Chapter 4

Un-rok spent the whole morning dealing with piled-up work, then lay down on the sofa. He wanted to rest his eyes for a moment. Glenn Gould’s divine Bach gently soaked his ears like rain.

It was a piece his ten fingers could easily play. Not just the Well-Tempered Clavier, but most pieces were like that. If someone named a piece, he could play it right now. Only, it was at the level of an excellent amateur, far from professional.

The gap between a typical professional pianist and a skilled amateur was like heaven and earth. To the ear of someone who truly listens to and understands classical music, that difference is instantly exposed. If even one of the ten fingers needed for perfection fails, you fall to the level of an amateur.

Suddenly, yesterday afternoon’s arranged meeting partner came to mind. He had forgotten about it. Did she say what he told her to say? At the very least, she wouldn’t even dream of marriage. He remembered her face, pale and unable to hide her shock.

Eun Sejeong. A small, unadorned face, well-proportioned and balanced, but with fine lines and a slender build. She played piano as a child, but abruptly switched to the most modest-sounding department, only to take a leave of absence in her second year and stay home, the legal second daughter of District Attorney Eun Seokhyeon.

He’d heard that Eun Seokhyeon’s younger brother Eun Jeonghyeon and his wife Ahn Hyojin had passed away before she was old enough to understand. Each died of a rare disease and a heart condition, but he couldn’t remember which had which. Not that it mattered. He wasn’t going to see her again anyway.

Yet, he kept thinking about her. Even as he sat back up and stared at his laptop, hands moving busily across the keyboard, her clear and transparent face wouldn’t leave his mind.

It must be because of the gap. With such an innocent face, she secretly rolled around with married men, then trembled and begged to be released when a marriage proposal came.

‘Professor, please forget me now. You should think about your wife and children……’

‘But… my love. My love, I can’t forget, what am I supposed to do……!’

‘You were an impossible match from the start. Please forget already. And… I hope you won’t contact me anymore.’

‘Sejeong… I… ha, I really don’t know what to do anymore.’

Of all times, at that exact moment, she would never have guessed that he was standing on the second-floor balcony of the restaurant, overhearing the core of their conversation. Even with the noise from the garden where a celebrity auction event was being held, the conversation between the man and woman was clear. At least, he was certain he hadn’t misheard.

He turned away from the terrace when his companions called him, but what he’d heard was enough. He saw Eun Sejeong’s face beyond the terrace rail as she left. It was the same face he’d seen in a photo a few days earlier. And the man, revealed to be married, watched her departing back with a wistful, regretful expression.

A bitter smile crossed Un-rok’s face as he recalled it. Such a farewell should have happened in a hotel room, after one last tumble together and getting dressed—not in a place where anyone could overhear.

Disgusting sisters, both of them. Eun Seri, who ran off with her friend’s fiancé, and Eun Sejeong, who played with a married man and then, when a marriage proposal came, coldly cut him off.

Both were shameless and filthy women. If he had to compare, Eun Sejeong’s wrongdoing was worse. Having an affair with a married man with children meant not only her body but even her mind was rotten.

He almost preferred the older sister. At least Eun Seri hadn’t run off with a married man. Even if she returned later as a fallen woman, there would be some excuse to forgive her.

But Eun Sejeong was different. She was like Baek Seongyeong, who had feelings for his married father and now, legally, had become his stepmother. It made him sick. Just knowing that made him have absolutely no desire to marry that woman.

***

But things didn’t go as Un-rok wished. After the accident ten years ago that nearly destroyed him and his mother, he had endured so nothing would ever be out of his control again.

Starting from the bottom and fighting his way up, ten years later he had become a director at Daybreak Communication Global Corporation, which boasted top sales among Seogwang Group’s five main business divisions and twelve affiliates.

Daybreak operated around mobile internet information services, online advertising, and over a hundred global lifestyle applications. With a broad target consumer base from teens to those in their sixties, the business’s online nature meant its scope expanded automatically, growing at a frightening pace.

As soon as Un-rok sat at the lunch table, his right-hand man and distant cousin, Secretary Lee, contacted him.

