Chapter 15 - A Resemblance

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Sunye stared at the photo which was sent to them. She was at her office and it was nearly midnight but she was so engrossed in her work that she did not notice the time. Taking a sip from her fifth cup of coffee, she was trying to figure out how these two men became acquainted.

The photo they received could create a scandal if it was leaked. The Minister of Finance was in a forbidden relationship with another man despite being married to a woman. And on top of that, the man Shin Hyun was in a relationship with was an accused murderer. The reporters would have a field day if they got their hands on this photo.

But whoever sent them this photo did not leak it to the media. Which only meant one thing: the sender wanted Jonghyun and Sunye in particular to get this information. That person must have their contact details as well.

And she had an inkling who the sender might be.

Jonghyun was passing by when he paused to see Sunye was deep in thought. He checked his watch and frowned. It was late at night and all the employees had already left. She was concentrating so hard on the case files and the picture that she did not even notice when he walked in.

"Still working?"

His voice startled her and she yelped in shock. Gasping, she looked up to see Jonghyun standing in front of her. He had taken off his suit and tie, carrying them in his arms. In the semi-formal attire, he looked very chic like a runway model. He was amused by her reaction to his entry.

"I-I was just trying to finish some work," she stammered. She tried to put the files out of sight but he was too quick for her. Grabbing the file on Lim Byungsoo, he read the contents.

"You're still hung up on the picture," he sighed. "Are you sure you want to take this risk? It's not easy to coerce a confession out of the Minister of Finance himself."

"But if he's the lover of Lim Byungsoo, then surely he must know something," Sunye pressed. "This is a scandalous piece of evidence but the Minister is obliged to testify!"

"You know very well that he won't," Jonghyun pointed out. "Moreover, we can't even tell if the photograph is fabricated or not."

"We'll still have to try," Sunye stated. "If there was only a way to get the Minister to talk. Maybe not in an interrogation room but in some kind of a casual conversation, perhaps."

Jonghyun shrugged and sat on a chair across her, watching her as she returned to her files.

She was in a dilemma. Sunye had handled many high profile cases but this was something beyond her capacity. Accusing the Finance Minister was akin to accusing the government and she was not sure if that would be taken lightly. The ruling party would be outraged and there would a major citizens' outroar. They might even stage protests both for and against the Minister, leading to clashes and chaos.

It was the last thing she wanted in an already destabilized country which was still reeling from the after effects of the abolished monarchy. They might have gained a democracy but the monarchy was beloved by the majority of the country. Under the previous Emperor, the country had flourished and developed its consumer sectors, turning out to be one of the most powerful nations in the world.

So, when the monarchy was destroyed by the rebels, there was a huge scandal and protest. Taking advantage of the anarchy, the current government rose to prominence and got rid of all those who killed the royal family. They took control of the country and since then have been elected every year by the citizens to run the country.

From the outside, the current government had followed the footsteps of Emperor Kim and introduced policies to develop the economy. Even though they were successful, the rising corruption and occasional chaos also gave rise to several factions of criminals who fought for power. As a lawyer, Sunye had seen the extent of the corruption but never took up a case in which she was directly up against the high profile government officials.

But now, it seemed she would have to question the Finance Minister directly.

Jonghyun was observing her every move. He was intrigued by her tenacity and passion for the case. Even though he had many lawyers in his firm, Han Sunye was a special case. He had chosen to recruit not only because of her skills but also due to the fact that she was recommended to him by an old friend by the name of Song Tamlin.

"He's your father's subordinate," Sunye said after a while. She looked up at him with her intense eyes, noticing that he did not react in any way to her words. Instead, he simply shrugged.

"Prime Minister Lee isn't very concerned with what his subordinates do unless they harm his reputation," Jonghyun stated. Sunye raised her eyebrows. Prime Minister Lee? He did not refer to his father as 'dad' but with his title. Was the relationship between them not good?

"So, if Shin Hyun is truly in cahoots with the doctor," he went on. "Then I assure you that Prime Minister Lee will not spare him. He would cut him off in seconds."

Sunye leaned back, deep in thought. Prime Minister Lee was a hero in the eyes of the people. He was the one who had gotten rid of the rebels who killed the beloved Emperor and his family. Even if Minister Hyun turned out to have a scandalous affair with another man, it would not affect Lee's reputation. In fact, he was known to kick out members from his party when they damaged his reputation.

"I have to talk to him," she stated firmly. "It's the only way we can get clues on Lim Byungsoo's case and have him convicted."

Jonghyun stared at her for a while before letting out a sigh. He picked up his suit and searched the pockets until he took out a couple of envelopes.

"Here," he said, handing one to her.

"What's this?" she frowned.

"This is the ticket to a cruise party I was invited to," Jonghyun informed her. "I could even bring a date. I wasn't planning to go but since you want to meet the Finance Minister so badly, I thought that maybe we should attend after all."

"He'll be there?" Sunye asked in wonder.

"Yes," Jonghyun revealed. "He'll be there. And if we play our cards right, we'll be able to make him spill the beans."

His lips curved into a sly smile. For a moment, the image of Kim San's smiling face flashed through Sunye's mind and she could not help but notice a similarity between San and Jonghyun. It was for a moment but the thought remained.

"O-okay," she nodded. "We'll go. Together."