Chapter 45
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: I'll Be Honest.
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Scene 45. I'll Be Honest.
*The characters, events, and places in this story are works of fiction and may differ from reality.*
Scene 45
I'll Be Honest.
Yeon Jeong-suk looked with pity at Han Mi-ra, who had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.
“He’s truly awful. How could he? Tormenting someone like that for over a decade, not just a day or two.”
“Sigh.”
Han Mi-ra let out a frustrated sigh.
“I can’t do this anymore.”
“What are you going to do?”
“It would all be over if I just stepped down. At this rate, not only President Kang but the entire drama will run into trouble.”
“…”
Yeon Jeong-suk fell silent, at a loss for words. She couldn’t offer simple comfort, nor could she agree with Han Mi-ra’s decision.
Still, feeling she had to say something, she spoke again.
“Didn’t Yu-hyeon say he has a video or something? For now, with that…”
“That’s what worries me even more. They aren’t the type of people to just let him keep a video like that.”
“I have to quit. That’s what he wants.”
Yeon Jeong-suk sighed once more.
“But you never know. Let’s just wait and see.”
“A man with that much pride would never come all the way here. If anything, those words will only make him angrier. I should talk to CP Yu…”
Unable to bear the thought of everyone suffering because of her, Han Mi-ra was about to go find Yu Han-seong when the doorbell rang. *Ding-dong.*
“Who could it be this early?”
When Yeon Jeong-suk opened the door, Yu-hyeon bowed his head in greeting.
“Good morning, ladies. Did you sleep well?”
Yeon Jeong-suk shook her head and let Yu-hyeon inside.
“Sleep? What sleep? Mi-ra here just tossed and turned all night. She didn't get a wink of sleep.”
At her words, Yu-hyeon looked awkward.
“What brings you here so early in the morning?”
“I have something to tell Mi-ra.”
“HS?”
“Yes.”
“Honestly, I don’t know. Was it really necessary to go that far?”
Yeon Jeong-suk sounded worried, as if he had just stirred up a hornet’s nest.
Han Mi-ra, who had been sighing on the sofa, looked up at Yu-hyeon with an anxious expression.
“Is there a problem…?”
“No.”
Yu-hyeon shook his head, indicating that wasn’t it.
“President Lee Jae-yoon is on his way here now.”
The two women cried out in shock.
“What!”
“What are you talking about? How could he come here?”
“A coincidence, it seems. He was in the next town over.”
In truth, the reason Yu-hyeon had given him 24 hours to show up in person was because he already knew, through information provided by Marcos, that Lee Jae-yoon was in Italy.
“The next town? In Italy?”
“Yes. He was here on a business trip for a contract issue, so he came right over as soon as he got the call.”
As Han Mi-ra sank onto the sofa with a hardened expression, Yeon Jeong-suk rushed to embrace her.
“There’s no need to be so alarmed.”
Yu-hyeon sat down across from the two women.
“I know you’re very worried, but…”
As Yu-hyeon began to reassure them, Yeon Jeong-suk cut in.
“Yu-hyeon. You say that because you don’t know what these conglomerate families are like. Those people…”
Yeon Jeong-suk trailed off, repeating only, “What are we going to do? What do we do now?”
Yu-hyeon looked quite surprised; he hadn't expected them, especially Han Mi-ra, to react so strongly.
As he began to wonder if his own ambition had caused him to blow things out of proportion, a wave of guilt washed over him.
“I’m sorry.”
As Yu-hyeon apologized with a troubled look, Han Mi-ra shook her head.
“No. This is my fault. If it weren’t for me, none of this would have happened.”
Yu-hyeon hesitated, wondering how to broach the subject, before speaking carefully.
“Mi-ra. Are you truly that afraid of him?”
At Yu-hyeon’s question about her fear of Lee Jae-yoon, Han Mi-ra’s expression turned resolute.
“No. I’m not afraid. I just hate seeing the people around me suffer because of me. If I had been afraid of him, this situation wouldn't have dragged on for this long.”
A chill settled over Han Mi-ra’s face, which just moments before had been filled with worry. Yu-hyeon was both surprised and impressed by this side of her.
Even if Writer Kim had used her connections with reporters to vet her as thoroughly as possible, that was all limited to the entertainment industry.
There’s a reason for the saying, “It is easier to know the depths of the ocean than the heart of a person.”
The title of an actress entangled with a chaebol was not something Yu-hyeon was fond of either.
He wanted his father to meet a good person, whether for dating or marriage, but as a son, he would absolutely refuse to have someone with a messy past by his side.
Though the details were personal and difficult to confirm, through the information Marcos had obtained, Yu-hyeon already had a good idea of what had happened between Han Mi-ra and Lee Jae-yoon.
