Dowon’s thought was that just obediently following Chairman Han’s words seemed better for Han Cheolwon, but he didn’t bother voicing that out loud. No matter how much he persuaded now, it wouldn’t reach the ears of a person anxious about having his rice bowl taken away.
“Don’t get your hopes up. You know that.”
“I know, just say something for me. You understand, right? Go in quickly. He’ll be waiting.”
Dowon lightly smiled and nodded at Han Cheolwon who only let go after finishing his business. Only after confirming Han Cheolwon’s back as he hurriedly left did he dust off the sleeve that had been grabbed and straightened his appearance. When he knocked on the thick wooden door that was firmly closed three times at regular intervals, Chairman Han’s voice was soon heard.
“Come in.”
As Dowon opened the study door and entered, an unfamiliar pheromone suddenly rushed at him. Though it was Chairman Han’s, which he fully knew about and had prepared for internally, it couldn’t be welcome. That was because the pheromone that came out when an alpha deliberately checked another alpha was the kind that drained energy just by enduring that time.
Of course, Dowon also knew it wasn’t that he’d deliberately spread pheromones and called him in. Even if alphas on bad terms were in the same place, they didn’t suppress the other through pheromones. Because it wasn’t proper etiquette. The feeling now was closer to oppression felt because this space belonged to Chairman Han.
“I’m sorry for being late.”
Dowon, barely coming to his senses, went and stood in front of the large desk where Chairman Han was sitting. Though Chairman Han knew Dowon had come to stand right in front of him after finishing his polite greeting, he didn’t raise his eyes even once and was absorbed in examining the documents he was holding.
For a while, the cold air circulating in the study heavily pressed down on Dowon’s shoulders. To be precise, everything in this mansion was like that. Until he established a separate household and moved out to live, the Jaeyoung family mansion was a place where he had to thoroughly follow Chairman Han’s words.
“What about Cheolwon?”
“He probably went to work by now. Before I came in, he asked me to tell you to let him continue in the director position, so I just said I would mention it.”
Chairman Han’s attitude of looking for Han Cheolwon first even after calling him was already expected. Unless there was a really big flaw, there would be no sending away the eldest son Han Cheolwon from his position forever. No, even if there was a flaw, as long as he was the eldest son, Chairman Han would somehow create a reason for him to carry on Jaeyoung Group.
“He’s weak just like his mother.”
At the words muttered while clicking his tongue, Dowon swallowed a bitter smile inside. Dowon’s thought was that if you traced the cause of Han Cheolwon overestimating his own abilities and acting arbitrarily, wasn’t it thanks to Chairman Han’s educational method with many flaws?
“So are you going to continue meeting that actor?”
“At this point when articles have already come out, it would be stranger to end it.”
“Tsk. An actor of all the many people…”
“Thanks to that, there’s even more talk, so rather this is better. I believe I explained it.”
“Yes, if that bastard Cheolwon had only done things properly, it wouldn’t have had to be sold off as an article like this, but it became a waste.”
Chairman Han’s principle was that no matter what kind of recklessness you did with the wealth and position given from birth, you should hide it to your ability and clean it up yourself.
But when it came to Han Cheolwon’s case, the words changed every time. Far from hiding his abilities, he was given excessive power without even having the method to properly operate power, so he would commit even bigger moronic acts with that power. As a result, he wondered if it was because there was no need to use his head that he ended up doing even worse things. A few accidents during childhood even passed over vaguely as if even that showed he was of a different caliber.
They said the enraged Chairman Han had even raised his hand to Han Cheolwon, but Dowon had never confirmed it with his own eyes. When he’d entered the house, it was after a few furnishings had disappeared or cleanup had finished.
“I’m enjoying dating in my own way. Don’t be like that too much.”
Even while leisurely batting back Chairman Han’s words, it felt like a sharp blade was wriggling beneath his tongue. Chairman Han often used Dowon for cleaning up after Han Cheolwon. He never brought it up first even then. He’d just agreed on his own first to his attitude of acting as if Dowon should naturally bow his head.
He fully knew that even if he didn’t agree, the conclusion would be the same. It was a lesson learned after a few rarely stubborn matters came back to him miserably as his own responsibility.
“They say he’s recessive.”
“Did you already receive a report from Dr. Kim?”
It was an expected matter. Dowon, who answered as if it was nothing, acted as if it wasn’t a big deal. Perhaps displeased, Chairman Han’s hardened expression didn’t soften.
“What are you going to do from now on?”
“Let’s watch for a while. If we proceed too quickly, he won’t believe it either. I won’t disappoint you.”
