Chapter 90: Your Share

Hmm…? I was a bit taken aback by his unexpected answer. It felt quite different from the Bae Ji An I knew from the original novel.

In the original, Ji An was the type who naturally attracted men without even trying to be particularly nice to them. The setting was that her beauty, combined with a gaze that suggested a hidden, tragic past, triggered everyone’s protective instincts. However, after a malicious rumor about an office affair circulated, the original Bae Ji An had intentionally kept her distance from male employees….

I tilted my head and asked. “What about someone who’s good at sports? Like… shot put?”

“Are you good at shot put, Hyung?”

“No?”

“Then I’m not interested.”

Why is he asking me when we’re talking about his type? Just then, Do Yun seemed to remember something and clapped his hands. “Oh, right. And someone who is incredibly dense.”

“Why would you like someone like that?”

“I know, right?”

I furrowed my brows slightly. It seemed Do Yun had no intention of answering this question seriously. But then, he looked at me again and spoke. “And as for looks… I like someone who looks a bit… suggestive.”

In an instant, I knocked over one of the chopsticks beside me. It hit the floor with a loud metallic clang. Fortunately, nothing broke, but I hurriedly scrambled to pick it up and set it aside. “Ah, sorry about that.”

How pathetic. As soon as I heard him mention a “suggestive face,” I was reminded of the time Do Yun kissed me. I felt embarrassed and wronged at the same time. Why am I the only one agonizing over this? Technically, I’m the one who should be receiving an apology.

Besides, it wasn’t just the kiss. Back then, he had lifted my shirt and….

Suddenly, Do Yun asked me back. “Then, what’s your type, Hyung? Is it a woman with big eyes who looks like a cat?”

I flinched like a student caught daydreaming by a teacher. Flustered, I immediately shook my head. “No, I’m actually more of a ‘puppy’ person.”

Do Yun looked a bit surprised. Then, he suddenly grinned and said: “Do I look more like a puppy or a cat?”

“…You just look like a human.”

“…That’s mean.”

Seeing Do Yun look genuinely pouted made a chuckle escape my lips. It’s not cute at all for a guy with a body the size of a mountain to act like that. Then, he spoke to me carefully. “When you said today… that we should eat dinner together from now on, I was so happy. I thought you were really mad at me back then.”

My hand, which was reaching for a side dish, paused in mid-air. I replied nonchalantly. “It’s just because I have no one else to eat with.”

“…Hyung, about what you asked before. Why I left so suddenly.”

My heart skipped a beat. I didn’t expect him to bring this up first. I was so startled I couldn’t even control my expression, staring at him with trembling eyes. Do Yun spoke with a serious face. “I can’t tell you why right now. But I promise I will tell you someday.”

After a brief silence, I asked dumbly. “Wh… when?”

Do Yun smiled slightly. His face looked strangely calm. “When you like me a little more.”

I was left a bit dazed. How much more am I supposed to like you?

A few days later, I received a call from the main house after quite a long time. My grandfather, now in his mid-80s, was having more trouble getting around and often used a wheelchair. Despite his physical discomfort, I was grateful that he still put so much care into looking after me. After my engagement with Lia was called off, a few cousins had tried to test the waters and smear me, but once Grandfather signaled that he still favored me, the provocations from those small-timers vanished instantly. In that sense, Grandfather was an incomparable ally.

But today, as soon as he saw me, he said something completely out of the blue. “Seung Hyeon, you’ve worked hard. You must have felt quite slighted by me all this time.”

Hmm…? What is he talking about? As I just blinked in silence, Grandfather continued on his own. “You were going through a lot personally, but I was so preoccupied that I didn’t look after you well enough.”

I had no idea what he meant. If he was talking about the engagement breaking off eight months ago, that had been settled long ago. I immediately shook my head. “No, I know better than anyone how well you treat me, Grandfather.”

Grandfather smiled with satisfaction and said: “Stop struggling now and change companies.”

“Pardon?”

“It took a bit of time to prepare. It’ll be hard to start from scratch, so you can just work with the people I’ve picked and learn from them.”

I started to feel a bit on edge. Was it this topic again? “Grandfather, what I’m doing now—”

“…Seung Hyeon, acting noble is something you do when you actually have something.”

