Chapter 6

“Please, just let her go. I’m really hurting too.”

—Sejeong… I love Seri. I still love her, and if I just knew where she was, I’d go to her and start over right away.

Always unable to divorce, afraid of being expelled from the university, he repeated the same story over and over. While he spoke, Sejeong, wearing a pained expression, ended the call. Only then did she sense someone leaning against the door, startling her. A tall man in a flawless classic suit was looking down at her, as if scrutinizing.

“Uh, when did you…?”

“I just came in. Was that a call you’d rather no one overhear?”

Yeo Un-rok’s eyes were sharp and cold, as if he could see right through her. There was something chilling about him, but she hoped it was just her imagination.

“N-no.”

Sejeong kept her words brief. She was relieved he seemed not to have overheard. Despite commanding her to come immediately, Yeo Un-rok arrived later than she did and, as usual, offered no apology. He dropped into the seat across from her.

“I’ll get straight to the point, Miss Eun Sejeong. I don’t want to marry you.”

He spoke in a low, mechanical tone, arms crossed. It was clear he wanted to eliminate any unnecessary emotion, explanation, or wasted words.

“You don’t seem to believe I have a lover, but it’s true. And… I don’t want to go along with a marriage that’s so obviously driven by ulterior motives.”

He was more polite than yesterday, but somehow even sharper. Sejeong lowered her head and let out a quiet sigh. Sensing her difficulty in responding, he continued.

“I confessed I didn’t want this marriage, so Chairman gave me a condition. If you feel the same, he won’t force it further, Miss Eun Sejeong.”

Now the ball was in her court. Sejeong kept her head down and bit her lower lip lightly. Honestly, she didn’t want to marry anyone. She wanted to run far away. She even envied Seri, who had fled to America.

But if this engagement fell through, another would soon follow. One way or another, unless she had the courage to die or run away like her sister, she would be sold off in a political marriage all the same.

“I…”

Sejeong squeezed out her courage and spoke. If she couldn’t leave, marrying Yeo Un-rok was the next best—or least bad—option.

Aside from her uncle’s orders and her wish to leave that house, Sejeong wanted to hold on to Yeo Un-rok—not out of vanity, not for the power and wealth of Seogwang Group, nor to show off a man like him as her own. She could swear to God.

It wasn’t because of the brief past she alone remembered with pianist Yeo Un-rok. After her vision narrowed and she had to quit piano, his performances gave her deep comfort. Even now, they were a great solace.

He too had quit piano after an accident ten years ago. Yet the legendary Tchaikovsky Competition Junior Division live recording, and the album from the Seoul Classic Festival, where he substituted for an invited pianist who fell ill and delivered a flawless performance, were still steady sellers, evoking nostalgia and emotion among longtime fans. Sejeong was one of those fans.

She knew he couldn’t make a comeback, but it didn’t matter. Even if it wasn’t romantic, she wanted to be of some help to him. Since age eleven, whenever she was overwhelmed by gloomy, sad feelings, she had relied on the melodies interpreted by him, and even on the tunes he composed himself.

“I intend to go through with this marriage.”

Silence fell. After a long pause, Sejeong looked up. He was sitting with his legs crossed, looking out the window arrogantly. Along one side of the riverbank, the trees were lined up, and the remnants of fallen leaves hung precariously in the fading light.

Sejeong followed his gaze, then turned away. The forlorn leaves felt like her own fate. Yeo Un-rok finally looked back at her after a long moment.

“So…? Is that so.”

Un-rok placed his clasped hands atop his crossed knees. Eun Sejeong couldn’t even meet his eyes, blankly staring at some part of her clothes.

This situation was nothing new for Un-rok. Just sharing a space was enough to make others shrink under his presence, unable to meet his gaze. It had been the same during his teenage years playing piano. Professors and seasoned performers alike couldn’t approach him if he purposely sharpened his attitude.

