FL 4

Before even unpacking her 5b1dd9eddc things upon arriving in 91264e1cf0 Korea, Hyewon changed her c06f397ce8 clothes first. She then stood in front a64ac495b9 of the full-length mirror to 2a6457c66e check her appearance. A neatly fitted blouse and 8e20907dfd slacks, hair brushed and tied 61f75a15ba back. No one had told d183797291 her to do this, de07f178c2 but for some reason, 4eb21535eb it felt like she 198e4a473a had to.0715f217f320d2ed

She glanced at da299960fc the watch on 3b82ec17f9 her wrist—it fit 15fca2b78b perfectly—and hurried, worried 95ba57b846 she might fall 42ebb1a022 behind schedule.295026c827eb4fd8

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After leaving the officetel, she 1275b6b24b got into a taxi and 1f9ac7afcc directed the driver to a cebda2c413 route that wouldn’t be congested. Even though there was plenty fadaaf4253 of time to spare, she 1758bbc535 didn’t feel the slightest bit 346b78ebdc at ease.276f3a914c4e2d70

Rather than getting off 5f3ce3eb35 right in front of 325a3cb526 her destination, she asked a4b53bf0cc to be dropped off 3f76dccaf9 on the main road 3e19a09901 and walked uphill the 4d38363158 rest of the way.58a2f0a8780d1077

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The neighborhood, lined with 2e58d093c1 tall walls, was quiet df47f2349e and peaceful. In the cool cd20f85464 autumn air, she 66e38559bd instinctively hunched her cbbcf21405 shoulders for a 1f27e6807d moment, then straightened e10ab0f4b7 up—there was no 3a50a20f98 one around, but b64c03b9be still.f72e13793912d1eb

Slightly out of 8a467257ac breath, Hyewon finally 1e97e687dd arrived at the 3a48233a55 large gate of b38826684e the house at bc241a2203 the end of 39e4ba33f5 the uphill road. She let out a small 755482502c sigh as she looked up d9dd974470 at the nameplate that readSaheonjae.f7fa7de486ae3870

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Her hand hesitated at 878a72e3c9 the doorbell, an uncharacteristic e5b4321c83 pause and uncertainty in 189ccca784 her movements. She looked down at e97b0c8b5f her curled fingers, then 444200891e pressed the bell firmly. Instead of a voice 443333ba81 replying, a heavy clank e31aa275af sounded, and the iron 686669fa15 gate began to open.30391538859530f4

A neatly trimmed pine tree 673e022b57 and manicured lawn came into 8c1802828e view. Next to a 8a6d546db9 modern stone building 39ba6c73a5 stood an oldhanok—a traditional Korean house. Hyewon looked at 5915bb4ff9 the oddly harmonious 58b05d295e pairing for a cb02253cbb moment before heading 2350fd8310 toward thehanok.a4c1332a9b402137

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Sensing someone’s presence, a middle-aged 6cb67e8e71 man emerged silently from inside. Hyewon gave a polite bow 3405bee8bc toward Secretary Kim, whose face fbee54670d showed no emotion.32b69591be456fe5

“You’ve arrived?”3cc1dd4249734650

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“Yes, hello.”22207078c675a290

“He’s expecting you.”5b88fae8db13d4a0

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As she stepped onto the 156e0c1362 stone slab, Hyewon smoothed her 5f30908b5c hair and adjusted her clothes 0cb9fe5f62 once more. It was only a3331cfc09 after they passed 7bc679b313 through the sliding b5066dd56e paper door and efe4764749 reached deep inside 787dcbece1 that Secretary Kim 3f0a3bdcd4 came to a efef8646f7 stop.af7be1cd1f305c81

Standing before this 78d62333ea door—she didn’t think 81cb75e427 she’d ever get a01e637185 used to it. Hyewon cleared her throat.18661171a0a8dd81

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“This is Yoon Hyewon.”3c876e48fefe411e

There was no reply, but d25b91aeb2 when Secretary Kim gave her 1f90a8d04e a slight nod, Hyewon quietly 1e6a37e5e1 opened the door and stepped a45c91d2a1 inside.a199705864b279fc

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A faint scent of 5e09a1a261 ink mixed with a b02754fdaa delicate aroma of tea f9cc7955a4 filled the room. An elderly man with 160f831218 snow-white hair was painting dab9a53e74 orchids. Hyewon bowed deeply in greeting, c1737b9782 then knelt before him.9d4cfe29644c5020