Han Cheolwon had formed a family through a strategic marriage between companies. It was a marriage accomplished along with a merger with a company Chairman Han had been greedy for. Though it appeared to the public as if they’d married after quite passionate dating, they spread a romance story of meeting through an acquaintance’s introduction after meeting about five times, and planted a good image by publishing articles about the prospective bride preparing for the wedding.
The joyful wedding preparations of the bride filling the high-class mansion and household of a chaebol family were enough to give the public vicarious satisfaction, and items known as things she’d actually purchased continued cases of selling out. Among them, a few were items sold only at an online shopping mall operated by someone from the in-laws’ side, and they also hit the jackpot.
Jaeyoung exclusively sold monthly magazines and articles alternately. The wedding, which had only been a family matter big and small, was nicely packaged and became quite a good product. In the meantime, along with the passage of several media deregulation bills, large and small incidents of high-ranking public officials were trivially buried. The victims’ protests headed to each related department, but didn’t get very good results.
“I’ll need to do a few things while Cheolwon is away from headquarters.”
“You mean me?”
“It’ll all be necessary for you later too, so think of it as learning in advance and take charge.”
At Chairman Han’s attitude where it was obvious he wouldn’t listen to saying no, Dowon held his breath for a moment. Why did the hidden identity of the company handed over recently come to mind at this very moment? Dowon, hiding his anxiety behind a face that seemed fine and smiling brightly, readily nodded. From a position with no choice, for now he had to at least step foot in the mud.
“There’s a dinner meeting with opposition party lawmakers in a few days, so stop by there briefly too. The secretary’s office will tell you the schedule.”
“Is it related to the work you’re entrusting to me?”
Without answering Dowon’s question, Chairman Han, who had been looking at documents, had sharp eyes. There seemed to be other work Dowon hadn’t grasped in advance, but he couldn’t know for now. Breaking the quietly flowing time, Chairman Han finally opened his mouth.
“Not entirely unrelated.”
“…Director Han’s opposition will be severe.”
Until just a moment ago, it was Han Cheolwon who had shown attachment to the headquarters director position. It could become a headache if he found out work related to him was being entrusted. Actually, it didn’t matter either way. Rather, right now Dowon was closer to asking to gauge because he couldn’t precisely grasp what work Chairman Han was talking about.
Chairman Han, who had put down the documents, looked at Dowon. His eyes, not containing even a speck of emotion, were piercing.
“It’s not work that bastard will do, so he won’t say much. Even if he opposes, what you’ll do won’t change.”
“…I understand.”
“If you just keep your place well like until now, there won’t be any disappointing matters.”
Heavy pheromone filled the study again. It was pheromone flowing out because of an alpha’s nasty habit of wanting to move people as intended, not something unconsciously spread in the space. He wondered what it would have been like if he’d been a constitution not sensitive to such traits, but he couldn’t help but notice. Getting used to Chairman Han, who pressed down on people with his trait, was the only way to quickly escape.
“Yes, I’ll keep it in mind.”
Chairman Han, who had been watching Dowon closely as he nodded and answered as politely as possible, leaned back in his chair and picked up the documents again.
“You may leave now.”
At the eviction order that fell immediately after his own business was done, Dowon quietly bowed in greeting and left the study. Only after escaping from the place filled with heavy air could he finally breathe.
The mansion was quiet. For now, he could only set the direction forward after going to the company and examining what content Chairman Han had directed. Unlike when he’d arrived at the mansion for the meal, Dowon’s steps escaping while crossing the garden gained speed the closer he got to the car.
Now, it was one step away.
* * *
Muyoung, who had been blankly staring at the ceiling while blinking, barely came to his senses. Even as he raised his body from the bed, the vision that still couldn’t focus well bothered him, but he didn’t mind it. He knew that after washing up, the fatigue stuck to his eyelids would clear and it would be okay.
For several days, he hadn’t been able to get proper sleep. When it came time to close his eyes and fall asleep, his eyes would invariably open, and only after looking around for a while and confirming it was quiet could he try to sleep again. But he woke from sleep tossing and turning many times. Along with that, once his eyes opened from early hours, he couldn’t sleep after that. Naps were the same. His body just stretched out endlessly, but when he actually lay down on the bed to get even a little shut-eye, the state of rather becoming wide awake was repeating.
He wondered if it was because it wasn’t his own home. However, Muyoung sighed, recalling that even when he’d solved meals and lodging in shabby places during filming, it wasn’t to this extent.
This place, a fairly high-grade hotel room receiving quite meticulous service with bedding clean enough to rustle, solid walls with good soundproofing, and surroundings organized on their own when the time came, was convenient to use after staying for several days already, but he couldn’t get used to it at all.
