CHAPTER 74

Ijun’s words had barely finished when eerily, his prophecy came true. While he was engaged in a tense confrontation with Gwihyeon, the sound of a commotion outside the hospital room could be heard.

“Chairman, Gwihyeon has woken up, yet why won’t you let me see him?! Do you know how much I took care of him while he attended school in Seoul and worked at the company? How can you treat me like this? Even though your grandson has woken up, you don’t show us any concern, and you’ve even mistreated Eunhye.”

In front of Gwihyeon’s hospital room, which strictly prohibited visits from anyone other than family, Eunhye and her family were arguing with Gwihyeon’s grandfather. 

“Sir, we have known Gwihyeon for over 30 years. Isn’t that reason enough to allow us to meet him?” 

This time, Professor Kim stepped forward, but the grandfather remained firm. 

“I’m sorry, but our Gwihyeon needs stability right now.” 

“Chairman, if Gwihyeon sees us, he will surely regain his memories.” 

“What if our Gwihyeon’s condition worsens further? Will you take responsibility then?” 

The grandfather continued to argue against their statements. Eunhye was escorted out of the hospital, but her grandmother and parents seemed adamant and couldn’t easily be sent away. The grandfather tried to placate and even threatened them while steadfastly guarding the door. 

“Oh, my, my grandson-in-law wakes up after a year, and we can’t even see his face! If Teacher  Kim Donghan, sees this, he’ll surely sigh and beat his chest from the heavens! I want to die right now, but I can’t because I don’t have the courage to face Baekya in person!” 

Suddenly, the grandmother began to sob. The commotion outside was too loud and reached into the hospital room. All this embarrassment and disgrace would undoubtedly be attributed to Chairman Jeong and Baekya Foods. Aware of this, they persisted in their confrontation in front of the hospital room.

Annoyed, Ijun strode to the door of the hospital room and flung it open. He looked back and forth between his grandfather, whose face was red with shame, and the grandmother, who kept wiping away tears. He furrowed his eyebrows and asked.

“What are you doing in front of someone else’s hospital room?” 

“Ijun! Listen to me. Well, it seems Chairman Jeong won’t let us visit Gwihyeon until the end! How can he treat us like this when we’ve known Gwihyeon for over 30 years?”

“Grandmother.” 

“Yes, speak up.”

She wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said.

“You told me to break up with Siyeon and marry Eunhye, but now you’re acting like this here. What’s the meaning of this?”

“Wha- What?”

Suddenly, her tears stopped. Her pale face quickly turned red.

“What kind of nonsense is this again!”

 The grandfather’s voice, holding back his anger, suddenly rose. Ignoring him, Ijun continued speaking. 

“It hasn’t even been a month since you told me to divorce quickly and become your grandson-in-law, and today you’re calling Gwihyeon-hyung a grandson-in-law? Does Grandma’s house have two Kim Eunhyes?”

“…Ijun, that’s… um…” 

Nearby nurses and several specialists pretended not to be interested, but they were secretly listening to the unprecedented chaebol family story. The ears of the security guaThe security guards stationed in the room also had their ears wide open.

“Kim Eunhye, tell me. Who is the man you wish to be the soulmate for? By the way, if you say it’s me, someone you’ve never held hands with, I know how to twist your neck.”

Ijun deliberately said this, knowing that Eunhye had no other choice but Gwihyeon. Startled by his menacing words, Eunhye tearfully spoke up.

“I’ve only had Gwihyeon oppa for seven years. When I was 20, he told me that I was the real granddaughter of Kim Dong-han and that he would marry me. From that moment until the day of the accident, we passionately loved each other!” 

At Eunhye’s tearful plea, her parents sighed, and her grandmother began to sob again.

“But isn’t that just your one-sided claim? Gwihyeon didn’t tell me anything, how can I believe that you had a special relationship with him just because you say so!”

Eunhye’s eyes, now pale in the face of her grandfather’s words, nervously shook. The anxiety that she might become a real target of criticism overwhelmed her.

“Well, that’s… um.”

Caught in a panic, she frantically thought, then lifted her head again.  

“G-Gwihyeon oppa told me many secret stories!  So, the company has two factions divided by external relatives, and one side is Ijun’s maternal relatives. So when he becomes the CEO, he will kick those people out of the company… He even told me who those people are! If you ask who they are…” 

At that moment, the hospital room door swung wide open, and Eunhye couldn’t finish her sentence. Gwihyeon stood there holding the door handle, his face filled with a shocked expression as if he had seen a ghost.

“…Oppa.” 

“Who are you to plot against me?” 

Gwihyeon was seething with anger to the point where he seemed like someone who wanted to kill Eunhye on the spot. The hand gripping the door handle trembled with rage. 

“Oppa! Oppa, it’s me, Eunhye! We worked together in your office! We were almost always together for 7 years, so why can’t you remember me!” 

Eunhye burst into tears, and Gwihyeon looked at her with bloodshot eyes, tightly biting his lower lip. 

“You said you wanted to be with me every day, and you wanted to get married as soon as possible!” 

