Chapter 8
“This should be enough.”
Seohui nodded as she looked at the bags and shoes she had pulled out and set to one side of the room.
It was quite a lot, but in the vast dressing room, it barely made a dent.
Of course, every single item was expensive. Selling them alone could easily raise a decent sum to start with.
She decided to sell off the things she no longer planned to use and spend that money on something with real value.
She had long since grown tired of such luxury goods anyway.
Now, ten years older, she knew very well how meaningless they really were.
Seohui pulled out her planner and checked her schedule for tomorrow.
Fortunately, she only had an afternoon class.
“I can sell them in the morning then.”
As she neatly packed the items into a paper bag, Seohui decided where she would use the money from the sale.
Jin Woo-hyuk.
His image from the library earlier that day kept circling in her mind.
A man who would one day have influence over all of Korea.
Investing in him was the surest path.
Ten years from now, the world would face an unprecedented pandemic caused by a novel virus.
Even the hotel business—backed by Chairman Han at her request—would suffer devastating losses.
Though the situation improved somewhat thanks to Shinsung Electronics, the core company of the group, by the time her grandfather passed away, the Shinsung Group was already teetering on the brink of collapse.
Looking back now, even that seemed strange.
No matter how much damage the hotel and duty-free sectors took, Shinsung’s electronics division was strong enough to hold the group steady.
It was not a company that could fall apart so easily.
And yet, her grandfather’s death had coincided perfectly with the company’s crisis, as if someone had planned it.
She could not shake the feeling that it had been someone’s scheme.
For someone who knew the future, there could be no better opportunity than this.
From now on, she needed to prepare carefully and methodically.
That was the only way to avenge herself on Lee Soo and Jaemin—and the only way to protect her grandfather and Shinsung.
And the only person who could do it… was her.
You can do this, Han Seohui.
Murmuring as if casting a spell on herself, Seohui headed to the bathroom.
After a shower, she changed into something comfortable.
Just as she began to feel a hint of hunger, the timing couldn’t have been better—Chairman Han came home.
“Miss, the Chairman has arrived!”
Her grandfather was back.
At that single piece of news, her heart began to race.
At Oh’s voice, Seohui rushed out of her room, running down the stairs and greeting Chairman Han in the brightest tone she had used all day.
“Grandfather!”
Seeing his granddaughter greet him more cheerfully than usual brought a gentle smile to the old man’s lips.
“Careful, Seohui. You’ll trip if you run down the stairs like that.”
But his affectionate scolding didn’t even reach her ears.
At the last step, Seohui practically leaped into his arms.
She buried herself in his embrace, pressing her cheek against his chest.
Warmth radiated from where their skin met.
“I missed you.”
Missed seeing you alive and well like this.
She didn’t say the rest aloud, only tightened her arms around his waist.
“We just saw each other this morning, you silly girl.”
“I know. But I still missed you.”
Her voice trembled, thick with emotion.
She wanted to say more, but her throat caught.
All she wanted was to savor the familiar scent of her grandfather and the warmth of his body seeping into hers.
I really came back…
Her heart, which had been pounding with nervous disbelief, slowly began to calm.
Perhaps finding her expression strange, Chairman Han gently patted her back and teased,
“Now, now, what is it you want this time? You only act this cute when you need something.”
To Chairman Han, Seohui was his precious, fragile child.
He had lost his beloved son and daughter-in-law in a car accident that very day, and Seohui was the only one who had survived.
It was a miracle that she’d lived through such a terrible crash.
Since then, he had raised her himself, like a jewel wrapped in silk.
The granddaughter left behind by his most cherished son—
naturally, his affection leaned most toward her.
That was why he planned to leave the largest share of the Shinsung Group to her.
“I don’t need anything. I’m just happy to see you, Grandpa. You’re just… too…”
Her voice broke off, and tears slipped out despite her efforts.
Startled, Chairman Han gently pulled her away.
When he saw her eyes brimming with tears, his expression immediately darkened.
“What’s wrong, my dear? Why are you crying?”
