The next day, at the Investors Relations Department of the Won Group headquarters, everyone was busy carrying out their respective duties. Employees moved from desk to desk, handing in reports, answering phone calls, reviewing investment portfolios, preparing financial charts, and monitoring trading performances. The entire office was filled with the steady rhythm of keyboards clicking, printers humming, and conversations between colleagues discussing market movements and company strategies.
Everyone was focused on their work.
Everyone except Shan Wolf.
Although he appeared calm on the outside, his mind was somewhere else entirely. His eyes remained fixed on the monitor in front of him, but not a single word on the screen registered in his thoughts. Instead, his mind kept replaying everything that had happened the previous night.
After making sure no one was paying attention, Shan quietly reached into his bag beneath the desk. His movements were subtle and practiced, careful enough that none of his coworkers noticed. From inside, he pulled out a hidden folder and slowly opened it.
On the cover were two simple words.
Pleasure Team.
His expression remained unreadable as he carefully flipped it open.
His thoughts drifted back to the previous night.
After surviving what had felt like three separate brushes with death, Shan had finally escaped with his life. During that chaotic encounter, he had secretly removed one file that had originally been meant for Kan Jin Young of the SeoulGun Newspaper Company.
Now, that very file rested in his hands.
"Hmm... the Chairman's Pleasure Team," Shan Wolf muttered quietly to himself.
The file contained personal information and detailed records of numerous women.
It described a private organization created solely for Eh San Won, the founder and chairman of Won Group.
A group assembled for nothing more than the chairman's personal pleasure.
As long as the chairman desired them, it made no difference whether the woman was single, married, widowed, or already had children. If she caught his interest, she would eventually become one of his concubines.
Once accepted into the group, every member was expected to obey the chairman's wishes without question. Attendance was mandatory whenever he summoned them, and strict rules governed every aspect of their lives within the organization.
The documents even detailed what happened if one of them gave birth.
Both mother and child would receive generous financial support and live comfortably for the rest of their lives. However, the child would never inherit the Won family name. Instead, they would carry only their mother's surname, permanently distinguishing them from the chairman's legitimate heirs.
Shan quietly turned page after page.
Each file contained another woman's photograph, background, occupation, family history, and evaluation. The list seemed endless.
Doctors.
Actresses.
Businesswomen.
Journalists.
Even ordinary office workers.
Every page painted another disturbing picture of how deeply the chairman's influence reached.
Eventually, something caught Shan's attention.
Near the very end of the folder was a section marked with a thick red line.
His eyes narrowed.
He flipped to it immediately.
The heading indicated that these were women classified as Very Important.
One particular name instantly stood out.
Ingrid Mikage.
Without hesitation, Shan began reading her profile carefully.
According to the records, Ingrid had become acquainted with Chairman Eh San Won shortly after her daughter, Kim Yeon Mikage, had turned five years old.
Shan slowly lowered the page, his brows knitting together.
"I knew she had connections to the Chairman," Shan Wolf murmured, "but to this extent... becoming his sexual partner just to secure her child's future..."
His voice gradually faded as countless questions surfaced in his mind.
Before he could continue reading—
"Ne..., Wolf."
The familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
Shan looked up.
Rachel So Mi stood nearby, holding an expensive bottle of alcohol with a lazy smile spread across her face. Her cheeks carried a faint blush, and although she was clearly affected by the alcohol, she still managed to remain standing.
"You came back so soon...?" she giggled softly. "Hehehe..."
Shan observed her for a brief moment.
She wasn't completely drunk.
If anything, she seemed only slightly tipsy.
Enough to loosen her tongue.
Enough to perhaps answer his questions.
Holding up the folder slightly, Shan looked directly at her.
"Rachel," he asked calmly, "can you tell me more about this Pleasure Team?"
Rachel's sleepy eyes drifted toward the folder.
The moment she recognized it, her expression changed.
She let out a small cough before straightening herself, forcing away some of the drunken haze clouding her mind.
"I could..." she answered with a playful smile.
"But..."
She slowly stepped closer.
"...this is a two-way street, you know."
Her smile widened as she folded her arms.
"What's in it for me?"
Her eyes locked onto his.
"Surely us two black sheep can come to... common ground."
Shan understood exactly what she was implying.
He didn't need further explanation.
Without another word, he silently accepted her condition.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, harder, baby! Show what the fuck does that fucking surname means!"
Yelled Rachel as Shan Wolf took her from behind, round by round they did it 5 times until finally she gave out and exhausted.
Time quietly passed.
Eventually—
Rachel lay against him, breathing heavily as exhaustion finally caught up with her.
Her face was flushed, strands of hair clung loosely around her cheeks, and every breath escaped her lips unevenly.
Despite looking completely worn out, a satisfied smile slowly appeared across her face.
