The Lost 100 Billion (2)

A look of relief washed over Choi Yujung’s face. "Of course. I enjoy talking with you as well." It was a bit of lip service, but it warmed the atmosphere between them nonetheless.

"I survived thanks to Suran-noona."

Choi Yujung’s body stiffened for a moment. The topic she had accidentally brought up earlier had resurfaced. However, since he was the one who had brought it up and she had agreed to continue the conversation, she decided to listen quietly to Jung Woo-ho.

"It was around Daegu. We were fleeing toward Busan at the time. Suran-noona’s father had been a landowner in North Korea, and the communists executed all the landowners."

"Oh..."

"Suran-noona’s parents gave her all the small valuables they had that could be traded for money, and she came to find me. She asked if I wanted to run away with her."

"So you were together."

Jung Woo-ho nodded with a faint smile. "Yes. I was a servant at Suran-noona’s house. She had been very fond of me since I was young. She would boil seed potatoes for me, or make chicken soup with the seed hens. Of course, she got scolded terribly by her parents every time she did that."

The middle-aged man’s face wore the expression of a child as he recalled the memories.

"So I followed her. Suran-noona sold the jewelry she had and headed to Busan with me. But on the way, we encountered the North Korean army in Daegu."

"Ah..."

Jung Woo-ho sighed as he looked at Choi Yujung, who wore a look of pity, and continued his story.

"To be precise, the North Korean army was moving faster than us. We had no choice but to hide. At the time, the North Korean army killed everyone fleeing toward the south."

"I heard that was the case... I was just a baby then, so I don't remember, but I heard the story from my father..."

Jung Woo-ho’s face turned pale with fear as if he were reliving that moment.

"We were heading toward Busan, but the North Korean army was behind us. So we hid in some nearby bushes. Everyone who couldn't hide in time was killed by the North Korean army’s gunfire."

Hearing this, Choi Yujung wondered, 'But you hid...?' If they had hidden, he wouldn't have lost his first love. But Jung Woo-ho’s next words explained everything.

"The North Korean army began searching the area after killing the people on the road. They suspected people were hiding. And then..."

A single tear rolled down Jung Woo-ho’s eye.

"Suran-noona whispered to me, 'Never come out,' and then she ran out. She shouted, 'Long live South Korea!' And then..."

Jung Woo-ho couldn't bring himself to finish the story and wiped his tears with a handkerchief.

"I'm sorry. I brought up bad memories for no reason... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

After wiping his tears, Jung Woo-ho forced a smile and shook his head.

"No, it's me who should apologize for bringing up such a story."

"No. Really... it's fine..."

Jung Woo-ho gathered his strength, put on a bright expression, and continued.

"Anyway, because of what happened then, I started taking care of orphans. I didn't want to live the life Suran-noona had given me in vain, and I couldn't just leave children who had suffered similar pain to me."

"Is that when you started helping orphans?"

As Jung Woo-ho nodded, he was surprised at himself. 'I can't believe I'm telling someone else this...' In truth, this was a story Jung Woo-ho had never told anyone in his life. But today, he had spilled it without even realizing it. Perhaps it was because sitting next to him was Suran-noona—no, someone who looked exactly like her. It felt like he was confessing his inner thoughts, saying, 'Noona, this is how I’ve lived until now.' So, he shared something even more personal.

"During our flight, there was something Suran-noona often said. 'If I marry ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you later, I’ll give you a daughter and a son. Let’s live happily as the four of us,' she said."

"She really was... a cheerful person."

"Yes, she really was. It got to the point where, even though I was just a servant, her parents would point at me and say, 'You... you wouldn't be able to find anyone else if it weren't for her.'"

For a moment, Choi Yujung almost laughed, but she desperately held it back.

"You can laugh. Honestly, I think it's funny too."

"Oh, no! I-I'm fine."

Jung Woo-ho continued as Choi Yujung desperately suppressed her laughter.

