Chapter 71
Break Up
“Secretary Yoo Lee Yeon.”
Gapsu raised his hand to rest his chin as he sat in the study.
He tried to recall his past impressions of I-yeon.
Had she ever seemed capable of something this reckless?
‘She never struck me as a bad kid.’
Since she had been in disguise, there was no way her looks would’ve left much of an impression.
He only remembered a few brief conversations and calls with her when she was working as Do Hyun’s secretary.
Nothing more.
No other memory of her surfaced in Gapsu’s mind.
Marriage, to him, was about two families becoming one.
His lifelong rule had always been clear—marry for mutual benefit.
As the head of a large corporation, forming family ties with another strong company created obvious synergy.
That’s why Gapsu cared about the family background of his future granddaughter-in-law.
In that sense, he accepted I-yeon only because Do Hyun had brought her home himself.
Do Hyun, who rarely even met women.
Gapsu, strict in his old ways, also knew something very well.
A person’s values and character mattered more than their lineage.
He’d learned, through painful experience, how one wrong person entering a family could make several others miserable.
And how long those wounds could tear at one’s heart.
How many times he’d realized it—again and again.
Thinking of Do Hyun’s late mother made Gapsu’s chest tighten.
He forced the corners of his mouth back up.
Even though he still hadn’t healed from the pain of losing Mijeong, this woman dared to deceive him again.
Did she think the Woo Sung family was that easy to fool?
She’d married under a contract just to avoid a formal match.
When he refused, she’d added the condition of having a child.
He hadn’t liked her background, but her mild, composed nature had made him think she was a decent person after all.
Now, though both Do Hyun and I-yeon angered him, Gapsu’s resentment turned toward her.
***
[See me after work.]
Do Hyun’s instincts had been right.
Gapsu had sent her a message asking to meet.
Just that short text meant one thing—come alone.
Without telling Do Hyun.
After getting that message in the morning, I-yeon couldn’t focus all afternoon.
She was too nervous to work properly.
She had no idea what Gapsu wanted to say.
Pretending to act normal so Do Hyun wouldn’t notice was exhausting.
It felt like deceiving him again.
Do Hyun had told her to share everything with him, but when she saw Gapsu’s message, she knew she couldn’t tell him this time.
The last time she had stood before Gapsu, lying in bed, she’d been speechless as Do Hyun explained everything.
This time, she wanted to explain things herself—to express her sincerity.
So she decided to go.
She struggled to think of an excuse for Do Hyun, but in the end, she could only rely on Ha Yul.
She lied that she had dinner plans with Ha Yul, then left for Gapsu’s house right after work.
In the quiet taxi, I-yeon placed a hand over her heart.
It was racing uncontrollably.
No matter how much she tried to calm down, it wouldn’t.
Maybe her heart already knew what was coming.
Maybe that’s why she was so afraid.
She could only hope that her fears wouldn’t come true.
“I’m here.”
As she stepped inside, she saw Gapsu sitting on the sofa.
The house was unusually quiet.
The stillness made it clear—he was alone.
“Good evening, Chairman.”
Even without a reply, she greeted him politely.
“Sit.”
I-yeon moved like a puppet, her body tense at the sound of his heavy voice.
What would he start with?
What kind of words carried this much weight?
Her eyes stayed fixed on his lips.
“I hate liars.”
His voice cut through the silence.
From the very first sentence, it was harsh.
I-yeon didn’t know where to look, so she focused on his hands resting on the sofa.
“You must have heard about Do Hyun’s mother.”
Her faint nod told the truth—she had.
“She was a liar through and through, everything but her family name. And the one who suffered most was Do Hyun.”
At the mention of his name, I-yeon lowered her head further.
“I thought that after all he’d been through, he’d have better judgment in women.
Even when he grew up, he never dated.
We even joked once that maybe he preferred men.
So when he brought you home, I was surprised.
Thought his taste had gotten unusual.
