Chapter : 18
Chairman Seo—Soo-kyung always addressed Daehyun with such stiff, formal titles.
It was her subtle way of making it clear that she did not acknowledge him as family.
After all, when the two of them had gotten married, the one who had opposed it most strongly had been Soo-kyung.
I thought that with time, he’d eventually open his heart…
Juhye forced an awkward smile, feeling conflicted. In a way, perhaps it was for the best.
If Soo-kyung or Soo-ha had grown deeply attached to Daehyun, they might have been very disappointed—or even opposed—the news of the divorce.
“Why Daehyun?”
“Since Father collapsed, he hasn’t done anything unusual, has he?”
There was a sharp edge hidden in the meaningful question.
Juhye immediately frowned and asked back,
“Oppa, what are you… trying to say right now?”
“He married you and became the CEO of Jinju Construction, but he’s still not enough to be called part of our family. And his beginning was with Woounam Construction.”
The moment that familiar company name came up, Juhye’s expression stiffened.
“You know it, don’t you? The story about your husband being practically driven out of Woounam Construction.”
“……”
“If he hadn’t married you, he wouldn’t have saved Woounam Construction from bankruptcy—let alone become the head of Jinju Construction.”
Before marrying Juhye, Daehyun had worked at Woounam Construction, the company run by his father.
She had already heard plenty about how ugly the succession battle there had been.
“Woounam Construction’s bankruptcy wasn’t… Daehyun’s fault.”
Regardless of her current desire for divorce, she acknowledged his abilities.
But Soo-kyung stubbornly shook his head.
“Right. It was his incompetent father’s fault. But it’s also true that he hesitated too long instead of pushing his father out, and nearly let the company collapse.”
“Oppa, what exactly are you trying to say?”
“Keep a close eye on whether your husband is aiming for the Jinju Group.”
Tension settled in at Soo-kyung’s words.
“Jinju Construction is a company our great-grandfather built from nothing. If some stone that suddenly rolled in tries to covet the mountain, that’s ignorance—and it needs to be taught a lesson.”
Juhye unconsciously hunched her shoulders as she listened.
“You don’t have to overthink it. If you notice anything suspicious, just let me know.”
“That sounds like… you’re telling me to spy on my husband.”
“There’s no need to feel guilty. He’s probably watching us too.”
Even if it wasn’t out of greed for Jinju Group, he was the kind of man who would do anything to protect his position.
At least, that was what Jin Soo-kyung’s investigation so far had revealed.
If he could even drive out his own older brother, what wouldn’t he do?
He was a man with a past attempt at pushing out the eldest son, Seo Woo-hyun, to seize the position of successor.
There was no reason not to doubt and guard against him in advance.
Especially if it meant protecting his innocent younger sister, who knew nothing.
* * *
It really was only a brief rest.
“Then I’ll be going.”
After finishing their conversation, Soo-kyung hurried back to the company with his secretary.
The afternoon executive meeting required every key executive to attend, and even a minute of tardiness was unacceptable.
Knowing that, Juhye didn’t stop him and quietly saw him off.
She herself had plenty to do today, and with the time already lost, she needed to hurry.
“Madam, where are you headed?”
“I’m planning to organize the arboretum layout today. I’ll be there until five, so it’s fine if I’m away from my desk until then.”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
Secretary Kim answered, but instead of moving, he returned to where the car was parked and stayed there.
It seemed Daehyun had given separate instructions.
Juhye hesitated briefly, then turned away without pointing it out.
Even if she showed her displeasure, he was someone who would follow Daehyun’s orders regardless.
Not just Secretary Kim—everyone who moved like extensions of Daehyun’s hands and feet was the same.
After all, they were all people Daehyun had personally hired.
If we separate, I’ll at least be a little freer.
With a vague but hopeful thought, she entered the main gate of the arboretum.
At the sound of her heels clicking, a staff member at the desk jumped to her feet.
She was a female employee stationed at the arboretum desk.
“Oh my!”
The moment she spotted Juhye, she gasped and slapped the person next to her.
The man who was suddenly smacked on the back yelped and looked up.
“Hey, why’d you hit me?”
“The CEO is here! Where’s the team leader?”
