SGMFT 05

Chapter – 05

“…What? A marriage…?”

Dayeon’s eyes widened in confusion.

“I want you to marry Siheon, Dayeon. If it weren’t for your mother, he would have died a long time ago.”

“Grandfather.”

Siheon, who was sitting beside him, tried to stop him, but Chairman Cha continued in an unruffled voice.

“Doctor Do Hui-ok had such high hopes for her daughter. She wanted Dayeon to become an excellent doctor and never give up on that dream. And what better way to ensure that she receives stable support and protection than by becoming the daughter-in-law of the Samjeong Group? Isn’t that right, Siheon?”

This time, Chairman Cha looked at Siheon as though asking for his agreement. But Siheon merely hardened his expression and said nothing.

“…I always thought that someday I should repay the debt I owed Doctor Do Hui-ok. I only learned much later that she had passed away several years ago, but wouldn’t it be the right thing to do to repay that kindness to her daughter, at least?”

Chairman Cha spoke calmly, as though organizing thoughts he had kept in his heart for a long time.

Siheon, who had been rubbing his throbbing temple, finally could not hold back.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Out of my mind? Is that how you speak to your grandfather?”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Besides, I already told you that I have no intention of getting married.”

His deep voice pressed down heavily on the atmosphere of the sitting room.

“You can’t even grant one wish to your grandfather, who doesn’t have much time left?”

Siheon clenched his jaw.

Chairman Cha had started bringing up his limited time left as though it were a weapon, casually wielding it whenever he wanted something.

You’d think he would have realized by now that it no longer worked. Why does he keep doing this?

The tension between the two continued.

Breaking through the awkward silence, Dayeon cautiously spoke up.

“I’m okay with it.”

“What?”

Siheon’s eyes, which had been fixed on Chairman Cha, turned toward Dayeon. Chairman Cha also stared at her with anticipation.

“You mean… you want me to marry my teacher? Is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s right. Exactly!”

Chairman Cha even clapped his hands in delight.

“It would be even better if you gave me plenty of cute little great-grandchildren.”

Dayeon nodded without hesitation.

“I’ll do it. I want to marry you, Teacher.”

Sitting upright with her back straight, Dayeon’s eyes were unwavering.

Seeing the determination on her face, Chairman Cha brightened considerably.

“You certainly take after Hui-ok. You have quite a decisive nature.”

He added briefly, almost as though offering another compliment.

“And you’re clever, too. Ambitious.”

Dayeon gave a shy smile and lowered her head.

Chairman Cha smiled contentedly and spoke in a suggestive tone.

“I think you’d be very well suited to becoming the lady of this household and eventually leading the family.”

“That’s enough, Grandfather.”

Siheon could no longer tolerate the secret pact being made right in front of him. He abruptly rose from his seat.

“I didn’t make time in my busy schedule to come here just to listen to this.”

He had put off all his work because his grandfather had said there was something important to discuss.

Clicking his tongue, he was about to leave when he caught sight of Dayeon, still sitting perfectly straight on the sofa and looking at him with nothing but her eyes.

What on earth was she thinking, coming here?

“Let’s go.”

Siheon strode over and grabbed Dayeon by the wrist.

“I’m sorry, Chairman. I’ll see you next time.”

Even as she was reluctantly dragged away, Dayeon politely bowed to Chairman Cha.

That respectful gesture only made Chairman Cha like her even more.

If she was Doctor Do Hui-ok’s daughter, she was undoubtedly intelligent.

And there was more.

Now that he had met her personally, she was polite, friendly, and pretty. She was exactly the kind of woman he wanted as Siheon’s partner.

“Now all we have to do is change that boy Siheon’s mind.”

Chairman Cha narrowed his eyes greedily and gulped down the rest of his tea.

The moment they stepped outside the house, Siheon released Dayeon’s wrist as though throwing it away.

“Do you even know where you came? And do you have any idea what you just said?”

“Yes. I know. The chairman told me to marry you, Teacher.”

Dayeon blinked innocently, as though her answer were obvious.

The sight of her completely innocent face, seemingly untouched by the harshness of the world, made Siheon let out a hollow laugh.

“Jung Dayeon. This isn’t some childish game. Do you even understand what marriage is? Do you know what married couples actually do?”

Siheon deliberately spoke in a cold, intimidating voice.

But instead of shrinking back from his icy tone, Dayeon merely smiled shyly.

“I know. I’m an adult now, too.”

