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⁜ Chapter 07
“Honestly, from our perspective, it would’ve been more reassuring if you’d stayed on as a prosecutor rather than becoming a lawyer.”
Tick, tick.
He tapped the armrest repeatedly with the nail of his index finger as he spoke.
For an executive who had to skillfully evade the law while leading a giant conglomerate, having a prosecutor as an ally meant securing a relationship that could prove invaluable.
If trouble arose and the prosecutor refused to indict, a trial wouldn’t even begin. Even if it did, it was the prosecutor who determined the sentencing demands.
If anything, Chairman Shin would have gladly kept Hee-jae in the Prosecution Service—if only Hee-jae had been the kind of prosecutor who moved to his liking.
“The pity is that you’re far too moral and conscientious. In that position, you were useless to me.”
But Hee-jae was never someone to dance to another’s tune. That was precisely why he had chosen to be a prosecutor over a lawyer.
Knowing this, Chairman Shin had done everything he could to drag Hee-jae down.
“And yet, for your sake, I resigned of my own accord, didn’t I?”
Hee-jae spoke shamelessly, without even batting an eye.
Dragged down? No—he had walked out proudly on his own two feet.
Chairman Shin, who had been turned away, suddenly spun his chair around.
He locked eyes with Hee-jae, who had been smiling sweetly at him.
“Don’t mistake this—I don’t trust you yet.”
At those words, the smile slipped from Hee-jae’s lips.
A guardian was a double-edged sword.
For Hee-jae, who had grown up with little, Shin had been a ray of light. But if he failed to move as his benefactor wished, all that help could easily turn into a debt to be collected.
Choosing to become a prosecutor had never been the wisest escape plan.
“How do I know you won’t stab us in the back again? After you betrayed us once, erasing more than ten years in an instant.”
Chairman Shin wasn’t satisfied with Hee-jae’s mere return as the spokesperson of Shin Group.
He demanded proof—actions that would earn his renewed trust. Even if it was a near-impossible request.
Hee-jae didn’t show his unease, but he swallowed hard, meeting Shin’s gaze head-on.
“From now on, you’ll take charge of Se-heon’s case. I dismissed the old defense team—I didn’t like them.”
He handed over a file and a USB, thick with prepared documents.
Hee-jae didn’t even need to open them to know what they contained.
They would be all the records of Vice Chairman Shin Se-heon’s scandals, which had recently been splashed across the media without filter.
Embezzlement, breach of duty, money laundering, personnel corruption, abuse of authority, client exploitation, even sexual harassment of a secretary.
Shin Se-heon was the sole heir to Shin Group’s CEO position. Chairman Shin had poured everything into grooming him for that seat.
With his father’s full support, Se-heon had graduated from Korea’s top university, completed a prestigious MBA in the U.S., and been trained as a global executive.
He had worked his way up from regional offices, “to learn from the ground,” as his father insisted.
He had even married the youngest daughter of the chairman of Seoil Bank, securing long-term investment plans for Shin Group.
Outwardly, he was the model citizen—regular religious devotion, volunteering, charity work for the underprivileged.
But the shocking sins of Shin Se-heon had left the public feeling betrayed, embodying the duplicity of the chaebol class.
Not only he, but the group’s image had been dragged through the mud, fueling boycotts and stock plunges.
After Se-heon was unanimously and permanently removed at the shareholder meeting, Gyo-bin had stepped forward, creating a crisis management task force and leading reforms.
Thanks to his bold policies and sweeping personnel changes, Shin Group survived the storm.
But the stain on its reputation remained.
“Prove, with results, how well you can protect Se-heon—and Shin Group along with him.”
To Chairman Shin, the outcome of Se-heon’s trial would determine the group’s recovery.
His plan was simple: reduce Se-heon’s sentence through a powerful defense, and use it to polish Shin Group’s tarnished image.
“Once I see those results, I’ll decide how best to use you going forward.”
With that, he spun his chair back to face the window.
Behind him, Hee-jae bowed his head silently.
Outside the study, she lingered by the closed door for a long time, then slowly raised her head to take in her surroundings.
She had truly returned.
Ten years ago, when she left this house, she had sworn never to become entangled with this family again.
As she looked around, her eyes met Seon-hye’s, who was descending the stairs.
Just as Hee-jae was about to bow her head—
“So you really did crawl back in.”
Seon-hye muttered, just loud enough for Hee-jae alone to hear.
Hee-jae froze mid-bow.
“You parasite.”
Lifting her head, Hee-jae met Seon-hye’s eyes in silence.
Seon-hye curled her lip in a crooked smirk.
“Let’s see how long you last this time.”
She brushed past, tapping Hee-jae’s shoulder, and disappeared into Chairman Shin’s room.
Hee-jae clenched her fist tight, staring at the closed door.
Memories of living here as less than human burned back into her mind.
She bit her lower lip hard.
“Who do you think you are, sponsoring that woman’s daughter?”
“They say your mother only came into this house because she was lonely?”
The humiliations Seon-hye had once spat at her rang in her ears, and Hee-jae’s eyes screwed shut.
Chairman Shin had supported her generously, calling her diligent and brilliant. But Seon-hye had never welcomed it.
She suspected there was something improper between her father and Hee-jae’s mother.
And who could blame her?
Chairman Shin was notorious for his affairs, and he had even taken in Shin Gyo-bin, the son of a mistress.
The suspicions never ceased, and Hee-jae and her mother had lived in constant fear of being caught out.
A single misstep meant hair-pulling, humiliation, vile accusations.
Yet after every beating, silence was all they could afford—for the sake of the money Shin put in their hands.
To Hee-jae, the Shin family were both saviors and the worst of enemies.
Shaking her head, she forced the dark memories down.
She began descending the stairs, one slow step at a time.
“Hee-jae, there you are.”
She froze midway, turning toward the voice.
At the first-floor railing stood Gyo-bin, leaning casually, smiling warmly up at her.
“I told you we should go together. Why’d you leave first?”
He looked immaculate, suit and tie freshly in place, as if just arriving home.
“You’re here earlier than expected. I thought you’d be another hour at least…”
Han, the house servant preparing dinner, hurried over.
“How could I concentrate on work, knowing Hee-jae was coming home? I had to hurry back to greet her.”
Gyo-bin’s tender gaze turned to Hee-jae.
But her eyes were icy.
Han, oblivious to her reaction, suddenly clapped her hands as if realizing something.
“Ah, of course! You two have been close since childhood. It’d be nice if you had time to catch up.”
Han had mistaken them for nothing more than affectionate childhood friends.
And why not?
Gyo-bin had always approached Hee-jae with smiles and warmth, especially in front of others.
Even Hee-jae herself had once been fooled by him. To outsiders, how much more convincing must it have seemed?
His gentle words and touches carried hidden intent—yet almost no one would ever notice.
“We’ve had plenty of talks already.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, voice tinged with meaning.
Turning to Han, he spoke smoothly again.
“Dinner looks ready. Go fetch Father and Mother.”
And then his gaze returned once more to Hee-jae, standing frozen on the stairs.
“Now then, let’s begin our cozy meal with our long-awaited guest.”