“Director, Miss Baek asked you to come home early this evening so she can discuss the newlywed house with Chairman. It seems the wedding will proceed as planned. For wedding preparations, Eun Seokhyeon’s wife, Joo Hyesuk, will have tea with Madam Baek at three.”

Before Lee Hajun finished speaking, Un-rok set his wine glass down roughly. Thankfully, in their private conversations, Lee Hajun never referred to Baek Seongyeong as “Mrs.” or “Mother.” Un-rok gave a few more instructions and put his phone down irritably. He had lost his appetite.

He was supposed to have lunch with Kwon Taeha, the second son and legal director of JB Financial Group whom he met in America, and Kang Juha, a director at BK Financial Asset Developer. It had been a while since they’d met, but he already felt he wouldn’t be able to digest anything. Just then, the two entered the room together. Un-rok stood and quickly apologized.

“Sorry, but I have to leave today.”

“What? After months, you bail on us? Is it urgent?”

Kwon Taeha took out a cigar and bit down on it, his expression genuinely disappointed. Kang Juha crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, looking displeased.

“Can’t you delay whatever it is for two hours?”

“It’s something I need to resolve about marriage. Juha, take good care of Taeha-hyung. I wanted to hear about your honeymoon, but that’ll have to wait. I’ll contact you again tomorrow.”

When Un-rok turned and left, the two men sat at the table as if resigned. Once the aperitif and wine were served and the manager withdrew, Kwon Taeha started the conversation.

“There’s no point in resisting. This marriage is a game that can’t be avoided. With Chairman Yeo and Madam Baek pushing together, even Un-rok can’t withstand it.”

“No denying it. Their scheme is obvious.”

Kang Juha added with a twisted smile. It was clear his thoughts matched exactly what Kwon Taeha was thinking, but he wanted to confirm his suspicions one more time.

“Madam Baek is actively pushing this marriage so Un-rok can’t marry someone from a more powerful family, right? To Eun Seokhyeon, she said, ‘Step down as a candidate for chief prosecutor, and once Chairman Yeo’s brother Yeo Un-hyeon becomes minister, the year after next the chief prosecutor’s seat is yours, and after that, the prosecutor general’s seat too. To prove we’re allies, we’ll marry you into our family.’ She coaxed him.”

As Kwon Taeha nodded, dipping well-prepared crab meat into butter sauce, Kang Juha finished his deduction.

“And judging by the way things are going, they’ll divorce at the optimal time—that’s how they convinced Chairman Yeo. Even if Un-rok has been married two or three times, there are plenty of ladies lining up to be his bride.”

“That’s right. But Madam Baek wouldn’t want a divorce. She wants Un-rok to gain wings by leveraging her family’s power. Still, things don’t always go her way. Chairman Yeo isn’t someone who’ll be easily swayed by a woman’s skirt.”

“Taeha-hyung, just between us… about Un-ha.”

Kang Juha cautiously brought it up. Even though Kwon Taeha had already swept the room with a bug detector, he lowered his voice.

“The death of Un-ha five years ago… Do you think Un-rok really had nothing to do with it?”

“What are you talking about? Un-rok’s alibi was clear. He was in New York.”

“Taeha-hyung.”

Kang Juha’s voice grew even softer. Kwon Taeha paused, knife and fork in hand, listening to the barely audible words.

“Un-rok wasn’t in New York then. You and Tae-kyung made his alibi. You handled everything. Why are we pretending now?”

A vague smile appeared on Kwon Taeha’s lips. He grinned, raised his wine glass and clinked it against Kang Juha’s, then took a sip.

“And that guy was taking antidepressants. He acted like he was obsessed with studying, like he was all-in on successor training, but he was out of his mind. No matter where he was, he could barely handle himself, let alone have the mental capacity to kill someone.”

Kang Juha nodded. Whatever the truth, what mattered was that he was on Yeo Un-rok’s side. Even if Yeo Un-ha were alive, he would only be the child of a concubine. That label would never disappear, even until death.

Only someone like Kwon Taeha or Kwon Tae-kyung, who controlled the legitimate children, could wield real power. The child of a concubine would always remain a concubine’s child. Their descendants would forever be marked as such. Yeo Un-ha was smart, but not as outstanding as Kwon Taeha or Yeo Un-rok. Still, one thing lingered in his mind.