Chapter 246
Chapter 246
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 246
Chapter Title: Why This Person?
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Why this person?
For a moment, that question flashed through my mind, but on second thought, it made sense that he would call.
Je Yoon-jae had mentioned something about him when we first met Hyun Tae-seong.
'After those two had some talk about me, Hyun Tae-seong started approaching me.'
From the moment it came out that I was the one who reported Hyun Tae-seong, Je Yoon-jae might have started keeping an eye on this side too.
"Excuse me for a moment."
I picked up my phone and started wheeling toward the CEO's office to get away from the people for a bit. As I turned the wheelchair wheels by hand, I felt Baek Jae-ha grab it from behind with a click.
"Thanks."
Smoothly.
Without a word, Baek Jae-ha wheeled me into the CEO's office and closed the door.
"If anything happens, knock twice on the door or call me. I'll be right out front."
"Yeah. Thanks."
Click. After the door shut, I connected the call.
A brief international call announcement played. Moments later, faint noisy surroundings filtered through.
"Hello?"
-Ah. You picked up.
Whatever he was doing, the background was so loud that Je Yoon-jae's voice was barely audible. Machinery roared.
-Please bear with the noise around me. I'm inspecting a global logistics center site.
Wow. What a different scale.
I could picture it without looking: packaging machines, conveyor belts, forklifts all bustling about.
-You must be feeling better? I heard from a reliable reporter that the surgery went successfully.
"They say mice hear night talks and birds hear day ones. No secrets around here."
-You have to accept that much. When you stir up something this big.
Je Yoon-jae stated it like it was obvious.
-I even heard about it here. That Hyun Tae-seong pulled some idiotic stunt.
It was a pretty biting tone. No wonder. Their paths in life couldn't be more different.
-Even who the main player was.
I'd hoped that part stayed hidden. Talk about bad luck.
-Is this part of the plan? To hammer Hyunmu Group.
"......You could see it that way. I wanted to stay an anonymous tipster if possible."
Hyun Tae-seong's collapse was only a matter of time anyway. Even before my regression, he fell from related scandals before he could claim the chairman's seat.
'Though back then, he at least made it to director and climbed steadily for a while.'
This time, we nipped the bud before it could bear fruit. Maybe this was better for him in the end.
-Not a bad strategy. Hyunmu Group will be busy burying this issue for a while, and their image will take a real hit.
Je Yoon-jae naturally weighed the gains and losses.
-They'll have to start firmly positioning the next-generation heir soon. Hyun Jeong-hoo's secret hopes for Hyun Tae-seong look ridiculous now. Only one child left......
Je Yoon-jae's voice turned sly and secretive.
-And that person's right there next to you. What an amazing coincidence, huh?
With Hyun Tae-seong out of the picture like this, Hyun Ye-won would naturally take over as Hyun Jeong-hoo's heir.
And I rather liked the sound of that.
'Different from before the regression. Hyun Ye-won now is determined to change Hyunmu Group.'
The easiest way to topple Hyunmu Group: turn their chairman into my person.
Knock out Hyun Jeong-hoo and put Hyun Ye-won in his place—totally doable.
"I'm just doing my best to keep my promise."
My response must have amused him, because Je Yoon-jae let out a small chuckle. Then he whispered:
-I'll look forward to it. From here on out too.
Click.
I gripped the phone tightly after the call ended.
'I can do this.'
Hyun Ye-won, arriving late, let out a small 'eek' at the sight of the sprawled-out employees.
Jo Yi-ruk and No Se-hee waved tiredly and turned back to their computers to finish the remaining work.
Hyun Ye-won naturally planted herself in front of Baek Jae-ha, who was sitting all alone by the CEO's office.
"The CEO?"
"Inside."
"By himself?"
"On a call."
Hyun Ye-won narrowed her eyes for a moment before nodding in acceptance. Even Song Woo-yeon wouldn't risk putting her in danger over a phone call.
She leaned her back stealthily against the wall by the CEO's office.
The cool sensation against her back seemed to clear her head a bit. Her foggy mind from lack of sleep started sharpening.
"What was that call about?"
Baek Jae-ha suddenly asked.
Turning, she saw he'd been staring straight at her—who knew for how long.
"You said it was urgent and stepped out right before we left."
"Oh, that."
That was why Hyun Ye-won had arrived late. Song Woo-yeon had stubbornly insisted on coming to the office, so she'd tried to block him.
But then the sudden call came in, pulling her away, and Baek Jae-ha couldn't hold the line alone. Two of them might have managed, but one against him was no match.
"......"
Hyun Ye-won sifted through her memories and fell silent for a bit.
