# Chapter 49
If someone who had never helped in my life suddenly appeared and deliberately tried to torment me, I wouldn’t just sit there and take it.
It didn’t matter if that wasn’t his intention.
I told him not to, and he ostentatiously smoked his cigarette.
As I went outside, the executive secretaries followed.
“You’re requested to come back inside.”
“I have no reason to go back in.”
“It’s the Chairman’s order.”
“Am I the Chairman’s servant?”
They couldn’t forcibly drag me, so they just fidgeted anxiously.
The first day I visited my grandfather.
That’s how I returned.
The next day, I received consecutive calls from Noona and Hyung. Hyung couldn’t stop laughing, asking if it was really true.
Noona didn’t laugh openly like Hyung, but she found it gratifying, while my uncle seemed quite embarrassed.
One good thing was that many people were shocked by the incident, and rumors about me spread in my favor.
In the Seyoung empire, going against Grandfather was like throwing yourself off a cliff.
Because of this, people seemed to think I had given up on the succession battle and felt they had been too concerned about an insignificant youngster.
However, things didn’t go as they expected.
Grandfather summoned me again.
* * *
I was quite curious about how people reacted when they heard he had called for me again.
Many people in both his direct and indirect family lines considered it a great honor just to visit his mansion.
I made various excuses, wondering why he was bothering to call someone like me when he should be calling people who enjoy being summoned.
Later, Grandfather arranged things so that no excuse would work, and at that point, I had no choice.
When I arrived at his mansion, Grandfather was out in the garden, but when he saw me coming, he put his hands behind his back and went inside.
Perhaps because I had no expectations, seeing him like that didn’t upset me.
Following him into the building, people guided me to a reception room.
Having been there before, it didn’t feel particularly new.
As I sat down across from where he was sitting, Grandfather glared at me.
“Impudent bastard!”
Then he took something out from his pocket and slapped it down on the table with a thud.
It was a cigarette.
“…”
“You could just not smoke. Just don’t smoke!”
“…”
While I was staring blankly at the cigarette, wondering why he was making such a big deal out of this, he shouted even louder.
“You insolent brat! Such an impudent bastard. You embarrass someone like that? Was it really necessary for a young punk like you to treat your grandfather that way?”
What…
Why are you doing this to me?
Honestly, I didn’t understand this situation at all.
Who got angry first, and now he’s saying that to me?
If I just stayed silent, I would end up being the perpetrator, but I couldn’t allow that.
“I don’t know what change of heart you’ve had, but I don’t understand why you’re acting like this. There’s no need to treat me this way. Just… don’t call for me. That would solve everything.”
“Insolent brat. Insolent brat!!”
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t speak to me so rudely. I have no reason to hear such words from the Chairman. I’ve never asked for anything from you or expected anything. I’ve lived as if you were a stranger to me, and I haven’t lacked anything by doing so.”
“So you’re saying you want to hear an apology from this old man? Fine. What should I do? Should I get on my knees?”
“…”
Honestly, I didn’t understand why this person was suddenly causing such trouble.
“You take after your father.”
That was the most disorienting thing I’d heard so far.
I tried to pretend I didn’t care, but I couldn’t.
A person I don’t even remember.
Why was he suddenly bringing that person up?
Did he think he had the right to talk about my father?
When I glared at him in anger, he seemed to flinch.
Had he ever received such a look from anyone in his life?
As I looked at him, memories I didn’t want to think about suddenly surfaced.
The person who kidnapped me.
Wasn’t it Grandfather who sent that man?
At first, I was just going to stay quiet.
Thinking things might have changed.
Even if he had acted that way before because he didn’t know me, now Grandfather must know something about me, so in the meantime…
Did I think that in the meantime, affection might have developed where there was none before?
Why am I here?
What am I hoping for and expecting?
I thought there was nothing to expect and tried to just ignore it, but I realized that enduring Grandfather treating me as if nothing had happened was harder than I thought.
How could someone be so shameless?
How on earth.
I tried not to look at him by lowering or turning my head, and Grandfather seemed displeased with my behavior.
No. Rather than that.
Should I say he seemed hurt?
That was ridiculous, but he really seemed that way.
“Everyone leave.”
At Grandfather’s words, some people hesitated, clearly shocked.
Seeing their reactions, this seemed to be a very exceptional case, but it didn’t matter to me.
“I said leave.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
When one person spoke and left, the others followed.
Grandfather let out a small sigh and then spoke.
“I should have seen you earlier. If I had known you existed, you wouldn’t have been alone and suffering for such a long time.”
“You seem to think I don’t know anything… but there’s a limit to how much I can tolerate just because you’re my grandfather.”
“What do you mean?”
I couldn’t hold back anymore and shouted, as I hadn’t expected him to speak like that.
“I’ve been pretending not to know until now because you’re my grandfather and, even though you’re not related to me, you might have been important to my father at one point, but this is too much.”
“What… I asked what you meant. What are you talking about!”
I glared at him.
Thinking that if he was going to speak like that, there was nothing I couldn’t tell him.
“I know that you tried to erase my existence to secure the management succession. I also heard that you had me kidnapped to establish my uncle as your successor and to ensure that arrangement wouldn’t be shaken!”
I had tried not to reveal my emotions, but I reached my limit.
“What are you talking about!”
Every time I saw him, I felt that his booming voice was not easily imagined considering his age and build.
That’s why when he commanded like that, everyone standing before him would bow their heads and tremble.
The absolute ruler of an empire.
A tyrant who could raise or destroy the great empire called Seyoung with a single word and manipulate countless people.
That was my perception of him.
But why was he making a hurt and confused face, which was absurdly inappropriate?
Well. It didn’t matter.
“Just… don’t call for me. I thought seeing your face would be okay, but I was wrong. Even facing you is difficult. It’s too much. I don’t want to see you, Grandfather.”
“…”
He made an expression of incomprehension.
He seemed to think it was nonsense.
I couldn’t understand his behavior either.
Just as I was standing up, thinking there was no connection between us anymore, his resentful voice held me back.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I mean that I can’t understand anything you’re saying. Who on earth told you such things? Who!!”
“…”
There was nothing I couldn’t answer if asked.
Yoon Sehoon, Director of the Seyoung Group’s Future Strategy Division.
I still clearly remembered what he told me when he came to find me.
However, I didn’t want to trouble the person who had helped me by revealing his name, so I kept my mouth shut.
I was also worried, belatedly, that he might be in danger just from what I had said.
With Grandfather and his organization, they might be able to find out who told me that story.
“You should tell me, Kang Seomin. What kind of bastard would… And kidnapping? What does that mean? When did such… How dare someone. Are you alright!!”
His hands were trembling now.
It was strange at first, but I soon changed my mind.
Thinking his acting was top-notch.
I forcibly turned my gaze away, thinking that to climb from the bottom to where he was now, he’d need to be at least that good.
“I asked what that means. Kang Seomin. Answer me!”
“It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m not concerned about it, and I barely remember it anyway. So, Grandfather, please don’t bring up that incident anymore.”
“…!!”
He wouldn’t back down.
“Even if you won’t tell me, I can find out. I’m saying there’s no need to waste time like this.”
“I don’t know what you want to hear. I was told that Grandfather worried about my appearance affecting the succession plan, so he had me kidnapped and tried to erase my existence. Now you’re acting as if none of that ever happened, so what should I do? Should I just think that Grandfather had nothing to do with it? Is that what I should think?”
He stared at me intently, unable to speak properly.