"Fuck..." she muttered weakly between breaths.
"What in God's name are you?"
She let out a tired laugh before gently resting her head against Shan's chest.
"A sex machine?"
"Or maybe a Terminator made specifically for women?"
She shook her head with an amused smile.
"Your stamina is honestly unbelievable."
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
The silence felt strangely comfortable.
Rachel listened quietly to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her ear while allowing herself a rare moment of peace.
After a while, she smiled again.
"You know..."
Her voice became softer.
"I kind of liked how you tasted on our birthday."
She slowly looked up at him.
"I want to feel that again."
A small grin tugged at the corner of her lips.
"Maybe..."
"...over coffee and something."
Shan immediately understood what she meant.
Without saying a word, he leaned closer.
Their faces gradually closed the remaining distance until their lips finally met.
Rachel gently melted into the kiss, closing her eyes as she returned it without hesitation.
For a long while, neither of them moved away.
They simply remained there together, quietly sharing the moment.
Back in the present, inside the Investors Relations Department, Shan Wolf continued reading through the hidden files.
His eyes moved across each page carefully, absorbing every piece of information that could reveal more about the people connected to Chairman Eh San Won.
Then, another familiar name caught his attention.
Eva Kim's mother.
According to the report, she had once been an opera singer.
Shan stared at the information for a moment before a small smile appeared on his face.
"Hehe... no wonder she used to sing so much back at the mercenary camp when we were kids."
The memory briefly surfaced in his mind.
Those days felt distant now.
A completely different life.
A time before all the secrets, betrayals, and hidden connections began revealing themselves.
However, despite looking through the other files, his attention kept returning to one particular name.
Ingrid Mikage.
He reread her information several times.
The report painted a picture of a woman who had sacrificed her reputation and dignity by becoming connected to Chairman Eh San Won.
Someone the world would judge without knowing the full story.
Someone who had been forced to walk through darkness for the sake of her own survival.
But Shan noticed one detail that caught his attention.
There was no record of a child between Ingrid and the chairman.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he checked again.
Then he confirmed it.
Kim Yeon Mikage was not Chairman Eh San Won's daughter.
A small breath escaped Shan's lips.
A strange feeling of relief appeared inside him.
At least that part was not what he feared.
"Hello..."
A voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
Shan quickly closed part of the file and looked up.
"Hello... I would like you to search this up on the Switzerland market if you please."
The voice belonged to someone familiar.
Ingrid Mikage.
She stood nearby, speaking professionally with another employee.
As always, she carried herself with the same cold and composed expression.
The Head Manager of Won Group.
A woman known for her intelligence, authority, and emotionless appearance.
The ice queen everyone respected and feared.
Watching her now, Shan found himself unable to connect this person with the woman described inside those documents.
The woman who had endured countless sacrifices behind closed doors.
The woman who had chosen to carry a terrible reputation in order to protect her daughter.
For some reason, Shan found himself questioning his own thoughts.
Why had he never continued using those secrets against her?
Why had he hesitated?
Why didn't he treat her the way he originally intended?
What was happening to him these days?
Shan quietly sighed.
His thoughts became even more complicated when, at that exact moment, Ingrid's eyes met his.
For a brief second, both of them stopped.
Neither looked surprised.
Neither showed fear.
There was only a silent understanding between them.
Then, just as naturally as it happened, both looked away.
Returning to their work.
Acting like ordinary colleagues.
As if nothing had happened.
But Shan knew better than anyone now.
The woman standing before him was not simply the person described in those files.
She was a mother.
A woman who had been willing to sacrifice everything to protect her daughter.
Her reputation.
Her pride.
Her own happiness.
Even if the entire world misunderstood her, Ingrid Mikage would still choose the same path if it meant keeping Kim Yeon Mikage safe.
And that realization changed something inside Shan Wolf. Shan Wolf put the files back into a slip and put it into his bag as he set it aside and continued his work.
Soon, the flat-screen television inside the Investors Relations Department suddenly interrupted the usual office atmosphere with a breaking news announcement.
Everyone continued working at first, barely paying attention, until the reporter from SeoulGun Newspaper Company mentioned a name that instantly caught everyone's attention.
"Breaking news. Won Group Executive Director Gin Chu Won, who was previously on the run due to multiple charges, has been confirmed dead following a car accident."
The moment those words left the reporter's mouth, the entire department fell silent.
The sound of typing stopped. Employees who had been focused on their reports slowly turned their attention toward the screen, unable to hide their surprise. The death of a high-ranking executive from Won Group was not something that could be ignored.
Among everyone watching, Shan Wolf only glanced briefly at the television before his eyes shifted toward Ingrid Mikage.
She stood there silently.
Her expression remained as cold and composed as always, the same emotionless face that everyone in Won Group knew well. However, Shan noticed the small details that others failed to see.
