“Yes, have a seat.”

Although a bottle of whiskey was already empty, Cha Yong Hee appeared unaffected. There was no smell of alcohol.

Cha Yong Hee poured whiskey into an empty glass.

“Drink.”

“Thank you.”

Yang Ju Ri turned her head and downed the glass of whiskey in one go.

After emptying her glass, Yang Ju Ri waited for Cha Yong Hee to speak.

“The thing is, I want to give a gift to our nephew.”

“…What kind of gift?”

“A treat.”

Cha Yong Hee said this and then burst into laughter. Yang Ju Ri awkwardly laughed along.

“But I can’t find a suitable treat. Well, do you have any good ideas?”

Yang Ju Ri was grateful that Cha Yong Hee had called her. However, she was also anxious. Being called like this meant things weren’t going according to her plan.

“I think you could give a gift to Song Da Eun, if not to Director Cha.”

At Yang Ju Ri’s words, Cha Yong Hee laughed again. It was as if she was saying, “Is that all you have to say after I called you here?”

“I was too complacent. The two of them have been close since college, it won’t be easy to break them apart.”

Yang Ju Ri spoke with mock seriousness.

“Close, you say…”

Cha Yong Hee knew that the two had attended the same university. However, she had never thought they would be sincere about each other. The difference in their family backgrounds was too great.

Moreover, Cha Yu Kwon had Se Yeon. They were an old couple whose families had promised their marriage since childhood.

Since childhood, Cha Yu Kwon was the type to keep precious things hidden away. Even when given his favorite chocolate, he wouldn’t eat it right away but would save it and eat one piece at a time.

“Well, I admit their connection is deep. But that’s all. A tearfully unfortunate family background and nothing to her name. The only thing worth considering is her clever mind. Isn’t she perfect for exploitation?”

“That’s right, a card to use once and discard.”

“The same goes for you.”

In other words, prove your worth.

Yang Ju Ri opened her mouth, pretending to be calm.

“Madam, you haven’t even used half of my potential yet. I am Song Da Eun’s weakness.”

Yang Ju Ri said with a grin.

“Song Da Eun is my father’s daughter.”

“Are you saying you two are sisters?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what? What kind of soap opera is this?”

Yang Ju Ri smiled slightly. Fortunately, Cha Yong Hee was showing interest.

“Where is this father?”

“He’s in a nursing home. He can’t move.”

Before Jun Il collapsed, he and Ji Hwa had already fake divorced due to debt. After he collapsed, Ji Hwa abandoned him without looking back.

He wasn’t her biological father anyway, and Yang Ju Ri was deeply hurt by the fact that Jun Il had a biological daughter, so abandoning him was all too easy.

Now Jun Il was being cared for by his younger sister. Since then, Ji Hwa and Yang Ju Ri had never once visited him.

“The shell may have changed, but the core remains the same. We could use her father as leverage, or even her family. Especially her crippled mother.”

“Family? Crippled mother?”

Family was the reason for eight-tenths of Da Eun’s misfortune.

Da Eun was smart and pretty. She could have lived well on her own abilities, but the reason she lived so poorly was one thing. Because of her family clinging to her ankles.

Incompetent parents who were inadequately kind were more troublesome to their children than wicked parents.

It’s difficult to cut ties, so she keeps being swayed. Being exploited for life by foolish family members who don’t sink into the quagmire alone.

If Da Eun hadn’t married Cha Yu Kwon, it was obvious she would have lived a life no different from her mother.

“Draw up a scenario. Get approval directly from me.”

Finally, an opportunity…!

There was still a long way to go, but she had proven her usefulness.

At that time, there was the variable of Cha Yu Kwon, but now it was different.

A person with plenty can’t beat a desperate person.

Right now, Yang Ju Ri was desperate. More than anyone else in the world.

The scorching heat retreated, and autumn arrived.

Da Eun liked spring and autumn the best. However, they were so short that the seasons passed before she could fully enjoy them.

Chairman Cha Myung Il reduced Cha Yu Kwon’s workload drastically, as if offering a big sale. It seemed he was quite eager to see his great-grandchild.

Da Eun felt guilty. There was no chance of a child being born between her and Cha Yu Kwon.

They were still a contract couple for one year. Sometimes they forgot this fact because their daily life was so peaceful.

Despite Da Eun’s efforts, Cha Yu Kwon’s daily life remained largely unchanged.

He was still a severe workaholic.

Da Eun went to the annex where Cha Yong Hee resided at her call.

She could now find her way around Hyanglimjae well. She also had a cute car of her own. It was a gift from Cha Myung Il.

As Da Eun got out of the car and was about to enter the annex, she spotted Cha Yong Hee in the garden and stopped in her tracks. She was with a dog as big as a house.

When Da Eun stood still with a surprised look, Cha Yong Hee approached.

She stared intently at Da Eun’s expression and then smiled with satisfaction.

“Da Eun is afraid of big dogs. She almost got bitten when she was young.”

