Chapter 148: A Heavy Story

TL: Aniea

Kim Seok-ho’s antique personal office. There were three people inside.

One of them was, of course, the owner of the office and the chairman of Mirae Group, Kim Seok-ho. Behind him stood his exclusive secretary, Butler Kim.

Lastly, the person sitting across from them with a hardened expression was none other than Kang Woo-ju. He spoke with a smile on his lips.

“Have you been well? Chairman.”

“Thanks to someone, I had quite an enjoyable time.”

“I’m glad to hear it was enjoyable.”

Tsk tsk-

Seeing Kang Woo-ju respond without hesitation, Kim Seok-ho let out a chuckle as if he found it amusing.

“I didn’t think you’d actually pull it off.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“Did it sound like a compliment?”

“Yes. To my ears, it clearly sounded like, ‘I knew you’d do it’. But if there’s been a misunderstanding, please correct me.”

“...You’ve become even more sly in the meantime.”

Tsk tsk-

Clicking his tongue lightly, Kim Seok-ho pulled a cigarette from his pocket and placed it in his mouth. At that, Kang Woo-ju naturally took out a lighter and lit it for him.

“So. Jin-hyuk... No, was it Eun-ha’s parents? You asked me to tell you who killed them?”

“That’s right.”

Kim Seok-ho jumped straight to the point without any preamble, and Kang Woo-ju accepted it as if it were only natural.

Sss- Hoo-

As silence briefly settled in, the smoke from Kim Seok-ho’s sigh-filled cigarette slowly filled the quiet room.

One, two.

With each cigarette crushed into the ashtray, the wrinkles on Kim Seok-ho’s forehead deepened, as if he were aging with every puff.

“This will be a heavy story. Do you really have to hear it... No, I suppose I don’t need to hear your answer. Very well, where should I begin?”

“It would be best if you could start from the beginning.”

“Sorry, but that’s not really my style. I’ll lay it all out and go straight to the conclusion. The person who killed Eun-ha’s parents does not exist in this world.”

“......!?”

Kang Woo-ju’s eyes widened, as if this was the one thing he hadn’t expected. Seeing him, Kim Seok-ho continued speaking with a bitter smile on his lips.

“Don’t tell me they’re already dead...?”

“No, it was truly an unfortunate accident. Something akin to a natural disaster, something no human hand could control. Only the granddaughter barely survived.”

“.......”

It was such an unexpected answer that Kang Woo-ju couldn’t easily accept Kim Seok-ho’s words.

How much had he agonized before coming here? He had even considered the possibility that Kim Eun-ha’s enemy might be Chief Baek or Team Leader Kang.

Whether he knew how confused Kang Woo-ju felt or not, Kim Seok-ho kept on smoking one cigarette after another as he continued his explanation.

“Still, what we saved was only the granddaughter’s frail body, her mind remained trapped in that incident. Eun-ha needed a new reason to live.”

“And that reason was revenge?”

“There was nothing else quite like it.”

Kim Seok-ho nodded calmly. At last, Kang Woo-ju realized what choice the chairman had made.

The chairman had created an imaginary figure, ‘the enemy who killed her parents’, as the driving force for Kim Eun-ha, who had fallen into despair, to rise again.

“Whether it was unfortunate or fortunate, Eun-ha lost most of her memories from before the incident. The doctors called it a defense mechanism... Well, thanks to that, orchestrating everything wasn’t too difficult.”

“Even so...”

“Do you think I should have just stood by and watched? Even if she’s the child of my disowned son, how could I ignore a child looking like she was on the verge of death?”

“.......”

Once again, Kang Woo-ju couldn’t come up with a proper response. He had thought he had prepared himself not to be shocked, no matter what he heard before entering this room.

“Honestly, it’s hard to believe....”

At this point, there was no reason for Kim Seok-ho to lie to him. Kang Woo-ju swallowed his words and paused.

How should he react to this situation? Even he couldn’t figure it out.

A subtle bitterness where slight emptiness and relief coexisted. Kang Woo-ju mulled over it for a long time.

‘...Maybe it’s for the best.’

Kang Woo-ju organized the situation in his head and thought to himself. If the enemy had been alive, Kim Eun-ha would have stained her hands with blood in one way or another.

It was also for the purpose of preventing such a situation from the start that he had boldly proposed a deal to Chairman Kim Seok-ho.

Of course, how Kim Eun-ha would react upon learning the truth was a completely different story.

“So, do you feel relieved now?”

“I must have overeaten.”

“Tsk tsk. You shouldn’t gulp down unfamiliar food like that.”

Whoosh whoosh-

With a light joke, Kim Seok-ho waved his hand in the air to scatter the cigarette smoke. With that, the heavy atmosphere became a little lighter.

“So. What will you do now?”

“Do you mean about what?”

“Don’t play dumb. No matter how clever you are, you’re still in the palm of my hand. It’s obvious what you were planning to do once you found out the enemy’s name.”

“As expected of the chairman.”

“Enough, you brat. No need for flattery at this point.”

Shoo shoo-

Waving his hand again as if to say “cut it out”, Chairman Kim Seok-ho gestured in the air. Kang Woo-ju gave a wry smile in response.

“What do you think I should do?”

“You’re asking me that?”

“Since your wisdom reaches the heavens, and I am aware of my own shortcomings, I believe it right to ask honestly and receive guidance.”

“Then start by getting rid of that creepy way of speaking.”

“How could I dare?”

“Aing... tsk tsk.”

Clicking his tongue in disapproval, Chairman Kim Seok-ho nevertheless had a faint smile on his lips. He dusted off his knees and stood up, saying,

“You don’t need to worry about Eun-ha.”

