Chapter 213
Chapter 213
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 213
Chapter Title: The JC Heir's Gambit
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Hyun Ye-won peeked her head out just a bit.
She couldn't focus on work at all, her curiosity burning about what might be happening in the CEO's office beyond the drawn blinds.
'Ugh. I ducked out of sight the second I spotted a familiar face. But that guy just now... it was definitely him, right?'
Hyun Ye-won recalled the face of a man she'd once seen at a social club.
A handsome man with a touch of exotic flair stood out anywhere. Thanks to that, she knew far more about Je Yoon-jae's every move than she'd ever wanted.
Even if she didn't want to know, the rumors buzzed everywhere—it was impossible not to hear them.
'Why the hell would that guy come all the way here in person?!'
Unable to figure out the reason, Hyun Ye-won clutched her head. Ugh, the headache was creeping back.
"What the heck is going on?"
She reflexively answered the voice from beside her.
"That's what I'm saying. No matter how I think about it, my gut feeling is screaming bad news."
"Hmm. Really?"
"Totally. That guy's infamous for showing no mercy. I hate to say it, but for a company like The Song, if he set his mind to it, he could crush us in an instant..."
Hold on.
Who am I even talking to?
Hyun Ye-won slowly turned her stiff neck to the side. A pretty face came into view.
It was a face utterly different from Je Yoon-jae's. Unlike his angelic features, this one had a sharp, trendy edge.
A face like this was unforgettable once seen. No chance of mixing it up with anyone else.
It was Baek Jae-ha.
"Eek?!"
"Shh. Keep it down."
Baek Jae-ha calmly pressed his index finger to his lips and whispered.
"W-Why are you here?!"
"Why do you think?"
Baek Jae-ha glanced toward the CEO's office as he replied.
"I drove the boss here, so here I am."
"R-Right?"
"That's the guy, huh? JC's second son or whatever."
"Y-Yeah. That's him."
"He bolted out the door in a hurry after that call, so I figured something was up."
Baek Jae-ha plopped down in an empty chair, propping his chin on his hand. He looked thoroughly bored.
"Everyone's making a huge fuss over nothing."
"A fuss? You have no idea how massive JC is in the F&B world, do you?"
"I know that much."
"You say that, but you don't get it—JC could wipe The Song out like leaves in the wind if they wanted."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
Even as Hyun Ye-won tried to scare him, Baek Jae-ha remained utterly unfazed.
"I dunno. I think our CEO's tougher than that."
"What?"
"It's just hard to picture. Our boss losing. Not even to guys like JC or Hyunmu."
"...You're right."
Hyun Ye-won felt her racing heart suddenly calm.
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Song Woo-yeon losing? The Song crumbling? It was impossible to imagine. Some alternate universe thing? Not this reality?
The lack of realism melted away her anxiety like snow.
"Quit wasting time and check this out."
"Wasting time? This is serious... Gasp!"
Hyun Ye-won gasped without thinking and scooted right up to Baek Jae-ha. He leisurely pulled back his phone with a sly grin.
"Th-That was just...!"
"Yeah. Spot on."
Baek Jae-ha grinned wide and turned his phone screen back on to show her.
"Your middle school pic, sis."
"Aaaah! Where'd you score such a rare gem?!"
"A guy's got his ways."
Baek Jae-ha shrugged and wiped under his nose.
"You... you... How did you even think to dig up a pic from my fluffy baby hair days? Does the boss know?"
"Secret deal. With one of your middle school classmates. Oh, told her it was your request, though."
"You sly little...!"
Hyun Ye-won shuddered in shock.
Then she lunged at Baek Jae-ha's phone, yelling:
"Share it with me!!"
"No way! You have no idea what I went through to get this!"
"Gimme! Gimmeeee!"
Crash! Bang!
The quiet office erupted into lively chaos for a moment.
"You two, cut it out. What is this?"
Jo Yi-ruk stepped in to mediate, feeling his stomach churn.
'Got him.'
I secretly swallowed hard. Maybe because I'd tinkered with so many things since regressing, but keeping up with these twisty-turny events wasn't easy.
Especially Je Yoon-jae baring his teeth at me—that was way out of left field.
'For all that, we were pretty tight before I regressed.'
Sure, it was his fickle nature that got me burned back then, but still.
