Chapter 64: The New Director

“Hmm…”

“Is there something you don’t like about it?”

“How would I know? What do I know about these things?”

The SHS Art Center was the long-cherished dream of the SHS Cultural Foundation, headed by Lee Ah-seong.

More accurately, it was Ah-seong’s personal dream.

The foundation sounded impressive on paper, but in reality it did very little. It hardly made meaningful donations and barely engaged in social projects.

So Ah-seong had decided to do something grand.

He built an art center.

A monument that would showcase the dignity of a family even older than the vanished Korean imperial household and one of the most powerful corporations in the country.

A massive opera and concert hall with the largest seating capacity and finest acoustics in Korea.

A gallery capable of displaying world-class collections year-round.

Built on a scale few others could even imagine, right in the heart of Gangnam.

“But… whose brilliant idea was this first exhibition?”

As the newly appointed director, Go Ha-jin attended his first meeting with the center’s staff.

After flipping through the opening exhibition plans, he looked utterly dumbfounded.

“Is there… a problem?”

The employees didn’t seem particularly welcoming either.

They had already endured enough stress under Chae Jae-yi. Now his replacement was another member of the Chae family who seemed to know nothing about art.

“If you can’t even see what the problem is, that’s an even bigger problem.”

The room fell silent.

Everyone assumed he was about to nitpick something ridiculous.

After all, they had dealt with Jae-yi long enough to expect the worst.

Ha-jin let out a long sigh.

“Tell me, does the Chae family have a pro-Japanese ancestor hiding somewhere?”

“…What?”

“In this political climate, who thought a Japanese Relics Exhibition was a good idea?”

Nobody answered.

“Fine. Let’s pretend that part is acceptable. Japan’s a neighboring country. Sharing cultural treasures isn’t a bad thing.”

He tapped one of the pages.

“But why is this Joseon white porcelain being labeled as a Japanese artifact?”

His finger moved again.

“And isn’t this a Gaya gold crown?”

The staff exchanged nervous glances.

“What’s next? Are we hanging an imperial war flag over the front entrance?”

The proposal was absurd.

If it had been called an East Asian Antiquities Exhibition, maybe it would have made sense.

‘But a Japanese Relics Exhibition?’

‘As the gallery’s opening exhibition?’

That was practically begging to be pelted with stones.

“W-Well… Director Jae-yi, I mean, the former director, personally selected everything…”

“Right.”

Ha-jin nodded.

“I thought so.”

He closed the file.

“Scrap it. Start over.”

“Director!”

Ha-jin’s gaze turned cold.

The employee immediately shut his mouth.

After a moment, he spoke more carefully.

“Director… the opening date is very close. We don’t have another exhibition prepared. And the artifacts from Japan are scheduled to ship this week.”

“Then send them back.”

The answer came without hesitation.

“Even if they’d already arrived, they should be returned.”

He leaned back in his chair.

“If you have absolutely nothing ready, partner with a nearby kindergarten and hang children’s drawings on the walls.”

The room stared at him.

“I’m serious.”

He pointed at the exhibition proposal.

“Anything would be better than this.”

Then he looked directly at the chief curator.

“If you don’t want your curatorial career ending before it starts, you should listen to me.”

The curator’s eyes darted wildly.

The exhibition would carry the SHS Art Center’s name.

But the curator’s name would be attached to it forever.

Could he really include this exhibition in his professional portfolio?

The answer came surprisingly quickly.

“We’ll prepare a new proposal as soon as possible, Director.”

“Good.”

Ha-jin pulled out his phone and searched through his contacts.

“I don’t know if this will help, but try contacting this place.”

He handed over a number.

The employee read the name.

“Warm Home?”

Ha-jin remembered it well.

Before his marriage, he and Chae Woo-seok had participated in several public-relations charity events.

Warm Home had been one of the places they visited.

It was a small special-needs boarding school and shelter for children who had nowhere else to go.

The principal was a retired art professor who used painting as a form of therapy.

Ha-jin hadn’t wanted to go there.

And yet, the drawings he saw there had remained etched into his memory.

The place reminded him of parts of his own past he preferred to forget.

Still, he could never forget the artwork.

The children saw the world differently.

Their paintings reflected that.

“These are some examples.”

He displayed several photographs on his tablet.

The employee’s eyes widened almost instantly.

This was incredible.

The paintings looked abstract yet profound.

The colors were mesmerizing.

And the artists themselves had stories unlike anyone else’s.

There were endless possibilities here.

The employee had always assumed Ha-jin’s charitable activities were just another publicity stunt by the Chae family.

After years of witnessing the family’s arrogance, it was hard to believe otherwise.