“The team leader? He just went to the storage room to move some flowerpots—”
Their noisy exchange ended quickly.
The side door next to the desk flew open, and a man wearing dirt-stained gloves appeared.
Juhye, who had been walking toward them, broke into a wide smile when she saw him.
“Junhwi.”
“Senior? When did you get here!”
Junhwi blinked his wide eyes, quickly pulling off his gloves and dusting his hands.
As he rushed toward Juhye at full speed, the desk employees couldn’t hide their puzzled expressions.
They had never seen Kang Junhwi act so cheerful around a woman before.
“Team leader, did you just call the CEO ‘senior’?”
“You didn’t know? They were college classmates.”
The female employee watched the two chatting at a distance, then smiled meaningfully.
The male employee, on the other hand, glanced over with a look that said What’s wrong with her?
“Are they really just classmates?”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Don’t you know the CEO is married?”
“Yes, I know that, but the team leader’s gaze looks a little suspicious—”
Perhaps hearing their whispers, Junhwi shot a glance toward the desk.
Sensing the cold look, both employees shut their mouths at once.
“Junhwi, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. But should we move somewhere else? It’s a bit awkward to talk here…”
“Ah, sure. Let’s go up to the office.”
Juhye turned toward the elevator near the main entrance.
The arboretum was a five-story building, and her office was on the top floor.
As the elevator ascended, Junhwi suddenly frowned as he stepped closer.
“Senior, wait.”
“Hm?”
The moment Juhye turned around, Junhwi took another step closer and asked,
“Your hand—what happened?”
His finger hovered just a hair’s breadth from touching her hand.
“My hand? Oh…!”
After staring blankly at her fingertips, Juhye hastily hid her hand behind her back.
It seemed that when she had injured Daehyun’s lip, she had also gotten a small cut on her finger.
“Senior?”
“I got hurt by accident while taking off my ring. It’s nothing serious.”
When did I even get hurt?
She waved her hand casually as she made an awkward excuse.
Honestly, it was such a tiny wound that you wouldn’t notice it unless you looked closely.
But Junhwi apparently noticed, clicking his tongue as he rummaged through his pocket.
“I’ve got ointment and a bandage. Let’s put it on right away once we’re upstairs.”
Looking down at what he handed her, Juhye smiled softly.
“Thanks.”
“You’ve always been kind of clumsy. This is why I need to look after you—”
Junhwi trailed off mid-sentence, realizing the words had slipped out of habit.
“Yeah. You used to take care of me a lot.”
“……”
“That’s why people asked weird questions too. Like whether you were my little brother… remember?”
But Juhye smiled innocently, as if she didn’t understand the implication at all.
Junhwi stared at her blankly, then swallowed a bitter smile.
“Yeah. They wouldn’t have asked for nothing.”
“That’s true.”
Ding.
The elevator stopped above their heads.
The quiet hallway was empty, filled only with expensive potted plants—and the office looked much the same.
The spacious room held only a few pots, a table, and a bookshelf.
Under the lights, a crystal nameplate engraved with Seo Juhye gleamed cleanly.
“Did you meet someone before coming here?”
Junhwi asked softly, lingering near the bookshelf for no real reason.
Juhye, who had just set her bag down on a chair, turned back with a puzzled expression.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“You’re dressed prettier than usual.”
Junhwi complimented her bluntly, his face unreadable.
His gaze lingered seriously on Juhye, dressed in a pure white two-piece outfit.
The clothes suited her clear, pale skin perfectly, giving her an elegant air.
“Hey, you… You do that a lot. Praising me when you want something?”
Juhye chuckled, brushing off the compliment lightly.
She didn’t have a younger brother, but if she did, she imagined it would feel just like this.
“If you keep that up, your girlfriend won’t like it.”
At her treating it as nothing more than a joke, Junhwi frowned slightly.
“I’d need to have a girlfriend for her to dislike it in the first place.”
“Didn’t you say you were seeing someone last year?”
“Someone keeps making me work overtime and won’t let me leave on time, so we broke up.”
At his pointed tone, Juhye made a guilty face.
Catching the opportunity, Junhwi tilted his head and whispered,
“At this point… shouldn’t the company take responsibility?”
