Chapter : 08
The pretty female lawyer who appeared every day in front of the main entrance of Hyunsin Construction.
As the company’s CEO, Young-in could hardly have been unaware of her presence.
She had tolerated the protest because it wasn’t illegal, and, as a woman herself, she couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. There had to be some reason she was going this far.
But Han Do-gun, her own son, repeatedly hovering around that place was another matter entirely.
It was time to investigate this female lawyer.
“I really am being old-fashioned. I guess I’m getting old.”
Young-in scoffed at herself as she put a cigarette between her lips.
She exhaled slowly. Even after letting her worries drift away with the smoke, the suffocating feeling remained.
Still, there was no helping a mother who had a son. A mother’s heart naturally leaned toward her child.
“Secretary Ahn. Narrow down some suitable candidates and prepare a list of blind dates for Executive Director Han.”
Since she had decided to be old-fashioned, Young-in figured she might as well go all the way.
“Include everyone who seems decent. I’ll have to look through them carefully myself.”
An arranged marriage wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
At least, that was what Young-in believed after looking at herself and her husband.
Compared to the prestigious conglomerate Hyunsin family, Young-in had come from a small, mid-sized company.
Her own family, desperate to establish a marriage connection with a chaebol family, had pushed her into a blind date.
Her husband had been born with a weak heart, but he was a good man.
They had shared a love that left them both fulfilled, and Do-gun had been born from that love.
Her husband, whose health had always been fragile, died young.
And even protecting his inheritance, Hyunsin Construction, from his hyena-like relatives had been fine.
Everything had been fine.
[Do-gun. A true winner is the one who smiles at the very end. Quietly build up your abilities and wait for the right moment.]
Young-in had taught her son the value of competence and substance.
She had told him that if he lived noisily and greedily like his eldest uncle, who was all show and no substance, his later years would be miserable.
After quietly strengthening the company from within, she eventually earned the trust of its investors and chairman.
Since Do-gun had joined the management, Hyunsin Construction had never once posted a deficit.
The better they did, the more his uncle went mad.
He expanded his influence noisily and gathered people to his side.
Then he used every dirty method imaginable to attack Young-in and Do-gun.
But heaven had been on Young-in’s side.
Because of that incident in Italy, an opportunity had come.
An opportunity to protect her husband’s inheritance and clearly determine who would become Hyunsin’s next owner.
“There must not be even the slightest disturbance.”
Of course, Do-gun himself was perfectly capable of controlling things.
Still, instinct was a strange thing. Sometimes it could surface unexpectedly, regardless of one’s intentions.
“Prepare to remove anything that becomes necessary.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
After exhaling one last cloud of smoke, Young-in put out her cigarette and got into her car.
Her way was to eliminate even the slightest source of anxiety before it could become a problem.
Tap, tap.
After getting off the bus, Yoon-seol crossed the main road and entered a residential neighborhood.
The multi-family house she had moved into after selling the apartment where she had lived with her father was located in an alley several blocks away from the main road.
“I’m hungry.”
Once the heat that had risen because of Lee Jung-woo finally subsided, Yoon-seol realized that she was hungry for dinner.
She entered the convenience store at the intersection.
But in the end, the only thing she bought was two cans of beer.
She simply felt like borrowing a little bit of drunkenness tonight.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had a drink.”
Yoon-seol sat at one of the small tables outside the convenience store.
Click.
She opened a beer and took a sip.
In movies and dramas, people gulped down their drinks and forgot their troubles.
In reality, the carbonation made that impossible, so taking small sips was the best she could do.
She drank about half the can.
As the alcohol gradually began to take effect, warmth spread faintly through her body.
So was she seeing things now…?
She saw Han Do-gun getting out of a black car across the street and walking straight toward her.
His tall, imposing figure.
His footsteps coming directly toward her without wavering.
And as he drew closer, a heavy yet subtly sweet scent reached her.
This time, it really was Do-gun.
“Seo Yoon-seol.”
The moment he saw her, his brow furrowed sharply.
He clicked his tongue and took off the coat he was wearing.
“It’s cold, and you’re really going all out.”
His warm coat covered Yoon-seol’s body.
The coat, tailored to fit his body, was far too large for her.
Yoon-seol squirmed inside it like a puppy buried beneath a blanket.
“You’re late today.”
The moment she saw him, her true feelings slipped out before she could stop them.
The tension in the man’s sharply shaped eyes suddenly softened.
It was a mistake.
Had she sounded like someone who had been waiting desperately for him?
Yoon-seol subtly turned her head away.
“Were you waiting for me?”
“No.”
“I cut my schedule as short as possible. If I’d known you were waiting, I would’ve overturned the whole table and left.”
Even when she denied it, he shamelessly interpreted her words in whatever way benefited him.
He was so serious that it almost sounded like he genuinely meant it.
