CHAPTER 35

After a brief phone call with Manager Yang, where she informed her that the CEO had regained consciousness and was in stable condition, Siyeon hailed a taxi and asked the driver to take her to the Baekya Foods headquarters. Shortly after, she called Gwihyeon.

“I’m on my way to see you at the office now.”

She got straight to the point as soon as he picked up the phone.

[You’re coming to meet me now?]

“I’ll be there in about thirty to forty minutes, just tell me where I should go.”

Gwihyeon seemed puzzled, but not particularly surprised. He paused for a moment as if contemplating something and then replied in a cautious tone.

[…Talk to the reception desk when you arrive, and they will guide you up.]

Siyeon ended the call and stared at her reflection in the car window. Her face was bare without makeup, her hair was disheveled by the wind, and her eyes were reddened from crying.

In her gray tracksuit with fuzzy lining, sneakers, and a white long padded jacket, she looked like someone who had stepped out to pick up a newspaper delivered in front of their house.

She had rushed to the hospital after hearing that the CEO had collapsed while having a meal with the people in Yeongjin, and there had been no time to check her appearance. But she wasn’t going to impress Gwihyeon, so her clothes didn’t really matter.

Upon exiting the taxi, Siyeon approached the reception desk facing the entrance and gave her name. The staff, perhaps informed already by Gwihyeon, promptly responded to her.

“Hello, I’m Kim Siyeon.”

“Yes. Please follow me.”

A receptionist quietly guided her to the employees-only elevator. After the staff member swiped her card and pressed the button for the 9th floor, the elevator slowly began to ascend.

When it finally reached its destination, the employee returned to her duties and Siyeon found herself standing in front of a door with a nameplate that read “Vice President Jeong Gwihyeon.”

After taking a deep breath, Siyeon boldly pushed the door open and entered.

“It’s been a while.”

Inside the glass door, behind a long oval desk, sat Eunhye, dressed in formal attire. As Siyeon entered, Eunhye stood up and slowly approached her.

Wearing a black skirt and a beige top, she was sporting an employee ID card around her neck that stated her job title as Assistant Manager.

“You’ve lived quite well by stealing my life, my money, my fame, even my man.”

Eunhye spoke slowly as if singing a song.

“Speak properly. Your grandmother was the one who stole my life. Thanks to that, you had a good life too.”

“How can the position of a small business owner’s daughter compare to being the daughter-in-law of Baekya Foods? Even though you knew you were fake, you shamelessly tried to steal it from me. I was so impressed by how quick you were in calculating, thinking that a child raised in a family of merchants would naturally be sharp.”

Siyeon felt a chilling sense of disillusionment as Eunhye referred to her parents as mere merchants. There was a time when she proudly carried the title of the daughter of a small business owner, but now that she’s about to marry the eldest son of Baekya Foods, that title seemed trivial.

Moreover, Eunhye knew that Siyeon had known the truth long ago. It seemed Gwihyeon must have tipped her off.

“He collapsed. Do you know why he collapsed and what his current condition is like?”

“I know very well. He came to my grandmother’s house unannounced last night. Thanks to that, our house has turned into a war zone.”

“Our house?”

Eunhye said this while examining her well-groomed nails and with a disgruntled expression on her face.

“You should hear the rest from Oppa. And from now on, we should just go back to where we originally belonged. That way, we won’t have to see each other again.”

“Are you relieved now? Do you finally feel that you’re not dead?”

“No? I’m furious and feel unjust for the 25 years I lost to you because of a single thoughtless word.”

Eunhye stared at Siyeon with a stern look, then tilted her head to the side and smirked.

“Well then, why don’t you go inside since the Vice President is waiting? Miss Choi. Si. Yeon.”

“….”

Siyeon returned her cold gaze, then opened the door and entered.

* * *

“Traffic wasn’t bad, I see. You came earlier than I thought. Want some tea?”

Gwihyeon, who had been sitting in front of the dark brown desk, staring at his laptop screen, looked up as he spoke and made eye contact with Siyeon.

“Did the Chairman of Yeongjin meet grandmother yesterday?”

“He came to her house in the evening. It’s just right next door.”

He replied indifferently, then gestured towards a round conference table, suggesting she sit.

“Were you there too?”

“We were having a family dinner when he arrived, quite agitated. He had done a DNA test with Eunhye and apparently searched for records at the maternity hospital to find the nurse who was working at the newborn nursery when you were born. That woman gave him grandmother’s name and her address. Through that, he found out that grandmother lives right next door.”

How shocked her father must have been to learn of these facts. Not only did he discover that his daughter had been switched at birth, but also that the perpetrator of the act was shamelessly living right next door, mocking him. He must have been furious. He thought of the elderly lady living next door, who had doted on Eunhye, and a fiery anger welled up inside him.

“Why are you so calm about all this?”

“I told you. This is a problem between you and Professor Kim’s family. Whether you seek revenge or get angry, it’s against them, not me.”

“Did the chairman… know everything? About why grandmother switched me and Eunhye…?”

