Chapter 55
by Gideon“Hyewan almost got kidnapped today! And they tried to do it inside the hospital by bribing a nurse! Are you all just going to let that senile old hag run wild? Do you really want to end up in prison?”
Bora’s words came out in a relentless torrent. She was just as furious as the day Hyewan had been transferred.
—Sigh… The Chairwoman is truly… Ugh, I’m sorry. I’ll make sure this never happens again.
“Please, I’m begging you to make sure of that! If you have any shred of pity for Hyewan, keep that old woman away from her!”
Bora slammed the phone down, still shouting. Even then, she couldn’t calm down. How could people be this awful?
I’ll have to ask Dad to hire a bodyguard.
[ On behalf of my senior, I apologize once more. I’ve already contacted the security team and will send a guard today. They’ll be disguised as a patient, so your sister-in-law won’t suspect a thing. ]
Lee Dong-yeong is actually competent when it comes to work.
After all, what did this man do wrong? Cha Yundo is the problem!
“Ugh, I’m so furious!”
Bora downed glass after glass of cold water.
Ever since Chairwoman Kang’s sudden raid, Bora had visited the hospital every single day, staying awake all night. Even when Hyewan told her not to, it was useless.
“Ko Hyewan, I’m here.”
Today was no different.
“You’re the one who’s going to collapse, not me. You’re practically working yourself to death.”
“I’ll handle my own health. Just look at this. Cha Yundo’s side has expressed their willingness to settle. They’re offering to do whatever we want, as long as we don’t take this to court. What do you think?”
Hyewan agreed. She couldn’t bear to see Yundo’s face.
“Let’s end it like that.”
“Got it.”
Bora, who was reviewing the alimony details in Hyewan’s place, gasped in shock.
“Hey, hey! Hyewan, look at this!”
“What is it?”
“Cha Yundo gave you a building in Seocho-dong! This wasn’t in the settlement agreement!”
“What?”
Stunned, Hyewan took the document Bora handed her. It was the title deed for a building with two basement levels and five floors above ground.
“I know this building,” Bora said. “It’s a prime piece of real estate, right in the middle of the Supreme Court, the registry office, and the police station. There’s never a single vacancy here.”
Hyewan’s hands trembled. Anger, not gratitude, surged through her.
“Just take it,” Bora said, her tone purely pragmatic. “He’s offering it to you. Why refuse?”
Hyewan had always been a pragmatist herself. She believed in taking the best deal possible when a situation was irreversible. But this was different. It felt like he was trying to pay her off with a building—to settle the debt for the inhumane things he’d put her through. The thought infuriated her.
Hyewan sent Yundo a message.
[ I have something to say. Come to the hospital tomorrow at 10:00 AM. ]
After sending the concise, emotionless message, Hyewan looked at the deed again. She fought the urge to tear it to shreds. She was even angrier because she knew exactly what Yundo had been thinking when he sent the settlement agreement and the deed.
He must have wanted her to live freely, doing what she loved, without ever being corrupted by money.
Just like Min-suk, Yundo only wanted her happiness.
His sin was remaining silent even after learning about Chairwoman Kang’s plan. He was a man who didn’t believe in superstitions; he had married her simply because he loved her. She also knew he’d kept quiet because telling her wouldn’t have brought her any joy. She understood his heart and thoughts all too well.
Hyewan buried her face in her hands, her body trembling with anguish.
She could understand Yundo, but she couldn’t forgive him. The fury of being used as a mere object by Chairwoman Kang was an unbearable burden.
There was a brief gap in time after Bora, who had stayed up all night, left and before Min-suk arrived.
It was exactly ten in the morning.
Yundo, punctual as ever, opened the hospital room door and stepped inside. He wore black trousers and a shirt, with a coat draped over his shoulders. He didn’t go to work.
His hair, which he always kept short, now brushed against the nape of his neck.
His once-healthy face had grown gaunt. Seeing him look as tormented as she felt stirred a simultaneous wave of pity and pleasure.
After a brief exchange of glances, Yundo broke the silence.
“How are you feeling?”
“What is this?”
Ignoring his question, she pushed the manila envelope from the nightstand toward him. Yundo approached slowly, took the envelope, and set it back down at her feet.
