Chapter 9
“Oh my, you came without even contacting us.”
Manager Na of the Daein Welfare Foundation, where Inhye was the director, brightened when she saw Seungwoo.
Even to Manager Na, it was obvious that Seungwoo had the kind of physique and face that made all women’s hearts flutter. Even aside from that, he was the son of the person she served, so she had to do her best.
Seungwoo barely acknowledged Manager Na and got straight to the point.
“Where is my mother?”
“She just stepped into a schedule meeting for a moment. Would you like something to drink? Coffee?”
“No, thank you.”
With a cold tone, Seungwoo walked over to the window of the reception room.
His feelings were complicated the entire way here. She was his only family, and he had always tried his best to give her what she wanted. But now, it felt like he was finally seeing the end of it.
“Oh, you’re here?”
The door opened, and Inhye’s voice followed.
Seungwoo slowly turned toward her.
“You didn’t even have a drink while waiting. Manager Na.”
“I said I was fine. Please sit.”
Still speaking coldly to the smiling Inhye, Seungwoo sat in the chair across from her.
Manager Na soon prepared two cups of coffee, set them on the table, and left the room.
“You came all the way here even though you’re busy. If you had something to say, you could’ve just called.”
Gracefully lifting her coffee to her lips, Inhye looked at her fully grown son with proud eyes. Afraid he might grow up weak, she had raised him strictly on purpose. Now, he had grown into a man anyone would envy.
His abilities and looks were flawless. The only regret was his marriage. If only that had gone well, the successor position would already be secured.
Even now, just thinking about the wedding made her stomach churn. But since he was doing well at work, she was barely holding back.
“Did you check the British Prime Minister’s visit schedule? We can’t lose this one. What’s the point of building the state guesthouse with such effort if we keep missing our turn?”
After taking a sip of coffee, Inhye got straight to the point.
Seungwoo didn’t respond. He just gulped down the bitter coffee in silence.
“I heard the reception when the Chinese ambassador visited last time was terrible. Well, what can you expect from TK Hotel? The name sounds fancy, but there’s no substance.”
Still, Seungwoo said nothing.
Only then did Inhye realize how irritated her son was. Crossing her legs, she lifted the corners of her lips.
“How’s work? You must be very busy these days.”
“I believe I already told you.”
At that moment, Seungwoo finally spoke, slowly continuing,
“Not to contact her.”
He didn’t say who, but Inhye knew exactly whom he meant.
He had always done whatever she asked. Even after growing up, though he was no longer obedient, he still fulfilled her wishes.
The first time he ever defied her after becoming an adult was because of that woman. That damned marriage—if she had known the bride was her, she would have opposed it until her dying day.
“My, you’re being so hurtful. Can’t a mother-in-law even contact her daughter-in-law? What kind of family is that—”
At that moment, Seungwoo stood up.
Thinking he was leaving without letting her finish, Inhye looked up in surprise. Then, with a heavy thud, Seungwoo dropped down.
Only a moment later did she realize what had happened.
Seungwoo was kneeling in front of her.
“I’m asking you.”
His posture showed submission, but his eyes did not. Instead, they were eyes that crushed the other person, leaving them unable to breathe. Inhye could only stare, mouth open.
“If you have something to say, contact me. If you can’t reach me, go through the secretary’s office. Even if I’m busy, I’ll respond within a day.”
Inhye swallowed hard.
There had been a time when he was her child in her arms. A son she loved enough to want to pluck the stars from the sky for. Now, he was unimaginably far away.
“How can you… speak to me like this…”
“Isn’t it because you’re my mother that I’m asking this way?”
As Inhye’s face twisted, Seungwoo furrowed his brow as well. As if to say he had already done more than enough.
“This is my final courtesy for giving birth to me. But if you ignore my warning again, there will be no courtesy left. I’ll quit the hotel and disappear somewhere no one can find.”
Inhye’s face went pale.
“So while I’m still here, please listen to me. That will make things easier for you as well.”
Seungwoo stood up.
As if nothing had happened, he brushed off his pants and turned away.
“I’m busy, so I’ll be going now.”
Inhye stared blankly at the closing door.
I thought I raised him well.
No. That wasn’t it.
I raised a monster.
Closing her eyes tightly, Inhye shook her head. Her head throbbed as if stabbed by needles.
