Chapter 491: A Daughter's Rebellion
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 491: A Daughter's Rebellion
"C-Confirmation!?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon spoke with a look of utter bewilderment.
"Shouldn't we get it notarized while all three of us are present? That way, no one can change their story later."
Kang Myeong spoke with a playful smirk dancing on his lips.
"Are you saying you don't trust me right now?" Paeng Ga-ryeon asked, her expression shifting to one of feigned offense.
"Of course not. How could I possibly distrust the boss I most respect and love? I simply wish to receive the promise in front of everyone."
Kang Myeong spoke with a sly, greasy grin.
Grind.
Seeing that look, Paeng Ga-ryeon ground her teeth. A surge of irritation toward his obnoxious behavior welled up inside her.
"Then let us meet again later. It feels a bit... inappropriate to discuss such things right this moment," Paeng Ga-ryeon continued, trying her best to maintain a composed facade.
In a situation like this, she couldn't afford to show her hand. She knew all too well that the moment she showed any weakness, he would seize the initiative.
"I'm afraid not."
Upon hearing her words, Kang Myeong shook his head with a firm expression.
"And why not!?"
"Isn't there a saying? Strike while the iron is hot. I believe it's best to wrap this up quickly and decisively."
"It is far too early!"
"It's merely a verbal agreement; what does 'early' have to do with it?"
"Yeon-ah needs time to prepare herself mentally..."
"She is the scion of a prestigious family. Mental preparation for a political arrangement? That is a luxury."
Creeeak.
Paeng Ga-ryeon ground her teeth harshly once more. Kang Myeong’s attitude was making her blood boil.
"Hahahaha! Unit Leader, you're going to ruin your teeth at this rate."
As she ground her teeth, Kang Myeong burst into a delighted laugh. He was quite clearly mocking her.
"Fine... then I shall go and bring Yeon-ah here myself," Paeng Ga-ryeon said, trying to settle her roiling stomach as if offering a compromise.
"No. I'll have one of my subordinates do it. How could I trouble the Unit Leader with such a tedious task?"
Kang Myeong shook his head as he spoke.
"No, I will bring her myself. On the way here, I can explain the situation in detail..."
"I said no."
Kang Myeong shook his head again. It was a clear refusal.
"What if the two of you get your stories straight? Let's save the explanation about the engagement for when all three of us are in the same room."
Kang Myeong looked Paeng Ga-ryeon in the eye as he spoke, his gaze turning serious.
'...Kang Myeong!'
Meeting that gaze, Paeng Ga-ryeon realized it. The man before her saw right through her intentions.
"Do you not trust me!?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon flared up, raising her voice. She intended to shake things up by acting angry.
"Didn't I already say that isn't it? I simply wish to be cautious."
"Is that not proof enough that you don't trust me!?"
"Why are you so defensive? Do you have something on your conscience?"
"It's not that!"
"Then what exactly is the problem? It's a perfectly reasonable proposal."
"It is because you are showing me no trust!" Paeng Ga-ryeon shouted, her face contorted in anger.
"Are you not acting in a way that invites distrust?"
"What did you say!?"
"Normally, a Unit Leader like yourself wouldn't get angry over something like this. In fact, you would have followed my lead, thinking an argument wasn't even worth the effort. Nothing I've said is wrong. And yet, here you are, losing your temper and shouting. It's as if you're plotting something. How am I supposed to trust you under these circumstances?" Kang Myeong replied in a calm, level tone.
"That... that's..."
Hearing his rebuttal, Paeng Ga-ryeon felt a wave of flustered embarrassment. It weighed on her mind that her behavior had indeed been more agitated than usual.
"Furthermore, Unit Leader, you aren't exactly in a position to refuse my proposal, are you? Aren't you the one who stands to lose here?"
"............"
Paeng Ga-ryeon fell silent. He wasn't wrong. It was the truth. Kang Myeong wasn't the desperate one. She was. In her agitation, she seemed to have momentarily forgotten her own position.
".......Understood."
Paeng Ga-ryeon nodded reluctantly, her voice devoid of strength.
