SWP Ch 13

After a sleepless c3c7a533e5 night, Junhyuk drove 686baf195d from the crack 18fccc65bc of dawn. The roads were empty aecc0f4140 in the pre-dawn hours. Arriving at his 9984a062a2 destination faster than 8ebb2161e5 usual, Junhyuk stopped 379e9dc59b his car in ffb7a5345b front of the 7e44699b18 large gate and 2d0c6bbd82 waited for it f7d837f92b to open.c95f066308faf2e0

Without any 0c2ea70de5 verification process, 158ecbbded the gates a286d5a1e1 of the 1276861990 fortress-like wall a575f61161 opened before 90ba5a6bf0 him. Junhyuk, accustomed to the bb343e630f routine, released the brake 9a42a5674c and drove in.8bfaaa1550c51b1e

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He parked his car 2057aff3b6 in the garage, which 04ed8ce879 resembled a luxury car 3a64547fd3 showroom, and as he 6567656a3c stepped out, the caretaker 1a4b77c67c rushed towards him, his 3147694864 surprise at the unexpected 7075109693 visit evident. Junhyuk gave a brief 8e3918ff12 nod of acknowledgment and dee66c0d44 looked towards the large 95034a9429 building beyond the garden.9e91ae398d2195b6

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.466fc71c0ad634b2

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It had been years aa8fff3fb3 since he joined her 5796a67d3d for breakfast, except for 713159539d special occasions, but today, fafdff4051 he intended to.5df0c748f9f75b77

Since he hadn’t informed anyone of his plan, a surprised voice greeted him as soon as he stepped inside the main house.b87f2cfb2d46897a

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“You, without any notice! What brings you here so suddenly?”24410fe940245ba2

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.307b6ac3a1248daf

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“Do I e72b621db1 need a 33d277db29 reason to 93f22751ba come?”450c81655c9ea2c7

Perhaps realizing she sounded c9f4d4ee1a unwelcoming, Mihee quickly changed fbef880c79 her tone.4a5c2a3374d515e0

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“What are 8d4d5a4f6f you talking 4639124415 about? You always make 65f113d687 excuses not to 1d9c778b49 come when I 9a15767592 ask to see a56fbf2aba you, and now ef7fb30f8d you show up 1a850daec9 on your own. Of course e79ba6ae86 I’m surprised! You came 1a080be5f7 at a f5d03d5b3b good time. Your grandmother d7aeb80b54 will be f6b327744c delighted. I had a f18776156d feeling yesterday that c59830bbde I didn’t want 97221998c3 to go on 3e374ce4f2 that golf trip. Must have been ca587ec7a7 a premonition that 48e9fa930a you were coming.”68fb7d2f0b99c0e6

One of the 30fb618371 reasons he didn’t f8d9e7c9ca visit often was de92048eb8 that he felt 436925a5fc burdened by his 717af95eb8 mother, who seemed 7ed7d3b5e9 to constantly walk 4736379114 on eggshells around 434f2d1b4c him. He knew 0ea74a13c1 that within 583dd74109 this complicated f5f9ada5ba family dynamic, 35b49ff7b0 he was 979b721b14 the only 8c7292aa01 pillar of f18d420d3c support his ad4e0a8a10 mother could b4c5975da7 lean on.2113246ac648e8db

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“I’m here.”a432309b88eda15d

Junhyuk entered a9470dcea7 the dining 4b3ac9c195 room ahead 9fa963c5a8 of his a67cde1c64 mother. The head 3a2920ef6d of the fb181876ac table was 69d943934f still empty. It seemed 9706aae7bb Chairman Myung fdc1b0f14a hadn’t come 01d3bafe69 down from bd39a6350f the annex 784352948e yet. A middle-aged woman, who 7e38b9a4fc was setting the table, ec245fbfdb looked up and recognized 764da77d2e him.0c5ce5ecb52899e6

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“Junhyuk, you’re here.”e0cb10f27391d111

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.52fca4ce53b32ce0

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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.1106adbbf1c9a456

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.b2636e7b83663cc5

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The price Mihee demanded 500a24ce7d for enduring the humiliation f8ca532fe5 and criticism of being f12a9cad0b a surrogate, a mistress, bb5026526e was entry into the c1457932c4 Myungjin family. Giving birth to 42ae7c7e5a Junhyuk was her d71d830932 only leverage.8944417d3261fdfb

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.a8182bf23a27c6c8

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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.e5b9d04891e8543c

