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chapter 43
“Honey.”
When Kwon Yoo-jin rose from her seat, Jo Seok-jin glanced at her briefly before turning immediately to Jo Ara, who was sitting with a sullen face, and furrowed his brows.
“Ara, when you see your father, shouldn’t you greet him first?”
“I already did this morning. Do I have to again?”
“You could at least say something like, ‘Welcome back,’ or, ‘You’re home now,’—basic manners, you know.”
With a sigh, Jo Ara answered curtly, cutting off her father’s nagging before it could drag on.
“Wel. Come. Back.”
Jo Seok-jin’s face showed his disapproval, but he said nothing more and started toward the hospital building.
“Honey, let’s go together.”
Kwon Yoo-jin pulled along the reluctant Ara and followed after him.
The three arrived at the elevator. A moment later, the doors slid open with a ding, and from inside, Nam Do-hyun and Seo Yeon-ha stepped out.
Jo Seok-jin’s expression froze, instantly turning cold.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Vice President.”
The two greeted politely, but Jo Seok-jin received it with indifference and asked,
“What brings you two here?”
“The Chairman called us over,” Seo Yeon-ha answered carefully.
Jo Seok-jin gave a scoffing laugh.
“I bet the Chairman gave you a hefty reward for your trouble.”
“He said he would think about it,” Seo Yeon-ha replied awkwardly, but Do-hyun spoke up in her place.
“Why play hard to get? If he gives it, just accept it with thanks.”
The air froze immediately.
Then, breaking the tense atmosphere, Kwon Yoo-jin spoke up.
“Hello.”
The two blinked in surprise at the sudden greeting. Yoo-jin introduced herself as Jo Seok-jin’s wife, and the girl beside her as their daughter. After casting a sharp look at Ara, who mumbled a half-hearted greeting, Yoo-jin bowed her head respectfully.
“Thank you sincerely for saving my father’s life. Thanks to you both, we managed to overcome a huge crisis.”
“You’re welcome. It was nothing,” they both said, bowing slightly in return.
“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to treat you to a meal someday. Please let me know when you have time.”
“No, that’s really not necessary,” Do-hyun declined.
“If that feels like a burden, then at least please accept a pass to the gallery I run…”
“That won’t be necessary, thank you,” Seo Yeon-ha firmly refused, waving her hand.
“Still…”
“They said it’s fine, didn’t they? Enough already. Get in—the elevator doors are closing.”
Jo Seok-jin’s voice was gruff, annoyed at his wife for persisting. Without giving her a chance to exchange more words, he pushed Yoo-jin inside the elevator.
The doors closed behind them.
“I didn’t even get to thank them properly…” Yoo-jin murmured with regret.
Seok-jin snapped back, “Forget about that nonsense and just ask Father when he’s going to promote me to president.”
“I’ll bring it up once he’s discharged.”
“By then it’ll be too late. Didn’t you see just now? That Nam Do-hyun kid—do you know how much he struts around the company already? He was already a thorn in my side, and now that he’s saved Father’s life, do you think Father will sit still? If he promotes him, it’ll be like giving wings to a tiger.”
Seok-jin clenched his teeth.
The better the company performed, the stronger Do-hyun’s position grew. At this rate, he wouldn’t just be another employee, but the trusted key figure under Chairman Kwon Jin-man.
“Father surely has his own judgment. He’s not the type to promote someone without ability.”
“This isn’t the time to be so relaxed!”
Unable to hold back, Seok-jin raised his voice.
Until then, Ara had been silent, but she let out a sigh and spoke up.
“Why are you badgering Mom about it? Why don’t you just ask Grandpa yourself?”
“You stay out of this. What do you even know?” Seok-jin snapped, scowling.
But Ara didn’t flinch.
“Of course I know. You’re scared of talking to Grandpa, that’s why.”
“You—do you want a real scolding?”
Seok-jin’s voice turned sharp, and the air in the elevator instantly grew heavy and cold.
Following Chairman Kwon’s instructions, the chauffeur dropped off the two at the officetel before leaving.
