Chapter 1 – A Marriage Destined for Ruin

“D*mn it.”

Muttered the angry boy, swinging his arm wide as he skipped stones. The stone he threw cut through the rain and flew over the dense trees, disappearing from sight.

Perhaps due to his piano training, his arm strength was unnecessarily strong. Even after all that, the fifteen-year-old boy’s anger hadn’t subsided, so he stomped his feet and ran along the edge of the pond.

The stone that had gone over the wall of Yeounsa Temple lodged itself in one of the eyes of a child who had been looking at the flowers in the garden. The ten-year-old child screamed first at the horrific pain that had struck without warning. Blood like tears ran down the cheek.

A grandmother, walking leisurely nearby, dropped the bundles she was carrying and ran to the child. They managed to get emergency treatment at the hospital, but unfortunately, the stone’s sharp edge had pierced the eye, causing fatal damage to the cornea. The doctor coldly said that even with surgery, it would be difficult for the child’s vision to return to normal.

They spent all their cash on the surgery, but the results were poor. The child’s left eye could hardly see. After a bout of wailing, the grandmother went to the police station near Yeounsa Temple and demanded a thorough investigation regarding the stone that had come over the wall.

“That day, didn’t you hear that incredible guests came to that temple! Someone, someone from a family everyone knows, passed away a few years ago and they hold memorial services every year, I heard. All those flashy black cars lined up at the entrance. I heard there were young boys, too. Surely one of those boys must have thrown or kicked it as a prank!”

“But Ma’am, the temple contacted that family and checked, but they said there was no one like that. Because it was a memorial service, the children were all quiet and reverent. Also, it was raining that day, so everyone stayed indoors…”

“No, then are you saying the stone just flew over the wall by itself? Does that make any sense? Nonsense! After ruining the eye of such a young, bright child! How can people just ignore this? I will never let this go. The lady I work for, her husband is the CEO of the biggest newspaper in Korea, so I’ll make sure this gets into the media…”

If it were her own old eyes, she wouldn’t care, but ruining the eye of such a pretty and smart child—what kind of thing is this? Take responsibility, take responsibility! The grandmother sat in the middle of the police station, crying and wailing.

“Ma’am, please calm down…”

“Do I look like I can calm down right now? I’ll tell my employer immediately, find out which family it is, and make sure this injustice is known nationwide! Oh, my goodness… my child, my pretty and good Sejeong-i, my Sejeong-i, sob sob sob…”

The grandmother cried so fiercely it seemed the entire police station would be swept away. Eventually, even the police chief came out, clicking his tongue awkwardly, then quietly slipped into a room and made a phone call.

“Secretary Baek, it’s me. Haha, well…”

The chief bowed repeatedly, speaking obsequiously to the unseen person on the other end. At the same time, he purposely left the door slightly open so the elder’s crying could be heard clearly through the phone.

***

An amount far exceeding the cost of the granddaughter’s second surgery and hospital stay was transferred to the grandmother’s account. Even after the second surgery, the child’s eye did not improve much.

About a month after the accident, a shiny sedan stopped in front of the child returning from school with an eye patch. In the back seat, the grandmother smiled and beckoned her granddaughter to get in.

“Grandma, where are we going?”

“We’re going to the house that made your surgery possible. We won’t live in a one-room anymore; we’ll live in the annex of that house. Grandma will help with making side dishes there, and our Sejeong, you will just need to study. They promised to treat your eye completely!”

The child blinked with the right eye, the one not covered by the patch. Were they going to make side dishes in a different house, not the one belonging to the president of Korea’s top newspaper? And live in a different house? So suddenly?

Like in a movie, Sejeong stood blankly in front of a large, grand mansion. A woman dressed in a maid’s outfit, like from a comic book, approached and led her to the annex. After winding through several paths, they arrived at the annex. There, the grandmother told Sejeong to go inside first and looked at the woman who introduced herself as Secretary Baek.

“Welcome, Ma’am. Please forget all about our mistake now…”

Secretary Baek paused, letting the elder reflect on what exactly should be forgotten. Her sharp eyes softened, and a gentle smile appeared at her lips.

“It’s better not to tell your granddaughter where this place is.”

She meant it was best not to let the child know that the boy who ruined her eye was the son of the house owner. The grandmother nodded in agreement.

