Rrrrrrrrrr! Rrrrrrrr!

The phone continued to ring incessantly, oblivious to the tension in the room until Secretary Hwang finally declined the call. Hwi-gang’s eyes narrowed as he turned to glare at Chairman Kang.

“Grandpa, you’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Me? What would I be hiding? No, no, nothing like that! Oh, suddenly I have a headache!”

Chairman Kang said, lying back on the bed and quickly pulling the blanket over his head.

Hwi-gang, however, wasn’t convinced. He stepped forward and yanked the blanket away, exposing his grandfather. Chairman Kang, caught off guard, gave an awkward laugh, slowly sitting up again.

“Grandpa, what’s really going on here?”

Hwi-gang pressed, his eyes searching his grandfather’s face for the truth.

“Hwi-gang, just hear me out first before you get angry—”

“Seol-ah, let’s go.”

“What?”

Seol-ah sensed the tension in the room, realizing something was amiss, but she couldn’t just storm out in anger. Hwi-gang’s fearsome expression left her little choice but to comply.

“U-Um, I’ll see you later, Grandpa.”

“Yes, yes, take care, my dear.”

After Hwi-gang and Seol-ah left the hospital room, Chairman Kang glared at Secretary Hwang as if he could kill him.

“Who was that calling you just now?”

“It was… it was my wife.”

“Ugh.”

Hearing the word “wife,” Chairman Kang groaned softly. This was something that shouldn’t have been revealed. Knowing Hwi-gang’s temperament well, Chairman Kang buried his head in his hands, feeling the weight of the situation.

“By the way, they said my grandson and daughter-in-law are having twins, right?” he asked, trying to shift the subject.

“Yes, I heard that too. But, Chairman, this isn’t the time to celebrate. You know how frightening it can be when Executive Director Hwi-gang gets angry.”

Secretary Hwang replied, his voice filled with anxiety.

“Still, he’s my grandson.”

Chairman Kang said, trying to sound optimistic.

“No, what I mean is, I’m saying this out of concern for myself. I’m going to die because of this!”

Finally understanding Secretary Hwang’s predicament, Chairman Kang spoke with newfound confidence, attempting to reassure him.

 “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of everything. You just did what I asked, okay?”

“Really? You’ll shield me so that I don’t suffer any consequences?”

“Of course! Now hurry back to Seongbuk-dong. You can finally put that annoying villa life behind you.”

“Ah, yes, understood.”

Just then, the hospital room door swung open, and Hwi-gang stormed in, visibly upset. Startled, Secretary Hwang ducked behind the sofa, while Chairman Kang, though surprised, straightened his back, trying to appear unfazed.

“Didn’t you leave?”

Chairman Kang asked.

“Grandpa, does this even make sense? Because of the news of your terminal condition, our company’s stock has plummeted! Are you telling me you staged this entire act just to marry me off and see your great-grandchildren? What do you think will happen if the shareholders find out?”

“Hwi-gang, calm down.”

“Do I have to calm down now?” Hwi-gang shot back. “Have you ever thought about how much the small investors who trusted our LJ Group have lost? This is against the law!”

“Now, let’s not go that far. Once the news breaks that my diagnosis was a misdiagnosis, the stock price will double. Those small investors will recover their principal and even make a profit. Plus, thanks to this little performance of mine, you’ve met the woman you love and are expecting twins, right?”

“…”

Hwi-gang was momentarily at a loss for words, taken aback by his grandfather’s reasoning. But he quickly regained his composure and retorted, “So you’re saying this was a good thing?”

“I’m not saying it was all good, but the outcome has been favorable,” Chairman Kang replied calmly. “If we could go back to the way things were, how would you feel about it? Would you want to return to a time before you met Seol-ah and had those children?”

Hwi-gang stared at his grandfather, conflicted. He opened his mouth to respond but hesitated. The thought of Seol-ah and their future children softened his anger, and he found himself struggling to argue back.

“No, that’s not the point right now!”

“Even if we went back, you would want to do it all over again, wouldn’t you?”

“No, Grandpa. That’s not the focus of our conversation! I’m talking about how our company’s stock has plummeted and what will happen when the shareholders find out about your little act!”

“Would you give up the twins?”

Chairman Kang asked calmly.

“No… ugh, this is driving me crazy.”

Finally, Hwi-gang threw up his hands in frustration, raking his fingers through his hair with a heavy sigh.

“Are you happy right now or not?”

Chairman Kang asked, looking his grandson directly in the eyes.

“Well…”

With his anger subsiding, Hwi-gang hesitated to respond. He was happy. He felt like he was soaring. Each day felt like he was walking in paradise, and now it was as if he was flying up into the heavens.

“Yeah, I guess I am happy.”

“See? This old man did well, didn’t he?”

Chairman Kang chuckled heartily.

Hwi-gang ran a hand over his face in exasperation, feeling his frustration melt away. The truth was, it was hard not to feel joyful. Though he couldn’t fully endorse his grandfather’s reckless plan—one that had put the company in jeopardy—it had led him to Seol-ah, and now they were expecting twins. On top of that, his grandfather, who he thought would be gone within months, seemed healthier and more vibrant than ever.

Though Hwi-gang was angry about being deceived by his grandfather’s lies, he couldn’t deny that everything had turned out well in the end. Even if he were given the chance to go back in time, he wouldn’t want to. The idea of going back and losing all this happiness scared him.

