Chapter 47

Chairman Kwon Seonghwan had returned.

For Taeheon, it was unwelcome news—both as Executive Director Kwon Taeheon and as his son.

“I heard you went down south.” 

“Yes.” 

“I took care of some urgent matters while you were away.”

Of course you did. Taeheon swallowed the urge to scoff. The man was the type to fall ill if he didn’t have control over everything.

“Well, family comes first, doesn’t it?”

Coming from him, the words were insufferably fake. Taeheon didn’t respond, unwilling to bring up his wife. Seonghwan grinned, his smile reeking of fish oil.

“That new arms deal we’ve opened up—if someone’s going to oversee things on-site for a year, it’d better be someone smart.”

A deal Taeheon had secured entirely on his own, yet Seonghwan carried on as if it were his own accomplishment. He seemed to be enjoying himself, bragging as he gave orders.

“I think we should send Jisuk to China.”

The name he called was Taeheon’s right-hand man.

“You’re assigning my staff without consulting me?”

“Your staff, my staff—what difference does it make? This is *my* company. *I* make the decisions.”

His tone grew harder with each word. His thick gray eyebrows arched high, and the tyrannical nature that had dulled somewhat during his illness came roaring back, unfiltered.

He looked so confident, as if Taeheon would obediently carry out his order to cut off his own limbs. Taeheon was sick of the sight.

“Isn’t Chief Kim’s child studying abroad at Beijing University? Why not send him? Might be a good chance to wrap up that goose-parent lifestyle.”

When Taeheon named one of his father’s longtime loyalists, Seonghwan’s lip twitched. His sneer mirrored Taeheon’s own. He held back a curse.

“You’re running back and forth to the countryside so much, you might as well be a goose yourself.”

Seonghwan jeered.

“Why didn’t you let us know your wife’s pregnant?”

So he already knew. Of course he did. Taeheon remained expressionless.

Now he understood the strange energy radiating from his father. Seonghwan knew Taeheon’s weakness. Ever since Taeheon had come of age, their territorial war had always ended in Seonghwan’s defeat. But now, he had the upper hand—and he was reveling in it. Almost to a demonic degree.

Like a vampire that feeds on others’ vitality to survive. Disgusted, Taeheon stared at his father with cold contempt.

“I didn’t realize you were so interested in Yaein.”

It finally felt like he was back home—this was the house he remembered. The smell of family. The stench of decay and blood.

“I heard she’s not doing well. As her father-in-law, I should go and visit her at least.”

“You collapsed just the other day. How far do you think you’re going? If something happens down there, there aren’t even proper hospitals.”

I could make sure you end up in one, Taeheon thought.

“Then have my daughter-in-law come up here.”

“Can’t remember the last time you called her that.”

After all the “that b*tch” and “that girl,” suddenly she’s “daughter-in-law.” Taeheon’s pointed remark was ignored, as always.

“Since the baby’s going to mean lots of hospital visits, there’s no point in being stuck in some countryside town, right?”

“I’m letting her stay in her hometown for as long as she wants.”

“You’re really going to waste hours in the car when there’s so much to handle?”

“Yes.”

Taeheon’s crisp answer made veins stand out on Seonghwan’s forehead.

“Does it matter where I spend my time, as long as the job gets done perfectly?”

His father looked about to explode—then abruptly went silent. After a beat, he asked,

“You want to go on the China trip too?”

What sort of trap was he laying now?

If it was just another petty power play to humiliate his son, fine. Taeheon could handle that much nonsense.

“It’s hard for me to leave right now. You know that.”

“It’s just three days.”

“Three days *is* a lot.”

“You disappear for days to visit your hidden wife, but now you can’t spare three for a major deal?”

He was digging in with intent. The old man was clearly planning to push the “daughter-in-law” narrative hard.

“There are quiet places to rest in Seoul too. You know what? I’ll talk to my daughter-in-law and bring her back. Pregnant or not, a woman shouldn’t be holding her husband back.”

Taeheon imagined loading a revolver and shooting the bullet right into that smug, familiar face—so like his own. Watching that head burst like a watermelon, his father shattered in pieces. That would finally feel like peace.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Seonghwan growled.

Taeheon stared him down, cold and composed.

“You did well while I was sick, running things on your own. Now that I’m suddenly back and giving orders, you must feel resentful.”

“…”

“But don’t forget—everything here, all of it, was built by me. By *Kwon Seonghwan*.”

As if I’m some desperate bastard who’d be jealous of all this trash.

You’re the only one who covets this kind of filth. Taeheon masked his revulsion beneath a blank expression.

What *he* wanted was the opposite—to destroy everything his father’s filthy hands had built. To devour it all.

“I’m the one who gave you your wife too, in the end.”

If not for that, you’d already be dead.

Taeheon smiled like a painting—controlled, composed.

“I’ll think about the business trip and get back to you.”

A disgusting glint of victory flickered in Seonghwan’s eyes.

“If you don’t do anything else to stress out a pregnant woman.”

