Chapter 316: Scoundrel
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 316: Scoundrel
The mansion itself was much more to my liking than our family’s main house.
Starting with the roof tiles that reminded me of a Hanok village, the way it exuded a traditional Korean atmosphere in various ways was quite impressive. Personally, I’m quite fond of this kind of vibe.
On the other hand, I noticed several parts that were somewhat inconvenient or inefficient for the modern era, which seemed to reflect the owner’s conservative personality. To put it nicely, it was traditional; to put it bluntly, it was failing to keep up with the times.
‘Well, I guess it’s fine as long as it looks good.’
But bolting the main gate with a wooden crossbar felt like a bit much. This wasn't a history museum; it was a place where people actually lived.
“There are a lot of bodyguards.”
Senior Ju-hee, who was stuck right by my side, looked around tensely. It was as if they were making up for the lack of high-tech security with sheer numbers. Those people were the door locks and safety chains of this mansion.
Walking ahead of us was Chairman Choi Gil-seop, Choi Jin-ah’s father. Right behind him was Choi Jin-ah herself. I didn’t know what kind of conversation they’d had on the way here from the airport, but their expressions didn't look great.
‘Was it less of a fight and more of her getting a one-sided lecture?’
Seeing how her head was slumped, that was likely the case.
Once inside, we headed for the living room. But as soon as we stepped in, I felt a strange sense of dissonance because the furniture was all state-of-the-art or from famous luxury brands.
‘What is this?’
It felt inconsistent. The exterior made it look like the place would be filled with antique wooden furniture, but the interior was a straight-up penthouse. Rather than a harmonious blend of styles, it felt like oil and water—completely unmixed.
“I… I thought I’d walked into a different house for a second.”
“Me too. I’m a bit surprised.”
While decorating a home is up to the owner’s taste, this felt almost bizarre. It was as if I’d stepped through a portal into another dimension the moment we passed the threshold.
We headed toward a large table in the living room. Chairman Choi Gil-seop naturally took the seat of honor, with Choi Jin-ah sitting beside him. I sat directly across from the Chairman so I could look him in the eye, while Senior Ju-hee stood behind me. Even if we were comfortable with each other, this was, for all intents and purposes, a formal meeting.
“When do you plan on holding the ceremony with my Jin-ah?”
The tea hadn't even been served yet, but he went straight to the point. Since he hadn't even greeted me at the airport, these were his first words to me.
“A-Father!”
Choi Jin-ah gasped in surprise, but she quickly shut her mouth when he shot her a sharp, piercing glare.
“May I start by offering an apology? I committed a great discourtesy last time.”
I barely held back a joke about how I hadn't "committed" anything with Jin-ah yet.
“At the time, I thought it was my own phone. I heard that you were quite shocked by it—”
“Enough of that.”
He raised a hand to cut me off. He clearly didn't like me taking the lead in the conversation.
“When is the ceremony? We need to decide that.”
I glanced at Choi Jin-ah. She was already completely cowed, unable to even speak properly in front of her father.
‘I figured as much.’
Jin-ah had claimed she’d started resisting her father in her own way. I hate to break it to her, but she hadn't actually faced him since she said that. This was her first time seeing him since the reunion. She probably felt like everything she thought she’d overcome was being utterly denied.
It was pitiful to see her falling into an even deeper panic, but that wasn't something someone else could just reach in and pull her out of.
‘If she’s going to stay quiet, I’ll find my own way out.’
I’m sorry, but I had no intention of marrying Choi Jin-ah. Maintaining the engagement publicly was just the minimum courtesy my father had extended for her sake.
“We still don't know each other very well. I think it’s a bit early to talk about a wedding.”
“Don't know each other well?”
“And in Jin-ah’s case, she’s making a name for herself as a world-class violinist, while I’m just an ordinary college student.”
“You are no ordinary college student. No one in Korea would call the youngest son of Uju Group ‘ordinary.’”
“That’s my father’s doing. As you know, I have zero interest in the company or management.”
Chairman Choi Gil-seop’s thick eyebrows twitched. He was truly specialized in conveying his displeasure in various ways. No wonder even his daughter was walking on eggshells.
“I want to marry Jin-ah off early. Right now, if possible.”
“Does Jin-ah feel the same way?”
This wasn't a place where only the Chairman and I were supposed to talk. I gave her a signal to jump in, and Choi Jin-ah lifted her head like a creaking machine.
‘Tsk.’
Her eyes were already dead. She looked like she’d lost even the will to resist.
“I… I’ll do as Father says.”
