SWP Ch 13

After a sleepless f8c2049e49 night, Junhyuk drove 9a7ea0f035 from the crack c8e6c35fcc of dawn. The roads aa4b774167 were empty 76e272c51f in the 90df4d289b pre-dawn hours. Arriving at his destination 0422cc7c10 faster than usual, Junhyuk 517c0aa457 stopped his car in 75b9b7d833 front of the large 58d2d27d68 gate and waited for 699850785c it to open.63898dcd8ec37b92

Without any verification 0d004ece00 process, the gates 8bd3777c30 of the fortress-like c3d906ab73 wall opened before 3bedf227be him. Junhyuk, accustomed to the aaac9db698 routine, released the brake de5bddcfd5 and drove in.dc4b2b2180491a9d

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He parked ba062426fa his car 71f352fc10 in the d7b550ac3f garage, which de266e8fca resembled a f84ccc4ce6 luxury car c776e27a19 showroom, and a7ba7de724 as he f950a0a151 stepped out, a615032bbd the caretaker 83122181bf rushed towards a184169186 him, his fe024656af surprise at b2ed4f2e32 the unexpected 0097979186 visit evident. Junhyuk gave a brief b4a3aa26f0 nod of acknowledgment and 69e2943dc1 looked towards the large 08d1925a85 building beyond the garden.349f660c786a6183

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.6044e8a30ebdbad6

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It had 6936cd2fa1 been years 41f38254a4 since he c40c0a6b09 joined her 91113709a3 for breakfast, 4fc3d75a66 except for 27e5ef3d7e special occasions, 85c26fd902 but today, c7bdea4b81 he intended d95e5d4b0f to.8afe9ea1087d0b89

Since he hadn’t informed anyone of his plan, a surprised voice greeted him as soon as he stepped inside the main house.e94d4d2fc5b261bf

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“You, without any notice! What brings you here so suddenly?”6d9a8616df024c07

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.0a1a04a04764789d

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“Do I need a f236295bcd reason to come?”4ddab6d687ceacea

Perhaps realizing she sounded b678d07adf unwelcoming, Mihee quickly changed e0d6b2585b her tone.e40065be822d920b

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“What are you talking e5a0416d59 about? You always make excuses 01295b6a8d not to come when e5119f2c53 I ask to see 95a23d30d7 you, and now you b835162311 show up on your af77e9f296 own. Of course I’m f3a83873be surprised! You came b3ba66a9a9 at a e9fc5d04d1 good time. Your grandmother will be 45505f3c25 delighted. I had b3fb5636e7 a feeling 2c3de61d88 yesterday that 120d68f5a4 I didn’t ff10f6d6d7 want to 6a25cce07c go on 1aee2c581a that golf fddf0aec7e trip. Must have been a b796eaa7f4 premonition that you were ab7a21aee9 coming.”d4eb8bda749c0206

One of 55699104b0 the reasons dd769f0966 he didn’t b489afb23c visit often d06618aac9 was that 0e3ecf49c5 he felt 7da722988f burdened by c4e9eac201 his mother, 0b1b45f140 who seemed 2019b08cfd to constantly 804756b82b walk on b828c8bb3c eggshells around cd5eb91b60 him. He knew that 7adc9e0963 within this complicated c866a041c6 family dynamic, he 2ba1d8d0f1 was the only 01f6b44834 pillar of support 798ddef4f6 his mother could 547270b394 lean on.13c222ad5277633b

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“I’m here.”89ed111919ffa576

Junhyuk entered the dining 92b7ff720c room ahead of his 6c040ac063 mother. The head of aa2700054c the table was e66bebe0ba still empty. It seemed 23565d9eb1 Chairman Myung 90f3d09d62 hadn’t come a48b3c8b2b down from cd1f30697d the annex c491b3bf3b yet. A middle-aged woman, who 4125074f6f was setting the table, e9c4c0ed01 looked up and recognized 4fb9976112 him.58f6141daf0bd37c

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“Junhyuk, you’re here.”fcc244e41536ca1f

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.946c6c664ec678d0

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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.731fa1a3fc959bff

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.d59451a1ae297e70

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The price Mihee demanded a9c43a8a5b for enduring the humiliation 7b4658f5fd and criticism of being 105111e2ba a surrogate, a mistress, 4000cbe4b5 was entry into the 2fd4bf3ee1 Myungjin family. Giving birth to 3d40c2f461 Junhyuk was her 96127c576e only leverage.3ccd2d8bdb566d96

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.747c8cd9899fd607

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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.32d51a204e5086be