Perhaps that was why he had stepped in so assertively.
“Mi-ra. Won’t you trust me just this once?”
“…?”
“My father. He’s tougher than he looks. Tough enough that he won’t be pushed around, even by a Korean chaebol.”
Hearing Yu-hyeon, Yeon Jeong-suk joined the conversation.
“Yu-hyeon, we already know the President is an amazing man. But chaebols are a different story. You know the saying, ‘You avoid shit because it’s dirty, not because you’re scared,’ right?”
Yeon Jeong-suk tried to dissuade him, saying that confronting them would only lead to losses.
“That’s right, Yu-hyeon. Honestly, I’m already so thankful to you and the President for what you did yesterday. But let’s stop here.”
Despite their worried pleas, Yu-hyeon offered a calm smile.
“You don’t avoid it because you’re scared, that's true. But if you don’t clean it up when you see it, someone is eventually going to step in it and fall. It’s infuriating enough to trip over a stone, so imagine how you’d feel if you fell after stepping in shit.”
At Yu-hyeon’s words, the two women looked at him with expressions that said, ‘What?’ That wasn’t what they had meant at all.
“To be honest, I was afraid you’d react this way, so I planned to handle it quietly. But my father had a point. Let’s go together.”
“The President’s words?”
“Yes. He said that while he could help, the person involved has to be the one to untie the knot. So he told me to bring you. I was against it.”
“Yu-hyeon. I know your heart and the President’s…”
“Can’t you just trust me?”
Seeing Han Mi-ra try to persuade him again, Yu-hyeon spoke with the same resolve she had shown earlier.
“Whether it’s Lee Jae-yoon or HS Group, whoever it is, I’ll make sure they can’t lay a single finger on you. I promise, after today, the one who’ll be running scared won’t be you—it’ll be Lee Jae-yoon.”
Han Mi-ra and Yeon Jeong-suk blinked, unsure what to make of his words. But his confident demeanor began to melt their hardened expressions. They started to think that if he was speaking with such certainty, he must have a reason to be so self-assured.
“In return, I’d like you to promise me one thing.”
“A promise…?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of…”
“My father is usually all smiles, never blames others, and just laughs things off even when he’s at a disadvantage, especially if it’s to help someone.”
“But?”
“But when something absurd happens, like this situation with you… he can get a little… just a tiny bit tough.”
“The President?”
“Even if you see that side of him, I hope there won’t be any misunderstandings.”
“I don’t see what that has to do with a promise.”
“If you see that side of him and suddenly get uncomfortable or start avoiding him… I think my father would be sad. Despite his appearance, he’s actually quite timid on the inside.”
At Yu-hyeon’s words, a smile unknowingly appeared on Han Mi-ra’s face.
“What are you talking about? That’s not something I would misunderstand. It wouldn’t be for a stranger; he’d be doing it for me. How could I react that way?”
“Exactly. He’s doing all this for you. So, once this is all over… you know, right? Give him some praise.”
Yeon Jeong-suk shot back a sharp comment.
“Are you really talking about a blind date in a situation like this?”
“Oh, come on, Jeong-suk. In any situation, you have to do what needs to be done. Aren’t we Koreans the people who ate, loved, and went to school even in the middle of a war?”
“What? Pwahaha.”
Yu-hyeon’s playful banter finally made the two women burst out laughing.
After a moment of laughter, Yeon Jeong-suk spoke with a meaningful look in her eyes.
“Yu-hyeon.”
“Yes.”
“You invested in the drama and wrote the script, I heard.”
“Yes.”
“Be honest with me. There’s another reason, isn’t there?”
“Pardon? Another reason?”
“I may not know much, but I’m quick on the uptake. You invested and wrote the script, but you didn’t say a word about it. Anyone else would have been bragging, ‘That was me!’”
“It’s just my personality. I don’t really like being in the spotlight.”
“Exactly. You don’t like the spotlight, so why are you putting so much effort into Mi-ra’s problem?”
“That’s obviously because of the drama…”
“It would have been no problem if Mi-ra had just quit. It’s not even a major role. But you’re going to fight a major corporation for the sake of the drama? Do you really think that makes sense?”
Despite Yeon Jeong-suk’s sharp questions, Yu-hyeon tried to play it off, saying things just happened to turn out this way and that there was no other reason.
“No. The way I see it, from the way you cast her to you meeting her at the airport… there’s something more.”
“…”
“I’m going to say it outright. If I’m wrong, tell me I’m wrong.”
“What are you…”
“You invested in the drama, wrote the script, and gathered all these people… it was for the President, wasn’t it?”
“…”
When Yu-hyeon hesitated, unable to answer right away, Yeon Jeong-suk’s lips curled into a knowing smile.
