chapter 10
“I’m Seoha~! Seoha who dreams~!”
Kyungjun watched Yoon Seoha sing with a spoon stuck in a soju bottle with a bewildered expression. She could barely hold her liquor, yet here she was singing loudly after only finishing three beers and two bottles of soju.
“I’m Seohah~!”
“Ah, shut up.”
When Seoha took position to sing the same song again, Kyungjun couldn’t hold back anymore and stood up abruptly.
“Since you’ve finished all the clams, let’s go. We’ll get some fresh air, and I’ll call a driver.”
“Same forwards and backwards phone number~ same forwards and backwards phone number~.”
Though she hummed some mysterious jingle, fortunately, Seoha obediently got up and stumbled along.
“The sea!”
Without giving him a chance to stop her, Seoha ran straight onto the sand. She staggered and fell face-first onto the beach, which was quite a sight.
“Be careful.”
Kyungjun sighed deeply and grabbed her arm to help her up. But the smile on Seoha’s face vanished completely.
“Let go of me.”
She suddenly straightened up and shook his hand off, making Kyungjun think she had regained her senses.
“I’m a married woman. Don’t come near me. My husband….”
Right. Of course, she wouldn’t have one.
“Where’s your husband, anyway?”
Kyungjun gave up trying to lift her and plopped down beside her. Seeing her drunken antics and yet complaining about a husband made him feel a mixture of frustration, pity, and exasperation.
“If you can’t drink, drink slowly. If you do drink, at least handle it gracefully. No caution, no sense, what do you even have?”
He expected her to get mad at him for speaking bluntly, but Seoha simply folded her legs, hugged them, and rested her chin on her knees.
“Yeah… what do I even have?”
“Well, you have the CEO. Your mother.”
Kyungjun took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. Not because it was cold—it was the sight of her shoulders, so much smaller than in the office, that bothered him.
“Right. I do have a mom.”
Seoha chuckled lightly.
“Secretary Ryu, please take good care of my mom. If I get divorced, she’ll be so upset. She raised me and ran the company without my dad and never had a moment to rest. She’s never had a proper vacation because of this company’s CEO.”
Tears shimmered in her dark eyes like the night sea. So pitiful.
‘Pitiful?’
Kyungjun thought to himself and was surprised. Seoha might pity him, but he had no reason to pity her.
Stop wasting thoughts—focus on work.
He scolded himself for getting lazy.
“You could just sell the company. You’ve had quite a few good acquisition offers.”
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
Seoha jumped at his matter-of-fact tone, suddenly looking sober.
“There have been dozens of offers. My mom rejected every single one. How can we sell the company she built with my dad, starting from Dongdaemun?”
Kyungjun knew the story. Not uncommon in this industry—a typical startup tale.
“Emotional reasons. Typical silver spoon behavior.”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t have practical concerns. Money, time, or leisure—do you even consider them?”
“Yes, I don’t.”
Seoha brushed off Kyungjun’s teasing casually.
“I do have a silver spoon, right? But not because we’re rich. There are plenty of people with hundreds, thousands, or even trillions in wealth—so what’s so special about money?”
“Then?”
“I’m loved. I’m my mom and dad’s pride, their treasure. I don’t need a husband. I’ll live happily with my mom, run our company, and show my brand to the world.”
Even as she murmured with a half-twisted pronunciation, her eyes sparkled more vividly than the night sea. Kyungjun was sure his own eyes could never shine like that.
He was envious. Very envious.
“…Let’s go. It’s cold.”
Seoha reached out her hand. Their hands met by chance—slightly cold and soft.
The two of them walked slowly back to the car along the dark beach. Kyungjun, who had called the driver, considered going to a nearby hotel but changed his mind and sat beside Seoha in the back seat.
The world is too dangerous to leave a drunk woman alone, he reasoned silently.
“Try to rest. You look tired.”
Kyungjun started the engine and pressed the seat heater. Warmth slowly spread through the car as an awkward silence settled between them.
“Secretary Ryu.”
Slightly sober now, Seoha spoke softly. Her weak voice bothered him.
“Don’t say thank you for calling the driver.”
“No, it’s not that.”
Her voice became clearer.
“Stop speaking informally. How many times do I have to tell you?”
“….”
Seoha dropped her head. Kyungjun glanced at her face barely resting on his shoulder and rubbed his chest.
“So heavy.”
He pushed her lightly toward the window and massaged his left chest.
“…Am I drunk too?”
His heart thumped strangely under his fingers. His face felt a bit warm. Not having drunk in a while had lowered his tolerance.
“Ugh…”
Seoha slowly opened her eyes, feeling as if the moon rabbit were pounding her brain instead of rice cakes. The familiar ceiling and the comfort of her blanket—it was home.
“Honey… I…”
Her still-fuzzy mind instinctively searched for Seung-oh. She looked at her bedroom, filled only with the clothes she had thrown off, and forced herself up.
