Chapter : 32
Narita Airport was as crowded as ever, teeming with people.
After checking the clear Japanese weather, Daehyun boarded the limousine.
The one driving was Chief Jung, the secretary who had accompanied him to Japan.
“We’ll depart now, sir.”
Feeling the vehicle start to move, Daehyun picked up his tablet.
Since this was an important meeting, he planned to review the materials he had prepared beforehand.
But for some reason, the contents refused to sink in.
All of his attention was focused on one person alone—his wife, who was back in Seoul.
[Yes, today she went to work at the arboretum in the late afternoon. I personally took her there.]
Only after receiving Secretary Kim’s reply did he feel a bit relieved, but the feeling didn’t last long.
With a sigh, Daehyun fiddled with his tablet, then soon frowned as stray thoughts took over.
There was a memory he had tried to forget for several years now, but it had resurfaced more frequently since the day he was asked for a divorce.
‘Anyway, Woounam Construction will be run and grown by your older brother.’
His late father’s voice was still vividly etched in his mind.
In his memories, his father was always stern and cold, an adult who had never once acknowledged him as a proper son throughout his life.
‘If you give me a chance too, I’ll do my best—’
Daehyun had been desperate to earn that man’s approval.
He had dreams of his own, and a promise he had made to his mother just before she passed away.
A promise that he, too, would grow into a respectable adult and take on an important role at Woounam Construction.
‘Only when the eldest son succeeds can the rest of the siblings succeed as well. That’s how it was for me, and for my father too.’
But Chairman Seo Nam-jae had one stubborn belief that he would never bend.
That belief was the principle of succession passing only to the eldest son.
Daehyun’s grandfather had been just as obstinate, and because of that, all the other siblings except Seo Nam-jae had been forced to give up their dreams without even receiving proper support.
‘Just be ready to help your brother whenever he needs it. Don’t do anything pointless.’
It was the day Daehyun brought home his university acceptance letter.
Chairman Seo Nam-jae had muttered “pointless,” dripping with contempt, and tossed it aside carelessly.
Daehyun remembered thinking that the acceptance letter thrown at his feet looked just like his own pride, fallen to the floor.
‘See? What did I tell you?’
His father had always been like that, and each time, Woo-hyun’s reaction was the same.
No matter how outstanding Daehyun’s grades were, or how impressive his achievements, it never mattered.
Seo Woo-hyun could effortlessly crush his pride with just a few words.
‘So you were happy for a moment because you got into a better university than me?’
‘…’
‘In the end, you’ll spend your whole life living in my shadow.’
Seo Woo-hyun always appeared with a sneering face, openly scoffing at him.
To Daehyun, that older brother was someone he was expected to serve like a superior for his entire life.
At least, that was the future Seo Nam-jae and Seo Woo-hyun envisioned—and just thinking about it made him feel nauseous.
Naturally, Daehyun refused to follow that path.
Contrary to his father’s orders, he quietly prepared himself step by step so that he could oppose his brother at any time.
‘Could you… help me?’
And then his half-sister, Song Eun-jae, suddenly came to him while he was deeply immersed in planning.
“Sir, we’ve arrived.”
At that moment, Chief Jung’s voice shattered his recollections.
Only then did Daehyun clear his mind and check his wristwatch.
There were about ten minutes left before the meeting.
As the chief secretary got out and opened the car door for him, Daehyun steadied his breathing and tried to relax.
“Hoo…”
Today’s meeting was extremely important—mistakes were not an option.
Depending on the outcome, Jinju Construction could secure a new investor.
‘I have to make this a success.’
To him, Jinju Construction had become almost synonymous with his own worth.
It was Jinju Construction that had given him a new home after he had been treated like dead weight at Woounam Construction.
There was no room left for retreat, and no place left to fall back to.
‘Do you really think you’ll get away with this? Betraying Father and me?’
He remembered the sharp words Woo-hyun had hurled at him on Inwang Mountain.
At the time, he had responded with a relaxed attitude, but in truth, Woo-hyun’s words weren’t entirely wrong.
