Episode 8
“That’s her. I told you I saw her face once before.”
My friend nodded excitedly the moment he saw the photo of me with Yusia.
“I’m 100% sure. She’s the only granddaughter of Chairman Yoo Jin-gap.”
“Stop joking.”
“No, seriously. I saw her with my own eyes.”
He said confidently.
“There are lots of pretty women in Korea, but not many like her.”
“…”
Damn.
As soon as he said that, I somehow believed it.
“But are you really dating her?”
“Yeah.”
“Show me some more photos.”
“…I think I have one.”
I showed him a photo we took while walking near the Han River recently.
He stared at it closely.
“It’s just the two of you, but you don’t look super close in it.”
“We’ve only been dating for a short time.”
We started dating after spending a night together, but after that, we’d only held hands.
“…Sounds like you’re serious about her.”
“Of course. I don’t date just for fun.”
I’ve never dated anyone just to play around.
“Hey, Jinseong.”
My friend leaned over the table.
“Can I write an article about this?”
“Are you crazy?”
I glared at him.
“Besides, you work in sports news!”
“But this story would be huge in any field. A rich girl and a normal guy? That’s like something from a drama!”
“If you leak this, I’ll go straight to your mom. And don’t forget what happened when you took her gold bracelet while on army leave.”
“Okay, okay! I’m joking!”
“Seriously. If this spreads—”
“It won’t. I’m a journalist, not an idiot.”
Even though I can’t always trust Baek Sang-hyuk, when it comes to stuff like this, he’s reliable.
He knows how to keep secrets.
“But honestly, I’m still not 100% convinced.”
“That your girlfriend is a chaebol?”
“Yeah… I think I need to confirm it myself.”
He suddenly grabbed my arm.
“How?”
“Easy. Just ask her.”
“You serious?”
“What’s more certain than hearing it from her directly?”
“True…”
So I left him and got into a taxi.
“Please take me to Itaewon.”
I remembered she lived somewhere near there with her parents.
I texted Yusia.
“Can we talk for a bit? I’d prefer to meet in person.”
- “Now? Where?”
“I’ll come to you. You live near Itaewon, right?”
- “Yeah, sort of… I’ll come to Itaewon.”
“No, just text me the address. A cafe nearby is fine too.”
- “Okay, I’ll send it.”
She sent the location, and I headed there.
On the way, my mind was a mess.
‘Is Yusia really Chairman Yoo’s granddaughter?’
If she was, everything started to make sense.
She had inside info on HR Group. She wore expensive brands. Maybe she wasn’t lying at all.
‘Crap.’
No one was watching, but I blushed with embarrassment.
‘I said all kinds of things to her… and she’s from a chaebol family.’
But the worst part was what Sang-hyuk said.
“I’m saying this as a friend. Won’t this relationship be hard for you? You have no future. You’re a normal guy, and she’s a chaebol. That’s not going to work.”
“You’ve only held hands so far, right? Maybe it’s better to end it before things get deeper.”
“You’ll just get hurt.”
“Also, you work at the same company. What if she becomes your boss someday?”
It was all true.
And that made it harder.
‘I only started dating her because I thought we had a future.’
I was careful because I knew we came from different worlds. But I liked her anyway.
I even thought about building a life with her someday.
But if she’s really a chaebol…
It’s impossible.
People might say, “Lucky you! Just marry into her family!”
But that’s not realistic.
If she came from a small business-owning family, maybe. But this was a massive chaebol family.
Especially HR Group.
All five sons and thirteen grandchildren had arranged marriages. That’s how they got to the top.
They’re the most tightly connected family in Korea.
Why would a family like that accept someone like me?
My mom left when I was a kid. We never heard from her again.
My dad worked in a factory, got injured, and now runs a small fried chicken shop.
We live paycheck to paycheck.
Even though I work at HR Group, to them I’m just a small cog in a huge machine.
If she’s really the chairman’s granddaughter…
Then breaking up is the right choice.
I like her… maybe even love her.
But if there’s no future, there’s no point in dragging this out.
“We’re here.”
The taxi stopped in a fancy neighborhood far from central Itaewon.
Huge luxury houses lined the hills.
“…This is it?”
“Yes. That’s the cafe you mentioned.”
‘The Hill Cafe’ sat near Korea’s most expensive area—HanNam The Hill.
‘Damn it.’
Looks like Sang-hyuk was right.
Five minutes after I entered the cafe.
“Dae-ri-nim!” (Team Leader!)
Yusia waved happily.
For now, being called “Team Leader” instead of “oppa” felt more comfortable.
She looked happy but also nervous.
We hadn’t been apart long, but I showed up out of nowhere.
“What’s going on? Why did you come?”
“I’ll just ask directly.”
No time for polite words.
“Is your grandfather Chairman Yoo Jin-gap?”
“…!”
Her eyes widened and started to shake.
She bit her lip.
“You already know, don’t you?”
I nodded.
“My friend’s a reporter.”
“Ah…”
“He saw our photo and recognized you.”
She realized she couldn’t hide it anymore and nodded.
“…Yes. He’s my grandfather.”
Just as I feared.
“It’s not that I wanted to hide it,” she said quickly. “I just didn’t know how to bring it up.”
“I understand.”
Honestly?
It didn’t feel real.
Just a few hours ago, I thought of her as a normal girl.
Now she’s a chaebol heiress.
My brain understood it, but my heart couldn’t.
I asked again to confirm.
“Then, Director Yoo Hyung-min is…?”
“He’s my oldest cousin.”
“Yoo Jung-min?”
“Second cousin.”
“Yoo Jong-geun?”
“My uncle.”
“Yoo Jong-tae?”
“My second uncle.”
“Yoo Kang-min?”
“My older cousin.”
“Yoo Jong-hwan, CEO of HR Media?”
“He’s my dad.”
My head was spinning.
I felt dizzy.
Too dizzy.
“…I have to go.”
“What? Right now?”
“Sorry. I need to rest.”
As I stood up, she quickly spoke.
“I don’t care!”
She looked at me with wide eyes.
“I don’t care about your background!”
“I do.”
“….”
“Sorry. I’ll contact you later.”
The next day.
9:30 AM.
Even though work had started, one seat was still empty.
“Song Dae-ri isn’t here yet?”
“Yeah. His bag’s not here either.”
“Try calling him.”
“I did. He didn’t answer.”
“Try again.”
“Okay.”
- “The person you called is not available…”
“Still no answer.”
“That’s strange. He’s never been like this.”
“If he doesn’t show up by lunch, maybe we should check his place.”
“Wait.”
Manager Ma noticed an envelope on his desk.
He picked it up.
[Resignation Letter]
- I am resigning due to personal reasons and can no longer work at HR Planning.
- Team Leader Song Jin-seong
“What… is this?”
“What happened?”
“He quit?”
“So suddenly?”
“This is crazy!”
Yusia’s heart sank.
‘…He quit?’
She was scared.
Really scared.
Please don’t let it be that ending.
But before she could even calm down…
Bzzz!
She got a message from Jin-seong.
[From: Team Leader Song]
I can’t meet you again, Yusia. Your uncles and cousins… they’re too scary. I can’t handle it.
I didn’t have the courage to say it face to face. I’m sorry I’m saying it like this.
I’m sorry. Let’s break up.
Drip.
A tear dropped onto her phone screen.