Siyeon asked in a trembling voice, desperately hoping that her biological father wasn’t aware of the full truth.

“Grandma would never mention that. She made excuses, saying she did it so you could grow up in a better home, but from your dad’s perspective, it must have sounded unbelievable. Professor Kim’s situation wouldn’t seem like a promising household either.”

“So, did grandmother… ask for forgiveness… for everything… for my dad’s sake…?”

“Of course, she asked for forgiveness. She said that her son raised you as their daughter, believing you were theirs, treated you like gold, and did everything perfectly, even more than anyone else can. She begged for forgiveness, saying that he couldn’t be angry with her for making you live alone and said that since you wanted it, they just gave you what you wanted, bought an apartment and gave you plenty of cash. She even mentioned that your father can confirm everything if he looks into it.”

“What about Eunhye… did he say anything to Eunhye…?”

“When your dad asked her when she found out, Eunhye couldn’t answer. But he seemed to figure it out just by looking at her.”

“…”

Siyeon, with tears welling up in her eyes, looked into Gwihyeon’s eyes, and she slowly wiped the tears from her cheek with her hand.

“To be honest, I never thought he would collapse. Until then, he had been quite calm listening to the conversation. When Mr. Kim approached him and offered his business card, suggesting that they meet separately to resolve the remaining issues between men, he accepted it. But after receiving it, he just turned and walked away. That’s everything that happened yesterday.”

“…”

Siyeon remained silent.

“After work today, I’m planning to go to my parents’ house in Suwon. I’ll inform the adults there about everything I learned yesterday.”

Gwihyeon neatly cleared his throat and stood up as if he had said all he needed to say. However, Siyeon didn’t budge from her seat.

“What if I have to go and tell them myself?”

“In that case, you’ll have to start by telling them about you, who knew this fact before anyone else. If you don’t do that, there’s a reasonable chance that they would think you leeched off of Baekya Foods.”

“ …I see. That makes sense.”

“So, when Grandpa calls, answer wisely.”

Siyeon stood up, biting her lip, and for a moment, she staggered. Her head throbbed, and she felt dizzy.

“Oh, by the way, Ijun is doing well in the United States.”

“…”

“I thought you might be curious.”

Behind her, as she struggled to catch her breath and move, Gwihyeon’s calm voice could be heard.

***

Today felt just like that night.

Dimly lit indoors, the fierce wind rattling the windows. The eerie sound of the wind, howling as if the angel of death was sweeping through the streets. Beyond the window, the moon shone so brightly it was almost blindingly white.

“…”

As Siyeon returned home, she sat quietly, staring at the flickering candle on the dining table that had been lit since earlier. She occasionally closed her eyes slowly, taking nothing but shallow breaths. In her mind, she meticulously went over the things she needed to do.

First and foremost, it was crucial for her father to recover and be discharged from the hospital in good health. It was equally important to ensure her mother didn’t suffer from a mental breakdown again due to this situation. Revealing the truth from the past or rectifying family relationships would be secondary concerns.

For now, the immediate concern was where both of them would reside. They had already put their Hannamdong house up for sale, but even if they didn’t, it was clear that they couldn’t continue living in the same house any longer, next door to grandmother.

If they were not opposed to it, Siyeon could find an apartment nearby for them, or if they preferred, they could live with her. Siyeon had the means to make these arrangements.

Yeongjin was also crucial. Her father’s life and the livelihoods of many factory workers depended on the company. If it came down to it, she had considered selling some of the shares she held in Baekya Foods to fund the recovery of the factories. She felt sorry for the Suwon grandfather, but right now, the most important thing for Siyeon was protecting her loved ones.

Ring, ring, ring—her phone rang. Siyeon stared at the phone without moving, checking the caller ID. In that moment, her face tensed with anxiety. The caller was Mr. Jeong, Gwihyeon’s father.

She had come across his phone number by chance in the past, but they had never spoken to each other. Today marked the first time Gwihyeon’s father, rather than his grandfather, called her.

“It’s probably related to that issue.”

Gwihyeon had mentioned earlier that he would visit his Suwon’s home in the evening to talk to the adults about it. It was likely that Mr. Jeong was calling to ask about it, but even so, receiving a call from him at this late hour was certainly unusual.

“Hello…?”

[Siyeon… It’s me.]

His voice was calm, but it was trembling. Siyeon’s heart sank with a bad premonition.

“Yes, Uncle. What… what’s the matter…?”

[Gwihyeon had an accident on his way home.]

“…”

Without realizing it, Siyeon felt as though she might scream, so she quickly covered her mouth. The course of fate remained unchanged. In the end, Ijun had left, her father had collapsed, and now, inevitably, Gwihyeon had been involved in an accident.

How.. Why could this happen? He hadn’t even married Eunhye yet. How could this have happened, and why?

“[I thought you should know, so I called you. He’s in surgery right now, but his condition is very serious…]”

With fearful eyes, Siyeon looked out the window at the black night sky, where the moon was suspended.