With that clear condition laid out, Taeheon turned and strode out of the chairman’s office, cutting across the hallway without hesitation.

When he entered his own office, his aide was waiting, bowing slightly.

“He already brought up the China trip?”

Taeheon asked.

“Looks like he’s planning to send Jisuk-hyung,” the aide replied immediately.

The answer came without hesitation. It was clear his father had already made up his mind and was only informing Taeheon as a formality. It seemed all kinds of schemes had unfolded while he was away from the city.

“What do you think my father’s doing right now?”

“Probably watching to see how you react. Like before.”

“If I cross him, he’ll slit my throat?”

Taeheon tossed out the grim comment as casually as if he were joking. His aide chose his words carefully.

“There are quite a few of the chairman’s hardcore supporters who don’t like us.”

“Those old loyalists would probably cheer if I dropped dead somewhere.”

Taeheon had never been a moderate heir with universal support. From the very beginning, his rise had been met with fierce resistance.

“I’ve known the young master since he was crawling. Doesn’t matter if he’s the chairman’s son—how dare some green punk act all high and mighty?”

There were plenty of executives who had ground their teeth at Taeheon. But he had never wanted their favor.

Unlike his father, who had come up with a gang of thugs and still clung to notions of loyalty, Taeheon had built a new power base.

The chairman had shielded him when opposition arose, and by the time his faction had grown too large to ignore, the chairman had fallen ill.

If only he’d died then—it would’ve been the best-case scenario.

“Avoiding open conflict is probably best,” the aide said.

“Are you telling me not to harbor treasonous thoughts?”

Taeheon pulled back the blinds and looked out the window. A vast city sprawled below, roads stretching all the way to where his wife waited. The world outside was bright.

“I think we have a chance of winning,” the aide added after a beat. “…But the damage would be huge.”

It was hard to comprehend, but there were still old men utterly intoxicated by Kwon Seonghwan’s charisma. If Taeheon ever made a move against his father, those loyalists would turn their blades on him without hesitation.

This had all been considered before. Back then, Taeheon had carefully planned a long game—keeping his head down while preparing an ambush, laying traps and sharpening his blade.

The one variable had been his wife. The desire to avoid dragging blood into his marriage had held him back. While he hesitated, his father recovered and reclaimed his position.

Outwardly, it had been framed as, *“The chairman is ill, so no need for conflict.”*

Now, once again, the situation was the same.

The iron bars of his childhood were closing in again, tighter than ever. Taeheon yanked off his tie. His throat still felt constricted.

Freedom or his wife—those were the only choices he had.

When Taeheon left, the house became eerily quiet. 

The neighbors were too far to reach without a car, and the house still lacked a lot of daily essentials. 

How long could she stay here? And what would happen if she returned to the house in Seoul? 

Would her father-in-law truly accept her? Would she have to live her life seeing her own family again?

Troubled by swirling thoughts, Yaein pulled on another layer of her coat. She needed a walk. 

Wandering aimlessly outside the house, she glanced toward the road. 

She thought she heard an engine—and indeed, a plum-colored car had stopped on the hill. Its vivid color stood out even from a distance.

Yaein walked up the narrow shoulder beside the road. 

The tinted windows kept the interior hidden. She leaned close to the rear window and knocked gently. The glass rolled down with a soft hum.

“Hello, Mother.”

Sitting in the back seat, wearing sunglasses, was Gyeongju. She frowned, her dyed brown eyebrows pinching together, eyes fixed forward without so much as a glance at Yaein.

“What kind of girl are you?”

The sharp tone oddly felt endearing. Even the cold glance didn’t bother her. 

“I wired money to the carrier because you said you needed help, and what do I find? You and Taeheon, out here doing what, exactly? This is absurd.”

Scolding poured out like a flood. It would take too long to explain everything, and besides, Yaein knew the nagging was rooted in concern. She simply smiled.

“Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?”

“Forget it. You think I’ve got all day?”

“Then just a moment, please.”

Despite being flatly rejected, Yaein still smiled. She reached into her cardigan pocket and pulled out her wallet, retrieving a photo. 

She handed it through the window. Gyeongju’s expression shifted into something more complex. Yaein spoke with a bright, excited voice.

“This is from the hospital, just recently. I really wanted to show you.”

Gyeongju lowered her sunglasses and looked over the ultrasound photo. Her eyes narrowed, but her expression softened.

“Tiny little thing. Is it a boy or a girl? Or don’t you know yet?”

“No, they said we could find out later, but I don’t plan on asking.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl. As long as it’s healthy, that’s what counts.”

“They said the baby’s growing really well.”

It was the first time Yaein felt free enough to talk about the baby so openly, and it made her giddy. 

Gyeongju studied her again with gentler eyes.

“Your belly’s showing a bit. But not that much, huh?”

“The hospital said it varies a lot from person to person.”

Yaein giggled as she chatted. Gyeongju stared at her thoughtfully, then shifted the subject.

“How are things with Taeheon?”