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Chapter 07
“What the hell? That lunatic was really the only daughter of Chairwoman Yeo Baekhwa from Hanlim Group?”
“Lunatic? Are you crazy, Seo Taejoo? Talking like that about the goddess of our school!”
The next day.
Three men were gathered in the living room of a luxury officetel apartment, each with stacks of documents and laptops in front of them.
“Seriously, Seo Taejoo. You always have the weirdest blind spots when it comes to information.”
Lee Changsik, Seo Taejoo’s middle and high school friend—and unofficial lackey—sighed in frustration.
“Do you even know what Hanlim is? One of the country’s oldest major corporations, standing firm on tradition and customer trust! Ranked number one among companies with the most respected female CEO! Number one in clean, ethical public image! How could you not recognize the only daughter of Chairwoman Yeo Baekhwa, the head of Hanlim…?”
“Number one, my ass. Does prestige put food on the table? Are they running charities? Looking at the numbers, their performance tanked through all the quarters before last year.”
Seo Taejoo scoffed.
Companies should be judged by money.
Like Taegwang.
Of course, Lee Changsik clearly disagreed.
“You’re hopeless, Seo Taejoo. Tsk. Hanlim’s not a place where money is the issue.”
Ignoring whether Taejoo was listening or not, Changsik drove the point home.
“Yeo Jaekyung is someone precious—someone who’d never associate with a delinquent like you, okay? She’s basically royalty. Do you understand?”
What nonsense.
Seo Taejoo rolled his eyes.
From what I saw, she was just a nutcase.
Come to think of it, she did look vaguely familiar—someone he’d crossed paths with at company events he’d occasionally been dragged to.
Chairwoman Yeo Baekhwa.
‘She may not have been great at business, but her presence was something else.’
Taejoo rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
A powerful female chairwoman he seemed to encounter wherever he went.
“Wasn’t it a huge deal when, after her last husband passed away, she passed on the Yeo family name to her only daughter?”
“Yeah. Just like she inherited everything herself, she’s saying her daughter will inherit Hanlim too. They’re probably the most successful mother-daughter pair in Korea.”
I see.
That’s why I didn’t recognize her.
‘Her image was so different from usual.’
In his memory, Yeo Jaekyung had always been a refined lady with a soft smile.
A quiet doll who always stood one step behind Chairwoman Yeo Baekhwa. The ultimate marriage-market product from a chaebol family, carefully cultivated by her mother.
‘So I thought her personality would be soft too—like some sheltered rich girl who didn’t know how the world worked…’
But in reality, she was bold—so bold she bordered on crazy.
The more he thought about it, the more absurdly different she was from the image he’d had.
Just then, another voice was heard.
“Ugh… ngh…”
It came from near the dining table where they were working.
“Seo… Taejoo… you damned… bastard…”
Someone crawled out like a zombie.
“Gah!”
Seeing Jo Gabin’s appearance, Lee Changsik turned pale.
“If I… die… from working… Seo Taejoo… I’m dragging you… with me…”
Without even looking at him, Taejoo kept his eyes on his laptop.
“Sure. Drag me down if you want, but fix this bug before you die.”
“You heartless bastard…”
Jo Gabin, with his curly hair and thick-framed glasses, gulped down coffee like water.
The three young men were immersed in a project for The Home, a startup built around Seo Taejoo.
Only a year and a half after launching, The Home had reached a billion-dollar valuation in the global market—despite starting with only three employees.
‘Still…’
Lee Changsik thought quietly.
‘If people found out Seo Taejoo was actually the CEO of The Home, Korea would lose its mind.’
The nation’s most hated chaebol delinquent from Taegwang…
was secretly the founder of one of the most promising startups around.
‘No… maybe people would hate him even more.’
Considering how much criticism Taejoo and his father had been receiving lately, it wasn’t impossible.
Suddenly remembering something, Changsik asked:
“Oh, right. Taejoo. Did you deliver the proposal to the CEO of that music streaming site we’re partnering with?”
Crack.
Changsik tilted his head.
Did I just hear someone grinding their teeth?
“Of course. I even boarded some stranger’s birthday-party cruise just to meet that CEO.”
Seo Taejoo answered through clenched teeth.
Cold sweat broke out on Changsik’s back.
“R-right. Good work.”
‘Damn it. My stupid mouth…!’
He resisted the urge to slap himself.
‘That was what led to articles saying he got carried away and enjoyed a decadent cruise party.’
Quickly trying to smooth things over, he added:
“Haha… Don’t pay too much attention to the articles! It’s not like getting cursed at is anything new for you. It just happened to overlap with the day your cousin returned to Korea and the day you were ordered to do volunteer work at a welfare center…”
And the announcement that your cousin was being appointed as an outside director…
Which doubled the criticism you got…
“……”
Seo Taejoo said nothing.
Inside, Changsik cried bitterly.
‘Why does he look upset when he’s the one maintaining this delinquent image?!’
