DYEH 09

DYEH

Posted by Bela, Released on October 14, 2025

Chapter 9

Seo-hee looked at Yi-soo with a detached gaze. Her intentions were painfully obvious.

She could already guess why Tae-gyu and his wife were here, too. Yi-soo must have begged them to come, putting on her usual sweet act.

She was probably dying to know what had happened today—what Seo-hee was doing after coming home, how she was behaving.

In the past, Seo-hee would never have seen through her intentions. She would have gone straight to her grandfather and told him everything. “Actually, there’s this senior I like at school, but I don’t know if he likes me back.”

Then Grandfather would have asked, “What kind of guy is he?” And she would have praised Jae-min, calling him a promising young man with a bright future.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case anymore. People, foolish as they are, only learn through pain.

After experiencing the bitter consequences of her past mistakes, Seo-hee saw everything clearly now—Yi-soo’s shallow little tricks, especially.

Chairman Han’s next words confirmed her thoughts.

“What do you mean by that?”

His voice and face were filled with concern. Exactly the reaction Yi-soo had been aiming for.

And then, pretending to realize her mistake, Yi-soo began her act.

“Oh my, unni! Did I just say something I shouldn’t have?”

She covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide in feigned embarrassment—like she’d let something slip accidentally. Even her eyes seemed to plead ‘What should I do?’ Her acting was worthy of an award.

She didn’t forget to glance pitifully at Chairman Han, either. Every expression, every word was deliberate.

“What is this about? Why is my Seo-hee troubled and hurting?”
“Well, that’s…”

Yi-soo trailed off, glancing at Seo-hee as if seeking permission.

So this was how it always went, huh?

A humorless smile tugged at Seo-hee’s lips. In the past, she had foolishly believed Yi-soo’s behavior came from genuine concern. She never realized that Yi-soo’s real intent was to embarrass her.

“It’s nothing, Grandfather.”

Without changing her expression, Seo-hee cut Yi-soo off. Her calmness even startled Yi-soo a little.

She must have assumed that after setting the stage so carefully, Seo-hee would spill everything just as she hoped.

“Really? It’s nothing?”
“Yes.”

Yi-soo, flustered by the firm answer, quickly jumped back in.

“Unni, why are you lying? Wouldn’t it be better to just tell Grandfather honestly?”

Still trying to play innocent under her grandfather’s gaze. Fine then—two could play that game.

“Yi-soo, I don’t know what lie you’re talking about. What exactly should I be honest about?”
“Well, about Jae-min sunbae—”
“Jae-min? Who’s that?”

Chairman Han cut her off, and Yi-soo didn’t even get to finish. Fortunately, he asked about Jae-min himself, just as Seo-hee wanted.

She hadn’t expected him to move exactly as planned, but he was predictable enough. As Yi-soo opened her mouth to reply, Seo-hee cut in again.

“He’s just a senior I take classes with.”
“And? Sounds like he’s more than just a classmate.”

As always, Chairman Han was sharp.

“Well, Grandfather,” Yi-soo jumped in eagerly, “Unni likes this senior named Park Jae-min. It’s one-sided though.”

Chairman Han’s eyes widened. If Seo-hee liked this boy and felt heartache, there was only one possible meaning—his granddaughter was suffering from unrequited love.

“Is that true, Seo-hee?”

The expressions around the table shifted. The Chairman looked surprised; Yi-soo, sly; Tae-gyu and Yeon-sook, curious. Seo-hee slowly looked at each of them before calmly answering:

“No.”

She drew the line again, cleanly and confidently.

There was one thing Yi-soo overlooked—no matter what nonsense she said, Chairman Han only ever believed his beloved granddaughter, Seo-hee.

“Of course not! My Seo-hee wouldn’t be silly enough to fall into a one-sided love.”

Relieved, the Chairman let out a hearty laugh. He didn’t forget to scold Yi-soo either.

“Yi-soo, why are you making up stories like that? The person herself denied it.”

Chairman Han had never liked Yi-soo. His second son, Tae-gyu, who’d once had a stable marriage, suddenly announced his divorce one day—not that he would divorce, but that it was already finalized.

To make matters worse, he’d already fathered a daughter out of wedlock—with a woman he met at a bar he frequented. It wasn’t just that he remarried without permission; it was how he met her that infuriated the Chairman.

Though he raged and scolded, he couldn’t stop Tae-gyu. His eldest son had already passed away before him, and none of his remaining children pleased him. Of them all, he despised the second son most.

Naturally, Tae-gyu’s wife Yeon-sook and daughter Yi-soo had fallen out of his favor too. What bothered him most about Yi-soo wasn’t just her precocious cunning—but the greed shining in her eyes.

He was certain that greed would one day harm Seo-hee and the Shinseong Group.

Yi-soo knew exactly what he thought of her—and she knew exactly how to act in moments like this.

“I’m sorry,” she said, bowing slightly.
“Ahem.”
“Father,” Tae-gyu tried to ease the tension, “Yi-soo just misunderstood. No need to scold her so harshly.”
“A person should think before they speak. I thought I’d taught you that… tsk tsk.”

Tae-gyu winced, hit by the rebuke meant for his daughter.

“Since you’re here, you might as well eat before you go.”

He wasn’t heartless enough to throw them out outright, so Chairman Han called for his aide.

“Mr. Oh.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Prepare a meal for Tae-gyu’s family.”

The meal was uncomfortable. Yi-soo regretted coming at all.

The table was piled high with luxurious dishes, but every bite felt like swallowing stones.

This wasn’t how she’d imagined it at all. How had things gone so wrong?

She needed to take a breath.

“Excuse me, I’ll just use the restroom for a moment…”

Chairman Han didn’t even respond, too focused on eating. Under her mother’s uneasy gaze, Yi-soo left the room.

The door shut behind her, and the mask dropped.

“Hah, has Han Seo-hee lost her mind?”

Folding her arms across her chest, she stood with one hip cocked, irritation written all over her face.

“What the hell is she thinking?”

Even though Seo-hee wasn’t there, Yi-soo glared at the closed door as if she were. That blank, unbothered expression kept flashing in her mind, making her blood boil.

Until now, Seo-hee had always danced to her tune like a puppet. But today, she’d done the opposite of everything Yi-soo expected.

“It’s like she’s turned into someone else.”

Yi-soo couldn’t have known that Seo-hee had indeed become someone else. To her, it just felt like an infuriating twist of fate. She’d ended up looking like the liar, and Chairman Han’s dislike toward her had only deepened.

How was she going to pay Seo-hee back for this?

Rage flared in her eyes. If she’d known it would turn out like this, she never would have come.

After hanging up on Seo-hee earlier, she couldn’t wait until tomorrow. So the moment Tae-gyu came home, she’d begged him to visit the main house.

Tae-gyu didn’t like going there either—his father disapproved of his new family, after all—but maintaining distance from Chairman Han wasn’t wise.

If she wanted a foothold in the Shinseong Group, she had to make her presence felt.

That’s why she’d begged and sweet-talked her father into going. But now she’d only made things worse.

Pacing in the bathroom, Yi-soo muttered to herself.

“What should I do…”

After thinking for a while, she came to a conclusion.

She’d use Jae-min.

“I’ll just make it not a lie, right?”

Seo-hee definitely had feelings for Jae-min. Whatever her reasons for denying it today, Yi-soo could tell she still had lingering emotions.