episode_0025

I was accompanied by Woo Miae to the meeting place.

It was an unexpected variable that had suddenly appeared, but since family dinner gatherings always took place at the same hotel, the meeting place was obvious.

That place was the hotel owned by my mother, Jung Sooran.

My mother had no interest in management whatsoever, but Cha Seongtaek had bequeathed her a colossal hotel, which stood as Korea’s undisputed number one.

The reason he specifically designated the hotel, I imagine, was probably because money would just roll in simply by owning it.

Click!

Anyway, we arrived at the entrance of a private door inside the hotel.

It was neither for VIPs nor VVIPs; opening the door to that stage, which only family members could enter,

“You’re late.”

“Have you arrived now?”

“Yay, Oppa, long time no see ♡”

Different greetings from each.

My sisters and rivals, each with a distinct personality.

‘I can’t believe even *that* person came….’

First, the eldest, Cha Seonmi, sitting at the head of the table, caught my eye.

Though nearing her late twenties, she was a woman who possessed an image far more mature than her age.

A gaze that seemed slightly worn out, tired.

A cold, blue composure contained within her eyes.

A harsh individual, utterly dispassionate, who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.

Cha Seonmi, the eldest of the Hwaryeong family, unofficially regarded as the successor.

A face rarely seen outside of her activities as an entrepreneur, about whom rumors abound only within the company.

It was natural that she had not participated in family meetings until now.

Next was the second eldest, Cha Hwaryeon.

Without needing further explanation, Cha Hwaryeon, whom I had met separately until the morning, was now sitting with her makeup reapplied and her dishevelled hair tidied as evening approached.

In her eyes, glaring at me, burned a smouldering scarlet vengeance.

“Oppa, you feel different from before? Like you’ve become just a little bit cooler?”

Lastly, the youngest, Cha Soeun.

She was so entirely pink, in a strawberry milk shade, that it made one wonder if she truly fit the image of a chaebol.

With distinct features that made one wonder if she resembled our mother in her youth, her hair was a vibrant blonde with wavy perm curls.

What’s more, she was wearing yoga pants with a jersey thrown over them, as if she had just come from exercising, even to a family gathering.

Cha Soeun’s keywords, I suppose, would be ‘freedom without responsibility,’ ‘profligacy,’ and ‘self-indulgent.’

However, she currently held more shares in affiliated companies than Cha Hwaryeon and was an opponent one could never let one’s guard down against, due to the people around her.

‘There’s something to her….’

Up to this point.

The three, who had never shown their faces at family gatherings held for harmony, were all gathered in one place.

Since I was transmigrated, there had never been a moment when any of us got along, making this a foreign and utterly uncomfortable situation.

“……”

Even my mother, who had dreamed of this gathering, had a displeased expression.

Though she had so eagerly sung of family harmony, she sat demurely now that everyone was actually gathered.

Then, upon spotting Woo Miae beside me, she glanced around before making a listless remark.

“Only family can enter here…”

Woo Miae, kept by my side to assist.

I had brought her along just in case.

“That is─”

“It doesn’t matter. We’ll finish business quickly and then each go our separate ways.”

Before I could give an explanation, my eldest noona, Cha Seonmi, interjected.

Like the eldest, she naturally took the lead in the conversation’s flow, then stood up.

As if she detested wasting time, she immediately stated the purpose of the gathering.

“Alright.

Excluding ‘one person,’ the family of the group has gathered in one place, so let us begin.”

She cleared her throat softly, then,

“Then, I shall take this opportunity to propose the motion for the expulsion of Cha Doyeon, Chairman of , from the group.”

“………………What?”

I wondered what the sudden nonsense was about.

The moment I heard it, I felt as if the distance between my ear canal and eardrum had become longer than a tunnel.

Such an abrupt ‘group expulsion.’

“……”

“……”

“……”

However, everyone except me remained silent.

It was as if the discussion had already proceeded in my absence; no one raised any objections.

“Eldest Agassi, what are you saying! To suddenly be expelled from the group!”

At the shocking declaration, Woo Miae, more than me, stepped forward, beside herself with rage.

She argued on my behalf, but,

“Those who do not hold shares in the group have no right to speak. Be careful not to cross the line with your remarks.”