Hyewan’s brow furrowed.
“Alimony.”
His flat tone sent a surge of anger through her.
“A whole building as payment for six months of being used? That’s quite generous.”
“I’ve included the contact information for the accountant and the building manager. I’ve already arranged for this month’s rent to be deposited directly into your account.”
“Cha Yundo, do you really think this settles everything? Oh, right. I guess giving a prime piece of real estate to a penniless scapegoat means you’ve paid the price in full. Am I wrong?”
Yundo’s dark eyes locked onto hers.
“Your words are cheap.”
His voice was lower and darker than the night.
“Because I can’t give you my whole heart.”
A profound sorrow laced his calm tone.
“I can’t help you. I can’t protect you.”
A surge of heat rose from the depths of her chest. Forcing herself to calm down, she spoke coldly.
“I don’t need your help. Just give me what’s listed in the complaint.”
Yundo’s expression twisted in anguish.
“My grandmother—no, Chairwoman Kang—might stand in your way. She could torment you and your mother even more viciously than Kim Jin-myeong did.”
“I figured as much. I’ll handle it myself—”
“You can’t.”
He cut her off.
“Don’t you get it after all she’s put you through? You can’t win against Chairwoman Kang. She’s a cruel woman who finds your weakness and exploits it.”
And Hyewan’s weakness was her poverty.
“Hyewan, get your act together. Don’t let her use you. Be smart.”
“You…”
Hyewan felt like she was suffocating.
He pulled a white envelope from his coat pocket.
“Stay here after you’re discharged.”
Finally, Hyewan snapped.
“I don’t want it! Take it back!”
“Keep up with your rehabilitation, even if it’s hard.”
“Cha Yundo!”
“I’m leaving.”
“Cha Yundo, you bastard! Take this back!”
Despite Hyewan’s screams, Yundo left the hospital room without looking back. After the door closed, only her ragged sobs remained.
Min Sena was sipping tea in the living room.
She usually spent her mornings lounging in bed, then went shopping or played golf in the afternoons. But the bitter cold had lingered for days, keeping her indoors. She had a few social gatherings scheduled, but they all seemed like too much effort.
I guess I’m getting old, she thought, feeling stiff and sluggish. Maybe a half-bath would help.
Just then, her older brother, Min Se-hun, walked into the living room. He should have been at work.
“What are you doing here at this hour?” she asked.
“What are you doing at home?” he shot back. “Don’t you have any friends?”
Se-hun swaggered over and flopped onto the sofa. Their father had hired a tutor—a former butler to the British royal family—to teach them the graces of high society, but it had all been a futile effort. The siblings hadn’t retained a single shred of the refinement he’d tried to instill.
“Don’t act like a thug. It’s so… unrefined.”
“Hey! We’re both equally unrefined, you know?” Min Se-hun, two years older than Min Sena, cut her off.
“If you had any class, you wouldn’t have slept with your fiancé’s friend, would you?”
Min Sena was furious, but she couldn’t argue. He was right. Her lack of virtue—or rather, her abundance of too much passion—had cost her her place in the line of succession. The price for her poor choices wasn’t a one-time payment. She had to pay it in full at every critical moment of her life.
“Hey, Min Sena.”
“What?”
“About Sewon. President Kang Deok-ho seems to be on the verge of taking it over. Do you know anything? Let’s see if we can get a piece of the pie.”
“Sewon Group was founded by Cha Yundo’s grandfather. Why is President Kang Deok-ho trying to take it over when there’s a perfectly good heir in the family?”
“Don’t you know? After his wife got hurt and he lost his child, Cha Yundo lost his mind. They say he barely shows up to work. There are even rumors he’s getting a divorce. Have you heard?”
“Divorce? Cha Yundo?”
That couldn’t be right.
“The Risk Management Team will handle it,” Min Sena replied, trying her best to sound unfazed.
“Exactly! The fact that everyone in this industry knows about Cha Yundo’s situation means the Risk Team isn’t moving. Why is that?”
“Why?”
“Chairwoman Kang is distracted, and Cha Yundo is out of his mind. If a house is left without a master, will a thief break in or not?”
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