Chapter 6 (Part 7)

As she fully entered the Creativity Hall, the children greeted Seo-hye as usual.

Even though they had only seen her a few times, they consistently called her teacher, making her feel somewhat useful.

Moreover, conducting the class with her left hand, revealing a hidden truth, made her feel relieved.

With a lighter heart than usual, she finished the class and stepped towards the door to leave the hall.

As she passed through the open door, she heard whispering from the hallway.

It seemed to be Yoo-ra and one of the filming team members.

“I secretly hoped it would be Seo-hye.”

“Me too. In all the articles so far, she’s only been referred to as Lee Hwa-woong’s granddaughter. Usually, the eldest daughter goes, but Seo-hye’s appearance is quite outstanding. So I had some expectations…”

“Right. But then, it was announced that the eldest would do it. Seeing as they’ve even released the name and face….”

“They’ve made it official. It’s probably the intention of Chairman Won. At this point, it would be hard to retract.”

Although she hadn’t heard from the beginning, Seo-hye started to feel uneasy.

She immediately lifted the phone in her hand.

The moment she opened the search portal site app.

“Finished with the class?”

Yoo-ra’s voice came from inside as the door opened.

It seemed the staff inside the Creativity Hall had gone out through the back door to inform her.

Yoo-ra smiled broadly and thanked Seo-hye for her hard work.

“Ah… yes. Then, I’ll see you next week.”

As Seo-hye quickly tried to pass by Yoo-ra, Yoo-ra called her back.

“Uh, Seo-hye.”

Feeling that Yoo-ra might ask about something she was concerned about, Seo-hye preemptively blocked it.

“Oh, Manager. I’m sorry, but something urgent has come up. If it’s important, could you leave me a message?”

“It’s not that urgent. Take care, Seo-hye.”

Seo-hye nodded slightly and quickly walked down the hallway.

While walking, she checked her phone again.

The entire site was flooded with articles about Seonghan Group and Hwa-woong.

It was an article about the engagement ceremony of ‘Won Do-jin,’ the grandson of Chairman Won of Seonghan, and ‘Lee Hae-mi,’ the eldest granddaughter of Lee Hwa-woong.

She quickly searched for the original article.

As expected, the article was from the Korean Daily. It’s more likely that Hwa-woong released it rather than Seonghan.

Hwa-woong has a close relationship with the deputy editor of the Korean Daily, and since she left home, he probably published the article as a warning.

Seeing Hae-mi’s face, smiling brightly in a dance costume within the article, made her feel suffocated.

Although Do-jin said it wasn’t true, and it wasn’t directly released by Seonghan, the fact that the entire nation now knew about Do-jin and Hae-mi’s engagement made it feel like it would soon become a fait accompli.

Did Do-jin see this article? It was published about an hour ago.

Surely his secretary’s office would have informed him by now.

So why hasn’t there been a single call?

Her mood began to sink rapidly. However, Seo-hye recalled what kind of person Do-jin was.

He could be busy with his schedule or in a meeting.

Instead of feeling disappointed, she thought it would be better to go to her room and reflect on why she felt upset about not hearing from Do-jin.

She shouldn’t be greedy for his attention when she wasn’t ready to accept his feelings.

She quickened her pace.

Passing through the secluded hallway of the Creativity Hall, she turned the corner vigorously to head towards the central lobby.

And at that moment.

Thud-!

A dull noise accompanied by intense pain struck her head.

As she realized her vision went completely white and she couldn’t see anything.

“……!”

Her body collapsed forward as if it wasn’t hers.

***

After meeting with Mr. Kim, Do-jin encountered an article on his way back to the company.

It was a ridiculous article stating that he was scheduled to hold an engagement ceremony with Lee Hwa-woong’s eldest granddaughter, ‘Lee Hae-mi.’

He told Seok-young to contact the Korean Daily to find out how the article came to be.

