Chapter 3…

After confirming the bedroom door had closed, Siyeon turned to Haeyoon with a bright smile.

“Haeyoon. Coffee?”

“Ah, no. I’m fine.”

“Hmm, then would you like to sit for a moment?”

Haeyoon glanced at the tightly shut bedroom door before sitting down on the sofa.

Seriously… my luck couldn’t be any worse.

She had only been assigned as a temporary manager, yet she’d somehow become entangled in an incredibly troublesome situation.

Trying not to reveal the turmoil in her mind, Haeyoon forced the corners of her lips into a brighter smile.

“As you heard, I’ll be your temporary manager starting today. My phone number is still the same, though you might have deleted it…”

“No, I still have your number.”

“Ah, okay. If you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me. And this is the script I mentioned earlier.”

“Thanks.”

Siyeon pulled the document envelope Haeyoon had placed on the table closer to herself.

She opened it briefly and skimmed through the contents.

After only a moment, she closed it again and adjusted the front of her robe.

“I’d appreciate it if today’s incident wasn’t reported separately to President Park.”

“Ah…”

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I’m sorry. I’ll be careful not to get caught by reporters, so… please just let this go.”

What am I supposed to do?

Haeyoon couldn’t answer, her expression troubled.

But it was difficult to press the matter.

After all, this was Siyeon’s private life.

“…I’ll head out for today.”

It didn’t feel like the right day to have a deeper conversation.

Haeyoon stood first.

“I marked all the scripts that need your review by today.”

“Okay. Got it.”

Even after leaving Siyeon’s apartment, Haeyoon couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.

She kept a serious expression all the way to the elevator, only letting out a long sigh after arriving at the bus stop.

The dating rumor alone was bad enough.

But the other person was rumored to be the heir of DY Group.

And on top of that…

“The age difference…”

She quickly took out her phone and searched for Do Inhyuk’s name.

Do Inhyuk. 33 years old. Single.

“…Wow. Actress Siyeon is incredible…”

No matter how well Siyeon took care of herself, she was fifty-five years old.

Just how many years apart are they?

After doing the math, Haeyoon clicked her tongue at the staggering age gap.

And age wasn’t even the only issue.

The man was simply too outstanding.

Not that Siyeon lacked anything herself, but no one could ignore the influence of the DY Group.

On top of that, he was unbelievably handsome.

He looked enough like a celebrity that, if the truth came out, it would cause an uproar.

The entire country would be shaken.

“…I don’t want any part of this…”

In the end, this would all become the public relations team’s problem.

But more than that, she was worried about Siyeon.

Because when everything blew up, the one who would receive all the criticism would be Siyeon.

“…She’s such a kind-hearted person.”

Then Haeyoon scratched her temple.

“So… Chairman Do doesn’t know either.”

That had to be why he was trying to arrange a marriage between her and Inhyuk.

Even if she hadn’t refused, Inhyuk would have objected to the blind date.

Because he was secretly seeing someone.

Haeyoon hesitated over whether she should call the head of the management team.

“…Ugh, I don’t know.”

She couldn’t bring herself to ignore Siyeon’s request.

For now, she decided to postpone making a decision.

* * *

After finishing his phone call, Inhyuk walked over to Siyeon, who was reading a script alone in the living room.

His eyes wandered around as though looking for someone.

Taking a sip of her fragrant coffee, Siyeon set the cup down.

“If you’re looking for Haeyoon, she already left.”

“Oh.”

“So? How do you two know each other?”

It would be bothersome to explain in detail.

Besides, it wasn’t someone he’d likely see again.

So Inhyuk answered briefly.

“We’ve only met once. More importantly, did you resolve everything?”

“Yeah. She’s good at keeping secrets. She won’t say anything.”

“You trust people quite easily.”

His response carried a slight edge.

Siyeon raised an eyebrow.

“And weren’t you looking for sleeping pills because you couldn’t sleep? Yet you’re drinking coffee?”

“…It’s just one cup. If I don’t drink coffee, I get headaches…”

“Mother.”

Siyeon’s lips twitched before closing tightly.

After hesitating for a moment, she pushed the coffee cup away.

Inhyuk immediately picked it up, went into the kitchen, and poured the remaining coffee down the sink.

Then he opened the cupboard and brewed a cup of chamomile tea.

“Drink this instead.”

“…It doesn’t even taste good.”

Though she pouted, a faint smile spread across Siyeon’s lips.

Apparently, she didn’t dislike her son’s nagging.

“I’m sorry about today. I completely forgot that my manager was coming because of the script.”