From the moment he became an adult, Daehyun had dreamed of betrayal and had been desperate to find allies for his revenge.
Someone naive enough not to realize they were helping him—or pure enough not to interfere even if they realized it later.
That was exactly the kind of person Daehyun needed.
‘I’m Seo Daehyun, a third-year in the Department of International Trade. And you are?’
‘I—I’m Jin Juhye. A first-year in the Department of Business Administration.’
Jin Juhye, who appeared during that time when he was so desperately searching for an ally… truly seemed like a woman heaven had sent just for him.
She seemed to be disguising her identity while attending university, but Daehyun had recognized her position at first glance.
The youngest daughter of the famous Jinju Group.
‘Are you a woman who can benefit me?’
On the day they met under the guise of coincidence, Daehyun finally set his trap.
The beginning was a lie, and the purpose was revenge.
While Juhye stayed by his side, he was able to achieve, one by one, all the things he had long desired.
‘Let’s… get a divorce.’
But now, all of it had lost its direction.
From the moment that ally—whom he had believed would never turn away—showed her back to him for the first time…
The meeting ended more smoothly than expected.
Although the outcome was good, Daehyun felt far less satisfaction than he had anticipated.
Even during the meeting, he kept worrying about Juhye’s whereabouts, making it hard to concentrate.
“We’ll be heading to the hotel now.”
As he got into the car, exhausted, Chief Jung informed him of their destination.
Daehyun nodded vaguely and quickly checked his phone.
But instead of welcome news, he was greeted by an empty messenger screen.
“Chief Jung.”
Daehyun frowned and continued scrolling through the screen before speaking.
“Yes, sir.”
“Have you received any contact from Ms. Jin Ju-young?”
He pressed his fingertips firmly against his brow.
Even in that brief gesture, his suppressed irritation was obvious.
Chief Jung repeatedly glanced at him through the rearview mirror, but answered honestly.
“Well… there hasn’t been any contact in particular.”
Damn it… Daehyun swallowed a quiet curse.
He had sent over ten messages just last night alone, and they had all been completely ignored.
It was the kind of behavior that only deepened his suspicions—something you wouldn’t do unless you were hiding something.
‘Is Juhye at that house right now?’
At first, he considered sending someone to check, but if Ju-young blocked them, that would be the end of it.
Moreover, pulling something like that on Ju-young, who was part of the Jinju Group, would hardly leave a good impression.
Just in case, he had assigned additional people to keep an eye on Juhye, but that too had its limits.
She had already shown resistance, accusing him of monitoring her—if she found out, there was no telling what might happen.
‘I can’t predict it.’
Had there ever been a time like this before?
True to her name, Jin Juhye had always been someone whose inner thoughts were clear and white, like a pearl.
A woman so clean and kind that it felt as though her purity would shatter at the slightest wrong touch.
His wife—whose thoughts, whose love for him, could be read just by looking at her expression, as clearly as water in a transparent spring.
‘Where on earth are you, and what are you doing, Juhye?’
Now, her heart was something he couldn’t see even an inch ahead.
The sudden announcement of divorce was the same.
Her words—that she had forgotten the purpose and reason for love—were something Daehyun simply couldn’t understand.
“Ah, but we did receive a call from CEO Chae Kang-il.”
“From Chae Kang-il?”
At the sudden mention of his friend’s name, Daehyun dropped his hand from his brow.
Chief Jung lowered his voice as he spoke, even before starting the engine.
“He said it was something important and that he needed to tell you in person… so he urgently came to Japan.”
Japan? For a moment, Daehyun was left speechless.
Judging by Chief Jung’s similar reaction, it seemed he had been just as surprised when he first heard the news.
With an incredulous expression, Daehyun asked quietly,
“Don’t tell me he’s… waiting for me at the hotel right now?”
It was truly an absurd piece of news.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
How important could it be for someone who had said he was going on a business trip to Daejeon to end up in Japan within half a day?
Before his doubts could even settle, a meaningful remark pierced his ears.
“He hinted that… it’s a story related to Madam.”
“What?”
The moment he heard that it concerned Juhye, Daehyun’s expression hardened dangerously.
