19.2

It made sense now; she had seen her at Madam Ko’s house when visiting, and probably also had caught a memorable glimpse of her at a charity party organized by Madam Ko two years ago.

Her daughter, Joo-eun, had a pouty lip, seemingly displeased about something, and in her stead, another girl had helped Madam Ko smoothly run the party.

She wasn’t a child of a prominent family worth remembering, so Seonkyung had soon forgotten her.

“She was well-mannered, not overbearing.”

No one had to tell her; it was clear the girl was competent. She remembered feeling a bit sorry that such a capable girl came from an ordinary family.

And she was Min Ah-young’s daughter?

Seonkyung knew Ah-young well, having been a junior in college.

She remembered Ah-young as a famed beauty in college who had caught many men’s eyes. She had made a scouting offer to Ah-young, but Chairman Cha, her peer, had snatched her up first. 

Seonkyung had thought Ah-young was foolish when she heard that the supposedly work-focused woman suddenly married, abandoning a promotion and quitting her job to follow her husband abroad. Upon returning to Korea, Ah-young had taken up the role of Madam Ko’s secretary, likely due to a break in her career.

If Chaeyoon looks like her mom, she must have inherited some pretty good genes.

Looking at her basic profile, Chaeyoon’s background was impeccable. Except she wasn’t born into a chaebol family. As far as Seonkyung was concerned, that was the biggest flaw.

For Seonho to contend with his elder brother for power, he needed to marry into a family equivalent to his own. No matter how much property Seonho owned, it couldn’t compare to the wealth of a chaebol wife. Wealth was nothing. It couldn’t compare to the support that their assets could provide.

And this is quite funny too. She sleeps with Seonho but doesn’t want to date him. Is that some kind of new tactic? And Seonho just falls for it? Men are so simple.

Seonkyung didn’t believe Seonho’s insistence that the girl didn’t want to date him.

When had she started getting close to Seonho? They had been middle school classmates. If she was friends with Joo-eun, they must have met often. Maybe she even encouraged Joo-eun to marry someone else to ensure Joo-eun couldn’t marry Seonho. It was entirely possible.

What seemed like a simple infatuation at first turned out to be more complicated and troubling than expected.

“Track Seonho’s movements up to now and report back.”

“Yes.”

She had been too complacent about Joo-eun until her marriage fell apart, unaware that such a girl had been in her circle of friends. She should have checked their personal lives sooner.

Seonkyung regretted her oversight.

***

Seonkyung’s face was expressionless as she reviewed the gathered information.

Was it true?

In business, deceiving and being deceived was common. The ability to deceive well, to not be deceived by others, and to exploit those who tried to deceive you are all skills.

In that sense, she believed Seonho might be lying to protect someone he cared about.

After all, it didn’t make sense to use such an unbelievable statement—that they weren’t anything and that only Seonho had feelings—if it weren’t a lie. Seonho wasn’t a fool.

At the time of their conversation, she had been too shocked to grasp everything, but as time passed and her mind cooled, things started to become clearer.

Their relationship seemed to have developed around the time of Joo-eun’s wedding in Jeju Island. They had spent three days together in Jeju, and there had been a few meetings afterward.

Seonho claimed the girl didn’t want to date him, but that remained unconfirmed.

However, the fact that Seonho liked her more seemed evident. That lazy boy had been flying to London every three weeks—that was proof enough.

Given Seonho’s personality, he wouldn’t bother unless he really had to. He would have just paid for the plane ticket if that was all. But the fact that Seonho took the initiative meant he cared.

There was one last clincher. Seonkyung wasn’t the only one monitoring Chaeyoon. She learned this when she had someone track Chaeyoon’s movements and discovered another shadow following her. It must have been Seonho’s doing.

Really, it was laughable.

Even though everything confirmed Seonho’s words, she still found it hard to believe.

She tried to paint the girl as a clever seductress, but nothing substantial came up. It seemed she had to meet her in person to confirm.

“I need to go to London. What’s my schedule like?”

“It will be difficult to adjust anything for the next two weeks.”

The assistant said right away.

“Try to make time for a London trip as soon as possible.”

“Yes.”

Seonho had warned her not to embarrass herself by meeting Chaeyoon, but listening to him was absurd.

Seonho’s life wasn’t just his own. He was being groomed to be the group’s heir, and she had invested years in this.

Seonho was the ground she had cultivated. If he wavered, it wasn’t just him who would be affected; she would be too.

Although Seonho’s stern warning should not be taken lightly, she had a reason to act. Whether Seonho was wildly infatuated or the two were in a deep relationship, it was her job to understand the situation before her father-in-law did.

The mishap with Joo-eun’s marriage had already been a significant error. She could not afford another.

“Keep checking and report back on Seonho and the girl’s movements.”

“Yes.”

“Make sure the information does not leak elsewhere.”

Information is just information. Depending on who holds it and how it is processed, it can become either a medicine or a poison. Information that may be disadvantageous should be hidden as much as possible, and if it seems to be poisonous, it should be processed in advance to become medicine.

“I’m curious, about what kind of person she really is.”

It was reprehensible that Seonho started something he shouldn’t have. However, apart from that, Seonkyung was curious about the girl who had captivated Seonho.

Seonkyung hoped she wasn’t just any unremarkable person since she had taken so much of Seonho’s time and attention.

***

“Yep. I’m on my way out now.”

Chaeyoon had just submitted her practical craftsmanship graduation project and was leaving school when Seonho called her.

• Is it finally over?

“No. I still have to do the catalog work and the exhibition to finish.”

• But you’ve overcome the biggest hurdle, so you must be relieved.

“It’s refreshing to have finished such a grueling assignment, but there’s also a sense of regret.”

Chaeyoon crinkled her nose.

• I don’t know much about creative work, but I remember hearing that most creators are rarely satisfied with their work. No matter how much time is given, it always seems insufficient.

“That’s true, but I also think I was too ambitious.”

• About what?

“I think it was too much to take two courses at the same time when I should have just taken one course at a time. What I really wanted to study was jewelry design, and I thought a crash course in practical craftsmanship would suffice to understand the production process. As a result, I think the quality of my graduation project suffered.”

• How can you be good at everything, you’re not going to be a craftsman, so basic knowledge is enough. You still have the advanced design course ahead. You can do better then. You just need to find an excellent craftsman who can bring your designs to life.

It wasn’t as easy as it sounded. But Seonho spoke so easily, that it almost felt achievable, lifting her gloomy mood.

• Buy your favorite rich chocolate and cheer yourself up.

Perhaps it was the proximity of his voice, but it seemed as if Seonho was not far away.

“I was actually planning to go to the flea market.”

• To the flea market to buy recycled stones?

“Wow, you really know my moves completely now, huh?”

Chaeyoon said admiringly. He now precisely guessed her intentions wherever she went.

• It’s the power of love. I’m always with you. Muah!

“Hahaha, where has the cynical Seonho I knew gone?”