Chapter 14
Smile Again
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
At the sound of the voice beyond the door, Gunwoo stepped into the study.
Though his face was hard and expressionless, there wasn’t a hint of nervousness in him.
Chairman Ha sat behind a large desk made of fine wood, reading documents through a magnifying glass. Gunwoo walked forward and stopped right in front of the desk without a word.
It seemed the chairman was used to Gunwoo’s lack of greeting. He merely lifted his head slightly to glance up at him.
“What brings you here? It’s rare for you to seek me out first.”
“You already know why I’m here.”
At Gunwoo’s calm tone, Chairman Ha leaned back in his chair, a glint flashing in his eyes.
“Which part are you talking about? The fact that the woman you rushed off to after taking that call turned out to be the fiancée of DH Memory’s heir? Or the part where you went to a hotel suite together?”
“You left something out. The fact that this news reached Vice President Ha and Executive Director Ha. Oh—except for the hotel part, of course. Unfortunately, they don’t have a capable secretary like Chief Choi to report everything happening across the company.”
“Ha.”
Chairman Ha let out a dry chuckle, staring at Gunwoo as if at a loss for words.
“So then, why have you come to me at this late hour?”
“I need your approval.”
Gunwoo opened the file board he’d brought from the office and laid it neatly on the desk for the chairman to see.
But Chairman Ha didn’t even glance at it. His eyes remained fixed on Gunwoo.
“Why should I sign this?”
“Because it’s part of my deal.”
“Your deal?” Chairman Ha’s tone hardened. “A deal only works if both sides get something of equal value. Even if you are my son, I don’t do business that costs me more than it’s worth.”
“I can assure you, Chairman—it’s a deal that benefits you.”
“And why is that?”
Chairman Ha’s sharp gaze narrowed, as though he were trying to read the younger man’s thoughts.
“Because my condition is this: include me in the successor competition you’ve been waiting for.”
“Not very appealing. Mainly because I’ve never said I wanted such a thing.”
“You should have said that before you threatened to leak information about me to the media if I didn’t join Seodo Group. Unfortunately, this time, the upper hand is mine.”
Chairman Ha gave a short, incredulous laugh. Then, finally, he looked down at the papers.
As he read, his face stiffened more and more, until his eyes lifted with an unmistakable flash of displeasure.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
“It means I’m not going to the U.S. branch.”
“You’ll be condemned morally for this.”
“Oh, please. That’s nothing new. As long as the results are good, you’ve never cared if your hands get dirty—so long as it isn’t your own, even if it’s your son’s.”
Chairman Ha frowned at the direct and mocking tone.
“You’ve become quite insolent. What if I change my mind?”
“You can’t, even if you want to.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because you have no alternative. Unfortunately, your two sons—my brothers—are still living their pitiful excuses for lives. They’re a headache for both you and me.”
“Mm.”
The chairman groaned quietly, as if acknowledging the truth of it.
“So what is it you want, then?”
“Your power.”
Chairman Ha looked at Gunwoo wordlessly for a long time, sharp as if trying to pierce through his core.
Gunwoo met that gaze with cold indifference.
“And your goal?”
“Everything that stands in my way.”
“I see.”
The answer was vague, but the chairman didn’t ask further. He could already sense the unshakable resolve burning behind Gunwoo’s eyes.
It was no longer the look of someone who’d been dismissed and ignored—it was the look of a sharpened blade.
And that blade would cut down anything that blocked his path, without the slightest hesitation, even if the target was bound to him by blood.
“For now, go to the Culture Division.”
“Understood.”
Gunwoo immediately recognized what the chairman meant, just as the older man had understood the true purpose of the proposal without needing a word of explanation.
Bowing briefly, Gunwoo turned and left the study.
The moment he stepped out, his dark eyes gleamed like steel.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
As Yeoul stepped out of her apartment, she froze in place at the sight of Gunwoo smiling gently at her.
No—she didn’t just freeze. She turned to stone.
Did I… die again?
For a second, she wondered if traveling back in time had all been an illusion born from death itself.
Because the Gunwoo standing before her looked almost exactly like the one she’d seen on the news right before she died.
“Gunwoo… senior?”
“You look really surprised.”
“Oh, a little… yes.”
Yeoul tried to play it off, forcing an awkward smile, but in the end, she simply admitted it.
She couldn’t exactly say that she was shocked not because of his changed appearance, but because she was afraid her return to the past had been nothing more than a dream.
“I’ve decided to start living properly from today.”
“…?”
“I have something I need to protect.”
His cryptic words made Yeoul blink in confusion.
But he said nothing more.
“What are you doing here…?”
It was still early enough that dawn hadn’t fully broken—a time when no one had any reason to be standing outside someone’s apartment.
“Heading to school.”
He said it casually, stepping closer. Yeoul watched in disbelief as he reached behind her to take her cello case off her shoulder, his movements so natural it startled her.
He handled it carefully, almost protectively, opening the back seat of the nearby car and placing it down as if it were something precious.
“Get in.”
He opened the passenger door and stepped aside politely.
“You’re not seriously here to drive me to school, are you?”
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do the most.”
“What…?”
The answer was so unexpected she couldn’t help but ask again.
But he only smiled faintly and shrugged, offering no further explanation.
“You have practice, right? Let’s go.”
His voice carried a warmth that wrapped around her like sunlight.
Yeoul quickly looked away from his smiling eyes and slipped into the passenger seat.
Smile again…
Was he always this kind of person—someone who smiled so easily?
Watching him now, it felt as though he’d always been the type to laugh often and gently, and yet she couldn’t help but wonder—was he still the same Gunwoo she knew?
Or was this someone else, wearing his face?
“Seatbelt.”
When he suddenly leaned in, Yeoul’s breath caught in her throat.
“I-I can do it myself.”
“I want to.”
“But still…”
He was so close their faces nearly touched. Yeoul opened her mouth to say something—anything—but no words came out.
She couldn’t say I don’t like it, because she didn’t.
And she couldn’t say please take care of me, because that didn’t fit either.
So she simply froze, unable to breathe or move.
“There.”
“Th… thank you.”
Just as quickly as he’d approached, he withdrew, walking around the hood and getting into the driver’s seat.
“I’m starting the car.”
“Okay.”
Only after hearing her quiet response did he start the engine.
The car rolled out of the apartment complex and onto the road in silence.
Yeoul turned her head to watch him drive.
He really did change overnight.
The Gunwoo she knew used to hide half his eyes behind his bangs, always giving off a gloomy air.
But now, his neatly combed hair swept back to reveal his sharp features—he almost looked like a completely different person.
And yet, he also looked strangely familiar—like the man she’d seen on the news just before she died.
He was wearing a ready-made suit yesterday… why is it different today?
Gunwoo had never worn luxury brands in front of her. Until she saw him on the news for his success in the U.S. branch, she’d never once imagined he belonged to a chaebol family.
Wait—this brand…!