"Excellent. Then I shall send someone to bring Lady Gi-yeon."
Kang Myeong stood up abruptly. He then began to walk slowly toward the exit. Paeng Ga-ryeon could only watch his retreating back in silence, her eyes burning with resentment.
'Kang Myeong!'
*
Knock, knock.
Someone began to knock on the door of the reception room.
"Who is it?" Kang Myeong asked in a steady voice.
"I heard you called for me."
A clear, melodious voice drifted in from outside.
"Come in."
Creeeeak—
The moment he gave permission, the door swung open, and a woman revealed herself.
She was slightly shorter than average, but that height was contrasted by a remarkably large chest. Her cute features were highlighted by large, striking eyes. The woman who appeared was Lee Gi-yeon, the daughter of Lee Jae-won and Paeng Ga-ryeon.
"Mother!"
As soon as she stepped inside, Lee Gi-yeon beamed and scurried over to Paeng Ga-ryeon.
"Yeon-ah. Welcome."
Paeng Ga-ryeon greeted her with an awkward expression. Seeing her daughter's bright, innocent face only made her feel more miserable.
"I suppose I'm invisible to the young lady?"
Kang Myeong, standing nearby, spoke up with a tone of feigned hurt.
"Oh, were you here? I didn't notice. Hmph."
Lee Gi-yeon let out a huff, her expression turning prickly. It seemed she still hadn't forgiven him for the time he had kissed her by force.
"I'm the one who asked you to come, though?" Kang Myeong asked back, looking bewildered.
"Hmph."
But Lee Gi-yeon only snorted and said nothing more.
'Cute.'
Seeing this, a faint smile touched Kang Myeong's lips. He couldn't help but find her reaction adorable.
"Mother, why did you call for me?"
Turning back to Paeng Ga-ryeon, she tilted her head and asked the reason for the summons.
"............"
Paeng Ga-ryeon kept her mouth shut. The words simply wouldn't come. She didn't know what to say or where to even begin. She knew this would be nothing short of a bolt from the blue for her daughter.
'Oh... Yeon-ah...'
Paeng Ga-ryeon looked at her precious daughter with eyes full of sorrow. Her heart ached for the shock her daughter was about to receive.
"The reason I called Lady Gi-yeon here is because of the engagement."
It was then that Kang Myeong, standing before them, spoke up slowly.
"Engagement?"
Gi-yeon asked back, her expression filled with confusion.
"Yes. The engagement between myself and Lady Gi-yeon."
"Whaaaaaaat!?"
In an instant, Lee Gi-yeon's eyes were dyed with shock. Words she had never even imagined had pierced her ears.
An engagement? And with Kang Myeong? What on earth was he talking about?
Lee Gi-yeon looked at her mother, Paeng Ga-ryeon, with a look of utter disbelief. Her eyes were brimming with questions.
"Mother... is... is that true?" Lee Gi-yeon asked, her voice trembling.
".........It is true."
At her daughter's question, Paeng Ga-ryeon finally managed to force the words out.
"No... Mother... how... so suddenly..."
Lee Gi-yeon spoke with a stunned expression. She seemed profoundly shaken by the sudden news of the engagement.
"........I am sorry."
Paeng Ga-ryeon looked at her daughter with a face full of guilt. She truly had no words to offer.
"This is too much! How could you proceed with this without saying a single word to me!?"
Lee Gi-yeon's voice began to rise in anger. She was furious. The fact that her mother, Paeng Ga-ryeon, had arranged an engagement without even consulting her was unbearable.
Shouldn't she have been given time to prepare herself? Time to develop feelings for the other person? Shouldn't her mother have considered these things? How could she just drop the news of a betrothal so abruptly?
"......I am sorry."
Paeng Ga-ryeon simply apologized again, her expression dejected. Her heart was currently overflowing with nothing but guilt toward her daughter.
"............"
Seeing her mother so crestfallen, Lee Gi-yeon fell silent. She felt a sense of strangeness at her mother's uncharacteristic lack of energy. Her mother had always been haughty and confident, no matter the situation. Seeing her apologize so weakly filled Gi-yeon with both confusion and pity.
