Chapter 6.3

Seoul Namsan Hospital, VVIP Ward.

Today was the day Chairman Kwon Gi-jo was being discharged. It was also the day his amended will would be notarized by a lawyer.

The person assigned to handle the task was Chu Seo-jin.

“Are you Attorney Chu? I’ll need to check you before you go in.”

Two guards stood in front of the hospital room. After undergoing a body search, Seo-jin was finally allowed to enter and meet Chairman Kwon Gi-jo.

“Hello, Sir.”

Although Seo-jin had heard much about him, this was the first time he was seeing the face of Kwon Gi-jo, the Chairman of Sowon Financial Group, in person.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Seo-jin began reading the amended will aloud.

“Upon my passing, the entirety of my wealth will be bequeathed to Kim Eun… Sol….”

Seo-jin’s voice faltered, especially at the part mentioning Kim Eun-sol.

“All of your wealth will be transferred to Kim Eun-sol. Is this… correct, Chairman?”

This meant that a significant portion of Sowon Financial Group’s shares could potentially go to Kim Eun-sol.

It didn’t make sense. While it wasn’t unusual for an inheritance to go to a daughter-in-law, not even 1% was being allocated to his son?

And more than that.

“This is conditional upon Kim Eun-sol divorcing Kwon Jeong-hyeok, correct? You are leaving her the entire inheritance only if she divorces your son?”

The condition was extraordinary: the daughter-in-law had to divorce the son to receive the inheritance.

Seo-jin’s mind became a whirlwind of thoughts in an instant.

“Chairman, may I ask one thing? You already have a legal team at the company, and there are plenty of other lawyers close to you. Why did you call me, someone completely unrelated, to notarize your will?”

Chairman Kwon Gi-jo, as his caregiver helped him into a cardigan, responded.

“Don’t you already know the answer? Why do you think I helped you when you were detained in China, out of all the lawyers I could have chosen?”

Chairman Kwon Gi-jo’s words were cryptic and full of meaning.

“I heard that you advocate for the underprivileged. I also liked that you work as a legal advisor for an organization supporting disadvantaged children. Your parents, being teachers, also seem to be of good character.”

It wasn’t something one would typically say to a lawyer brought in to notarize a will. It carried the nuance of approving him as a son-in-law, like he was addressing a cherished daughter’s or niece’s spouse.

“Chairman… What exactly am I supposed to make of what you’re saying right now…?”

Chu Seo-jin’s voice trembled faintly.

“Ah, never mind. I’ll button it myself.”

Chairman Kwon Gi-jo stopped the caregiver who was about to button his cardigan and did it himself. Due to nerve damage in his wrist from a car accident, even buttoning one button didn’t seem easy for him. Yet, the fire in his eyes burned fiercely, contrasting with his clumsy movements.

“Attorney Chu. You’re not seriously thinking of giving up after losing Eun-sol to that brat, Kwon Jeong-hyeok, are you? A marriage doesn’t mean it’s over.”

Seo-jin held his breath.

He was Eun-sol’s ex-boyfriend. It was already painful enough to lose her, but during a business trip to China, he became entangled in Kwon Jeong-hyeok’s schemes. Seo-jin ended up detained by Chinese authorities and was only able to return to Korea with the help of Chairman Kwon Gi-jo.

“What I want to tell you is this: you still have a chance.”

A chance. That word sent a sharp jolt through Seo-jin’s heart.

“Isn’t it worth trying? If you ever need my help, feel free to reach out.”

Chairman Kwon Gi-jo kept his words brief. Soon, he left the room in a wheelchair, accompanied by his guards.

Left behind, Seo-jin felt numb.

“Why is he trying to force Eun-sol to divorce?”

Even if the father and son had a bad relationship or the daughter-in-law didn’t meet his expectations, this situation didn’t make sense.

Seo-jin recalled a rumor that had been circulating discreetly in business circles not long ago.

The rumor was that Kwon Jeong-hyeok and Chairman Kwon were not biological father and son. There were even whispers that Chairman Kwon had another hidden child.

