Chapter 79
79. Selfishness
2023.07.18.
At Tae-joon's sharp reaction, Seok-hwa hurriedly shook her head.
"No, no. It's not like that. There was something going on at your company this time. I found out by reading the posts circulating on the internet."
Seok-hwa's answer didn't sound like a lie. Tae-joon sighed briefly and turned his head away from Seok-hwa.
Frustrated, Seok-hwa raised her voice, feeling like she was knocking on an unmoving iron door.
"Did she come to our company knowing that her father was that kind of person? If so, that's too brazen. But if she doesn't know, isn't that a problem too? Huh?"
I shouldn't hate her, the child isn't at fault just because her father did such a thing 20 years ago, but the hatred was inevitably associated. Whether Han So-eun approached her nephew, or her nephew approached Han So-eun, she hated Han So-eun for getting close to her nephew anyway.
She wanted to pour out more harsh words, but like an aunt, she calmed her mind and tried to persuade her nephew.
"Even if you're thinking of dating for a while and breaking up, that's not right. Isn't it? It's not right for her either, feelings can deepen as much as possible."
"……."
"You're a good kid. You're such a good kid, what if she can't let you go? Tae-joon. She should have a normal relationship too."
She pretended to think about Han So-eun's position and coaxed him, but Seok-hwa was only looking at her nephew. She didn't want her nephew to get hurt. Because the two of them could never be together.
"If she really doesn't know anything, it's really a terrible thing to do to her."
She's trying to manipulate Yulkyu Law Firm, so maybe she's already gone too far. But she hoped her nephew would stop here.
She hoped her advice would work. She hoped her nephew's heart would waver even a little.
"I hope it doesn't deepen. This is for you."
"Aunt."
However, Tae-joon's voice was no different from before.
No, it seemed even colder. The expression, devoid of any warmth, was not the face of the nephew she had known.
"You don't really think we're family, do you?"
The savage and sharp question left her speechless. Nevertheless, the tone was so gentle that it was difficult to guess the content, which gave Seok-hwa goosebumps.
"Don't interfere in my life so carelessly when we only contact each other occasionally. I'm not a ten-year-old kid. You're not my mother either."
I'll take care of my own business. So please mind your own business.
The indifferent words, which conveyed the context as it was, were like the quiet frenzy of an animal that had deliberately lowered its voice. There was a glimpse of cruelty, as if tearing the skin with sharp teeth and trying to confirm the other person's bones. Seok-hwa's bones were chilled by Tae-joon's harsh words.
"I'll take care of it myself. Don't worry about it."
Tae-joon, who had clearly stated his position, got up from his seat immediately.
"I have to go to the gym, so you can stay a little longer and close the door when you leave. I'll go first."
Han So-eun and Kim Seok-hwa were never comparable in the first place.
\
Mal-hee forcibly got into the taxi that Tae-joon had hailed and hurried home. All the way home, curses flowed from her mouth.
"Where have you been at this hour?"
Her husband, who was wandering around the living room, asked Mal-hee.
"I went to Han So-eun's house."
Hee-wook, who had been lying in his room, jumped up at Mal-hee's answer and chased after her.
"Why did you go there, Mom!"
"I went because I was frustrated! To reconnect you with her! She liked me so much. I thought she might listen to me."
So-eun did like Mal-hee. She must have, since she gave away something precious. Hee-wook became interested because Mal-hee's words seemed to make sense.
"……So, did you meet Han So-eun? What did she say?"
Mal-hee, who was angry again at Hee-wook's question, huffed and puffed.
"She met some gigolo somewhere. I couldn't even talk to her properly because of that guy."
"……You saw that guy? Han So-eun's boyfriend?"
"Did I just see him? I was almost strangled like this. Han So-eun must be determined to ruin her life. How could she meet such an ignorant guy?"
Mal-hee recalled being grabbed by the collar by Tae-joon and grabbed the front of her clothes roughly. After speaking, she burst into resentment again.
"Hee-wook, I'm so upset, I can't live like this. What does that guy do? I'm going to sue him."
"Do you remember what that guy said?"
"Well... he said he wouldn't let me get away with it if I showed up again, or he'd kill me..."
"Did you film it?"
"Why would I film it? I didn't have the mind to do that."
"You should have done that!"
Hee-wook thumped his chest. The third-generation chaebol grabbed an ordinary citizen by the collar, so it was an opportunity to make an issue of it, but his mother had absurdly missed the chance.
But the more he thought about it, the more bitter Hee-wook felt. Even if he threatened the guy with some clue, it would be like throwing an egg at a rock. The guy had his weaknesses. He knew about his father's affair and the fact that he had manipulated a number of documents. If he investigated further, more would be revealed. Maybe Mal-hee would be counterattacked if she recklessly filed a lawsuit.
Kim Tae-joon. He had been wary of him since the first day he met him.
Hee-wook gritted his teeth as he recalled the day he first met Kim Tae-joon. Then, suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head.
Hee-wook went right up to the living room window and asked Gyu-chil.
