Chapter 02
Whether it was unlucky or lucky, no one had ever liked Ji-an so far.
The nonstop hospital calls played a part, and no man had ever liked her cold reactions, as if she were just waiting for time to pass.
Ji-an sighed and opened the car door, sitting beside her grandmother.
Maybe because of the fatigue from the nightmarish night, the air felt especially suffocating.
“Tsk tsk, a mess. You look like a beggar.”
Her grandmother scanned Ji-an from head to toe, spitting out her harsh words without hesitation.
The start was bad, but Ji-an gritted her teeth and endured it.
“We don’t have time, so let’s move. This blind date isn’t easy to arrange.”
Normally, Ji-an would have followed without complaint. But today…
“No, I don’t want to today.”
Ji-an blurted out the truth she couldn’t swallow.
She thought she had grown used to her grandmother’s forceful actions and verbal abuse.
But maybe because it was her birthday, she missed her mother so much that she could no longer hold back the feelings rising in her throat.
“I’ve been at the hospital all night for the past few nights. Today, I really need to see my mother. So please, just this once…”
“Ha! Insolent girl.”
Her grandmother’s curse flew immediately, and Ji-an looked at her with resentment.
“You think I’m an easy pushover? I’ve heard about all the blind dates you’ve ruined by sulking and pouting. Where do you think you’re clever? This time it won’t go your way. If you don’t take this seriously, I’ll remove your mother’s room from Dongsan Hospital right now!”
“Grandmother! How could you say—”
“You promised to cooperate with the Hong family yourself. You’re not doing it properly, so what do you expect me to do?”
Ji-an couldn’t even force a hollow laugh.
This was truly the worst.
Her grandmother had not changed a bit from twenty years ago, when she kicked out her eight-year-old granddaughter after losing her father.
She dug into wounds, trampled on people, and made them endlessly miserable.
Ji-an could barely breathe.
Her chest tightened, and she couldn’t help opening the car door to get out.
“You’ll regret it if you get out now.”
A chilling sense of danger gripped her.
“You’re a doctor, so you know. If you remove the caregiver and stop physical therapy, how long do you think your mother will last? Limbs stiffen, bedsores form—it happens in an instant.”
Her heart sank.
It felt like a blade had been stabbed and torn through her.
Goosebumps rose all over her body, and her hands trembled like a patient with Parkinson’s.
“I hate this too, but I’ve been putting up with you spending my money on nonsense because you’re my granddaughter.”
Ji-an could not open the door against such ruthless threats.
Her eyes reddened at the worst birthday gift ever, and her whole body shivered.
This was tens of thousands of times worse than last night’s death notice in the ER.
The cruelty of blood relatives, worse than strangers, left yet another deep, unhealable wound in her heart.
Tae-jun hurried his car into the underground parking lot of H Hotel.
As he parked and got out, his phone rang.
“Yes, Mother.”
He spoke while heading for the elevator.
“-Tae-jun, have you arrived?”
“Yes. I’m at the parking lot now.”
“-Hurry up a bit. Being late isn’t polite, you know.”
“It’s still ten minutes early.”
“-Better to go early. That’s why I reserved the hotel where you are.”
“I just arrived in Korea a week ago. I barely managed to get time off from a busy schedule.”
“-I know. Still, pay attention. She’s a lucky girl, polite and well-mannered. Everyone wants her. It’s amazing she studied medicine and is now a resident at Hanyeong Hospital.”
“Are you finished speaking?”
Tae-jun asked coldly as his mother kept talking.
“-No, Tae-jun. Residents at Hanyeong Hospital are busy like you. You should arrange at least a proper after-meeting. You can’t know someone in just one meeting. At least meet three times.”
“She’s not a child. I’ll handle it myself.”
“-You’re the worst. Even if I told you to come home, you’d go to the hotel. Even if you wanted to see her, you didn’t visit once in two years in the U.S.”
Her mother’s earnest voice continued.
