Chapter 11: Family Secrets and Old Dreams

By the time we got home, it was late evening. Unusually, Choi Seung Hee was in the second-floor living room, sitting on the sofa with glasses on, checking something on her iPad. She glanced at me and Do Yoon entering side by side and spoke without preamble.

“Why’d you eat cucumber?”

Wow, straight to the point, no greeting.

Then I remembered she’d arranged the hospital room earlier.

I instinctively checked Do Yoon’s reaction. If the real Seung Hyun had a cucumber allergy since childhood, my claim to Do Yoon about eating those sandwiches “all the time in the States” would be an outright lie. Flashing an overly bright smile at Seung Hee, I said.

“Let’s talk inside.”

She took off her silver-framed glasses and tilted her head.

“Did you do it on purpose?”

What’s that supposed to mean? Before I could respond, Do Yoon interjected.

“It wasn’t.”

Seung Hee turned to him, less surprised than bemused that he’d jumped into our conversation. I was just as thrown. Was the protagonist already comfortable enough with Seung Hee to speak up like that?

Do Yoon continued in his calm tone.

“Hyung’s memory is spotty, so he probably forgot about his allergy. It got worse recently…”

“Hey, hey!”

I cut him off hurriedly.

“Go rest, you had a long day.”

Grabbing Seung Hee, I dragged her into my room nearby. The door slammed shut, and she shook off my hand, glaring suspiciously.

“You wouldn’t touch cucumber since you were five.”

Good thing we’re in my room. I nearly got caught out there. Sighing in relief, I replied.

“My recent memory’s been shaky, I told you.”

“Five years old is recent?”

“Why are you making a big deal out of this? What’s your point?”

She crossed her arms, smirking.

“I was gonna tell you to stop scheming to impress Grandfather. But I didn’t know you were just being an idiot.”

Her unexpected jab left me speechless. Why’s everything in this family about Grandfather?

I’d briefly, naively thought she might’ve been worried about me as a sister. Annoyed and disappointed, I snapped.

“You think I’d hospitalize myself to impress Grandfather?”

Seung Hee fell silent. Honestly, Seung Hyun was the cherished eldest grandson who’d be loved just for breathing. That’s why, in the novel, he and Seung Hee didn’t get along. She shot me a sidelong glance.

“You want something. You played the delinquent, and when that didn’t work, you switched to the frail act, didn’t you?”

Huh?

What do I want? Her words piqued my interest despite my irritation. I needed to know what Seung Hyun wanted at this point in the story.

“What do you know?”

“…You want Haewon Electronics.”

Haewon Electronics?! My eyes nearly popped out. Is Seung Hyun insane?

‘He’s aiming for the protagonist’s spot…?’

Haewon Electronics is where Do Yoon eventually becomes department head, then CEO. Already thriving, it skyrockets to Korea’s top market cap under his leadership. In the epilogue, he’s smoothly ruling as Haewon Group’s chairman, a perfect, devoted husband to Bae Ji An and their kids.

Was this talentless Seung Hyun dreaming that big? I was dumbfounded.

In the novel, Seung Hyun ended up as an executive at Haewon Hotel, not Electronics. Now that I think about it, that probably fueled his hatred for Do Yoon. Seung Hyun was a walking inferiority complex.

But getting the hotel was already proof of deep favoritism and absurdity. If this jerk was my kid, I wouldn’t leave him a dime. So it’s no wonder Seung Hee, constantly overshadowed by him despite her competence, found him insufferable. I swallowed hard and denied it.

“I’m not interested in that.”

“Yeah, right.”

As expected, she didn’t buy it. She glared coldly.

“Since you came back, you’ve been loafing around, protesting to get sent to Haewon Electronics.”

“What?”

So it wasn’t just aimless slacking? But with a grandfather who’d give him everything, I guess it worked. Being the eldest grandson is a real privilege here. How’s this different from a 25-year-old throwing a tantrum in a store?

“Partying, doing drugs when that didn’t work. And now you’re using Do Yoon? Grandfather’s delighted you’re ‘maturing.’ Not your usual strategy.”

No… that’s not it. My chest tightened with frustration. How much of Seung Hyun’s baggage do I have to carry? I was starting to understand what it means to be hated just for existing. Sighing, I rubbed my forehead.

“That’s not it. I’m just trying to live better.”

“You?”

“…It happens. Got hit in the head, soul changed.”

She scoffed.

“Whatever, the allergy thing was suspicious, but it seems real.”

Her distrust was fair, but I was suddenly exhausted. I’d just come from an IV drip, after all. Knowing she wouldn’t believe me anyway, I focused on what mattered.

“Do I have any other allergies?”

“…No.”

“Cool. If you’re done, I’m out. Stop wasting energy and rest, noona.”

I waved casually and opened the door. Seung Hee muttered, “What’s he on about?” annoyed.

But when I opened the door, Do Yoon was still standing in the same spot. I let out an “Oh?” in surprise, and he flinched, looking up at me with wide eyes. An awkward silence hung.

“You didn’t go in?”

“No.”

“Why? Something to say?”

“No, just…”

He stood there, blocking my way, saying nothing. I scratched my cheek awkwardly.

“Uh, if you’ve got something to say to noona… I’ll head in.”

“…Be careful.”

“Huh?”

“About what you eat.”

His voice was tiny, and then he bolted, footsteps echoing as he vanished. This house is huge, but did he need to sprint like that? I stared at his retreating figure, bemused. It’s a weird comparison, but he looked like a schoolgirl fleeing after confessing to her crush.

“…Good thing he’s still kind.”

It lifted my mood a bit. After a quick shower, I flopped onto my bed. It was past midnight, but my eyes were wide open. Partly because I’d slept at the hospital, but mostly because Seung Hee’s words kept looping in my head.

“…You want Haewon Electronics.”

I shot up in bed.

Could I, as I am now, go to Haewon Electronics if I wanted? No way.

Could I go to Haewon Hotel like in the novel? Also no.

Both companies are modeled after Korea’s top conglomerates. They’re not places I could just waltz into as CEO. I know how critical corporate management is.

When I was young, my dad ran a decent midsize company. Starting with a clothing factory, he thrived, employing 200 people by the time I was in middle school. I lived almost as comfortably as a Haewon heir. But then things went wrong.

Drunk on quick success, he overexpanded, borrowed heavily, and went bankrupt in a year, drowning in debt.

The sweet taste of success was brief, but failure was even quicker, and the aftermath lingered. Debt collectors swarmed our house daily; Dad disappeared. Mom and I fled to a one-room apartment, where I’d hide under blankets, watching TV. It was my only escape in a shattered life. That’s probably when I started dreaming of making TV programs.

‘But suddenly running a company with thousands of employees…’

The thought was terrifying.

A CEO is responsible for the livelihoods of employees and their families. I’m not built for that. The memory of people wailing outside our house still sends chills through me. Kicking off the blanket, I sat up, frowning, and thought seriously.

‘Still, you never know. Seung Hyun graduated from a U.S. college, so maybe he’s got some skills?’

I’m not sure if English proficiency counts as a retained ability, but after today’s cucumber fiasco, it seems likely some traits carried over.