The Chairman's Surprise
Despite the stinging pain that made her eyes water, Dayeon still found herself recalling the man who had been angry with her—her father, Jeong Du-seop.
'Why does Dad keep thinking I'm hiding Mom's inheritance?'
She had been thinking that her father's recent intensified anger was due to that very reason. For a long time, Dad had been accusing her of embezzling the massive fortune Mom had left her. But for Dayeon, it was an utterly unjust situation.
The moment she turned twenty, the lawyer who came to see her didn't bring a huge sum of money, but a small box. Inside it was not a name or title, but just a business card with a phone number written on it.
At times like this, she wondered how wonderful it would have been if what Mom left her was money. Then perhaps the burden on her shoulders would have been a little lighter.
Dayeon took out the business card she had received back then from her wallet. It was something she had dismissed as a lie from Dad. And she had kept the card she herself didn't know what Mom's intention was.
Dayeon stared at it for a long time, then took out her phone and dialed the number. Beep, beep, the signal tone continued, and after a while, someone picked up the phone.
"Hello, this is the Cha residence."
A deep-voiced elderly man's voice came through. Dayeon let out a big sigh, then spoke after a long time.
"Hello, my name is Jeong Dayeon. I called because I saw the business card my mom left."
"Is it possible that your mother's name is...?"
The man who introduced himself as Butler Song reacted greatly to my name Jeong Dayeon rather than my mother's name.
"You are the daughter of Dr. Do Hee-ok. If it's not too much trouble, could you come to our place now?"
"Now?"
"Yes. There is someone who wants to see you, Dayeon, very much."
Butler Song didn't say much, just gave an address and told her to come. There would be someone who would explain everything if she came here. It was suspicious, but the person was the one whose phone number was left by Mom as an inheritance. Dayeon believed that Mom wouldn't do anything to harm her.
Dayeon thought she might have to run away if necessary, and went to the address Butler Song gave her.
She got off the bus and climbed the hill for a while. She looked around.
"It seems about here."
It was clearly near here, but no matter how she looked, there were no houses nearby. Only an endlessly long and high wall that she had only seen in dramas or movies.
"Wow. So there really is such a house."
When Dayeon raised her head high, a black sedan came up from below the hill with a whooshing sound, passed by Dayeon, and stopped a little ahead. After a while, the man who got out of the stopped car, Dayeon lost her words and stared at him.
"...Teacher?"
A suit in deep gray that fit perfectly to the body, shoulders spread wide, legs longer than models. And neat facial features under the hair arranged to expose the forehead. A handsome face that could be recognized from afar was definitely Siheon.
'Why is Teacher here?'
She didn't know the reason, but meeting a familiar face in an unfamiliar place made Dayeon happy at least.
"Teacher!"
She ran over with a bright smile. Siheon's eyes, surprised by Dayeon, twisted upward.
"How did you get here?"
"That's..."
At that moment, the gate door opened with a bang, and someone appeared.
"Welcome, Miss Jeong Dayeon."
Butler Song, who had come to greet Dayeon, bowed his waist when he saw Siheon standing next to her this time.
"Executive Director Cha has come at the right time."
"Executive Director Cha...?"
Dayeon's eyes widened at the voice calling Siheon. The Siheon I know is just a young man who came to the welfare center because he needed volunteer hours, and now a young man of the Republic of Korea who has just taken his first step into society. Not someone with a position like executive director...
Siheon, who was alternating between the silent Butler Song and the bewildered Dayeon, blocked in front of Dayeon. His gaze was cool.
"Grandfather, why did you call me and Dayeon here?"
"Well, how could I know Chairman Cha's intentions?"
Butler Song, hearing Siheon's words, just smiled quietly without agreeing or disagreeing.
Dayeon blinked her innocent eyes, not knowing anything. Seeing her, a heavy sigh came out from Siheon's teeth. A strong premonition that an unwanted situation would occur in his mind.
