Chapter 15
by GideonBora snatched the phone from Hyewan’s hand.
“What’s so good about looking at that? Stop it. If Cha Yundo said he’d handle it, he will. Just trust him and wait.”
Hyewan let out a long sigh. There was nothing else she could do.
She drank until she’d drowned her anger and frustration in alcohol, eventually drifting off to sleep as the intoxication took hold. When Hyewan woke up, her head pounding with a splitting headache, it was already nine o’clock. Startled, she shook Bora awake, who was still asleep on the rug.
“Bora! It’s nine o’clock! You have to go to school!”
“What?”
Bora, who had bolted upright at the mention of the time, groaned and rolled over, suffering from a hangover.
“I don’t care. I’m not going. My head’s killing me.”
Hyewan felt as if someone were stabbing her temples with an awl. After taking the headache medication she kept as an emergency supply, she checked her phone.
Astonishingly, public opinion had flipped as if someone had simply flipped a switch. The posts that had been reposted by countless strangers had all been deleted.
Sewon Group’s official statement had been released through the press. It refuted Kim Jin-myeong’s claims with a detailed timeline and declared that he would be held responsible for the incident. They also made it clear that they would take legal action against those who wrote false articles and posts.
“Bora, look at this.”
“Ugh, my head hurts… What? What happened?”
Bora, who had been grumbling, suddenly remembered why she had come to the house. She shot to her feet and snatched the phone.
“Whoa, they handled this like pros. They did all this overnight?”
“I know.”
“Hyewan, this is insane! There’s even an interview with Kim Jin-myeong’s fiancée!”
“What?”
“She’s absolutely livid, isn’t she?” Bora said. “Can you blame her? What woman would just let it slide when her fiancé-to-be tries to kill himself over his ex-girlfriend? Hey, look! They’re calling off the wedding!”
Thanks to the news, Hyewan’s public image had shifted from the “worst bitch in the world” to the victim of Kim Jin-myeong’s stalking and Bae Jeong-ju’s violence.
“I never thought I’d be grateful to someone connected to Kim Jin-myeong,” Hyewan muttered.
“The woman in the article is probably even more grateful. Thanks to you, she pulled a U-turn just before her life went down the drain.”
Handing the phone back, Bora flopped onto the sofa. “I’m going back to sleep.”
“You’re already up. Just go to school.”
“Nah. Just order me some hangover soup.” Bora rolled over, signaling she was done with the conversation.
“Fine. Go back to sleep.”
Hyewan went to the kitchen and drank some bottled water from the fridge. The cold water sent a sharp chill through her teeth, and she swallowed quickly. If only I could swallow these unpleasant memories just like this, she thought.
After placing an order on a delivery app, Hyewan hesitated to call Yundo. She couldn’t imagine how fierce his struggle must have been while she slept. Just as she was about to press the call button, afraid of disturbing his rest, her phone rang as if they had shared a telepathic connection.
“It’s me. Did you sleep well?”
His voice was calm. Anyone else would have thought he’d had a perfectly ordinary night.
“I slept well, thanks to you. And I saw the article. Thank you… for everything.”
“I just did what needed to be done. The news broke that we’re dating, but I couldn’t help that. There wasn’t enough time to ask for your permission.”
“No, it’s nothing compared to all the trouble you’ve gone through for me.”
“For me, it really was nothing.”
The rumors surrounding his broken engagement resurfaced. As a breakup between third-generation chaebol heirs, it had naturally drawn immense public scrutiny. Min Sena, his ex-fiancée, had manipulated the media to make it seem like Yundo was the one at fault. At the time, Yundo hadn’t wanted to waste his energy on Min Sena. He had too many responsibilities to shoulder to spend his time meticulously debunking every lie, even while seething with betrayal. If I’d known she would come back to haunt me like this, I should have dealt with her properly back then…
For Yundo, who was set to be appointed CEO within a year or two, this incident was a critical blow.
That was why they needed to emphasize that Hyewan had broken up with Kim Jin-myeong and that Yundo was now seriously dating her.
“Don’t worry. It won’t be a problem.”
“I know. It’s all thanks to you, Mr. Cha Yundo.”
Yundo let out a lazy chuckle. The sound sent a tickle through Hyewan’s heart.
