Chapter 3
Si-yeon smiled gently after making sure the bedroom door had closed.
“Hae-yoon. Would you like some coffee?”
“Oh, no. I’m fine.”
“Hmm, then why don’t you sit down for a moment?”
Hae-yoon glanced at the tightly closed bedroom door before sitting on the sofa.
Seriously… my luck couldn’t be worse.
She had only agreed to be a temporary manager, yet she had already gotten caught up in something troublesome.
Trying not to show how complicated her thoughts were, she forced herself to smile.
“You probably heard already, but I’ll be your temporary manager starting today. My phone number is still the same, though you may have deleted it…”
“No, I still have your number.”
“Oh, okay. Please contact me anytime if you need anything. And this is the script I mentioned earlier.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Si-yeon pulled the envelope closer and placed it in front of herself.
She opened it briefly and looked through the contents.
After a short moment, she closed it and adjusted the front of her robe.
“I hope you won’t report what happened today to President Park.”
“Ah…”
“You probably have a lot of questions. I’m sorry. I’ll be careful not to get caught by reporters, so please just let this go.”
What should she do?
Hae-yoon couldn’t answer.
It wasn’t easy to question her.
After all, this was Si-yeon’s private life.
“…I’ll head back for today.”
It didn’t seem like the right time to continue this conversation.
Hae-yoon stood up first.
“I marked the script that needs to be reviewed by today.”
“Okay. I understand.”
Even after leaving Si-yeon’s apartment, Hae-yoon couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.
She still looked troubled until she reached the bus stop and finally let out a long sigh.
Dating rumors alone would be a problem.
But the man involved was rumored to be DY Group’s future successor.
Even their age difference…
“How old is he?”
Hae-yoon quickly searched Do In-hyuk’s name on her phone.
Do In-hyuk. Age 33. Single.
“Wow… Actress Si-yeon is amazing…”
No matter how well Si-yeon took care of herself and looked much younger, she was fifty-five years old.
How many years apart are they?
After calculating it, Hae-yoon clicked her tongue in disbelief.
It wasn’t just the age gap.
The man himself was incredibly successful.
Si-yeon was also famous and talented, but DY Group’s influence was on another level.
On top of that, he was so handsome he could easily pass as a celebrity.
If this relationship became public, there would definitely be chaos.
The whole country would be talking about it.
“Ah… I don’t know anymore…”
In the end, handling the scandal would become the PR Team’s responsibility.
But she was even more worried about Si-yeon.
If rumors spread, Si-yeon would be the one receiving all the criticism.
“…She’s such a kind-hearted person.”
Then Hae-yoon scratched her temple.
“I guess Chairman doesn’t know either.”
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried to arrange a marriage between her and In-hyuk.
Even if she hadn’t refused, In-hyuk would have rejected the blind date himself.
After all, he already had someone he was secretly seeing.
Hae-yoon wondered whether she should call the Management Team leader.
“…Sigh… I don’t know.”
She couldn’t ignore Si-yeon’s request.
For now, she decided to postpone making any decision.
* * *
After finishing his phone call, In-hyuk walked back into the living room.
Si-yeon was sitting alone, reading the script.
He looked around as if searching for someone.
“If you’re looking for Hae-yoon, she already left.”
“Oh.”
“So, what was that? How do you two know each other?”
Explaining everything felt troublesome.
Besides, he didn’t think they would ever meet again.
So he answered briefly.
“We’ve only met once. More importantly, did you handle things?”
“Yes. She’s someone who can keep a secret. She won’t tell anyone.”
“You trust people quite easily.”
His response sounded a little sharp.
Si-yeon raised an eyebrow.
“And weren’t you looking for sleeping pills because you couldn’t sleep? Why are you drinking coffee?”
“…It’s only one cup. If I don’t drink coffee, I get headaches…”
“Mother.”
Si-yeon’s lips trembled before she quietly closed her mouth.
After thinking for a moment, she pushed the coffee cup away.
In-hyuk immediately picked it up, went into the kitchen, and poured the remaining coffee down the sink.
Then he opened the cabinet and made her a cup of chamomile tea.
“Drink this instead.”
“…It doesn’t even taste good.”
Although she pouted, a faint smile appeared on her face.
She didn’t actually dislike her son’s nagging.
“I’m sorry about today. I completely forgot the manager was coming because of the script.”
“Next time, I think it’s better not to meet at your house.”