Following Butler Song's guidance, Dayeon entered the house and rolled her eyes around, looking around. The scenery spread before her eyes was similar to the mansion in her imagination.
A huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the living room and the artworks hanging in the hallway she had seen while walking. And several servants moving like shadows. This was the main house where Chairman Cha Seong-mok, the holding company of Samjeong Group, resided.
If it was Samjeong Group, it was a major company that no one in Korea didn't know. In particular, the parent company Samjeong Pharm was successfully going abroad. The fact that the person leading such an enormous company was sitting next to her drinking tea was unbelievable, but more than that, what was worrying was separate.
The person sitting opposite with arms crossed firmly, Siheon. When she heard from Butler Song before entering the house that he was the successor to Samjeong Group, Dayeon wasn't really surprised. Rather, there was a part where her head nodded.
When she heard the title of executive director, she was momentarily surprised, but she thought that position suited Siheon well. Even when he first came to teach her, Teacher was never like an ordinary college student. His ability to explain concepts was superior to that of ordinary teachers, and his words carried power, naturally controlling the surroundings with a non-ordinary atmosphere.
Moreover, his outstanding appearance that overwhelmed the gaze added to it, and Teacher gave off an atmosphere that was on a different level from ordinary people no matter how you looked. So when she heard that he was a person leading a large company, she thought that it suited him better than an ordinary company employee.
'Then why did Teacher come to the welfare center saying he was doing volunteer activities? By chance? If not, then why?'
Dayeon, glancing with questioning eyes, finally met Siheon's eyes. Dayeon quickly avoided her gaze. Just when she was fidgeting with her fingers placed on her knee out of embarrassment.
"Haha. Siheon."
Chairman Cha put down the teacup on the table and gently scolded Siheon.
"With your face like that, Dayeon doesn't know what to do."
However, even after hearing those words, Siheon didn't soften his expression at all.
"Originally, if you hadn't made this situation, it would have been fine."
Even with Siheon's cold reply, Chairman Cha showed a relaxed smile.
"If I hadn't called you, you wouldn't have come, right?"
"..."
"So there's no helping it. Isn't that so?"
Dayeon couldn't understand at all what the conversation between the two meant. She was just busy thinking about why the Chairman called her to such a place, and why Siheon was displeased with this situation.
"Miss Dayeon."
The voice calling her made Dayeon snap back to attention and look at Chairman Cha.
"Yes? Ah, yes."
"Your mother was a specialist in neurosurgery at Sehyun Hospital, Dr. Do Hee-ok."
The name of her mother who had passed away several years ago came out from Chairman Cha's mouth. It was a bit strange, but Dayeon calmly continued her answer.
"Yes, that's right."
"Indeed. Your eyes, nose, and face resemble Dr. Do Hee-ok a lot. I can tell without checking. Isn't that so, Butler Song."
Chairman Cha turned his head to ask for agreement, and the one behind him bowed his head and answered.
"Yes, Chairman."
A warm smile spread to the corners of Chairman Cha's mouth. Looking at him with a slight smile, Dayeon asked with a tense face.
"Is there any relationship with our mom?"
"Eh?"
"I don't know much, but it seems you know our mom well."
Looking at Dayeon with an expression of not knowing anything, Chairman Cha burst into laughter.
"Yeah, yeah. I was lacking in explanation."
He took a sip of the tea and said with a grin.
"That was already twenty years ago. Dr. Do Hee-ok operated on our Siheon's surgery."
Chairman Cha's gaze became nostalgic, pointing to some part of the past.
"It was a difficult surgery where the tumor was wrapping around the brain nerves."
"..."
"No one stepped forward, and it was stuck. Dr. Do Hee-ok stepped forward and saved our Siheon."
This was the first time Dayeon heard it. She knew that the genius doctor who was mentioned in people's mouths even after Mom died, but it was the first time she heard that he saved Teacher's life too.
"So, to say..."
Chairman Cha, who had been pausing for a long time, continued with a bomb statement.
"Miss Dayeon. Don't you think of becoming my granddaughter-in-law?"