"Anyway, while helping orphans, I ended up getting married. The owner of the place where I worked introduced me to his daughter, and I had no choice but to go along with it."

"I can understand that feeling a little. Of course, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my marriage was a political one that I chose myself."

Seeing Choi Yujung empathize with him, Jung Woo-ho revealed even more of his inner thoughts.

"But we couldn't have children. So I went to the hospital, and they told me I was infertile. Back then, when I was lying in the bushes waiting for the North Korean army to pass, a very sharp rock was pressing into my lower abdomen. The doctor said that was likely the cause."

"Oh..."

Choi Yujung’s sigh of genuine pity echoed in the air.

"So I tried to adopt. I’m a bad man, but I thought I should at least fulfill the happiness Suran-noona wanted. But my wife refused."

"...Do you resent your wife?"

"No, I don't resent her. Honestly, it would be strange if she did understand. In exchange for paying my wife a substantial alimony, I adopted two children just before the divorce. And I kept the custody."

"Phew, that’s a relief at least."

"Is it really a relief?"

Choi Yujung looked startled at Jung Woo-ho’s bitter smile.

"Yes?"

"When the children were in middle school, I accidentally found their biological parents."

Choi Yujung couldn't answer and just nodded. Jung Woo-ho’s life was so full of ups and downs that she found it difficult to show empathy lightly.

"And after the children became adults, I accidentally saw them meeting their biological parents."

Jung Woo-ho’s ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠words continued with a sigh.

"The children said this: 'We prefer our real parents over a fake dad.' If young children had said that, I might have understood, but since they were adults..."

"How could they... say such a thing..."

"Since then, I’ve quietly observed the situation. The assets I had transferred to them in advance were being quietly moved to their biological parents without even consulting me. When they said they wanted to live independently, I let them, only to find out they were living with their biological parents. Without saying a word to me..."

Jung Woo-ho continued with a tearful voice.

"Now they don't even come to see me. They’ve decided that they are the only ones who will inherit my wealth. If I had even one biological child, those kids would have at least treated me with a fake smile..."

Choi Yujung covered her mouth with her hand, looking shocked.

"From then on, I cut off support for the orphanage. I had spent my whole life trying to grant just one of Suran-noona’s wishes, but it turned out I couldn't even grant half of it. In the end, the children were just acting in front of me. Because of how they were, my arrow of resentment even reached the children at the orphanage..."

Choi Yujung instinctively placed her hand on Jung Woo-ho’s shoulder as he fell silent.

"I can't say I dare to understand that feeling, but I think I would have been the same. You raised them your whole life... and not just raised them, but carried the burden of two people alone..."

This was the final blow. Jung Woo-ho looked at Choi Yujung with teary eyes.

"Did I really do nothing wrong?"

"You didn't. You really didn't..."

"I didn't, right? I didn't, right...?"

In the end, Jung Woo-ho burst into tears. And at that sight, Choi Yujung quietly stood up from her seat and hugged him.

"Noona... Noona..."

The scent was different from his first love, the voice was different, and the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠person was different, but Jung Woo-ho wept in Choi Yujung’s arms, calling her "Noona" over and over. A man in his 50s calling a woman in her 30s "Noona." But Choi Yujung did not shy away from his actions.

'A pitiful man...'

After some time passed and Jung Woo-ho had calmed down, he left the orphanage after telling Choi Yujung how sorry and grateful he was. And a moment later, Jung Woo-ho found a public phone and dialed the number he had received from Choi Cheol-kyu.

"Ah, President Choi. May I ask for one favor? It’s a request I must make, man to man."

A countryside restaurant on the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do. Since it had been rented out for the entire day, there wasn't even an owner present. A bodyguard had simply left two cups of tea between Jung Woo-ho and Choi Yujung.

"I didn't intentionally mean to deceive..."

Jung Woo-ho started to say this, but then changed his mind and spoke honestly.

