Chapter 118
Chapter 118
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Convincing the Mother
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Stroking his chin as he recalled someone.
‘By the way… I wonder what kind of face he’s making right now.’
Chen Lian, who had lost everything because of him, must have been blinded by rage by now.
If they ran into each other anywhere, he might just start shooting or come at him with a knife.
Imagining that scene, Lee Dae-hyuk let out a sneer.
But.
‘Yeah… it’s not the time to just sit around grinning.’
Truth be told, he couldn’t afford to simply revel in this.
He still had one final task left: Steven Jobs’s reoperation.
‘I need to persuade Steven’s mother first.’
This was a critically important time for Steven Jobs.
He wasn’t the type to obediently undergo surgery and take it easy.
It would be better to convince him through his birth mother.
And if that didn’t work?
Then he’d enlist the help of Steven Jobs’s adoptive parents, wife, and daughter.
‘Innovation matters, but people come first.’
A genius like Steven Jobs needed to live even a little longer.
That was more important than any immediate profits.
‘In the end, Apple’s stock price will soar anyway.’
Even setting aside the humanitarian and greater good aspects, as long as Steven Jobs stayed alive, Apple’s shares would multiply tenfold, twentyfold in the future.
‘Right. Let’s just focus on saving a life.’
With his resolve hardened, Lee Dae-hyuk resumed his run.
***
At the same time.
Steven Jobs was groaning in his bed.
“Ugh… ughhh…!”
Afraid his wife or daughter might hear, he clenched his teeth and swallowed his groans.
On top of that, Steven Jobs was now gripped by a profound sense of loss.
It was because Chen Lian—the man he had relied on so heavily—had vanished without a word.
‘Damn it. I’m not some kid… so why am I like this?’
It felt like one of the pillars propping up his mind had crumbled.
Still, Steven Jobs vowed to endure even this.
He was used to being abandoned and betrayed… so this kind of emptiness or sense of loss would fade soon enough.
The problem was the pain in his body.
‘What do I do now? Should I look for another oriental medicine clinic?’
Clutching the edge of the blanket, Steven Jobs sank into thought.
***
After the heated exchange with the middle-aged man, Lee Dae-hyuk had briefly savored a vacation-like respite.
Comfortable meals, strolls, workouts, reading…
‘Come to think of it, this is the first real luxury I’ve enjoyed with this body.’
But that luxury had ended all too soon.
A call came in from Eagle Hound.
- Mr. Lee. Chris Bale speaking.
Chris Bale’s voice carried a mix of stifled frustration and irritation.
Something must have gone wrong.
‘No way?’
“Has it been found out?”
- Sigh… It’s escalated into a potential legal mess. Please come to the office.
“Understood.”
After hanging up, Lee Dae-hyuk let out a sigh.
Just as he’d expected, Martha Williams had caught on.
‘Fine. If I’m going to get spanked, better rip the bandage off quick.’
And yet… for some reason.
‘Whew…’
It felt more tense than meeting Chen Lian or beating down that bomb terrorist.
Even more nerve-wracking than blackmailing one of the heads of a secret organization.
But what choice did he have?
There was no such thing as an enjoyable chore.
Lee Dae-hyuk prodded Yoon Tae-ho, who was eating chocolate pudding right in front of him.
“I need to head to Eagle Hound.”
“As expected, trouble’s brewed.”
Yoon Tae-ho seemed to have picked up on it already, asking no further questions.
Instead, he jumped to his feet to follow Lee Dae-hyuk.
“Is it… because of that gentleman’s mother?”
“…Yes.”
“But… Young Master.”
“Yes?”
“Your face is a bit…”
Yoon Tae-ho mimicked Lee Dae-hyuk’s expression in an exaggerated, comical tone.
“Honestly… I’m nervous. More than ever.”
Yoon Tae-ho furrowed his brow at Lee Dae-hyuk’s half-joking remark, which wasn’t entirely a joke.
“Sincerity will get through.”
“Yes. It had better…”
***
Eagle Hound’s reception room.
The elderly Martha Williams and a white woman lawyer in her twenties were glaring daggers.
“……”
“……”
Sitting across from them were Chris Bale and Lee Dae-hyuk.
“Hello. I’m Jessica Ronster from Justice & Pride. You’ve already heard the story, right?”
The white female lawyer extended a business card toward Lee Dae-hyuk.
Having already spoken with Chris Bale, she seemed eager to dive straight into the main topic.
And Lee Dae-hyuk, who wasn’t oblivious to that.
“Hello. I’m Lee Dae-hyuk, a businessman from Korea. First off, I sincerely apologize for my rudeness.”
He handed over his own card and bowed his head politely.
Martha Williams, who had been pursing her lips at his apology, glanced at Jessica.
“May I… talk?”
“Yes.”
Jessica nodded.
She was the representative, but they weren’t in litigation yet.
No need to block the conversation entirely.
Besides.
‘Truth be told, I’m curious myself.’
Why he’d tried to protect an old lady with no connection to him.
After exchanging glances with her, Martha spoke up.
“I heard you were protecting me without me even noticing… but why?”
A brief silence.
“…Because of your son.”
“……!!! ”
Martha’s eyes bulged at Lee Dae-hyuk’s single remark.
If he was referring to her son…
‘No way—he protected me because of Steven?’
Martha couldn’t comprehend it.
Her son didn’t even know about her.
How could he?
As Martha floundered in confusion, Jessica cut in.
“My client has no adult son.”
“…Ms. Lawyer. Could you step out for a moment?”
Jessica was taken aback by Martha’s request.
Asking her own lawyer to leave the room?
One slip of the tongue could put her at a disadvantage.
