I Should Shake Him.
The partner they were talking about… could it be—?
As Yulri’s thoughts tangled in confusion, Director Kim’s voice reached her ears.
“Yulri, I don’t need to introduce you two, right?”
Unfortunately, her overloaded brain couldn’t process his words. She didn’t even realize he was speaking to her.
“Yulri?”
Only after her name was called twice did she come back to her senses.
“Ah, yes. Director.”
“You know Architect Kwon Jeho well, don’t you?”
Director Kim, who had been Minwoo’s senior in university, knew that Jeho and Minwoo were cousins. So there was no way he didn’t know about Yulri and Jeho’s connection—though he probably didn’t know that marriage talks had once taken place between them ten years ago.
“You two will soon become relatives anyway, so of course you know each other well. Right?”
Yulri gave an awkward smile and shifted her gaze away from Jeho.
He must be just as surprised as I am. Did he even know I worked here?
When their eyes met, he gave a light nod. Unlike her, he didn’t look shocked at all. His expression remained completely calm.
“Architect Kwon Jeho has decided to work with Bauhaus while he stays in Korea.”
As expected, he had become Bauhaus’s partner.
But why?
It made no sense. She thought he had returned to Korea for the KG Group headquarters project. And now, suddenly, he was partnering with Bauhaus?
For a world-renowned architect like him, words like small and modest didn’t fit. He belonged to phrases like the world’s largest scale.
Did he burn out? Is this some kind of sabbatical year?
Still, she had no right to question his decision. Even if he was a partner, he was probably more like an investor—just lending his name. He wouldn’t actually come to the office.
Right. That must be it.
Yet an uneasy feeling made her frown slightly without realizing it.
“Small place, but let’s take a look around.”
Jeho followed Director Kim through the office. Compared to the work environments he was used to, the difference was significant. But it didn’t matter to him at all.
Because last night, he had made an important decision.
The night before.
After dinner.
In the underground parking lot.
Click. The car door opened, and Jeho got into the passenger seat.
“Okay, I’ll let him know. Talk to you later.”
Woo-gyeol ended his call and turned toward him. Jeho silently pulled the seatbelt and buckled it. Before starting the engine, Woo-gyeol studied his expression.
“Was the atmosphere that uncomfortable?”
Instead of answering, Jeho gave a dry chuckle.
His uncle glaring at him with burning hostility. His cousin Minwoo acting proud, as if everything Jeho once had now belonged to him. His grandfather pretending not to notice the strained relationship.
It wasn’t just uncomfortable—it was suffocating.
“Did the food even go down your throat? Want some digestive medicine?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Jeho shook his head and closed his eyes. What he needed wasn’t digestive medicine—it was a painkiller. A faint headache was creeping in. It always happened when his thoughts became complicated.
But why did he feel this unsettled?
Hadn’t he prepared himself when he decided to return to Korea? Just one awkward dinner shouldn’t give him a headache. There would be many more twisted gatherings to come.
Even though he knew the cause of his headache, Jeho deliberately tried to ignore it.
…Chae Yulri.
She was the reason his mind was in chaos.
“I’m heading that way anyway. I’ll give you a ride.”
He suddenly let out a hollow laugh.
“She’s not a child. Of course she can get home on her own.”
Looking back, it had been the same ten years ago. He hadn’t needed to risk himself to find her necklace. Whether it was her late mother’s only keepsake or not had nothing to do with him. He had already made it clear to the elders that he had no intention of marrying.
But whenever he was with Yulri, his heart wavered.
She had climbed over the wall just to see him—it was cute. When she cried over the lost necklace, his chest hurt. He wanted to know more about her.
Not long after, the marriage talks fell apart, and those feelings became meaningless.
And now she had reappeared—as Minwoo’s fiancée.
Watching her sit quietly beside Minwoo made his stomach burn, bitterness rising in his throat. He didn’t even have a clear reason. He just hated seeing it.
“I checked the email Brandon sent.”
At Woo-gyeol’s words, Jeho opened his eyes.
“…This.”
As he read, his expression darkened.
“Yes. Just as we thought. The person the Vice Chairman met before the accident—it was definitely Minwoo. The accident happened about thirty minutes after they parted at the hotel.”
There was a reason Jeho had set aside his busy schedule and returned to Korea.
It wasn’t because Chairman Kwon had called him.
After years of almost no contact, why had the chairman suddenly summoned him? Was it really just for the KG headquarters construction? Or was he considering Jeho as a successor?
He couldn’t possibly make Executive Director Kwon Woo-sik the chairman. His incompetence was well known, and his character as a leader was lacking.
Nor was Director Kwon Woo-min much better. Chairman Kwon must know that. A world-famous architect like Jeho would naturally catch his eye.
