WD37

Chapter 37

Late afternoon, CEO’s office at Seowon Development.

Jaehyun stood by the glass window, gazing down at the city. Between the tangled forest of skyscrapers, one by one the lights began to flicker on.

Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of a small café on the street corner. It had the same cozy atmosphere as the one where he had seen Seo-eun earlier that day, sitting across from Chief Kim.

The memory of her pale face flashed in his mind.

Click. A discontented sound escaped through his clenched teeth.

VIP Security Team? This was the best they could do? His eyes turned icy.

It wasn’t just about what had happened today. The thought that Seo-eun might have been exposed to such situations, repeatedly and without his knowledge, hardened his expression even more.

Knock, knock, knock—

“President.”

Jang Tae-soo entered after knocking. His demeanor was hesitant, unlike usual.

“Speak.”

Jaehyun’s cold voice filled the office.

“The investigation on the security team is complete, sir.”

“This is my mistake. I should’ve reviewed this long before anything happened.”

“I apologize…”

“Conduct a full background check on everyone around Seo-eun. Replace all VIP security personnel.”

Jang Tae-soo looked at him in shock. It was the first time he had seen Jaehyun so uncompromising over someone else’s matter.

“Establish a 24-hour reporting system. Every detail, no matter how trivial, must be reported.”

“That might be excessive…”

“Not enough. The fact that Chief Kim was able to approach her proves there are gaping holes in security.”

Jaehyun’s sharp gaze turned toward him. Jang closed his mouth.

“Hire a new chauffeur as well. I’ll personally review the candidates.”

“But the current driver has been with you for over three years…”

“And in those three years, what exactly did he do? He couldn’t even prevent today’s incident.”

There was a dangerous edge to Jaehyun’s voice, one Jang had never felt before. Stopping him now seemed impossible.

“Do the same with the VIP hospital ward. Investigate everyone who comes in and out, and reverify the medical staff’s identities.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll begin immediately.”

“And, Director Jang…”

Jang stopped as he was about to leave.

“Seo-eun must never hear about this. She doesn’t need to know.”

Jang nodded.

Only now did he understand the weight of what today’s encounter with Chief Kim meant to Jaehyun. It wasn’t mere anger at a family matter. It was guilt at failing to protect her—and an obsessive determination that such a thing would never happen again.

When the door closed, Jaehyun turned back to the window. The sunset sky burned a deep crimson.

A week later.

Documents lay spread across the desk in his study.

“Have you decided on the chauffeur?” Jaehyun asked over the phone with Jang Tae-soo.

―“Yes, we narrowed it down to five candidates. All are former special security agents with over ten years of driving experience. Their backgrounds have been cleared.”

“Which of them have Special Forces backgrounds?”

―“Two. One from the 707th Special Mission Battalion, the other from…”

“Review those two again. Everything—from family relations to current residence.”

Jang sensed how Jaehyun’s standards were growing harsher by the day. If he wanted only Special Forces men from the start, why bother with the others? He bit back the complaint and continued.

―“We’ve also finished arranging the security team. The schedule matches Madam’s daily routine. Two-man units are the basic formation…”

“The weak points?”

―“Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. She tends to go out most during those hours, so we increased to four-man units. For hospital visits, up to six guards will be deployed.”

“The routes?”

―“We prepare her expected daily route each morning, and any changes are reported and covered immediately. We make it as natural as possible so Madam won’t feel uncomfortable.”

Jaehyun scanned the detailed placement maps in front of him.

“And the hospital ward?”

―“We stationed our people at the VIP ward. We receive real-time reports of all visitors. Anyone outside visiting hours is checked even more strictly.”

“The medical staff have all been re-verified?”

―“Yes, every doctor and nurse in the ward. No irregularities, but we imposed new restrictions.”

“Specify.”

―“Only immediate family and spouse can enter without prior approval. All others must apply 24 hours in advance. Even medical staff are forbidden from entering any patient’s room besides their own.”

“Proceed as is.”

―“We’ve also reinforced the reporting system. Hourly updates, and immediate alerts for any unusual events.”

From Jaehyun’s tone, Jang sensed something—like Jaehyun knew all this was excessive, yet couldn’t stop.

―“That concludes today’s report.”

When the call ended, Jaehyun scanned the files again—from driver profiles to guard rotations to hospital entry logs.

Everything had to be perfect. Never again would she be lured into someone else’s trap. Not even by her own family.

He closed the files. Outside, the faint lights of the mansion glimmered in the dark.

He knew he was going too far. That this suffocating control would make her feel trapped. Yet he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t risk her being shaken at someone else’s whim again.

Organizing the papers, Jaehyun let out something between a sigh and a laugh.

Wasn’t he also trying to control her now?

But this time was different. Back then, all he could do was watch helplessly. Now, he had the power—and the will—to protect her.

If this was the only way… then so be it.

“Have a safe day, Madam.”

Seo-eun, ready to leave, was escorted out by Mrs. Suwon.

“Good morning, Madam.”

At the front door, a chauffeur she’d never seen before greeted her.

“I only heard this morning too,” Mrs. Suwon whispered. “Driver Park suddenly emigrated to Canada.”

Three years of service—and not even a proper goodbye. Seo-eun felt the same disappointment Mrs. Suwon did.

He had always shown her pictures of his grandchildren whenever traffic slowed. Just recently, he had applied for leave to attend his grandchild’s 100-day celebration.

‘Forgive me for bragging too much about my grandkids, Madam,’ he would say with a sheepish smile. That memory made her heart ache even more.

“I’ll take you to the hospital.”

The new chauffeur looked much younger than Mr. Park.

“Yes…”

Until now, all her drivers had been older men. A young one felt out of place—his appearance suited some other profession more than driving.

As she glanced up, she felt his eyes flicker toward her through the rearview mirror. But when she looked, he was staring straight ahead.

Am I imagining things?

Perhaps she was just overly sensitive because of the sudden change.

Looking out the window, she remembered the day she had met with Chief Kim.

“I can guess the circumstances, so you don’t have to explain. But I’d prefer if you avoided such meetings from now on.”

Unexpectedly, Jaehyun had said he understood.

Since then, their relationship had settled back into its old rhythm. Perhaps even calmer than before.

And yet, unease lingered in her heart. Something had changed—but she couldn’t put a finger on it.

Perhaps it was simply because the deadline Han Kang-sik had given her was drawing near. The end of this month. By then, she had to decide. Time was slipping away, but she remained unmoving.

The car stopped smoothly in front of the hospital—without the slightest jolt. So different from Mr. Park’s driving. Almost unnatural, as if this skill wasn’t learned, but innate.

“We’ve arrived, Madam.”

Walking down the corridor, Seo-eun told herself her unease was groundless.

Everything was fine—Jaehyun, Jaewoo, their family. And yet, why did it feel like the stillness before a storm?

“Madam.”

A voice called out to her from behind.