Chapter 1
Ring. Ring.
The phone rang persistently.
Reaching his arm out from under the covers, Ji-hyuk picked up the mobile phone placed on his bedside table.
“…Hello.”
As he answered, a devastated voice came through the receiver with urgency.
“Director Seol Ji-hyuk!”
It was Song Jae-jeong, the Chief Secretary of Myeongmun Group.
“Director, the Chairman has passed away.”
Ji-hyuk furrowed his brow. He checked the time.
3 AM.
Squeezing his dry eyes shut and opening them again, Ji-hyuk rolled over to lie flat on his back, brushing a hand up over his face.
The light spilling from the mobile phone painted clear shadows across his handsome face.
A hint of irritation flickered above the high bridge of his nose.
“Chief Secretary Song Jae-jeong.”
Having just woken up, the ends of his voice cracked roughly. He then let out a low, heavy voice languidly.
“Did you not know that the F1 team I sponsor took the Grand Prix yesterday?”
At his words, the other end of the line fell silent.
“The celebration party continued late into the night.”
“Director.”
“It’s only been two hours since I fell asleep.”
“Director!”
“Call me again in the morning.”
And with that, he hung up the phone.
Tossing the phone carelessly onto the table, Ji-hyuk closed his eyes again.
Ring. Ring.
The phone started ringing once more.
“Has he gotten so old that he can’t understand words?”
Throwing back the covers, Ji-hyuk grabbed the phone in annoyance.
He pressed the decline button and even muted the sound.
The moment he placed the barely quieted phone back on the table, text messages started pouring in.
The white light emitting from the phone disturbed the silent space.
[Chief Secretary Song Jae-jeong: Director, you must come to the funeral. The Chairman’s will will be revealed on the final day of the funeral.] [Chief Secretary Song Jae-jeong: It is a place where you naturally must be present, so I have sent someone. As you well know…]
Without reading to the end, Ji-hyuk casually tossed the phone down to the floor below the bed.
Funny. What does the Chairman’s will have to do with me now? It’s a story that already ended 10 years ago.
Letting out a cold snort, he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to go back to sleep.
It was then.
Ding-dong. He faintly thought he heard the sound of a doorbell.
A doorbell at this hour. Does that make sense?
But as if answering that it did make sense, the sound rang out again.
Ding-dong. Ding-dong.
His eyes opened on their own to a strange premonition. A tingling thrill ran down his spine.
What is it?
His molars clenched automatically, and the pit of his stomach felt stiff.
Ji-hyuk’s senses were keener than anyone else’s. Not just that. His intuition was so outstanding it could truly be called animalistic. For someone like him to be this tense over a single doorbell chime.
Rousing his body at the unfamiliar yet somehow familiar sensation, Ji-hyuk slipped out of bed.
Draping the nightgown left on the couch next to the bed over himself, he opened the bedroom door.
Ding-dong.
As he stepped out of the bedroom, the sound became clearer than before.
So, right now. It meant someone had truly come looking for him at his hotel room. And at 3 AM, no less.
Of course, whether the doorbell rang or not, he could just ignore it. Just as he had hung up on Chief Secretary Song Jae-jeong, there were plenty of ways to kill the doorbell’s sound.
But it bothered him to an odd degree, so he couldn’t help but check.
Who the hell is it? Who has such massive guts?
Even Chairman Seol Byeong-joo of Myeongmun Group, famous for being a tiger, couldn’t control a scoundrel like me.
Daring to fearlessly scratch at the arrogant Seol Ji-hyuk, around whom even close friends couldn’t act rashly?
Up until now, any existence that had gotten on his nerves was, without exception—save for exactly one person—out.
Striding across the living room, Ji-hyuk reached the entryway.
In that time, the doorbell had rung three more times.
Each time it did, he sharpened the glare in his eyes, so the moment he opened the front door, Ji-hyuk’s gaze was honed sharper than a pointed awl, forcefully piercing the other party.
“What is… it?”
The moment he opened the door, Ji-hyuk felt as though something had snapped.
Fuck.
A curse scratched at his throat like bloody foam. All his five senses were fully mobilized in identifying the person in front of him.
Gorgeous facial features packed tightly into a tiny face.
Flawless white skin and contrasting black hair, red lips reminiscent of a ripe apple, and eyes as black as obsidian.
No matter how he looked, no matter how many times he looked.
“Why are you…”
Swallowing dry saliva in his stiffened mouth, Ji-hyuk brushed his right hand up over his face.
His sculptural face contorted, and a crack formed in his perfectly harmonious visage.
“Why are you here.”
“It’s been a long time… Ji-hyuk.”
A gentle voice, like a languid spring breeze, whispered sweetly.
“I’ve come to escort you. Let’s go back together.”
Fuck.
Ji-hyuk slammed the front door shut just like that.
Bang!
The door was shut right in front of her nose.
Startled, Hong-joo took a step back. She tightly bit the corner of her lip.
She knew he wouldn’t be glad to see her, but to be turned away at the door like this.
“Why are you here.”
Recalling the cold words Ji-hyuk had thrown at her, Hong-joo tightly curled her hands into fists. Her palms stung for no reason. To think they had once been as close as a real brother and sister.
‘I am the one who shattered that close relationship.’
Not him.
‘So I must endure at least being turned away at the door.’
Steeling her resolve, Hong-joo pressed the doorbell again. She then brought her ear to the door and paid attention to the sounds inside.
She couldn’t hear any sound.
Pressing the doorbell again, Hong-joo also tried knocking on the door.
“Ji-hyuk? Please open the door.”
But no matter how much she called out, it was no use.
She raised her left wrist to check the time.
3 AM Macau time, 4 AM Korean time.
They needed to head to the airport before noon tomorrow to arrive at the funeral hall by evening.
Judging by Ji-hyuk’s reaction, heading out before noon seemed impossible.
Biting her lower lip tightly, Hong-joo let out a deep sigh.
Just then, her mobile phone rang. It was Chief Secretary Song Jae-jeong.
Hong-joo hurriedly answered the phone.
“Yes, Uncle.”
“Did you see the Director’s face?”
At Secretary Song’s question, Hong-joo nodded.
“Yes, although he shut the door the moment he saw my face.”
At her somewhat despondent words, Secretary Song comforted her.
“You should be understanding of him. Even so, he must not have been able to completely ignore it since it was you, because he called me right back.”
“He did?”
“Yeah, he told me to tell you to come back in the morning.”
He had coldly gone back inside, but it seemed he had still promised a next time.
“What will you do? Do you want me to get you a separate room?”
“What if he runs away while I do that?”
And it was only a few hours until morning; booking a room in this expensive hotel just for that was a waste.
“I’ll just wait here.”
“What are we going to do with you? You haven’t slept properly these past few days keeping watch by the Chairman’s side.”
At Secretary Song’s worry, Hong-joo smiled brightly.
“I’m fine. Even so, it’s only a few hours until morning.”
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you then.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
“Hong-joo.”
Just as she was about to hang up, Secretary Song called out to Hong-joo again.
“Yes?”
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
Pausing for a moment, Secretary Song spoke carefully over the receiver, yet quite affectionately.
“The Director wandering for the past 10 years, that’s not your fault.”
“…”
“Just do your best.”
“…”
“Just like you have until now.”