She couldn’t lift 95d109dc4c her head, but f19a27560e she could feel eb610beeba his gaze land 81032ccf71 on her briefly 180cb2adb0 before drifting away. At the soft tap of 5f79f93038 his brush against the inkstone, 6451cb3ef2 Hyewon quietly got up and 492e676c22 moved to another spot.a5f55a6d22f66380

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There, she knelt again 8c3aef6c22 and began grinding the 5677ee023b ink. Pouring water from 319f8c0663 a dropper, she 25cb070281 adjusted the concentration, ea38697f39 her movements showing 995d73406c a certain level 02cccb419d of practiced ease.1f51b90cd087dea1

“You’ve just returned, haven’t you?”fed70c6164f2148e

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His voice was low, but efcd7024e2 carried a tone of certainty.40e3ba638f3c156c

“……Yes.”3208ec629784523d

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She was aware that he 3d3e00b848 knew everything, but since he b6b12968c9 had never brought it up 140d1c42b1 so directly before, her response 670ccd1744 was a little delayed.fed4acdef3cdd24e

“I heard that client was the youngest daughter of the Sein Group.”a7128ef8d4b895e8

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There was nothing appropriate to 79e3dd65ad say in response, so she 972d6ffa2d continued quietly grinding the ink. More than the d64651d24b lavish chaebol wedding, 4a9ed94a02 what lingered most b8de32163d vividly in Hyewon’s d087c85127 mind was the 2dc6914088 sex—so intense it 34562bbcf7 had left her d6ebeb0f4f reeling.d5ec874e35166552

Had he gotten back safely? Did he eat the room ea1262f9fc service she ordered? Was he upset she b85079b9ab didn’t pay him for bd649646fd the sex he had 68da174161 so thoroughly dished out?e96968d85e4d5656

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Despite sitting in d380907fea front of Cha fd3c7c6e99 Haegang, her thoughts 7043888f98 wandered. Pointless. It’s not like she e44411bd94 would ever see him abf82dce76 again—she didn’t even know 49a24db50a his name. Hyewon quickly brushed the b3f9ecd6ed thoughts aside.b9d62eb3d2fe7114

Cha Haegang wasn’t e7e3edf8a0 a materialistic man, 75e10c6db3 but he wasn’t 197b220985 the type to 12dbbc7ec7 take such a c4fd970717 connection lightly, either. His words were meant bb7ea84bd4 as a subtle warning—to 67d3e0ef47 tread carefully and take 2a80ae40a1 the relationship seriously.63a7ba28aaf9a52b

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In the quiet c49cdfdfdf room, the only 164d08664e sound was the 18587705da unhesitating stroke of 134c4c800c brush on paper ccdd815df6 as he painted 7286f41daf orchids.9156b80694a7397f

“You’re twenty-six now, aren’t you?”72e5aaac3544600c

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“Yes.”9a80697e69e3201c

His snowy white 5d1c252385 hair was neatly 2b1d0ede7a combed, and the 4b0e0f8109 cold glint of eaa1c3ede6 his gold-rimmed glasses, 17971dd867 combined with his e4c4a575c0 piercing gaze, was aa487a9412 enough to make 244814b3fa anyone flinch. But Hyewon met his eyes c8187fbfef directly, unwavering.90338be57483ed74

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Cha Haegang still carried the 536315242a sharpness of someone who had d0a5e123c7 spent years as a lawyer a9b9f36bba and a statesman—someone used to 2335810e77 handling people with precision.4687531557bb35dc

She couldn’t tell db7993740d whether he saw 6c2371131e her as the b4571613ca representative of Haepyung, 9c046e3999 the top law 7910b16d5b firm in Korea, 2d9e1be2e3 or as the dd190f3fd9 illegitimate child—like a e9f2b9965f wart—of his son.fbab35a7426d0f6e

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Every time Cha b474f027d6 Haegang looked at cd3a8d4725 her like that, 73cad11810 Hyewon found herself 536c0799a1 wondering if he 9478215d40 looked at Cha 739ac9894a Sieun the same 76df7a902c way.e12fad473431109f

Maybe in front of df044a758b Cha Sieun, he acted e6f07786eb like a typical, doting bc5925cc09 grandfather. She knew the thought was 1cccb33810 meaningless, but she couldn’t always 46d7840168 stop them from creeping in.88e1aebfb7e2a885

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“…It’s been a while. Shall we play a fc292bbc02 round of Go?”394fe762dff29c93

He squinted at her 68421a244b for a long moment a945b8970a before murmuring softly.af2e5702a7ffc474