“I’ll call you again.”
The line went dead. Hyewan felt her face growing warm.
At the same time, Director Ahn, the head of the Chairwoman’s Office, handed a file to Chairwoman Kang Ok-seon, who had arrived at work earlier than usual.
“What’s the status?”
“Fortunately, the situation has stabilized.”
“Understood. You may leave.”
With a polite bow, Director Ahn exited the office. Chairwoman Kang turned to Chief Ma, her personal secretary and shadow, who was pouring tea as she reviewed the documents.
“What do you think, Chief Ma?”
Chief Ma, acting as the Chairwoman’s trusted confidante, whispered, “Isn’t this the perfect opportunity?”
“Exactly. Our ancestors must be watching over us.”
She had already told Yundo he had to marry Hyewan, but with his strong will, he would never have complied so easily. She had been trying to figure out how to make him obey, but she never expected things to fall into place so smoothly.
“Chief Ma, summon Ko Hyewan.”
“Yes, Chairwoman.”
In all her years, Chairwoman Kang Ok-seon had faced countless crises, yet she had never failed to achieve her goals. This time would be no different.
When the call came from the head of Chairwoman Kang Ok-seon’s office at Sewon Group, Hyewan had just managed to get Bora fed some hangover soup and sent off to school after a quick wash. She hadn’t even had a moment to catch her breath, but she wasn’t surprised.
She had fully expected this after the announcement that she and Yundo were dating.
In the Chairwoman’s office, Kang Ok-seon looked completely different from the woman Hyewan had seen while tutoring Yun-woo at her estate. She exuded an aura of authority and intimidation.
“I apologize for causing you trouble.”
“I understand this isn’t your fault, Teacher Ko,” Chairwoman Kang said, her gaze fixed on Hyewan’s bowed head.
“Thank you.”
“However,” the Chairwoman declared, “as the Chairwoman of Sewon Group and as the Vice President’s grandmother, I cannot allow a scandal like this to circulate.”
“So you’re saying Teacher Ko and our Vice President are dating?”
“We aren’t dating, but we have been seeing each other.”
“But Teacher Ko, you must have feelings for him, or you wouldn’t have gone along with his advances. Am I wrong?”
“That’s… Yes. It’s not that I don’t have feelings for him, but…”
“Then that’s enough. Teacher Ko, marry our Vice President.”
“What?” Hyewan asked, startled.
“Chairwoman, please wait. I’ve only just started seeing Mr. Cha Yundo.”
Chairwoman Kang waved her hand dismissively, as if it were no issue at all.
“You can date after you get married. Yundo’s mother and I have no intention of stopping you from pursuing your studies. I would be delighted to have a legal professional in our family.”
“Chairwoman, I’m sorry, but I have no intention of getting married.”
“But things have already gone this far. What else am I supposed to do? You can’t expect the Vice President to be the only one to suffer for this, can you?”
Chairwoman Kang’s question pierced Hyewan’s heart like a thorn. She already didn’t know how to express her gratitude and guilt toward Yundo.
“That’s not it.”
Chairwoman Kang gazed steadily at the restless Hyewan.
“Ms. Ko, I don’t know if the Vice President told you, but something similar happened before. It was a huge headache back then, and now that it’s happened again, do you know how difficult this is for me? The Vice President might be able to endure it, but I can’t.”
Just then, the door to the Chairwoman’s office burst open without a knock. Unexpectedly, Yundo stormed in, his face etched with fury.
“Grandmother! What do you think you’re doing?!”
Hyewan stared at Yundo, her eyes wide with alarm. But Chairwoman Kang, the very person he was shouting at, remained utterly unfazed.
“And what do you think you’re doing, coming in here and speaking to me like that?”
“Hyewan, come with me.”
As Yundo pulled her away, Chairwoman Kang’s voice trailed after them.
“Teacher Ko, you’d better think long and hard about what I said.”
“Hurry up.”
Yundo tugged her hand, pulling her out of the room. In just one day, his face had grown gaunt and weary.
“How did you know I was here?”
“How could I not know when Hot Girl is here?”
Yundo tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but Hyewan wasn’t fooled.
“I should have called you. I was trying to be considerate, thinking you’d be worried, but it was all for nothing.”
Why do I always make the wrong choice?
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