That person was one of the men Tae Jin used to play with.

I belatedly remembered what she had said while showing me a photo taken together.

Why is that bastard here?

That thought was brief.

Sirak spotted Hye Sook and spoke with a sharp tone.

“Lady, what are you looking at? It’s making me uncomfortable.”

“I’m sorry. You resemble someone I know.”

As Sirak passed by, Hye Sook carefully examined his face again.

To think our Tae Jin was involved with such a person. Just the thought made her shudder.

It was clear that all those KK Foods people were unsavory characters.

Hye Sook kept glancing towards the entrance of the KK Foods building while checking the time.

[This is the timeline separator]

Today, Do Joon had a late afternoon meeting scheduled, so he would be working late.

Feeling a bit hungry, Tae Yeon got up, thinking of eating some snacks in the pantry.

Just then. Sirak, who had been away from his desk for a long time, entered the office and called out to Tae Yeon.

“Assistant Manager Jin.”

“Yes, Manager.”

“You’re not busy right now, are you?”

Sirak clicked his computer a few times and then looked at Tae Yeon.

“I just sent you an urgent report by email that needs to be finished. I need you to organize it by tomorrow morning.”

It was always like this. Sirak often pushed his work onto subordinates and was frequently away from his desk.

“Um, Manager.”

“What?”

Sirak, who was packing up to leave, looked at Tae Yeon with an irritated expression, as if asking why she was calling him.

“I also have some work to do related to the new konjac rice product.”

“So?”

As Tae Yeon smiled awkwardly, Sirak put on a brazen face.

“Do my report first before that. I’m counting on you.”

With that, he left the office without waiting for Tae Yeon’s response.

“Sigh.”

She had no intention whatsoever of doing Sirak’s report for him.

If the report due tomorrow wasn’t properly done, it would be Sirak who’d get in trouble with the higher-ups anyway.

Just then. Tae Yeon’s phone rang.

It was a call from Hye Sook, who hadn’t contacted her in a very long time.

When she didn’t answer, the call quickly ended and a message arrived shortly after.

[Tae Yeon, Mama’s in front of your company. I thought you might be working without dinner, so I brought you a packed meal.]

What scheme could she be up to now, doing something she’d never done before?

She thought about ignoring it, but Hye Sook was the type to find a way into the company building no matter what.

For example, she might introduce herself at the info desk as Chairman Cha’s mother-in-law.

The thought made her dizzy.

Tae Yeon hurriedly caught the elevator going down to the first floor. She was anxious.

As soon as the elevator doors opened with a ding− on the first floor, Tae Yeon saw Hye Sook arguing with the info desk staff.

She had to stop Hye Sook from talking. Tae Yeon called out to Hye Sook loudly.

“Mom!”

Hearing that, Hye Sook looked up.

Seeing Tae Yeon running over from afar, she raised her hand high.

As Tae Yeon approached, the info desk staff asked,

“Are you Assistant Manager Jin Tae Yeon from the New Business Team?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Your mother kept insisting on going up to the company…”

“Ah, I think it’s because she couldn’t reach me. Mom, come here.”

Tae Yeon grabbed Hye Sook’s arm and pulled her out of the building.

“What brings you all the way to my workplace?”

“What do you mean? You must be busy these days, right? I thought you might be skipping dinner to work, so I brought you a packed meal. I brought one for Sir Cha too…”

“Mom? Let’s go over to that bench first.”

Before Hye Sook could say anything more careless. She had to take her to a private space.

An ominous feeling came over Tae Yeon.

[This is the timeline separator]

A bench in a secluded corner near the company building.

It was a place long neglected, where people rarely visited.

Moreover, since it was past quitting time, there was even less chance of anyone coming around here.

It was perfect for having a quiet conversation with Hye Sook.

Tae Yeon stared at the lunchbox placed between herself and Hye Sook and asked.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a lunchbox that Hye Sook had packed herself.

Wondering about Hye Sook’s true intentions for coming all the way to her workplace, Tae Yeon spoke.

“Mom, this is just an excuse, isn’t it?”

“You’re right. This is an excuse. I don’t have any other way to see you, so what else can I do?”

Hye Sook readily admitted that wanting to give Tae Yeon a homemade lunchbox was just a pretext for visiting the company.

Hye Sook clicked her tongue.

“Do you know how harshly Sir Cha spoke to your father?”

“What?”

“He said we’re obsessing over you and putting pressure on you.”

Tae Yeon smiled faintly.

Obsession. Yes, what President Jin and Hye Sook were doing to her was obsession.

It seemed that no matter how much Do Joon told them to stay away, it had no effect on the Jin couple.

Evidenced by how they came to find her using this lunchbox as an excuse.

Hye Sook looked at Tae Yeon and spoke coldly.

“Sir Cha says he’ll invest in Chasin Dairy? He says if KK Group leads the investment, it’ll be easier to pull in money from other places.”

“I don’t know. You should ask him directly.”