‘What if that rumor is true? What if Kwon Jeong-hyeok isn’t his biological son, and Eun-sol is actually his biological daughter? Is that why he’s trying to pass Sowon Financial Group down to her?’

Seo-jin was stunned by his own startling deduction.

‘If that’s the case, then the two of them… they can’t be together!’

Seo-jin, who had been lost in thought, soon collected himself and headed to the bathroom. He took Chairman Kwon’s toothbrush from the shelf and hid it inside his briefcase.

After splashing his face with water several times, he organized his thoughts. He couldn’t fully grasp Chairman Kwon Gi-jo’s exact intentions. However, what mattered most was this:

‘What can I gain from this moving forward?’

From the beginning, he had lost Eun-sol to Kwon Jeong-hyeok so effortlessly that it felt absurd, leaving him filled with lingering attachment to her.

However, trying to devise a plan based solely on those lingering feelings seemed futile, as the wall named Kwon Jeong-hyeok was far too high.

But now, the situation had taken a different turn.

‘If I can get Chairman Kwon’s support… and if this involves a massive inheritance…’

Killing two birds with one stone: reclaiming Eun-sol and seizing wealth. It was a golden opportunity.

‘To do that, I’ll need more allies first.’

Immediately, Tae Mari came to Seo-jin’s mind. They had a slight acquaintance as college classmates, and he was well aware of her unrequited love that had yet to end.

Tae Mari, who wanted Kwon Jeong-hyeok, and himself, who wanted Kim Eun-sol.

‘This could be a promising alliance.’

With that thought, Seo-jin headed straight to Taepyeong Distribution to recruit Tae Mari.

* * *

Eun-sol was chatting with Yu-rim, who had come to visit the mansion.

“You could’ve had a boyfriend before getting married. What’s the big deal about rebound relationships these days? It’s not like it’s an affair. If you find someone better while dating someone else, you can switch. Let’s face it, dating is also a survival-of-the-fittest world.”

As always, Yu-rim’s words were refreshing.

“You really are my friend.”

Thanks to Yu-rim, Eun-sol felt her chaotic emotions settling down.

“And honestly, my current husband was technically a rebound relationship. I broke up with my ex and started dating him the very next day.”

“Really? Then I guess it’s not a big deal for me either. I shouldn’t overthink it. Thanks.”

Hearing Yu-rim’s own experience, Eun-sol felt relieved. In hindsight, it was already in the past and not worth worrying about.

“Oh, Yu-rim. Do you want to go to driving school with me? Didn’t you say last time that you wanted to get your driver’s license?”

“Suddenly?”

“I think I’ll need a driver’s license.”

From the townhouse, it took over 40 minutes to walk to the nearest subway station. Most residents here owned cars, and there was no public transportation available to this area.

In short, it was difficult to go out without a car.

“If you get a driver’s license, do you have a car to drive?”  

“There are three cars just sitting in the garage.”  

“No, I mean, your husband doesn’t like you going out, so would he even let you use one of those cars?”

The reason why Yu-rim and Eun-sol often met at the mansion instead of outside was because of Jeong-hyeok. He openly disliked her going out.

Although Yu-rim said it was convenient to have Jeong-hyeok’s driver pick her up and drop her off at home, Eun-sol, who was always stuck inside the mansion, felt stifled.

“At least I need a driver’s license to do anything. When I asked the driving school, they said they’d send a shuttle car all the way here if I just registered.”

* * *

That’s how she ended up registering for driving school with Yu-rim. As soon as she made the payment with her card, he called her.

– No.  

“Why not? Then what am I allowed to do?”

She had been ready to argue stubbornly if he came at her with baseless restrictions.

– You just recently recovered from a car accident. What if you get into a minor accident while driving poorly and end up hurting yourself again?

He had a valid reason for opposing her. Still, she didn’t care. This time, she wasn’t planning to back down.

The next day, however, the driving school suddenly changed its stance. They said they couldn’t send a shuttle car to the townhouse entrance.

Most driving schools were located on the outskirts of the city, making it difficult to commute there using public transportation.

And so, her plan to get a driver’s license and gain the freedom to go out crumbled.