Chapter 77: Family Secrets and New Beginnings

Do Yoon’s stiff voice sparked immediate worry. I quickly packed up and headed to the parking lot. Scanning around, I saw a sleek black foreign car glide up and stop precisely in front of me. As I stared, slightly stunned, the tinted window rolled down.

It was Do Yoon.

“Get in.”

I froze, rooted to the spot.

Do Yoon in a suit, driving a luxury car… My last memory of him was a college kid in a hoodie and jeans, backpack slung over one shoulder. The dissonance made me hesitate, like meeting a stranger.

“What’s this about?”

“Let’s talk inside.”

“Can’t we just talk here?”

“Someone might overhear.”

Fair point. After a moment’s thought, I opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. Do Yoon leaned over, fastened my seatbelt, and smoothly drove off. Startled, I asked.

“What’s going on? Where are we going?”

“…Somewhere no one can hear, no matter how loud we talk.”

He drove silently, eyes fixed ahead. Past rush hour, the roads were clear. In the music-less car, we stared forward awkwardly, a strange tension settling between us.

As I watched the red taillights of the car ahead, Do Yoon spoke first.

“Don’t people here know who you are?”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard your engagement photo got leaked on an anonymous site.”

“Oh, yeah.”

For context, the guy who posted it took it down after a call from our legal team. He seemed desperate, so I let it slide with a fine. But Do Yoon frowned, muttering coldly.

“…Why let it spread like that?”

“What?”

“The HR team leader was spouting nonsense earlier.”

“About the meeting room mix-up? Thanks for that, by the way. And the coffee and pretzels.”

I slipped in a belated thank you while marveling at the HR team leader’s pettiness. But Do Yoon swerved with a screech, pulling onto the shoulder. Shocked, I watched him let go of the wheel and turn to me.

“People are saying you’re Haewon’s illegitimate son.”

“…Huh?”

“Koreans love gossiping. They’re debating whether we’re real brothers or not…”

“…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll track down everyone spreading it and deal with them, starting with that team leader.”

His eyes glinted with cold displeasure.

That’s what this was about? Now I understood why he avoided the echoing parking lot. But did we need to drive out this far? I mumbled.

“You don’t have to go that far.”

His brow furrowed sharply.

“You knew about the rumor?”

My body stiffened. Do Yoon had always been tenacious, but if he was once just annoying, now he felt like a predator pinning me down. My hyper-awareness of the novel’s plot and guilt for treating him poorly didn’t help. The seatbelt, meant to feel safe, made me feel trapped. Staring at my nails, I replied.

“I heard about it vaguely.”

“And you just let it slide? No, that’s like you. Sorry for getting mad. I’ll handle it. I meant to apologize…”

I snapped my head up.

“Handle it how?”

“Sue them for defamation and fire them.”

“Are you insane?!”

“It’s only fair. I’m the illegitimate one.”

Well, technically, so am I.

I couldn’t say that, so I swallowed hard and said.

“It’s just bored office talk. The more you react, the more they’ll enjoy it.”

“They won’t if they face real consequences.”

“So what, you’ll announce you’re the illegitimate one? Broadcast it company-wide?”

He looked at me oddly, then nodded.

“If necessary.”

“Why go that far?!”

“So you don’t get hurt. That HR team leader was acting weird earlier because of these rumors. He’s picking sides, leaning toward me.”

He was right—annoyingly so. But the HR team leader was already doomed. He wasn’t high enough to access real info, and his one-sided loyalty was misguided. Line-walking requires playing all sides, not picking one. He’d crash on his own; Do Yoon didn’t need to dirty his hands. But then Do Yoon muttered, “I’ve been so careful…” I started to ask what he meant, but he spoke first.

“I know this is my fault. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s because someone spread—”

“Not that. My coming to this company.”

“…”

I thought he’d mention our rooftop shouting match, but he dug deeper, surprising me—his very presence. I went quiet.

He knew.

It had bothered me too. With Do Yoon here, I inevitably looked lesser. Two of the founder’s heirs in one subsidiary was unusual, especially with Grandfather hyping me as the eldest yet placing seven-years-younger Do Yoon above me. But questioning plot logic against the protagonist’s will was futile.

If Do Yoon wanted Haewon E&M over Haewon Electronics, I’d have to step back. This industry tied to my past life, and I was attached, but I wanted to stay if possible.

Do Yoon sighed deeply.

“I expected some noise, but not this much, this soon.”

“It’s not your fault. It happens.”

“But I can’t quit.”

“Huh?”

I wasn’t expecting that. Why so extreme? A newly appointed director’s mentality shouldn’t waver over petty rumors—not very protagonist-like. But he said something else.

“…I thought watching from afar would keep things fine. It didn’t. I want to be a bit selfish now.”

I didn’t understand.

“Watching what?”

He paused, then looked at me.

“…You.”

“Huh?”

“…Never mind. I’ll handle this.”

“Handle it how?”

“I told you. I’ll discipline them so no one dares disrespect you.”

I was genuinely baffled.

“Why complicate things? Why does it matter who’s illegitimate? They’ll naturally think you, the director, have power, and I, the regular employee, don’t.”

He looked flustered for the first time.

“That… the director spot was the first opening. I didn’t have time to join properly like you.”

What was the rush? I took a deep breath and voiced my earlier thought.

“You’re young, inexperienced. If you start firing people, what will they say? It’s bad for your image.”

“I don’t care.”

You should! A romance novel’s male lead must stay likable. Wielding power recklessly makes you unlikeable, unless it’s to protect the heroine.

“My image is the same. Do you know how hard I’ve worked to stay low-key? If that Haewon Hotel part-timer hadn’t posted that photo, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Do Yoon bit his lip, glaring.

“Then what do I do?”

Nothing.

But saying that might make him fire everyone, so I offered an alternative.

“Just act friendly with me. People will back off on their own.”

Too obvious? I glanced at him.

His face bloomed with a radiant expression, eyes sparkling as he blinked his long lashes. A faint smile curved his lips.

“How do we look friendly?”

“…Dunno.”

“You suggested it. Tell me how.”

“…I don’t know. Eat together?”

“Great.”

He grabbed the wheel and started the car. Startled, I asked.

“Where are we going?”

“To eat. At my place.”