That was the f31b91af4d reason he hadn’t 833080f6db been serious about d55f6cf3d9 his relationship with 5262b648cd Yeonsoo. It was his 9c1e5479e3 duty to marry 317c8341d8 a woman chosen f0e63656eb by his family. Ultimately, the dc8db373ab decision rested a50f96487c with Hyunkyung.4f66a68e45c36b88

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Junhyuk would probably never 98fd3d8b49 understand how Hyunkyung felt, 994d2182c4 raising a child born ac557fff0f from her husband’s affair. He simply did c78f3772bf his part. She was b3de7ef05e the one 140bf02eb1 who allowed 08af1ba41e him to d6bf7a245e be born, 4c3612ed4f after all. He tried 6cb6b1602a not to ad1b42d7c8 forget his fc14404c31 gratitude for c077852155 that.42f47e05d2258aa4

“I came to have a62a480775 breakfast with you.”dcdcf9b428519a13

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“Alright. I’ll have it ready b65691f82b soon.”7868a1e0b34e2f14

Hyunkyung went into the df29ccc29f kitchen.b8d11620590efd06

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“Sigh, see how b4197ab1b4 she doesn’t even 2ff2a29c79 ask why he d0ff97f8d6 came?”2578dfcbe8d0b6d0

Mihee, standing 8a3206e39c behind Junhyuk, 9eccebf73b muttered to 27f25837bf herself as 33d733646f she watched 8dd440edd7 Hyunkyung disappear. It was fascinating b40992cb08 how two women 294a4e11b7 with such different 4d48336f22 personalities could be d8ee52df3d the wife and 1f79227510 cohabitant of the 06b832efbb same man.963cf52d96a4be9c

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Their personalities were polar 78c44e69be opposites. Hyunkyung was rational 08fd2b91d1 and responsible, while 98fdfbf62e Mihee was emotional e7f953db08 and impulsive. Naturally, Hyunkyung 985a15fabc held the 6eacdedee4 power within d919edee69 the household.93097db231f4e8ee

She managed and oversaw 0e067c8e38 all the household affairs 3611c92de3 of the Myungjin family. It was 1a623dafc7 no easy f33ed47866 task to 87fd74ef77 serve both cd854b203d her mother-in-law, b151cef796 a gourmand, 1bb0c58998 and her 5777826c2a picky husband b91528bfcc for decades.10248f7af41ccabe

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Mihee had tried. Emboldened after 4c983be5d4 giving birth a55cba85ad to Junhyuk, 95ed069300 she had ed7371f15f attempted to e9f1d96a01 take the 1a14c1c905 role of fa6924acae the lady 570eda2410 of the bb995d9658 house for f0d2a56e39 a few fc4ac107f7 months. But for c37b097930 someone who 7fee5578d5 enjoyed sleeping 86b1a59ef5 in, preparing d3856b22fd breakfast for eca101897f a large df362517b5 family was ba4644924b a Herculean 699c0c524c task.da778cdf4e9e64d5

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.f2fb10484944eb50

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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.”6b3c3e058022756e

“What kind of mother 4799e75946 doesn’t ask her son 2f5379973d why he came? Is just putting 2dffbb2bb3 him on the afba3a38c2 family register enough? And the 616f90c94e blind dates… a5b5b0e246 how many 0ecd29c09a has it bc0ad7f1a9 been now? It’s because you 9d3dec2e13 just set him dce9b439dc up with anyone 46bce7c00b that he doesn’t 85c8989acd like them. Why don’t 7423acf0e7 you put efc6a6c2ae some effort 70b6c182c7 into finding 6dd770de4a a daughter-in-law 2f41f72514 he likes, 1c4fe0b0a6 someone who a311834f6b meets the 3817291466 requirements…”ac836ab750e393b0

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“Grandmother is coming.”9ed943d073f0b820

Junhyuk, tuning out Mihee’s usual tirade, stood up as he saw Chairman Myung entering.ed4b222d2c2f7496

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“Oh my, 0021d09c78 who is 019b81be58 this?”5afbf26620cbd5e7

Siok recognized 015de2adf0 Junhyuk and d2e65bb457 greeted him 7273bee75b warmly.f973539d70e1fe56

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“How have you 60c8c92b6a been, Grandmother?”12799437e65952ae

“Very well, c5fedd91bc very well.”bc3e0a56e40cc3ec

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She walked 164bd2f5e7 with a 4c06c01946 cane, but 5d56957c3a her aura d41ae39323 still exuded a4380f92a9 vitality. Chairman Myung, originally from cbe2f0c7cb Gyeongsang province, still spoke 60a46b002f with a thick accent bc663c8b9f despite living in Seoul 1bb85f614b for decades. It seemed to d3514c61b1 be a part ce028e8429 of her identity, 4fdea40126 the one that 8ddcb4d07f had brought her 0caa8ccf09 to where she 803a530401 was.61b09c6d83780b19

