DTL Ch 2 part 1

Two days later, on a rainy Saturday, the wedding of the only daughter of the YoungJin Group went according to plan and took place outside in the garden.

The result was a success. The large, cream-colored tent seemed to beckon the guests into a fairytale land.

Fresh white flowers blinded the eyes as it filled the garden wedding. Lamps hung from the trees, and candles were strewn throughout the tent. It gave off a very romantic atmosphere.

The string orchestra played a soft melody that seemed to perfectly accompany the sound of the rain pattering outside. This wedding had surpassed everyone’s expectations, and the ones who pulled it off needed to be acknowledged.

“Good work, Lee YeonJung-ssi.”

After the wedding ceremony had concluded, SeonJae managed to find the florist Lee YeonJung in the crowd of workers who were busily cleaning up the venue. Section Chief Han had already praised her until his mouth went dry, but this deaf woman was truly talented.

“Thank you for your efforts.”

Thinking that she’d be useful in future events, SeonJae was the first to approach her. He even spoke slowly so that she’d understand him and didn’t forget to flash her his blinding smile.

The woman in the forest green knitted sweater and light jeans blinked up at him before giving him a nod. Then she turned her back on him.

Her long hair was in a ponytail and swayed from side to side. Paying him no heed, she began to put the decorations on the table into a box one by one.

‘Now that our business is done, she’s acting out, huh?’

Her behavior was the exact opposite from when she had grasped his arm as she asked him about the difference between a rose and a lily. She acted as if nothing happened. Her calm demeanor bothered him for some reason.

‘Her personality seems a bit rough around the edges, possibly due to her disability. It seems that she’s the type to hold grudges.’

He wanted to glare daggers at her, but there were too many eyes watching him here. The employees were all glancing at their boss who had suddenly appeared. SeonJae turned his back on them. He wanted to treat her nicely because he pitied her, but the one who pushed that opportunity away was the deaf woman herself.

‘Does she think she’s the only florist in Seoul?’

SeonJae scoffed and thought he’d probably never see this woman again anyway. The YoungJin Group wedding went off without a hitch. In the end, that’s all that mattered. And he had other things to think about. The deaf florist was the least of his problems.

He was to meet Kim Chaerin, the bride-to-be, once a week. The more they met, the further their business and wedding plans progressed. The Samil Corp would take over the construction of the hotel in Shanghai. And of course, as the future son-in-law, SeonJae was the one in charge.

With this, SeonJae’s workload grew exponentially. He flew to Shanghai in order to take a look at the site and hold meetings with the lawyers stationed there. When he returned, he got inside the backseat of the car and leaned his head against the headrest before closing his tired eyes. Section Chief Han had come to pick him up at the airport and proceeded to give him his report.

“The SeonJin Foundation’s 50-year anniversary guest list has arrived. We’ve reduced the number, but it still amounts to over two hundred.”

Min SooChang, the grandfather of the SeonJin Group, had established the SeonJin Foundation 50 years ago. The intense war for power had left behind many casualties and had been all over the news at the time. With a lot of money came a lot of greed.

But the power trailing behind them could not be ignored. If SeonJae wanted to gain power, he needed to grow his group of allies. And in order to grow his group of allies, he needed money. And in order to get money, he needed to be more talented than others or be put in a good position. Or maybe even both.

SeonJae kept his eyes closed as he spoke up.

“I will personally contact President Kim MyungHwe of the Samil Group.”

“Understood, sir.”

It was the reason why he was marrying Kim Chaerin and taking the Samil Group as his support. He’d obtain a lot more money and power in order to stand at the top of his family’s group. He planned on stomping down on the half brothers who ignored him and the father whose blood ran in his veins.

“And are the event preparations progressing as planned?”

SeonJae couldn’t completely hide the exhaustion in his voice. As always, all the underhanded business dealings of the group were dumped on SeonJae. No matter how skilled Han SungTae was, if he made even one mistake, the consequences would be SeonJae’s to bear. Therefore, he needed to be even more meticulous and careful in everything that happened under his watch.

“Yes, sir. We’ve already signed on with a subcontractor for the catering. As for the interior decorations and flower arrangements for the event hall at Rael Hotel, we contacted Lee YeonJung-ssi, but……”

When SeonJae heard the unpleasant name, his eyes slightly opened.

“Is there a problem?”

“She told us it would be difficult to fit us into her schedule, so we’ve decided to go with someone else.”

SeonJae glared at Section Chief Han through the rearview mirror.

“Why is that woman acting so high and mighty?”

“Excuse me?”

“Tell her we’ll pay double her price. See if she can reject us then.”

Section Chief Han’s voice answered with a hint of confusion.

“I don’t think it has to do with money, sir. We already offered her a lot of money for her services, but I really think she’s too busy. And judging from what happened at the wedding, I don’t think Lee YeonJung is the type who’s willing to negotiate.”

SeonJae scoffed.

“And how would you know what kind of person she is, Section Chief Han? If you underestimate her just because she’s deaf, you’ll pay for it dearly in the end. Who knows? Maybe she’s using her disability as a weapon to garner pity and ask for more money. Do as I said and give her a higher offer. You can confirm the result with me tomorrow.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Section Chief Han hesitated before answering and then shut his mouth. His hands tightened on the steering wheel as he tried to suppress the curses that threatened to escape through his gritted teeth.

Although he’d only worked with the florist for a short amount of time, Section Chief Han knew that Lee YeonJung’s personality was a lot more normal than that asshole Min SeonJae’s. She was a talented and humble freelancer, so it was no wonder that she had a lot of clients vying for her service.

When he read her short but polite email, he was disappointed, but what else could he do about it? However, the bastard sitting behind him had an incredibly twisted mind and claimed that she was only trying to garner pity with her disability.

Section Chief Han secretly shook his head and let out a silent sigh. It would be best for the gentle florist to never cross paths with that demon Min SeonJae ever again.