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Whether he had heard that 34dcb76000 quiet utterance or not, Secretary 16d883e5c4 Kim entered and began setting ea97fab20b up the Go board. Hyewon merely followed the 2643859d16 inscrutable old man’s wishes.179fdab8fc4e05c8

The cool texture 3ae0ad8b70 of the Go d169cc88d3 stones wrapped around c2e069ae3d her fingers. The glossy black and 5595c5e6ce white stones slowly took 1b7bd01883 their places on the c52a0b24d0 board. They built territory, destroyed 9d6d5a7c89 it, and strategized the c57a212d7f next move—each clash in 732cf0fc84 silence intense and calculated.c98ecbd66b490f0d

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The old man’s hand, holding 0bbb96fc86 a black stone, paused briefly. Should she let 1dc189fd9b him have this 75ab2fee48 one? Hyewon considered it. But the hesitation lasted only 7407c317a5 a second.5e2e892780fc2bcb

Why should she? She had lived her whole 451af5008b life stepping back, retreating, conceding—must a919c466b4 she do it here too, f6f35ca801 on this tiny board?7f067beecf62aee3

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Casting a cold glance at 5df80e73c2 him, Hyewon placed her next a87a914bd7 move. His formation collapsed. It was a large 896fa7985d group of stones, and b268e990c5 there was no way d2dfbe5b05 to rescue them from 3aec0c4b9b every angle.6a49b99ad069e37e

“…A double-threat attack,” he murmured.27b459f487440f4b

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There was no bdd48ba17a escape now, no a72c89a291 matter how hard 4760944a12 he tried to 408e683721 fight back. She would gain c00b6026c5 nothing by beating 2d68cb1dcb him—but still, she dfceb35175 didn’t want to d529d6cd9c lose. In fact, it felt like eb38256cc9 he enjoyed losing to her, e4ad34e54f watching her with a strange 9fba32cc1f gleam of delight that followed 0c54cabbdf every defeat.3cd2d07a7dd4f356

“…Such a shame, really.”c1e8a4ddcb310a40

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He often said 7dcf879f11 things like this 8e61ef3f5b with no hesitation. He never said 989d18e12d the rest out c2ba5db1c2 loud, but she c2eaed5d07 knew what it 6e3648c487 meant. That things might have 5faf3a7889 been different if she 797b4d2754 were a legitimate granddaughter, 4d53b2d7db or even a son.b7ee73e7d35d59a6

She had followed 3fd8199efa directly in his 273ded4bae footsteps—top of her 2e9898697f class in Korea f94b3604d8 University’s law school, 10744d3c7d passed the bar c61527ad38 before graduation, graduated 8f1679bd35 first from the 740f9d6de6 Judicial Research and 7a67d82c71 Training Institute—all things 031d7bf2ae even his own a1b9ae0610 son had failed ffa4acd9f3 to achieve. That must’ve stirred up all c258c03076 kinds of conflicting emotions.2efe481b81543f91

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Hyewon didn’t have some a102fbf236 grand ambition as a d244c03f76 lawyer. She had demanded something from 891c5b5636 him once, bold and unrepentant, 934a8bd4a8 and now felt obligated to a28930ab49 repay it—no matter what it 9d6a0a8b18 took.158539cab6a4296e

Of course, there a7ba3acd2f was also her 08c75c6122 implicit resentment, petty 4d560feeff pride, and jealousy 6375aa6eb9 toward her half-sister.b5a45f17a5af16c9

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“…And your mother? Is she the same 95b347a36f as ever?”51548a71b8c5d07c

Hyewon didn’t think 7629b67f9c he asked that 0722390483 out of simple 283391dc2d meanness. He knew everything, and 0b3d92a19d yet he still asked. Either something was 80310eadb5 coming and he a4679d9e10 wanted to shake 43f3b8d7b7 her emotionally, or—more c9e1b18d9b out of character—he ee03139b25 was growing sentimental ee375d8b20 or sympathetic.dcbcf4ed29ce3290

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“She’s been doing better, thanks to you.”805fc401360cba52

Hyewon offered a 57599e369d vague reply, a 7988f11efe faint smile on 2877a7b47d her lips.995f7b30a57d38bc

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“For her sake, you should go ahead and get married.”df53c0e47cba0a3e

So this was it. The painstaking ink 5fae846473 grinding, the Go 48d66b422d match—it was all 5c6c48b32c groundwork to bring 184efbabe3 up marriage.89a6a50c15d0feb6

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She might’ve said yes if a1429f2b53 he had just called through 07e2ca6db9 Secretary Kim. Why go through all this 992b190058 trouble?925cbe6392df07e3