But Jeho didn’t care about being a successor.
He only cared about finding the people who had put his father, Vice Chairman Kwon Je-woong, into a hospital bed—and making them pay.
After stepping down, his father moved to the U.S., where he was later involved in a car accident and fell into a coma. A large amount of alcohol was found in his blood, and the U.S. police ruled it drunk driving.
But his father never touched alcohol.
When Jeho learned that his father had been investigating the background of the Arcadia Mall project, suspicion began to grow. It might not have been an accident.
The fact that no news had reached the main family in Korea was suspicious too. Was someone blocking the information from reaching Chairman Kwon?
Through his connection with the global tycoon Thornton, Jeho requested help. Brandon’s report suggested that not only the overseas construction issue but everything might have been a scheme.
The names strongly mentioned behind it were his uncle—and his cousin, Kwon Minwoo.
In the email was a photo of his father meeting Minwoo in a hotel lobby thirty minutes before the accident.
“Arcadia Mall was originally your father’s project. Of course he would be interested. But since there were issues with the land selection, he probably asked Minwoo.”
“So when Minwoo came to the U.S. on business, Father went to see him personally.”
Woo-gyeol nodded. Jeho’s eyes sharpened dangerously.
“Do you know what’s ridiculous? Chairman Kwon still doesn’t know what condition his eldest son is in.”
A hollow smile appeared on Jeho’s lips.
At first, he thought the chairman was hiding his emotions. But the longer their dinner conversation continued, the more certain he became—the chairman truly didn’t know about the accident.
His uncle and Minwoo, however, were tense the entire time, as if a bomb might explode from Jeho’s mouth at any moment.
Even if Jeho had revealed the truth, they could easily pretend ignorance.
Still, it was suspicious that the KG Group’s information team seemed unaware of the accident. Someone was clearly blocking the news.
After a long silence, Jeho handed the phone back.
“Let’s go.”
He wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and looked out the window.
He had hoped—even faintly—that his family wasn’t involved.
But the reality he faced was far crueler than expected.
“…First,” he said slowly.
“I need to shake Minwoo.”
“In what way?”
Woo-gyeol asked.
Jeho didn’t answer. As the car exited the parking lot, he saw Yulri getting into a taxi on the opposite side.
“Chae Yulri.”
He murmured her name.
The woman Minwoo loved. The woman he was about to marry.
Yulri was the biggest reason Minwoo was desperate to become the group’s successor.
Jeho still remembered the proud look on Minwoo’s face as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
Maybe Minwoo truly liked her.
Or maybe he wanted her even more because she had once been Jeho’s former fiancée.
Minwoo had always been like that—wanting everything Jeho had.
Then what would happen… if Jeho took her back?
Even if he didn’t like the idea, there was no more certain way to attack.
And perhaps Yulri’s father, Assemblyman Chae, might also be connected to the past incident.
Two birds with one stone.
As if trying to escape his sight as quickly as possible, the taxi carrying Yulri sped away.
Just because she disappeared from view didn’t mean she no longer existed.
Jeho’s gaze grew cold as he watched the taxi fade into the distance.
After looking around the office, Jeho left before the other employees arrived. Director Kim asked Yulri and Sunyoung to keep his partnership a secret until the paperwork was finalized.
Perhaps because the meeting had been so unexpected, Yulri couldn’t focus all morning. She even skipped lunch to finish the work she had postponed.
Near the end of the workday, Hyun-kyung called.
[You’re getting off soon, right? Let’s have dinner together.]
“I still have work left. I think I’ll have to stay late. Eat first. Let’s have a drink after I finish.”
[Okay. Call me when you’re done.]
When she turned off her computer and stood up, she realized the office was completely empty. She must have barely noticed her coworkers leaving.
As she stepped out, she heard footsteps echoing from the end of the hallway.
Director?
At this hour, the only one likely to return would be Director Kim.
She turned her head—and froze.
“Ah…”
After seeing him several times already, she could recognize him just from his silhouette.
Why at this hour…?
She narrowed her eyes at Jeho walking toward her. The dim hallway lights cast deep shadows across his pale face.
It hasn’t even been a full day since I last saw him, so why…
Step by step, as the distance between them shortened—
Thud. Thud.
Her dried-up emotions began to tremble again.
Yulri inhaled sharply and pulled the door handle. But for some reason, the door wouldn’t close properly. She pulled harder.
Suddenly, Jeho’s hand covered hers on the handle.
Thud—
Was that the sound of the door closing?
Or her heart dropping?
“You’re getting off late today.”
Instead of answering, Yulri silently glared at the large hand resting over hers.
