Episode 18
The abalone she just ate now felt like chewing on rubber. Ha-yoon quickly drank a glass of cold water in front of her.
She knew this meeting wasn’t going to be pleasant, but she never imagined it was to ask her to help Tae-jun marry
someone else.
‘It’s not that I don’t understand the chairman…’
She understood that it would give the chairman peace of mind if his grandson had a reliable partner by his side.
‘He wants me to give up. He’s saying it without saying it.’
Maybe he wanted to end things before they could even begin.
Then the chairman pulled out a yellow envelope and handed it to Ha-yoon. She frowned and asked,
“What’s this?”
“If you help Tae-jun get married, everything inside that envelope will be yours. It’s not a bad deal for you, so think
about it.”
Confused, Ha-yoon opened the envelope. It was full of papers. Really expensive-looking ones.
“What is all this…?”
“If you need more, just say the word. Money, buildings, land—whatever it is, I can give it to you.”
Ha-yoon bit her lip.
“I know how you feel about my grandson, Ha-yoon. I’m not blind. I know it’s more than just your brother’s friend.”
So he did know. This was what he really wanted to say.
“I don’t dislike you. You’re kind, and honestly, too good for Tae-jun.”
“Chairman…”
“But being kind isn’t enough to marry into our family. He needs someone with a strong background to support him.”
Ha-yoon sighed, like she was giving up. The chairman continued.
“So please let go of your feelings for him…”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”
Before he could finish, Ha-yoon refused. The chairman was shocked. He thought she’d be sad but would accept the
offer after seeing all that money and property.
But she didn’t even care about the documents.
“You want to go abroad? I can make that happen. Just tell me—”
“No, Chairman. That’s not the point. Even if you gave me billions, I couldn’t do this to Tae-jun. I won’t convince him
to marry someone else.”
“What…?”
“Chairman, he’s your grandson. Why would you force him to marry someone he doesn’t even want to? It’ll only push
him away from you.”
“Ha-yoon.”
The chairman called her name in a low voice, but she didn’t stop. Her hands clenched on her lap.
“You want to get closer to him, not lose him, right? Tae-jun hates being pushed into things. And he won’t back down
once he’s made up his mind. If he finds out about this, he’ll be really disappointed.”
The chairman let out a laugh, shocked. He never thought a young girl would lecture him like this.
“I want you and Tae-jun to be happy together.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because you’re the only family he has left. If even you turn your back on him, he’ll be heartbroken. I hate seeing
someone I care about suffer.”
The chairman couldn’t help but chuckle.
“So please take this envelope back. And don’t ask anyone else to help you either.”
She firmly pushed the envelope back toward him. Then he asked in a low voice:
“What if I threaten your family? Would you still say no?”
“One word from me and your brother could lose his job. I could make it so he never flies again. I could ruin your
whole family if I wanted.”
He handed the envelope to her again.
“Are you still saying no? What if everyone finds out this all happened because of Tae-jun?”
Ha-yoon looked at the envelope, then nodded.
“Yes. I won’t take it. And if something happens to my family, I’ll explain everything myself. We wouldn’t blame Tae-
jun. You know why?”
“I don’t know. I think they would.”
“We love him. My parents think of him like a son. My brother thinks of him like real family. If they knew I took this
for money without thinking about him, they’d be more upset.”
The chairman looked down at her hand on the envelope. It was shaking with tension.
“So I’m sorry. I really can’t help you. And I should leave. I can’t stay and keep eating like nothing happened.”
She stood and bowed. The chairman let out a bitter laugh, but Ha-yoon ignored it. She knew Tae-jun only had one
family member left. She wanted to respect that. But after seeing what was in the envelope, her emotions couldn’t stay
hidden anymore.
‘This is the right thing to do for him.’
At the door, she suddenly turned back. The chairman noticed and asked,
“What is it now? I thought you said everything you needed to.”
Ha-yoon swallowed hard. She couldn’t just leave like this.
“I’m sorry, Chairman… but I really like Tae-jun.”
“What?”
“Even if you threw money at me and told me to leave, even if you slapped me or threatened me… I’d still like him.”
“…Wow.”
He was shocked, but curious how far she’d go.
“You know how he is. Once he says no, he means it. I’ve tried to give up. I really did.”
She smiled at the memory of him always rejecting her.
“But I just can’t. I mean, how do you give up on someone who’s good-looking, successful, kind, and full of charm?”
The chairman laughed in disbelief. She was so bold it was almost funny.
“So who knows? Maybe one day he’ll fall for me, and I’ll become your granddaughter-in-law.”
“Goodness…”
He sighed, but Ha-yoon kept going.
“I may not be rich like that woman, or super talented yet. And right now, I’m just his friend’s little sister. But—!”
“My love for him is way bigger, stronger, and deeper than hers. So please, Chairman… I hope you can see me in a
good light too.”
When their eyes met, the chairman felt something stir inside. It was different from the first time he saw her.
Something had definitely changed.
