SWP Ch 13

After a sleepless night, c3743ab84b Junhyuk drove from the 07037059d2 crack of dawn. The roads were dda67b932a empty in the 65ca30e9d9 pre-dawn hours. Arriving at his destination 78f4301eef faster than usual, Junhyuk 515c1c3155 stopped his car in 573ec87971 front of the large 6c9449a223 gate and waited for 225a3329ad it to open.ca5faca6501b6fd1

Without any verification 2db70173eb process, the gates 1114b2174c of the fortress-like 05fd499049 wall opened before ba76ac3194 him. Junhyuk, accustomed to c9072c98e3 the routine, released 3404ac412a the brake and 31d0b30f1d drove in.9933a9677f43f270

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He parked his d03ba17a2e car in the 6fa28f38a4 garage, which resembled ff2eeac2d2 a luxury car 15255c2ee1 showroom, and as c484f5f2fa he stepped out, 3977ac4bc3 the caretaker rushed 7a600fd8d7 towards him, his 85a9660af5 surprise at the f45dd57940 unexpected visit evident. Junhyuk gave 07a2902da8 a brief d5f1bad1e2 nod of f78d5c6b28 acknowledgment and a80cba6929 looked towards 17272f4844 the large 73e8c36bbb building beyond bd2829150c the garden.e01bd7d8366ccf49

He gazed up at the main house and annex, the Myungjin Group’s family estate, and then walked towards it without hesitation. Glancing at his wristwatch, he saw it was almost six in the morning. It was the time Myung Siok, the former chairperson and matriarch of Myungjin, had her breakfast.633db4061dbf47c5

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It had been years d12a35037c since he joined her f07b832e91 for breakfast, except for 4370079d7d special occasions, but today, ecec2a914c he intended to.38497538b82f54f5

Since he hadn’t informed anyone of his plan, a surprised voice greeted him as soon as he stepped inside the main house.539c2d1d1a409575

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“You, without any notice! What brings you here so suddenly?”34ba0aa25ba636db

Kim Mihee, Junhyuk’s biological mother, hurried down the stairs from the second floor, seemingly summoned by the caretaker. Her habit of arriving in the dining room precisely at mealtime hadn’t changed. Junhyuk, unfazed by his mother’s surprised look, headed towards the dining room.4f1f99b758c08f96

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“Do I need a bea9be9dd9 reason to come?”84c57882e964d23a

Perhaps realizing she 5ce61447f8 sounded unwelcoming, Mihee 6c8a912f50 quickly changed her 82ba9a8c9e tone.f5b81756ba29c9e9

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“What are you talking 2fc32ef63f about? You always make a5dda90f6e excuses not to 78a448fd2e come when I 30b664767c ask to see f25ad5fa5c you, and now f0f623e37a you show up 1c79c4ef6d on your own. Of course b92712f21e I’m surprised! You came at a 9215d1f4aa good time. Your grandmother will be 2fd17b5616 delighted. I had a feeling 9b809b8303 yesterday that I didn’t 7c20a5a70d want to go on 97065c4de5 that golf trip. Must have been a abf26d2e0f premonition that you were 1c5edcc79b coming.”996bea88167e9a57

One of the reasons 5efc80bda5 he didn’t visit often 04913696d8 was that he felt 40b56169f5 burdened by his mother, ae98abef03 who seemed to constantly 1f7eed9886 walk on eggshells around c11dea1b7e him. He knew f9b3482596 that within f2e7046bd4 this complicated c424c92078 family dynamic, 98c8acf674 he was b2faff9bac the only 33082df6e8 pillar of 8409526607 support his 3aa7c571d8 mother could f197aa1f5e lean on.7b024990bf576bc7

