CHAPTER 12…………………………………………..
As soon as those words were spoken, Hana’s steps came to an abrupt halt. Her heart dropped into her stomach.
“The chairman…?”
“Yes. He’s been here for a while now.”
Miju gestured toward the door. From beyond the closed door, a heavy presence could be felt. Just the faint sound of dress shoes brushing against the floor—the brief scrape alone carried an overwhelming sense of weight.
Hana pressed her lips together tightly, then quietly drew in a breath. Her fingertips trembled slightly.
It was rare for Gihun to come to the executive director’s office himself. Even though she could guess why he was here, a chill crept through her chest. It couldn’t be anything good.
He only ever called for Hana when he needed something, and every time, it came with demands that left her with nothing in return.
“…I understand.”
Steadying her breath, Hana hurried her steps.
Standing in front of the executive director’s office, the presence beyond the door became even clearer. It felt as though cold air was seeping through the cracks. With a hesitant hand, Hana reached for the doorknob.
As the door opened, Gihun’s gaze turned toward her.
It seemed Miju had already served tea; a slightly cooled teacup sat on the table in front of him. He sat there with an air of ease, but that very composure weighed heavily on Hana’s shoulders.
“You’re here. The meeting went well?”
“…Yes.”
Hana stood in front of him, unable even to place the documents she was holding onto the desk.
“What brings you to my office?”
Gihun lifted the corner of his mouth in a brief smile. There was no warmth in it at all.
“What do you mean, what brings me here? Do I need a reason to come see my daughter?”
His words sounded gentle, but the chill beneath them sent a shiver down Hana’s spine.
Gihun was not the kind of man who appeared without reason. So Hana said nothing, fixing her eyes on his lips. Until he spoke again, she wasn’t permitted any expression, any reaction.
“Sit.”
The command was short and firm. Taking a careful breath, Hana sat down on the sofa opposite him. The soft leather pressed against her back, but instead of comfort, an odd tension settled in.
As soon as she took her seat, Gihun leaned forward, as if getting straight to the point.
“There’s something urgent.”
His low voice slowly permeated the air in the room.
“You remember the overseas export project our company’s been pushing. The one aimed at Southeast Asia.”
Hana gave a small nod. The terms were familiar, but the moment he spoke them, the atmosphere shifted.
“It’s more complicated than we thought. Securing local distribution channels isn’t easy, and above all, credibility is a major issue. I don’t think we can handle it on our own.”
His tone was calm, but there was an edge to every word. Hana already knew where this was going.
These conversations always followed the same pattern: present the problem, then make a demand instead of offering a solution.
“…You need Ilju Group’s help?”
The corner of Gihun’s mouth lifted slightly.
“Smart girl.”
“……”
“Ilju Group already has distribution networks all across Southeast Asia. If we can slip into that naturally… this project is practically guaranteed. We could easily double the company’s size.”
Leaning in, Gihun looked straight at Hana.
“Ask President Jung Geonwoo for a favor. Get Ilju Group to share their Southeast Asian distribution network with us. Or at least form a partnership.”
“…Inter-company cooperation like that should go through formal negotiations—”
“Negotiations?” Gihun cut in coldly. “Hana, you’re their daughter-in-law. Is it really that hard for a daughter-in-law to ask her husband’s family to help her own?”
His voice dropped, icy and sharp.
“Besides, doesn’t President Jung listen to you?”
“That’s—!”
“I know everything. He acts cold on the outside, but he’s never once refused you when you asked for something.”
“……”
“You know it too. Why you married into that family in the first place. It was for cooperation between Seoga Food and Ilju Group. Giving our company the solid backing of Ilju Group—that was the essence of this marriage.”
Hana bit her lip.
It was true that Geonwoo had helped her before. When she asked for work-related data or advice, he’d been distant, but in the end, he always helped.
But those were small things. Large-scale cooperation between companies was a completely different matter.
“And yet, has there been even one proper collaboration so far?”
Gihun sighed and continued.
“Other than keeping up appearances—headlines after the wedding, the two families meeting on holidays—what has there been? Business-wise, there’s been no synergy at all. Just that one project at the beginning.”
“Chairman…”
“That’s why I told you to have a child already. Tsk.”
Annoyance dripped plainly from his voice.
“…Even so, something this big isn’t something I can just bring up casually. Sharing a Southeast Asian distribution network is a project worth tens of billions. This isn’t something that can be settled with a personal favor—”
“Exactly.”
“……?”
“That’s why I’m telling you to make it work. By whatever means necessary.”
His words fell cold and heavy.
“…….”
“When we launched the new product line last time, didn’t you receive special support from Ilju Group affiliates’ distribution channels? Any other company would never have gotten that kind of consideration. And that was ordered directly by President Jung himself, wasn’t it?”
Hana couldn’t say a word.
Because it was true.
Geonwoo had helped her—quietly, wrapped to look like a perfectly ordinary business decision.
“Bring it up with President Jung. Over dinner, or when you’re alone at home. Set the mood yourself and explain it well. Tell him how important Southeast Asia is to our company, and that it’ll be difficult without Ilju Group’s help. Coming from you, do you really think he’ll refuse?”
“…What if he does?”
At Hana’s trembling question, Gihun’s expression hardened.
“There is no ‘can’t.’”
His voice dropped even lower. The color drained from Hana’s face. She knew all too well what he meant.
“Get me an answer by next week.”
Without another word, Gihun left the office. The sound of the door closing echoed unnaturally loud.
The moment she opened the front door and stepped inside, exhaustion crashed over Hana, and she let out a deep sigh. The familiar interior came into view, but the softly lit living room felt strangely unfamiliar.
He had said he couldn’t pick her up because of an external meeting, but it seemed it had ended earlier than expected—he was already home.
“You’re back?”
Geonwoo, who had been sitting on the sofa looking at something on his tablet, lifted his head to look at her. Hana forced a smile and nodded.
“Yes. You’re home early.”
“Yeah, the meeting wrapped up sooner than I thought.”
Geonwoo returned his gaze to the tablet. Hana set her bag down on the sofa and headed to the kitchen.
She tried to calm herself with a glass of water, but Gihun’s words kept circling relentlessly in her mind.
