“Persuade? Don’t give me that, Father. That woman didn’t just do that to his hand — she pinned the blame on him too. Do you know that?!”
Munyeong gripped his collar hard, as if to tell him to stop. Having this brought up here made him deeply uncomfortable. He shook his head and looked up at Haejeong with pleading eyes, begging him to let it go.
“Good heavens…….”
Chairman Yeon, unable to listen any further, let out a pained sound and steadied his breathing. Seeing Chairman Yeon struggling, Yeon Juhyeok fixed Haejeong with a fierce glare and stepped in.
“Watch your mouth in front of Father, would you — just a little!”
Unable to stand it any longer, Yeon Juhyeok stared Haejeong down with an incensed expression. Chairman Yeon, equally unable to listen further, collected himself with visible effort and continued.
“…For now… the family registry is out of the question. I understand well enough what you’re thinking, so starting tomorrow, come back to work.”
“……No.”
“What?”
“No.”
“……Ha. Why. Why not.”
Haejeong — capable of reducing even the gentle, good-natured Chairman Yeon to a state of disarray — truly was the problem child of this household. And that description barely covered it.
Haejeong hesitated before answering, and cast a brief sideways glance at Munyeong standing behind him. He looked at him for a moment with an unreadable gaze, then took Munyeong’s hand and held it tight. He pulled him to stand alongside him and then, with a slightly sulky expression, slowly parted his lips. Munyeong looked up at him with an expression that said surely not.
“Give us your blessing.”
“……What?”
That response had come from Munyeong’s own mouth. This — this guy… what does he think he’s doing right now…….
“…Him and me — I’m asking you to give us your blessing.”
In that moment, everyone went quiet. Even the household staff watching from a distance as if they weren’t there held their breath.
“……If you won’t say anything about us living together. If you won’t make a fuss about us dating and going around in public.”
“…….”
“If you don’t interfere — if you give your blessing — I’ll come to work.”
“…….”
“I’ll go to work, and I’ll work like a man possessed. I’ll stay late every day. I’ll listen to Juhyeok, Chayeong — whatever my brothers say.”
Haejeong spoke without a trace of a smile.
“He hasn’t… said yet that he’ll take me back.”
“…….”
“But if you give your blessing, Father, I think the odds of him taking me go up.”
“…….”
“So give us your blessing.”
Chairman Yeon couldn’t hold back a sigh at the sheer audacity of it, letting out a short, pained groan. He wasn’t opposed to the two of them in the fierce way his wife was — but he couldn’t simply give his wholehearted approval either.
“Of all the nerve, honestly—!”
At the preposterous terms, Yeon Juhyeok shot to his feet as if he were about to actually hit him. Munyeong, listening beside him, gasped and hid his face. He tried to pull his hand free, but Haejeong would not let go. His face was filled with a stubbornness that went beyond mere resolve. Munyeong felt, freshly, that all of this was Haejeong’s genuine truth, and let out a low sigh. It was truly a spectacle. A spectacle, and embarrassing, and mortifying. And yet…, and yet he always gave him a world unlike any other. The sight of Haejeong holding on — for him, because of him alone — was foolish, and…… good.
Good. I, too — I really like him. The truth is I’ve liked him so much I couldn’t stand it, and I just kept forcing it down. Because I had no right to want something like this. But Haejeong was wanting me. Because I couldn’t do it myself, Haejeong was……
“…For now — understood. I understand, but…….”
Chairman Yeon thought for a moment, then spoke warmly to Munyeong, who was standing there in silence.
“Honestly, you both know well enough that it isn’t easy for me to accept. I have no wish to stand in the way of two people who care for each other — but you have an obligation to lead this company alongside your brothers. So you must know how easy a target your situation would make you out there.”
“…That’s exactly why I asked you to strike me from the family registry.”
“Do you think being struck from the registry would make you any less a part of Baekil Group?”
“…….”
“You were born my son. You became part of the Yeon family. If you’ve lived enjoying everything that comes with that, then the responsibility that goes with it is equally necessary. Why, at over thirty years old, do you still not understand that!”
“……Then what am I supposed to do. I can’t do this without him — what do you want from me!”
“…….”
“I’ll do anything. Everything. Whatever Father asks, whatever my brothers ask — I’ll do all of it.”
“…….”
“Just give your blessing. Just don’t interfere — and I’ll… shit. Whatever. I’ll work my ass off.”
Haejeong gripped his hand even tighter, as if refusing to lose. Munyeong looked up at him carefully. Despite doing everything on his own terms, there was a palpable tension in him. He was pretending not to be, but he was wound tight. Which meant this wasn’t easy for him either. Munyeong was suddenly struck by a pang of sympathy for him in his desperation, and gripped his hand back just as tightly. He had made every excuse and run away…, but now it seemed there was nowhere left to run.
His words were rough — but at what amounted to pleading from Haejeong, Chairman Yeon kept pressing his fingers to the corners of his eyes, swallowing one agonized sound after another. As if he truly had no idea what to do with this reckless wild child, he pressed at his brow and reluctantly spoke.
“…For now.”
“…….”
“I’ll decide after I see how you conduct yourself.”
Chairman Yeon had played his last card. Forcing them apart wasn’t in his nature — but readily giving his approval meant picturing the fallout for the company’s image, and the backlash that would follow, and that was far from easy.
“……For real?”
“Yes. So starting tomorrow, show up to work diligently. If there’s any more talk of your attitude on the job — that time, even this father of yours… won’t be able to look the other way.”
“……You’re not going to change your mind later?”
At the suspicious question, Chairman Yeon’s wrinkled brow pulled tight.
“And are you not the one who changes his mind? Going on about how much you care and then turning around to someone else―”
“Never.”
Haejeong answered with certainty before Chairman Yeon had even finished. At the ferocity burning in those eyes, Chairman Yeon shifted from displeasure to a long, heavy sigh.
“Promise me. Record it. Put your fingerprint on it.”
“You little—……”
“Because you can’t go back on your word…. Actually, never mind. Call a lawyer. Yang, call Attorney Nam.”
“Can’t you do anything in moderation?”
“That’s why I need it notarized so I can trust it. Put it in writing.”
At the relentless persistence, Chairman Yeon showed his discomfort — but he held Haejeong’s gaze with eyes still sharp and clear, and answered with sweeping generosity.
“…All right. I’ll give you everything you’re asking for.”
At the ready answer, Haejeong’s suspicious face broke into a visible flush of joy. Seeing him light up so openly, Chairman Yeon shook his head with a quiet tsk and added.
“Tomorrow afternoon — come up to the Chairman’s office.”
It was his answer that he would honor the demand. Haejeong, his face wholly delighted, grabbed Chairman Yeon’s arm and confirmed it again.
“For real? Really?”
“…I said I’ll decide after I see how you conduct yourself.”
“I said I will. I said I’ll do well. I said I’ll listen to my brothers.”
“…And your mother.”
“…….”
“…Never mind. That’s enough for today.”
As if he no longer had the energy left to face his own son, Chairman Yeon shook his head with exhaustion written plainly across his face. Yeon Juhyeok’s expression was equally drained. The only one with any energy to spare was Haejeong. Haejeong, delighted as a child, suddenly pulled Munyeong into a fierce embrace. The hug, like something out of a victory ceremony, made everyone in the room freeze all at once. However exposed their relationship already was — this was far too blatant. Haejeong throwing himself into things without a second thought felt strange and unfamiliar, and Munyeong, his face awkward, glanced around at everyone else’s reactions.