No matter how much his grandfather wanted him to marry Lee Hwa-woong’s eldest granddaughter, he wouldn’t act so foolishly as to release an article about the owner at such an absurd time, especially revealing the other party’s personal details.

When Do-jin arrived at the hotel and entered the Executive Director’s Office, the youngest secretary, surprised, quickly stood up to greet him.

“Executive Director.”

Do-jin casually acknowledged the greeting and entered his office.

He took off his jacket and casually hung it over the chair, then turned to stand in front of the window.

He loosened his tie while taking in the view of the tall buildings lined up.

It seemed that the cunning Lee Hwa-woong had made the first move, but if the group issued a statement saying it was false, that would be the end of it.

The problem was Seo-hye.

Since she was timid and hid her true feelings, if she saw such an article, she would likely say something she didn’t mean, like telling him to marry her sister.

She’d probably insist that since her sister’s face had already been exposed in the article, there’s no way he could marry her.

As he already anticipated Seo-hye’s response, he felt a tightness in his throat, as if it were blocked.

He briefly checked his watch and immediately called for Seok-young.

Knock-knock—

With the sound of a knock, Seok-young entered.

“Executive Director.”

Although Do-jin was the one who called him, it was Seok-young who hurriedly rushed to the desk as if he had something urgent to say first.

“After checking with the Korean Daily, it seems it wasn’t leaked from our side.”

“I thought so. Hmm. First, I need to see the Chairman.”

“What time should I schedule the appointment?”

“Contact the secretary’s office to see if it’s possible now.”

Seok-young immediately took out his phone and called the secretary chief of Chairman Won Eung-soo’s office.

After exchanging a few words, he hung up the phone.

“Executive Director, the Chairman will be in his office all afternoon.”

Without even sitting down, Do-jin grabbed his jacket and headed out of the office.

Following behind him, Seok-young spoke.

“I’ll have the car ready.”

But Do-jin abruptly stopped.

“No. Secretary Yoo, you stay here. Go and pick up Miss Seo-hye when she finishes and take her directly to her room.”

“Ah…”

“If the one who released the article is Lee Hwa-woong, he might do something to Miss Seo-hye.”

Seok-young blinked nervously.

“I’m asking you to protect her, Secretary Yoo.”

“Yes, understood!”

Do-jin reiterated his request and left the office.

***

Upon arriving at the Seonghan Group headquarters, Do-jin went straight to the Chairman’s office.

The secretary chief, who knew Do-jin was coming, welcomed him.

“Young Master.”

Do-jin slowed his pace slightly and asked.

“Is the Chairman pleased with the article?”

“Well, since it was something he wanted, he doesn’t seem to view it entirely negatively.”

“So, the Chairman released the article.”

“……There’s no way, Young Master! Even if the Chairman wants the marriage, he wouldn’t release such a cheap-looking article….”

The secretary chief stopped mid-sentence.

Do-jin continued the conversation with a cool smile.

“Right. It’s not like it’s a tabloid in the entertainment industry, talking about the romantic involvement of a group chairman’s grandson and the granddaughter of a renowned artist…”

“…….”

“Seonghan wouldn’t release such a low-class article. It was a joke.”

Do-jin glanced at the secretary chief, who wore a bewildered expression, and then opened the door himself to enter the Chairman’s office.

Eung-soo, resting with his eyes closed on the sofa, asked without opening his eyes.

“Is that you, Do-jin?”

“Yes.”

“Since things have turned out this way, you should get married, right?”

He opened his eyes lazily and looked directly at Do-jin.

Without a word, Do-jin went over to the sofa and sat down.

“It seems like the article came from Lee Hwa-woong’s side… It’s already out, so what can we do? It’s not like they made up something that wasn’t true. You were going to get married anyway.”

“You’ve become quite flexible since I last saw you, Chairman.”

Do-jin’s low voice was filled with hostility.

Eung-soo, who had been speaking casually, began to raise his eyebrows.

“……What?”

