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Chapter 22
That evening, for the first time in a while, Yena’s family sat down to eat dinner together.
There was hardly any conversation during the meal. Only the faint clinking of spoons and chopsticks broke the heavy silence.
Na Hwaseon spent the entire meal busily piling meat side dishes onto her son Sihu’s bowl.
Watching her with clear disapproval, Choi Kangjun suddenly snapped.
“Just leave him alone, will you? He’s not a kid anymore—he can eat on his own.”
“Oh my, why are you saying that all of a sudden? You don’t usually complain. Our Sihu is still growing—he needs to eat well,”
Hwaseon said, startled.
“Tch, that’s how you turn him into a mama’s boy.”
“What? A mama’s boy? Our Sihu is far more mature than you think.”
At that, Sihu lowered his head and suddenly stopped eating.
“Um… I’m done. I don’t want to eat anymore.”
“Wait, Sihu—why? Is it because of what your father said? He didn’t mean—”
Cutting Hwaseon off, Kangjun said curtly,
“If you’re full, stop eating. Eating a lot doesn’t automatically mean it’s good for you.”
Sihu rose from the table with a dejected face and quietly walked to his room.
Yena felt guilty for some reason, as if all this were somehow her fault.
The tension at the table thickened. Sharp words continued to pass between her parents, and Yena kept her head bowed, unable to speak.
“Honey, why are you always so cold to Sihu? He’s still in elementary school!”
“A boy shouldn’t be raised like that. You baby him too much—that’s why he’s like this.”
Na Hwaseon bristled.
“What’s wrong with our Sihu? You won’t find a kid as smart and polite as him anywhere. What about Yena then?”
Yena flinched, staring down at her bowl the whole time while her parents bickered.
With a sharp clack, Kangjun set his spoon down and said to Hwaseon,
“Enough already. Yena, after you finish eating, I need to talk to you.”
“Okay…”
Hwaseon glared at Yena, her eyes flashing, then stood up from the table.
“Fine. I’ll leave you two to have your cozy little father-daughter talk.”
“Tch. Unreal,” Kangjun muttered, clicking his tongue as she walked away.
Yena barely managed to swallow the lump in her throat. She shoveled a large spoonful of rice into her mouth and chewed hard, biting her inner lip to stop the tears that threatened to spill.
After dinner, a small tea table was set up in Kangjun’s study.
With neatly arranged fruit, cookies, and tea before them, father and daughter sat in silence.
After a long sigh, Kangjun picked up a piece of apple with his fork.
“Eat.”
“Yes, Father.”
Yena lifted her teacup carefully and took a sip.
“How’s work lately?”
“We’re busy preparing for the ‘J.U.N’ launch.”
“I see. Is everything going smoothly?”
“Yes. The planning team is working hard on the launch event. We’ll start advertising soon, and if the response is good, I’m thinking of forming a task force for additional promotions.”
“That’s good.”
Kangjun studied her face quietly. Her modest, composed expression still felt strange to him.
Her recently changed tone and demeanor made him both proud and vaguely uneasy.
He couldn’t help but wonder how long this fragile calm would last before another storm hit.
Just imagining his father, Choi Hyukpil, erupting in anger over Yena’s next mishap gave him a headache.
Though the old man no longer took an active role in the company, he still saw through everything that happened in the world.
He must have already heard about the articles concerning Yena.
The fact that he hadn’t contacted anyone yet only heightened Kangjun’s unease.
“Have you given it any more thought?”
“Huh?”
When Yena blinked her big eyes at him, Kangjun sighed.
“America.”
“Ah… no, not yet.”
She had expected this. Her face fell slightly.
“Do you really hate the idea that much? Is it because of a man?”
“No! Of course not. It’s nothing like that.”
“Then why?”
Kangjun frowned, clearly demanding a reason. Yena swallowed hard.
She knew she had to endure this—to hold her ground no matter what.
“Dad, please… just give me one more chance. I want to grow ‘J.U.N’ with my own hands. It’s the brand you created, so I’ll work twice as hard.
If there’s another problem, or if ‘J.U.N’ fails, I’ll do whatever you say. But please… just give me a little more time.”
“Hmm.”
Deep wrinkles formed on Kangjun’s forehead.
“Please,” she added earnestly.
“You know as well as I do this isn’t the first scandal. Every time one of those articles appears, it causes chaos throughout the company.
Your mother’s nerves are shot—didn’t you see her earlier?”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
“Fine. Then we’ll talk again after the ‘J.U.N’ launch. I’ve heard you’ve been working hard with your team lately. Everyone’s expectations are high, so do your best.
And remember—many people at the company are watching you.”
“Yes, Father. Thank you.”
“It’s not decided yet. Always be careful—walls have ears.”
“Yes, I will.”
Relief softened Yena’s face.
Maybe because she was his only daughter, Kangjun chose to show leniency instead of forcing his decision through.
Having bought herself some time, Yena felt she could finally breathe.
No matter what, she vowed, she would make the ‘J.U.N’ launch a success—and drained the rest of her tea in one gulp.
Yena sat at her executive desk, deep in thought.
Looking back, Ji-yoon had learned how to live by watching her grandmother.
Her grandmother had taught through actions, not words, showing her everything she needed to survive.
She lived like a disciplined monk—rising before dawn when everyone else was asleep, carrying out her duties without complaint or deviation.
She never grumbled, never made excuses; she simply owned each day.
Ji-yoon’s own life had been much the same—waking up early, starting work before others, quietly fulfilling every responsibility.
Yesterday repeated itself today, today would repeat tomorrow, and she strove to fill that consistent, disciplined life with purpose.
But now, Yena realized that wasn’t enough.
As the fourth-generation heir of Ilseong Group, earning true recognition for her abilities still felt far out of reach.
And time was running out.
She needed to prove herself as an executive—quickly—so her father and grandfather could finally believe in her.
Yena stood abruptly and walked to the wide office window.
Below, lines of employees were filing into the building.
It’s already time for work.
The launch of ‘J.U.N’ was approaching fast.
There was one person who could help her.
Yena pressed the keyphone and called Hyunseung.
Almost as if he’d been waiting for her call, Hyunseung entered the executive office right away.
“You called for me, Executive Director?”
“Yes, please have a seat.”
Hyunseung crossed the room with graceful steps and sat on the sofa.
Even the smallest movements carried an air of refinement.
His composed posture and elegant face revealed no flaws.
“Director Cha, do you remember the promise we made before?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
In front of Happy Supermarket, Yena had desperately begged him to take her side and help her—and Hyunseung had readily agreed.
“Sigh… the launch is right around the corner, but honestly, I don’t have much confidence. The Ilseong Group executives, reporters, VIP clients—they’ll all be there.
Can I really perform well in front of all those people?”
“Of course you can.”
“No, I mean it. Please be honest. I know I’m still lacking as an executive. I really need your help.”
Hyunseung took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“Director Cha!”
When Yena called his name with emotion, Hyunseung raised his eyes to meet hers.
For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, finally, he spoke.
“This is just my personal opinion, but you should decide for yourself how to act on it.”
“All right.”
Yena nodded seriously.
“If you really want to be recognized at this company,” Hyunseung said evenly,
“then the first thing you need to do—
is take off those clothes.”
Yena’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“…Take off my clothes? What do you mean by that?”