“-You’re the heir of Hanyeong Group. To lead the whole company, you can’t just work. You need a family, look around, pay attention to your surroundings…”
“The elevator’s here. Bye.”
Tae-jun ended the call quickly, not listening further.
Why did she suddenly become obsessed with marriage…?
He already felt fed up before even meeting the blind-date woman.
Until now, Tae-jun had been working at Hanyeong Motors’ U.S. branch.
He had led the launch of the new HC car and challenged the U.S. market as a responsible leader.
As a latecomer, Hanyeong Motors struggled for a while. But aggressive marketing paid off, and the losses gradually disappeared. Three months ago, HC sales finally showed growth.
Thanks to this, Tae-jun’s return to Hanyeong Group headquarters was decided earlier than planned.
His work was going according to plan. But now he faced an unexpected obstacle: marriage.
As soon as he arrived in Korea, his parents’ push for marriage began.
Apparently, hearing that a friend’s couple had a grandchild had triggered them.
Contrary to his parents’ wishes, Tae-jun had no interest in marriage.
Being called a workaholic was almost too predictable. Nothing excited him as much as work. Marriage felt like a waste of time, not excitement.
Above all, he was about to be appointed executive at Hanyeong Group headquarters.
It wasn’t a position he reached just because he was the chairman’s son.
He had started as an intern in college and worked through Hanyeong Group subsidiaries, managing money and projects to get here.
He had the grand goal of globalizing Hanyeong Group.
There was much to do, and much he wanted to do.
With jet lag and work to catch up on, he had no time for casual blind dates.
Deciding to finish it in 30 minutes as a filial duty, Tae-jun entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 21st floor.
His gaze dropped to his phone, instantly focused on the numbers showing Hanyeong subsidiary sales.
In the end, Ji-an prepared herself as her grandmother wished for the blind date.
She smoothed out her hair, usually tied tightly, and hid dark circles with heavy makeup.
She added false eyelashes, wore a classic designer two-piece that made her look ten years older, and even put on a scarf she didn’t like.
She carried the luxury tote bag her grandmother insisted she use. The grandmother’s taste was now fully reflected.
Seeing her pale reflection made her stomach churn, but she suppressed it and walked into H Hotel.
Passing through the lobby, she stopped at the elevator on the first floor.
A sigh escaped her lips.
Today wasn’t just about going on a blind date.
Before her grandmother did anything, she had to quickly move her mother to another hospital.
Realizing she could no longer hesitate, Ji-an messaged a senior from school who had once suggested a high-paying part-time doctor job.
She had to give up the resident position she had fought so hard for, but there was no other way.
Even if she had to give up her dream of becoming a specialist, she had to make choices that would earn a little more money to save her mother.
As Ji-an clenched her teeth and made the decision, a little girl, no older than a kindergartener, appeared beside her, bouncing happily with her mother.
The pretty mother and daughter caught Ji-an’s eyes automatically.
“Mom! Candy! Candy!”
“Okay, just one more.”
The girl, holding a yellow candy from her mother in her mouth, bounced even more excitedly.
She wore cute red shoes, matching her mother’s.
A matching pair.
Ji-an remembered doing the same with her mother when she was little.
Matching clothes, shoes, vests, bags, hairpins…
Her father had once demanded to join in with a ribbon pin, and she had laughed so much.
The precious memories brought tears to her eyes.
Would her mother be upset if she knew the situation?
Her heart felt heavy, but she reminded herself that every choice was to protect her mother.
The elevator, coming up from the basement, reached the first floor and opened.
Inside was a handsome man in a sharp navy suit with a handkerchief in his pocket.
His gaze was on his phone, but his tall, striking appearance gave off an imposing presence.
Feeling intimidated, Ji-an moved to a corner of the elevator and reached for the button.
Meanwhile, the 21st-floor lounge, the blind-date location, was already lit.
Ji-an glanced sideways at the man without realizing it.
