Chapter 01
“Daewoong Electronics has announced its ambition to reclaim the No. 1 global smartphone market share after merging with U.S. mobile manufacturer Tenz. This merger marks an achievement made five years after Vice Chairman Jung Jaehyun took office, with Daewoong Electronics’ revenue in the third quarter reaching—”
Click—
“Ha…”
The man lit his cigarette with practiced ease and exhaled a long stream of smoke.
Each time his wrist moved toward his face, the gold watch on it caught the sunlight streaming through the window, flashing brilliantly.
Kim Chanyeong, CEO of KY Group.
With a body kept lean through steady exercise, no one would have guessed he was past forty.
“How long will it take?”
A heavy weight carried in Chanyeong’s voice.
He was still watching the TV, where Chairman Jung Jido of the Daewoong Group and his son, Vice Chairman Jung Jaehyun, were departing overseas.
As if answering his question, the sharp sound of heels echoed rhythmically across the spotless marble floor.
“Rushing won’t help. Please wait.”
“Sunwoo. Several lives are riding on this.”
Kim Sunwoo.
Even when faced with Chanyeong’s war-general-like expression, a playful smile never left Sunwoo’s face.
“Yes, yes—of course.”
At Sunwoo’s insincere reply, Chanyeong frowned and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
“Don’t forget—your life is on the line too.”
Their expressions were so contrasting, it was hard to believe they were having the same conversation.
Despite the threat, Sunwoo merely shrugged.
As if his shirt felt stifling, he rolled up both sleeves and loosened the button at his collar before sitting in a stainless steel chair at the table.
Part of a Polynesian-pattern tattoo peeked out from beneath his right sleeve.
“Director, do you know how long a male lion—the so-called king of the jungle—holds onto his throne?”
Sunwoo looked at the neatly arranged photographs on the table with keen interest.
“….”
“On average, five years. Other rivals constantly challenge the king for his throne. Until they become king, they can’t even mate with the lionesses under him. Reproduction is the king’s privilege.”
Chanyeong couldn’t tell what point Sunwoo was trying to make.
Sunwoo was always a variable—something Chanyeong hated.
Competent, yet dangerous. And too valuable to discard.
He was the only man capable of executing this risky plan Chanyeong had devised.
Without a doubt.
Chanyeong pushed a pack of cigarettes across the table toward him.
Tap.
Sunwoo took one into his mouth, leaned back in his chair, and casually placed both legs crossed on top of the table.
Under the sole of his shoe lay Jaehyun’s face in one of the photos.
“So we’re taking the throne?”
No. That seat had never been theirs to begin with.
Chanyeong looked down bitterly at the Daewoong Group family tree laid out on the table.
“We’ll drive out the lions.”
Sunwoo waved the cigarette lazily in the air as he spoke.
“What?”
“A young lion who defeats the king takes everything that was his. He claims the lionesses and kills all the cubs that might one day challenge his rule. We’ll do the opposite.”
A cloud of smoke drifted from Sunwoo’s lips.
As it dispersed, his chillingly bright eyes locked onto Chanyeong.
“….”
That gaze—overwhelming.
A reminder that one could never let their guard down around Kim Sunwoo.
“First Lee Yujin. Then his sons… In the end, there will be nothing left for Jung Jaehyun.”
The corner of Sunwoo’s lips curled upward.
“Sons? Jaehyun has another son?”
Chanyeong checked the family tree again, but he hadn’t missed anything.
“Just sit back and watch. The end of a lion who’s lost his throne.”
Sunwoo was certain.
Without a shred of doubt.
In the end, Jung Jaehyun’s kingdom would collapse.
“Vice Chairman Jung has declined to comment on recent rumors of discord with his wife, Lee Yujin.”
The final line of the breaking news echoed faintly behind Chanyeong.
She turned off the TV and tossed the remote aside.
The title of “actress” she had built over seven years had been pushed aside the moment her marriage was announced, replaced by the role of Daewoong Group’s daughter-in-law.