Cha Seonmi captivated her with just a glance.

Her eyelids were always half-closed as if she were tired, but she captivated with her innate charisma alone.

“……”

That alone was enough.

Like a fox meeting a tiger, she dared not defy.

Because the opponent was a true tiger, one should be grateful just for receiving a warning without being bitten.

“Eldest Unnie is just too serious~”

The only one in this space who could still continue speaking, it seemed, was the third, Cha Soeun.

Because the youngest, if likened to a safari ecosystem, was a rhinoceros that would simply charge headfirst.

“Hey, enough small talk!

It’s a motion that’s going to pass anyway, so let’s get it over with quickly and go our separate ways.”

Cha Hwaryeon clapped, as if trying to curb the chatter.

In her actions was an impatience to quickly get it over with, or perhaps a strong hatred, wanting to return the humiliation she had suffered.

From the corners of her mouth, subtly sneering at my position, my mind finally returned to its senses.

“……Is this something you orchestrated, second noona?”

“Who knows?”

Cha Hwaryeon swaggered with full arrogance.

To the extent that I had scoffed at her in the company, she now sat in her chair, looking down on me for a long time.

“I warned you this morning.

Did you think you’d get away with it after thoroughly grating on my nerves?”

“Even so, isn’t it petty to gather the family like this for revenge?

And ‘expulsion’ out of nowhere… No matter how urgent it was, for eldest noona and the youngest to even conspire with you─”

“No. It’s not particularly because Hwaryeon brought up some brilliant motion that we gathered.”

“That’s right. This topic has already been circulating among us for a long time.”

“………Voluntarily?”

Cha Seonmi and the youngest, Cha Soeun, drew a clear line.

They made no attempt to hide their intention to have me expelled for a long time.

“What exactly is the reason and basis for expelling me from the group?”

“Reason and basis?”

At this, Cha Seonmi straightened her back stiffly, as if slightly annoyed.

She seemed to make a gesture as if pulling out a cigarette from her pocket, but instead, she chewed a cheap bubblegum nervously.

Her jaw twitched beneath her tired eyes, then,

“Considering the corporate image you alone have tarnished, isn’t expulsion a small price to pay?”

“……”

“Cha Doyeon, after Father passed away, didn’t you squander company money extravagantly every day when your own ran out from your womanizing?

With foolish public remarks that sent the company’s stock plummeting, completely neglecting company affairs, and even scandals with your ex-wife within the family. Don’t you think you’ve been given enough grace period?”

The past actions of a profligate, who indulged irresponsibly, still clinging to his ankles.

Furthermore, unlike Cha Hwaryeon, who was full of temper, each of Cha Seonmi’s remarks struck hard.

With just simple facts, she chillingly choked me.

To avoid succumbing to the pressure, I shrugged my shoulders, putting on a bit of a facade.

“Why now, of all times?”

“Hmm?”

“From what I hear, it seems you wanted to get rid of me a long time ago, so given your personality, why didn’t you do it sooner, noona?”

“Oh.

I was going to do that anyway.”

Unreserved agreement.

After blowing a small bubblegum bubble and popping it,

“It’s just that Mother stopped me until now.”

“…Mother?”

“Yes, because she detested conflict between her children.”

“……”

As I turned my head, Mother gently averted her sad eyes.

In her moist eyes, which instinctively knew she could no longer stop this fight, I recalled the nagging she had given me when she visited my house before.

This was a fact I had only now realized, even after being transmigrated.

Indeed, chewing on it now, if it was Cha Seonmi, who prioritized her own interests above all else, she would have wanted to quickly dispose of this time bomb-like troublesome burden, even if it was her sibling.

Or perhaps, like Cha Hwaryeon, she might have wanted to take over the company.

But because there wasn’t much value, the thought crossed my mind that she might have incited Cha Hwaryeon to push for it.

The person who tried to stop it from behind was Mother.

It seems she secretly protected her only son, perhaps viewing him as a precious child, even if he was a ‘sore thumb’.

And today, the efficacy of Mother, like an amulet, had run out.

It was a butterfly effect triggered by provoking Cha Hwaryeon, but from what I heard, this was a future that would have come someday anyway.

‘Shit… This son of a bitch was really living in such a pathetic way, losing all face.’

At this point, the entire situation was understood.

