Secretary General Kim opened the door and glanced back at Seo-in, who stood behind him.
Most people who entered this room wore a consistent expression — a kind of uniform composure. The pressure of meeting Chairman Kwon was no different for any company president or executive.
Hardened eyes and a tense set to the mouth. Yet they would lift their chin in a show of forced confidence and step inside with an awkward posture.
But as Park Seo-in gradually drew closer, none of that could be found in him. Snow-white skin, fine brows, and lips that stood out against it all. His suit was immaculate, not a single detail out of place. If anything, he appeared calm — almost too calm — without even a flicker of strong emotion crossing his face.
“Chairman Kwon, I’ve brought Park Seo-in as you requested.”
Following Secretary General Kim, Seo-in stepped inside. Chairman Kwon, seated at the head of the sofa, shifted his gaze. The deep creases at the corners of his eyes were pronounced.
For a long moment, a suffocating silence occupied the room.
How much time passed? The Chairman’s weighty voice broke through the stillness.
“Have a seat.”
Thud.
Having been given permission, Seo-in walked over at an unhurried pace and settled into the long sofa. An attendant who had entered behind Secretary General Kim set teacups before Chairman Kwon and Seo-in, then withdrew.
Even then, Chairman Kwon’s gaze remained fixed on Seo-in — with an almost relentless persistence.
“You’ll know who I am. I called you here because I have a few things I’d like to ask.”
He had been observing Seo-in from the moment he entered.
“Gi-jeong said he would introduce you to me himself, but the older you get, the harder it becomes to be patient.”
Chairman Kwon leaned back against the sofa. Had it not been for his connection to Kwon Gi-jeong, this was someone Seo-in would never have had the opportunity to meet. The Chairman had expected that alone to unsettle him.
It was only natural. Even men older than Seo-in found it no easy thing to have a private audience with Chairman Kwon.
And yet — the lips of Seo-in, who had been quietly listening, parted.
“Where Gi-jeong and I met… is that the sort of thing you mean?”
Secretary General Kim, standing at the Chairman’s side, gave a slight start. It was difficult to believe those words had come from Seo-in. Even Chairman Kwon, who had been speaking freely up until a moment ago, was no different — his eyes sharpened, as though something had struck precisely at his mark.
“Yes — I’ll start with that. Where did you meet my Gi-jeong?”
Chairman Kwon repeated the words that had come from Seo-in’s mouth almost as if echoing them. The background investigation on Seo-in’s family had already been completed, had it not?
What Chairman Kwon wanted to know was less about Seo-in’s background and more about how on earth he had managed to capture his son Kwon Gi-jeong’s heart — how he had changed the mind of a man who had refused to listen no matter how many thousands of times the Chairman had urged him to marry.
“Gi-jeong attended the same school as my older brother.”
Among the alphas who had drifted past Seo-in during the time he spent cleaning up after Park Beom-yeong, there had been many. Kwon Gi-jeong was among them — but there was nothing particularly notable about their connection.
Honestly, Seo-in was curious too. Just what was it that had made Kwon Gi-jeong accept him as a marriage partner? Of course, there was no one who could answer that question for him right now.
“And in doing so, you caught Gi-jeong’s eye and came to meet him.”
Seo-in glanced down briefly at his wristwatch. The slight motion caused the envelope in his hand to make a faint rustling sound.
Gi-jeong will be here soon.
He had been through something like this before. And it wasn’t difficult to anticipate even in broad strokes.
In the past, he had been so overwhelmed that he’d had no room to spare a thought for the time — but this was something obvious, even without thinking it through carefully. They were inside the Yeonbaek Group building.
From the entrance, those who recognized Secretary General Kim had bowed in greeting. So many people had seen Seo-in arrive here. It would have been nothing for that to reach Kwon Gi-jeong’s ears. It was only a matter of time.
Seo-in raised his head. He opened his mouth to speak, directed at Chairman Kwon, who had been studying him with searching eyes. He had wanted to exchange a bit more personal conversation to build a sense of trust — but.
There’s no time.
He had to get his message across before Kwon Gi-jeong arrived.
“I know this may seem presumptuous, but there is something I urgently need to say to you, Chairman.”
“Go ahead.”
“Gi-jeong will be here soon — would it be possible for Secretary General Kim to buy some time at the entrance?”
