43.
I’ll do well and come back
Although it hadn’t been long since she left, Seoul felt remarkably foreign upon her return.
As the car wove through the forest of skyscrapers, Yeonwoo gazed out at the streets like a stranger who had just arrived in an unknown country.
*…It reminds me of when I first stepped onto Seoul soil.*
Yeonwoo quietly closed her eyes, then opened them. She saw her twenty-year-old self, who had left behind Moksan-Gun, her birthplace, to start a new life at a university on the outskirts of the capital.
She had left her mother’s embrace to live alone, bursting with dreams and baseless hope. Everything had felt new and grand. The narrow, stingy alleys—where one would be hard-pressed to find a single patch of flat ground—had felt like the Silk Road to her then.
She had never missed her hometown. She had adapted to the city faster than anyone else, and by the time she graduated, she had forgotten Moksan-Gun entirely. She had assumed she would never return; she hadn’t expected a wildly successful life, but she had vaguely imagined she might settle down here, perhaps in a modest newlywed home.
Yet, seen again today, Seoul looked utterly bleak. Between the skyscrapers that rose without end, gray tobacco smoke seemed to pile up like clouds.
The genesis of misfortune. The beginning.
She had thought herself accustomed to protecting her own interests, but she was a novice who couldn’t even manage the obsession of a boss right before her eyes. Her self-esteem had hit rock bottom, and for the first time, the weight of her solitude felt crushing.
Behind a door lock consisting of only four digits, she hadn’t been safe, even in her own home. Her pupils would shrink at the mere sound of the wind, and her heart would shrivel at the sound of falling raindrops.
That was the city Seoul had become to Yeonwoo. A place where being alone was no longer welcome. A place that made her tremble with terror.
Even if Cha Yoonseok went to prison, even if he paid for his crimes as he deserved, it didn’t seem likely that her festering wounds would ever heal properly.
Just as she was sinking deeper into that gloom, Yeonwoo felt Seongheon touch her hand. He raised his eyebrows, silently asking what she was thinking.
Yeonwoo smiled faintly, hoping to signal that she was thinking of nothing in particular. She had been holding his hand for over two hours now; the skin of her palm had become as dull as it could get.
However, whenever Seongheon stroked her hand like this, a turbulent energy rose from the tips of her toes. It wasn’t just the physical contact; it felt as though he were pouring every ounce of his attention into her. It embarrassed her, yet it stirred something deep within.
“We’re almost there, aren’t we?”
Unable to hide her awkwardness, Yeonwoo asked a question unrelated to the atmosphere. Seongheon turned his gaze to the window, checked the surroundings, and nodded.
“We will arrive right on time.”
“Yes. Am I meeting the lawyer right away?”
“They should be waiting for Ji Yeonwoo by now.”
“Yes.”
Seongheon glanced at her. “They are a lawyer with outstanding capabilities and a high win rate. Trust and rely on them.”
“Yes. I understand.”
As if gathering courage, strength settled firmly into Yeonwoo’s voice. Seongheon let out a faint chuckle, and Yeonwoo exhaled a long, steady breath, psyching herself up.
Before long, the Seoryang logo came into view, and the vehicle pulled smoothly in front of the lobby. Sensing it was finally time to depart, Yeonwoo slowly pulled her hand away.
As she withdrew, Seongheon looked down at his own hand, which felt suddenly empty.
After pulling away as she pleased, Yeonwoo put on a mask of composure, pretending nothing had happened. Her doggedly indifferent expression looked almost shameless, a look that made him want to firmly grip her cheeks and stretch her lips, had he only the time.
“Ji Yeonwoo.”
The car came to a stop.
“Yes?”
“Do well and come back.”
Employees waiting for Seongheon approached the vehicle.
Receiving these unexpected words of support, Yeonwoo fidgeted with her fingers and nodded. Then, with a flushed face, she projected her voice firmly.
“Yes. I’ll do well and come back.”
Because he liked the “come back” part more than the “do well” part, Seongheon finished his response by raising and lowering his eyebrows.
The door opened.
*
‘Watch Seongheon carefully. He is different from your soft-hearted brother-in-law.’
Seoryang Group Chairwoman Nam Yoon-young paused in the middle of signing documents.
‘He is a tiger cub. How long do you think he’ll keep doing that at Seoryang Construction? Be careful.’
The words she had exchanged with her husband that morning a few days ago weighed heavily on her.
Yoon-young put down her fountain pen and held her forehead. She had spent hours buried in a mountain of paperwork, and a headache was setting in.
As the eldest daughter of the family, Yoon-young had been sharp and clever from a young age. She had endured the strict education and dogmatic ideology of Domyeongjae without a word of complaint, never missing labels like “gifted” or “genius.”
If it wasn’t first place, she didn’t see the point. She had spent her school years more fiercely than anyone else, always speaking through results.
It was no easy task to survive as a daughter in a head family where the preference for sons was deeply rooted. Just when she had become accustomed to a life proven by results, her younger brother, Tae-young, entered the main base of Seoryang Group.
Tae-young continued his rapid promotion, married in the blink of an eye, and had a son, Seongheon.
By the time Yoon-young finally entered the main office as a department head, her younger brother was already a Vice President.
Around that time, Yoon-young had an arranged marriage chosen by the family. She gave birth to a child, but it was a daughter. Afraid of being pushed out of the company, she skipped a proper postpartum recovery and returned to work immediately, but Tae-young had already risen to President.
Though she acted as if she didn’t care, Yoon-young hated the life of being repeatedly sidelined by her brother. She felt a maddening disgust for the rotten judgment of the Domyeong family, which, because she was a woman, excluded her from the front lines.