They rode the elevator in silence.
Do-hyun broke it first.
“Do you want to come eat at my place?”
“No. I don’t feel like it.”
She shook her head with a short sigh. Concern etched on his face, he added,
“You said you barely had lunch.”
“Did Jin-young tell you that?”
He didn’t reply. But she knew anyway—Jin-young must have mentioned it.
“I won’t ask you anything. Just eat a little before you go. You’ve had a lot on your mind lately. I’m just worried you might collapse.”
“I won’t collapse over something like this.”
Yeon-ha’s firm answer made Do-hyun sigh quietly.
Ever since the news article about him saving Chairman Kwon at the rest stop, Yeon-ha had grown increasingly wary of the attention on them, and deliberately kept her distance.
For work matters, she asked Jin-young or Manager Yoon Il-young to pass things along. Even when they crossed paths at the company, she gave only the briefest greetings.
But though she distanced herself, Do-hyun acted as though nothing was wrong. Just like always.
He never showed annoyance or disappointment, not even a hint. Instead, he treated her the same as before—perhaps even more warmly, smiling as if to put her at ease.
That was why she felt grateful… and why she felt even more guilty.
“I haven’t eaten since last night. I’m feeling weak. Please, eat with me before I pass out.”
Though his tone was gentle, the quiet earnestness in Do-hyun’s voice was unmistakable.
Yeon-ha faltered at his words.
For the first time, she really looked at his face. He looked exhausted, the strain written all over him. He had been pretending to be fine, but in truth, he seemed worn down.
She realized she’d been so busy avoiding him that she hadn’t noticed.
‘It’s not me who’s about to collapse… it’s him.’
She bit her lip.
She had been trying so hard to put up walls, but when he cared for her so sincerely, she felt guilty brushing him off coldly.
At last, with a small sigh, she said,
“…Alright. I’ll eat. But only dinner, and then I’ll go.”
“Thank you. You just saved me.”
As soon as the words left his lips, a smile spread slowly across Do-hyun’s face—like someone finally breathing after being tense for far too long.
Watching him, Yeon-ha quickly looked away.
Something inside her stirred uncomfortably.
In the middle of dinner, Yeon-ha’s phone vibrated.
She glanced down, and her expression stiffened. On the screen was a single word: Mom.
Hesitating, she sighed and switched it to silent.
Noticing, Do-hyun set down his chopsticks and said quietly,
“You can take it.”
She shook her head.
“It’s fine.”
But just seconds later, it buzzed again.
“Answer it. It could be urgent.”
Looking troubled, Yeon-ha sat still for a moment, then reluctantly pressed the call button.
“Hello.”
On the other end, her mother’s urgent voice burst out.
[Yeon-ha, your father hasn’t come home again.]
Yeon-ha’s voice stayed calm, as if she had expected this.
“When did he leave?”
[Three days ago.]
“Did you two fight?”
[Even so, does that mean he should just run away from home? He should at least pick up the phone.]
Yeon-ha swallowed a sigh.
Normally, her parents barely cared about each other, but whenever her father stayed out, her mother would call him dozens of times until he answered.
“He’s probably gone fishing.”
Her father, once an elementary school principal, had devoted himself to fishing after retirement, traveling around the country whenever he had the chance.
Her dry tone made her mother’s voice grow sharper.
[What kind of child are you? Your father’s missing and you don’t even worry? How can you sound like you don’t care at all?]
Yeon-ha closed her eyes wearily, then opened them again.
Every time her parents fought, her mother would call to vent for hours. At first, she pitied her and listened. But after more than ten years, she was worn out.
“What do you want me to do? Go out and magically find him when I don’t even know where he is?”
[Who told you to do that?]
“Then just let him be. He’ll come back when he feels like it.”
[You’re just like him—no sense of responsibility, no consideration for how others feel.]
Yeon-ha no longer had the energy to argue. Whenever she didn’t give the answers her mother wanted, the scolding always turned into blaming her father.
“I’m out right now. I’ll call you later.”
She quickly ended the call and let out a quiet, shaky breath.
