Chapter 5 – A Tremendous Cost (Part 2)

“What are you doing?”

Unable to withstand his grip, So-yeon furrowed her brows.

“Answer my question first!”

As forceful as the grip in his hand, harsh words burst from In-ha’s mouth.

“Not a chance. I have no plans to meet other men.”

Why did it sound like she was saying she had ended things with that man? 

In-ha, loosening his grip, lowered his voice and asked.

“Did you break up?”

“Your excessive interest is burdensome.”

“It’s true then. You broke up.”

“Whatever my situation, it has nothing to do with you, Senior.”

Although she inadvertently gave him an excuse, So-yeon did not bother to correct it. Her heart, already filled with one man, had dictated her response.

“What if I wait until you’re okay? You seem to have been hurt by that relationship.”

“Ha…”

So-yeon’s deep sigh carried multiple meanings.

Rejecting someone once or twice was one thing, but not being able to give a positive answer was quite a hardship. On top of that, this parking lot, with only two streetlights, was quite secluded. Perhaps because it was a cold winter night, there were no passersby.

However, if someone were to witness this quarrel and misunderstand the situation, it could be embarrassing for So-yeon, but it would be even more troublesome for Jo In-ha.

“Senior, you always have reporters following you. What if they see us? Let’s just pretend today didn’t happen, and you should stop too.”

“Don’t just push me away, think it over. There aren’t many guys like me!”

So-yeon spoke in a calm voice, and In-ha, who didn’t seem that drunk, repeated what he had said earlier.

“I’m telling you I’m not interested. How do you plan to see me later if you act like this?”

“I’m doing this because I want to see you again!”

“If that’s the case, sober up and call me later.”

It was the moment So-yeon turned her body to touch the car door handle.

“Ah!”

In-ha forcefully pushed So-yeon against the car.

“If I were going to back down easily, I wouldn’t be doing this!”

“I said no! Let go! Let go of me!”

“Stay still!”

Startled by his rude behavior, So-yeon shouted and resisted vigorously, but the more she did, the more In-ha tightened his grip on her wrists with considerable force, as if he would break them.

It was then.

Thud!

“Ugh!!!”

A swift kick from somewhere struck Jo In-ha’s groin without hesitation.

“Hey, you crazy! She said no! You bastard!”

***

Tae Seo-jun appeared at the headquarters of <Ki Hazel>.

If the employees had heard this news, they would have been surprised, but it was late, and everyone had left. Seo-jun, blending in like a shadow with Manager Bong in the executive elevator, arrived at the upper floor and opened the CEO’s office door without hesitation.

“Welcome, CEO Tae.”

As if he had been eagerly waiting, a man around Tae Seo-jun’s age lightly shuffled his b*ttocks and offered the prime seat on the sofa.

“Just sit, why?”

“Even if we’re friends, there’s a hierarchy in the company.”

“Well, if you insist.”

As Seo-jun folded his long legs and sat down, CEO Chae took a seat across from Manager Bong.

Recently dominating the capital market and rapidly emerging, <Ki Hazel> was a global M&A specialist company with two CEOs including Tae Seo-jun.

During his rookie days as an actor, when success was not guaranteed, he had invested in his friend’s business as a safety net for the future, leading to a partnership that had now shaped up into a fairly large company.

And Tae Seo-jun, who put that friend in the forefront, was a hidden owner who only made crucial business decisions.

Businessmen who couldn’t possibly know there was an actual head of the company thought of CEO Chae as the sole leader of <Ki Hazel>.

“Sudden enlistment?”

“That’s how it turned out.”

It was as it sounded. During his student days, he studied medicine, and afterward, he worked as an actor, leading to a slightly later enlistment than average. As a result, Seo-jun, who had to suspend all activities, visited the headquarters to organize his work.

After signing the approval documents, Seo-jun stretched the corners of his lips leisurely and said.

“I trust you’ll manage well without me, CEO Chae.”

“If I thought trust would suffice, would I be trembling with anxiety, CEO Tae?”

“You’re exaggerating. Would I have joined hands with you for no reason? Use this opportunity to prove that my judgment wasn’t wrong.”

The two men, shifting from friends to business partners, changed their tone. It was a reflection of the CEO trait that had to become serious when it came to work.

Testing the growth limits of the company, reducing investment costs, and acquiring profits through mergers and acquisitions. Among the people CEO Chae had met, Tae Seo-jun was undoubtedly the best at coordinating these.

Though still young, he was a friend who personally demonstrated that in a business where quick thinking and sharp intellect were paramount, age was just a number.

The thought of Tae Seo-jun suddenly withdrawing from company affairs left CEO Chae feeling immense pressure and a sense of weight.

“I’m not confident, but I’ll try to hang in there until you return.”

“If you get too discouraged before even trying, I might not come back at all.”

“Now that you say that, my motivation surges. I’ll really do my best, CEO Tae.”

“Good. Now you sound like true CEO, CEO Chae.”

After finishing the business talk, CEO Chae, standing in front of the office door, shook hands with Seo-jun and asked as a friend.

“So, I can’t contact you at all?”

“You know better.”

Seo-jun playfully scrunched his nose, glancing briefly at Manager Bong. It meant that if there was a need to contact him, they could do so through Manager Bong.

Having wrapped up the company matters, Tae Seo-jun and Manager Bong got into a car, and Park Seong-ho, who was in the driver’s seat, turned around and asked.

“Should I take you to Nonhyeon-dong?”

“I should see my parents, right?”

Seo-jun had not faced Tae Seok-ho and Cha Ye-jin for a while.

Partly because Tae Seo-jun was a reclusive type, but also because his parents only pressured him to marry whenever they saw their youngest son, and Seo-jun, who had no particular interest in marriage, had no reason to enjoy such occasions.

However, today was the only time he had, and he knew well that he had to fulfill at least the minimum duty as their son.

“Then, let’s go to Gahoe-dong.”

“Alright.”

As the command was given, the luxury sedan immediately started heading towards Seo-jun’s family home.

At the end of his twenties.

Failure as a doctor, success as a businessman and actor. In the midst of it all, he hadn’t neglected his personal life, but it was precisely that personal aspect that had exhausted him the most.

He had run tirelessly, without distinguishing between uphill and downhill, smooth and bumpy roads, so it was understandable that he was out of breath. Seo-jun chose to enlist as a turning point in his life and a chance to catch his breath. And today, he had perfectly completed his preparations to leave.

But what was this uneasy feeling?

It felt like he had forgotten something very important, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

His deep, intense eyes narrowed slightly as the car crossed a nearby intersection in Gahoe-dong. Seo-jun let out a hollow chuckle.

He wanted it, but it couldn’t be his.

Yet he still wanted her.

But that emotion was just a temporary desire, bound to be diluted by time.

Seo-jun, who still didn’t know what his heart wanted, pushed it deep down as if it were nothing, and simply cast his quietly sunken gaze out the car window.