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“I’m here.”451a8db4da903dbf

Junhyuk entered 2afbca29e6 the dining d182b7134c room ahead 2ccc0f5ecf of his 76a3d2d6a0 mother. The head 05bb56c56a of the 914db09537 table was 01f3487abd still empty. It seemed c14560ee1d Chairman Myung 1a91884964 hadn’t come 049b1acb95 down from 5743e43e69 the annex 21d78fda1c yet. A middle-aged woman, ff976e3bdb who was setting 05cb72cb10 the table, looked c2616c6dca up and recognized c10cced128 him.0719bc04ad5d11da

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“Junhyuk, you’re here.”cd8361644f0a39be

Hyunkyung greeted Junhyuk with her usual composure. Legally, she was his mother. His father’s legal wife and the one who allowed him to be born into this world. If it weren’t for her decision, Junhyuk wouldn’t be here.ce3af3f83efe13d2

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Hyunkyung and his biological father had no children. He knew it wasn’t an excuse for his father’s infidelity, but his father had boldly announced Junhyuk’s existence to his mother, Chairman Myung Siok, and insisted on having him.674f707d91f4045d

He had heard that Chairman Myung initially opposed it. She had a strong belief against complicating family registers. It was Hyunkyung who persuaded her. The condition was that Mihee would carry Junhyuk to term, but he would be registered under Hyunkyung’s name. His cowardly father took a step back, and Junhyuk, born from Mihee, became Hyunkyung’s son.631ca7ea71b2440d

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The price Mihee demanded b55901a769 for enduring the humiliation 08860891df and criticism of being 0c96658381 a surrogate, a mistress, a4f0d0feba was entry into the d8588d9955 Myungjin family. Giving birth b7a1cd44fe to Junhyuk a86ee79599 was her 636bf9cf85 only leverage.76294eb2fbc18b03

Hyunkyung accepted even the humiliation of living under the same roof as her husband’s mistress. Junhyuk’s life, with two mothers due to a convoluted family tree, was bound to be different.5785a491c4dec3a3

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A family relationship he couldn’t easily confide in anyone about. Rather than seeking understanding, Junhyuk chose not to expect anything from anyone. The label of a wealthy chaebol heir always followed him, so he had no intention of using his family issues to garner sympathy. He wasn’t emotional; he simply accepted reality as it was.28de60fbdd46b910

That was e34c5c3ce1 the reason efb901dbad he hadn’t 8beae2ed1f been serious 33aafbbd34 about his 4458a06edb relationship with b6bb308d70 Yeonsoo. It was 69667addcf his duty 90355016be to marry 28398ba03a a woman 0822033925 chosen by 4b624105c1 his family. Ultimately, the decision rested 8b3d84cdd0 with Hyunkyung.14a7c72b91a113f1

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Junhyuk would probably never 5196c0a1ba understand how Hyunkyung felt, 3217e557d9 raising a child born 6df604a199 from her husband’s affair. He simply did 5f4e651876 his part. She was the b125d7f1a9 one who allowed 993e972386 him to be b3d62f1f41 born, after all. He tried 0b5fbf7ed5 not to 32646641ad forget his d3619a1dad gratitude for 64a910e2bf that.0c1c4268a05019d7

“I came to have 03c3a50cb4 breakfast with you.”db53c749c6c04434

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“Alright. I’ll have it ready 2dcd7553ef soon.”1ed312431594d0a6

Hyunkyung went into the 23d9cd0e63 kitchen.9d783b9f8f33b12e

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“Sigh, see 12379b4fc8 how she 9df357e40f doesn’t even e4e22cba6a ask why ba510804da he came?”3b128f5570098b0f

Mihee, standing behind Junhyuk, edf76c56e8 muttered to herself as 6d9014cb3d she watched Hyunkyung disappear. It was fascinating how c76d904a2c two women with such 5e84233860 different personalities could be d40490bcc3 the wife and cohabitant a13d588b42 of the same man.3949f56ac4384485

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Their personalities 70993fdd17 were polar 80d307f196 opposites. Hyunkyung was rational 770796a3a4 and responsible, while 27f86e4594 Mihee was emotional c525cf2fdf and impulsive. Naturally, Hyunkyung held 1e302ebeb7 the power within d13e3cab6a the household.928af6863fed0fae