"Father, you said there were reporters all over here yesterday."
"Yeah. There were. But they disappeared without a trace at some point."
"How many were there?"
"There were definitely more than twenty."
"You mean there were definitely more than twenty reporters here, but they suddenly disappeared?"
"Yeah. All your mother's information was all over the internet and it looked like it was going to be a mess, but it all disappeared."
How could more than twenty reporters disappear at once?
He thought that all of this might be Kim Tae-joon's scheme.
Yes. Maybe Kim Tae-joon approached him from the beginning to get Han So-eun. From the day he came to Yulkyu Law Firm saying he would do global headhunting. Maybe he knew in advance how strange Choi Hyun-ji was and connected him with Choi Hyun-ji.
He shuddered at the thought of Kim Tae-joon's carnivorous eyes. He was convinced that Kim Tae-joon was the kind of guy who could do that.
\
The next day.
So-eun kept an eye on Eun-pyo at work all day. She had to find the right timing for a conversation. She had received a confession but the conversation had been ambiguously interrupted, so she thought she should clearly state her rejection so that there would be no more misunderstandings.
That opportunity rarely came, but it came when she started TF Team work as expected.
While Bobae was in the bathroom, So-eun immediately broke the awkward silence and spoke to Eun-pyo.
"Chief Jang."
"Yes."
"Am I making you uncomfortable?"
"……No, no."
Eun-pyo shook his hand at So-eun's mention.
"Oh, I guess I made Chief Han uncomfortable."
Eun-pyo, who scratched his head awkwardly as if he was sorry, spoke cautiously. So-eun was relieved only after confirming Eun-pyo's reaction. Jang Eun-pyo was a good person after all.
So-eun still didn't know that Eun-pyo knew everything.
"You have a boyfriend, right?"
"……Yes. But I'm going to meet him quietly. I don't do things like putting pictures on my desk anymore."
"……."
"I'm sorry."
"No. I'm the one who's sorry."
Eun-pyo hurriedly apologized at So-eun's polite rejection that she couldn't accept his confession.
This was the end. The shy confession incident of a man, Jang Eun-pyo.
It wasn't a big regret or resentment because it had never burned brightly. However, she was worried that she, who had had a difficult love in the past, was being swept away by a strong-willed man again.
Was she going to keep missing out on the chance to have a normal love like this?
Even so, there was no need for him to step in. She wouldn't want that either. He just thought that it was best to step back and encourage her so that she could be as comfortable as possible.
"Chief Han."
"Yes."
"Didn't you have a really hard time the day before yesterday?"
"Yes. That's right."
"So, I hope you forget everything that happened the day before yesterday, forget about my business, and live with a fresh start. I won't be conscious of it either."
"Yes. Thank you. Let's work hard again."
He encouraged her with good intentions, but when he saw So-eun's lips, which had been a little tense, soften, his steadfast sincerity spoke to him again. It was still too early to give up on his feelings like this.
Eun-pyo just thought that he was destined to have unrequited love. As he had been for a long time, he was just going back to his original place. Back to the time when he was silently waiting for the lawyer's picture to disappear from Han So-eun's desk.
*
Tae-joon, who happened to see Bobae leaving the TF Team office and heading to the bathroom, moved his steps to the TF Team office. He was worried that So-eun and Eun-pyo might be having an awkward time.
But his worries were unfounded. Taking advantage of this opportunity, So-eun was neatly organizing her relationship with Eun-pyo. Tae-joon, who overheard the conversation between the two outside the TF Team door, immediately returned to his office.
There was a time when it was difficult to distinguish sensations. When he was young, he didn't know if he had a stomach ache, was hungry, or was sore. What this unpleasant feeling was.
He experienced stomach aches, hunger, and soreness, and as he accumulated experience, he was able to distinguish his condition on his own.
He was still feeling that childish ambiguity. He didn't know what to call this feeling of unease when nothing was certain.
The conversation with his aunt was the root of the problem.
Knock, knock, he heard a knock. Before he knew it, TF Team work was over and it was time for So-eun to go home.
"Director, I'm going to leave work now."
So-eun, who opened the door with a bright face, reported. Tae-joon nodded lightly and pointed to the sofa.
"Would you like to sit down for a moment?"
So-eun came inside without knowing why and sat on the sofa.
Tae-joon stared at her, pretending to continue working at his desk.
Han So-eun is here in front of me. She's by my side looking so pretty. He kept thinking about the fact that she hadn't contacted him for four days. Even though he tried not to think about it, his thoughts grew, gnawing at the patchwork shadow of anxiety.
I might be abandoned again. I might become a foolish bench guarding a garden that you don't come to, quietly suffering alone, and die without knowing if I have a stomach ache, am hungry, or am sore. His eyes grew hot as he imagined such a future.
Suddenly, a devilish selfishness stirred.
'If we have a child.'
If I could have your future, even by force.
The eyes of this innocent woman, who didn't know anything, were wandering around the empty space as if it were a playground. Then, for the reason that she met his eyes, she smiled stably as if a shelf had been created in her excited mind.
