MOD 8

Chapter 8

Despite the stabbing pain that felt as if a dagger had pierced her heart, Seo-young composed her breathing without shaking.

‘It’s for the best, Han Seo-young. This might actually be better than pretending to be a lawyer I know nothing about.’

A child… yes, as long as it was her, she could at least try her best to shower them with love. If she imitated the way Soo-ae used to act toward Joo-young, she felt she could somehow manage.

After lowering her head briefly to collect her emotions, she soon raised her eyes slowly.

Although the numerous glances directed at her were still burdensome, her gaze remained unwavering like steel, as if declaring she would no longer hide behind those stares.

At this moment, she was Seo-young herself, not Joo-young. She had an intuitive feeling that a firm, unhidden resolve was her only weapon to persuade Mrs. Jo, who wouldn’t even bother to look at her.

“I am well aware of what that responsibility entails.”

Her voice was calm like gentle waves, yet embedded with a firmness that no one could deny. Chairman Baek’s gaze landed on Seo-young as if piercing right through her.

“I will do everything in my power to ensure I fall nothing short of being a worthy daughter-in-law for Taesan Group. I consider that to be my very first task.”

Mrs. Jo’s brow twitched ever so faintly, so subtly that it was hard to notice. In her eyes flashed a flicker of unhideable, calculating scrutiny, mixed with surprise at Seo-young’s unexpectedly serious posture.

Yet Seo-young paid no heed to such a glare and continued speaking without flinching.

“I by no means take lightly what this marriage signifies, nor what is required of me standing in this position.”

Her hands were neatly folded over her lap without a single flaw. It was a steadfast posture, like unbending bamboo.

“Whatever role is given to me, no matter what obstacles arise, I will surely take responsibility and carry it through to the end.”

A satisfied smile spread across Chairman Baek’s lips.

“Right. That level of determination is enough. As expected, my eye for people is extraordinary.”

Seo-young couldn’t be entirely sure whether those words meant he had properly chosen the right daughter-in-law, or whether he was measuring how far he could exploit her for the sake of Taesan Group in the future.

Their gazes were now weighing her on a scale of a completely different dimension—far heavier and colder than before.

“We will go upstairs now.”

Do-jin, standing up first, turned around and strode forward with long strides. As if to show she was fully prepared to become a daughter-in-law fitting for Taesan Group, Seo-young bowed politely toward Chairman Baek and Mrs. Jo before following behind Do-jin.

Behind her back, she could vividly feel Mrs. Jo’s icy glare piercing her like a sharp blade, tracking her every step as she climbed the stairs.

The moment Do-jin and Seo-young completely vanished from sight, Mrs. Jo let out her suppressed breath and turned to Chairman Baek, her voice instantly sharp and defensive.

“Do you truly like that girl that much? From what I hear, many people were fired because of her while she was handling this latest case.”

Mrs. Jo’s voice was kept low, yet embedded within it was a sharpness that could not be concealed.

It wasn’t simple dissatisfaction. Among those who were fired was her own nephew—her older brother’s son. To think she was a prospective daughter-in-law so tactless that she didn’t even know to spare the owner’s family line! Mrs. Jo was utterly appalled.

Only after the footsteps fading beyond the staircase had completely disappeared did her hidden rage finally burst forth.

“The person who handled the work more crisply than anyone else was Attorney Han. Attorney Han was the only one who wrapped up the job strictly according to my wishes without any unnecessary fluff. Those who deserved to take responsibility and step down merely paid the price. Were you yourself a bit incompetent?”

Mrs. Jo’s lips quivered and hardened into a even narrower line. An expression of complete disbelief was evident on her face.

“Even so, darling!”

Mrs. Jo’s voice grew progressively louder. Her grip on the handkerchief in her hand tightened so hard it crumpled.

“No matter how capable someone is, there is a separate standard for a daughter-in-law. It is a position meant to uphold the dignity and class of the mistress of our Taesan family!”

The more she spoke, the shorter her breath became. Her unsuppressed emotions poured out as they were.

“Think of the countless marriage proposals that have come up until now! From the daughter of S Group’s chairman—how many daughters of top chaebol families wanted the spot next to our Do-jin? You know very well that high-ranking politicians also kept an eye on Do-jin as a potential son-in-law!”

She tried to draw a breath to calm her chest, but Mrs. Jo’s fury would not easily subside. Eventually, a voice laced with lamentation burst out again.

“Are you telling me to just watch the elegance and honor built up in this Taesan family over decades crumble in a single instant! Darling, think about it once more. Names with flawless conditions and backgrounds—names that are utterly perfect in every way—were practically lining up before our Do-jin!”

Her eyes trembled. It was a look mixed with anger, bewilderment, and a sense of despair as if everything she had built was being denied.

As if lacking conditions by a mile wasn’t enough, it was Han Joo-young who had drawn a blade against her own maternal family. That was no different from pointing a blade directly at Mrs. Jo herself. Mrs. Jo could never, under any circumstances, accept Han Joo-young as her daughter-in-law.

“Then why… why on earth must it be that girl of all people! Why are you trying to bring such a pathetic girl—someone I haven’t even pictured in my wildest dreams—and place her in the seat of Taesan Group’s mistress? Why must someone like that succeed me!”

Mrs. Jo’s voice pitched an octave higher and sharper, shaking the entire living room. Her final outcry shattered in midair like thrown glass, settling into pieces. Her whole body trembled faintly with rage.

Chairman Baek didn’t even bat an eye at his wife’s frantic outburst. He merely let out a low snort with a chuckle.

“What could possibly be inside the heads of those so-called high-and-mighty chaebol daughters or precious young ladies of noble families? Do you think real leadership material would ever show up in the marriage market? In the end, the women who come out into the marriage market are nothing more than those who can’t even stand on their own two feet, clinging to someone to hold them up if they fall. Plenty of them would prioritize their petty pride and end up in divorce lawsuits anyway.”

Chairman Baek cut her off sneeringly. His gaze flashed icy cold, as if piercing through empty air.

“With a flashy, hollow background that is all show, one cannot perfectly protect Taesan Group in a rapidly changing world like today’s. Not with the kind of daughter-in-law you desire.”

Mrs. Jo’s lips trembled violently, but as if refusing to permit any further objection from his wife, he picked up his glass and took a sip.

He set the whisky glass in his hand back down onto the tea table with a thud. The clear, crisp sound cruelly fractured the suffocating silence of the living room. That noise felt as though it were shattering all of Mrs. Jo’s logic and emotions into tiny fragments.

“Those young ladies from elegant families you speak of…”

Chairman Baek continued in a low tone. His voice was composed, yet loaded with weight.

“Most of them are likely children who grew up merely keeping themselves pristine, protected inside the fence of their households.”

His gaze deepened further. It was not a simple evaluation, but the eyes of a man who had already reached a final verdict.

“Faced with a real crisis, they have never judged for themselves, nor have they ever borne the consequences of a choice. Even when a moment comes where they must get blood on their hands, they are just dolls who don’t know how to endure that weight.”

After taking a short breath, Chairman Baek concluded without a shred of hesitation.

“The position of Taesan’s daughter-in-law is not a place to hand over to a decorative ornament like that.”

Chairman Baek’s icy gaze landed ruthlessly upon Mrs. Jo. She read in his eyes that all conclusions had already been firmly settled. An unyielding finality surrounded him, leaving no room whatsoever for rebuttal.

“Attorney Han, on the other hand, is different.”

Chairman Baek continued without a second thought. In that single statement, there was neither comparison nor hesitation.

The choice was already made,

and he was merely informing her of the outcome.