And as a bonus, I even made a decision.

It might be an emotional decision given the trio’s rather abrupt ambush, but I didn’t want to be so ashamed as to hide behind my mother’s skirt.

“Alright. If I’m expelled from the group, how will it be handled?”

“Doryeonnim!”

Miae quickly tried to dissuade me from beside me, but I waved her off.

When I surprisingly agreed so readily, Cha Seonmi was slightly surprised, then spat out the flavorless gum onto the foil she had placed in front of her.

“It’s simple.

If the expulsion passes, you will no longer be a member of the Hwaryeong Group. It means that after adjusting your shares, you will abandon the ‘Hwaryeong’ name and cleanly become independent.”

“Is that all?”

“Well, we can’t take away the current company name ‘Hwaryeong Card,’ so feel free to use it. It won’t be officially part of the Hwaryeong Group anymore, but if you want to take even that, go ahead.”

I thought for a moment.

But there was no need to waste time; the answer had already been clear.

“Don’t expel me.”

Cha Seonmi let out a deep sigh, perhaps expecting me to drag out the time and beg.

“No matter what, in terms of shares─”

“No, I’ll leave and become independent myself, so let’s not needlessly waste each other’s energy.”

“Doryeonnim!”

Woo Miae pleaded with me not to, but the die was already cast.

Rather than being covered in filth from an expulsion, I decided to leave cleanly on my own terms.

Of course, I knew the reason for her dissuasion.

Because the value of the name ‘Hwaryeong’ was immense.

Even though it had fallen for now, the brand name ‘Hwaryeong’ was still deeply etched in the minds of Koreans.

It was the value of a widely known brand.

‘I’m not yet at the stage to confront all three of them simultaneously….’

However, whether judged emotionally or rationally, a clean exit was the right move now.

If I struggled just to protect the Hwaryeong signboard, I would not only become a target for those three to unite against but also give them more reason to band together.

There’s no need to give them a rallying cry to crush me, simply by existing as a single enemy.

Knowing the future, I was confident I could amass any amount of money, but I still needed the strength to properly contend before facing them head-on.

Now was not the time.

“……”

Especially, I had to escape the territory of the eldest, Cha Seonmi.

Because if she determined I was an obstacle to her path to dominance, she was a monster who would stop at nothing, using political power, banks, and overwhelming wealth to push me aside.

It was a different dimension entirely from facing Cha Hwaryeon alone.

“Cha Doyeon, you feel like your aura has changed over the past few months.”

“Really?

You might forget your cute dongsaeng’s face, so come visit often.”

“Well, I don’t think I’ve ever been such a ‘kind noona’.”

“…Well, I’m not exactly a ‘kind dongsaeng’ either.

Since my noonas aren’t welcoming me, it wouldn’t be rude for me to leave first, would it?”

“Doyeon!”

Mother tried to stop me, but I turned my back.

Before making a clean exit from this stage called ‘Hwaryeong,’ I added just one more thing to the three sisters.

“Ah! You know, before I leave, I have one favor to ask of my noonas and younger sister.”

“…What?”

“You said you’d leave on your own, so why are you being so clingy?”

“Do you still have something to say, Oppa?”

The sisters’ retorts.

After giving them a mirthless laugh to ease the tension,

“The name ‘Hwaryeong’ that was taken today, I’ll definitely come back to reclaim it later, so take good care of it for me.”

I left this phrase.

As the eldest grandson belonging to the Hwaryeong Group, it was my last request and admonition.

Upon hearing this earnest wish, the three of them exchanged expressions of disbelief, just like I had when I heard the expulsion notice, then,

“…Hmph!”

“Hahahahahaha!”

“Oppa, are you serious?!”

They ridiculed me to their hearts’ content.

Beyond mere scoffing, they clutched their bellies and burst into rolling laughter.

This was proof that the three of them still saw me as the ‘profligate Cha Doyeon’ of old.

“Let’s go.”

“…Yes!”

However, the smile had vanished from my face as I turned away.

Because I was serious.

I hoped they wouldn’t collapse before they were utterly subjugated by my hand as I left to become independent.

I walked out of the long hallway.

They were probably still laughing inside the door, but the sound no longer reached the ears of the one walking away towards the outside of the door.