Rarely, Grandfather cut me off, and I fell silent. I had heard that a few cousins had come by recently to whine. There were kids fawning over him just to get one more piece of the pie, so when I acted stiff, it seemed Grandfather didn’t like it. I replied quietly. “I have enough with what I have now. Actually, it’s more than I deserve.”

“A person needs to have some greed.”

“There are plenty of other greedy people around.”

“Those kids have no patience and don’t know how to endure. None of them measure up.”

I let out a sigh. It seemed that my act of hiding my identity and working hard from the bottom had earned me a significant amount of bonus points.

“As you know, E&M needs more time to grow further without Goryeo Daily. I know you like that work, but business is something you learn based on your environment. And if you’re going to learn, you should obviously learn in a better place to become someone great.”

“Grandfather, I know Haewon Electronics is doing well. But for it to do even better, wouldn’t it be better for a professional manager to run it rather than someone like me who doesn’t know much starting from the top? Ultimately, the company’s success is what matters most.”

But suddenly, the previously gentle Grandfather frowned and snapped at me. “Nonsense! Do you think I’ve lived my life just to make someone else’s child successful?”

“…….”

I was suddenly at a loss for words. Even though I knew Grandfather was this kind of person, my heart felt chilled anew. I had almost forgotten that there was a reason behind Grandfather’s affection for me.

“…Even your father has many flaws in my eyes. But the eldest has the role of the eldest.”

I don’t understand what birth order has to do with corporate management. Besides, I’m the second son, not the first. But in this house, Grandfather’s word was law. If Grandfather said Choi Seung Hyeon was the eldest, then I was the eldest. Logic held no place in the realm of an absolute ruler.

“I’m getting old, so I’m preparing for the future. I know your father doesn’t think much of you, but he won’t be able to say anything if it’s my word.”

“…….”

“There will be pushback from the employees if I suddenly drop you into Haewon Electronics, so for now, while I’m still alive, gain some experience there and then move up through promotions.”

“…There’s also Do Yun.”

“That boy is smart, too, but he should be in a position to assist his brother.”

I was dumbfounded. “Grandfather, I’m sorry, but after you placed him as the Director of E&M, what are you saying now? You know Do Yun is ranked much higher than me, right?”

For the first time, Grandfather was silenced. He let out a few awkward coughs. “That… that boy made such a fuss about wanting to enter E&M right away that I told his mother to handle it as she saw fit. I didn’t think she would actually allow it.”

“…….”

So what Seung Hee said was true. Choi Do Yun had indeed received approval for his employment from my mother. Seeing Grandfather speak like that, it seemed he had set that condition knowing Mother would never agree, but he couldn’t take back his word once it was given because of his pride. He was always one to care deeply about such things. I marveled to myself.

‘How on earth did Do Yun convince Mother? Is this truly the power of a male lead?’

Mrs. Shin Mi Seon had been wary of Do Yun at every turn and hadn’t hidden her hostility since he was in high school. I couldn’t fathom what had happened for such a woman to accept Do Yun entering a company as my superior.

‘Should I ask him?’

At the same time, the imaginary Do Yun in my head said: ‘I’m sorry, Hyung. I’ll tell you that next time.’

Yeah, Choi Do Yun is out. That guy has too many secrets now that he’s grown up. It would be better to ask Mother. I’ll have to ask her as soon as she returns from my aunt’s place in Italy.

When I didn’t say anything because I was lost in thought, Grandfather spoke as if to soothe me. “However, seeing you work for months without complaint made me realize how great your magnanimity is as an older brother.”

I don’t know about that…. As long as I was the eldest grandson of this family, Grandfather would have taken my side even if I had gone around destroying the company, saying there must be a reason for it. And he probably would have used that as an excuse to send Do Yun to another company.

“Noona has more magnanimity than me.”

“I know you’re trying to look out for Seung Hee.”

“…….”

“But just because I’m giving to you doesn’t mean I’m taking anything from Seung Hee. She understood this as well.”

So that’s why Choi Seung Hee said those strange things while we were eating tteokbokki recently. I finally understood her behavior in an odd way. Then, Grandfather looked at me and said: “I just want you to have what is yours.”

Mine…. I rolled the word around in my mouth for a moment.

But what’s the point of having something for a short while if it’s only going to be taken away anyway? Doesn’t it just hurt more?