“I never said I was.”

“Heh. You’re a terrible liar for someone who claims to be an actor. Eun-ha is not so weak as to need your concern. She’s a child who’s inherited my blood more strongly than anyone.”

“You mean....”

Knock knock-

Kang Woo-ju’s words were abruptly cut off by the sound of a knock. A secretary entered the room cautiously, checking the mood, and spoke.

“Kang Woo-ju nim. You have a visitor.”

“Excuse me? Me?”

Kang Woo-ju blinked and pointed to himself with his index finger, and the secretary nodded with a blank expression.

Kang Woo-ju furrowed his brows in confusion. After all, the place they were in was Chairman Kim Seok-ho’s private office.

It wasn’t like a guest had come to see the chairman and asked them to leave, so the idea that someone had come all the way here just to meet Kang Woo-ju didn’t quite make sense.

“CEO Kim Eun-ha is looking for you.”

“Ah....”

Hahaha-!!

Finally realizing the answer, Kang Woo-ju let out a sigh, and Chairman Kim Seok-ho, watching him, burst into loud laughter that seemed to shake the room.

“See, you brat. I told you there’s nothing to worry about.”

“No, this is....”

“Go on now. I’m not exactly a man with time to waste. And next time you come, don’t show up empty-handed, bring a decent bottle of liquor or something.”

“...Understood.”

With those words of dismissal dropping heavily over his head, Kang Woo-ju had no choice but to bow his head, dragging his heavy steps as he finally exited the chairman’s office.

Click- Click-

Just then, Kim Eun-ha, who had been waiting at the door, strode forward with her signature confident high heel sound.

“Woo-ju ssi.”

“Eun-ha ssi. What brings you here....”

“Oh my, your tie’s crooked.”

Ugh-

Cutting off his words, Kim Eun-ha grabbed his tie and pulled it tight. At the pressure tightening around his neck, Kang Woo-ju instinctively held his breath.

Then, as if she knew everything, Kim Eun-ha gave a rose-like smile, thorny and sharp, and said,

“Shall we talk about the details at home?”

“...Alright.”

Lacking the courage to refuse, Kang Woo-ju obediently nodded. Kim Eun-ha, as if she had finished everything she came to do, turned her body without even saying goodbye to the chairman.

***

“Chairman, are you truly alright with this?”

“What wouldn’t I be alright with now?”

“I hope it’s just my overthinking, but I’m worried the young lady might fall into despair upon realizing the truth.”

“Hehehe. Butler Kim, it seems you’ve aged just like me.”

Right after hearing the news that his granddaughter had taken Kang Woo-ju and left the mansion, Chairman Kim Seok-ho held back a laugh as he looked at the worried expression on Butler Kim’s face.

He leaned back on the sofa with a feeling of relief he hadn't felt in who knows how long and said,

“There’s no need to worry so much. Eun-ha, no matter what anyone says, is the one who inherited my blood most strongly. She probably has some idea about her own past.”

“...The young lady certainly possesses excellent intelligence, but a person’s mental strength isn’t always as firm as we’d like to believe, is it?”

“That’s true. But there’s a reason we’re called human beings, isn’t there? When things get tough, we’re able to endure by leaning on someone else.”

“Do you mean...!?”

Upon hearing Chairman Kim Seok-ho’s words, Butler Kim’s eyes widened. It was practically the same as acknowledging Kang Woo-ju as Kim Eun-ha’s partner.

“What’s so surprising? You’ve already been calling him ‘young master’, haven’t you? If nothing else, I have to trust your judgment, Butler Kim.”

“Still, I didn’t think you’d accept it this easily.”

“At the very least, he’s someone who keeps his word.”

Butler Kim said he had accepted it easily, but in truth, the idea of a rookie actor sweeping the Best Actor awards was absurd to begin with.

That alone was proof of talent and effort unmatched in his field, on par with the best.

And more than that, it clearly showed that he was the most closely connected to that ‘heaven-ordained relationship’ the two of them had once talked about.

“More than anything, the look in his eyes was sincere.”

Kim Seok-ho recalled Kang Woo-ju, who had been sitting across from him just moments ago, raising the corners of his lips as if amused.

He didn’t know what Kang Woo-ju intended to do after learning the identity of Kim Eun-ha’s supposed enemy.

But one thing was clear, he had made up his mind to handle it in his own way. Even if that enemy had turned out to be the chairman of Mirae Group.

“Even Chief Baek never dared to show such an arrogant look in front of me. Compared to those half-baked fools, he’s far better, don’t you think?”

“I’ll refrain from commenting.”

“Your face already said it all, so why bother.”

Tsk tsk-

Seeing the soft smile hanging on Butler Kim’s lips, Kim Seok-ho laughed pleasantly.

“No matter what kind of punk shows up, our granddaughter will always be too good for them, but still, if he’s an actor recognized by the world, he barely makes the cut.”

“Here it is.”

“Ah, thank you.”

As Chairman Kim Seok-ho habitually fumbled through his inner pocket, Butler Kim handed him a cigarette he had already prepared in advance.

Pause-

Just as he naturally brought the cigarette to his lips, Chairman Kim Seok-ho suddenly stopped.

“What’s wrong, Chairman?”

“Maybe it’s time I quit smoking?”

“......!?”

“Seeing that shocked look on your face confirms it. Yes, I really should quit smoking now. At least I want to live to see my great-grandchild.”

Hmm-

With a regretful expression, Chairman Kim Seok-ho crushed the unlit cigarette in the ashtray, and Butler Kim, watching him, quietly smiled.