Chapter 4
“After all, he’s just Jeong-seon’s dog.”
Jeong Hyeong-woo referred to his half-brother that way. It could mean someone who handles the dirty work, or someone whose leash he could pull and swing however he liked.
A monstrous pitcher who had worn the Taegeuk emblem from elementary school through college, achieving one victory after another. The key player who had led the perpetually last-place Samyoung Unicorns to a championship in his rookie year.
It was Jeong Hyeong-woo who had installed Jeong Tae-hwa—whose move to Major League Baseball was widely predicted—at The One, so the statement wasn’t entirely wrong.
At The One, Tae-hwa’s role was to pursue profit for the Jeong-seon Group, handle anything that could harm them, and live as a loyal dog protecting Jeong-seon. That had been the life of Jeong-seon’s illegitimate son, Jeong Tae-hwa, for five years since retiring.
Rumors about the owner of The One circulated among those who dealt in high-level information: a former actress, a burly gangster, a skilled shaman…
If it weren’t for Jeong Hyeong-woo, Min-joo would never have known that Tae-hwa was the owner. He had disappeared into the world of night, and she had fled to a distant country.
“Scratch gently, and he’ll lick right away. Good luck.”
No—Min-joo shook her head as if to deny it. He had no idea how much Tae-hwa had loved her, nor that she had yet to forget him. It was a malicious remark, thrown by someone who knew all too well how they had abandoned and been abandoned.
“You’re alive.”
The first words of their reunion, which she had wished to avoid at all costs, held no trace of resentment. Who gave him the right to feel hurt? Min-joo lowered her gaze and pressed her lips together.
“…Well, somehow, I managed.”
His features had grown even more defined, his deep voice calm and steady. The competitive fire that had dominated him as an athlete was now tempered, his gaze refined, perfectly matching the sophisticated aura he exuded.
The former baseball player, now owner of The One—Tae-hwa, who had grown distant. Five years had passed, creating a gap too vast to reconcile in a single moment.
Why are you here? How dare you crawl into a place like this? No shame at all.
His unrestrained gaze, concealing nothing, made Min-joo’s heart ache.
Still, she endured because this might be her only chance to face him. She unclenched the fists resting on her lap, pressing her hands together tightly.
“I expected insults to fly first, but you’re holding back?”
Tae-hwa paused as he poured the wine, then slid the filled glass toward her.
Watching his fingers gently trace her cheek made her chest tighten. She wanted to cling to that forearm, veined and taut beneath his sleeve, and respond to him.
“What if… we were to break up?”
“That was ages ago. Why are you here now?”
Tae-hwa’s question carried a subtle trace of fatigue, as if the past had been neatly swept away. Any regret about an ex was merely her own overthinking.
Would he still love me? Could I be certain he wouldn’t leave me?
“What if I said I hated you? That I never wanted to see you again?”
“Then I’d follow you. Until you said you liked me again.”
The man who had said this smiled faintly.
“Here to beg?”
His long-missed voice carried a teasing edge. Even knowing it wasn’t genuine kindness, Min-joo felt her heart stir. She wondered if this was her chance—should she beg now? Her lips curved slightly as she swallowed the red wine.
His smile seemed to coax her, a silent plea not to prolong their awkward reunion.
“I heard nothing is impossible with Jeong Tae-hwa.”
“That’s what they say. Didn’t expect him to take a customer who once left him.”
“When did that happen? Still holding grudges, huh?”
When she retorted without flinching, his dark eyes sparkled with amusement, and he let out a small laugh.
“You must still be childish, believing in justice that punishes wrongdoing. Karma.”
She knew she shouldn’t have returned after leaving him, yet she had come prepared, boldly offering her business card and stating her request.
“I’m here as a client, so I’ll start with an introduction. The business card…”
She reached for her bag, but before she could, her phone fell lightly onto the table.
[5:00]
What did it mean? Min-joo blinked, trying to interpret the mysterious numbers. As she glanced from Tae-hwa to her phone again, the numbers were rapidly counting down.
“Time’s ticking.”
Ah… it was a warning: deal with this and leave within five minutes. Tae-hwa watched her, sipping his wine, as if observing her confusion. Though his treatment felt cold, Min-joo’s decision was swift.
Her father’s company. She had to act.
No matter how much time passed, her message wouldn’t change, so Min-joo calmly stated her request:
“Help me marry your brother.”
“……”
“I want to formally request your help so I can marry Vice Chairman Jeong Hyeong-woo of Jeong-seon Chemical.”
Only then did his previously rigid expression twitch slightly, as if processing her words.
“You must be surprised by this sudden request, but…”
Before she could finish, Tae-hwa abruptly rose, cutting off her words. His sharp gaze followed hers.
“What nonsense are you laboring over?”
He placed his empty glass down, running his hand through his hair with a dry smile, questioning why he should entertain such words.
“Because of you, a drone might sell for a bargain.”
“……”
“I had to rush out because someone was looking for it. The arms dealer, excited to make extra profit, might chase you. So quietly leave.”
Before she could react, the door slammed, echoing through her chest. Tae-hwa’s calm voice cut through the gap:
“Get her out.”
Hahaha!
Hearing that the reunion with Tae-hwa had failed, Jeong Hyeong-woo laughed, shrugging his shoulders and wiping tears from his eyes.
“Only three things move Tae-hwa: baseball, the mother of that child, and someone like Seo Min-joo.”
After his cruel suggestion for her to approach Tae-hwa using marriage as leverage, Hyeong-woo added that a request like hers might just provoke him, and that was all she needed to make anything possible.
“Attorney Kang, the contract.”
Hyeong-woo’s teasing gone, he gestured, and the lawyer handed over the contract. Min-joo examined it carefully.
“The contract term is three months. Failure to complete it results in automatic termination. Any questions?”
“Is that all?”
The lawyer confirmed that only the benefits from fulfilling the contract were specified, no penalties for noncompliance. The agreement itself was powerful enough to compel action, requiring no additional clauses.
She would receive her father’s company, and in return, Hyeong-woo would gain the ‘Jeong Hyeong-woo File,’ containing all his misdeeds—a potential Achilles’ heel as he rose to head the Jeong-seon Group.
“Please make sure Tae-hwa never finds out.”
Even worrying about Tae-hwa in this situation felt absurd, but in front of Hyeong-woo, deceit was merely par for the course.
“Take care of your expression, Min-joo. Remember, he can sniff out deceit like a dog.”
Thinking of Tae-hwa’s penetrating gaze, she knew Hyeong-woo’s warning was not to be ignored. From the tense moment of reunion, questions had piled up: Could she truly deceive Tae-hwa? If her father had received this plan sooner, would he still be alive? Was reclaiming the company this way truly the right choice?
What would happen after Hyeong-woo became the head of the group? What about Tae-hwa, deprived of a weapon against his half-brother?
For now, all were meaningless questions. The contract was signed, and the task had begun.
