Chapter 31: A Predetermined Destination

Yunhwan’s final words were a transparent plea for agreement. His expression was beyond serious—it held a desperate sort of resolve as if he were trying to talk sense into him. But Seonghye merely stared back at him with a heavy, unreadable gaze.

“And.”

“…And?” Yunhwan took a deep breath and let it out. “I looked into it, and… they say an imprint can be released.”

The soft curve of Seonghye’s lips instantly froze into a hard, flat line.

“Hyung.”

Yunhwan reflexively swallowed. Fortunately, the hand Seonghye was holding didn’t tighten, and his expression didn’t seem to change much…

“What did you just say?”

…Or so he thought. He had been wrong.

“What did I just hear?”

Yunhwan’s foolish plan to test the waters collapsed as Seonghye muttered to himself, “Ah, I must have misheard.”

Seonghye, who had been maintaining a semblance of composure, clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ground together against the rising surge of irritation.

“Give me your hand.”

“Huh?”

Yunhwan tilted his head. They were already holding hands. But when his hand was pulled down to press against a specific, prominent point, Yunhwan’s jaw dropped.

As Yunhwan’s face leaned forward in shock, Seonghye leaned into his ear and whispered low.

“Because the previous Min Seonghye might have had someone he liked, you want to release the imprint?”

A chilling, sharp sneer followed.

“Why exactly do you think I’m here, in this state, right now?”

Yunhwan’s pupils shook as if they might fall out. All the heat in Seonghye’s body had rushed downward; Yunhwan could feel the rigid, pulsing tension of the younger man’s lower body twitching under his palm.

“Fine, let’s say we release it. But I guarantee you, that won’t be the end of it.”

“…W-what do you mean?”

Hot breath poured from Seonghye’s lips as he pressed down on the back of Yunhwan’s hand. It felt as though the heat beneath Yunhwan’s palm was growing large enough to burst through his fingers.

“If the imprint between us ever disappears, I’ll undoubtedly become a monster. From that moment on, your entire body will be torn to pieces trying to handle a version of me that knows nothing but how to f***.”

“…….”

“Try it, if you’re confident you can endure that.”

A voice thick with a mixture of rage and desire swelled in volume. Seonghye gripped Yunhwan’s hand with one hand and firmly grabbed the back of his head with the other.

“And I’m asking you nicely.”

Their foreheads bumped, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to feel the impact. Seonghye let out a stifled groan at the contact.

“Please, stop saying such useless things.”

In front of lips he could reach at any second, a thirsty voice spoke again.

“Releasing the imprint.”

The voice was faint, like smoke about to vanish without a trace. While Yunhwan bit his lip in distress, Seonghye’s thumb pressed firmly against those lips.

“You seem to be thinking about throwing me away.”

“Throwing you…”

“I’ll tell you one more time: right now, there is only one person in my head, and that’s you, Hyung.”

When Yunhwan shut his mouth, unable to say another word, Seonghye wore a meaningful smile.

“So, it means that no matter how many times you throw me away, the place I return to is already decided.”

[Third-generation heirs of a leading domestic conglomerate; brothers’ relationship spiraling toward catastrophe.

On April 12th, a late-night disturbance occurred at Hotel A in Cheongdam. The protagonists are the eldest and second sons of Group C, which is achieving rapid growth in pharmaceuticals and materials this year.

Although the sudden brawl was suppressed by hotel staff, witnesses at the scene reportedly said that ‘what was bound to happen finally happened.’ The long-standing grudge between the eldest son, designated as the external successor, and the second son, who is the Chairman’s favorite, has been public knowledge for some time.

However, critics noted that this particular fight was unexpected in that it was started by the younger second son. Furthermore, as this occurred just before the second son’s appointment to Group C’s pharmaceutical arm, there are sad reports of the Chairman’s deep disappointment.]

“Man, our Chairman must be so upset. A gossip article about his favorite youngest son finally came out.”

“…Quiet. What if someone hears you?”

Historically, power struggles for the throne were conducted meticulously under the surface. However, as times changed, the importance of media play began to emerge.