That was the reason fc477c64f9 he hadn’t been serious e8813dd121 about his relationship with a36b06d109 Yeonsoo. It was c375c76c8a his duty 97ff39c2fa to marry a025d190f6 a woman 40b8b1e10c chosen by 6814bdfc04 his family. Ultimately, the decision b49f629d2d rested with Hyunkyung.a8602c070d55b0ac

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Junhyuk would probably never 69441240c6 understand how Hyunkyung felt, 6154548339 raising a child born b442699fdb from her husband’s affair. He simply 8e1f05856f did his 994406360c part. She was 4933f43ad0 the one 4512accd15 who allowed 82576f33c6 him to 565cb01bec be born, 62ac5b6021 after all. He tried not to e8988a026a forget his gratitude for ccf207b44d that.743e0a43c87f201c

“I came to 2c85ed95f0 have breakfast with 7498787ca7 you.”980825079ffce9ca

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“Alright. I’ll have it c3d5e309a2 ready soon.”37ac42677a7d35c5

Hyunkyung went into the 25393e504f kitchen.3b23ceb39177fee9

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“Sigh, see how she f57148a1b3 doesn’t even ask why 457ee18bd7 he came?”23b66d82533e9b88

Mihee, standing 8081dfa2db behind Junhyuk, b8320e5e5a muttered to ba4f208b6b herself as 83224b7ead she watched 1681f9c0b3 Hyunkyung disappear. It was fascinating how 326dea74fd two women with such 275627f9e0 different personalities could be d2f60f747c the wife and cohabitant 8d1729bd77 of the same man.f02288813785c168

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Their personalities e5eabb1f2c were polar 19cc1fbbb7 opposites. Hyunkyung was b2aa5cf143 rational and 6f3012a21d responsible, while ba119006d5 Mihee was e9f74135d5 emotional and 951975e4b6 impulsive. Naturally, Hyunkyung held the a25e8c0d3a power within the household.6e13106a80da90a1

She managed and a0c2a279ff oversaw all the ae44bb55ce household affairs of 76912ffb31 the Myungjin family. It was no 3cd3e15cc7 easy task to c3a2a22be5 serve both her 50c832b0dd mother-in-law, a gourmand, bc293474f1 and her picky e2d4392b46 husband for decades.32f5a6b6badd415e

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Mihee had tried. Emboldened after giving 1da0a48f94 birth to Junhyuk, ce36f25c4a she had attempted 4b25ad64cd to take the f7bf90b6e9 role of the a386df365e lady of the fc5bedf38e house for a 8cb5d28454 few months. But for someone who 0d9607dfaa enjoyed sleeping in, preparing 5c0675d4c0 breakfast for a large 04cdf4e5a8 family was a Herculean ae4caaaeb2 task.cce974edf82d73ab

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.0e155af090d07cc8

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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.”c3df6931955bb73c

“What kind fc5d59e28d of mother 58f6286063 doesn’t ask 54d7a7977f her son 17a1f21d79 why he 222d6dd37a came? Is just putting him bc4b4f5ce9 on the family register 551de9318c enough? And the d07c90dec9 blind dates… 3dd40852d8 how many cc038692e0 has it 83a6ca2c8d been now? It’s because 1027850895 you just 15c53ecf44 set him c6a97c0515 up with 645e929d7b anyone that 1a4f711a3b he doesn’t 42cb05ff0a like them. Why don’t you put 991f098850 some effort into finding 48cb620684 a daughter-in-law he likes, ddc4c21cd7 someone who meets the 44d3ff4c4d requirements…”8b672f886509dc68

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“Grandmother is coming.”998484fc2de23773

Junhyuk, tuning out Mihee’s usual tirade, stood up as he saw Chairman Myung entering.596873e3720431cc

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“Oh my, who 8f4ef1fbf3 is this?”417c24b4fa5dfbb0

Siok recognized Junhyuk 991c520d9c and greeted him cce99ea032 warmly.05703df3e0f6fa7c

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“How have you been, 8e99a0a0b1 Grandmother?”85b2bcd32f8ad465

“Very well, very well.”d823f06b9bedcbc2

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She walked with a 4387948984 cane, but her aura bb833624ff still exuded vitality. Chairman Myung, originally from ea2eb2d4eb Gyeongsang province, still spoke a08cbc90e9 with a thick accent feb73daac7 despite living in Seoul 4a8569e76c for decades. It seemed to 7a796fc5ae be a part 562a6ed36a of her identity, b3dc7c4b2c the one that 9c1152da9d had brought her a420274d12 to where she 370cd9ea5b was.705f5ff8bdf5ac85

