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Chapter 28
“Yes. Even if we lose everything else, as long as we keep that seven-story building in Yeouido where Sky is currently located, our family’s livelihood will be secure. So don’t worry and invest with confidence.”
Hearing Woo-hyun’s words, Jung-hyuk seemed to gain courage and nodded with a solemn expression.
“I had enough grounds for the investment, but the amount was too large, so I hesitated. But since my son believes in me, I’ll trust myself too and make a big profit this time.”
Once Jung-hyuk made up his mind, Woo-hyun smiled faintly and turned to Sun-hye.
“Now, Mom. Tell me what’s worrying you.”
“Me?”
Sun-hye asked, startled, and Woo-hyun said kindly,
“Yes. It’s written all over your face that something’s bothering you.”
At that, Sun-hye looked at her husband and asked, “Really?”
Jung-hyuk nodded.
“Yeah. It’s pretty obvious. You’ve never been good at lying. So tell him, honey. Our boy’s grown up now.”
He had decided not to doubt Woo-hyun’s abilities anymore and realized it was okay to lean on his son a little.
He knew Woo-hyun wasn’t someone who’d crumble just because his father depended on him, so he told Sun-hye to share her worries and ask for his help.
Sun-hye sighed deeply, as if she had no choice.
“Haa… actually, it’s because of Woo-hee.”
Chun Woo-hee.
Woo-hyun’s younger sister by three years — in the first timeline, she was the breadwinner who supported the family after their parents’ downfall. She was the one Woo-hyun felt the greatest guilt toward.
Despite graduating at the top of her class from Hwarang High School — the first public specialized high school in Korea — she couldn’t afford tuition for college and went straight to work.
Woo-hyun hadn’t been a delinquent, but he wasn’t exactly a model student either — just a typical mischievous boy who got into a few risky scrapes.
In contrast, Woo-hee was the opposite — calm, intelligent, and mature from a young age. People often joked that she seemed more like Woo-hyun’s older sister than his younger one.
After the Great Shift, when psychic studies became an official academic field, Hwarang High had become the nation’s most prestigious specialized public school — and Woo-hee had entered it as valedictorian. She was the pride of the family.
Sun-hye had smiled plenty because of Woo-hee, but she had never sighed like this over her. Seeing her mother burdened with such worry because of Woo-hee, Woo-hyun grew uneasy.
“Did something happen to her?” he asked, anxious.
Sun-hye nodded.
“She was called in for a parent conference for violating school rules. Her homeroom teacher contacted me this morning.”
“What?”
Hearing that, Woo-hyun couldn’t help but react in disbelief.
His sister — the same Woo-hee he’d watched all his life — being disciplined for rule violation? That was unimaginable.
Even Woo-hyun, during his more rebellious student days, had never crossed the line to the point of being summoned with his parents.
So for Woo-hee to cause trouble serious enough for parental intervention — it didn’t make sense.
“What did she even do to get called in like that?” asked Jung-hyuk, clearly shocked.
Sun-hye answered quietly.
“She broke the rule against dating.”
Woo-hyun blinked.
“What? That’s it? I mean, kids her age date sometimes. Why would that be serious enough for a parent summons?”
Jung-hyuk agreed, nodding.
“I understand that a public special high school like Hwarang might prohibit dating, but calling in parents over it? That seems a bit excessive.”
As both father and son expressed the same view, Sun-hye sighed again.
“She got into a fight.”
“What?”
The word barely left her mouth before Jung-hyuk blurted out his disbelief.
“She fought with another student — over a love triangle, apparently. That’s why the school summoned us.”
“Woo-hee? Even Woo-hyun never fought at school!”
Jung-hyuk still couldn’t believe it. Sun-hye nodded slightly.
“Yes. They said it was a big fight too. The boys even threw punches.”
“Oh dear…”
The idea that Woo-hee was involved in a brawl shocked both men beyond words.
That never happened in the first timeline.
This must be another butterfly effect from my regression.
If so, I should be the one to resolve it.
With that thought, Woo-hyun looked at his father.
“Dad, let me go in your place. You’re at a critical stage with your work, and honestly, I’m the one who might be able to sort this out properly.”
Jung-hyuk nodded in agreement.
