Chapter 137
Chapter 137
The Annex
“Ugh...”
A pained sound escaped through his gritted teeth, drawing everyone’s attention. Yu Yeon-seo deliberately ignored Park Geum-ju’s visible alarm.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, I get headaches sometimes. Probably stress-related.”
Ignoring the words of concern, Yu Yeon-seo swallowed the painkiller someone handed him. He gave a cursory nod to Yu Eun-ho, who was silently asking if he was okay.
“You’ve been busy lately. It’ll probably get better with some rest.”
“Make sure you’re eating well. Should I get you some herbal medicine?”
“I’m fine.”
It always gets worse when I come to this house. Yu Yeon-seo tried to ignore the annex visible through the window.
“Yeon-seo, do you have any good news?”
“Me?”
So suddenly?
“Well, you and Shin Ye-won seemed to have great chemistry in the drama.”
“Acting and reality are two different things.”
What are these aunts getting at? Yu Yeon-seo gave a small smile.
“Really? I heard that when you get immersed in a role, you can develop feelings for your co-star. Is that not the case?”
“I snap out of character quickly. And she’s not my type.”
“Aish, Brother. Sister. Shouldn’t you be setting the kids up on dates? Eun-ho doesn’t seem interested either...”
With Yu Yeon-seo’s ironclad defense, the arrow turned to Yu Geon-min and Choi Yu-jin. So this was... pressure about why they weren’t marrying off their perfectly fine sons?
‘The aunts aren’t entirely thoughtless...’
Perhaps because the inheritance was at stake, the war of nerves was no joke.
“The kids will figure it out themselves. What’s the point of us forcing them into arranged meetings?”
“Besides, it’s a trend to marry late these days.”
“And you know our Eun-ho is quick when he sets his mind to it, right? Aish, people are constantly clamoring to set him up. They say he’s the number one bachelor from a chaebol family.”
“Oh my, you too? I hear the same thing about Yeon-seo. Our sons are just so exceptional...”
“Did you know that lately, Yeon-seo is often called the number two bachelor from a chaebol family?”
Number one, number two... what’s all this? Yu Yeon-seo frowned. They had subtly deflected their sisters’ attacks into boasts about their sons.
“Still, you should let Mom and Dad see their great-grandchildren before they get any older.”
“That’s right, Brother. He’s the eldest grandson, after all...”
“Isn’t Seo-yun the closest? Weren’t you arranging something for her recently?”
The eldest aunt, Yu Min-jeong, fell silent. She had been secretly arranging blind dates for her daughter, knowing she hated it. How did her brother find out? Caught in the middle, Lee Seo-yoon’s face darkened.
“Brother, I thought you only cared about your sons, but you seem to pay a lot of attention to your surroundings.”
“Of course. It concerns my beloved sister and niece.”
Yu Geon-min smiled leisurely and took a sip of water. His gaze was quite sharp... Oh, Dad. I’m so used to seeing you dote on me, this side of you is unfamiliar. Of course, that thought didn’t last long. The moment his eyes met Yu Yeon-seo’s, he went soft again.
And watching the situation unfold in silence, a faint smile was etched on Chairman Yu’s lips.
‘What a nasty old man...’
Chairman Yu was the one who set this stage. It would have been more in character for him to just decide arbitrarily and inform everyone. Instead, he gave them a grace period, creating this war of nerves. What was his intention...?
“Children. Are you done eating?”
“No.”
As expected, Park Geum-ju was the true power in this household.
“Aren’t you all going home?”
“We’ll go in a bit.”
“...You should be like this more often!”
It seemed they were staying behind to persuade Chairman Yu. Even when he barked at them, they shamelessly held their ground. With the adults staying put, the cousins were uncomfortable but didn’t leave either.
Yu Yeon-seo, who would normally have been the first to head home, also sat quietly and observed the situation.
“I’ll leave in a bit, too.”
“You too?”
“If you don’t want me to, I’ll go.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s been a while since everyone gathered like this.”
Chairman Yu’s lips twitched. Could he have dangled the inheritance just to create this situation? It seemed plausible, and Yu Yeon-seo let out a dry laugh.
“You’re staying?”
“Yeah. I have something to investigate.”
“...Then I’ll check on the aunts first.”
Nodding at his brother’s words, Yu Yeon-seo followed the two uncles-in-law as they left the room. He was used to concealing his presence. However, he encountered an unexpected variable along the way.
“Grandmother.”
“Oh, yes.”
Park Geum-ju seemed flustered, watering a plant that had already been watered. Yu Yeon-seo took the watering can from her and gently set it aside. Park Geum-ju’s hand flinched.
“Have you been well?”
“Yes. You seem to be doing well.”
“Did you watch the drama?”
“Your grandfather was so insistent.”
So she did watch it, after all. Yu Yeon-seo let out a small sigh.
He wasn’t unaware of Park Geum-ju’s situation back then, but he hadn’t forgotten how needlessly cold she had been to him. He wasn’t sure if the lingering resentment was from the original Yu Yeon-seo or something he was experiencing now, but that feeling was gone.
Maybe it was because he’d vented his anger that day... Yu Yeon-seo felt his head begin to ache again.
“Thank you for assigning Mr. Park Jeong-ho to me.”
“It’s enough if he’s useful. I’ll keep him with you if you need him.”
“...Aren’t you curious? About what I’m doing.”
“What good would it do me to know?”
Of course. Yu Yeon-seo turned his head away. Reading the disappointment in his gesture, Park Geum-ju hastily added.
“Do I have the right?”
A trembling voice. Yu Yeon-seo didn’t know how to answer. If the real culprit was revealed, the ridiculous rumors surrounding Park Geum-ju could be cleared. But did his grandmother really need to know about the process?