Sometimes, people project a sense of exaggerated hope onto themselves when it comes to change. From now on, I’m different. I’ve changed. I’m not the person I was yesterday, and so on.
But hilariously enough, that usually ends up being nothing more than a momentary flare-up. Just like Choi Jin-ah, who claimed she had changed but had been running away from Chairman Choi Gil-seop the whole time.
“Jin-ah is a violinist. If she gets married, it won't be easy for her to continue that career.”
When I asked if it wouldn't be a great loss to the industry for a talented young violinist to quit, he replied:
“That’s exactly why I want her to marry.”
On the contrary, Chairman Choi Gil-seop didn't seem to approve of her playing the violin at all.
“Doesn't Jin-ah’s rising fame act as a green light for the company’s management? Surely there are people who view it favorably?”
“That would be true if Jin-ah weren't the successor.”
Choi Jin-ah was an only daughter. In the end, she was the one who would inherit everything. Therefore, he wanted her to grow into a professional manager rather than winning awards playing the violin outside. He intended to use marriage as a way to cut off her violin career entirely.
‘What is this?’
I couldn't tell if Choi Jin-ah’s father liked me or hated me. No, it was clear he hated me. And yet, he was pushing for the marriage. Even though taking someone like me as a son-in-law seemed to disgust him more than anything, he was clearly determined to go through with it.
‘Last time, Choi Jin-ah said it didn't really matter if it was me since it was an arranged marriage anyway.’
That’s what she said before we went to Hawaii. But looking at it now, that didn't seem to be the case.
‘What’s the truth?’
Even if Choi Jin-ah had lied to lessen the burden on me, there were many parts of Chairman Choi Gil-seop’s behavior that didn't make sense. He clearly disliked me, yet he wanted the marriage to happen quickly. He seemed to cherish Jin-ah, yet he also seemed to not care about her feelings at all.
‘I guess I have no choice.’
In times like this, a direct confrontation is best. Since Senior Ju-hee was here, I could afford to be a bit aggressive. I glanced back, and she gave me a look as if asking if there was a problem.
With a satisfied smile, I turned my gaze back to the hypocritical old man in front of me.
“Chairman, do you really want to marry Jin-ah off to me?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s just that you don't seem to like me very much. I have a good intuition for these things.”
It’s not like I haven't dealt with people who hate me before. By now, I was an expert at reading those vibes.
At my words, Chairman Choi Gil-seop took a sip of his tea. He seemed to be refining his words like grinding ink, even though he already knew what he wanted to say.
“I don't like you.”
“Right?”
“But I believe you are necessary.”
Emotionally unpleasant, but rationally necessary?
“I heard the reason why you stepped back from the management succession battle.”
“…”
“I heard the Chairman of Uju Group originally wanted to pass the succession to you.”
“That’s just a baseless rumor.”
“Let’s not waste time with useless bickering.”
I wondered if he was just testing me, but seeing his demeanor, it seemed he’d gotten that from a very reliable source.
“I truly do not like you, but I have no choice but to acknowledge the Uju Group Chairman’s eye for talent.”
“So that’s why I’m necessary? Conversely, if I become her husband, wouldn't that be like handing your company over to Uju on a silver platter?”
“My daughter is not that naive.”
So he wanted me to just be an advisor by her side? Like Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei, or Zhang Liang to Liu Bang? Something like that?
I felt a little excited. Like I’d become someone important.
‘Well, I think I get the gist of it.’
I understood how Chairman Choi Gil-seop viewed me. He absolutely detested my personal life, but he’d judged me to be a necessary talent for the company. To think I was receiving such high praise as a mere college sophomore.
But I felt that things were still ambiguous on Choi Jin-ah’s end. She was still standing there blankly with those dead eyes.
‘Ugh, she’s really just going to stay quiet until the end.’
I didn't know where the woman who had been boldly arguing with me lately had gone. I understood being intimidated by one’s father since I’d had similar experiences, but this was a discussion about marriage—one of the biggest events in her life. Was this really okay?
‘Let’s see if you can stay like that until the end.’
Starting to feel a bit stubborn, I replied with a smile.
“Well, if that’s the case, I’ll reconsider the marriage positively. However, there is one thing I’m a bit dissatisfied with.”
“What is it?”
“Ah, well.”
How should I put this politely?
“Jin-ah is terrible in bed.”
For a moment.
It felt as if time itself had stopped. From Chairman Choi Gil-seop to Choi Jin-ah sitting next to him, and even the bodyguards scattered around.
In particular, the life slowly returned to Choi Jin-ah’s dead eyes.
“Whaaat?!”