"I did intentionally deceive you. I am sorry. I thought if you knew my true identity, you would leave immediately, so I didn't tell you. I am truly sorry..."

Seeing Jung Woo-ho sitting across the table with his head bowed, Choi Yujung recalled her conversation with Yoon-gi yesterday.

At Yoon-gi’s considerate response to decide for herself, Choi Yujung chose to meet him. Because she wanted to know more about why he had asked to meet her. The result was this tense situation right now.

"But why did you deceive me? I’m not asking if you deceived me because of your relationship with my father; I’m asking why you approached me."

"That is..."

"Are you planning to say it was because of your first love? Because I resemble your first love?"

"Yes."

It was an expected answer, but Choi Yujung felt a bit deflated. It meant he had only approached her because she looked like his first love. When they had talked a few days ago, Choi Yujung had felt a liking for Jung Woo-ho. Even though he was older, his appearance of trying to protect the pure heart of his youth until old age had seemed to shine.

"Yujung-ssi, if what you are thinking right now is what I suspect, it is not the case."

"You know what I'm thinking..."

Jung Woo-ho guessed Choi Yujung’s thoughts accurately.

"It is true that I approached you because you reminded me of my first love. However, the reason I requested this meeting now is because I felt attracted to you as a person, Yujung-ssi. When I opened up to you yesterday, you listened quietly, empathized, and comforted me. That is when I felt attracted to you."

"Isn't that just because that aspect of me also resembles your first love?"

"...If you put it that way, I have nothing to say, but I am sincere. Please believe me."

Jung Woo-ho was sincere. If he had chosen Choi Yujung solely for her appearance, he would have asked Choi Cheol-kyu to introduce them the day they spoke. But Jung Woo-ho wanted to gain a few days rather than asking for an immediate introduction. Because he would disappear. Once the full-scale war with YK began, he wouldn't even have the chance to see Choi Yujung from afar. But as it happened, they ended up talking directly, and Jung Woo-ho had fallen for Choi Yujung. Jung Woo-ho’s heart, which had been lost for a long time after losing Suran-noona, had found a sanctuary in Choi Yujung.

"So, are you confessing to me right now?"

"...Yes, I am."

Choi Yujung gave a bitter smile, as if she found it absurd.

"Chairman, I am in my 30s. There must be young, slim, and pretty women in their 20s lining up around you, so why choose me?"

"As I said..."

Choi Yujung cut him off.

"I don't trust you right now, Chairman. I can only think that you are trying to seduce me to gain an advantage in this matter. Isn't the timing too suspicious?"

"That is why..."

Choi Yujung cut him off again. Her eyes welled up with tears. Choi Yujung also felt a significant sense of betrayal because she had felt a liking for Jung Woo-ho yesterday.

"It doesn't make sense logically. My father said this chaebol war happened because of inheritance and gifts, and you are on the opposing side, the vanguard at that. How can I trust the words of someone like that? I have my own integrity too! I may be a widow in my late 30s, but I have integrity! Yet you..."

Seeing Choi Yujung actually shedding tears, Jung Woo-ho was genuinely flustered. But on the other hand, he was overjoyed. Because it confirmed that Choi Yujung had indeed felt a liking for him.

"Yujung-ssi, the reason I became the vanguard of this matter... was because I thought it was my burden, even though they are adopted children who will abandon me and leave. I was trying to take responsibility somehow. But talking with you, I realized what I had been missing. I hadn't understood the 'essence' of what Suran-noona wanted and was only focusing on the 'means.' I have no feelings for my adopted children now."

He called them "adopted children" openly instead of calling them his children. But Choi Yujung couldn't believe him.

"I don't believe you! How can I trust someone who deceived me once!"

At Choi Yujung’s firm yet emotional behavior, Jung Woo-ho finally drew his sword.

"Yujung-ssi, within the next three days, I will show you something that will convince you. Please wait just three days."

Jung Woo-ho didn't say anything more. He simply left a handkerchief on the table and stood up.