Chapter 10
“If management authority goes to Dohoon, we’re all dead. Do you really think he’ll leave us alone?”
Sunjoo urged Iljun to steel his resolve.
The mere thought of Dohoon taking over management rights made her anxious.
One of the reasons Sehoon had to become the successor was this fear of Dohoon’s revenge.
She thought he must see them as the people who killed his mother. If Dohoon took over Jaegil Group and gained power, he would never leave them alone, in her opinion.
“Did you see how Father keeps changing his stance? And Dohoon isn’t such a bad-natured kid. He’s just a bit blunt.”
Iljun answered while thinking of Dohoon.
Dohoon was his son, but he had been difficult to deal with since he was young. Was it because he took after his mother, Hyeryeon, being proud and dignified?
It got worse after Hyeryeon died. It became hard to even start a conversation with him. Iljun felt like Dohoon probably blamed him for Hyeryeon’s death.
So, he ended up turning his back on Dohoon even more. As a result, they grew increasingly distant, to the point where it was hard to believe they were father and son.
But despite that, Iljun liked Dohoon’s character. Though blunt, he was calm, intelligent, and had a good heart. The Dohoon he knew as a child was never the type to hold grudges against others.
Of course, Sunjoo argued that going through his mother’s ordeal must have turned him into a monster, but at least the Dohoon Iljun knew wasn’t like that.
And no matter what, he didn’t like hearing Sunjoo badmouth Dohoon. Maybe this was him wanting to play the part of a pathetic father, just as Sunjoo had said.
“Whose side are you on anyway?”
“What sides are there? They’re both my children.”
In any case, Iljun took Dohoon’s side and shut down Sunjoo’s words.
Every time this happened, Sunjoo barely managed to hold back her anger.
He’d barely exchanged a few words with Dohoon all these years and never kept him close, yet in times like this, he always took Dohoon’s side. She could never figure out what was going on in his mind.
“I can’t understand a father who pits his children against each other like this, and I can’t understand your desperation either. I’m going to wash up.”
Iljun left those words and went into the bathroom. Sunjoo was so angry she trembled, but there was nothing else she could do.
By the time Iljun and Sunjoo came out, Sehoon and Hari were already gathered at the dining table.
“Sorry we’re late.”
“Look at you, being so well-behaved.”
Ihak clicked his tongue and looked at Iljun, who had come out later than his own grandsons.
“Let’s eat first. We can talk after eating.”
But it wasn’t the done thing to spoil a perfectly set table with nagging. Ihak spoke first, picking up his spoon.
“Yes.”
Iljun answered on behalf of everyone, and they all began the meal.
Since Ihak wasn’t saying anything, no one else dared to start a conversation.
For Sunjoo, the meal felt incredibly long and suffocating. Eating while tense about what topic might come up made the food hard to swallow.
It was only after they finally finished eating and were having plum tea as a digestif that Ihak finally spoke.
“So, Dohoon is finally getting married.”
“Pardon?”
Naturally, everyone’s attention focused on Dohoon at Ihak’s words.
Sunjoo and Sehoon, who had been off guard, assuming Dohoon would avoid marriage easily due to his memories of his mother, were instantly flustered.
They were especially shocked that Dohoon had complied with Ihak’s opinion without putting up any resistance at all.
It meant Dohoon was also that desperate to get Jaegil Group.
Sunjoo grew anxious again, and Sehoon’s competitive spirit ignited.
‘Who said I’d let you take it so easily?’
Sehoon gritted his teeth inwardly. The reason he had endured living in this house, humiliated since he was seven years old as the son of a mistress, was solely because he wanted to take control of Jaegil Group.
Ihak, though he pretended otherwise, openly discriminated between Dohoon and him. Even the hired help in the house always attended to Dohoon first.
Sure, Dohoon was his older brother by five years, but they couldn’t ignore the fact that he was the son of the legal wife and the eldest grandson.
To properly get back at all those people who had looked down on him and favored Dohoon, Jaegil Group absolutely had to fall into his hands.
That’s why Sehoon was prepared to do anything to get Jaegil Group.
Dohoon looked back at Sunjoo and Sehoon, whose faces had darkened in an instant, and spoke leisurely.
“Yes. It seems everyone is more interested in my marriage than my work performance. Upon reflection, I think I’ve focused too much on work. Seeing Sehoon and his wife married and doing well makes me a bit envious.”
When Dohoon mentioned her, Hari, unable to read the room, was busy feeling heartache on her own.
Just as she was conscious of Dohoon, it seemed Dohoon had liked her too. That must be why he said he was envious.
‘Still, I should have met Dohoon first…’
Hari muttered to herself in regret, sighing that her ideal type, Dohoon, was getting married.
Sehoon had treated her well before marriage but turned into an ice-cold man afterward. Moreover, obsessed with management rights and busy with work, he never paid proper attention to Hari.
