CHAPTER 22

Gwihyeon was raised with great care as a beloved grandson of the Jeong family. Gwihyeon’s birth mother passed away when he was a baby due to illness, which was a great sorrow, hence why he was even more cherished and raised by his maternal grandmother as the eldest grandson. 

Fortunately, Ijun’s mother cherished and raised Gwihyeon even more than Ijun himself. The best things were always given to Gwihyeon, while Ijun was given the leftovers, making sure that Ijun, as the younger grandson, did not surpass Gwihyeon. 

Due to this meticulous care, Gwihyeon and Ijun grew up not even realizing that they were not biological brothers. Gwihyeon only found out about this fact when he was about to go to college, accidentally. 

However, despite the love and attention poured into Gwihyeon’s upbringing, Ijun outshone him. It wasn’t because Gwihyeon lacked anything; it was simply because Ijun was outstanding. Perhaps that’s why Ijun had not been taught Go because it was the only thing he wasn’t good at. 

“So, that’s why you chose Siyeon as your partner. Although the ancestral will did not specifically state that the eldest grandson had to be chosen, but you insisted on it in advance. Grandfather.” 

“Gwihyeon, I can’t understand why you’re saying this to me.” 

“Granda, you gave Siyeon a significant amount of stocks.”. 

Chairman Jeong, who had a gentle expression just moments ago, gradually hardened his face. He stared at Gwihyeon with a cold gaze. 

“How did you know that?” 

“I saw Siyeon’s name in the updated shareholder list.” 

“You’re learning the business very diligently.” 

“It’s just 1%. You gave Siyeon the authority to make decisions.” 

Gwihyeon and Ijun each owned 10% of Baekya Foods’ stocks. If Chairman Jeong wanted to empower Gwihyeon, he could have given him more shares. But Chairman Jeong didn’t do that. 

“At first, I didn’t understand why you gave stocks to Siyeon. But then, I suddenly thought that maybe you did it in case Siyeon chose Ijun, that maybe you wanted to give Ijun the same opportunity,” 

“……” 

Chairman Jeong’s eyebrows twitched, and a deep silence settled between the two of them. 

* * *

Siyeon moved in the middle of winter. Siyeon’s mother had embraced her before she left the Ichon-dong household, telling her to visit often, but they both knew it was difficult. It might have seemed pretentious, but it was still a decent parting. 

Siyeon’s father meticulously checked everything in her new house, such as gas and heating. Siyeon moved with minimal belongings with her, so the house was quickly organized as it had minimal furniture and appliances. 

“When you live on your own, you might encounter inconveniences. Just let us know anytime.” 

“I’ll try to handle things myself as much as possible, and if I can’t, I’ll let you know. Please don’t worry too much.”

After seeing off her father, Siyeon stretched out on the bed with her arms open, gazing up at the ceiling. Everything felt unfamiliar, but the furniture, desk, and dressing table she had brought from the Ichon-dong house provided a psychological sense of comfort. 

“…But I’m so rich.” 

Siyeon murmured to herself. 

She owned a 25-square-meter apartment in Seoul and had over 100 million won in her bank account. It was the money her father had deposited into her account as her living expenses for the next five years. 

Additionally, her stock account held a substantial amount of Baekya Foods shares. But, neither the Baekya Foods stock nor the money her father had given her felt like her own. 

As Siyeon contemplated the tasks ahead in her mind, she set down her phone, which she had been holding, and closed her eyes. 

She thought she had closed her eyes for just a moment, but the room quickly darkened. Startled by the loud ringtone of her phone, Siyeon opened her eyes, and it was already late afternoon. 

“…Hello.” 

Siyeon answered the phone with a hoarse voice, still groggy from her nap. 

[Were you asleep?] 

“…Yes.” 

She hesitated to answer, thinking about the owner of the voice. 

[I heard you moved today.] 

“How did you know?” 

Siyeon sat up in bed. She thought only Ijun knew that she was moving today, so it was surprising that Gwihyeon knew too. And there was no way Ijun would have told Gwihyeon about it. 

[I heard from Uncle when I went to Hannam-dong last week.] 

“You’ve gotten a lot closer to my dad.” 

[It’s good to be close. After all, we’re going to be family.]

 “That’s true.” 

[Do you really think so?] 

There was a hint of teasing in the questioning voice, and Siyeon slowly closed and opened her eyes. Then she wondered if she had interpreted it correctly. 

“What do you mean?” 

[I think you might be more interested in Ijun than me, even though you say we’ll become family.] 

“…” 

[It’s true, isn’t it? I always wondered who he was meeting so eagerly whenever Ijun took a vacation. Turns out it was you.] 

“You’re acting a bit strange today, oppa.” 

She felt a sense of discomfort from him that she had never felt before. 

