Chapter 4 – Heejeongwon (Part 6)

Her grandma was in the kitchen. She was singing a tune while diligently washing something at the sink. Junhee spoke to her bent back.

“I didn’t want to end up like you.”

The water stopped, and Grandma froze.

“I don’t want to live off Choi Dowook, worrying about when his affection will fade, and living my whole life anxiously, afraid of offending his family. That’s why I broke up with him.”

“…….”

“So Grandma, wake up from your dream. Stop relying on that family, stop worrying about them. Live your own life. Don’t depend on me, Choi Dowook, or that family. Live your life, Grandma. So stop worrying about me and go to the restaurant. Please, let me rest.”

Go away, please.

***

Bang—! The ball hit the wall with a loud sound and bounced back. A man ran to hit the ball with his racket but collapsed to the floor, his legs giving out. He lay there, gasping for breath. Sweat dripped like rain.

Dowook passed by him leisurely. His breathing was also rough, but he picked up the ball from the floor without a hitch.

“Next.”

“…….”

“Next!”

Dowook shouted, but only the opponent’s heavy breathing echoed in the court. Secretary Yoon entered the court carefully.

“I’m sorry, but there’s no one left.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s no one left who can spar with you. You’ve been in the court for over three hours.”

He had already played for four hours straight yesterday. Only instructor-level trainers could match Dowook’s skill, but the instructors at the hotel’s fitness center were exhausted from sparring with him for the past week. There was no one left who could match his stamina.

“Why don’t you call it a day and rest? You have a meal scheduled with the director soon.”

Dowook looked at Ki-hong, catching his breath. Sweat poured down his jawline. His broad chest heaved up and down. Despite the heat emanating from his body, his gaze was cold.

With a loud crash, he threw the racket to the floor. The fallen trainer flinched and glanced at Dowook.

Despite the violent act, Dowook gracefully took the towel Ki-hong handed him and wiped his neck. He left the court, and Ki-hong silently sighed in relief. It seemed today’s session was over.

But there was no relief. Since breaking up with Woo Junhee, Dowook had been pushing himself to the limit in everything—work, exercise, meals.

He was scheduled to be appointed as the team leader of the Future Business Strategy Team 2 at Taesan Motors next month. He brought home the past performance records of the team, assessed the team members’ work abilities, and reviewed the ongoing project materials. On top of that, he scrutinized the North American expansion plans of his previous company and criticized the lax attitudes and mentalities of the related personnel.

His meals consisted mainly of meat, and he consumed larger quantities than usual. After meals, he engaged in extremely rigorous exercise for several hours. As a child, he often fell ill, causing Choi Pil-jae much distress. Now, he seemed to be as resilient as steel, unaffected by such harsh treatment.

Dowook entered the shower room and soon emerged in a perfectly fitting suit. Despite his neat appearance from neck to ankle, one could imagine the well-built physique beneath his clothes.

As he finished fastening his watch chain, he gestured with his chin. The gesture, which bordered on arrogance, made Ki-hong flinch nervously.

“Let’s go.”

It felt like facing a cold fireball. Ki-hong couldn’t figure out where to strike a balance between the extreme cold and heat.

***

“Show results. That’s ultimately the most important thing.”

Dowook chuckled. Song Yeong-joo paused her knife work and glanced at Dowook’s face. Dowook raised his eyebrows as if to ask if there was a problem and continued chewing a piece of meat that oozed blood.

“…There will be many who distrust you.”

Yeong-joo continued reluctantly.

“There are many who belittle what you’ve accomplished outside of Taesan. Managing subordinates older than you won’t be easy. You need to show kindness, build trust, and demonstrate your abilities while always being humble. That team hasn’t performed well for nearly two years; the Chairman didn’t send you there without reason. If you gain recognition and show proper results there, you can quell the doubts within Taesan Group.”

“Sure.”

Strangely, Dowook’s response was perfunctory. He was focused on chewing and swallowing the meat in front of him, holding a fork and knife in each hand. It was irritating, but she didn’t want to start an argument by pointing it out. She was too old for that, and her son’s momentum was extraordinary.

“There’s talk that Parra Holdings, a Singaporean fund company, is buying up shares of Taesan Trading. It might be your father’s company under a borrowed name. There’s someone suspicious among the executives. If he’s gathering shares without telling me, those shares are likely intended for your brother, not you….Are you listening to me?”

“Yes, I’m listening.”

“…Are you hungry?”

“Yes, I’m hungry.”

“Secretary Yoon, hasn’t Dowook been eating properly?”

He already had three bowls of haeshintang at the hotel during the day. Ki-hong smiled ambiguously.

“He worked out after eating.”

“…How much did he work out? Exercise is good, but do everything in moderation. What if you get hurt before something important?”

“My heart feels empty.”

Dowook put the last piece of meat on his plate into his mouth.

“I got dumped, Mother.”

He downed the remaining wine in his glass in one gulp. He raised his hand and instructed the server to refill his empty glass.

“No matter how much I eat, I never feel full.”

“…Did you break up with Junhee?”

“We’re taking some time apart.”

“I must have misjudged her. I didn’t think she’d be so careless as to disturb someone preparing for something important. You’ve been excessively focused on work and exercise lately. Is it because of that? Are you pushing yourself so hard because you broke up with a girl? Don’t you realize that pushing yourself also makes your subordinates suffer?”

“I can’t make Woo Junhee suffer.”

“Choi Dowook.”

“As you know, I had a hard time getting Woo Junhee to stay by my side. It’s embarrassing to say, but I promised to make her the happiest person in the world. But if she finds it hard to stay, what can I do? I let her go for a while.”

When you need to let go, you let go. 

He said it as if he were being generous and took a sip from the newly filled wine glass. Yeong-joo understood the hidden meaning in his words. So, they hadn’t broken up; he had just let her go temporarily. Yeong-joo chuckled in disbelief.

Even though he was her son, whom she had watched over for many years, she couldn’t understand his obsession with Junhee. She wondered if was like his father, who kept a mistress for nearly forty years.

There was always a faint hint of contempt in Dowook’s eyes as he looked at Yeong-joo while twirling his wine glass. She could somewhat understand, yet not fully, the psychology of her son who continued this meal with feigned kindness.