“I think it’d be better if you avoided meeting people at home from now on.”

“But it’s convenient. I don’t have to worry about Grandpa watching me.”

The moment she said it, she seemed to realize her mistake and bit her lip.

“I didn’t mean anything by it.”

She smacked her lips bitterly.

“…Inhyuk. About Jungjin’s memorial service this year…”

Holding her teacup on her lap, she slowly rubbed its smooth surface.

“Did the Chairman say again that I can’t attend?”

“I’ll go with you to the memorial park.”

“Not that. I mean the ancestral memorial at the house. Don’t change the subject. You know what I mean.”

Inhyuk looked at the tears welling up in Siyeon’s eyes before letting out a deep sigh.

His biological mother, Siyeon, had never once been acknowledged by Chairman Do Giseop.

Because Giseop stubbornly insisted that he would never recognize an entertainer as part of the DY Group family.

More than thirty years had passed.

Even with Inhyuk in the picture, Giseop never changed his mind.

“The Chairman is just too cruel…”

Finally, tears spilled down Siyeon’s face.

Hong Siyeon and Do Jungjin had fallen in love at first sight.

At the time, Jungjin had started an entertainment agency with Giseop’s investment, and Siyeon had been the company’s very first signed actress.

When Giseop found out they were dating, he exploded.

He had invested in his son to run a business, not to chase after women.

Then Siyeon became pregnant.

Despite everyone’s objections, the two insisted on getting married.

But before the wedding could take place, Jungjin died suddenly in an accident.

“If only Jungjin were still alive…”

Even after losing his son, Giseop refused to accept Siyeon.

If anything, Jungjin’s death only made his stubbornness worse.

He behaved as though Siyeon herself were responsible for his son’s death.

Giseop acknowledged only Inhyuk, who carried his blood.

Siyeon was completely shut out.

Back then, it was unthinkable for an actress who had only just begun gaining recognition as a rising star to raise a child alone as an unmarried mother.

And she couldn’t ignore Giseop’s demand that the baby be handed over immediately.

Left with no choice, Siyeon entrusted Inhyuk to him.

Many years later, after Inhyuk secretly contacted her behind Giseop’s back, mother and son had begun meeting from time to time.

But the resentment in Siyeon’s heart had never faded.

“I want to attend his memorial too, Inhyuk.”

Inhyuk had always carried a sense of guilt toward his mother.

He hadn’t learned of her existence until middle school.

From that day on, he secretly spent time with Siyeon.

But his heart was always heavy.

It felt as though he had betrayed his mother and chosen his grandfather instead.

That discomfort weighed on him like a stone.

The one who had made Siyeon unhappy was Giseop.

Yet Inhyuk couldn’t simply abandon his grandfather either.

Being caught between the two constantly left him suffocating.

“…Please get some sleep.”

Whenever Jungjin’s memorial approached, Siyeon’s insomnia always became worse.

Inhyuk helped her to her feet and escorted her to the bedroom.

Only after making sure she was tucked into bed and had closed her eyes did he finally leave her apartment.

“Then what exactly will it take for you to get married? Huh?”

Just as he was about to start the car, Inhyuk’s hand froze.

Why… why am I suddenly remembering what Grandfather said?

Running a hand through his hair, he started the engine.

The sedan glided smoothly out of the underground parking garage and onto the road.

“I want to attend his memorial too, Inhyuk.”

But Siyeon’s tearful voice continued echoing in his ears.

He pulled the car over to the side of the road.

Pressing hard against his eyes until they ached, he let out several heavy sighs before taking out his phone.

The call connected after a few rings.

“Chairman. May I add one more condition to the marriage proposal you offered?”

The condition Giseop had originally proposed wasn’t bad.

In fact, it was an opportunity anyone would envy.

It essentially meant officially recognizing Do Inhyuk as the rightful heir of the DY Group.

Because Giseop refused to acknowledge Siyeon, no matter how successful Inhyuk was, there were always people who criticized his background.

His lineage remained the obstacle preventing him from being fully accepted as DY Group’s successor.

“So… you’re saying you’ll marry Haeyoon?”

“Yes. As long as you accept the one condition I’m about to state.”

This long-standing issue involving Siyeon had to be resolved.

Only then could he finally let go of his guilt…

…and silence those whispers questioning who his mother even was.

If everything could be settled with a single marriage—

Gazing out the window, Inhyuk recalled the brief encounter he’d had with Haeyoon earlier.

“Please acknowledge my mother.

If you do…

I’ll agree to the marriage.”