Back then, for 3e7431a44c a widowed woman 364065f9eb with a child d8d62c0939 to succeed in 938218923e business among ruthless 9fcdf911ff men must have 3505ccc560 been a miracle. The resilience she had 443ecfa645 developed was her greatest 117bcdae0d asset.b5ddf1f2528a3434

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Even though 14d7ef53c4 she had 7ffc3a59d3 stepped down c6a95787c6 as chairperson 85b3db7d67 due to 65df8e15c7 health reasons, 1c28b5a8c4 she still fbdd88f795 commanded the 562007ee9b greatest presence bb11927a0d within the 63561dc4ae group, likely e0a9e71995 due to 2b078d09cd her charisma. Underpinning this 56a74df9a0 was her 2a37057431 unique management 58a5062396 philosophy and 242e2d7e03 convictions, and 8daa368c94 perhaps the b73fb60292 biggest victim 65611a6891 of this 08487ffecf was Junhyuk’s 568e3772e2 biological father.300106188f13ec11

Despite being the 907316b7b8 eldest son in 654d927392 a family that fa6efcce60 valued lineage, Chairman b41ac8b12d Myung didn’t hand 5a31588563 out positions based 3503fec5fc on bloodline alone. She wouldn’t tolerate it, 75e21b9acf even if it was ce4de6bac2 her only son, unless 5cdd1afaa3 they earned it through 003413f2a6 their own efforts.95e7a1a310d8997f

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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.9fd75f5db1ea7ea7

In any 18d0f6c1da chaebol family, 40c5d516e3 blood ties f519eaf782 meant nothing d0f9172efe in the 8c06ae5776 face of 933e4ac76d money, but e8d397a526 every time 26a0b40c5d Junhyuk witnessed 8974691cde his father’s 61ab49c814 base nature, c5eeb94fa3 he felt 34fc5d034b a sense 431e76d6b8 of emptiness 2a306ef5fd and disgust.67dab768c2b91503

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He wondered if 23d5319711 there was anyone df28a3200e he could truly 65a441b261 trust.4039c8e994f8585c

“What? When did you get here?”fa88a40ad8a47ce7

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Kangseok entered 71d099e592 the dining cfcb23aa3d room even 035d75f223 later than 022af74b10 Chairman Myung. He glared at 9169c50942 Junhyuk as if 71fbc32fc2 he were an eea47319a0 uninvited guest. Chairman Myung cut through 0e667ededc the brief tension with 6323151d43 her loud voice.8c481cdd6d26472c

“I had a good 375914512e dream a few days 4da5d9aa81 ago, and I guess 415be2df2a it was because I 4b23fa2a4e was going to see d370b5e594 my grandson today. Want to c34bf1a797 hear about 0d91021f01 it? A huge dragon came cf6270bc42 to me. I almost 5400ee180f sold it a39f1559b3 to Director ddc0b331e8 Park, but 0fb244f2b4 I held b0dde1be24 back.”f5d305a45a8f8e84

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“A dragon? How big was it? Mother, sell me that e497e86526 dream. Why don’t b095f962a4 I ever b7111b2d31 have dreams 1c2db3e1dd like that?”fbd21da4fc358fb4

Mihee, who had attached 9824feb4c8 herself to Chairman Myung’s fdd208994f side as soon as 4fd90656de she appeared, chimed in.b7d0c2e5f8f970c3

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“You want 0cdff2c55b to buy 85f45cf6e5 it? How much will 57f7c1d358 you give me?”3eb155a1152ce94b

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.70bedbaffca915f8

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“You can’t hesitate. Too late, you’re out.”0e3010bf2a446580

“Oh, mother, 55485223ef you’re so b7b93e2c04 playful.”570a1f8393c4c5fd

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While their trivial 8a3e0e602e conversation went on, c9389ec1dd the meal was 85dbd7a8fc ready. They each took 91445b52f8 their designated seats, 6f712049f1 and breakfast began. As the plates emptied 21397e0bbd and dessert was about 34ff7f32b7 to be served, Junhyuk 75110f329c spoke, seeing no reason 47e788d53c to delay any longer.dea663acb4617856

“I have 1828f93403 something to 02fd01899d tell you.”2702aaf401cac64e

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Everyone’s attention turned to 959e92228b him at his unexpected ed25ef2e83 announcement.07dcab3e6ff73390