“I’m right, aren’t I? I knew it.”
At Yeon Jeong-suk’s words, Han Mi-ra’s expression shifted from ‘No way’ to ‘Really?’
“There’s some misunderstanding…”
“Is it really a misunderstanding?”
Under Yeon Jeong-suk’s continued questioning, Yu-hyeon finally scratched his head.
“It wasn’t solely for that reason. Just a little? This much? A tiny bit. I mean, it’s not like the thought wasn’t there. If you’re offended, I apologize.”
Yeon Jeong-suk, whom he had thought was calm and quiet, turned out to be incredibly perceptive.
Realizing there was no point in denying it further, Yu-hyeon decided to confess cleanly.
“I wanted my father to get married. His son got a little greedy.”
“Oh my, oh my. Look at him. For real?”
Han Mi-ra stared at Yu-hyeon, her face a picture of surprise.
Yu-hyeon felt both embarrassed and uncomfortable, but now that the topic was out, he figured it was better to just say it all.
“Yes. I invested in the drama and wrote the script to help my father get married.”
“But people live here too. Did you really have to go that far…?”
“You’re right, people live here too. But seeing a Korean person here is as rare as finding a star in the sky, and he shows no interest in foreigners. I thought this might be a chance. And if possible, I hoped he would meet a beautiful woman. My greed got the better of me. I am truly sorry.”
As Yu-hyeon bowed his head respectfully, Yeon Jeong-suk quickly waved her hand.
“No, this isn’t something to apologize for like that. A son doing something for his father… no one was harmed by it. I just.”
At the words ‘I just’ that Yeon Jeong-suk tacked on, Han Mi-ra’s ears perked up.
“I’m not a kid anymore. I’d rather things be clear than just be led around without knowing what’s going on.”
“Sis. What do you mean by that? Clear about what?”
Ignoring Han Mi-ra’s question, Yeon Jeong-suk kept her eyes fixed on Yu-hyeon.
“Yu-hyeon.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I don’t have to beat around the bush, right?”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
“You can’t laugh when I say this.”
“…..?”
“To be honest, the President is quite handsome.”
“Huh?”
“Sis. What you just said…”
“Honestly, when I first saw what you were doing, Yu-hyeon, I thought it was a bit much, but as I watched, I realized it wasn't.”
Yeon Jeong-suk sat up straight and spoke to Yu-hyeon.
“To be perfectly honest, the President’s wealth, his good looks… and more than anything, I really admire his respectable way of life. I know it might sound shallow to consider all these things when looking at a person. That’s why I’m being honest with you and asking for your permission. An older friend of mine once told me that when you date someone with a child, the child is often more difficult and worrisome than the person themselves.”
If Yu-hyeon looked flustered by Yeon Jeong-suk’s directness, Han Mi-ra’s expression hardened.
“I’d like to get to know the President better. Would that be okay?”
Yu-hyeon, who had at first looked taken aback, suddenly brightened as if nothing had happened.
“I would more than welcome it! Of course. Please, get to know him!”
She had mentioned various conditions and said she might sound shallow, but her boldness in stating it all openly actually put him in a good mood.
They weren’t kids fumbling through a relationship blindly; it was right for them to consider what needed to be considered.
He himself had laid out conditions for Kim Seong-hui to select people, so it would be hypocritical and ridiculous for him to tell others, ‘Don’t look at conditions, just the person!’
“So, about that.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Can I go with Mi-ra?”
“Pardon? Go where…?”
“To meet President Lee Jae-yoon.”
“What? But that’s…”
“I’m not going to see President Lee Jae-yoon. I’m curious to see what the President’s ‘tough side’ looks like. And I’m also curious about what you meant when you said Mi-ra won’t have to worry anymore. It’s a bit surprising and refreshing that a son would arrange a blind date for his father. But don’t I also have the right to observe my potential blind date?”
Hearing her out, he realized she had a point.
“I’ll just watch quietly. And I’m a little worried about sending Mi-ra alone.”
Han Mi-ra looked at Yeon Jeong-suk and swallowed dryly without realizing it.
‘Look at her. I thought she was acting suspicious since yesterday. Of all times, why make a move like this so suddenly?’
She’s challenging me, isn’t she?
Yu-hyeon, on the other hand, smiled as if a weight had been lifted and turned to Han Mi-ra.
“I’ll be counting on you too, Mi-ra.”
Just as Han Mi-ra was about to say something, Yu-hyeon’s phone rang.
“Yes, Father.”
—Those bastards’ car is pulling in. Bring Mi-ra.
“Yes. We’re on our way.”
Yu-hyeon ended the short call and stood up.
“Shall we go, then?”
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