Chapter 132
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: The Breaking Dam
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I'd told Oh Hana I'd always be honest with her, but that didn't mean I'd spew every random thought without any pretense at all. That would just make me a beast. The meaning was a bit different.
'Phew...'
For example, talking to the people we lived with. Explaining the situation and asking for their help. To put it bluntly, I was hoping for Han Aebom's assistance. It wasn't that I was dismissing Yoon Sua, but she didn't seem likely to be much help in this particular matter.
Terra Studio Apartment
Normally, I'd have walked in without a second thought, but both Oh Hana and I were a little tense. Was this the feeling of a teenager sneaking back home after running away?
"Just to be sure, Oppa."
"Yeah."
"How much are you going to tell them?"
「Beep beep beep beep!」
5844... I entered the password and said,
"Everything."
I tightly gripped Oh Hana's hand, which had been subtly pulling away, and opened the front door. The familiar sight greeted us. Han Aebom quietly reading a book before bed. Yoon Sua hanging laundry in the nice sunlight. Both women's gazes turned toward us.
I quietly opened my mouth.
"I have something to talk about."
After about an hour of Oh Hana's story, a dam came crashing down, unleashing a massive flood. The water poured out in torrents.
"Waaah, waaah... Hana, what are we gonna do. Waaah, sob, hic. Our poor Hana, what... hic, waaah, waaah..."
Yoon Sua burst into loud sobs as she tightly hugged Oh Hana and patted her back. It was the only phrase that came to mind—truly a great wailing. She cried as if it were her own tragedy, her tightly shut eyes streaming endless tears, her naturally open mouth leaking continuous sobs.
The strength in the arms hugging Oh Hana was incredible. It was the first time I'd seen veins bulging on the back of Yoon Sua's hands. Oh Hana flinched a little and gave a small smile.
"Unni, I'm... fine. It's all in the past anyway..."
"Waaah, no, that's not true. How could it be? Waaah, those people are really bad. They are truly, truly bad... sob, hic, completely, so bad. Waaah. How hard it must have been, waaah, how, how... hard."
"Ah, really... I told you I'm okay. If you keep this up, you're gonna make me tear up too, sob, hic."
Unable to hold back against Yoon Sua's empathetic comforting, Oh Hana finally started shedding tears too. Both of them sobbed and hiccuped for a good while.
Watching from behind, I felt ashamed of myself for thinking just moments ago that Yoon Sua might not be helpful.
'Hah, you idiot.'
I really must be a moron. I'd only recently realized that everyone here was enjoying the utmost happiness without a care, all thanks to Yoon Sua. And yet, like a goldfish, I'd forgotten it in an instant and had such thoughts.
Even I, now officially dating her, couldn't comfort like that. Only Yoon Sua in this house could heal the heart completely, empathize, and embrace like that.
"Ung, sniff, ung-hic, hic."
"Unni, are you okay? Lie down for a bit."
"Sorry, Hana. Unni can't help at all, I'm so sorry. Sob, hic."
In the end, Yoon Sua, having cried and raged so much that she spiked a fever, collapsed into bed. Seeing this, Oh Hana's eyes grew even more misty. Yet a relieved smile played on her lips.
"What are you talking about? It feels like something heavy on my chest just slipped away. I was really worn out. Losing family, losing my job, constantly betrayed by people I trusted... unable to settle anywhere, just drifting around. It was so hard..."
Oh Hana tightly clasped Yoon Sua's hand as she breathed shallowly and said,
"Really, thanks to you just now, I feel a bit saved. Funny for an agnostic like me to use that word. But it's true. Thank you, Unni."
"Sniff, what are you saying. I'm the one who's grateful, Hana. To grow into such a beautiful person after all that hardship. You're amazing."
Maybe Yoon Sua was an angel who'd fallen to earth temporarily for some punishment from heaven? She spoke prettily, sure, but she fundamentally carried this indescribable warmth. After eating two replicas of the elixir, that warmth had become even clearer. Now it was almost visible to the eye.
It wasn't for nothing that Han Aebom showed her vulnerable side only to Yoon Sua.
"......"
Meanwhile, amid Yoon Sua and Oh Hana's full-blown melodrama, one person stood out even more.
A glance sideways revealed Han Aebom, staring indifferently this way without changing her posture from reading her book even slightly. It felt a bit off-putting. The very fact that she was sitting on the floor.
Unable to bear the awkwardness as our eyes met, I asked,
"Aebom-ssi, what do you think?"
"About the story you just heard?"
"Yes."
Only then did Han Aebom peel her back off the wall and speak.
"First, before I say anything, please know this isn't meant to offend."
"Of course."
Oh Hana nodded too.
"We've lived under one roof for months; do you think I don't know my unni?"
Right. Everyone knew Han Aebom wasn't a bad person...