“Weren’t you the one who would fire the journalist if there was a false report related to the group? Even though you weren’t their employer, you used your power unjustly.”

When Do-jin ended with a wry smile, Eung-soo’s eyelids trembled.

“You little brat….”

“This is also a false report. I’m marrying the second daughter, not the first. How many times do I have to tell you before you understand? Seriously, you should go see a doctor, Chairman.”

Eung-soo, clutching the back of his neck as if it was aching, closed his eyes tightly.

Do-jin continued to mock him.

“If you don’t correct the article right now, you’ll regret it.”

“Why?”

“Because Lee Hwa-woong is a fake.”

For a moment, the flow of air stopped.

It was so quiet that not even the sound of someone’s breathing could be heard.

The gazes of the two men tangled in midair.

As Do-jin noticed the turmoil in Eung-soo’s cloudy eyes and was about to speak, Eung-soo interrupted.

“What does it matter?”

The corners of Do-jin’s eyes, which had been expressionless, twisted sharply.

“Did you perhaps know?”  

“Do I look like someone who wouldn’t find a single flaw in the person I’m bringing into my family?”  

Do-jin clenched his fists tightly.  

He knew he was a malicious person who manipulated his family to his liking and applied all sorts of pressure.  

But he didn’t know he was the worst kind of person who, knowing that Hwa-woong was a criminal stealing his granddaughter’s artistic talent, still intended to bring him in as an in-law.  

It was a moment when the fact of being connected by blood was revolting.  

“Having that kind of leverage means I can control things to my liking, doesn’t it? Do-jin, what do you think in-laws are? They should have less power than me and should follow my orders without a word.”  

“…”  

“A painting under Lee Hwa-woong’s name holds considerable value, and he listens well to me, so he’s perfect to bring into the family.”  

Do-jin asked with a cold sneer.  

“If that’s the case, why not bring Seo-hye in as a granddaughter-in-law and control both Lee Hwa-woong and her?”  

“Tsk, that’s not going to happen. Would she paint as soon as she gets wealth? Would she quietly sit and paint for her grandfather?”

Now the mystery was solved.  

It wasn’t just about Lee Hwa-woong; from Eung-soo’s perspective, for the same reasons, the second granddaughter was not an option. That’s why he opposed Seo-hye so much.  

“Imagine a child who became part of Seonghan growing up and harboring other thoughts. That would be as dangerous as a time bomb.”  

Do-jin hardened his gaze sharply and stood up.  

“Seeing that you even had such disgusting thoughts, you’re determined to bring in Lee Hwa-woong and the eldest granddaughter.”

“You brat, the way you talk-“

“Remember, I’ve given you many chances, but it was you who turned a blind eye, Chairman.”  

Eung-soo frowned with one eye and asked.  

“What… did you just say?”  

“I’ll be going now.”  

Do-jin left the Chairman’s office.  

He declined the chief secretary’s offer to escort him to the first floor and got into the elevator alone.  

Once the space was enclosed, Do-jin took out his phone from his jacket pocket and pressed the stop recording button.  

“…”  

In fact, he had pressed the record button as he entered the building.  

With the engagement article about Hae-mi already out, a strong blow was needed to change Eung-soo’s mind.  

That blow was the ugly truth about Lee Hwa-woong stealing his granddaughter’s talent.  

Do-jin was worried that Eung-soo might have known about this and turned a blind eye, and unfortunately, that concern was fully captured on the recorder.  

For over 30 years, he had heard that without Seonghan, South Korea would crumble. The Chairman of such a prestigious company had turned a blind eye to such unethical acts, revealing an ugly truth.  

With a somewhat heavy heart, Do-jin called Seok-young.  

“Secretary Yoo.”  

Before dealing with Eung-soo and Lee Hwa-woong, he needed to pull Seo-hye, who was probably digging a hole after seeing the article, out first.  

• Ex, Executive Director… Sir.  

However, for some reason, Seok-young’s voice on the other end of the line sounded unstable.