DYMD 52

chapter 52

Twenty-nine years ago, Mrs. Shin So-Young found out about the relationship between the two of them and went to confront Nam Eun-Young.

She struck her cheek, furious that anyone would dare reach for her son. Not only that, she threatened that if her words were not heeded, she would not only remove Dong-Hoon from his position as heir but also kick him out penniless, and she would crush Nam Eun-Young, who had ruined her son.

At that time, upon learning she was pregnant, Nam Eun-Young had no choice but to lie, claiming that she had “found another man,” in order to protect herself and her unborn child.

Chairman Kwon Jin-Man was left speechless in shock.

Until then, he had thought his son had been abandoned for no reason. He had never imagined that such a truth was being hidden.

When Dong-Hoon first mentioned he had someone he loved, the chairman had secretly felt relieved. His son had always been buried in work, and he had worried that perhaps something was wrong with his health.

But when he learned that the woman Dong-Hoon was seeing was an orphan working as a hotel maid, his wife was horrified and collapsed on the spot.

At that time, Kwon didn’t take it too seriously. Dong-Hoon wasn’t even talking about marriage yet, and he thought there was no need to interfere.

However, his wife was resolute. She said the rotten root must be cut out quickly and went to meet the woman herself. Not long after, seeing her son ruined, she learned that Dong-Hoon had broken up with Nam Eun-Young.

Seeing her son floundering as if stuck in a swamp, she felt sorrowful but thought that time would heal him. After all, love, no matter how passionate, eventually cools.

But Dong-Hoon was different. Time passed, but he never returned to his former self.

He tried to immerse himself in work to endure, but the emptiness in his eyes and his listless demeanor did not disappear.

Gradually, her son crumbled.

Unable to bear it, his wife eventually took him to the temple he frequented. She believed that praying fervently would solve everything, but Dong-Hoon steadfastly refused. She forcibly grabbed his hand, and Dong-Hoon, reluctantly getting into the car, stared out the window with a deep sigh.

That day, misfortune struck at an unexpected moment.

A vehicle trying to avoid a dump truck that crossed the center line veered off the road and plummeted helplessly down a cliff. The vehicle was completely destroyed, unrecognizable, and both perished on the spot.

At that moment, Kwon Jin-Man was engulfed in despair as if he had lost the entire world.

He thought he would never see his son again—but now, a young man who looked exactly like his son was standing before him. It was unbelievable.

The son who should have been buried in the cold ground twenty-nine years ago.

He had believed that even the traces of his son were completely gone… yet his son’s blood, his son’s life, stood right in front of him.

His throat stiffened, and it was hard to utter a word. His chest tightened, and even his fingertips trembled slightly.

“Really… you… you’re my… biological grandson…?”

Kwon Jin-Man wasn’t asking; he was repeating it to himself. It was the only way the unbelievable reality might feel real.

“…Yes.”

Do-Hyun’s voice was hoarse and strained.

It seemed he had barely swallowed his tears, yet his trembling breath revealed his emotions completely.

At that moment, something hot streamed down the corners of Kwon Jin-Man’s eyes.

He raised his hand to quietly wipe the tears, but these were not tears that could simply be brushed away.

They carried the memories of a son he had had to bury in his heart for so many years.

The countless moments he had longed for.

And now, the painful truth he faced at last.

His throat tightened. This should have been a moment of joy, yet his chest felt as if it were being torn apart.

His son was gone, and for twenty-nine years, he had lived not even knowing his grandson existed.

To think he could not turn back that time… what could be more cruel?

Do-Hyun quietly bit his lip as well.

They didn’t need words to understand each other.

Between the two of them, emotions too deep for words flowed silently with tears.

Her parents eventually decided to get a divorce.

After being discharged from the hospital, her mother informed her father of the divorce, even though he had never come to visit her.

But her father didn’t show surprise or hesitation. Calmly, he said, “Alright.”

For the first time, their opinions perfectly aligned.

On the way back from submitting the papers to the court,

When she asked how her mother felt, her mother answered that she felt relieved. Yet despite her words, her voice held a faint trace of moisture.

“You’ll be lonely by yourself, so come to Seoul for a while and stay with me.”

As soon as the divorce was mentioned, her father had packed and gone to stay at her grandmother’s house in the countryside. As a result, her mother was left alone in that large house.

[It’s fine. Haven’t you always been alone?]

Her mother’s words weren’t wrong.

As their relationship grew distant, her father rarely stayed home on weekends. He was always busy with appointments outside, and her mother waited endlessly at home like a guard dog for him to return.

“I’ll come down on weekends.”

[You rarely came even when asked, saying you were busy. Why now? Do you feel sorry for your mom because of the divorce?]

“It’s a common divorce. What’s there to feel sorry about?”

[Then why suddenly decide to come down?]

“I’m going to try being filial.”

[Well, we’ll see how long that lasts. I never thought I’d hear you say that.]

Yeon-Ha was speechless at her mother’s words.

In truth, it wasn’t that he hadn’t tried before—it seemed he simply never had the opportunity.

It was awkward, and moreover, the atmosphere was never right to bring it up. Time had just passed by.

Yeon-Ha drew in a sigh, swallowing it.

“I’ll come down often from now on. I’ll call frequently too.”

[…]

“Mom, are you listening?”

[…]

[Busy. Hanging up.]

When there was no reply, she thought her mother’s phone might have frozen, so she called again. But soon after, Jeong-Sook simply ended the call, leaving only her words behind.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Hearing the disconnected signal made her chest feel heavy. Her mother’s trembling voice lingered in her ears.

“Team Leader!”

Startled by someone calling her, she quickly composed herself and turned. Jin-Young approached, carrying a take-out coffee.

“Why is the cafe so crowded today? I wasted my precious lunch break.”

“Yeah, we can drink it later.”

“Coffee as dessert after lunch is the best. I can never give that up.”

Jin-Young sucked the iced coffee through the straw and instantly looked revitalized.

Seeing that, she smiled softly. At that moment, the people in the lobby parted like the Red Sea. Through the opening walked Chairman Kwon Jin-Man, Nam Do-Hyun, and Secretary Lee Young-Kyu.

“Hey? The person next to the chairman, that’s Do-Hyun, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I wonder what’s going on? Something about the rest area issue? Did you not get the message, Team Leader?”

“Yeah.”

Jin-Young looked confused and asked, and she quietly responded.

If it were about that matter, she should have been called too, but she hadn’t received any contact.

“That’s strange. Why did they call only Do-Hyun?”

Tilting her head in confusion, Jin-Young lowered her voice and added,

“But… standing side by side like that, don’t you think the chairman and Do-Hyun look a bit alike?”

Is that so?

Looking at the two alternately, their atmosphere was subtly similar.

Tall, sharp eyes, and the slight upward curve of their lips when they smiled. Anyone could believe they were grandfather and grandson.

Then it happened. As if hearing her thoughts, his gaze met hers.

In that instant, the surrounding noise seemed to disappear, as if only the two of them remained.

Do-Hyun’s gaze deepened, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Her heart beat strangely at the small change.

Yeon-Ha stared at him as if mesmerized, but Do-Hyun soon withdrew his gaze and headed to the executive elevator with Chairman Kwon.

Walking beside the chairman, his back looked firmer and yet unfamiliar than usual.

The elevator doors slowly closed, and Do-Hyun disappeared. At that moment, a strange emptiness settled in her chest.

“I’m jealous.”

“Huh? Of what?”

As people scattered, Jin-Young whispered quietly.