Baek Jae-ha waited patiently without pressing. Soon, she spoke in a low, sunken voice.
"Hwang the director."
"Hwang the director?"
"The watchdog my father assigned to Hyun Tae-seong."
"......"
This time, Baek Jae-ha went quiet.
He knew now who Hyun Ye-won was and what family she came from.
Before, she'd just been some 'noisy, annoying pest.' But knowing she was from Hyunmu Group made her look different somehow.
'She's from a completely different world than me.'
As if reading his thoughts, Hyun Ye-won continued.
"My last name being Hyun doesn't change anything. I've been Hyun Ye-won since the day we met."
"I know."
"Good that you do. Most people don't."
Baek Jae-ha guiltily averted his gaze.
"Nothing impressive about it, nothing to envy."
Her voice carried a thick undercurrent of some deep-seated resentment, nothing like her usual bright tone.
His eyes, which had wandered off, swung back to her involuntarily.
"You gain something, you lose something else—that's the rule."
Baek Jae-ha suddenly wondered what Hyun Ye-won had lost. She seemed so blessed from the outside: healthy parents, a wealthy family, a company waiting to be inherited.
Yet here she was, leaving that cozy greenhouse for this place. What lack drove her?
He could only vaguely guess.
Some parents in this world are better off absent.
"So. Why'd that Hwang director call?"
Baek Jae-ha casually played dumb and changed the subject. Hyun Ye-won gave a wry chuckle in response.
"He said to drop by later. The chairman wants to see me."
"The Hyunmu Group chairman?"
"Yeah. With Hyun Tae-seong like that, he's probably getting anxious."
She replied flatly. Half-brother or not, not a speck of sympathy for Hyun Tae-seong showed.
Even the word for her father—'chairman'—sounded stiff and formal.
From these snippets alone, it was clear the Hyunmu family wasn't exactly harmonious.
"After the morning meeting, he said. Guess I should head out."
Hyun Ye-won glanced at her watch.
"Take good care of the CEO while I'm gone. Total bed rest at the hospital from now on! Got it?!"
"I got it."
On that point, even Baek Jae-ha wouldn't budge. How long had it been since the surgery? The patient was already wandering around.
"See you later. I'll call!"
"W-Wait a sec."
After a moment's hesitation, Baek Jae-ha grabbed the hem of Hyun Ye-won's clothes. Her eyes went wide—she clearly hadn't seen it coming.
"......What are you going to do?"
He broached it carefully.
He had a rough idea of how things were unfolding. Hyunmu Group's heir spot was vacant, and Hyun Ye-won was the only remaining candidate to fill it.
"Who knows."
She murmured with an expressionless face, not a trace of emotion showing.
"I don't even have expectations anymore."
Knock knock.
"Chairman. Your guest is here."
The chief secretary opened the door with graceful poise. The chairman's office was designed to impress with its grandeur, overwhelming any who entered.
Far too spacious for one person, Hyun Jeong-hoo sat alone at his desk, reading documents.
Aside from the glasses perched on his nose, nothing seemed different. Hyun Jeong-hoo always maintained perfection, wherever, whenever.
"I'm here."
Hyun Ye-won walked straight in and took a seat at one end of the long table before him.
The morning meeting must have been held here.
"You said you had something to say."
"Yes."
Hyun Jeong-hoo spoke without sparing her a glance.
"You know about your brother's situation."
"Who wouldn't? The whole country does."
"Yes. He made it far too big a mess."
Hyun Jeong-hoo clicked his tongue.
"If I'd known you had ambitions for the heir spot, you should have stepped up fair and square instead of this method."
"Pardon?"
Hyun Ye-won couldn't comprehend what he was saying. Ambitions? Fair and square?
Even at her blatant look of bafflement, Hyun Jeong-hoo didn't flinch.
"No need to play dumb. You've fooled everyone perfectly for ten years, pretending no interest in the succession."
"What......"
"It's Song Woo-yeon."
Hyun Jeong-hoo glanced at her as he said it.
"Is he your man?"
"I've had no idea what you're talking about since earlier. And why is the CEO's name coming up?"
"Even if he's trustworthy, it was reckless. You don't hand a sharp blade to someone else."
Their conversation ran parallel, never meeting. As Hyun Ye-won opened her mouth to speak in frustration—
"No need for long talks."
Hyun Jeong-hoo pulled an envelope from his drawer and slid it toward her. Hyun Ye-won stood and picked it up.
She tore it open—and her eyes went wide at what she saw.
"This is......"
"Your future husband."
Hyun Jeong-hoo declared it matter-of-factly.
"He'll be the next master of Hyunmu Group."