“You’re right. If I go, I’ll just get distracted and end up failing at both things.”
With his father’s approval, Woo-hyun decided to cancel his planned expedition and turned to his mother.
“Mom, let’s go to Hwarang High together. I’ll handle this.”
“Alright. I feel a little better now that you’ll be with me.”
A few days later — Hwarang High School
Because it was a public school, Hwarang High was located not in pricey Seoul but in Sejong City.
So Woo-hyun and his mother drove down there, parked, and stepped out into the school lot.
Sun-hye looked more worried than angry — afraid something deeper might be wrong. Seeing her expression, Woo-hyun gently took her hand.
“Woo-hee wouldn’t do something like this without a reason. I’m sure there’s an explanation.”
“You’re right. She’s not the kind of girl who’d hit someone for no reason.”
His reassurance let her breathe a little easier.
Just as they were about to enter the building, a car parked in the next space over opened, and two people got out — Se-rin and her mother, Lee Ju-yeon.
“Oh my! Isn’t that Se-rin?”
Sun-hye immediately recognized her and, as if she’d never looked worried, greeted her with a bright smile.
“Hello, ma’am. It’s been a while,” Se-rin said politely.
“Are you and Woo-hyun getting along well?”
“Yes, we are.”
Hearing that, Woo-hyun quickly jumped in to clarify.
“Mom, it’s not like that. We’re just business partners.”
Smack!
Without hesitation, Sun-hye jabbed her son’s back with her fingertips.
“Don’t say you’ll regret it later. If Se-rin’s showing interest, you should act fast! How long are you planning to stay single?”
While Sun-hye scolded her son, over on Se-rin’s side, her mother poked her in the ribs and whispered.
“So this is why you’ve been going out so often lately — meeting a boy?”
“Mom, it’s not like that,” Se-rin protested.
“I know how modern dating works. You young people call this… flirting, right?”
Ju-yeon smiled slyly, clearly unconvinced. Se-rin could only sigh in defeat.
“Haa… it’s not even that. Like he said, we’re just business partners.”
“Don’t try to fool your mother. I’ve been around longer than you.”
Ju-yeon gave her a look, then glanced over at Woo-hyun.
“My, my… you do have good taste. Where’d you find such a handsome one?”
Before Se-rin could stop her, Ju-yeon was already walking toward Sun-hye.
“Hello there~”
“Oh my~ You must be Se-rin’s mother~!”
The two women immediately fell into a cheerful conversation, laughing and chatting as if they were old friends.
Watching their mothers bond so easily, Woo-hyun and Se-rin both sighed.
“…Why are you here?” Woo-hyun asked.
“My little brother goes to this school,” Se-rin replied.
He blinked. “You have a brother?”
“Yeah. A younger brother — three years younger.”
That made Woo-hyun pause.
Wait. I don’t remember her having a brother in the first timeline…
If Se-rin had had a younger brother, surely that would’ve been public knowledge — especially since she was the daughter of Yu Shin-hyuk, chairman of the powerful Daehyun Group.
“Then why didn’t you correct me before?” he asked. “When I called you an only child?”
That was back when he’d exposed her identity to sell intel about Kwon Woo-jin’s coup, referring to her as Chairman Yu Shin-hyuk’s only daughter.
Se-rin shrugged.
“I am an only daughter. Among my father’s children, I’m the only girl.”
Then it clicked. Woo-hyun realized his misunderstanding — he’d taken “only daughter” to mean “only child,” but she had meant “only girl.”
Later, checking his phone, he found that both usages were technically correct in Korean.
Still, even if it was just a misunderstanding, something about it didn’t sit right.
In the first timeline, there was never any mention of a younger brother.
If she really had one, and he wasn’t interested in the Daehyun Group at all, that would be strange. A successor would’ve been mentioned somewhere.
While Woo-hyun pondered that, Se-rin asked him,
“So, you’re here to see your sister?”
He decided to drop the subject of her brother for now and nodded.
“Yeah. Did I ever mention she goes here?”
“I found out while looking into you,” she admitted bluntly.
Woo-hyun wasn’t surprised. Someone of her background — the only daughter of Korea’s top conglomerate — would naturally be in the habit of vetting everyone around her.
He couldn’t really blame her.
If he were in her position, he would’ve done the same.
