SBC 17

SBC

Posted by Ali, Released on September 6, 2025

Chapter 17

When he was with Kang Dasom, he couldn’t help but have strange thoughts. It felt like he might cross a line he shouldn’t.

Why, he wondered.

“You said you’d just have one drink, but you’re finishing it all by yourself.”

“You’re drinking too slowly.”

Kang Dasom glanced at the wine she had barely touched. Yoon Jinwoo quickly downed his glass.

“What’s your relationship with the investor?”

“Just… someone I know a little.”

Kang Dasom fiddled with her glass and smiled softly. He wanted to ask what “just someone I know” really meant, but he held back.

He wasn’t Kang Dasom’s man, after all—why dig into that? His pride wouldn’t allow it.

Yoon Jinwoo drank quickly to calm himself. The bottle wasn’t much, so after two glasses it was nearly empty.

Having no intention of drinking more, Yoon Jinwoo got up. Kang Dasom returned the coat she had borrowed from him.

“……”

He hesitated for a moment as if to tell her to keep it, then accepted the coat back.

“Call the designated driver.”

“The alcohol isn’t strong enough to get me drunk.”

“Don’t be stubborn—call them.”

Yoon Jinwoo’s hand was already dialing the driving service, and without giving Kang Dasom a chance to stop him, he quickly gave the hotel parking lot address.

He even stood in front of Kang Dasom’s car to make sure the driver arrived safely.

“We’ll see each other again, right?”

Before Kang Dasom could answer, she closed the rear door, as if saying she’d see him again no matter what he said.

“Probably.”

Yoon Jinwoo muttered under his breath while watching the car leave. When he had opened the door for her, the brief touch of her wrist lingered oddly in his mind.

It was late, so traffic wasn’t bad. It took about ten minutes to reach the Hanseong-dong family home.

The driver in the front seat was tense. He’d driven many cars for work, but he had never driven such an expensive foreign car.

“You can just take it inside.”

“Oh, yes.”

Through the window, fingers pointed to the castle-like house. As Kang Dasom’s car arrived, the tightly closed parking gate opened.

Two or three suited guards immediately approached the car.

“You’ve gone through a lot because of me.”

“Oh, not at all.”

Kang Dasom pulled a check from her wallet. It was for 1,000,000 won. The driver hesitated, but she waved it off with a smile, her finger near her lips.

As the car door opened, a guard approached Kang Dasom. His gaze fell on the man in the driver’s seat.

“And this person…?”

“I called a designated driver.”

The guard’s expression stiffened slightly at the words.

“Miss, per house rules, if an outsider comes in, we need to get their number just in case.”

“Is that so?”

Kang Dasom took out her phone and called Baek Sungtae. Soon, Baek, who was at home, hurried out.

“I had a little drink at the bar and called a driver. But apparently, I need to give my number to someone working here.”

“Oh, that’s the rule. A business card will do. I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you.”

After the guard left, Baek received the driver’s business card and escorted him to the door before returning.

“Please don’t do this next time.”

“……”

“I’d rather you just call me directly.”

“Well…”

Kang Dasom stepped forward and lifted her head.

“Doesn’t our Manager Baek have things that he doesn’t need to report to you?”

“What are you saying?”

“I meant that today’s incident can just be overlooked.”

Her gaze fell on the business card in Baek Sungtae’s hand.

“I’m willing to be lenient about the manager’s matters too.”

“……”

“It doesn’t look good for outsiders to be treating each other this way.”

Even before her regression, Kang Dasom had never been treated as part of the Kang family. Likewise, Baek Sungtae, who had been treated like a servant of Kang Youngjun and couldn’t go home at this late hour, was practically living in someone else’s house.

When Kang Dasom turned to leave, Baek quickly called out to her.

“Miss, you left your clutch in the car.”

He handed the clutch through the slightly open car door. Kang Dasom smiled and carried it on her arm.

“Thank you.”

“The evening air is chilly. Go inside quickly.”

“I will. You too, don’t stay late, Manager Baek.”

With a nod, she entered the house casually. In her room, she opened the clutch slightly. Inside was the business card Baek had received from the driver. Kang Dasom shredded it into pieces and stuffed it under the trash can.

“This quarter’s Cheonmyeong Battlefront performance report shows a 7.8% decrease in sales compared to the same period last year, with cumulative operating losses exceeding 300 billion won. But it looks like depreciation-adjusted items didn’t account for impairment of unlisted assets.”

There was silence on the other end of Kang Jongwoo’s phone at the soft, gentle voice of Kang Dasom. Having cleared the office of anyone else, Jongwoo adjusted the phone.

“That was intentional, right? So the balance sheet makes it look like dead assets.”

─ Yes. There’s a U.S. private equity firm approaching Cheonmyeong Battlefront, Greenfield Partners. They specialize in turnarounds.

“What’s the deal structure? Full acquisition? Or JV?”

─ Not solo. We plan to enter as a joint venture with the Cheonmyeong Group. The problem is the internal line doesn’t know. Publicly, it looks like ‘considering business restructuring.’

“So the current state… Greenfield is in an unofficial LDD (limited due diligence), preparing in advance so the stock price doesn’t fluctuate?”

─ Yes. I’ve organized the relevant files and sent them by email. Check them.

“Thank you, oppa. I’ll hang up first.”

Footsteps approached along the corridor beyond the door, and Kang Dasom ended the call.

Knock, knock.

“Miss, breakfast is ready.”

“Okay, I’ll be down soon.”

Switching her phone, Kang Dasom calmly opened the door and went to the dining room.

“You’re up?”

“Yes. Did you sleep well too?”

“Moderately.”

Kang Youngjun yawned and rubbed his eyes. Kang Dasom sat at the far end of the large marble table to eat breakfast.

Before meeting Yoon Seonghoon, she hadn’t even been allowed to sit at the same table with them. She usually ate leftovers with the housemaid after the family finished their meals.

“I’ll be home late tonight.”

“Where are you going?”

“Seonamdong.”

“Isn’t Seonghoon in Busan?”

“Yes, I know. Mother called me.”

Perhaps because the necklace gift had become a topic among wealthy housewives, Jang Joobin had been subtly keeping an eye on Kang Dasom.

She knew he was still evaluating her, but it didn’t matter. Before her regression, Jang Joobin had opposed a marriage between Kang Dasom and Yoon Seonghoon. This time, she needed to make a good impression not only on Joobin but also on others around her.

Kang Dasom deliberately called Joobin “Mother.”

“Alright, I understand. But I heard there was a commotion in front of the house yesterday—what happened?”

“Oh, that.”

Putting down her chopsticks, she wiped her mouth with a napkin. Baek Sungtae had been at the table since early morning.

“I’m a beginner driver. While parking, I almost hit something by accident. Luckily, Manager Baek helped me figure out how to park properly.”

When Kang Youngjun glanced back, Baek approached.

“Dasom almost made a parking mistake, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Miss seemed a little confused about the parking spot.”

“Well, our parking lot is a bit tricky. Be careful next time.”

Kang Dasom nodded in acknowledgment.

“I’m going to Seonamdong today. Can I go with Manager Baek?”

“With Manager Baek?”