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Chapter 8
Startled, she turned around, and there stood nanny Uiryeong.
“Miss…”
“Ah. Th-That’s not what I…!”
Haena almost explained that she wasn’t missing that cold-hearted Director, but her real mom and dad, before quickly clamping her mouth shut.
*No, that’s right. A kid can mumble about missing her mom and dad. I don’t need to explain this.*
“I’m sorry… I was just… mumbling to myself…”
“No, miss! You have nothing to apologize for!”
Uiryeong ran over and hugged Haena tightly. Haena was a little flustered by the sudden warmth but soon reached out and hugged Uiryeong back.
“I completely understand how you feel, miss. You must miss your mom and dad so much… You’re at the age where mom and dad are the most important people in the world…”
“….”
Haena didn’t answer. Because honestly, even when she was thirty-two, her mom and dad were still the most important people in the world.
They probably would be for her entire life.
“Even if the Director seems indifferent to you, that’s not how he really feels. It’s all because he’s thinking of you… Could you wait for him just a little bit, miss?”
“Father?”
*He didn’t look like that kind of person at all. He looked like someone who would bleed gold instead of blood if you stabbed him.*
“Yes. Even if he’s bad at expressing it, he’s always worried about you, Miss Haena.”
“…Really?”
“Of course. The Director also says all that because he wants you to be healthy and not get hurt.”
At Uiryeong’s words, a small question bloomed in Haena’s mind.
From what Haena could tell, Uiryeong didn’t seem like a liar. Just by looking at her, she seemed like the only warm person in this barren Hong family.
But…
*’What was that attitude earlier, really?’*
*If I only had the original Hong Haena’s memories, it would be easier to understand this family.*
In *The Chaebol’s Way of Love*, there wasn’t much description of Hong Haena, who was merely a villain. That meant she had no idea about Haena’s painful memories or the family’s secrets.
Haena sighed deeply and nodded.
*Right. Nothing ever comes easy.*
“Okay, nanny. I’ll wait.”
“Yes, miss.”
Uiryeong patted Haena’s head and held her hand tightly.
“Oh, by the way, miss. If you feel a little ready… I heard the Director and the Chairman are having dinner together. Would you like to join them?”
*Hmm.*
Haena thought for a moment, then asked back.
“Nanny, do you think the Chairman and my father would hate me if I don’t go to that dinner?”
“What?! No, miss. That would never happen!”
“Then is there a chance things could get worse between us if I don’t go?”
At Haena’s continued strange questions, Uiryeong broke into a sweat.
At the same time, her heart ached for Haena.
*’Miss… even though you never said anything, how much have you been walking on eggshells around your family…’*
In Uiryeong’s eyes, the men of the Hong family were very gruff and difficult to deal with. They were absolutely not the kind of family who would be endlessly kind and shower her with love.
But that didn’t mean they disliked her or that they were capable of disliking her.
They cherished and loved Haena very much, each in their own way.
…At least, that’s what Uiryeong thought.
“Then I won’t go.”
“!”
Haena smiled brightly.
Because since it was past 6 PM, from now on, it counted as overtime.
*No overtime for me.*
*No unscheduled company dinners either.*
*Unless it’s absolutely necessary!*
Haena thoroughly thought of Chairman Hong and Director Hong as nothing more than annoying, difficult bosses.
—
**”…You said Haena wants to eat dinner in her room?”**
“Yes, Chairman.”
Uiryeong spoke carefully, watching the Chairman’s expression, worried she might have upset him.
Sure enough, the Chairman looked quite disappointed, but he didn’t show it further and turned his head away with a huff.
“Then it seems we two will have to eat together.”
“Indeed.”
Yi-do also had a flash of disappointment and sadness in his eyes, but he didn’t show it further.
It was clear even to Uiryeong that he thought, *’Just as I expected.’*
“You. Did you greet the child when you came back?”
“Yes.”
The Chairman clicked his tongue at his impossibly gruff son.
“She didn’t have another seizure or get scared? Cry or anything.”
“She didn’t do that today.”
“That’s a relief. It seems she’s become a bit more stable while you were away.”
The Chairman looked slightly relieved as he took a spoonful of rice. Because this was something he had been constantly worried about as well.
The fact that Haena would cry and eventually collapse from exhaustion just by looking at her father was the Hong family’s biggest concern.
“It seems I need to stay away more often.”
“If that stabilizes the child, then I suppose we must.”
The Chairman nodded as if it were only natural.
“Certainly, she does seem to have brightened up a lot lately.”
“…Is that so.”
“She keeps imitating this strange, adult-like way of speaking. We called a counselor to evaluate her, and apparently she’s been staying at home so much lately that she’s picked up the speech patterns from dramas. Children that age like to imitate adults, so it’s not completely abnormal, but they said to keep an eye on it.”
*An adult-like way of speaking. That sounds utterly adorable.*
Yi-do couldn’t hide his disappointment and regret.
Why didn’t Haena show that cute side of herself to her father? Did she hate him that much…
“She hasn’t been in her right mind since her mother passed away like that… so if this is what it takes for her to come to her senses, I suppose we’ll have to let it be.”
“…Yes.”
But then Yi-do steeled his resolve. Haena didn’t necessarily need to show him her cute side.
Haena’s only duty was to grow up healthy and happy.
“She’s still acting immature toward children her own age, I hear.”
“What happened?”
“The Cheongyeong Group grandsons came over to play, and Haena apparently made one of them cry quite badly again.”
“….”
Hong Yi-do just chuckled softly and didn’t say much else. *She takes after her father; she doesn’t lose ground anywhere she goes.*
“I’m worried. Going around making every boy she meets cry like that. Will she ever be able to get married…”
“Haena doesn’t necessarily have to get married.”
“What? What kind of nonsense is that? Of course she needs to meet a good husband and build a stable family! That’s the natural destiny of any human being. Men and women alike must build a family.”
At the Chairman’s very narrow-minded remark, Yi-do sighed and wiped his mouth.
“I don’t think so. You know as well as I do that even though I built a family as you said, Surin and I weren’t very happy.”
“….”
“People aren’t necessarily happy just because they build a family. They’re happy when they live the way they want to live.”
Yi-do slowly stared at the Chairman as he spoke.
“And I intend to let Haena live exactly the way she wants to live.”
“Over my dead body? I won’t allow it. If humans only live the way they want, they become dissolute and stupid!”
“That’s fine for Haena.”
Yi-do spoke with a coldness and strong will unlike any other.
“Haena can do anything. As long as it makes her happy. Because I will protect her.”
“You…”
The Chairman frowned, deeply displeased.
“Right now you think that’s the right path, don’t you? You think as long as she’s happy, everything is fine? No. Adults need to guide them to a certain extent, raise them strictly, and mold them into proper people.”
“You raised me that way, Father.”
Yi-do admitted flatly.
“But that didn’t make me happy.”
“!”
He didn’t, however, concede.
“All I want is for Haena to be healthy and happy. I’ll let her do anything she wants as long as she doesn’t harm herself.”
“Hong Yi-do!”
“So please, Father, don’t criticize Haena. Don’t try to control her.”
“Do you even know how dangerous that way of thinking is? Do you know how much harm Haena could cause to so many people if she goes astray? Think about the influence she’ll have!”
“I don’t care about other people.”
Yi-do slowly rose from his seat.
“When Haena nearly died and came back to life because of me, I made a promise to myself.”
The Chairman, seeing his son rebel against him for the first time, felt a sense of bewilderment but couldn’t say anything.
“No matter what happens, I will protect Haena.”
Because it was clear—clearer than ever before—that Yi-do’s eyes were completely sincere.