But.
“……”
Tremble—
Seeing Martha’s hands shaking faintly, she changed her mind.
Her confused eyes brimmed with pathos and sorrow.
And knowing that Lee Dae-hyuk’s bizarre actions stemmed from goodwill, Jessica nodded.
“…All right. Call me if anything comes up.”
Jessica rose from her seat.
Chris Bale followed her out of the reception room.
“……”
“……”
In the end, only Lee Dae-hyuk and Martha remained.
A short silence passed, and Martha spoke first.
“At first, I had no idea what was going on… but after hearing you out, I think I get the gist.”
“……”
“What do you know about me?”
“…Just that you’re a mother who loves her son.”
Even in actual history, there was scant information about Martha.
Once it came out that she was Steven Jobs’s birth mother, interview requests had flooded in.
‘But she never once revealed herself. Except for that one time…’
At Steven Jobs’s funeral.
The image of her—who had outlived her son—embracing his adoptive parents and sobbing had made the news.
‘There won’t be any such tragedy this time around.’
Recalling that scene in his mind, Lee Dae-hyuk spoke in a gentle tone.
“Martha. I’m Steven’s friend. And right now, that friend… is in a lot of pain.”
“Steven… is ill?”
It felt like her heart plummeted.
Martha’s eyes widened.
She had resolved never to appear before her son.
But a mother was still a mother.
She couldn’t help but be shocked at the news that her child was suffering.
“I can’t believe it. That boy’s incredibly wealthy, and… uh… he has, countless medical professionals at his side…”
“You don’t have to believe me. But… I worry you’ll regret it.”
‘You’re someone who’s lost her son twice.’
Lee Dae-hyuk gazed straight at Martha.
His eyes held no trace of guilt or hesitation.
In contrast.
“Ah, ah… uh…”
Perhaps out of worry for her child, Martha’s eyes shook violently.
Even so, she didn’t drop her guard.
“I-if this is some lie meant to use me…”
“Shall I get it notarized with your lawyer?”
“……?”
“If anything I’ve said is false, and I harm you or Steven in any way.”
“……”
“I’ll compensate with every penny of my assets.”
“What?”
Martha’s eyes grew even wider.
Compensate with his entire fortune?
Seeing her bewilderment, Lee Dae-hyuk continued.
“It’s for a friend—a genius who’ll change the world. I need your help.”
“Ah, ah. I…”
“Please.”
Martha wavered at Lee Dae-hyuk’s plea, poured straight from the heart.
‘Y-yeah. What would this man gain by lying to me?’
After agonizing for a moment, Martha finally nodded.
“What do I need to do to help? No—before that, my son. What’s wrong with him?”
“I’ll… explain.”
.
.
.
Lee Dae-hyuk gave a concise rundown of Steven Jobs’s condition.
He suspected a recurrence of pancreatic cancer but was refusing surgery and relying entirely on oriental medicine.
“Apple, the iPhone—nothing is more important right now than Steven’s life.”
“That boy…”
Martha couldn’t go on.
Before he was her son, she had admired Steven Jobs.
A titan who changed the world.
She had secretly taken pride in the fact that the child she bore had achieved feats worthy of the history books.
To think that such a son was being ravaged by illness…
Would he even listen if she tried to convince him?
She couldn’t be sure he’d believe his mother appearing out of nowhere.
“Could I even convince him? Would that boy really listen to me?”
Lee Dae-hyuk nodded at her question.
“Steven believes in your sincere love. He’s never once hated you. He’s always been grateful.”
“Grateful…?”
“Because he realized you didn’t abandon him—you entrusted him to a better family. And that’s precisely why we have the Steven Jobs of today.”
Abandoning a child is heartbreaking.
Yet Martha had spared no effort: personally meeting prospective adoptive parents, visiting agencies, all to find the best possible home for him.
‘That was her way… of loving her child.’
Lee Dae-hyuk felt a sting in his nose.
A young woman barely into her twenties, rather than cursing the husband who fled, had carried her swaddled infant from door to door in search of adopters.
Even though her own life must have been grueling.
And now, Steven Jobs understood the meaning of those efforts better than anyone.
“Mrs. Martha. This is your chance to take your son’s hand. This time, you won’t have to let go by force.”
Lee Dae-hyuk’s soft, earnest words sank into Martha’s ears.
“…….”
After several seconds of thought.
In the silence, she made her decision.
“Yes. This time… just this once, I’ll hold on tight.”
Lee Dae-hyuk nodded, a smile of relief crossing his face.
“Thank you.”
***
Apple headquarters conference room.
As he walked the hallway, Steven Jobs felt a twinge of curiosity.
‘Dae-hyuk has something urgent to tell me? Enough to come all the way here?’
An important message to deliver in Apple’s conference room, no less.
And on top of that.
‘Someone he wants to introduce…’
He’d heard from his secretaries that Lee Dae-hyuk had a companion.
An elderly woman he’d never seen before, apparently. Steven Jobs cocked his head.
‘Who could it be?’
Dragging along some unknown old lady to share vital information?
It was baffling.
But.
‘What could it be…? What surprise is he planning this time…’
At the same time, a flicker of anticipation stirred.
If it was Dae-hyuk, it could be a gift he’d never see coming.
Thud, thud-!!
Creak—!!!
Steven Jobs threw open the conference room door, expectation alight.
And then.
“……!!! ”
The moment he spotted the elderly woman, Steven Jobs’s face drained of color.
The woman gazed at him with sorrowful eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Somehow… it felt familiar.
‘No way?’
His very genes were whispering it.
The woman before him…
Was the ‘mother’ who had given birth to him.