“Take time off?”
Minjeong stared at Yoonseo with a bewildered expression.
She had said she had something to talk about, and now she was asking Minjeong to take two months off in the middle of this busy period.
“I want a break too. But wouldn’t I just get scolded for taking leave when we’re already short-handed?”
“That won’t happen.”
Yoonseo said firmly.
“I’ll take your place.”
“What?”
“Just take two months off. I’m experienced, and it’s only been a year since I stopped working. I remember everything, and I know the current projects to some extent. So you can go travel somewhere comfortably.”
Because Yoonseo sounded so determined, Minjeong asked cautiously,
“Did you talk to the president about this?”
“No.”
Yoonseo shook her head at Minjeong’s stunned face.
“The leave is something you want, and I just happened to meet you, hear about it, and decide to fill in. That’s how it needs to be conveyed.”
“What is this nonsense again?”
If Yoonseo said she and the president had already talked, Minjeong could accept it—after all, she was his wife. But instead, Yoonseo wanted it framed as Minjeong’s request.
“Does that make sense? You won’t even tell me why, and I’m supposed to take the fall? You know what kind of person President Jung is.”
Minjeong lightly slapped the table and stood up.
“Seriously, I shouldn’t have met you. I thought we’d just catch up after all this time, and now you’re saying something ridiculous?”
At that moment, Yoonseo looked at Minjeong with a pitiful expression.
Her eyes were filled with tears, ready to spill at any moment.
Minjeong shook her head.
If you look at me like that, I can’t refuse.
In the end, Minjeong sat back down.
“Fine. At least tell me why. Why are you trying to do something this absurd?”
“I can’t say right now.”
“What?”
Minjeong was Manager Han’s subordinate. Yoonseo trusted her, but there was always the possibility of something going wrong. Letting out a quiet sigh, Yoonseo continued.
“I’ll tell you everything later. I promise. But right now, it’s difficult. One thing is certain—what I’m trying to do is not something bad. So please, think of it as saving a life, and at least bring it up. I’m begging you.”
“Then you say it.”
“I will. But it’s more effective if we say it together. You really want the leave, and I really want to work. Even President Jung wouldn’t be able to go against us then, right?”
“Then you say it. You’re his wife. Why does it still feel like you see him only as ‘the president’?”
Because that was the truth.
Yoonseo smiled faintly, staring emptily into the air.
“Well… habits don’t disappear easily. It’s not easy to see someone you treated as your boss as your husband.”
“But you married him because you liked him. Wouldn’t he grant you a small request like this?”
Liked him.
That he married her because he liked her.
Why they married was still a mystery, but one thing was clear—he didn’t marry her because he liked her. What kind of man treats a woman he loves like that?
“Oh, and since the leave isn’t your decision alone, I’ll cover the salary you won’t receive. I’ll add a generous bonus too.”
Yoonseo took an envelope out of her bag.
“And this is the advance.”
“Yoonseo.”
She wasn’t short on money. Seungwoo had put plenty into her account and even given her a card with no limit, so she would never feel small anywhere. It was very much like him.
“If you need more money, tell me. I’ll do as much as I can.”
Minjeong frowned.
“No, it’s not that I need money…”
Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
Yoonseo pushed the envelope closer.
Money wasn’t the issue for Yoonseo either. A person’s life was on the line.
“Please. Okay?”
Only then did Minjeong take the envelope.
She hesitated, then looked inside to check the amount. Her eyes widened.
“Yoonseo… you really…”
“Don’t feel pressured. All you need to do is ask for the leave. That’s it.”
“This really isn’t something bad, right?”
“I told you it’s not. Do I look like that kind of person?”
Minjeong shook her head.
No matter how overwhelming the workload or how difficult people were, Yoonseo had never spoken badly even once. No wonder her nickname in the secretary’s office was “the upright one.”
Even when everyone was exhausted, Yoonseo had been the one encouraging her coworkers.
She couldn’t possibly have bad intentions.
Minjeong nodded slightly, as if steeling herself.
She had actually been in need of quick cash lately because of her troublesome older brother, who had borrowed from loan sharks after his business failed and was now on the brink of divorce.
“Then, Yoonseo.”
With a completely changed expression, Minjeong spoke.
“Could you possibly give a little more?”
