Chapter 18
Yeon-sil’s kick, backed by her taekwondo black belt, was precise and powerful.
“Ugh!”
Dong-jun clutched his groin with both hands and rolled on the ground.
“Ugh… it feels like it’s going to burst. Ughhh…”
Tears welled up in his eyes as he writhed, wiggling his hips in pain.
“Want to see them burst?!” he shouted at Yeon-sil once he barely managed to endure the pain.
“Yeah, that was the plan. Disloyal balls need to burst before they come to their senses, don’t you think?”
Yeon-sil dusted off her hands.
“Get lost right now, or do you want them properly crushed? Your choice.”
“Ha, you crazy—!”
“And stop clinging to Se-ah. Break up cleanly. Otherwise, you’ll get another hit.”
As Yeon-sil lifted her foot again, Dong-jun staggered to his feet, still clutching himself.
“Wait.”
Se-ah stepped toward him.
Dong-jun smiled faintly, thinking perhaps she felt sorry for him after seeing him beaten by Yeon-sil.
Of course. Kind Se-ah wouldn’t—
“Yeah, Se-ah. Oppa’s hurting. It really hurts—”
“You piece of trash!”
Before he could finish, Se-ah’s palm struck his cheek hard.
His head snapped to the side. One hand still on his groin and the other on his cheek, Dong-jun whined,
“Why did you hit me?!”
“You deserve worse, you crazy bastard!”
Se-ah raised her hand again, but Yeon-sil gently stopped her.
“That’s enough. Your hand’s too precious. Trash like him will ruin himself anyway.”
“You— I swear—!”
Dong-jun clenched his fist, but seeing Yeon-sil standing firmly beside Se-ah, he turned away.
Watching him wobble off, Se-ah suddenly felt empty.
“I never imagined we’d break up like this.”
“I told you he was an idiot. You were the one going easy on him.”
Se-ah lowered her head silently. Then she suddenly remembered.
“Oh—what about Ha-yeon?”
“I came down because I was worried about you. There was all that noise downstairs. The neighbor lady happened to come out, so I left Ha-yeon with her and rushed down.”
The neighbor was a kind woman who quietly looked after Se-ah, who lived alone. Yeon-sil had met her once before, and thanks to her natural friendliness, they had quickly become close.
“Hey, let’s hurry up. Ha-yeon must be scared without her mom.”
“She doesn’t get shy around strangers. The neighbor said to take our time. You need to calm down first. Are you really okay?”
Touched by Yeon-sil’s warmth, Se-ah felt tears well up. The two slowly climbed the stairs together.
After his inauguration, Seonghan became even busier.
Fixing the chaotic school administration and uncovering past corruption would require forty-eight hours in a day.
Even so, there was something he had to do.
“Today, right? I’ll head over soon.”
Today was his mother’s—more precisely, his stepmother’s—birthday.
Normally, he would just send a gift and not attend. But today, he had a reason to go.
[Chairman, you’re coming? Ah, you are. Yes, I understand…]
The call was answered by Head Housekeeper Park, who managed the household.
She had known Seonghan for a long time and understood most of his circumstances.
[You don’t really have to come, but I’ll explain things properly—]
“Don’t worry.”
Seonghan smiled as if understanding her concern.
“Nothing you’re worried about will happen. I’ll avoid Lady Choi as much as possible.”
The “Lady” he referred to was his stepmother, Choi Won-gyeong.
Choi Won-gyeong had once been the secretary of his father, Shin Jeong-hyeon. She had been involved with him even before Seonghan was born.
Seonghan’s biological mother, Lee Yoo-jeong, only learned of it after marriage. But as the daughter of a politician, married off like a transaction, she had no choice but to endure her husband’s affair.
Now, Choi Won-gyeong occupied Jeong-hyeon’s side and was doing everything she could to place her own son into the Jeongun Group in Seonghan’s stead.
[Please travel safely, young master.]
After hanging up, Seonghan swallowed a bitter smile. It had been years since he had visited the main house. And attending Choi Won-gyeong’s birthday would surely surprise everyone.
