Chapter 26
Without even stopping to greet anyone, Tae-eun and her husband hurried out of the mansion.
“Haa… Has he gone senile or what? Why’s he acting like that?”
Tae-eun’s irritation reached its peak. As expected, he was not the type to reflect on his own mistakes.
“Why did you have to drag my name into it back there?”
Chan-sung, too, was in a foul mood. In front of Chairman Han, Tae-eun had basically said it was all his fault — and he couldn’t exactly deny it.
“Did I say anything wrong? You’re the one who told me it would work if we did it that way. I just told the truth.”
Her brazen attitude left him speechless. He had always known she was a spoiled chaebol princess who did as she pleased, but she was becoming unbearable. They might have lived under the same roof as husband and wife, yet he felt suffocated.
“Ugh, forget it. Let’s just stop talking.”
Chan-sung quickened his pace, crossing the garden. Tae-eun followed, calling for him to slow down. Just as they stepped out through the main gate, they ran into Tae-gyu.
“Han Tae-eun, where are you two going? There’s a dinner gathering tonight.”
She wasn’t in the mood for small talk, but since Seo-hee’s sudden declaration had been bothering her, she asked bluntly,
“You knew too?”
“Knew what? You can’t just say that out of nowhere — how am I supposed to answer?”
The two siblings were never close, so their exchange was curt and cold. Tae-gyu himself hadn’t been in the best mood lately, so he wasn’t inclined to speak kindly.
Tae-eun let out a short sigh, laced with annoyance.
“I’m talking about Seo-hee.”
“Oh, that she wants to learn the company business?”
“So you did know?”
“Yeah.”
“And you can just answer so casually?”
“What, are you scared or something?”
Tae-gyu was also wary of Seo-hee, but he didn’t show it. In fact, he looked almost amused by how worked up Tae-eun was getting.
“Scared? Who says I’m scared?”
“Then why are you so riled up? It’s just a little girl — what kind of threat could she possibly be?”
“You’re not wrong, but still, I can’t relax. Sure, we each have a subsidiary under us, but what about our kids? Are you really confident you can hand the electronics group over to Jun-young and I-soo without a hitch?”
“Of course.”
“You say that even though you know how fond Father is of Seo-hee?”
She wasn’t wrong. If Seo-hee showed even the slightest bit of promise, the balance of power would tilt in her favor. And on top of that, their secret slush-fund channel had been cut off. Things were looking bad — until Tae-eun made a tempting suggestion.
“If you’re worried, then cooperate with me.”
“With what?”
“There’s only one way to get Seo-hee out of the picture.”
“Stop circling around and say it.”
“Get her married off.”
“You think I haven’t tried? I already offered her a match with the son of Inju Trading, but she turned it down flat — said she’s not interested in marriage.”
“That’s exactly why you’re useless.”
Tae-eun smirked, curling her lips in mockery.
“Leave it to me. But if I handle it cleanly, you better pretend you don’t know anything, deal?”
Having found an ally she could count on, Tae-eun’s mood lightened a little. As long as she could get Seo-hee out of the way, she could work her way back into her father’s good graces.
Then Tae-gyu’s eyes gleamed — he’d just thought of the perfect bait to toss her way.
“By the way, not sure if this helps, but…”
“But what? Don’t keep me waiting.”
“Seo-hee seems to have taken an interest in some student from her school.”
“Seo-hee has?”
“Yeah. Some law major named Park Jae-min. Might be worth checking out.”
Let Tae-eun do the hunting — he’d just sit back and reap the benefits. Feeling smug, Tae-gyu’s voice softened.
“Let me know when it’s handled. Anyway, this dinner’s Father’s summons. Where are you and your husband going?”
“Got something to take care of. Enjoy the meal for me. I’ll be in touch soon.”
With an elegant motion, Tae-eun climbed into her car and immediately made a call.
“Madam, hello? It’s me, Tae-eun.”
At times like this, what she needed was unhesitating initiative.
The dinner table felt unusually heavy that night. It was probably because Tae-eun and Chan-sung had stormed out like that.
Tae-gyu and I-soo, along with Tae-kyung and his wife, kept casting uneasy glances at Seo-hee. Even though none of it was her fault, everyone subtly blamed her.
“You all know why I called this meeting, don’t you?”
Chairman Han’s voice broke the silence. Tae-kyung, watching his expression carefully, was the first to answer.
“Of course, Father. Isn’t this a celebration for Shinseong Construction landing the Amadan project?”
He was in good spirits — it had been a long time since he’d achieved something noteworthy. The room felt stiff and tense, but since his father had opened the floor, he could show off a little.