She jumped up from her seat in shock. She stood there with her mouth agape, looking stunned as if asking what on earth I was talking about. But I didn't give her a chance to speak and kept pouring it on.
“Should I call her a log? She doesn't know how to do anything proactively. Someone might think I forced myself on her, haha!”
“…”
“Was I too blunt? But a sexless relationship is a major issue in a marriage, isn't it? Especially for a healthy man like me.”
“…”
“I want to do it every day until I go soft, you know? But doing it with a woman who’s like a log… I’d rather just watch porn and jerk off.”
“You are… more frivolous than I imagined.”
“Haha! I’d appreciate it if you called it ‘free-spirited’ instead!”
“N-No! Father, that’s not it—!”
“Be quiet!”
At Choi Gil-seop’s roar, Choi Jin-ah flinched, her mouth still hanging open. Seeing her reaction—looking like she was dying from the injustice of it all—she finally looked alive.
I gave a signal with my finger and called Senior Ju-hee over. As she leaned in, I whispered softly into her ear.
“If those bodyguard bastards look like they’re going to charge, please protect me well.”
“Can you handle the fallout of this?”
“Sorry, but I haven't even started yet.”
“…Are you serious?”
“I need to see today just how much of a hypocrite our Chairman really is.”
“Phew.”
Senior Ju-hee let out a deep sigh, scanned the bodyguards with her eyes, and gave a clean answer.
“Do whatever you want.”
It was an answer born of the confidence that she could handle however many there were.
“Man, I really picked a top-tier bodyguard.”
I liked it. Returning to the conversation.
Chairman Choi Gil-seop composed his expression once more. There was nothing but pure hostility in his gaze, but…
“Marital relations are something that can be resolved over time.”
The answer he gave was surprisingly favorable toward me.
“Ah, of course.”
I slammed the table boisterously and gave him a bright smile.
“That’s why I found a solution in Hawaii this time.”
“…A solution?”
My eyes met Choi Jin-ah’s. Her gaze, looking like she wanted to beat me to death, was quite impressive.
“Yes. Doing it with Jin-ah was so bad that I just called another woman over and did it with her instead, haha!”
Grind!
I thought his teeth were going to break. I was about to ask if he needed to see a dentist, but…
“You are… truly going off the rails.”
“I’m the son-in-law you chose, Chairman. I’ll take very good care of Jin-ah after we’re married.”
I even licked my lips with my tongue, acting as sleazy as possible.
“The marriage… I think I need to reconsider it.”
Chairman Choi Gil-seop’s eyes flared with rage. I shot back a question at him.
“Why? It’s a bit much for me to say this, but I’m a talent recognized even by my own father. He still wants me to be his successor.”
“…”
“And I’m saying I’ll marry her. I’ll help Jin-ah grow the company.”
Chairman Choi Gil-seop was a hypocritical figure in many ways. His actions, his words… even this house was different on the inside than it was on the outside. Rather than calling it a lack of conviction—since he’d climbed too high for that—I decided to frame it as him being greedy.
“Give Jin-ah to me. In exchange, you won't have to worry about the company.”
I slowly leaned toward Chairman Choi Gil-seop. The surrounding bodyguards stepped forward simultaneously, but Senior Ju-hee, standing behind me, sent out a silent warning.
Standing before Choi Gil-seop, I felt like I’d finally reached a position where I could ask him the real question.
“What is it, exactly?”
What is your true intention?
“Do you want to give Jin-ah to me, or do you hate the idea?”
At my words, Chairman Choi Gil-seop’s eyes wavered. Perhaps it was because he, a man like a stubborn general, had never met someone who shook his true intentions like this. He looked flustered for a moment, but eventually…
“The marriage… let’s act as if it never happened.”
He made a choice amidst the conflict rising within him.
‘So Jin-ah is more important after all?’
It was ambiguous, but for now, it seemed he’d chosen Choi Jin-ah over the company’s management.
‘Should I consider him a father in the end?’
I’d taken into account the possibility that his heart might have changed after hearing he’d collapsed from shock, and I was glad it seemed to have hit the mark.
“Hmm, that’s very disappointing, but if that’s the case—”
“Wait a minute!”
Just as I was heading toward the conclusion.
Choi Jin-ah, who had been silent until now, cut in. I wondered what she could possibly have to say after failing to overcome her father until the very end, but…
Grab!
She suddenly grabbed my arm and clung to it.
“I!”
She closed her eyes tight and declared.
“I’m going to marry this man!”
In that moment, Chairman Choi Gil-seop’s look of utter despair was so profound that I actually started to feel sorry for him.