But perhaps this man was different.

At the very least, he was certainly better than Chae Jae-yi.

“I’ll prepare a completely new exhibition proposal by tomorrow, Director.”

“Do whatever you think is best.”

The moment the meeting ended, Ha-jin’s expression returned to one of complete indifference.

As if he knew nothing and cared even less.

After everyone left, he found himself alone in the enormous director’s office.

“Haah…”

A deep sigh escaped him.

At the time, becoming director had seemed like the easiest opportunity to seize.

Now that he was actually here, it looked like nothing but endless paperwork.

Still.

This was better.

If he stayed trapped at home all day, he felt like he might genuinely lose his mind.

At least this got him outside.

And besides…

Directors probably got paid.

“Living the good life, huh?”

A voice cut through the room.

“Stealing someone else’s position and acting shameless about it.”

“Oh. You’re here, Noona.”

Without knocking, Chae Jae-yi strode into the office.

Ha-jin immediately sprawled deeper into the sofa, stretching his legs out comfortably.

“…Are you insane?”

Jae-yi looked genuinely stunned.

She blinked repeatedly as though trying to confirm she wasn’t hallucinating.

Ha-jin rolled onto his side and propped his head on one arm.

Watching her tantrum was almost amusing.

“I told you before, didn’t I?”

He yawned.

“I’m crazy. I specifically told you not to mess with me.”

His eyes narrowed.

“Are you stupid or something?”

“Stupid?”

Jae-yi froze.

“Did you just call me stupid?”

“Yeah.”

“YOU LITTLE-!”

Apparently he had found the self-destruct button.

Jae-yi exploded.

The expensive designer handbag hanging elegantly from her arm became a weapon.

She slammed it repeatedly against the floor and walls in frustration.

Ha-jin watched with pity.

Not for Jae-yi.

For the handbag.

“What a waste.”

Eventually he sat up.

Jae-yi’s hair was disheveled.

Her face looked like an enraged bull charging toward him.

Yet somehow she still wasn’t frightening.

“Why?”

Ha-jin tilted his head.

“Are you going to hit me?”

He laughed.

“You really don’t learn, do you?”

“Shut up, you bastard!”

The handbag would definitely hurt if it connected.

Ha-jin quietly picked up his phone.

“Stop right there.”

He tapped the screen.

“How about I take this video straight to SHS headquarters?”

“What kind of trick are-”

Jae-yi stopped.

Her eyes widened.

The footage showed the day of the theft.

It clearly captured Jae-yi handing the bracelet to Team Leader Yang outside Ha-jin and Woo-seok’s residence.

The audio was equally clear.

“Hide it somewhere inconspicuous. Maybe in a bag or something.”

“Nice and clear, too.”

Ha-jin smiled.

“No way to talk your way out of that one.”

He had seen the footage on the day of the incident.

He simply chose not to reveal it.

Exposing it then would have destroyed Jae-yi immediately.

But what was the point?

Jae-yi wasn’t the real problem.

Compared to Lee Ah-seong, she was just an arm attached to the body.

The art center had been worth far more.

“What do you want?”

“Want?”

Ha-jin laughed.

“When did I ever ask for anything?”

He shrugged.

“Just stay quiet and stop getting on my nerves.”

“You don’t want anything?”

“What do you even have that I’d want?”

His smile widened.

“Last I checked, you were practically broke.”

The words hit exactly where it hurt.

Jae-yi was a recessive omega who had never met the family’s expectations.

Her multiple divorces had cost her enormous settlements.

She had failed at nearly every responsibility she was given.

And unlike the others, she had never received a single share of company stock.

Ha-jin had simply stated the truth.

Yet her face flushed red and blue with humiliation.

“Do you understand now, Noona?”

He leaned forward until their faces were only inches apart.

Jae-yi wanted desperately to smash the handbag into his face.

But she couldn’t.

Not while that video existed.

If it ever reached Chae Il-joo, she might truly be cast out of the family.

For all his flaws, Il-joo treasured family unity.

And he would never forgive the person who shattered it.

“…Fine.”

Jae-yi left the office without another word.

She had come intending to vent her fury over losing the director position.

Instead she left completely defeated.

Ah-seong had warned her not to provoke Ha-jin.

She had ignored him.

Now she had nothing to show for it.

“That bastard…”

She clenched her teeth.

“Just wait.”

Go Ha-jin.

Something about him was wrong.

She couldn’t explain what.

But her instincts screamed that he was hiding something.

Everyone had secrets.

Everyone.

All she needed was one.

Just one small weakness.

As she left the art center, Chae Jae-yi’s face twisted into something almost demonic.

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