CHAPTER 08……………………………………………
After finishing everything he had to say, Geon-woo brushed Se-rin’s hand aside and rose fully to his feet.
“I have work to get back to, so I’ll be going first.”
Before she could say anything to stop him, Geon-woo quickly turned and left the café.
“…Ha.”
A stunned sigh escaped Se-rin’s lips as she stared after him for a long moment. Geon-woo’s response was completely different from what she had expected, and it seemed to leave her genuinely dumbfounded.
Se-rin immediately picked up her phone and firmly pressed the number saved as [Chairman of Ilju Group].
“Yes, Chairman. I have something I’d like to ask you.”
After an uncomfortable lunch, Geon-woo returned to his office. Sensing his presence, the secretary stood up at once and gave him a light bow.
“Sir, the Vice Chairman is waiting for you inside.”
“The Vice Chairman?”
“Yes. I told him I wasn’t sure when you’d return, but he said he’d wait until you did. He’s inside right now.”
“You already served him tea, right? Mine’s fine.”
Despite hearing that his father, Woo-il, was waiting, Geon-woo walked in unhurriedly. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Woo-il sitting on the sofa.
“What brings you to my office?”
Geon-woo took off his coat and sat down across from him as he spoke.
“The Jet Group’s only daughter—she’s back in Korea.”
“Yes, I heard from Mother.”
He had just come from meeting her, but there was no need to say that out loud.
“They seem to want to push ahead with an engagement while she’s here.”
At the exact same words his mother had used, a hollow laugh escaped Geon-woo.
“Father, I’m married.”
His reply wasn’t much different either.
“What does that matter? You’ll be divorced soon anyway.”
“Who says I am? Who said I’m getting divorced?”
As if angered, Geon-woo’s voice dropped even lower. His face tightened, and his gaze toward Woo-il sharpened instantly.
“With Grandpa handing over all the company shares, you obviously need to end things with her. How long are you planning to keep someone like that by your side—someone who’s not even on your level?”
As his son’s partner, Hana—daughter of a family that ran a mid-sized company—was naturally never good enough for Woo-il.
Back then, however, they had no choice but to follow Ilju’s wishes for the sake of the shares. And since Geon-woo, who claimed he’d rather die than enter a strategic marriage, had surprisingly agreed to marry, Woo-il had reluctantly nodded along.
Even so, Woo-il still had no intention—never in his life—of accepting Hana as his daughter-in-law.
“Get divorced. If there’s anything to wrap up, do it quickly.”
Woo-il took a sip of the coffee in front of him.
“I refuse.”
“What?”
“If you’re done talking, you should leave. I have a meeting soon, so I need to head out as well.”
As if none of this was worth listening to any further, Geon-woo stood up and headed for his desk.
“What did you just say?”
Thinking he must have misheard, Woo-il hurriedly stood and asked again.
“What about it?”
“Enough nonsense. Get divorced immediately. The big project with Seoga Foods is finished, so there’s no reason to keep this marriage going. Your mother’s arranging a dinner with Jet Group this weekend, so keep that in mind.”
Woo-il spoke decisively and turned toward the door. Then he let out a short sigh, stopped, and looked back at Geon-woo.
“I’ll take care of the press, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
“There’s no need to release any articles.”
“Why not?”
Woo-il frowned deeply, but Geon-woo didn’t seem bothered at all. With the corners of his mouth lifted, he spoke.
“Because I have no intention—ever—of divorcing Seo Hana.”
“What? You—!”
“And if you’re arranging that dinner for that reason, don’t schedule anything with Jet Group either. Unless you want things to get awkward for everyone.”
Still smiling, Geon-woo added,
“I’ll head out for my meeting now. Take your time.”
He walked past Woo-il and left the office.
“I’ll be off.”
It was an ordinary morning, and once again Geon-woo left the house first. Uncharacteristically, he even offered a gentle goodbye.
Rrrrr—
As Hana was making final adjustments to her outfit before leaving for work, her phone rang. She picked up the phone resting on her vanity.
[Vice Chairman Jung Woo-il]
Swallowing a breath that felt heavy in her chest, she carefully answered.
“Hello.”
— Oh. Hana. How have you been?
“Yes. I’ve been well. And you, Vice Chairman… are you doing well too?”
— Same as always.
“Yes…”
— Do you have time today? It’s been a while—I thought we could have lunch together.
“Lunch?”
Unlike Misook, who made her feelings obvious, Woo-il also didn’t welcome her as a daughter-in-law—something Hana had known for a long time. That was why his sudden invitation felt burdensome. Still, refusing wasn’t really an option for her.
“Yes, that sounds fine.”
— Good. I’ll text you the location. Let’s meet there.
“Yes, understood.”
After hanging up, Hana went straight to the dressing room. She rummaged through the closet, picked out a neat dress, and changed out of what she’d been wearing—trying, in her own way, to be respectful.
After checking herself in the mirror for a long while, Hana nodded faintly, her expression tense, and headed out.
She arrived a full thirty minutes early. Since it felt awkward to order ahead of time, she just sipped water while waiting. Soon, Woo-il appeared. Hana immediately stood and bowed.
“I’m a bit late. Did you wait long?”
“No, I just arrived as well.”
“What would you like to eat? The set meal here is pretty good.”
Before she even had time to look over the menu, Woo-il spoke. It felt as though she never really had a choice to begin with.
“Yes. I’ll have the set meal.”
Seemingly pleased with her answer, Woo-il smiled and nodded.
“How’s work these days? The company’s grown quite a bit—you must be busy.”
“Ah… yes. It’s all thanks to you, Vice Chairman. Thank you.”
“Well, it’s a win-win situation. Nothing to thank me for. Ha ha.”
Woo-il laughed heartily. Hana forced an awkward smile and laughed along.
“Isn’t it about time you got divorced?”
“…Excuse me?”
Divorce—she hadn’t expected that word to come from Woo-il’s mouth. Hana’s eyes widened as she asked back without thinking.
“You’ve both gotten what you needed. Is there any reason to keep up a pointless marriage?”
“……”
“Oh, but let me ask you just one thing.”
Perhaps tense under his gaze, Hana swallowed once in that brief moment.
“Do you happen to like our Geon-woo?”
“…What?”
“I know you wouldn’t dare harbor feelings like that—but I’m just asking, just in case.”
“No. To me, it’s just a strategic marriage. And Geon-woo is far too good for me anyway.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Hana waved her hands as she denied it. She had never felt love for Jung Geon-woo, and she never would.
But she deeply regretted her answer when Woo-il continued.
“Then wrap things up as soon as possible. You may have heard, but things have been going well with Jet Group lately.”
“……”
“I’m counting on you.”
Should she have said she loved him if she wanted to avoid divorce? Even if she had, he would’ve found a way to push for it anyway.
She absolutely couldn’t get divorced. And was it really true—this talk about an engagement with Jet Group?
“You know the Jet Group’s only daughter—the Jet Group princess! They say she’s dead set on getting engaged to Jung Geon-woo. She’s just waiting for things to end with you.”
The words Nayeon had blurted out excitedly just a few days ago echoed through Hana’s mind once more.