For Jaehyun, the only thing that ever mattered was earning his father’s recognition.
He was always someone who demanded understanding from me.
Because of that, I had to live alone in that vast house, unable to even imagine my future unless he decided it for me.
At least until Yeonha was born.
“Ha…”
Sighs escaped me more often now.
On the table lay a business card, carelessly placed.
That one spot seemed darker than the rest.
“Kim Sunwoo…”
A name I had forgotten over the years.
I never imagined I would meet him again like this.
Three days ago.
“We usually notify you about the next hearing about a month in advance, so please contact me if anything comes up before then.”
The first trial had been nothing but despair.
The court designated my husband, Jung Jaehyun, as the child’s temporary guardian.
And I—was left as the mother who abandoned her child.
If things continued like this…
Would I never see my child again?
Could I live without Yeonha?
Fear spreading from my heart seemed to take over my entire body, leaving me tense and trembling.
It was only the first hearing, yet the despair already rooted deep inside me was unbearable.
“Lawyer… will I be able to see Yeonha again?”
The only person I could rely on.
But unlike my expectations, he couldn’t hide his troubled expression.
“To become the primary caregiver, you should have endured whatever hardship and stayed with your child.”
He continued to find fault with my actions.
“I told you multiple times—that wasn’t a situation where I could—”
“The court considers the child’s situation before the mother’s.”
“Then what should I do going forward? I’ll do anything if it means I can raise my child myself.”
I clung to him, pleading.
But his face already showed signs of defeat.
“Ms. Yujin, you’re still young, and you plan to continue acting, don’t you?”
“What are you saying right now?”
He looked at me with visible frustration.
As if telling me to accept reality.
“How about giving custody to the father and focusing on increasing alimony and visitation rights during mediation? It’ll be difficult to work while raising a child anyway.”
“…What did you just say?”
I doubted whether he was really my legal representative.
Custody was non-negotiable.
I steadied my trembling legs and clenched my fists.
“Think realistically—”
“If it were your child, would you give up like that?”
“I’m suggesting a compromise with a realistic chance of success.”
“I don’t want money or Jung Jaehyun. I want Yeonha!”
I barely held back the tears that threatened to spill.
I didn’t want to cry anymore.
Especially not in front of someone talking about probabilities when it came to my child.
“You’re no longer my lawyer.”
I said firmly and turned away.
“Ms. Lee Yujin, is it true that Vice Chairman Jung Jaehyun of Daewoong Group has an illegitimate child?”
“Ms. Yujin!”
The moment I stepped out of the courthouse, I was surrounded by cameras and reporters.
Before I could even collect my thoughts, I was ushered into a car by the security team and driven out of Seocho-dong.
It was snowing outside.
I could feel the temperature dropping from my fingertips gripping the steering wheel.
This winter felt especially cruel.
“Ha…”
A faint sigh slipped from my lips and vanished into the air.
The next day.
“I’m sorry, but our attorney is very busy…”
Another rejection.
“This was the last place…”
A sigh escaped out of habit.
Even the last firm on the list I had stayed up all night compiling turned me down.
Preparing for a divorce from Jaehyun on my own wasn’t easy.
Rejection and failure became routine.
Doubt and distrust toward myself deepened into depression, and standing at the crossroads of despair and giving up, I felt painfully how fragile I really was.
“Ms. Lee Yujin.”
I flinched.
As I parked in my officetel parking lot and got out, a stranger’s voice called from behind me.
Tension surged instantly.
There was no one here to protect me.
Without turning around, I quickened my pace toward the building entrance.
At the same time, footsteps echoed behind me.
“Lee Yujin.”
The unfamiliar voice called out again.
I slowly turned, gripping my phone tightly in my coat pocket.
About ten meters away stood the silhouette of a man as tall as Jaehyun.
It was too dark to see his face.
As I stood on guard, the man slowly closed the distance.
“Who are you?”
“…Hoo.”
A long exhale.
Cigarette smoke billowed out, obscuring his face.