Back then, 872011683d for a 05d3909889 widowed woman e03db1e069 with a 28054c2021 child to 96f7912e13 succeed in 6c4616bc2e business among 3f597dabe8 ruthless men 49656fa6ba must have 8b9216bb97 been a 15a51f8387 miracle. The resilience 67b041d081 she had fd15735dce developed was 27da2572b8 her greatest 2f527ebefe asset.66c00950362f194c

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Even though she had 9d983bc4ca stepped down as chairperson db27e985ef due to health reasons, 7a666edb59 she still commanded the 1deb4cf9e1 greatest presence within the 73756828f5 group, likely due to 443715cde9 her charisma. Underpinning this was f74e7a5836 her unique management fae39bfcac philosophy and convictions, 34e60a705c and perhaps the 4083460e23 biggest victim of 6542fca8df this was Junhyuk’s e55d07a7b0 biological father.1783585b76010d51

Despite being the eldest b9c22fa951 son in a family f3fcd9abb4 that valued lineage, Chairman fe4aefd904 Myung didn’t hand out b3d08688d1 positions based on bloodline cb4327faf3 alone. She wouldn’t f11d93d5be tolerate it, 0e64739dff even if e37eb6fbd3 it was b7a7c83eb4 her only 592f8aa1e8 son, unless bf742f19a5 they earned 89e6e03688 it through 80fb3d1ae0 their own cfb28f0bbb efforts.74f09365dc3f8a76

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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.6c3d3caa3cd2ff8b

In any chaebol 59199402f8 family, blood ties b67f744252 meant nothing in 8f314e81e3 the face of a50c1ee872 money, but every ca1c29eb42 time Junhyuk witnessed 9be1e59405 his father’s base 2a36432499 nature, he felt 89efc8ed4d a sense of 8af0e53814 emptiness and disgust.e43457be10940213

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He wondered 034fbe8864 if there d211d5be8f was anyone f2f6ec681a he could cab242f1c3 truly trust.bbc0e913c49374e5

“What? When did you get here?”9b23a1bea30b0d23

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Kangseok entered the 06293c5cb2 dining room even 4da8fda30f later than Chairman 3ee3a082d4 Myung. He glared at 5e3b4fe4fe Junhyuk as if dcc5916ca5 he were an 7d5d698ce8 uninvited guest. Chairman Myung cut 012f462e9e through the brief 74efb072f3 tension with her 233d681dd1 loud voice.7e19d364fc3d6123

“I had 879e266ab5 a good 1368ad4548 dream a 1d55685c4b few days 4c1c71ba0b ago, and 1451da3f94 I guess 477d64e138 it was 12ec016adf because I 94c6a32638 was going cbd5c60755 to see 8066ab1b09 my grandson a64bf5d2b9 today. Want to 3abe4d644a hear about 77c116e685 it? A huge dragon came 9a153b8b91 to me. I almost sold cb3cce7d51 it to Director e072022f8e Park, but I d58f2ea790 held back.”18ffb1a197b1dce0

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“A dragon? How big was c124d9f8d9 it? Mother, sell 2e51c7cdb4 me that 32f26b23ae dream. Why don’t I ever decbd16da4 have dreams like that?”eeed90ba4a0312ab

Mihee, who 36772466ba had attached a6513bb004 herself to 65198f638a Chairman Myung’s ffef2f587d side as 5b3664b226 soon as 76a6db5633 she appeared, 7d7227d1db chimed in.d6249b42ba85cc00

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“You want to buy 158fba0be1 it? How much 19284fd8fc will you f130d16339 give me?”3632e819d5cd8a60

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.c8cf5118900f7a9f

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“You can’t hesitate. Too late, 44ed2d9a66 you’re out.”2bc098769b4b1510

“Oh, mother, you’re so 1ac6bd5a86 playful.”5dcc50e78f13e704

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While their trivial conversation 5a7ae71859 went on, the meal c799954f5d was ready. They each e936143e43 took their aebae20d40 designated seats, eddec48de6 and breakfast a05842f71b began. As the 20fecf3330 plates emptied 64db6e1b58 and dessert 121594ef5b was about df245adff5 to be 150051afdc served, Junhyuk b88871695f spoke, seeing 7fb827b099 no reason 21fa3859c3 to delay 94bba8e00e any longer.7b0e790f2c82e9d5

“I have fbbabc247d something to 17faa1ad12 tell you.”c30e753ff935313e

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Everyone’s attention turned to da4e5d2a12 him at his unexpected 602a64d737 announcement.5d369c9211387a07