Moreover, for a company like Seoil Group, where an official successor had not yet been announced, various articles and low-grade rumors were rampant. An article appearing in a women’s magazine like today was a common occurrence.

“You can’t hide what’s obvious. It says ‘rapid growth in pharmaceuticals and materials.’ Everyone knows that’s us. And we’re the only company where the Chairman openly favors the second son.”

A new recruit recently assigned to the Seoil Group Planning Office shook his head.

Chairman Min Seong-jo’s extreme love for his second son was not only public knowledge within the group but was also a staple theory on online communities used by employees.

Despite having four children—a son and a daughter from his first marriage and others later—the child who truly captured Chairman Min’s heart was the protagonist of the article: the second son.

While he was officially known as the child of the second wife, it was an open secret among executives and those in the know that he was the child of a mistress born when Min Seong-jo was in his fifties.

This was because the second son looked nothing like the eldest son or second daughter born between Chairman Min and his second wife, Madam Hwang Yeon-ju. Instead, he bore a striking resemblance to Director Min Ho-gyeong of Seoil Construction, the child of the first wife.

“They say Executive Director Min foams at the mouth every time the youngest son is mentioned during a round of golf.”

The blatant hostility of the eldest son, Executive Director Min Dong-uk of Seoil Capital—who guarded against the youngest to a cringeworthy degree—only added fuel to the rumors.

Even the tight-lipped executives were so tired of Director Min’s constant cursing that they avoided him at all costs. Amidst this, a secret rumor began to circulate.

Just as the gossip stated, the youngest son’s appointment to Seoil Pharmaceuticals was indeed canceled, but the Chairman planned to use this as an opportunity to bring him directly into the Group’s headquarters.

He wasn’t being placed in a major subsidiary like Materials, Construction, or Pharma, nor a side branch like the duty-free shops run by the second daughter, Min Hee-jeong. The rumor that he was being called to the Headquarters Planning Office sent the company into a different kind of frenzy.

“They say Managing Director Cho is desperately trying to find a way to get a line to the youngest son, whose face nobody even knows. But it’s not going well; his expression has been rotten lately.”

Between a forty-year-old eldest son who had been divorced three times and a mysterious youngest son starting his succession training, it was clear which way the scales were tipping.

Even if the second son had never officially shown his face in public.

Even if all that was known were his name and age.

He was the subject of endless curiosity: Chairman Min Seong-jo’s youngest son, Min Seonghye.

As the Planning Office recruit and his colleague whispered in the empty smoking room about this mysterious figure, their voices dropped even lower.

“Hey, but I heard that guy’s personality is no joke either.”

“Why? Did you hear something?”

The employee, known for having a wide network of contacts, checked their surroundings before whispering like it was a grand secret.

“Well, I heard this too… You know how Executive Director Min was hospitalized for a few months earlier this year? I heard that was because of the second son.”

“What? No way, that’s going too far.”

No matter how bad the relationship between brothers was, could a fistfight really put someone in the hospital for months? At his colleague’s skepticism, the employee began to blabber more.

“They really must hate each other. There’s a rumor the second son tracked Director Min down during a round of golf and beat him with a golf club. My college friend works at that golf course. He said an ambulance showed up and people were running around like crazy. Later he checked, and Director Min was being hit while screaming curses about Min Seonghye…”

“…Ugh…”

“It happened during the last time slot when the sun was setting and people were leaving, so the rumor didn’t spread as much, but I bet most people in the inner circles know.”

Just as the employee’s voice was starting to rise again while relaying the story…

“Are you finished?”

In the smoking room that was supposed to be empty, Chief Choi Jin-yong of the Secretary’s Office appeared out of nowhere, watching them.

“It’s almost working hours. Let’s return to our desks.”

At the stern warning from Chief Choi, the Chairman’s direct secretary, the two employees bowed and scurried out.

“…Gossipers.”

Left alone, Chief Choi lit a cigarette.

Professor Jang’s visit to see the Chairman early this morning was taking longer than expected. Chief Choi had come up to take a quick break, but hearing the trivial stories circulating among the employees soured his mood.

Especially the fact that the incident at the golf course a few months ago had spread even to low-level employees.