“…Enough.”

He managed to utter a few words, trembling with anger. His face had lost its color. 

“You told me, after proving to the Chairman that I’m the real Baekya great-granddaughter, to ask for shares! Since he gave 1% to Siyeon, you said that I should get more than twice from Chairman…”

“Stop it!”

 Gwihyeon shouted loudly. His voice echoed through the hospital corridor.

“…Oppa…” 

“Stop it. Please stop. Please shut that stupid mouth of yours.”

“Oppa…” 

He leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath, as if barely suppressing the urge to unleash a torrent of curses. 

After he managed to calm his rough breathing, he calmly opened his mouth and looked at Eunhye. His eyes seemed like they could kill a person with a glance.

“I don’t know about you. I don’t understand why you’re appearing in front of me, playing out this absurd play and plotting against me. If you keep babbling nonsense like this, I’ll sue you for defamation. Even if we’re somewhat acquainted in the family, I have no intention of tolerating this. So, unless you want to rot in prison for a few years, you better be careful with your words.”

“Oppa, h-how could you…” 

Eunhye, deeply shocked, looked at Gwihyeon with an expression of disbelief. He was sending her a hostile gaze. He, who used to be gentle and affectionate, told her to shut up and threatened to sue her. Eunhye was at a loss for words. 

Her parents and grandmother were equally stunned and witnessed the scene where Eunhye was completely denied. Although Ijun’s grandfather was pale for a different reason, no one paid attention to him because everyone was engulfed in shock.

“Jeong Gwihyeon. How could you do this to my daughter?” 

Professor Kim, who had been relatively calm, could not bear it anymore and stepped forward. 

“Sir, what kind of a mess are you making by swarming over someone who has no memory?”

“Are you really sure that he has no memory?” 

“Then, are you saying that I’m deceiving my grandfather and parents? Why would I? Even if I knew that Kim Eun-hye is related to Kim Dong-han, why would I pretend not to know?”

Professor Kim tightly sealed his lips. Because Gwihyeon’s words made sense. There was no reason for Gwihyeon to pretend not to know Eunhye when her value remained the same. Thinking about the Gwihyeon who used to pour his heart out to Eunhye in the past, there was no choice but to believe his words even more.

“But you’re quite shameless. From what I heard inside, you thought I was going to die, so you reached out to my brother, Ijun.” 

“…….” 

Professor Kim, who had been bold just a moment ago, now avoided Gwihyeon’s gaze. 

“How dare you look down on our Jeong family like that. I’m speaking as the successor of Baekya Foods.” 

Gwihyeon, who had always treated Professor Kim with courtesy, now no longer showed him any respect. Gwihyeon straightened his back and looked around. Then he spoke, directing his gaze towards the security guards, nurses, and doctors caught in his line of sight.

“Out of consideration for the old friendship of the past generations, I will not take issue with the atrocities committed so far. However, if you dare to come and slander me in this manner once more, I’ll have to seek the stern power of the law.” 

With that, Gwihyeon closed the door to the hospital room. The people left behind stood there in shock, unable to say anything. 

“Grandfather, are you okay?”

“..Yes, I’m fine.” 

Looking at his grandfather, who stood with a pallid face, Ijun worriedly gazed at him. Concerned about his grandfather’s labored breathing, he raised his head and nodded towards the medical staff, indicating that they should come closer. 

Upon his signal, the doctors and nurses quickly approached and supported Chairman Jeong into his hospital room. The room, which had been reserved as a hotel room for the purpose of keeping a close eye on Gwihyeon, had truly become his hospital room.

“You may leave now.” 

After confirming that his grandfather had entered the room, Ijun turned to the three people standing there in a daze. Their pitiful appearance could have evoked sympathy, but Ijun felt none. Considering what they had done to Siyeon, this treatment was lenient. 

A greater misfortune that could not be compared to what they have now awaited them. Knowing that, Ijun could afford to bid them a relatively lenient farewell.

 “…It’s probably because Gwihyeon can’t remember. When his memory returns… he’ll apologize to us. Gwihyeon has been so good to us.”

Grandmother murmured with a vacant expression. She still couldn’t give up hope. 

“Still, I feel so sorry for Chairman Jeong, and Gwihyeon  must be distressed. I wonder how sorry he will be to us once his memory returns.” 

Eunhye’s mother said, seemingly addressing Ijun. 

“What will you do if my brother’s memory returns?” 

Ijun asked in a calm voice. 

“We’ll marry him off immediately! What kind of a man is he to ruin a young maiden’s life and pretend not to know about it? He’s been living with Eunhye as if they’re husband and wife, so of course we’ll marry him off as soon as his memory returns!”

“Oh, I see.”

 Ijun nodded at the grandmother’s words.

“Make sure to take care of yourself since you can’t go far.”

And then, he bid them farewell in that place.

After the three people left, Ijun took out his phone from his pocket, touched the screen, and put it back into his pocket. He planned to swap this precious recording file with Siyeon’s laptop password.