Silence filled the officetel, which served as both The Home’s office and the young men’s residence.
Unable to bear it, Changsik suddenly slammed the desk.
“Hey. Seo Taejoo. Why don’t you just publicly reveal that you’re the CEO of The Home?”
Jo Gabin’s eyes widened.
What’s wrong with him? Has he gone crazy?!
“What? What did you just say?”
Taejoo finally looked up from the screen and frowned.
Changsik stiffened.
But once you draw your sword, you might as well cut something!
He pressed on bravely.
“You getting hated nationwide—it’s awful to watch as your friend, and as your business partner and employee. Why not stand at the front of The Home, rebuild your image properly, and even if it hurts your pride, go back to Taegwang…”
“Lee Changsik.”
Taejoo’s icy voice cut him off.
“Let’s work, yeah?”
“……”
After giving Changsik one cold look, Taejoo returned his eyes to the laptop.
‘Scary bastard.’
Still, Changsik wasn’t someone who gave up.
If force didn’t work, try persuasion.
He sent Jo Gabin a look.
Help me.
Gabin immediately shook his head.
Why drag me into this?
Coward!
Fine.
“Taejoo… You weren’t always like this.”
Changsik started persuading him alone.
“When we first came up with The Home back in high school, it was originally preparation for projects we wanted to carry out after entering Taegwang Electronics.”
Back then—
The heir of Taegwang had been full of dreams and ambition.
Remembering that version of him, Changsik’s voice rose.
“Honestly, who cared more about Taegwang than you? You always said you wanted Vice Chairman Seo Munsu to acknowledge you. Don’t you remember? The nights we stayed up discussing what direction to take the company… what businesses we wanted to pursue…”
His throat tightened unexpectedly.
“And this is the result? I know The Home is doing well for a startup. But it’s still nowhere near Taegwang. If you just used Taegwang’s backing…”
His voice cracked.
“Is your pride really worth this much? What are you, eighteen? Going through puberty?”
Why rebel?
Why take the long road when there’s an easier one?
“You’re suffering out here after leaving Taegwang—who even recognizes it? Huh? Nobody. Even if this project fails, nobody will acknowledge your effort or hard work.”
“I do.”
Snap.
Seo Taejoo closed his laptop.
At the same time, Changsik stopped talking.
“I know that effort. I know that hard work.”
Taejoo looked down at him coldly.
“As long as I know, that’s enough.”
Silence fell.
As if there was nothing more to say, Taejoo packed up his things and stood.
“Lee Changsik, if you want out of The Home, leave anytime. But me? I’m never getting involved with Taegwang again—not even in my dreams. If you want to go back, go alone.”
He turned sharply and walked away.
Moments later—
Bang!
The office door slammed shut.
Seo Taejoo was gone.
“……”
“Knew this would happen.”
Jo Gabin patted Changsik’s shoulder.
“Phew…”
The two remaining men sighed, both wearing complicated expressions.
After leaving the office, Seo Taejoo headed to school.
But there was too much time left before class, so he sat on a bench.
“Ha…”
He rubbed his eyes.
A heavy sigh escaped him.
He’d spoken boldly to Changsik earlier, but he was thinking just as much.
Effort and hard work—I know them?
Bullshit.
Truth was, he didn’t know anything.
“Seriously, Lee Changsik meddles too much. Acting up without even understanding the situation.”
Put aside his pride and return to Taegwang?
Go back to Vice Chairman Seo Munsu?
Become the prodigal son returning home?
‘Damn it. He should know what he’s talking about first.’
Taejoo knew all the rumors surrounding him and his father.
That he’d cut ties because of his father’s affair.
That his mother’s death had also been caused by it.
The ugly gossip people spread.
His chest burned with things he couldn’t explain.
And yet…
A faint regret lingered because Changsik had been right.
If The Home had started as a Taegwang project, things would’ve been incomparably easier.
‘Nothing’s going right.’
Taejoo held his head.
In truth, he knew better than anyone.
Running The Home had taught him painfully:
Without Taegwang’s influence behind him—
he was nothing.
No one recognized solitary effort or hard work.
Still, it couldn’t be helped.
There was something he wanted to prove to Vice Chairman Seo Munsu.
‘Wait.’
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
Steel.
‘Come to think of it, Taegwang’s been eyeing the steel industry lately.’
The goal had been to strengthen the domestic supply chain supporting electronics.
Of course, there’d been criticism.
People said Taegwang was throwing money around like thugs and disrupting industries.
“……”
His brows furrowed.
‘And steel has always been one of Hanlim’s major industries.’
The timing fit perfectly.
Taegwang encroaches on Hanlim’s territory—
and then Taegwang’s problem child gets involved in a scandal with Hanlim’s precious daughter?
Judging from interviews, the woman had appeared on TV often enough to be fairly recognizable.
‘A perfect chance to get hated even more…’
The corner of Seo Taejoo’s mouth slowly curled upward into a crooked grin.