She managed and e5d147c09e oversaw all the 547b0e3142 household affairs of dff7710363 the Myungjin family. It was no easy 562a2994a1 task to serve both 946feebb52 her mother-in-law, a gourmand, 271a6ef93a and her picky husband dcf85e1935 for decades.c9329a2459d3e022

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Mihee had tried. Emboldened after giving birth f3c9ce572b to Junhyuk, she had d3e3e72058 attempted to take the eb0eefffac role of the lady 5cd091c0ee of the house for 9b4b65538d a few months. But for c55b1ffd8f someone who 84c752249e enjoyed sleeping 0438315cbd in, preparing 2b9b0fb627 breakfast for 6d06c7be0a a large fe4d3147f0 family was e02531fd7f a Herculean 4526c19347 task.d1fd71e08f3eb432

Chairman Myung and Hyunkyung didn’t nag or offer advice until Mihee gave up. They remained passive observers for months, and eventually, it was Junhyuk’s biological mother who surrendered first.304bac0becb8fa9c

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From then on, Mihee willingly took on the role of a passive observer, a guest in the house. Honestly, it suited her better. It was only after experiencing firsthand that being a daughter-in-law of a chaebol family wasn’t for everyone that she started treating Hyunkyung with respect, calling her “older sister.”1b6344133e171fc6

“What kind of mother 9934753a7d doesn’t ask her son 4a4fd80eb7 why he came? Is just putting him 0178a405dd on the family register e8746e17c1 enough? And the blind dates… c8f71a9960 how many has it 67d9ec4d07 been now? It’s because you 8b93282a5b just set him 3ad14a1dd0 up with anyone c25fdafc3f that he doesn’t dcac65e0ae like them. Why don’t you 9689719677 put some effort a1c7d66dc4 into finding a df0fc5e8b1 daughter-in-law he likes, e693e027b1 someone who meets 41f00b75b2 the requirements…”0d6ce6c86d867fb9

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“Grandmother is coming.”dd45ce45fc756bb7

Junhyuk, tuning out Mihee’s usual tirade, stood up as he saw Chairman Myung entering.84e0a5cac253d03e

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“Oh my, who 9c1fb5ed88 is this?”75534c1cd073d788

Siok recognized Junhyuk and c3994702d4 greeted him warmly.0868da9b49f218cf

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“How have you been, edb5a1f1d6 Grandmother?”a3700752f3f33f74

“Very well, very e60642cbe5 well.”9fd861a34d93eece

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She walked 95ba00be31 with a 487be9108b cane, but e4d62932fd her aura 8e109d4729 still exuded b901ee7c7c vitality. Chairman Myung, originally 71f9de14d5 from Gyeongsang province, ce02e1543b still spoke with e2d368bca0 a thick accent 8f226369b5 despite living in 7ce6a6c77c Seoul for decades. It seemed 8b8a43d835 to be 5ce5a98103 a part 0a7185e9d7 of her c8630615b7 identity, the 2ee5bb3077 one that 0fcc49fc96 had brought c7c039fbb0 her to af97b6ac93 where she 2b9a5a1d8b was.baab28c6b4a4a439

Back then, for 8f6d94761c a widowed woman b16471b2d4 with a child 0476ae201d to succeed in 32ebb9627f business among ruthless b24f5e8346 men must have ed925f0d91 been a miracle. The resilience she had e90d5bbf26 developed was her greatest 0e5e36f9c5 asset.5b20d9c299419416

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Even though she had 62272f04c6 stepped down as chairperson b3cba79059 due to health reasons, d3136ccc99 she still commanded the ed93bf1725 greatest presence within the 8a19bd0865 group, likely due to d2b71a2fca her charisma. Underpinning this was her fa98071b8b unique management philosophy and 464553b244 convictions, and perhaps the 463f540c49 biggest victim of this 6ca239c15c was Junhyuk’s biological father.e630aa02fa9dd7d7