"I thought Hana had a lot more social savvy and street smarts than me, who knows nothing about the world. Now I see it all had reasons behind it."
My recent thought was rendered pointless; a wave of unfamiliarity slapped my face.
"I can even understand Vice Chairman Oh Hanam's methods. I've run into him a few times at project inspections and meetings, and it feels like he's the same as ever."
"......"
Silence followed. The kind that anyone would find uncomfortable. Even though it was clearly directed at her, Han Aebom didn't blink. If anything, she exuded an even more relaxed air.
"Hm, that's why I mentioned it beforehand, expecting those expressions. But I don't think I said anything wrong. Crying my eyes out won't change the past, or the present. Let alone the future... no need to even mention that."
Han Aebom said,
"If you want the future to change, those expressions aren't helpful."
"Aebom-ssi."
"Sorry for interrupting, but I've been through situations like this more than you might think. Ironically, when I say what I believe is right, 99 out of 100 people don't get it. They even get angry."
"......"
"But that one person who follows ends up with a very high chance of success. The people who end up stepping on others' heads prove it, Hyunwoo-ssi. Yes, like Vice Chairman Oh Hanam from that story."
Han Aebom tapped the book's cover lightly with her slender index finger and continued.
"If you want to save for the future, don't put it in the bank. Invest in Ilha Group stocks for 10 or 20 years. Ever heard that?"
I shook my head.
"No..."
"Hm, anyone thinking about fixed deposits, savings, or rolling big money has probably heard it at least once. Of course. Ilha Group invested money to create that atmosphere and rumor."
"...!"
My eyes widened.
That much? With just money, you could manipulate all of Korea's public opinion and control people?
'No, considering what Oh Hanam did... it's not entirely impossible.'
I swallowed lightly and asked,
"Is that really possible? The internet's so advanced now. I heard even conglomerates can't stop info spreading across sites."
At my words, Han Aebom laughed for the first time. Like she'd seen her cute five-year-old son's antics.
"Hyunwoo-ssi, among the big scandals that blew up like that, how many lasted? You can dig through communities and find traces or posts? And truly massive ones?"
"...!"
"It's a bit boastful from me, but think of it as living in different worlds. And the internet? Conglomerates can't block it? It's the opposite, Hyunwoo-ssi."
Han Aebom said in an indifferent tone.
"Because of the internet, we can shake more people with less money and fewer people than before. To our taste."
"...!"
Having never thought of it that way, I was hugely shocked. The internet, which I'd casually browsed for fun, suddenly felt scary.
"Of course, just spreading rumors doesn't guarantee results. But while SMEs risk everything for 100 to get 80, conglomerates get 120 back for just 80 effort."
"......"
"Why? Because conglomerates have already embedded their image and pillars into Korea. I told you before—why they spend so much on training new hires. To maintain this position. And rather than positive collaborations, they crush SMEs... it's all to protect their rice bowl in the end."
I was completely dumbfounded.
In the meantime, Han Aebom kept talking.
"Another reason: someone under me suddenly rising to my level. As far as I know, nothing's more unpleasant. Especially if they go over my head? To put it extremely, I'd want to bite my tongue off."
"......"
The shocking words were overwhelming just to process. Oh Hana seemed the same.
Han Aebom looked at the dazed Oh Hana.
"That's what I meant about understanding Vice Chairman Oh Hanam. Old-school method people hate, but wasn't it the best? In the end, you couldn't do anything. No help from the law, no personal connections to fight with."
Oh Hana bit her lip hard.
"That guy's still competent. So he must still get checked by those above. His style chokes the necks of those he grabs, so lots of people hate it. Especially chairmen."
"......"
Listening to Han Aebom, I already felt suffocated. Do real chaebols and top-dwellers really think like this? It was a picture I couldn't even imagine.
Definitely, living like that would make one excel at company management. Cold, yet piercingly aware of how the world turns. The very talent needed for business.
Actually...
Not sure if it was the effect of the newly acquired 'Grade Eye,' but that message floated above Han Aebom's head.
I clenched my fist and spoke.
"Aebom-ssi, to be honest... even with your kind explanation, I only got about half of it."
"......"
"But I think you can help Oh Hana. So, please... can you?"
Han Aebom looked at me with a hum.
"Sorry, but no."
"...!"
For a moment, my heart plummeted like it would stop.
"...That's what last year's me would have said for sure. Lucky for you, Hyunwoo-ssi? You met me this year. Heh."
"H-Huh...?"
Watching Han Aebom flash a mischievous smile like Oh Hana's, I deflated with a whoosh and slid to the floor.
Han Aebom approached and extended her hand to me.
"So, shall we negotiate a bit?"
I panted as I stared at that hand. A little unfamiliar, yet undeniably the most reliable in the world. I wordlessly took Han Aebom's hand.
