Chapter 34: Family Fury and Honest Ambitions

Do Yoon’s eyes widened, on the verge of spilling over. I looked at his shocked face and spoke earnestly, firmly.

“You coming tonight helped so much. Thank you. I should’ve handled it myself…”

But then, Do Yoon whipped his head away, jumping up from the chair. My heart sank again.

“…Do Yoon, are you crying?”

He didn’t answer, striding toward the door. I tried to follow, but the IV tethered me. At the door, he paused, back to me, and said.

“…I hate being a kid.”

He slammed the door and left. Alone, I stared, wide-eyed.

I barely slept two hours, plagued by nightmares. Up early, I pulled out the IV and raided Seung Hee’s room for makeup. I’m no artist, but from film sets, I knew enough to recognize skin-correcting products.

In bright light, my mirror showed dark circles and bruises starkly covering my face. Like this, I’d be stopped by security before reaching the interview room.

As I steeled myself to start, an urgent knock interrupted.

“The Chairman’s calling you.”

My face froze. I glanced at the clock—6:30 a.m. Even rushing through makeup, hair, and dressing, I’d barely make the 8 a.m. interview. I looked at the maid pitifully.

“…Right now?”

“Yes, immediately.”

She struggled to keep a straight face seeing mine. If a stranger reacted like this, Grandfather’s response was obvious.

Downstairs, the entire family was gathered in the living room—an unusual sight. Mother looked devastated, Father eyed me with disdain, and Do Yoon, dressed for school, watched anxiously from a distance. The mood was deadly serious.

“Haha, everyone’s up early for breakfast? Or am I late?”

My lame joke got no response. Only Manager Jo urged me to the Chairman’s study. Ugh… I want to run.

Cautiously entering, Grandfather spun from the wall, roaring like a tiger.

“Is this what you show me?”

He threw a stack of papers on the table—tabloids with photos of me entering the club last night.

<Chaebol Heir Choi’s Scandalous Life…> screamed the headline. No clear face shots, but the nighttime photos were recognizable enough. Grandfather, calming his rage, said.

“The online articles are being taken down. Is your face like that from fighting Won Joo? Han Sung’s family is furious.”

So that jerk’s name was Won Joo. He even leaked to the press—petty. “Haewon” wasn’t mentioned, but anyone in the know would guess. Given the original Seung Hyun’s reputation, this scandal was too perfect. I was screwed. Bowing my head, I said.

“Sorry.”

“I told you to stay out of trouble! Don’t you know this affects the company’s image?”

Before, he laughed off my head-smashing fight with Won Joo, but now that it’s public, he’s livid. He’s sensitive about media. Waving his cane, he shouted.

“You were so confident about showing me something, so I let you be. And you do this? Won Joo says you might’ve ruined his ability to have kids!”

I nearly laughed. That groin kick landed well. Biting my lip, I said.

“…Sorry.”

“What were you doing?!”

Silence fell. I tried to think of a plausible excuse but gave up. What’s the point of hiding now?

It wasn’t even a bad deed, so I decided to come clean. I met his eyes.

“I’ve been preparing to join Haewon E&M. My interview’s this morning… or was. I’ll be late even if I leave now.”

“What? You joking?”

“No joke. Check today’s interviewee list.”

He looked stunned, then called someone.

“…Kim, it’s me. Get me Haewon E&M’s interviewee list. Now.”

Hanging up, he eyed me suspiciously. My job prep was shocking enough, but an entertainment company? Understandable reaction. Soon, his curiosity overpowered his anger. Calmly, he said.

“Explain yesterday.”

“That guy—Won Joo—held a grudge from our past fight. I blocked his number, so he called from another, saying he wanted to apologize. Asked to meet one last time, so I went. Then he attacked me, and I had no choice but to fight back. He brought a ton of thugs too.”

Grandfather’s eyes widened.

“He sent thugs after you?”

There it was—his favoritism for his eldest grandson. Seizing the moment, I put on a pitiful face.

“I got hurt bad. They stole my coat, pinned me down, hit my face knowing I had an interview, and tried to force me to drink something weird. It’s not just me—they insulted our family. You don’t need to apologize to Han Sung. If I hadn’t fought, your grandson might’ve been half-dead.”

I mixed truth and exaggeration. Not entirely lies—if I hadn’t escaped, who knows what would’ve happened? The memory of Won Joo’s hand on my waist made me nauseous.

Grandfather’s face grew grave. His phone pinged—likely the interviewee list. He groaned, then asked.

“Why entertainment all of a sudden?”

My body tensed. The question I’d expected. This was the real interview.

I had to answer well—truthful, confident, calm.

“I’ve always been interested in it. Honestly, I studied business because you told me to, but I want to choose my lifelong career. Haewon E&M is the only company I want to work hard for. I’m not interested in trading or electronics.”

Before he could object, I added.

“I know it’s not enough for you. But you know I’m not like Noona, excelling at everything, and I lack experience. I wandered a long time to find something I want to do. If you stop me, I’ll just go back to America.”

“Rebelling, huh?”

“I haven’t even started. But think about it—do you want to see Haewon’s heir loafing at home? Wouldn’t it look better if I did something on my own?”

I leaned hard, mentioning “heir” deliberately. I couldn’t be interrupted now.

Then, Grandfather’s tone softened noticeably.

“Want me to reschedule your interview?”

Relief flooded me. He’s so soft on me. I shook my head firmly.

“No. I’ll try again next year, on my own. Don’t touch it.”

Getting in by my effort proves I’ve changed and prepares me for any future fallout. They could fire me anytime, but earning my place versus riding Grandfather’s influence makes a huge difference. Glancing at him, I added.