At her soft whisper, Siheon was utterly speechless.

He opened his mouth as if he had lost the ability to speak.

After hesitating for a moment, Dayeon finally opened her lips.

It was something she had been desperately holding back all this time, but now she could finally say it.

“I never told you before, but… I’ve liked you for a long time, Teacher.”

“……”

“So… please marry me. Me.”

For a moment, something flickered in Siheon’s eyes.

There was a hint of conflict on his face, as though he were forcibly suppressing the words he wanted to say.

But before Dayeon could notice, it disappeared without a trace.

His expression instantly turned cold, and his brows drew together as though he were angry.

“It’s not something you can decide that easily.”

“I know. And I didn’t say I’d do it simply because I like you, either. If things continue like this, I might not even be able to attend university.”

Dayeon now knew for certain that Dooseop had absolutely no intention of thinking about her tuition.

Even when she came home late at night, instead of worrying about his daughter, all she received were angry messages telling her that he would arrange another meeting with Mr. Go and that she had better be prepared for it.

If things continued like this, she wouldn’t become a doctor.

She would simply be sold off to Mr. Go.

“If I receive the Samjeong Group’s support, like the chairman said, I’ll be able to attend university.”

“You can receive support without marrying me.”

“But you can’t receive that much money for no reason.”

Dayeon was not completely naïve.

No matter how wealthy a family was, there had to be a reason for them to provide such a huge amount of money to one person.

And even if she did get the money, there was no guarantee that Dooseop wouldn’t take it from her.

“You’re saying you’ll marry me when you know absolutely nothing about me?”

“Then you can tell me. Starting now.”

It was true that she knew almost nothing about him.

And she also knew that he had absolutely no desire to marry her.

Dayeon had spoken boldly, but eventually she faltered and swallowed the rest of her words.

Still, Siheon’s expression did not soften.

“I’ll find another way to repay Doctor Do Hui-ok. So forget that the subject of marriage ever came up.”

His cold voice fell like a blade.

“I don’t have the luxury of having those kinds of feelings.”

Just then, a breeze brushed against Dayeon’s cheek, leaving an icy chill in her chest.

It took her a long time to realize that the sensation of her heart freezing had nothing to do with the wind.

It was because of his firm rejection.

Dayeon wandered outside until dawn.

Only after she could hear Jung Dooseop’s snoring from outside did she cautiously open the front door.

Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw the state of the room.

It was a complete mess.

Dooseop had fallen asleep sprawled out on the floor after drinking, with four empty soju bottles scattered around him.

There were also dried squid legs and peanuts lying all over the floor.

Dayeon quietly picked up the soju bottles and placed them against the wall without making a sound. She quickly tidied up the floor, then quietly slipped into her own room.

A single desk.

A single wardrobe.

And a folded bedding set tucked into the corner.

That was everything in her tiny room.

Without even turning on the light, Dayeon curled up in the corner.

Too many things had happened today.

The chairman of the Samjeong Group knew her mother.

And not merely as an acquaintance.

He was so grateful to her mother that he still remembered her even years after her death, and he wanted to repay the favor.

What kind of person was Mom, really?

Dayeon suddenly remembered her childhood with Hui-ok.

Her mother had always been busy and constantly looked tired, but she had always shown Dayeon a bright smile.

That was all Dayeon had known about her mother.

But after hearing the chairman’s story today, she realized there must have been so much more to her mother than she had ever known.

After sitting lost in thought for a while, Dayeon opened the drawer of her desk.

She took out an old photograph.

In the photograph, her mother looked young and radiant as she smiled brightly.

“…Mom.”

Dayeon gently traced the photograph with her fingertip and smiled faintly.

Meeting the chairman, hearing stories about her mother, learning that her mother had saved her teacher’s life, and confessing her feelings only to be rejected by him—all of it felt like an unbelievable dream.

“Today was such a strange day.”

As she murmured to herself, Chairman Cha’s words suddenly came back to her.

“She wanted Dayeon to become an excellent doctor and never give up on that dream.”

Her eyes suddenly grew hot.

Dayeon hugged the photograph tightly against her chest.

“Mom really worried about me until the very end.”

Looking down at the photograph, she murmured,

“Is that why you left me that phone number? Because you were worried I might be living an unhappy life?”

Her mother could never have known that Chairman Cha would suggest that she marry her teacher.

Nor could she have known that he would reject her like this.

But that was okay.

She had never intended to give up easily anyway.