Even the stuff about Je Yoon-jae's cousin—Je Dong-yoon, as I mentioned earlier—all came straight from Je Yoon-jae himself.
They'd been secretly at each other's throats, but the feud kicked into high gear when Je Yoon-jae ditched his overseas branch wandering and returned home.
Je Dong-yoon must've been pretty confident. Domestic public opinion favored him, after all.
'But that didn't last.'
Why?
Because the man in front of me, Je Yoon-jae... was leagues beyond Je Dong-yoon in talent. Untouchable.
The tide turned fast. Once Je Yoon-jae seized the momentum, it was all but certain he'd win. That's when Je Dong-yoon let greed blind him into a fatal mistake.
He leaked company secrets to Hyunmu.
JC's core tech, upcoming product developments, secret projects in the works—all of it got swiped clean.
'The great Je Yoon-jae, rattled like that? First time I'd ever seen it.'
Even thinking back now made my body shiver. He looked ready to kill at the slightest touch.
Once Hyunmu had JC's internals, they started reaching out more brazenly.
'That's what threw their succession mess into chaos. JC was scrambling just to hold it together.'
And right then...
Hyunmu turned its fangs on The Song.
'They probably figured it'd be a good hit on us, since we're tight with JC.'
Hyunmu and JC were open rivals, tearing into each other. But The Song? Not so much.
From our perspective, just starting to rub shoulders with the big leagues, Hyunmu's collaboration offer was too sweet to refuse.
Separate from my personal ties to Je Yoon-jae, Hyunmu made for an enticing business partner.
'Should've said no.'
Too late for regrets now. Regression wiped the slate clean anyway.
Better to focus on the present—like this guy eyeing me warily—than wallow in the past.
Like how to earn Je Yoon-jae's trust.
"So. Now that we've shaken hands, still no plans to tell me?"
Je Yoon-jae narrowed his eyes softly as he spoke.
"I'm dying to know where you heard this. Driving me nuts."
"......"
You told me. You.
But he'd never buy that.
"I told you before I regressed," and he'd bolt, thinking, "Wasted time on a nutjob."
"From what I know, Song CEO's background doesn't scream access to intel like this."
Je Yoon-jae took a sip of his cold coffee and continued.
"How about we start our first collab here? Spill on that loose-lipped rat."
"Sorry, but I've got a duty to protect my sources."
I lied without batting an eye. No lucky messenger feeding me info.
"Not from Hyunmu, then?"
"Nope."
"How can I trust that? The Song's already in Hyunmu's pocket. Could be a trap to lure me in, pretending otherwise."
He'd straight-up voice that suspicion. I knew he'd be paranoid, but this direct?
The Je Yoon-jae in my memories would've danced around it with elegant, lofty words.
'Still green, huh.'
The blunt tone screamed inexperience.
"Don't worry. Not with anyone else but Hyunmu—I'll never team up with them."
"Hmm?"
"If anything, I want to land a solid hit on them."
Je Yoon-jae's eyes lit up with a sly smile at my words.
"Want revenge?"
"Yes."
"Lost something precious to Hyunmu, I take it."
"You bet."
A chuckle slipped out unbidden.
The Song was my life itself. What Hyunmu did was no less than ripping it all away.
Of course I'd hate their guts.
"Weird. Doesn't feel like a lie, but I'm not naive enough to swallow it whole."
"I get it."
"But..."
Je Yoon-jae fell silent for a beat, then spoke again.
"Interesting."
That was enough for now. A spark of interest, a sliver of curiosity.
"Hard to find someone who doesn't flinch in front of me. And instead of groveling, you propose a deal? From this little company? Fun."
Like a cornered rat biting the cat, and the cat going, "Well, well?"
But that cheeky spark would keep the rat alive longer.
"Makes me want to watch a bit more."
Success.
"Five years."
"...Five years?"
"I'll give you five. Time to grow The Song."
Je Yoon-jae beamed.
"You're nowhere near big enough now. Get to a size JC would covet."
That? Piece of cake. Walking a path I'd paved before?
Not a shortcut—an escalator ride.
"And until then, I'll turn a blind eye to that ridiculous bastard-son rumor."
!
Meaning JC would half-back The Song. No rival our size would dare touch us.
Freedom from petty harassment and pressure.
"Thank you."
I looked at Je Yoon-jae with shining eyes.
"You won't be disappointed."