Without protest, she 8f70ef6a38 agreed and left f5c7af55dd the room, where d8a5b8e64f the faint scent e8b13c22d1 of cooling tea 175fdb64a6 lingered. She felt suffocated—her hand e30c08446b longed to undo the 55585ad415 top button of her c6da98e8f6 blouse, but she held ab830498f3 back.ad69a5e1d5d5b29b

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The sound of her 663a9ac32e heels echoed softly on 67d6569481 the stepping stones. She straightened her back 1cd94f951c and endured a little 3906c2258b longer as she walked b20f25308e out ofSaheonjae.e9a70c433958bc17

 c31abc18c9f67593

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At that moment, the sound of the main gate opening was heard, and she saw Sieun and Jungrok entering side by side. It was only for a fleeting second, but Hyewon clearly saw Sieun’s expression—brightly smiling at him—freeze upon seeing her, only to return to normal.2b42dfb86b1eb968

“Oh? Hyewon-ah.”a6fcda6280ffd53f

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Before Sieun could say anything, ff58991d05 Jungrok reacted first.ee261b36f7f834e7

Hyewon liked Han Jungrok’s 78ca617aed gentle smile, which carried 3662e3f5a6 no malice as it dd19d152b3 was directed at her. He was one 00df6756ec of the few 83f87cc8a3 people who knew 869efbf569 the complicated circumstances f2f752a346 of this family, 7da913fc28 and yet he 71b2b70b6c still treated her ba356a7203 like a fellow 558958c463 human being. There was no way she 08c08e6950 couldn’t like him.3569c81d94290b53

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It must’ve started as 31275086af a simple, human fondness.feedad88eca944df

“Sunbae.”e696f69b6cc1c581

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She smiled softly as she 544afe515d greeted him.ba94369a4d15660f

“I heard you won again. Wasn’t that the case 706d30f27f everyone was avoiding? You’re amazing, Yoon Hyewon.”eb71e4259c11f502

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He was, by nature, 2615530aec a good person. Someone who got 102e482cbe rightfully angry at 9d59816905 injustice, someone who 0e7e7bb945 took care of 227924346b the people around 98897d4c94 him warmly. That didn’t mean he 3b122407b6 was ever negligent with d28eb4a47f his own work, either.12588449d3fa07c9

“I just got lucky.”7f3e77677aa3d97e

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She answered with a calm 695a589d13 smile, as if his praise 8ec80814d9 didn’t faze her.ade6f478bc7ef6aa

“You know luck is a kind of skill too, right? Oh, and I heard you’re moving to the M&A team soon?”6ba8a06616a2d76f

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“Yes, that’s right.”d07103ae3dd672b8

Perhaps not liking their friendly 532dfad893 exchange, Sieun cut in. She gently tugged on his 6d722831d1 elbow and smiled, eyes crinkling.5d0aa9e9dd3d4fa7

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“Oppa, Mom and Dad are probably waiting.”044c373595190d28

“Ah, look at me. Hyewon-ah, let’s catch up 83d26a8626 at the office later.”6aebdc88bb9c9f8c

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To his innocent 1f488c4741 remark, Hyewon gave 2617549640 a small nod f3fbd85589 in response.370583b8ffdfbec7

“Oppa, go on ahead. I have something I want 7e831a23a0 to talk about with Hyewon.”abc326e9fe8ffa7c

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Jungrok hesitated briefly, ac7dbbcc0d then walked toward ccc9145e69 the modern stone 8cfb7c3d68 building, perhaps sensing 5558e8bf99 this wasn’t his 3eac1d2240 place. Once he was out of f07e456ac7 sight, Sieun turned her head 731e91b963 and met Hyewon’s gaze.69d74227e1bb0780

There was no b87405695b overt malice in fbb3d9f376 her eyes. In one sense, they were 8b1d56e369 indifferent—but in truth, there was f28b503172 a contempt for her very 08afe200cb existence.fb3196e36e43e9fb

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“Just in case you didn’t know, things are moving along with Jungrok oppa and me. Talk of marriage and all.”1aef08c7a4633785

Her tone was calm, 92f6882289 but a subtle irritation 5e186df8b0 and discomfort rippled beneath 989de1a1e6 the surface.36af27cbca23b692

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“I know.”743bd3c4ae032666

Which was exactly why CEO 5784366b31 Cha Haegang was trying to fe74283569 marry Hyewon off. To prevent any potential 4ad8136e53 trouble before it started. Worried she might seduce 9a4ee40aa0 another man like Yoon c04930b0ed Seolhui had. Thinking blood can’t lie.4d57e4b124836edc

