CGC 07

Chapter 07

Bzzz— Bzzz—

Inside the car on the way to the company.

Jihyuk’s phone kept ringing.

It seemed like an urgent call, but Jihyuk showed no intention of answering it.

Secretary Choi glanced at him through the rear-view mirror.

Jihyuk sat perfectly still with his eyes closed.

After a month of a murderous schedule, his boss clearly hadn’t slept again—when Choi went to pick him up that morning, his expression had been downright terrifying.

Even without saying anything, his eyes alone screamed: Bother me even a little and I’ll kill you.

So Choi didn’t want to wake him now either.

But if someone was calling more than five times… it had to be urgent.

Bzzz— Bzzz—

The ringing stopped, only to start again immediately.

In the end, Choi carefully called out to him.

“Um… Director?”

“……”

“Director, I think this might be an urgent call…”

Still no reply.

Only Choi was struggling—he felt like he was sitting on a bed of nails, a noose tightening around his neck, making even driving hard.

Bzzzz—

Now his own phone started vibrating.

Right. If whoever was calling the director gave up and called him instead, that was actually better.

He almost cheered internally and hurried to pick up.

“…Huh?”

A confused sound slipped out.

It was Park Youngjun, the chief secretary to the Chairman.

Choi panicked and quickly answered.

“Ah, yes…! Chief Park.”

—The director’s with you, right?

“Yes.”

—Put him on.

“Ah, may I ask what this is about…? The director isn’t in a state to take calls right now—”

—It’s about Doha.

“…Ah…! What happened to young master Doha…?”

Choi deliberately emphasized Doha.

Through the mirror, he saw a thin crack form between Jihyuk’s brows.

A clear reaction.

—Tell him a small-fry has attached itself. It’s urgent. Have him call me back immediately.

Click.

The call ended.

Stopped at a red light, Choi twisted around in his seat.

He flinched when he met Jihyuk’s now-open eyes, but quickly relayed the message.

“Director. Chief Park says… a small-fry has attached itself to young master Doha, and he needs you to call him right away.”

“A small-fry? Which bastard thinks they can mess with Doha?”

Had word already leaked that he’d inherited his older brother’s shares?

Even if it hadn’t, it was only a matter of time.

Anyone who tried to lay a hand on his money line—his rice bowl—no, the child who would become his most powerful weapon in the future deserved to be crushed early.

Who could it be?

Kim, the executive director in construction?

Director Cheon at headquarters?

He mentally shuffled through the possibilities as he called Chief Park back.

Park answered within seconds.

—Director. Why aren’t you answering your phone?

He scolded him openly.

Park Youngjun was the chairman’s right-hand man, someone who’d known Jihyuk since he was a child—basically an uncle.

So he wasn’t afraid of Jihyuk, even though Jihyuk had become the youngest executive and a serious successor candidate as of last month.

“Who is it?”

—Not a bastard. A woman.

“…What.”

He was so stunned he could barely speak.

Not a bastard—a woman?

Wait. Who else at the company wanted his position?

—Where are you right now?

Jihyuk glanced outside.

“We’re almost there.”

—Listen carefully. There’s a woman here claiming to be Doha’s aunt.

One eyebrow lifted sharply.

Doha’s aunt—meaning his sister-in-law’s cousin of the same age?

“Just kick her out. Didn’t my sister-in-law say before she died—her aunt? Whoever it was who became the legal guardian—she told them not to hand the baby over under any circumstances.”

Jihyuk recalled what his father had told him at the funeral. But Park’s next words were unexpected.

—You should kick her out yourself. The desk staff say she’s incredibly persistent. And…

“And?”

—If her side keeps coveting Doha and doing anything that might harm him, who knows what the chairman will do. The company’s already noisy enough after Director Seo passed away.

That was true.

His father adored Doha. With his brother gone, his affection for the child had only grown.

If his sister-in-law’s family came demanding Doha’s share, stirring up the company and spreading things around, the chairman would not sit still.

With all eyes on the chairman’s family after his brother’s death, they couldn’t afford any scandal.

“Where’s the chairman now?”

—Thankfully, he had a morning round of golf, so he’s in Paju. Deal with this before he returns. Make sure she never sets foot in this company again.

“Understood.”

Jihyuk’s voice in the car sounded more solemn than ever.

An employee kept glancing at Yuu-eul while making calls to someone.

Each time, she straightened her back a little more and braced her legs.

Finally, the employee ended the call and spoke to her.

“Um… the director will be here soon.”

She had repeatedly asked to meet Chairman Seo Jaewang.

A director?

Did they really think she was too stupid to notice they were sending some underling to throw her out?

“No. I absolutely have to meet the chairman.”

The employee bit his lip in frustration, glancing between Yuu-eul and something behind her.

Then suddenly his face brightened.

Yuu-eul instinctively turned around.

Someone was walking in from the main entrance.

A tall man, model-like in build, moved with such impeccable posture she wondered if he had steel rods embedded in his suit.

His heavy, steady footsteps seemed to quiet the air around him.

Everyone in the lobby turned toward him, and those near him bowed their heads.

As he approached, a small whimper—like a newborn puppy—escaped Yuu-eul’s mouth.

“Uh—uh…?”

When he drew close enough that she could touch him if she extended a hand, her head lifted on its own.

She was so shocked she forgot how to speak, her lips silently opening and closing.

The man stood straight and looked down at her, his gaze angled downward.

A calm, low voice fell onto her like a weight.

“Blackmailer?”

The word dropped like a slap, making her flinch.

What on earth was he doing here?

Receiving his stare, Yuu-eul ran her thoughts frantically.

The man from her sister’s funeral—the one she almost got into an accident with.

Ah… right. She’d seen him near the mortuary where her sister’s lover was.

So he was from Sehan Group?

Suddenly the puzzle pieces fit.

The way he’d accused her of trying to stage a self-harm scam, of trying to extort him—that must’ve been because he worked for a ruthless, gangster-like company.

Ha. Surely…

He wasn’t the chairman’s secretary or something… right?

But if someone who casually used phrases like “I’ll drown you” worked for the chairman, what would the chairman be like?

Then of course her nephew would also be in danger.

“Director…!”

The front desk employee—who had been arguing with her earlier—rushed up to greet the man.

“She keeps insisting on meeting the chairman.”

The man turned his gaze back to Yuu-eul.

Facing that same look again made her shoulders jump.

His eyes were just as murderous as she remembered.

He said nothing for several long seconds, simply staring down at her as if he would devour her.

Her heart pounded so violently it felt like it would burst out of her chest.

Oh no. Is he going to throw me out before I can even meet the chairman?

He already thinks I’m some scam artist…

Will he listen to me at all? Will he believe I’m my sister’s younger sister?

Of course he won’t.

And even if I do meet the chairman eventually, what if he tells the chairman I’m a fraud?

Her hands trembled.

The man’s gaze, which had been drilling into her eyes, shifted downward.

He saw her clenched fists trembling and curved his lips into a strange smile.

“…Let’s go upstairs and talk.”