To him, even though she was a university student, Seohui was still a little girl.
“It’s nothing, really.”
She hurriedly wiped her tears with her hands.
There was no way she could explain what she’d been through, so she needed to smooth over the moment quickly.
“Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?”
“Yes. Really, there’s nothing.”
He didn’t quite believe her, but he decided to pretend otherwise.
If it truly were something serious, he could always find out later through other means.
“Grandpa, I’m hungry.”
She changed the subject abruptly.
“Yes, yes. Let’s talk after dinner. Oh, Chief Oh?”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Let’s eat first.”
“Yes, sir.”
Oh moved quickly toward the kitchen.
Just as the two of them were about to follow, the doorbell rang.
Both turned their heads toward the sound.
It was unusual—his children always called before visiting.
Since he had no scheduled guests, it must have been an unplanned visit.
“Who could that be at this hour?”
Chairman Han looked puzzled. His secretary, Mr. Choi, shook his head.
“No, sir. No scheduled appointments or visits.”
“I see. Then it’s probably no one important. Handle it, please.”
“Yes, sir.”
Choi moved to check the door phone, while Chairman Han turned back to Seohui with a smile.
“Come on, let’s go eat.”
The kitchen was filled with a delicious aroma.
Her stomach growled loudly.
“If I’d known you were this hungry waiting for an old man, I’d have hurried home sooner.”
Now that she was with her living, breathing grandfather again, hunger was the least of her concerns.
Seohui grinned and looped her arm around his.
“It’s okay. I’ll enjoy the food even more this way. You must be hungry too, right? Let’s eat.”
Pulling him gently toward the table, she sat down with him.
“The table looks grand tonight.”
“I think Chief Oh made extra because she knew I was hungry.”
“Ha! I like her sense of timing.”
Chief Oh smiled and bowed at his praise, then began serving warm rice and soup.
“Alright, let’s eat.”
Worried she might be too hungry, Chairman Han lifted his spoon quickly.
“Thank you for the meal!”
Seohui picked up her chopsticks energetically.
Chairman Han watched her for a moment.
She seems… different tonight.
It had been so long since she’d come running to hug him for no reason at all.
Not since before she entered high school…
While he reminisced, Seohui was busy eating.
“Slow down, you’ll choke.”
“You should eat too, Grandpa.”
They say seeing your child eat fills you up too.
Just watching Seohui chew made the old man smile warmly.
“Chief Oh.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Bring Seohui some warm water.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Chief Oh moved quickly, Secretary Choi returned from the door.
“Chairman.”
“Who is it?”
“The Vice President’s family, sir…”
“My second son?”
Before Choi could say more, three people entered.
“Father, we’re here.”
“Father, we came to see you.”
Chairman Han’s second son, Han Tae-gyu, and his wife, Kim Yeon-sook, greeted him first.
Beside them stood Lee Soo, bowing politely.
“Coming unannounced at this hour?”
The tone Chairman Han used with them was noticeably different from the warmth he’d shown Seohui.
He was polite, but distant—even toward his own son.
“Oh, Father, don’t sound so cold. Does a son really need an appointment to visit his father?”
Tae-gyu casually pulled out a chair and sat down. Yeon-sook and Lee Soo followed suit.
“It’s been a while, Seohui.”
“Welcome, Uncle. Aunt.”
Her calm and polite tone made Tae-gyu’s brows furrow briefly in surprise.
He wasn’t used to hearing her speak so formally.
Even Yeon-sook was caught off guard but quickly masked it.
“Yes, it’s been too long. I told you to visit us sometimes.”
Seohui knew those words were empty courtesy.
Yeon-sook had never truly accepted her as part of the family.
After all, she resented how the Chairman favored Seohui—especially since he planned to leave her husband’s younger brother the largest inheritance.
When Seohui only smiled lightly in silence, Lee Soo quickly jumped in.
“Right, unnie! You should come over. When your heart feels heavy, sometimes gossiping about nothing helps the most!”
As she spoke, Lee Soo subtly glanced toward Chairman Han.