But I figured—better that than someone attention-seeking.”
Gapsu’s tone grew heavier with each word.
“I didn’t skip the background check. We looked into your family, your parents, everything. Nothing false.
That’s why I allowed it.
Even if I didn’t like the family, I believed it was an honest one.
And because Do Hyun chose you, I thought—at least she’s not a liar. That’s why I gave my approval.”
Because he thought she wasn’t a liar.
The words hit hard.
I-yeon couldn’t lift her head, filled with guilt.
“But it turns out your looks were a disguise, and your marriage wasn’t even real. So that means your promise to give me a grandchild first was a lie too.”
His cold eyes, so much like Do Hyun’s, struck her like a whip.
Every word hit where it hurt most.
He wasn’t wrong about anything.
And knowing why he hated lies so deeply only made it worse.
He was wounded, and she had just reopened that wound.
Gapsu looked fierce on the outside, but in that moment, I-yeon saw something else.
Maybe he was gentler than he appeared.
How many people had suffered because of one woman?
Hearing the hidden pain behind the Woo Sung family’s wealth made her chest ache again.
“Did I say anything untrue? If something’s wrong, correct me now. Otherwise, I’ll take it that you’ve deceived me just like Do Hyun’s mother did.”
I-yeon knew she was at fault.
But there was one thing she had to say.
“Chairman, I…”
“Go ahead. Let’s hear your excuse.”
“I’m different.”
If he wanted a defense, she’d give him one.
Her guilty expression hardened into resolve.
Gapsu couldn’t immediately understand what she meant by “different.”
“I never lied with bad intentions.”
“Lying itself is malicious.”
“Sometimes the process matters more than the result. Yes, I lied, but there was no malice in it. I didn’t disguise myself to get into this family, and I never planned to use pregnancy as a tool. I never plotted to deceive you just to join Woo Sung. You keep focusing on being deceived, but I’d like you to focus on my intentions instead.”
“Huh?”
He snorted before she even finished.
“You’ve got some fire in you after all.”
I-yeon gave a short, faint smile.
Strangely, after saying what she needed to, her chest felt lighter.
Maybe that’s why Gapsu’s harsh words didn’t sound entirely sincere anymore.
Was that just wishful thinking?
“Are you saying you’re bold?”
“Maybe a little.”
He snorted again.
“You told me to say what I need to before I regret it. If I kept quiet, I’d die from frustration. So I said what I had to. Still, you weren’t wrong about anything. I am at fault.”
“Enough. I won’t drag this out. I’ll be direct.”
Time seemed to slow as his lips parted.
“Break up with Do Hyun.”
The words struck I-yeon like a slap.
Their eyes met, but it was Gapsu who looked away first.
‘So that’s it.’
Her heart had predicted this all along.
Why else would he call her alone?
She’d seen this scene in countless dramas.
She just never thought she’d live it herself.
Even Gapsu didn’t look at ease saying it.
“End it. I can’t overlook this. I won’t repeat past mistakes. After what’s happened, I can’t let you stay as my granddaughter-in-law.”
But I-yeon couldn’t simply accept that.
“Chairman, please don’t make us end like this. We’ve gone through too much to be together. You can’t dismiss it so easily. Do Hyun won’t accept it either. Please, just give us a chance. Don’t judge us so harshly.”
“My words are final. Go home.”
He cut her off coldly, turning his back.
The wall between them grew even taller.
She had no idea how to break through it.
What could she possibly do?
Even after leaving his house, that question echoed in her head again and again.
She looked up at the dark night sky.
Lately, she found herself doing that a lot.
***
“Why are you so late?”
It wasn’t even nine, yet Do Hyun said it like she’d come home at midnight.
The same man Gapsu had just told her to leave.
I-yeon wrapped her arms around Do Hyun’s.
And with a bright smile that hid everything, she teased him lightly.
“You’re getting more jealous by the day, aren’t you?”
So he couldn’t read what was really in her heart.