“Gi-jeong is coming here?”
Chairman Kwon asked, as though he couldn’t quite believe it. When he was the one summoning Gi-jeong, the man wouldn’t even show his face. It was only after sending Secretary General Kim down personally and making a show of dragging him in that the Chairman might catch a glimpse of Gi-jeong’s expression.
“It’s because of you, then.”
Chairman Kwon studied Seo-in’s careful expression and averted his gaze. Secretary General Kim had served Chairman Kwon for many years. Without a word being spoken, that alone was enough — Secretary General Kim turned, opened the door, and left.
“Now, then. Say what you have to say. What is it you want to tell me about Gi-jeong?”
“What I have to say concerns Lady Go Eun-ju.”
She was Kwon Gi-jeong’s mother. She was currently suffering from a rare illness that had come on suddenly.
Yeonbaek Group had acquired a pharmaceutical company and even established a research institute, pouring an astronomical sum of money into various research endeavors.
Those were the circumstances that were visible from the outside. Behind the scenes, Chairman Kwon’s desperate efforts to save Go Eun-ju by any means possible were ongoing. And yet, as of now, there was no known way to save her.
It was for that reason that Chairman Kwon had been pushing Kwon Gi-jeong — ultimately, to fulfill even her modest wish. Go Eun-ju’s wish was simple. Only that, before she died, a good match would appear for Kwon Gi-jeong — and that she could see it with her own eyes before she closed them for the last time.
“……”
The expression around Chairman Kwon’s eyes turned harsh. Never once had he been left speechless by another person. And yet, at Seo-in’s unexpected words, a cold current moved through him.
“She can be…… saved.”
Seo-in placed the envelope he had been holding on the sofa table. On its surface, the Horim Savings Bank logo was embossed. He slowly slid it toward Chairman Kwon.
Chairman Kwon looked down at the envelope placed before him. He hadn’t anticipated any of this. That Go Eun-ju’s name would come from Seo-in’s lips — let alone this……
It had already been several years since Go Eun-ju had been unable to return to the estate. She had been confined to Yeonbaek Hospital as one year turned into another, unable to leave. Go Eun-ju’s illness was not something that could be easily cured.
“Are you mocking me right now?”
“No, I’m not.”
Rustle.
With no more time to waste, Seo-in picked up the envelope. He reached inside to pull out the documents within. They were startlingly thin — barely any thickness at all.
Bang!
At that moment, the door flew open as though it had been kicked in.
Seo-in’s head turned back. As the closed door swung open, Kwon Gi-jeong stepped in. A necktie sat against the dress shirt that covered his broad shoulders. Whether he’d come straight from work, he wasn’t wearing his suit jacket.
“……”
In the past, there had been no one to stop him — so the door had never been thrown open with such force. Behind Kwon Gi-jeong, Secretary General Kim came rushing in after him. He had done what he could to hold him back. He must have given his best effort to delay Kwon Gi-jeong, even if only for a moment.
Kwon Gi-jeong’s eyes narrowed to something almost unsettling. He crossed to where Seo-in stood — envelope still open, hand still inside — and grabbed his arm without hesitation. Pushed by the force of it, Seo-in’s legs rose of their own accord.
Kwon Gi-jeong’s words poured out toward Chairman Kwon at the head of the sofa.
“Father. I’m certain I said I would introduce him to you myself. If you had simply waited with a little patience, I wouldn’t be making such a disgraceful entrance right now.”
Seo-in’s legs stumbled as he was pulled along. He was no match for Gi-jeong’s strength. His body was turned around, arm still caught in Gi-jeong’s grip. He was led out of the Chairman’s office alongside him.
Secretary Lee was waiting in front of the elevator. Kwon Gi-jeong stepped into the elevator that had just arrived. Seo-in looked down at the arm still held in his grip.
Secretary Lee followed them in and began deliberating over whether to press the button for the first floor. But the light for the 47th floor came on. It was Kwon Gi-jeong who had pressed it. That was where the Executive Director’s office was. A suffocating silence filled the elevator.
Secretary Lee had heard through word of mouth that Secretary General Kim had personally escorted someone here. At the time, he had thought little of it — assumed it was simply one of the many who came to meet with Chairman Kwon.