But the woman before him had even more reason to be so intimidated. Raised on caution, with a hesitant and frustrating nature, and with a clear guilt, she couldn’t be confident. How double-faced she was.

Un-rok didn’t bother to hide his contempt, continuing to speak. Seeing her sit so demurely, pretending to be innocent, disgusted him.

“Seogwang Group is a branch formed by my grandfather, the late Chairman Yeo Un-ju, who split off from subsidiary Yeomyeong Group. All the top thirty conglomerates do this kind of branching. In the end, it’s just family members dividing up the pie.”

Sejeong stared blankly at him, suddenly reciting corporate history. She couldn’t tell what conclusion he was driving toward.

“It’s just a different name. Ordinary people who aren’t interested in this industry don’t know it, but in the end, it’s all about them taking everything for themselves. Anyway, behind Seogwang, Yeomyeong Group is still thriving. Fortunately, my uncle Yeo Un-jae, the current head of Yeomyeong, and my father have a close relationship. I assume you know this, Miss Eun Sejeong.”

Sejeong nodded. Her uncle was always talking on the phone somewhere in the house about the power dynamics of the political and business elite. She’d heard about the relationship between the Yeomyeong and Seogwang families.

“So, is that unique halo so tempting? Is it hard to give up?”

“What? What do you mean……?”

“Pretending not to understand won’t help.”

He already knew what kind of woman she was, her true nature. The faint sneer on Un-rok’s lips disappeared. He got up and walked toward the window.

The melancholic late autumn scenery was charming, but it irritated him. The leaves clinging pitifully to the branches made him want to tear them off, and the bare trees made him want to uproot them all. He didn’t need to wonder where this discomfort came from. Un-rok turned his gaze back to the disgusting presence sharing the same air.

“Miss Eun Sejeong.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at her. He didn’t want to waste any more time. His low, cold eyes and flat tone focused entirely on Sejeong.

“This is the last warning. It’ll be a marriage you’ll definitely regret.”

Un-rok stepped closer. Sejeong flinched in her seat but didn’t look away. She couldn’t move at all. He placed one hand on the table between them.

“You might not be able to divorce when you want, and you might suddenly have to sign divorce papers when you don’t want to. I can guess what you want from this marriage, Miss Eun Sejeong, but… think carefully about whether you’re willing to throw your life into such unpredictable darkness.”

He lifted his hand from the table and walked to the door, turning back once more.

“Run away like your sister did. Eun Seri seems much wiser. At least she had the courage to pursue her own happiness.”

The door closed. Sejeong sat there with her mouth open, unable to speak, then stood up. Even with low heels, her legs buckled and she almost fell. She sank back into her seat for a moment. If she had somewhere to run, she would have done so already.

Un-rok despised her. It was more than just disliking the idea of a political marriage—there was something else.

Why does he hate me so much? Is it because my birth mother was from an orphanage, because I lost both parents and live at my uncle’s house? Because I’m not a glamorous beauty like Seri?

Her fingers trembled as she unconsciously touched her left eye. She’d always tried to hide it, carefully wearing a lens so he wouldn’t think she was unlucky. If he found out about this eye, he’d despise her even more.

‘Miss Sejeong, I don’t hate Un-rok. He thinks I do, but…….’

The words Baek Seongyeong had spoken over the phone that morning echoed in Sejeong’s mind.

‘Un-rok hasn’t trusted anyone since that accident. He’s always been picky and sensitive, even as a child, but now, given his current position, he’s become even more so. So before marriage—or honestly, even after marriage—he’ll never let you close at first, Miss Sejeong. But since you’ve been a longtime fan… If you just understand him a little and embrace him generously, he’ll surely open his heart to you. I truly believe that.’

Would that really happen? But Baek Seongyeong probably didn’t know how deeply Un-rok despised and disliked her.

Only when the manager came in to check did Sejeong finally stand and leave the room. The gentle September breeze suddenly felt chilling and cold.