Chapter 67: Whispers and Revelations

As the new year rolled in, Hyung Joo enlisted in January. He’d talked big about building his business foundation before college, and it wasn’t just talk—things seemed to be going well. He even treated me to meals several times.

When I subtly asked how he’d manage his business while in the military, he bragged that it was a test phase with others handling it, and he’d launch his own venture after discharge.

He definitely had a knack for making money. As long as it wasn’t loan sharking, I didn’t care what he did. But seeing him go for the standard 18-month army stint reminded me of Do Yoon choosing the 21-month air force, and my heart ached again.

That year, I buried myself in work. I took on tasks others avoided, worked late, and attended every company dinner. I didn’t want to go home to a dark house. I hired a housekeeper to keep the place looking lived-in, but that was it.

I only slept at home. People asked when I rested, but I didn’t want to. Resting brought useless thoughts.

Should I just disappear now?

The idea wasn’t new. With Do Yoon gone, before the original story kicked in, vanishing was tempting.

But I couldn’t justify it to those left behind. If I bolted without explanation, Grandfather would report me missing, the news would blare my disappearance, and rumors about Haewon’s heir would spiral. It’d hurt everyone, especially Seung Hee, seen as my rival. I didn’t want to cause that mess.

No, those were excuses.

If I truly wanted it, I’d have done it. The real reason I lingered was simple: I wanted a happy ending where everyone thrived.

Am I asking for too much? I haven’t done anything that bad.

The more I thought, the stronger my defiance against the novel grew. If there was even a slim chance for Do Yoon and me to be happy together, I’d do anything without hesitation.

Hyung Joo cutting ties with loan sharks and my decent relationship with Seung Hee were small victories.

Fine, let’s see how far I can go.

I stared at my reflection, eyes blazing.

Avoiding home led to rapid promotions among my peers, and before I knew it, I was a seasoned six-year veteran at work. Most things didn’t scare me anymore.

Or so I thought—until today.

Last Friday, we celebrated a film I’d worked on that smashed records, sweeping international awards and heating up the summer globally. Congrats poured in.

After sleeping through the weekend, I went to work Monday feeling refreshed, greeting everyone brightly.

“Good morning!”

But the office vibe was off. I couldn’t pinpoint it, but it felt like everyone was sneaking glances at me. When I looked back, they avoided my eyes, whispering in groups. It felt wrong.

What’s going on?

I spoke louder.

“Hey, everyone! Good weekend?”

Normally, I’d hear, “Seung Hyun-nim, hi!” from all sides. Today, they just nodded awkwardly, muttering “Yeah.” Even the juniors who usually teased me were quiet. Something was definitely up.

I tapped Kim Ah Young’s shoulder—my teammate since we started together—and sat down. Pointing at my monitor, I opened the company messenger.

[What’s with the vibe today? Kinda weird.]

Ah Young flinched. Something’s definitely up. She played dumb.

[Vibe? Seems fine to me lol]

[Come onㅠ Tell meㅠ Are you guys icing me out?]

“No!”

She blurted it out loud, startled by her own reaction. I was more shocked. I typed quickly.

[Seriously, what’s going on?? We were all good at the dinner last week, right?]

She took a deep breath and typed fast.

[Honestly, I’d ask you at a café, but you’d cause a scene, so I’ll stick to chat.]

My stomach knotted. Is this about me? Then she sent another message.

[Are you… Chairman Choi Man Sik’s grandson?]

I froze, feeling like ice water was dumped on me. My body stiffened.

I stared at the screen, unsure how to respond. Silence too long would be suspicious; a rushed reply would be worse. All I managed was:

[Who said that? That’s ridiculous;;]

But it sounded like I was admitting it. She switched to a private app, sending an image. My eyes widened.

…!

It was my engagement photo from four years ago.

Ju Ria’s face was obscured behind me, and I, in a black suit, was a side profile next to a three-tier cake. But it was unmistakably me! The only saving grace was the blurry, distant shot—I could claim it was a lookalike. I decided to deny it.

[What’s this?]

Before sending, I stopped as more messages flooded in. She sent a link to the original post.

It was from an anonymous site, written by someone who’d worked part-time at Haewon Hotel that day. They listed various gigs—delivery, loading, cleaning—high-intensity, high-pay jobs, with brief reviews. Sharing job experiences online wasn’t unusual.

The problem was my photo at the end. Their review read:

[Hotels vary, but here, the kitchen and hall are far apart, so carrying food’s brutal. Managers are jerks. It was some chaebol wedding or engagement—snapped it out of curiosity. Not much different from my cousin’s wedding, though. Food and decor were crazy expensive. Wouldn’t recommend this gig.]

The comments were plentiful, mostly about the photo, not the jobs.

• Why snap the guy’s face?
  ┗ Wanted the bride’s, but failed. Both were good-looking, damn.
• Isn’t that Haewon Hotel’s Diamond Hall? Crazy expensive.
  ┗ Yup.
  ┗ Dude, you could get sued for portrait rights. Take it down.
  ┗ Face isn’t clear. It’s old, so probably fine? lol

It’s not fine. How did this guy get hired? I wanted to track them down and sue. Sighing, I replied to Ah Young.

[So this spread to everyone at work?]

[Not just that… Have you checked Behind?]

There’s more? I opened Behind, an app where workers anonymously vent about their companies, though lately it’s been about stocks or blind dates. At the top was a post:

[Isn’t this the guy from Film Marketing?]

Clicking, I saw my face cropped from that post. The four-year-old photo’s quality was poor, thankfully. But that wasn’t all.

The poster included another photo—from before I joined, when Han Sung dragged me to a club the night before an interview. Both were side profiles, but clearly the same person. Two photos made it even more obvious.

Damn it…

Panicking, I froze. Ah Young messaged again.

[After that post, group chats popped up everywhere. I’ve gotten three rumor texts about you today…]

And none reached me. They were having a field day. I pressed my temples and typed.

[Send me some.]

[Are you really a chaebol’s grandson?]

[Send the texts, and I’ll tell you.]