Yu Yeon-seo had experienced waking in the night with a boiling murderous intent toward the culprit. And that feeling was far from pleasant.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Alright.”
He left the spot and stopped in front of the small study the two uncles-in-law had entered.
‘Will this work?’
Yu Yeon-seo clenched and unclenched his fist, contemplating something. His physical abilities had been enhanced by the soul’s influence, so... would his hearing be the same? He pressed his ear against the closed door. The voices of the two uncles-in-law were as clear as if they were standing right next to him.
“Tsk, ruining things even in death.”
“Brother-in-law. Still, to the deceased...”
“Why? Gyeong-seok, don’t you feel the same way?”
Park Gyeong-seok couldn’t bring himself to say no. After a moment’s hesitation, he let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“Honestly, I never expected to receive anything.”
“Same here.”
Chairman Yu only cared about his own bloodline. His two sons-in-law were not on his radar. The exception had been Lee Hui-seo. Perhaps because she had given birth to the eldest grandson, a genius at that, Chairman Yu had doted on her so much. He never imagined her shadow would affect the distribution of assets even after her death.
“But...”
He heard the sound of someone gulping something down. Were they close enough to have a drink together? Then again, it was unlikely there was only one ‘mastermind’. The two could be collaborators.
‘So many things to keep an eye on.’
Of course, there was also the possibility that it wasn’t the two uncles-in-law... Yu Yeon-seo sighed softly and focused on their conversation.
“I don’t know about Seon-u, but our Yu-jeong is capable and certainly not lacking in ambition. But since Brother-in-law’s family gets all the favoritism...”
“There’s nothing to be done. Anyway, that kid Yu-jeong is cheerful. My kids, on the other hand...”
Lee Yeong-taek sighed. His eldest daughter, Lee Seo-yoon, tried hard but never met Chairman Yu’s standards. His second daughter, Lee Se-ah, had picked up foreign ways while studying abroad and no longer listened to him. He just hoped they wouldn’t cause any trouble.
“That Yeon-seo kid looks like he’s going to side with Vice Chairwoman Choi anyway, so is there any reason to give him shares? He’s already received so much.”
“True.”
“Father-in-law hasn’t made his final decision yet, so all we can do is hope.”
His wife knew how to secure her own share, so he wanted to at least secure a share for his children. But he didn’t want his children’s portion going to an undeserving nephew.
Lee Yeong-taek gently swirled the glass in his hand. Separate from the inheritance issue, he acknowledged Yu Yeon-seo’s abilities. The nephew knew how to handle money. His sudden foray into the entertainment industry was unexpected, but seeing his success there, he seemed like the type who would succeed at anything.
“By the way, that Yeon-seo kid is really something else.”
“Isn’t he just like his brother?”
“If that were the case, wouldn’t Father have bragged about it all over town?”
Park Gyeong-seok nodded. From this, Yu Yeon-seo confirmed that information about him had been concealed. That was a relief. If they knew about his excellent memory, it would mean he still remembered encountering that madman. He didn’t want that fact getting back to the ‘mastermind’.
“Why can’t my kids be like that...”
“Brother-in-law, don’t be so hard on them.”
The eldest uncle-in-law, Lee Yeong-taek, seemed dissatisfied with his own children. Yu Yeon-seo thought of his dispirited cousin and scowled. What a jerk.
As if sensing his mood, Park Gyeong-seok changed the subject.
“I’m not unaware of how much Father-in-law cares for Yeon-seo.”
“...”
“Who would act like that in such a situation? At such a young age.”
“But is he going to be tied to the past forever? Yeon-seo, he doesn’t seem to remember it anymore... he’s fine, isn’t he?”
“I suppose so.”
Yu Yeon-seo found their conversation strange. He thought they would speak more comfortably and openly in private... but the content was quite formal. Were they wary of each other?
“What do you think about that incident?”
To mention that incident... Yu Yeon-seo was shaken, but he didn’t let it show.
“Is there anything to think about? It’s already over... It’s just a shame. What about you, Brother-in-law?”
“I feel the same.”
As the conversation veered into heavy territory, Lee Yeong-taek naturally changed the subject.
“How’s business?”
“Well, it’s the same as always.”
“I hear you’re doing well overseas these days.”
“Is that because of me? It’s all thanks to Seon-yeong... How about you, Brother-in-law? You must be aiming for the commissioner general position soon, right?”
The conversation devolved into catching up on each other’s lives. Believing there was nothing more to gain, Yu Yeon-seo pulled his ear from the door and headed back to the living room, acting as if he had just returned from the restroom.
‘The annex... I need to investigate that place too...’
The throbbing headache was bothering him. But his eyes kept drifting toward it, which made him think it wasn’t him, but something related to the original body... Now that his memories were more than halfway synced, he couldn’t ignore these instinctual urges.
“Where are you going?”
“There.”
“The annex?”
Yu Eun-ho grabbed his brother, his eyes widening.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Why?”
“You wouldn’t even look at that place.”
“...Did I?”
Still, something about it bothered him, and he felt compelled to go... Yu Yeon-seo walked outside as if possessed. Yu Eun-ho followed him.
“...It was here.”
He had replayed the memory so many times, he could never forget.
“The place where you ran into that psycho?”
“It sounds weird hearing you say ‘psycho’.”
“What, am I not human?”
Yu Eun-ho let out a short laugh. Of course, he wasn’t genuinely amused. He was trying to ease the tension with a laugh, worried that something like last time might happen again.
“Let’s go back, even now.”
“Just a moment.”
Yu Yeon-seo approached the annex, then stopped at a certain point. It was probably the room where Lee Hui-seo had been. The shimmering form in the air looked the same as the ones he usually saw, but the shock to his body was immense.
“Ugh...!”
Wow, I can’t handle this place yet.