After all, it was Choi Won-gyeong who had pushed him—once soaring high—into the school position. She had persuaded not only her husband but even his grandfather to cast aside the grandson he loved most.
Yet Seonghan had accepted the appointment as school chairman without complaint and had done his best there.
“I’ll leave early today. See you tomorrow.”
After informing the administrative office staff, Seonghan stood up.
As he stepped out the school gate to get into his car, he stopped.
Not far away stood Dong-jun. The woman in his arms didn’t need to be seen for Seonghan to know who it was.
So now they’re not even hiding it.
He didn’t want to let them stand there comfortably.
Even if he now had nothing to do with Han Se-ah.
Seonghan got into his car and pressed the accelerator.
Seeing the car rushing toward him, Dong-jun abandoned Mok-yeon and ran. The car stopped immediately, of course.
Dong-jun, who had fled quite a distance, ran back and stood in front of Mok-yeon, shouting,
“What the fuck was that?!”
“I’m sorry,” Seonghan said calmly through the open car window.
“Must’ve been a sudden unintended acceleration.”
He turned the car and drove out of the school leisurely. He could hear curses from behind but didn’t care.
“Oh my, young master.”
Mrs. Seosan froze as if she had seen a ghost. She had worked there since Seonghan was a child, and time had left wrinkles around her eyes.
“It’s been a while, ma’am.”
Seonghan smiled gently.
“Yes, it has. You’ve been well, haven’t you?”
“Of course. And you? Has your eldest son entered university already?”
“University? No. He quit studying and joined a company. Guess studying wasn’t for him. If only he were half as capable as you, young master.”
Seeing her crease her brows in disappointment, Seonghan took out an envelope.
“There’s more than one path in life. If he chose to work, that’s admirable. You remember, right? Tell him I’m rooting for him.”
Seeing the envelope, she opened her mouth in surprise.
Her son had visited the main house a few times as a child. With nowhere else to leave him, she had brought him along. Seonghan had played with him like a real younger brother.
“Oh my, what is all this? No, it’s fine. I’ll just accept your thought.”
“In our world, there’s no such thing as accepting only the thought. It’s a world with money but no heart. Take it.”
When she finally accepted it, Seonghan smiled brightly—for the first time since arriving.
But his expression soon hardened.
“Oh my, you’re here?”
The one approaching him was Choi Won-gyeong. Her hair and makeup, surely perfected since dawn, and her custom dress made her shine brilliantly.
“You should visit more often. I’ll forget your face. How’s school life? Does it remind you of your old days?”
“In a way. It feels like I’ve gone back to my school days. I quite enjoy it.”
Seonghan smiled leisurely.
But it was nothing like the smile he had shown Mrs. Seosan.
This one was perfectly crafted. And beneath it lurked something sharp, like a blade.
“I’m glad it suits you. Don’t overdo it—return to the group eventually. Seong-woo complains every day that the hotel work is exhausting.”
Seong-woo was his half-brother, Choi Won-gyeong’s biological son. He now sat effortlessly in the hotel presidency Seonghan had built.
“Overdo it? Whatever I do, I do properly.”
With that, Seonghan turned away. He didn’t wish to exchange another word.
Having come after years—on her own birthday, no less—and receiving not even a congratulatory word from her “son,” Won-gyeong narrowed her eyes.
But Seonghan was already walking toward the central hall where the event was being held, as if he had no interest in her at all.
The hall was in full bustle. Staff were mobilized, along with outside workers.
On days like this, people eager to curry favor with Choi Won-gyeong bustled about, pretending to help.
Among them, Seonghan easily spotted someone.
“You shouldn’t make geotjeori like that. You need to mix it more firmly.”
With red pepper powder smeared on her face was Pyo Se-jin, mother of Hwang Min-young.
Her husband, a National Assembly member, was facing difficulty in securing re-election due to party issues. Pyo Se-jin was now running around seeking influence.
One such place was the Jeongun Group. She was scheming to secure even an outside director position somehow.
“Nice to see you. Meeting you here.”
As Seonghan approached, Pyo Se-jin looked up absentmindedly—then her eyes widened in shock.