Her husband had delved into her heart and whispered into her ear: *Your brother will soon devour the company, and when that happens, he will cast you out.*
‘Your brother’s son will inherit the company without any cost. Our daughter, simply because she is a woman, will be pushed aside just like you.’
After hearing that her daughter would inherit her own frustrations and injustices, her life changed.
‘You want the company, don’t you? You want to sit in the highest seat. You are someone who is fully qualified for that.’
In the end, Yoon-young allowed her husband to harm her brother’s family. She could have stopped it, but she had ignored their deaths.
Yoon-young rose to the position in place of her deceased brother, proved her abilities, and grew the company aggressively.
It was a perfect success. She rose to Chairwoman by unanimous vote. Raising her nephew Seongheon like her own child was a kind of penance, an attempt to wash away the gnawing guilt.
*Should have died together then. Regardless, he is a nuisance.*
“…Hoo.”
Yoon-young let out a long sigh as she recalled her husband’s cynicism. She pressed her temples, then opened the documents related to Namsong Industrial Development.
The letters failed to register; she kept thinking of Seongheon.
It would have been better if he had grown up to be an ordinary child like her own daughter, but Seongheon had grown up so well it was chilling.
He had found on his own things she wished he hadn’t known, and he had uncovered things she wished he knew less about.
Whenever she looked at her nephew, who hovered somewhere between gifted and genius, a cold wind blew inside her heart. Every time she faced his withered face, which never smiled when he looked at her, it felt as though her brother’s resentment was reflected right back at her.
Yoon-young did not truly love Seongheon. She was in a position where she couldn’t. Her husband’s cynicism hadn’t been baseless mockery, and she was terrified by the fact that she could neither deny nor acknowledge it.
But what could she do now? The dead tell no tales, and she had fulfilled her dreams by stepping over her brother’s corpse.
“Let’s focus. Focus.”
Saying this to herself as if to scold her own mind, she set her eyes on the documents again. Not long after, her phone rang. She slowly moved her gaze to the screen.
It was an unsaved number, but the last few digits were familiar.
Feeling the hair on her arms stand on end, Yoon-young let the phone ring for a long time before answering. She took a steadying breath.
“I thought we had an agreement that you would never call again.”
Her tone was frigid.
─ Oh my, Chairwoman Nam Yoon-young. Have you been well? It’s me, Im Su-gwon.
“…”
─ Ah. You already know who I am, right? Long time no see, Chairwoman.
The voice on the other end, undeterred by her sharp greeting, grated against her ear. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but she forced herself to sound composed.
“What is your business?”
─ Oh well, it’s not exactly that I have business. You’ve been doing well lately. I see the company is thriving. The stock price is shooting up.
“…”
─ Your ability is indeed excellent. Is your husband doing well, too? Ah, he’s the Vice Chairman now, isn’t he? The couple is running the company in such harmony.
Yoon-young bit her fingernails without realizing it. She concentrated on trying to grasp the opponent’s intentions.
She felt like she was bleeding dry.
“State your business.”
─ You’re as impatient as ever. I suppose that’s why you get things done so quickly and recklessly.
“Business.”
─ Yes, yes. Actually, it’s nothing much. I just wanted to see your face for once.
Yoon-young swallowed hard. When was the last time she had seen this man? Ten years ago? Fifteen?
─ I think it would be easier to talk to our Chairwoman rather than the Vice Chairman, since you have more drive and a broader heart.
“What on earth…”
─ I’d like to see you and discuss it, Chairwoman. Please make some time. In the near future.
Yoon-young could neither refuse nor agree. Was he asking for money? If so, she had given him plenty in the past.
Had he already squandered it all?
“You, listen to me carefully. Don’t keep calling and twisting my arm like this. Our deal is already over.”
─ Chairwoman. Usually, the giver has an end, but the receiver doesn’t. Frankly speaking, you’re not the one who got blood on your hands, are you? If you want to set an end, it should be the person who spilled the blood.
Decades ago.
Yoon-young’s husband had instigated Im Su-gwon, who was their driver at the time, to orchestrate the accidental death of her brother’s couple.
Im Su-gwon had finished the job perfectly, leaving no loose ends. In return, he had demanded an enormous amount of money, and the couple had paid the price.
─ By the way, is your nephew doing well? Managing Director Nam Seongheon. I’ve seen him in the news a lot lately. He’s quite handsome. Does he take after his father?
Yoon-young gritted her teeth.
─ Our Managing Director isn’t married yet, right?
“…”
─ My niece just returned from studying abroad. She’s twenty-eight this year, and she’s kind, pretty, and respectable. I think it would be perfect to bring her in as my Chairwoman’s niece-in-law.
Unable to hold back any longer, Yoon-young slammed her desk. She jumped to her feet, her eyes widening.
“What kind of bullshit are you spouting!”
─ Oh my, Chairwoman. Don’t just get angry, listen. It makes sense. Why would I conspire to do anything after planting my niece in your house? It’s a safe move for you, too.
Im Su-gwon’s meager hand was clearly visible. It was an absurd, nonsensical demand to make his niece the daughter-in-law of a conglomerate.
─ Think of it as keeping a hostage, and set a date. My niece is well-educated and smart. You’ll like her when you see her.
Yoon-young couldn’t continue speaking; she only trembled.
─ Then I’ll wait for your call. If it takes too long, I might go visit Managing Director Nam Seongheon myself. Please contact me before that, Chairwoman.
*Should have died together then. Regardless, he is a nuisance.*
Yoon-young let out a heavy, shuddering breath.