“Hey, do you know why I married you into that family? If I married you into such a good family, shouldn’t you show some gratitude in return?”

She couldn’t send Tae Jin as Do Joon’s wife. But she couldn’t let go of KK Group either.

Tae Yeon knew very well that’s why she had been sent.

It was absurd how they were acting as if they had done her a favor by arranging the marriage.

“I’ll try to talk to Do Joon tonight about considering it positively.”

“You should have done that earlier! Earlier!”

Hye Sook suddenly shouted and then let out a deep sigh.

It was obvious she would get an earful from President Jin if she returned home without a proper answer.

It wasn’t Tae Yeon’s fault, but to Hye Sook, Tae Yeon was the cause of everything.

If she had been a bit more gentle with Do Joon, the investment wouldn’t have been this difficult.

Hye Sook spoke harsh words without hesitation, clearly displeased.

“With that pretty face of yours, how can you not even win over Sir Cha’s heart?”

Normally, she would have stayed quiet, wishing for this moment to end quickly, but today, strangely, she felt defiant.

For some reason, Tae Yeon found the courage to talk back to Hye Sook.

“Mom. Do Joon has only been in Korea for a month.”

“So what.”

“At first, you told me to just live as if I didn’t exist.”

“The situation is different now. Sir Cha has come to Korea. Didn’t I tell you to do whatever it takes to secure that investment?”

“Can’t Chasin Dairy come up with a more impressive overseas business plan?”

Seeing Tae Yeon’s unwavering, firm gaze, Hye Sook’s lips trembled.

“Are you insulting your father’s business now?”

“Insult? If it’s worth investing in, of course…”

With a slap− sound, Tae Yeon’s head turned to the other side.

A stinging sensation spread across her cheek. Tae Yeon raised her hand to cover her cheek.

“Mom…”

“How dare you insult someone, you little…”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“After raising you all this time, you don’t even know how to be grateful. Who brought Chasin Dairy, which was nothing, to where it is now? How can you judge such a person like that?”

She should have just stayed quiet today too. If she had, this time would have passed quietly.

Hye Sook’s rambling continued, but there was something strange about it.

As far as Tae Yeon knew, President Jin was the founder of Chasin Dairy. That’s why he was putting in so much effort.

But what Hye Sook just said was somehow odd.

If Chasin Dairy had been created by President Jin from the beginning, she wouldn’t have called it “nothing”.

Moreover, she said they had brought Chasin Dairy, which was nothing, to where it is now.

It sounded as if they had taken over someone else’s business and made it successful.

Something about those words was strange.

Tae Yeon raised her head to face Hye Sook.

“Mom, about what you just said.”

“What!!”

“You said Chasin Dairy was nothing, didn’t you?”

“Hey! When did I!”

Hye Sook furrowed her brow and shouted again.

“Oh my, you’re really cunning. Have you been thinking like that all this time?”

“No. You just said that, Mom.”

“Huh. This is why raising children is all for nothing. So you didn’t care whether we got the investment or not? Because it’s a worthless company?”

Hye Sook stood up abruptly. Then she raised her lady’s bag as if to strike Tae Yeon’s face.

Like Tae Jin, Hye Sook had a particular fondness for flashy things. The bag Hye Sook brought today had many dangling accessories. The metal block charms sparkled in the light.

Watching the bag coming down towards her, Tae Yeon closed her eyes tightly and lowered her head.

She expected to feel a heavy and painful sensation on her face, but it didn’t come.

A very familiar scent reached her nose, and she felt a warm presence above her.

“Oh my! Sir Cha…”

At that sound, Tae Yeon slowly opened her eyes.

What she saw was Do Joon in a neat suit.

“Oh? Do Joon.”

Facing the source of the warmth enveloping her body, Tae Yeon opened her eyes wide in surprise.

Hye Sook was at a loss, stomping her feet. It seemed she had struck Do Joon’s back with the bag she had raised to hit Tae Yeon.

“Oh no, Sir Cha! Where did you come from? More importantly, are you alright?”

Hye Sook dropped her bag on the ground with a thud− and turned pale.

To think she had struck the future heir of KK Group with her bag.

She had come to secure an investment, but now she had really messed things up.

Do Joon slightly furrowed his brow and straightened his back. As if he couldn’t hear Hye Sook’s words, his gaze was fixed solely on Tae Yeon.

“Jin Tae Yeon, are you alright?”

“What? Oh, yes. But Do Joon, are you okay?”

Tae Yeon got up from the bench and looked at Do Joon with concerned eyes.

Do Joon seemed uncomfortable where Hye Sook had hit his back, trying to reach behind him. Due to his thick arms, he couldn’t reach his back and was struggling.

“Oh no, what should I do…”

Hye Sook kept muttering the same words like a fool.

Tae Yeon went behind Do Joon and stood there.

“Would you like to take off your suit jacket?”

Do Joon silently took off his jacket.

After checking Do Joon’s back, Tae Yeon’s eyes trembled violently.