“We will spare no support for her treatment. If there’s anything you need, please tell us. However… as I mentioned, please make sure you and your granddaughter don’t walk toward the main house. The Madame is very sensitive. Of course, both the Chairman and Madame scolded the young master harshly and genuinely felt sorry for what happened to your granddaughter. That’s why you’re being brought into the same house.”

“Oh, it’s so far from here, there’s no reason to go over there. I won’t go, so don’t worry. As long as my Sejeong’s eye gets better and we have peace of mind, I want nothing more.”

Secretary Baek bowed politely and turned away. Walking toward another annex in the middle of the main house, her face was devoid of any smile.

***

Secretary Baek knelt before a middle-aged man sitting in the center of the study, oiling and cleaning a hunting rifle. Yeo Un-ho, the eldest son of Yeo Un-seok, founder of the former Yeomyeong Group, current Seogwang Group, and Daybreak (Seogwang) based in the US, did not even look at her as he spoke.

“Did you secure both trump cards? Did you make sure the family members keep their mouths shut?”

“Yes. I never imagined that Prosecutor Eun Seok-hyeon would just abandon his niece. Even though his brother and sister-in-law died in an accident and the grandmother was barely scraping by as a housekeeper, he never properly supported them.”

“That shameless b*stard. All he cares about is his own success and honor, pretending to be righteous as a prosecutor’s dog.”

His gentle, scholarly face twisted into a fierce expression.

“When he runs for the general election in a few years or starts investigating tax evasion to try to take down Seogwang, we just pull out that card in the annex.”

“Won’t Prosecutor Eun suddenly remember her or try to find the child someday?”

“That would be even better. We could use the card sooner. But I doubt it.”

Secretary Baek quietly folded her hands on her knees and waited for her boss’s next words. Because of the grandmother raising a fuss about the media, the background of the child who might lose vision in one eye due to his own child was thoroughly investigated.

Fate was on Yeo Un-ho’s side. That the child, tied by such a twisted connection, turned out to be the niece of that annoying mosquito was a stroke of luck.

To deliberately hide a ten-year-old child and later use her as a chain to strangle her uncle—he truly was a frightening man. But that frightening man was her only man, a king whose word was law.

From the child’s perspective, it was a blessing that her uncle was Eun Seok-hyeon. If she had no value as a pawn, the child and grandmother might have been quietly disposed of.

“The children.”

Chairman Yeo’s tone suddenly softened. He pushed aside the cloth he had used to clean the rifle and lifted a teacup to moisten his throat. Secretary Baek’s voice, always stiff, also became friendly.

“They’re both doing well. Un-ha is getting good at Chinese these days. The number of children from wealthy Chinese families in international schools is rapidly increasing. Un-seong is just a thoughtless, mischievous six-year-old.”

A subtle, familiar air flowed between the secretary kneeling upright and Chairman Yeo. It was no different from a couple talking about their children growing up.

“Jeju Island air is good for growing children.”

“Yes, they’re living in the best environment. It’s closer than the US, so I feel more at ease.”

“Good. Just wait a little longer.”

He meant to wait until the two illegitimate children were officially registered. Chairman Yeo crossed his arms and fell into deep thought, as if meditating.

“Un-rok, Un-ha, Un-seong—all three are healthy and clever. We must make sure they get along well.”

“I remember, Chairman. You said you’d place them strictly according to ability, talent, and aptitude, not by rank.”

Secretary Baek’s tone returned to businesslike. Eleven years ago, her man had made a clear promise. She could never become part of the Yeo family herself, but he would treat even her children born of his blood as equally as the legitimate heir’s children.

“Of course.”

Wrinkles formed at Chairman Yeo’s lips. The peculiar expression, half-smiling yet not, earned him the nickname “Yeomyeong’s poker face.”

“Don’t be impatient, Seongyeong. They’re still just babies, not even dry behind the ears.”

“…….”

“You’ve been perfect as my right hand in every way. But you’re a mother, after all. Since Un-ha and Un-seong came, you’ve gotten softer. More impatient.”

Wrong. Secretary Baek inwardly disagreed. Maybe she was impatient, but softer? Not at all. She’d become stronger. There’s nothing stronger under heaven than a mother with offspring.