Her hand had tightened into a fist.
Her lips were pressed together tightly.
She was holding something back.
Shan understood immediately.
This was not sadness.
This was anger.
Hatred.
Regret.
He knew exactly what kind of emotions were buried beneath that cold exterior.
Gin Chu Won.
The man who had nearly destroyed Kim Yeon's life in his previous timeline.
The incident at the Hilton Hotel.
The drugs.
The attempted assault.
The moment when Shan had failed to protect her.
But that was the past.
After using Deathborn to return to the past, Shan had changed the outcome. This time, he arrived before it was too late. This time, Kim Yeon Mikage was saved.
Yet Shan also understood something.
Even if the outcome had changed, the pain Ingrid carried did not disappear so easily.
For a mother, knowing that her daughter had almost suffered something irreversible was not something that could simply be forgotten.
Not long after the announcement ended, Ingrid quietly walked back into her office.
Shan watched her disappear behind the door.
For a moment, he remained seated.
One minute passed.
Then another.
Finally, he stood up.
Without saying anything to anyone, he walked toward Ingrid's office and knocked on the door.
"Permission to enter," Shan said.
There was a brief pause before a familiar voice answered.
"Oh, Wolf? It's just you. Come in."
Shan opened the door and entered before closing it behind him.
Ingrid was sitting behind her desk, looking through documents. She did not even raise her head at first, but Shan could tell she was not focused on her work.
"I'm not in the mood for another one of your usual problems," Ingrid said coldly, though her voice lacked its usual sharpness. "So whatever you're planning, don't."
Shan ignored the comment and walked closer.
He stopped in front of her desk before gently lifting her chin, forcing her to look at him.
"Hey," he said calmly. "He got what was coming to him."
His eyes met hers.
"So why do you still have that expression?"
For a moment, Ingrid said nothing.
Then her cold expression finally cracked.
"I wanted to kill him myself," she admitted quietly.
Her voice carried years of anger that she had buried deep inside.
"I just can't get over it, you know? My daughter... the Hilton Hotel incident... the fact that it almost happened..."
Her voice became heavier as she remembered the nightmare she had spent trying to forget.
Before she could continue, Shan placed a finger against her lips, stopping her.
"That was then," he said softly. "This is now."
He looked at her seriously.
"What's done is done, Ingrid. You can't keep punishing yourself by living in that moment forever."
His voice became gentler.
"You have to let go of the past and keep moving forward. Otherwise, it will slowly eat you alive."
Ingrid stared at him.
She wanted to argue.
She wanted to push him away.
This was Shan Wolf.
The same troublesome man who constantly irritated her.
The same man who always crossed boundaries and made her life more complicated.
But right now, he was not looking at her with his usual teasing expression.
He was looking at her as someone who understood her pain.
Slowly, Shan pulled her into a hug.
His hand gently moved through her smooth brown hair, comforting her in silence.
At first, Ingrid remained stiff.
She questioned why he was doing this.
Why was this man, who had always been impossible to understand, suddenly comforting her?
But instead of pushing him away, she slowly relaxed.
Her head rested against him.
For once, Ingrid Mikage allowed herself to stop being the cold and untouchable Head Manager of Won Group.
For just a moment, she was simply a mother who had carried too much pain alone.
At the same time, inside a private luxury gym, Sae Jin Mei was in the middle of an intense flexibility session. Guided by her personal yoga coach, her body was pushed into another difficult stretch.
"I can't... it's too much..." she whimpered, her face twisting in discomfort as she struggled to maintain the position. Tiny beads of sweat rolled down her forehead while her trembling muscles protested against every second of the exercise.
The coach remained calm. "Breathe. Just a little longer. Your body will thank you later."
Before Sae Jin Mei could respond, the sound of high heels echoed across the polished wooden floor.
"You think you're pretty, right?"
A woman approached with an elegant yet intimidating aura. Without waiting for an answer, she reached forward and gently—but firmly—pinched Sae Jin Mei's cheeks.
"You do realize that once you're on television, every flaw becomes visible. Cameras make everyone look a little fatter than they really are." She examined Sae Jin Mei's face carefully before letting go. "Fortunately, you're neither fat nor chubby. You just need to become slimmer. That's all."
Standing beside Sae Jin Mei was Jen Heo Won, arms folded as she looked her over from head to toe like a strict instructor judging a student.
"Look at this," Jen said, lightly pressing the soft skin around Sae Jin Mei's cheek. "One day you'll regret ignoring these little details. By then, it'll already be too late." She narrowed her eyes. "So... do you still want to rest?"
Sae Jin Mei slowly turned toward the full-length mirror.
She stared at her own reflection.
For a brief moment, she hesitated.
Then she shook her head.
"...No."
