain why she’s living with her dad?”

“It’s a sequel that gets everything sorted out, but if it’s going to be like this, then why did Jennifer go on a deployment…”

“Shut up, Charlotte!”

She quickly silenced Charlotte, who was carelessly bragging, but her Thompsons’ voice had already been transmitted.

“This… Unbelievable… , Uh… How… How could this… !”

Thompson was astonished at the voices of his wife and little daughter, transmitted through Jennifer’s mobile phone, in a separate space reserved for confidential conversations.

“Dad knows the IED explosion I experienced in Afghanistan, right?”

“Shaman… Does the story Charlotte is referring to refer to that incident?”

“Or what?”

IED (Improvised Explosive Device) refers to an improvised explosive device, that is, a homemade bomb commonly used by terrorists or rebels.

In the explosion that Jennifer suffered, three comrades who worked together lost their lives in an attack using IEDs by the Taliban, who are believed to be hitmen.

“Your mother isn’t the kind of person who would do something like this, don’t you know because you’ve been through it for the past 14 years?”

“I never even imagined it would be like this until Myung-shik was kidnapped yesterday.”

Even though it was only about two days, I liked Han Myeong-sik’s character and attitude that I watched from the side to the extent that I wished it was his real son.

However, from Mr. Thompson’s point of view, who would he want to believe in more than his wife, whom he has lived with for over 14 years?

“A recording of my conversation with Charlotte or this… Mr. Han is enough to induce a conversation like this…”

“Did you think Myeong-shik was plotting something?”

“Isn’t that more convincing?”

“What does Myung-shik gain by doing this?”

“That… Yeah…”

“Our house property?”

“Otherwise, how could such a thorough preparation be possible? The club your mother goes to is a place I know well, and the security is so tight that eavesdropping is impossible. What if this voice is not your mother or Charlotte? These days, you can create any number of fake videos and audios with AI, right?”

“Have you forgotten that I am a CIA agent? It’s because you can’t be active in the country, if you want to, you can find all the pubic hair on the bed sheet at a private social club like this. And Dad can check whether this audio file is fake or not.”

“Ah… !”

Jennifer was devastated by her father’s devastated and collapsing appearance, but her anger at her mother and daughter, who were no different from demons, calmed her trembling heart.

“As much as my dad trusts me, I trust Myung-shik. And I’m saying this because I’m a father, but Mr. Myung-shik is not just a businessman.”

“What… , That… Then… ?”

“It’s better not to know the details, I can’t tell you more.”

“Is it true that you two are in love?”

“Of course, I love you more than my own life. You know Dad is the same, right?”

“Jennifer…”

For her father, who was gripped with remorse and sorrow, the only comfort her daughter Jennifer could offer right away was a tender hug.

(Continued on next episode 172)