“What did this old man tell you?”

Chairman Kang said, his tone softer now.

“Remember, harmony in the family leads to success in all things. When the home is peaceful, everything goes well. These days, everyone talks about the convenience of eating and living alone, but nothing is as precious as family. You’ll soon understand just how important your wife and children are, and how much they give you strength in life.”

Hwi-gang listened quietly to his grandfather’s words. Lately, he really had felt like Seol-ah was his source of energy, recharging him. After spending happy nights with her, waking up in the morning gave him a renewed sense of purpose and vitality. All he could think about during the day was working hard so he could return home and hold her again. Even with the heavy workload, he found joy in it.

“Hwi-gang.”

“Yes, Grandpa?”

“I’m sorry for deceiving you, but in the end, it hasn’t turned out so badly, has it? So please, stop being angry. I’ll be leaving the villa and returning to the house in Seongbuk-dong. I’ll also come back to the company. You’ll come to visit me every weekend, right?”

After taking a deep breath and giving Chairman Kang a pointed glare, Hwi-gang finally nodded in agreement. Seeing that Hwi-gang had let go of his anger, the chairman smiled brightly and turned to Secretary Hwang.

“Secretary Hwang, let’s wrap this up.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

With that, Secretary Hwang organized an emergency strategy meeting. After three days of intense discussions, they decided against claiming a misdiagnosis had occurred at the university hospital affiliated with LJ Group. Instead, they would release a statement that Chairman Kang’s cancer treatment had been successful.

Thanks to this news, the stock price, which had previously been halved, bounced back to its original level in just one day. A week later, another announcement confirmed that Chairman Kang’s condition was improving, causing the stock price to soar to new heights.

The small investors, who had been devastated by the sharp decline of LJ Electronics’ stock, found themselves celebrating as their investments rebounded. Many danced joyfully, relieved, and overjoyed at the unexpected turnaround.

* * *

Two months later, at 15 weeks pregnant, Seol-ah finally got to go on a long-awaited outing to the department store with her husband, Hwi-gang. After spending some time relying on a personal shopper to handle everything at home, she was thrilled to be picking out items for the babies herself.

As they strolled through the brightly lit aisles, Seol-ah couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy and anticipation. She marveled at the colorful baby clothes, toys, and other essentials, imagining what it would be like to soon have her twins in her arms.

“Look at this cute outfit!”

Seol-ah exclaimed, holding up a tiny onesie adorned with playful animals.

Hwi-gang smiled, watching her excitement.

“It’s perfect! We should get it.”

After picking out a few outfits, they made their way to the baby section, where Seol-ah began to look at strollers and cribs. She turned to Hwi-gang, her eyes bright with excitement.

“Can you believe we’re doing this? We’re going to be parents!”

Seol-ah said, her voice filled with wonder. Hwi-gang nodded, his heart swelling with pride.

“I can’t wait to meet them. This is just the beginning of our adventure.”

Together, they continued their shopping spree, feeling both the weight of the future and the excitement of welcoming their little ones into the world.

Meanwhile, as she watched Seol-ah from a distance, a thought crossed Seol-ran’s mind: if that seemingly insignificant woman could become the lady of a wealthy family then why couldn’t she?

While the security guard was focused on his duties, one of the bodyguards pressed the elevator button. When the elevator doors opened, Hwi-gang and Seol-ah stepped inside. Just before the doors closed, Seol-ah raised her left hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, revealing a sparkling diamond ring on her fourth finger.

“What’s that?”

Seol-ran muttered to herself. She recognized the expensive ring from social media—it was the same one she had seen posted online. Jealousy and envy welled up inside her, making her clench her fists as she turned to take another elevator.

“Do you remember that woman?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

She replied, her eyes narrowing as she watched the other elevator rise. Hwi-gang laughed slightly and wrapped his arm around Seol-ah’s waist.

“But I wonder if she knows that Lee Jung-jae was two-timing her?”

“Probably not.”

Seol-ran, watching them from a distance, felt a mix of emotions, torn between her envy and the realization that perhaps not everything was as perfect as it seemed.

“Really?”

Hwi-gang said with a mysterious smile.

Seol-ah noticed his expression and asked, “Why are you smiling like that?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” he replied, still grinning.

“That doesn’t seem like nothing,” she said, fixing him with a determined gaze.

Hwi-gang laughed softly.

“I just suddenly feel grateful to Lee Jung-jae.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because if he hadn’t chosen such an impressive woman to marry, I might never have met you. Who knows if we would have ended up with these twins?”

At Hwi-gang’s words, Seol-ah laughed and nestled closer into his embrace.

“It was fate, after all.”

“Fate?”

“Yes, fate.”

“Well, a meeting like ours could only be fate. It feels like a destined encounter.”

Hwi-gang gently narrowed his eyes and planted a kiss on the crown of Seol-ah’s head. A wave of happiness spread through her entire being.

“I love you, honey.”

“What?”

“What is it?”

“What did you just call me?”

“What do you mean? Were you talking about the word ‘honey’?”

Seol-ah smiled brightly as she said “Honey,” and Hwi-gang couldn’t hide his overwhelming joy as he captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Their kiss was caught on the CCTV camera installed in the elevator.

– The End –