Then, a question arose. Why had her mother brought up this engagement so suddenly?
She slowly turned her gaze to the side. There, she saw Kang Myeong, wearing a sly, knowing smirk.
'Ah!'
The moment she saw him, Lee Gi-yeon realized it. Kang Myeong's influence was all over this engagement.
'He's targeting me!'
Lee Gi-yeon's mind began to race furiously. She quickly reached her own conclusion: Kang Myeong had blackmailed her mother into arranging this betrothal.
'Coward!'
Anger surged within her. If he had feelings for her, shouldn't he have asked her out properly and built a relationship? If he had approached her and apologized for the forced kiss, she might have eventually accepted him. After all, he was the top Rising Star of the Cheonmu Alliance.
But to use such coercive means? Kang Myeong was a coward. A coward who could only approach the woman he liked in such a way.
'Idiot! Brainless! Coward! Moron! Mutt!'
She began to curse Kang Myeong incessantly in her head.
"I won't accept this!"
Lee Gi-yeon shouted, her voice sharp with anger.
"I have absolutely no intention of marrying Brother Kang! So you can forget it!"
"That would be problematic."
"I don't care!"
"If that's how it's going to be, then I will withdraw my statement regarding my support for you."
Kang Myeong didn't hesitate to throw out a blatant threat as he looked at her.
"Then withdraw it! I can do perfectly fine without you!"
Driven by defiance, Lee Gi-yeon screamed back. Of course, she wouldn't be 'fine.' Kang Myeong was the only Rising Star considered a match for Jang Sun-woo. How could they possibly be fine without him?
"Yeon-ah!"
Suddenly, Paeng Ga-ryeon raised her voice and shouted. She had barely managed to secure Kang Myeong's cooperation; what on earth was her daughter doing?
"Don't worry, Mother. Without a man like him, we can still—"
"Shut your mouth!"
Paeng Ga-ryeon glared at Lee Gi-yeon, her face flushed with rage as she bellowed.
"......M-Mother?"
Startled by the harsh shout, Lee Gi-yeon looked at Paeng Ga-ryeon in shock. In her entire life, her mother had never once raised her voice like that. Her mother had never spoken to her so roughly. And yet, here she was, screaming at her. It was impossible not to be stunned.
"What do you think you are doing!? Apologize to Unit Leader Kang this instant!"
Paeng Ga-ryeon continued, radiating a cold, overbearing pressure. Her voice was thick with fury.
"..............."
Lee Gi-yeon was speechless. She couldn't adapt to her mother's sudden, drastic change in temperament. At the same time, a flurry of questions began to swirl in her mind.
Why was her mother screaming? Why was she being so harsh? Why was she forcing her to apologize? Why was she so annoyed? Why was she scolding her?
She couldn't understand it. Her mind was a chaotic mess.
"I said, apologize now!"
Her mother's roar rang in her ears once again.
Grind.
Hearing that command, Lee Gi-yeon felt an immense wave of rebellion rising from deep within her soul. She had never been scolded like this before. She had always been a relatively obedient daughter, and she had never seen her mother lose her temper so emotionally.
But seeing her mother lash out like this sparked a defiance she had never felt before—an overwhelming, powerful urge to resist.
"I... won't... apologize..."
Finally, Lee Gi-yeon's mouth opened slowly.
"What!?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon asked back, stunned. Lee Gi-yeon had always been a good daughter who never disobeyed her mother. How could she possibly defy her now? This had never happened before.
Deep inside, Paeng Ga-ryeon felt her blood begin to boil. She was already dealing with a massive headache because of Kang Myeong; why was Lee Gi-yeon adding to her troubles? Why wouldn't she just do as she was told?
"Say that again!"
Paeng Ga-ryeon screamed, her face flushed red. She was clearly beyond furious.
"I said I won't apologize!"
Lee Gi-yeon screamed back, meeting her mother's gaze. Her eyes were filled with a fierce determination.
Seeing that, Paeng Ga-ryeon felt her rage peak. Where had this sudden rebellious streak come from?
The gazes of the two women began to burn with an unprecedented intensity.