Suddenly, Yoon-seol’s throat felt hot.
She cleared it with a small cough and took another sip of beer.
“Such a little thing, drinking alcohol in front of an adult.”
“You wouldn’t give me any, anyway.”
No one had even asked him for a drink, but Yoon-seol hurriedly moved the black plastic bag on the table out of his reach.
He let out an incredulous, deflated sound.
“You have to drive, right? Drunk driving is bad—”
…Ah.
Those words inevitably reminded her of her father and the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.
Yoon-seol firmly pressed her lips together.
“Why are you drinking? Did the protest not go well?”
She shook her head.
“Did you get into it with that assistant manager, Kwak?”
Again, she shook her head.
“Then nothing happened. So why suddenly drink?”
“…Just because.”
Just because.
Really, there was no reason.
Ever since she had decided to uncover what had happened to her father, she had simply been living by accepting everything that came her way, one thing after another.
“This is turning into twenty questions.”
Do-gun rested his chin on his hand and stared intently at Yoon-seol, looking intrigued.
“Are you really that curious about why I’m drinking?”
“I need to know the cause so I can get rid of it.”
“Why would you… solve that for me, Executive Director?”
He leaned closer and quietly murmured,
“So that Seo Yoon-seol can’t run away from me again. I’m cleaning up the things around you.”
The man’s pitch-black eyes grew even darker.
Because he rarely revealed his emotions, the subtle change in his gaze felt all the more serious.
Suddenly, she became curious.
If he really intended to solve Seo Yoon-seol’s problems, then…
Could he solve the biggest and most serious problem she was facing, too…?
An unnecessary train of thought followed.
She imagined telling him that she had received a message saying her father had been murdered.
That she still hadn’t discovered anything.
What if she actually told him everything?
Would the unbearable burden she had been carrying alone become a little lighter?
Could he solve this problem for her, too?
For a brief, very brief moment, Yoon-seol entertained such a foolish thought.
Then she returned to reality.
“Doesn’t it bother you why I suddenly left Italy?”
Instead, she brought up another subject.
She had actually been curious about it for a long time.
“Why should I know?”
He gave a faint laugh and loosened his tie.
“Either way, I would’ve found you eventually.”
“……!”
“The important thing is that you’re sitting quietly in front of me now.”
The answer was completely unexpected.
Yoon-seol merely blinked, then covered her cheeks, which had suddenly become unbearably hot.
What on earth was this?
Was it some kind of blind competitive instinct possessed by a man who did dangerous things?
She hadn’t even finished one can of beer, yet perhaps she was already drunk.
The fact that his frightening obsession sounded sweet to her was proof enough.
Her chest kept tingling strangely, and her throat felt parched.
Yoon-seol drained the rest of her beer.
“Stop drinking and go inside. It’s cold.”
With a faint smile, he took the empty beer can from her hand and crushed it in his fist.
“Th-then… yes. You go first. I’ll leave after I see you go inside, Executive Director.”
“Shall I? Then.”
He stood up without hesitation, which made her suspicious.
“You’re going to follow me in your car again, aren’t you?”
“Caught me.”
“My house is really close to here. It’s too narrow for a car to even get in. Just go ahead, Executive Director.”
She didn’t want to tell him where she lived.
Of course, he could probably find out everything with nothing more than a twitch of his finger.
Still, this strange feeling was like the last bit of pride she had left.
Perhaps he felt the same way, because he gave a faint laugh.
“What? Are you worried I’ll force my way in by saying I’m staying for some ramen?”
“…Caught you.”
Yoon-seol threw his own words back at him, just as he had taught her.
Talking with him made her feel as though her depression had eased a little.
It was strange.
Nothing had actually been solved.
And yet she was somehow able to act relaxed around a terrifying and dangerous man.
“I’m not going to pull such a childish trick.”
“…Goodbye, then.”
“You’re so stubborn.”
Shaking his head, he walked toward his car.
Yoon-seol also got up and began gathering her things.
Just as Do-gun was about to get into the car, he suddenly turned around.
“Get ready to pay your rent. Next weekend.”
“What?”
“I’ll tell you the place later.”
Ah.
She had forgotten.
When he bought the café building, he had imposed that ridiculous special clause on her.
“You’re really going to charge me rent like that?”
“Yeah. It’s a form of abusing my authority.”
“But, Executive Director, you won’t even accept the 300 euros I give you… so why are you charging me rent?”
“You’re unusually curious today.”
He ran a hand through his hair and closed the driver’s-side door with a thunk.
“I bought the building so I could lord the rent over you. I have to get my money’s worth.”
He strode toward her, closing the distance between them.
Then he bent down to bring their eyes level and growled softly,
“I’m pulling all these tricks because I want to see you one more time.”
“……”
“This is what a proper trick looks like, Seol.”
