Chapter 22 – Upward Marriage
Kang Joo-hee acted like she had already taken over the Tae-gyeom Group. Her father, Chairman Kang, and her nephew, Lee Jun, were merely chess pieces for accumulating more wealth.
“You know it won’t look good for me if your past keeps surfacing, right? Hanseo News promised to block any negative stories about us and publish only praise. If that happens, public opinion will be on our side.”
Baek Kyung, perhaps feeling a sting of guilt, responded defensively.
“Everyone makes mistakes in their youth. Arguments and fights happen.”
“I know. But there’s no need to stir up gossip, right? My father’s old-fashioned. If it gets out, it won’t do any good.”
She was right. If he just endured a little longer, once Chairman Kang passed, his affectionate wife would gain everything.
“Don’t scratch what doesn’t itch. Do your best. Korea still respects age and seniority, you know.”
“Of course. How could we hand over Tae-gyeom Group to a young nephew while the elder aunt is still around? You’re the senior, after all.”
Feeling better, Joo-hee nodded and spoke to her helper. She said she had no appetite and would just have some abalone porridge, which sent the helper scrambling.
Joo-hee soothed her bitter mouth with some kombucha and sighed.
“We should just import and sell things offhand. I don’t know what that Lee Jun kid is thinking, trying to launch a locally manufactured camper van in Korea. I hope he doesn’t end up tanking our stock.”
“He’s just young. Young people always chase things without thinking.”
Baek Kyung carefully placed salad in her bowl with tongs and tended to her needs.
Joo-hee didn’t seem to dislike his attentiveness. Her cheeks flushed faintly.
Just thinking about living a warm, affectionate life with him forever made her heart swell with happiness.
When she caught Baek Kyung smiling gently at her, Joo-hee renewed her determination never to let Tae-gyeom Group fall into Lee Jun’s hands.
“If he likes the driver’s daughter that much, let him date her. But marriage is a different story. I’ve known her since she was a kid—she’s feisty and stubborn.”
“Cut it off. How dare she act defiant toward my wife, not even knowing to fear her elders?”
Joo-hee curled her lips smugly at Baek Kyung’s defense of her.
With a husband who praised everything she did, every day was a delight.
To preserve family harmony, Joo-hee resolved to hurry and bring back the daughter of Hanseo News’s CEO. It was a bit earlier than planned, but if she delayed, the timing might be lost.
“Sung Ji-hye is the perfect person to marry Lee Jun and be my hands and feet.”
“But would she really give up studying abroad for that? Are you serious?”
Baek Kyung looked skeptical.
Even with a deal in place, it was strange that a top chaebol heiress would obey Joo-hee so readily.
At his question, Joo-hee laughed out loud. Her voice rang through the air as she wiped the tears that had welled up with a perfectly manicured fingernail.
“You wouldn’t understand, but kids born rich are like that.”
She had said it casually, but Baek Kyung’s expression flickered momentarily.
Joo-hee, caught up in her own satisfaction, didn’t notice the brief flash of disdain in his eyes.
“Even if they’re not lacking in money, it’s instinct to crave more.”
Upward Marriage.
This was the phrase Lee Jun’s aunt often used whenever she saw Yooa.
You’re lucky. You show up with just your body and get to snatch away all the wealth and honor someone else worked so hard for? I should’ve lived like that too.
It was as if she’d taken a course on how to hurt others with words. The wounds she left didn’t heal even over time.
Today was no different. Late in the afternoon, Yooa had run out happily at the sound of a car entering the lot—only to be met by an unwelcome guest.
Kang Joo-hee. Lee Jun’s aunt. A person Yooa didn’t want to be in the same space with for even a moment.
“Is this just you, or are all the young people these days like this?”
“Excuse me?”
“I just don’t get it. From what I understand, you have a perfectly fine home, but you’re out here in tents and camper vans. I mean, I know we own an outdoor brand, but this is just dirty and vulgar to me.”
With her arms crossed, Joo-hee flicked her fingers toward Yooa’s camp setup and frowned. Even when Yooa offered her a chair, she only glanced at it like it was filthy.
Thud. Thud.
The sound of Joo-hee clicking her tongue in disapproval made Yooa’s heart race faster.
“Did you know? Poverty and depression are contagious.”
How could Yooa not understand the meaning behind those words?
That downward gaze, as if she were filth, and those unpleasant, barbed comments made her lower her head.
Sensing her words had landed, Joo-hee smiled smugly and continued.
“I can’t stop Lee Jun from liking you, can I? If I try to pull them apart too early, it’ll just backfire. But if he suddenly wants to marry you? You’d be the only one who wins.”
Joo-hee didn’t seem to know that Chairman Kang had already suggested marriage to both of them.
Yooa quietly tapped her phone’s call button. Lee Jun should be arriving around now anyway. And unlike before, she no longer had a reason to silently endure everything Joo-hee hurled at her.
“Yooa!”
Skreeeech— Tires squealed and the smell of burnt rubber filled the air. Lee Jun rushed straight toward them, not even bothering to close his car door.
“What are you doing here at this hour…? Aren’t you supposed to be working?”
Joo-hee checked the time. She must have planned this visit based on his usual schedule, unaware that he’d been leaving work an hour early all week due to nonstop relay meetings.
To Yooa, Joo-hee now seemed like a toothless tiger. Someone who pretended to know everything while actually knowing nothing. She no longer felt afraid of her.
“So Yooa, you’re the one who called Lee Jun. I should’ve known from the moment you wrapped him around your finger. You’re not ordinary.”
As Lee Jun ended the call, Yooa’s phone screen lit up too. Joo-hee sneered, glancing between the two.
“You’re being used, Lee Jun.”
Joo-hee glared at Yooa, who stood slightly behind Lee Jun, and carefully chose her next words.
“I’m the only woman in the family old enough to look after you, so it’s my duty. Don’t you see that I’m only doing this for your future?”
She added that she wanted to introduce him to someone classy and refined. That people should stick with their own kind.
And that’s when Yooa realized the real reason for today’s visit.
Joo-hee didn’t even see her as a person. She was trying to bruise her pride and drive a wedge between her and Lee Jun.
A quiet laugh escaped her lips.
“Since when did we start looking after each other, Aunt?”
“W-what? Lee Jun!”
“Let’s each take care of ourselves. You should look after your husband. Recently, I heard he’s been cozying up to the executives at the golf course. I’m not sure what ideas he’s getting, but you do know, right? Grandpa doesn’t trust anyone unless they’re blood.”
Joo-hee bit her lip in shock.
She wasn’t the only one placing people at Lee Jun’s side.
Just as he said—blood doesn’t lie. Her nephew had been monitoring her and even her husband.
Among those with Kang blood, the one who made veiled threats and looked at her with sharp, warning eyes was Lee Jun—and she found him the most unsettling of all.
As Joo-hee’s face reddened, Lee Jun glanced at Yooa.
He reached out, pulled her into his arms, and spoke firmly, like a warning.
“You’re right about one thing: people should stick to their kind. That’s the first sensible thing I’ve heard from you in a while, Aunt.”
“Lee Jun!”
“I only want to stick with Yooa. Just like you said—she’s not ordinary. That’s exactly why I’m hopelessly drawn to her.”