She took a deep breath before returning to her exercises without another complaint, determined to finish what she had started.
An hour later, the training session finally came to an end.
Completely exhausted, Sae Jin Mei sat on a nearby bench, breathing heavily as she wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel. Her entire body ached, but there was also a small sense of accomplishment hidden beneath her fatigue.
As she stretched her shoulders, Jen Heo Won's eyes suddenly caught something unusual on her back.
She stepped closer.
"What's that?"
Sae Jin Mei blinked before looking over her shoulder.
"The mark on your back."
Jen frowned slightly.
"You should probably have it removed. It doesn't look very good."
Sae Jin Mei smiled helplessly.
"It's not a tattoo."
She adjusted the towel around her shoulders.
"It's a birthmark."
Jen raised an eyebrow.
"It usually doesn't show."
Sae Jin Mei shrugged.
"It only appears whenever my body temperature rises... like after exercising or drinking alcohol. Once my body cools down, it gradually fades again."
"I see..."
Jen nodded thoughtfully before saying nothing more.
Soon afterward, Sae Jin Mei excused herself and headed toward the shower room to freshen up.
Left alone, Jen casually took out her phone.
The moment she read the latest news notification, her expression immediately darkened.
"Tch..."
She clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"This is going to make things much more difficult."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the phone.
"Getting myself into the CEO's seat won't be as easy now."
She continued scrolling through the news until another thought crossed her mind.
Her eyes slowly drifted toward the direction of the shower room.
"Though..."
She narrowed her eyes.
"That girl..."
A faint look of curiosity appeared on her face.
"She really does resemble her."
She paused for a moment before quietly adding,
"Especially if she puts her hair up."
Far away, inside the Won Family Mansion, the atmosphere couldn't have been more different.
Eh San Won sat alone before an antique tea table, surrounded by expensive furniture that only made the room feel emptier.
Several empty bottles of alcohol were scattered across the table.
His clothes were untidy.
His eyes were bloodshot.
With trembling hands, he held a glass that had long since stopped shaking because there was barely any strength left in him.
Hanging on the wall before him was a framed portrait.
It was the photograph of the only woman he had ever truly loved.
The only woman who had captured his heart in his youth.
The only woman he had never been able to forget.
Even after all these years...
He still loved her.
Tears silently rolled down his cheeks as he stared at the portrait.
His lips trembled with regret.
And if anyone were to stand before that portrait...
They would immediately notice one unmistakable detail.
The woman in the photograph possessed the exact same facial features...
...as Sae Jin Mei.
Meanwhile, after a long day at work, Shan Wolf finally finished his shift and began organizing the documents on his desk. The once-busy Investors Relations Department had gradually emptied as employees clocked out one after another, eager to return home. With a quiet sigh, Shan shut down his computer and gathered his belongings, ready to call it a day.
"Oh? Mr. Wolf, you're still here?"
Shan looked over his shoulder upon hearing the familiar voice. Walking toward him was the innocent and somewhat clumsy assistant manager who worked under Ingrid Mikage, Mei Yoo Jun. She had just finished tidying up her own desk, carrying a small stack of files in her arms while wearing her usual gentle smile.
"Oh, Yoo Jun. You're here. I was just finishing up some work," Shan replied, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
Mei Yoo Jun let out a soft chuckle before shaking her head. "There's no overtime pay if you stay here any longer, Mr. Wolf. All you'll get is another lecture for staying late." She smiled warmly before reaching for the files in his hands. "Here, let me help you."
"Oh, thanks," Shan said with a grateful smile as he allowed her to take some of the paperwork.
But almost immediately, something felt... different.
Her tone was still as gentle as ever.
Her smile was still innocent.
Yet there was something beneath it.
Something Shan couldn't quite explain.
"It's nothing," Mei Yoo Jun said softly, lowering her gaze for a brief moment. "I should be the one helping you, Master..."
The final word escaped her lips so quietly that most people would have missed it.
Shan, however, heard it perfectly.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Ever since that day...
The day he comforted her after she discovered her boyfriend's affair..., how she had sex with him non stop in his apartment and then her place.
Something had changed.
Ever since then, Mei Yoo Jun's feelings toward him had only continued to grow stronger.
Her kindness had become more attentive.
Her concern had become more personal.
Sometimes, Shan even caught her staring at him when she thought he wasn't looking.
As she stood before him now, smiling so sweetly, Shan could almost imagine heart-shaped pupils reflected in her eyes.
She quickly looked away the moment their gazes met, trying to hide the affection that had become increasingly difficult for her to suppress.
Shan simply rubbed the back of his head with a helpless smile.
"...This is going to become another headache."
Outside the office windows, the evening sun slowly disappeared beneath the skyline, bringing another eventful day at Won Group to a close.
---
Chapter 81 — End