[Could it be that you’re considering dating and marrying Ijun instead?]

“It’s not like that.”

[Does it mean you’re not dating Ijun, or you don’t have any plans to marry me?] 

“Oppa, you don’t have to worry. In the end, you’ll get the person you want.” 

[“I’m really happy that you feel the same way as I do. It feels unfair that we have to wait for five more years.”] 

“…” 

[When Ijun takes his vacation next month, it might be nice for the three of us to spend time together.] 

Siyeon’s expression quickly stiffened. 

Something had changed about Gwihyeon. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but she felt uneasy. There was no doubt that something had changed about him.

* * *

Yeongjin has been thriving ever since signing a supply contract with Baekya Foods. The factory had expanded to more than double its size, and the number of employees and part-time workers had increased. 

Siyeon had been keeping an eye on Young-jin’s job postings for part-time workers, and as soon as the weekend part-time job posting came up, she quickly applied for it. 

Since it was first-come, first-served, getting in early was crucial, but thanks to having set an alarm for Young-jin’s job posting, she was able to apply promptly. The competition was fierce as they were only hiring five people for the simple task of folding disposable packaging boxes. 

Although Yeongjin’s factory was located on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, fortunately, there was a subway station nearby. Siyeon, who woke up early on Saturday morning, took the subway and, after getting off at the closest station, walked for about 20 minutes until she spotted a sign that read “Yeong-jin.” 

Behind the sign, there were two large gray container factories, and next to them was a building that looked like an office. There were many similar buildings in the vicinity, so if it weren’t for the sign, she might have mistaken it for somewhere else. Later, she found out it was an industrial complex where smaller industrial businesses were clustered. 

“Hello. I’m starting my part-time job today.” 

After entering the building, Siyeon cautiously approached the nearest employee, a woman in her late twenties who was wearing a gray jacket with “Young-jin” written on it. Glancing around, Siyeon noticed that all the employees were dressed the same way. 

“Oh, you’re here early. Part-timers are this way, just follow me.” 

She led Siyeon out of the building. As they walked, Siyeon paused for a moment and looked back. Rows of desks separated by partitions were lined up, and about twenty or so employees were busy working at their desks. 

“Is anything wrong?” 

Siyeon had tried to find the boss’s office, but she couldn’t delay the employee who was leading her. 

“Um… Where is the boss?” 

Siyeon asked in a hesitant tone as she followed her. 

“Our boss? He’ll be coming in a little later. But you don’t need to worry about the boss, they don’t pay much attention to part-timers. I handle everything from hiring part-timers to paying their salaries. By the way, I’m Deputy Director Yang Suk-hee. You can just call me Deputy Yang. What’s your name?” 

“I’m Kim Siyeon.” 

She replied naturally, and it didn’t seem to bother Deputy Yang much. Deputy Yang looked at least eight years older than her. 

“Are you a college student?” 

“I’m starting in March.” 

“Oh, that’s good timing. I’ve been working at Young-jin for eight years now. I know everything, even how many spoons are in the boss’s house.” 

When the boss was mentioned, Siyeon’s ears perked up. 

“Are you close to the boss?” 

“Most of the people who work in our factory have been here for a long time, so we’re all close to the boss. He has a good personality.”

Siyeon felt proud to hear praise about her Hannam-dong father from someone else. If she were the boss, she would have given her a bonus.

“Does the boss’s wife come here?” 

“His wife comes here very rarely. When she’s not busy, she comes to help out at the factory, but she usually doesn’t come. For the past few years, she’s been busy taking care of her high school daughter. She just started college, and she’s about the same age as you.” 

Siyeon nodded as if she understood. 

“What do you want to do with your part-time earnings?” 

“I’ll just use it to supplement my living expenses.”

Siyeon’s response seemed unexpected, and the employee stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening slightly. Soon, a hint of apology flashed in her eyes. She seemed to have guessed that Siyeon’s family situation was difficult 

“If you do well, we can call you again for the next part-time hiring. The two people we hired this time had worked here before. There’s even someone who started as a part-timer and later became a regular employee. It’s not like a large corporation where you get paid a lot, but as long as the company doesn’t go under, you can keep working here.” 

“Yes, I’ll work hard.” 

Satisfied with Siyeon’s response, the woman opened the glass door of the container building, and Siyeon followed her to a small office separated independently. It seemed to serve various purposes, such as a workspace for employees or a waiting room, with desks, phones, sofas, and tables placed inside. 

“You can leave your bag anywhere here, and just wait here until the others arrive. I’ll introduce you to the factory workers when they gather later. There’s coffee and green tea over there, so feel free to have a drink.” 

“Thank you.” 

Deputy Yang kindly turned on the electric heater before leaving the room.