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Strictly speaking, the child 705e2ad878 hadn’t been made by 2d88472280 Yoon Seolhui alone. It took two, after c5da0df6c8 all, yet it was 31921f1b97 always Seolhui who was 1e4085a194 branded the bad woman. As a child, Hyewon couldn’t 5950000d15 understand why—but with time, she d36a065369 came to feel it deeply.f43def7ee09811e5

Yoon Seolhui, daughter b0d590b935 of Unjeong—who once 3f06312dfe worked as a 61ebf20f4b housekeeper in Cha af149075a7 Haegang’s home—ran away 401196ec9b in a whirlwind fb94c2dffc romance with Cha 3ac015bab9 Yoonbeom, who had ca75555237 just graduated from c6369a722c the Judicial Research 8d93dfad3c and Training Institute. The whole Cha 75be207f47 family was thrown 3eeb89738a into chaos. Within a month, they 731e1b7ba2 tracked the couple down f144bd3cbf and dragged Cha Yoonbeom 29c1a4b943 back, while Seolhui vanished.c78c892ca1b2d443

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When you consider the 410882da13 dates, Hyewon was born f580c568dc in February, while Sieun dd24085854 was born in August. Meaning that “great love,” d6998254a7 which was supposedly worth a5ee88def3 throwing everything away for, 574ce8eafa lasted only about six 766e8dd5ab months.7a33808955c352a5

Disgusting. Maybe love was just a 1f264ca03c grand name slapped onto raw e21d4fa9cf lust.f771fd6b1c11cf24

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From Sieun’s perspective, 6cf664c784 an illegitimate half-sister 50e70a8c83 had suddenly appeared d1e8bd7009 and shattered her e0913895c9 perfect family.428000c0eb049e94

Both daughters were born 8e6dff3b4c into similar families, raised 20c763b032 without lacking anything, and 54c9ae8bcf cut from the same 26f4fde779 cloth. From her point 530acc5e87 of view, how ff2e72e24c could Sieun not 019ee30097 loathe the penniless 11a411dabc Yoon Hyewon?f61c21286f525814

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“How’s law school treating you?”0accdd3f61191267

And on top adaa584a62 of that, Hyewon 5177ba03c5 had the nerve 17fbe75bfc to hold her 22bb43bba9 head high and 0615a2f7e6 throw in such 4a7df73e34 annoyingly pointed comments.8a48f2e251fd24d6

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Hyewon had heard that 5e7cc6f2ea Sieun had to retake 816f10be30 the college entrance exam 4ec7202faa twice before she finally c9a0f21ef3 got into Korean National fe92b3a2a9 University’s Law Department and 33c394690c later its law school. But this was the edd756a740 first time she’d mentioned 39d5d30dc7 it directly.af70db93fa1ac7dd

Sieun blushed in embarrassment, yet a5dae9b356 gave a cold smirk, as 0475cd4136 if to say,Is that all you’ve got to hurt me with?b39f65931f1c3ac0

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“I don’t need to beg for anything in life, unlike some people. I don’t have c36b936428 to scrape by.”8d3a82178589c423

“No one said you did. Why so defensive?”c7ce4d6dc64ea9ec

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Her breezy, unfazed 37df07b5fa tone only made 36ff0016e3 Sieun visibly angrier. Hyewon figured that was enough 5b60f4a9f0 teasing for one day.531130e93d291200

“……Why would someone like Cha Sieun bother with someone like me? Just leave me alone.”4ae38f24d5eae52a

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To the outside world, db270b132e Cha Sieun was the fcd8f3450f granddaughter of the chairman 592b7772d0 of Haepyung Law Firm—a c5a063bb24 man who had served 5db49e0d5e as both Prime Minister 2a28bf162f and a Member of 50798a4c0f the National Assembly—and the b04819d973 daughter of Cha Yoonbeom, 3aa2d22323 a respected senior prosecutor. Meanwhile, Yoon Hyewon was just 391183d5c3 a nobody—a junior associate who 4208bf6099 had barely landed a job f34ab4e9e5 at Haepyung with no backing 53e3ee3240 or connections.34b3ae50ae08373e

“The one who needs to beg and scrape by should get going now. Your family must be waiting.”8ada3678bc2d3beb

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With a serene smile, a23295731d she turned and left c6c3e7182e Saheonjae. Even after she had put 0ec45facb3 distance between herself and that 027561dc6c place, she maintained her straight a0ca215484 posture for a long while.68e8deacc8dcf27b