“But it’s more comfortable here. I don’t have to worry about Chairman finding out.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she realized what she had said.
She bit her lip.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
She smiled bitterly.
“…In-hyuk… about Jung-jin’s memorial service this year…”
Holding the teacup on her lap, she gently rubbed its smooth surface.
“Did Chairman say again that I can’t attend?”
“Come with me to the memorial park.”
“Not that. I mean the memorial ceremony at the house. Don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean.”
In-hyuk looked at the tears filling Si-yeon’s eyes before letting out a deep sigh.
Even now, his biological mother had never been accepted by Chairman Do Gi-seop.
Gi-seop stubbornly insisted that he could never accept “an entertainer” as part of the DY Group family.
More than thirty years had passed.
Even though In-hyuk existed, Gi-seop never changed his mind.
“Chairman is really being too much…”
Unable to hold back any longer, Si-yeon burst into tears.
Hong Si-yeon and Do Jung-jin had fallen in love at first sight.
At that time, Jung-jin had started an entertainment agency with Gi-seop’s investment.
Si-yeon had been the agency’s very first signed actress.
When Gi-seop found out they were dating, he exploded with anger.
He had invested in the company expecting his son to work, not fall in love.
Then Si-yeon became pregnant.
The two insisted on getting married despite everyone’s objections.
But before they could even hold the wedding, Jung-jin died suddenly in an accident.
“If only Jung-jin were still alive…”
Even after losing his son, Gi-seop refused to accept Si-yeon.
Instead, after Jung-jin’s death, his stubbornness only became stronger.
He acted as though Jung-jin had died because of Si-yeon.
Gi-seop acknowledged only In-hyuk, who shared his blood.
Si-yeon was completely shut out.
At that time, Si-yeon had only just begun gaining recognition as a rising actress.
Being an unmarried mother raising a child alone was almost unheard of.
On top of that, she couldn’t ignore Gi-seop’s demand that she immediately send him the child.
In the end, she had no choice but to let Gi-seop raise In-hyuk.
Many years later, In-hyuk secretly contacted her without his grandfather knowing.
Since then, they had occasionally met.
Even so, the pain in Si-yeon’s heart had never disappeared.
“I want to attend the memorial ceremony too, In-hyuk.”
In-hyuk had always felt guilty toward her.
He only learned that Si-yeon was his biological mother when he was in middle school.
Since then, he had secretly spent time with her.
But he always felt guilty.
It was as if he had betrayed his mother and chosen his grandfather instead.
That guilt always weighed heavily on his heart.
The one who had made Si-yeon miserable was Gi-seop.
Yet In-hyuk also couldn’t simply abandon his grandfather.
That situation always left him feeling suffocated.
“…Try to get some sleep.”
Whenever Jung-jin’s memorial day approached, Si-yeon’s insomnia became even worse.
In-hyuk helped his mother to the bedroom.
After making sure she was covered with the blanket and had closed her eyes, he quietly left her apartment.
*
“Then what do I have to do before you’ll agree to marry? Huh?”
Just as In-hyuk was about to start his car, his hand stopped.
Why am I suddenly remembering what Grandfather said at a time like this?
He shook his head and started the engine.
The sedan smoothly left the underground parking lot and drove onto the road.
*
“I want to attend the memorial ceremony too, In-hyuk.”
But Si-yeon’s tearful voice kept echoing in his ears.
He pulled the car over to the side of the road.
Pressing hard against his tired eyes, he let out one deep sigh after another before taking out his phone.
After a few rings, the call connected.
“Chairman. May I add one more condition to the marriage you proposed?”
The conditions Gi-seop had originally offered weren’t bad.
In fact, they were an incredible opportunity.
It meant Gi-seop was officially recognizing Do In-hyuk as DY Group’s successor.
Because Gi-seop refused to accept Si-yeon, there were always people who criticized In-hyuk’s background, no matter how well he performed.
His family background had always been the obstacle preventing him from being fully accepted as DY Group’s heir.
“Does that mean you’ll marry Hae-yoon?”
“Yes. If you agree to the condition I’m about to ask.”
He had to settle this long-standing issue involving Si-yeon.
Only then could he let go of both his guilt and the whispers about not even knowing who his mother was.
If everything could be solved by one marriage…
Looking out the car window, In-hyuk remembered Hae-yoon, whom he had met earlier that day.
“Please acknowledge my mother. If you do… I’ll agree to the marriage.”