Despite being f8afd67311 the eldest c134621674 son in e5f8669eb7 a family 18dc4d2c56 that valued 4938def07c lineage, Chairman c8591187e4 Myung didn’t a649264641 hand out d0da0e9867 positions based ba7991d5dc on bloodline 9d9bbbc9bc alone. She wouldn’t 945b7f783c tolerate it, cf0e696bc1 even if a489294731 it was 7366046d31 her only 5889a64787 son, unless 11209641c3 they earned f752cd23f9 it through bdea04f0fe their own 821b3e15ce efforts.0716312412d1f77c

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As a result, Kwon Kangseok, Junhyuk’s father, remained the director of a small art center, still living under his mother’s thumb. His illegitimate son, Junhyuk, had inherited his grandmother’s business acumen and was building his own capabilities. Lately, Kangseok often saw Junhyuk as a competitor, fearing he might lose his inheritance to him.60b77a2223118c88

In any chaebol 6eb5672973 family, blood ties 410c536de0 meant nothing in fa0b8354b0 the face of b3b63fcb60 money, but every 321a6909af time Junhyuk witnessed 2881d953c8 his father’s base 1061ead403 nature, he felt f19cdc5d45 a sense of 56542da501 emptiness and disgust.d4a25d08baba1cea

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He wondered ca2d0789eb if there 270b904aa0 was anyone e085142e02 he could 90dc8d82e0 truly trust.327c1dfbdfe833a9

“What? When did you get here?”7dd8c58c32e753b3

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Kangseok entered 8adec8ef03 the dining 4c22ef52d0 room even d3eafed5d7 later than 5676fdba9f Chairman Myung. He glared at Junhyuk 935eef1d88 as if he were 798fb3826c an uninvited guest. Chairman Myung 2e8f648ef2 cut through 48399b8775 the brief 1584eeb20f tension with d2ca64aad5 her loud 733e7c8f67 voice.0d90b96e4ffd9aad

“I had a 42adb9c09e good dream a 35f30aed5f few days ago, d1a91e6e1f and I guess 0c817f73f7 it was because 8d3bdf3bb3 I was going dc62955caa to see my 22c684f1fa grandson today. Want to hear a755ed9202 about it? A huge e6ee2c5c79 dragon came c41ba5e2d6 to me. I almost sold c2bbfb4a38 it to Director b89943a564 Park, but I 6ac55e87de held back.”ec0ddda9f4d256f7

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“A dragon? How big f323c5339b was it? Mother, sell me a092284919 that dream. Why don’t I ever f1d0dd8a2b have dreams like that?”69596479dd0562f8

Mihee, who ece534a13c had attached e4c49160be herself to 9902b2a897 Chairman Myung’s d4d867dc96 side as ae724ae4a8 soon as 1ed22157db she appeared, 4dd8043b1c chimed in.6f7aa210b5f51795

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“You want 2b7717d852 to buy 6afd0eecd6 it? How much will 3f3e6670c9 you give me?”25b42ea543353ed3

Siok asked Mihee seriously. Mihee’s eyes darted around, trying to gauge what amount would elicit a favorable response. Siok’s eyes twinkled, enjoying teasing her daughter-in-law.b4034306d2cf7ad1

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“You can’t hesitate. Too late, you’re out.”5045e2428ec4b7eb

“Oh, mother, you’re 4c4ae68f82 so playful.”a87937960c29d63a

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While their 4a759ef7ab trivial conversation 155a79f1d2 went on, d0461e2370 the meal 30b8be8cab was ready. They each took 19a6c7d59b their designated seats, 5cfc0f0f9f and breakfast began. As the plates emptied 5b5a9f05a5 and dessert was about 505ceafe30 to be served, Junhyuk abd901d3b8 spoke, seeing no reason e6c7e0e17f to delay any longer.a018e30b93c49fb3

“I have something 226f67c7c1 to tell you.”99459d8330fb4447

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Everyone’s attention turned to e190477831 him at his unexpected 16372031ab announcement.d6b7832155faeab7