Deeply dissatisfied, Hari was at least feeling a proxy flutter thanks to her brother-in-law, and the thought of even that ending made her utterly upset.
“Of course. Building a family is also important work. You need a stable home to do well in your external affairs.”
Ihak added, welcoming Dohoon’s decision.
In fact, it was natural for marriage to be a condition for the successor. The risks of appointing a successor while they were still unmarried were too great.
There would be a lot of gossip, and marriage would act as another variable.
But besides that reason, Ihak believed marriage was absolutely necessary for Dohoon.
He hoped Dohoon would overcome his marriage trauma, and he thought that if Dohoon built a good family, he might someday forget the wounds inflicted by his family.
For Dohoon’s sake too, it was better to shake off those bad memories.
“That’s right, Father. It’s a relief Dohoon has come to his senses, even if it’s now. I was so worried he might stubbornly refuse to get married.”
“How could I? Am I not the eldest grandson of this family? It was always my intention to marry, if only to honor Grandfather’s profound wishes.”
Seeing Dohoon retort without missing a beat, having added those words just to look good in front of Ihak, made Sunjoo’s insides boil with anger.
Both the mention of being the eldest grandson and honoring his grandfather’s wishes grated on her.
But Sunjoo kept her smile until the end and asked,
“Good. Is there a woman you have in mind? Should I call Madam Ttu tomorrow to arrange introductions?”
Thinking about it, if it was a marriage of strategy anyway, whether setting up arranged meetings or introducing women, Sunjoo would have work to do. She might not be able to change Dohoon’s mind about marrying, but she could probably take time during the process of searching for a partner to make him fall out of Ihak’s favor.
“Don’t worry about that, Mother. I already have a woman to marry.”
Dohoon said with a gentle smile, seeming to have read Sunjoo’s intentions again. Sunjoo was both stung and surprised.
“Who? When did you date?”
“It’s been a while, but I recently developed feelings for her. I proposed not long ago, and she said yes.”
Dohoon slowly explained the situation, just as he had coordinated with Eunha.
Iljun and Hari widened their eyes in disbelief, while Sehoon snorted.
It was probably a marriage for the sake of the company anyway, and he found Dohoon putting on a romanticist act distasteful.
“Brother, I see you have a romantic side too. I thought you had no interest in women at all.”
“Indeed. I’m surprised too. I guess he must have met his match.”
Even to Sehoon’s sarcastic tone, Dohoon remained unruffled. Ihak nodded, looking pleased.
“It’s a good thing you have a woman you like. I plan to have you married as soon as possible. So, everyone, be aware of that.”
“Wait, Father. Why the rush? We don’t even know who the young lady is.”
Sunjoo tried to stop him, needlessly concerned, but Ihak wouldn’t hear it.
“For a marriage that’s already decided, why delay? It’ll only create gossip. And it’s not a family we don’t know. They may be in decline, but they’re decent enough.”
“Which family is it?” Sehoon asked. He was anxious, wondering if she might have better qualifications than Hari.
“Ha-neul Foods.”
“Pardon? What did you say?”
Sunjoo’s face turned pale as she looked at Sehoon. Sehoon also clearly looked greatly flustered.
Seeing this, Dohoon found it strange but dismissed it as unimportant.
“Why are you so surprised? Surely you know Ha-neul Foods, a competitor in our same industry, Jaegil Foods?”
“Of course we know. We’re just surprised that you, Father, would marry him into a family with such a disparity. For someone of Dohoon’s standing, chaebol families, even National Assembly members or minister-level families would be lining up to marry him…”
Sunjoo’s voice trembled slightly, but not enough for others to notice.
“I agree, Grandfather. I heard their CEO recently had an accident and is bedridden, and the family is ruined… Are you really going to marry him into that family?”
Sehoon, who had now composed himself, joined in. He was flustered as to why, of all people, the woman Dohoon liked was the daughter of Ha-neul Foods.
Dohoon didn’t miss the visibly agitated expressions of Sunjoo and Sehoon.
He had expected them to dislike his marriage, but he thought they’d be happy with the in-laws being Ha-neul Foods—a ruined, insignificant family that wouldn’t require any attention.
But their unusually sensitive reaction was unexpected.
“I know. But they raised their daughter well. Her reputation isn’t bad, and she studied well too. That’s enough.”
“But Grandfather, even so…”
“You married the woman you liked, didn’t you? Dohoon is marrying a woman he likes, so what’s the problem?”
Ihak cut them off sharply, indicating he would tolerate no further discussion on the matter. Sunjoo and Sehoon finally closed their mouths.
“Dohoon, arrange the meeting with the parents as soon as possible.”
“Yes. I understand.”
Dohoon nodded in agreement, still unable to erase his doubts.
