09. Kang Se-hee.

09. Kang Se-hee.

 

 

 

 

 

“Grand… Grandfather… suddenly that….”

 

 

A few days after that incident.

Se-hee was suddenly summoned and heard shocking words.

 

 

“You’re 29 now. I’ve waited long enough.”

“G-Grandfather. Just this year… just wait until this year-.”

“Enough! I even watched that damn joke about Yun-hyun or destiny for your sake, but aside from him being useless, he doesn’t even have you in his heart. What are you looking at that makes you want to wait more! It’s been a whole 9 years, 9 years!”

“….”

 

 

Se-hee bit her lip hard and lowered her head.

Yun-hyun would accept her if she waited just a little longer. But why is this happening when she’s so close?

 

 

“…He broke off his engagement. And he said he’d accept me too! If I just wait a little… just a little more-.”

“This girl, even now!”

 

Jja-ak!

 

 

The Chairman struck the floor with a whip-like switch.

Se-hee, startled, flinched.

 

 

“Yes. I know that bastard broke off his engagement. But, for a guy with no background to dare say he’ll accept the granddaughter of the Hyesung Group? Accept? How dare he run his mouth so presumptuously!”

“N-Not in that sense….”

“There’s a limit to how much you can disgrace the company! I won’t allow you to marry him even if you want to right now!!”

“Grandfather….”

“You need to come to your senses now. You’re not getting any younger! Back in my day, twenty-year-olds were married and had three or four kids!”

“….”

 

 

Se-hee bowed her head deeply.

Tears welled up in her sharp eyes.

 

 

“Crying won’t help. Unless you had succeeded, your love that has only failed for nearly 10 years is over now. No more.”

 

 

Eventually, she sobbed silently.

If he’s speaking this firmly, it’s already been decided. There’s no veto power.

 

 

If she really wants to defy him, she has no choice but to cut ties with him and leave the Hyesung Group.

 

But if she turns her back on the group and marries Yun-hyun, can she be happy? In South Korea, where the Hyesung Group, one of the top 10 groups, is actively interfering in a society where crude capitalism is rampant to the point where money is king, it may be difficult to even make a living.

Perhaps life itself could be in danger.

 

 

‘I’m okay… He wouldn’t kill me no matter what. But Yun-hyun….’

 

 

It would be possible if she were alone. But she can’t because she’s not alone.

 

 

‘You son of a bitch… So… So. You should have chosen me from the start… You stupid bastard….’

 

 

Tears fell drop by drop, but the Chairman didn’t budge.

Instead, he handed over a photo as if telling her to stop quickly.

 

 

“This is the man you will enter as his concubine. It’s been decided that you’ll be sent from tomorrow, so behave yourself.”

 

 

Suddenly, the tears stopped completely.

A concubine?

 

 

“A concubine… you say?”

 

 

“Well, did you think you could go as his main wife at 29?”

“….”

 

 

She was speechless and couldn’t say anything properly.

A concubine? In South Korea, the best democracy in Asia in the 21st century?

 

 

“He’s quite the womanizer, but compared to his abilities, that’s not even a flaw. Keep in mind. You are the granddaughter of me, the Chairman of the Hyesung Group. You must never tarnish the company’s reputation.”

“W-Wait a minute! How can that be? A concubine! This is the 21st century! Who in this day and age-.”

“The political and business world is always behind the times. Quietly obey.”

“That kind of… concubine thing is completely illegal! You can’t even get married! This is what tarnishes the reputation-.”

“Enough!! I raised you so nicely, and all you do is talk back. I tell you to go, so just go! Why are you so talkative!!”

“….”

“You don’t have to get married. Anyway, the reason I’m sending you is half a deal, half insurance.”

“…Insurance?”

“Yes. He is a man who will control the world in the future. Compared to him, our group is still a kid.”

“Who is he that-.”

 

 

Who could inspire such awe in the Chairman?

 

 

With trembling hands, she picked up the photo and felt as if all the blood in her body was drying up.

 

 

“…!!”

 

 

A very familiar face.

At the same time, a face she wanted to kill.

 

 

She would never forget him, who insulted Yun-hyun and insulted her. She had been sharpening her knives to get revenge on him no matter what.

But…

 

 

To become the concubine of this kind of human being?

 

 

-I’m someone who can even buy you.

 

 

Ossaak.

 

 

The words she heard from Yoo-eun flashed back in her mind, and goosebumps spread all over her body.

Come to think of it, he had openly pushed for a meeting with her grandfather that day.

 

‘Could it be… he really… bought me…?’

 

 

It was an unbelievable thing.

It is true that arranged marriages have some form of trade.

But this time, it feels somehow blatant.

 

 

The fact that such an absurd word as concubine came out in the first place is strange enough.

 

“It’s just one city for now. But his power is real. No one can stand against him. In just one year, the whole world will pay attention, and in five years, the Earth will revolve around him. There’s nothing wrong with being the concubine of such a man. Rather, it’s the job of a great businessman to invest when the stock price is low.”

 

 

Investment, he says.

Someone’s entire life is about to be ruined, but he expresses it as an investment.