Sitting on the bed, memories started returning. She drank heavily, mixing soju and beer, even though she rarely drank more than a few shots at company dinners. The grilled clams were delicious. She remembered Kyungjun working hard to grill them, even though he wasn’t very good.
How did they get out from there…
Memories flooded back, and Seoha held her head.
“Crazy.”
She muttered about her drunken antics, remembering Kyungjun’s disdainful gaze.
They rode together in the car. She remembered her home was in Eulwangri. Did he intentionally bring her home and then go back to his place in Seoul?
-“We’re here. Get up.”
In a half-asleep daze, she thought it was Seung-oh waking her. Truly. She had even forgotten throwing divorce papers at him and drinking so recklessly.
-“Honey, I’m dizzy~”
She must have buried her face in Kyungjun’s chest, doing that annoying drunk act.
No, she definitely did.
“Kyaaa!”
Seoha pounded the pillow wildly.
-“Who’s your honey? Don’t let go!”
Kyungjun’s voice echoed in her memory, perfectly sober and frustrated.
-“Why are you so careless? No caution at all.”
The first time in her life she had been underestimated.
-“Let’s go upstairs. I’ll take you.”
She remembered being leaned on Kyungjun in the elevator.
-“Pull yourself together, Ryu Kyungjun. Ignore it. If you get closer here, it’s over.”
“Yoon Seoha, you’re crazy.”
She curled up under the blanket. Not sad, just embarrassed. She wanted to disappear like cosmic dust.
She should contact someone—if anyone was human.
Eventually, Seoha crawled out, drank some water, and looked around. No bag from yesterday could be found, only car keys on the bedside.
“Did I leave it in the car?”
She staggered to the parking lot. Luckily, her bag was on the backseat floor, along with an unfamiliar phone.
“Eh? This is…”
Kyungjun’s phone.
“I’ll return it tomorrow.”
As she picked it up, it vibrated suddenly.
[Chairman Ryu]
Hesitating, Seoha pressed the call button just before it stopped. She intended to tell the owner that the phone had been lost.
“H…hello…”
[Who do you think you are?]
Before she could say anything, an irritated shout came from the phone.
[I heard you. Riding in a car with the daughter of Kang Yoon Company? Is this the time to be messing around with women?!]
What was this? Seoha raised the volume and held the phone closer.
[Even if you had a purpose, you needed to report. Months have passed since you were supposed to analyze Kang Yoon, no progress, no report! What? Should I make you acquire Kang Yoon? Typical useless idiot! Don’t even think of showing your face at home until you bring a proper report. You’re worse than your brothers’ toenails!]
The one-sided rant ended with the phone being hung up.
Seoha gripped the phone tightly. She knew who had called. In Korea, there was only one person with the surname Ryu holding the title of chairman.
“Sun Group…”
A sprawling conglomerate expanding through acquisitions instead of internal development, notorious for firing executives and placing relatives in positions.
A group whose chairman personally proposed an acquisition and hundreds of billions in compensation, all of which her mother had refused.
Puzzle pieces clicked together in her head.
Why had Kyungjun been alone in the CEO’s office that first day? Why had he stopped her from waiting inside?
Why had Chief Secretary Choi, who had served the CEO his whole life, suddenly resigned saying “just wanted a break” and introduced a successor?
Seoha grabbed her bag and laptop, digging into the family relationships of Chairman Ryu. Among the three sons, Kyungjun wasn’t listed. He didn’t look like the chairman and was much older.
Wait. Much older?
“Worse than my brothers’ toenails…”
Narrowing her eyes, Seoha searched for:
[Sun Group illegitimate child]
A few flimsy stock market rumors appeared. Clicking revealed low-quality internet articles full of ads.
[There are rumors Chairman Ryu Myungjin has an illegitimate child. A famous talent, A, gave birth abroad in secret…]
Seoha knew better. Such rumors about celebrities were about as reliable as an amateur archer.
“He was a spy. Ryu Kyungjun!”
It was unbelievable. He had infiltrated the CEO’s office with a perfect facade to seize weaknesses and sell Kang Yoon to Sun Group.
Seoha hurriedly tried calling her mom. No connection.
I have to go home.
She shut the laptop, started her car, and rushed out of the underground parking lot.
Then…
“Kyaa!”
Just as she accelerated, a woman suddenly leapt in front of her car. Reflexively, Seoha slammed the brakes. Her body jolted forward, hitting her head on the steering wheel.
“What… what…?”
She froze, staring at the woman gripping a brick.
Yes, a brick. Dark-red like dried blood, with three holes, pointed.
The woman’s long hair blew across her pale face. Her lifeless pupils stared directly at Seoha. Fear washed over her, expecting the brick to smash the windshield any second.
“What… what is she doing?”
She couldn’t get out of the car. She honked desperately, hoping the woman would move or security would arrive.
Then…
-Whoooom!
An engine roared, and a flash appeared from the side window.
-Kabang!
There was no time to react. The car was crushed like foil, flying out with immense force.
That was Seoha’s last memory.