“Did you hear how big the deal is? Hah, you have no idea how hard I worked to land that one.”
“There really are so many different ways to talk nonsense.”
“Hyung, that tone in front of Father? Seriously? Don’t you agree, Father?”
Tae-kyung whined like a child tattling to his dad. Hard to believe these were grown men with families of their own.
“Am I wrong? Stop acting. Does anyone here not know that deal had nothing to do with you?”
Tae-gyu’s words hit dead center. Tae-kyung coughed awkwardly. No one outside the immediate circle knew that the contract had been secured only thanks to Chairman Han’s direct intervention. What was certain, though, was that Tae-kyung hadn’t done it on his own.
Even the press had only mentioned that it happened through “a lucky connection” at Shinseong Construction. As the two brothers bickered, Chairman Han set down his spoon with a sharp clack.
Having just thrown his daughter and son-in-law out, he was in no mood to watch his sons fight as well.
“I must’ve raised you all wrong. How did every single one of you turn out like this?”
He clicked his tongue in disgust. A cold wind swept across the table.
“This is exactly why I’ve said I won’t be handing the company down to any of my children.”
Both Tae-gyu and Tae-kyung blurted out at once, “Father!”
“Well, at least you two manage to agree on something for once. Tsk.”
Their mouths snapped shut at the same time.
“I called you today because I wanted to make something very clear.”
At his grave tone, every eye in the dining room turned toward him. He continued, as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
“There will be no automatic inheritance — not for my children, not for anyone.”
The two sons and their wives all looked like they had plenty to say but didn’t dare speak. They were afraid of provoking another thunderous scolding.
“That means everyone — sons, grandsons, whoever — will have the same chance.”
At that, I-soo’s eyes sparkled. It was the very thing she’d been waiting to hear — what she’d wanted most.
“So prove your ability. Anyone competent will be welcome.”
It was a move to protect Seo-hee. Without a public declaration like this, once she began to stand out, her three aunts and uncles would surely tear her apart.
Seo-hee, your path won’t be easy, the chairman thought, his gaze softening as it landed on her. She met his eyes calmly, answering silently, Don’t worry, Grandfather.
Then I-soo suddenly spoke up, her tone bold and confident.
“Grandfather, does that mean I have a chance too?”
“Of course.”
Chairman Han’s eyes shifted from Seo-hee to I-soo. She was talented as well — except for that glint of greed that filled her gaze.
Ambition in management was fine; what worried him was avarice. Someone like Tae-eun, who questioned why she should worry about the livelihood of people she paid, could never be a true leader.
“So if you want a place at the top, prove your worth first.”
He phrased it as if giving everyone an equal opportunity, but in truth, it was a stage built for Seo-hee. None of them realized it.
“Now, let’s finish our meal.”
Just as they resumed eating, Chief Oh came rushing in, apologizing breathlessly. She leaned toward the chairman to whisper something — and then, an unfamiliar yet oddly familiar voice cut through the room.
“That applies to me too, right?”
All heads turned toward the source of the voice. Tae-gyu was the first to speak.
“Han Jun-young. You little punk…”
“Wow, Dad — what a warm welcome. I missed you too.”
His short, bleached hair was scratched in streaks to form patterns, and his ripped jeans and white T-shirt only added to his delinquent vibe. His handsome face was the same as ever, but his whole look was completely different.
The boy who should’ve been in the U.S. was standing there looking like a street punk — and worse, doing it in front of Chairman Han. Tae-gyu’s blood boiled.
He shot up from his seat and strode over to his son, whispering furiously through clenched teeth.
“When did you get here?”
“A few hours ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“What do you mean? I texted I-soo.”
Jun-young’s gaze slid toward I-soo, and Tae-gyu’s followed. Flustered, she fumbled for her phone — and found a message she hadn’t checked.
Sis, just landed in Korea.
It was the kind of text meant purely to cause trouble. I-soo bit her lower lip hard. No point protesting; Tae-gyu would never believe her anyway.
“We’re eating — sit down, Jun-young.”
Fortunately, Chairman Han didn’t seem bothered. He spoke to his grandson as casually as if they’d seen each other yesterday.
“See? You’re the only one who truly welcomes me, Grandfather.”
Jun-young grinned as he sat down, his easygoing charm apparently sharpened by his time abroad.
“Uncle, Aunt — you both look great. And wow, Eun-byeol’s grown so much.”
He greeted Tae-kyung’s family, then finally turned to Seo-hee.
“Seo-hee, long time no see. You seem… different somehow. Or is it just me?”
With Jun-young’s sudden appearance, the entire atmosphere at the table shifted.