 

“…Grandfather, are you really going to do this?”

“Yes.”

“….”

“Tomorrow, move to the address I wrote down. That’s your home from now on. Tell me anytime if you need anything.”

“….”

 

 

The address written down is the place she visited a few days ago. The headquarters of the Harem Palace Guild.

In other words, Yoo-eun’s house.

 

 

Despair.

That word was engraved in her head.

 

‘Shibal….’

 

 

Swearing continued to come out.

She can no longer hope for a life with Yun-hyun.

She doesn’t know if it would be okay to have secret rendezvous, but at least she can’t be with him.

 

 

‘Tomorrow… you say…’

 

 

On top of that, time is running out. If she has to go live there from tomorrow….

 

 

‘Let’s meet today… Let’s meet and give my virginity… to Yun-hyun.’

 

 

She had cherished it for a very long time.

She endured all kinds of temptations to give him even more joy.

 

 

She didn’t want to give that result to that arrogant trash bastard.

 

 

 

 

But….

 

 

“If you’re thinking of meeting that bastard as a last hurrah or something, stop it. You’re very busy today.”

“…At least let me say goodbye.”

“No.”

“Grandfather!”

“Who knows what you’ll do!! Do you think I can’t read your mind!”

“….”

 

Se-hee glared at him with reddened eyes and bit her lip.

 

“Acting like a child is enough until yesterday.”

 

The Chairman finished speaking and gestured for her to be taken out.

 

 

“Director, let’s go.”

“…I’m disappointed, Grandfather.”

“Hmph.”

 

 

As soon as she got up and turned around, tears burst out.

She had thought that something like this might happen someday, but it really happened in the worst possible way.

 

 

After leaving the Chairman’s office, the secretary who followed her stuck close to her.

 

 

“Director, you have a meeting with that person’s head maid in an hour.”

“Head maid… you say?”

“She was the Guild Master of the Stone Age Guild, which can be said to be the predecessor of the Harem Palace Guild. Her name is Im Seo-hyun, and you can think of her as practically overseeing the guild.”

“…I’ll make a phone call.”

“Yes. Please do.”

 

 

She approached the window with a heavy heart.

She could see ant-like people busily coming and going under the high-rise building.

 

 

Ttik ttik ttik.

Tturururu.

 

 

The sound of connecting to Yun-hyun.

Usually, he wouldn’t answer until the very end, and it was common for it to connect to voicemail, but fortunately, he answered in time today.

 

 

-Yeah. What’s up?

“….”

 

 

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

She just gaped like a goldfish.

 

Jureuk.

 

 

Tears flowed endlessly from both eyes.

A love that ultimately failed after 14 years.

Tears flowed endlessly at the thought of putting an end to it.

 

 

-Hey. Why did you call and not say anything?

“…Hey.”

-…Are you crying?

 

 

He asks worriedly at her severely trembling voice.

Only then did she start to speak.

 

 

“I told you I’d wait for you, right?”

-…Yeah. I’m grateful. And I’m sorry too-.

“I’m getting married, you idiot.”

-…What?

“I told you. Choose me sooner. Why did you make things difficult for no reason? Why did you make things this way?”

-You… what are you talking about all of a sudden?

“It’s too late… it’s too late. Starting tomorrow, I have to act as a concubine and flatter a trashy bastard. You understand? It’s because of you. When I confessed, back then… you should have accepted me. But you didn’t….”

-….

“Like this… heuk… euheuk….”

 

 

Se-hee finally burst into tears.

She was a woman who was usually considered as strong as her name implied, but at this moment, she had no choice but to cry.

 

 

Yun-hyun was also silent while she cried.

It wasn’t just that he had nothing to say, but he was also quite shocked.

 

 

What should he say, he had always had the thought that Se-hee would always be by his side.

Didn’t she say she would wait for him this time too? Maybe he was thinking of her as insurance.

 

But it wasn’t.

Now she is really leaving.

It’s not him leaving her, but her leaving him. That came as quite a shock and fear.

 

 

 

“…That’s what I called to tell you.”

 

 

After calming her emotions to some extent, she spoke again. Her tone was still tearful, but it was better than before.

 

-…Can I see you now?

“No.”

-Then tomorrow-.

“I told you. I’m going to that bastard tomorrow.”

-…So suddenly like this…

“What are you saying, you idiot… I’m 29… I should have gotten married years ago, but my grandfather waited for me. To catch you. Huh? My grandfather waited for me to catch you. Don’t you understand what I’m saying?”

-….

“It’s over now, you idiot… It’s all over… Grandfather… won’t wait anymore. He said only until next year… but he still said no. It’s over….”

-….

 

 

He couldn’t say anything more.

Following Sora, now even Se-hee. One corner of his heart… no, his heart itself seems to have been torn to shreds.

 

 

 

 

“You said you’d get revenge on that bastard, right? On that bastard Yoo-eun.”

-…Yeah.

 

 

A slightly tearful voice. Yun-hyun was also sobbing.

She felt it too, and was a little happy, but thinking that it was already over, she deliberately spoke coldly.

 

 

“Give up.”

-What?

“He’s my husband.”

-!!!