Park Jae-sang is a prominent individual and the primary antagonist in Little Women as he is involved in criminal activity that the three sisters also find themselves entangled in.
Oh In-joo, Oh In-kyung and Oh In-hye are all connected to Park Jae-sang in some way or the other and their proximity to him puts them in serious danger.
Investigating his character
In-kyung’s news station takes a special interest in Park Jae-sang when he appears on television visiting a man who was wrongly imprisoned by his father-in-law, General Won Gi-seon. In-kyung believes that Jae-sang is not being authentic and is hiding something.
She investigates his involvement in the Bobae Savings Bank case and finds out that Park Jae-sang represented 4 people who all need up committing suicide. She also finds a link between his family and a lot of missing money but doesn’t have concrete proof.
She tries to confront him about it but her alcoholism ruins her image in public and she’s given a suspension from work. She still investigates him and gets her hands on CCTV footage showing him meeting one of the suicide victims shortly before his death.
The hidden money
In-joo works at the Wyonrong group that was started by the general. She worked there with Jin Hwa-young and she finds out about the slush funds and evidence of embezzlement that the company is involved in after Hwa-young’s death.
In-joo meets with Won Sang-woo who is in a psychiatric hospital. He tells her that he found out about the corruption himself but when he tried to sue his father, he lost and was sent to the hospital as a punishment.
Cha Do-il later tells In-joo that Won Sang-woo lost a power struggle with his brother-in-law, Park Jae-sang for the general’s company. Park Jae-sang used the resources he got to build an empire and is now going into politics, running for mayor of Seoul.
Dividing a family
Park Jae-sang’s daughter, Park Hyo-rin studies with Oh In-hye. He and his wife take advantage of In-hye’s circumstances and her superior ability as an artist to improve their own daughter’s work.
They offer her money and a chance to study at a prestigious school in Boston if she continues to stay friends with Hyo-rin and help her with her painting.
Even though In-joo and In-kyung want to help their younger sister, In-hye wants to do things by herself and not see her sisters break their backs and go to any lengths for her sake.
One day while she’s staying at Park Jae-sang’s house, she runs into him and he tells her how he was the general’s driver’s son and grew up with Won Sang-woo and Won Sang-ah. As he grew up, he proved to the general his usefulness and loyalty and managed to oust the general’s own son to get where he is.
He asks In-hye if she’s willing to do the same thing, sowing the seeds of betrayal among the sisters.