It was just as Yang Ju Ri had said.

“Why are you so scared?”

Da Eun was breaking out in a cold sweat but tried not to show it. However, it didn’t seem to work.

“Did you always have a dog?”

Da Eun asked, trying to appear calm.

“No, I just got him. His name is Sebastian. Want to pet him?”

“It’s okay. I don’t like dogs.”

“How rude. He understands everything.”

Cha Yong Hee pretended to cover Sebastian’s ears with her hands.

Da Eun slowly exhaled her trembling breath.

Making loud noises could excite the dog. The thought that it could suddenly change behavior at any moment sent chills down her spine, even though it was calm now.

Cha Yong Hee was deliberately holding the leash loosely.

Even if that dog bit Da Eun, Cha Myung Il would ultimately side with his child.

It was different from a daughter-in-law who didn’t share a drop of blood.

Moreover, Cha Myung Il greatly disliked noisy situations.

Just look at how he buried the accident of Cha Yu Kwon’s parents. Of course, nothing was certain.

“No need to be tense. Our Sebastian doesn’t bite.”

“…That dog might not bite. But I do.”

Da Eun, who had been looking at her toes and breaking out in a cold sweat, suddenly looked straight at Cha Yong Hee as if nothing had happened.

“What?”

Cha Yong Hee furrowed her brow and looked at Da Eun.

“Aunt, you can bully me. But don’t bully Cha Yu Kwon. I really do bite.”

Da Eun was desperately trying to overcome her fear.

Cha Yong Hee let out a scornful laugh.

“Talk about a loyal dog. I can see why Cha Yu Kwon keeps you by his side.”

At her words, Da Eun bit the soft flesh inside her mouth.

“Let me give you some advice. Don’t act so arrogant. Cha Yu Kwon is the type to hide precious things out of sight.”

It seemed to mean something like, you’re not a precious person to Cha Yu Kwon, there’s someone else who’s truly precious.

I wondered where Yang Ju Ri heard it from, but it seems the source was Cha Yong Hee.

On the other hand, it hurt my heart.

Not because I wasn’t precious to Cha Yu Kwon, but because I wondered how much verbal abuse like this Cha Yu Kwon must have endured from Cha Yong Hee while living in Hyanglimjae.

Moreover, Cha Yong Hee might be the enemy who killed Cha Yu Kwon’s parents.

If even Da Eun, a third party, was this angry, how must Cha Yu Kwon feel?

“I suppose you won’t tell me what that means even if I ask?”

“You know well.”

“Then, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that advice.”

Da Eun bowed her head slightly and turned to walk away.

There was a sound of barking, but she didn’t look back.

Cha Yong Hee stared at Da Eun’s retreating figure.

I don’t like her. Maybe even more than Cha Yu Kwon.

Cha Yong Hee stood askew, biting her lip.

At least Cha Yu Kwon was born into a chaebol family. His arrogance was somewhat understandable.

But not Da Eun. A girl of lowly birth, a vulgar woman.

This arrogant girl who luckily entered the Myung Il family dared to get on her nerves.

“Shut up, you stupid dog.”

Cha Yong Hee scolded Sebastian, who had been barking incessantly without distinguishing his limbs. Sebastian made a whimpering sound and put on a sulky expression.

She said she was afraid of dogs, but she didn’t seem that scared. It was a pointless action.

“You were smiling and teasing subtly before, but now you’ve upgraded again. If you don’t believe it, I’ll bring her here and show you directly.”

Cha Yong Hee thought of Se Yeon’s face and sneered.

No matter how upright she pretends to be, she can’t beat a real chaebol who has lived nobly all her life.

Especially someone like Jin Se Yeon, an elegant oddball.

Yang Ju Ri was diligently carrying out Cha Yong Hee’s words, not taking them lightly.

She wanted to meet her expectations, but she had no talent for storytelling.

Yang Ju Ri was a science student. She became frustrated immediately after typing on her decade-old laptop.

This doesn’t make sense, she thought.

Still, she couldn’t disappoint Cha Yong Hee, so she read scriptwriting manuals as if memorizing them and watched countless makjang dramas.

Even now, she lay on the sofa eating snacks and watching dramas, giggling.

“A daughter-in-law who suffered from in-law abuse dies and possesses her mother-in-law? What kind of plot is this? Ridiculous.”

Watching these makjang dramas, she gained something. Hope and courage that she could write better than these dramas.

Just then, she received another contact from Cha Yong Hee.

This time, she said she would send a car.

Yang Ju Ri’s heart filled with anticipation.

.

.

.

Yang Ju Ri got into the car Cha Yong Hee sent. The driver drove towards Hyanglimjae.

The car arrived quickly. The driver dropped Yang Ju Ri off at the same place she had come to before.

Beyond the juniper trees that decorated the main area, trees tinged with autumn colors could be seen.

So this is why they say all four seasons are beautiful here. As she looked around in admiration, her eyes fell on a woman sitting alone in the pavilion where Yang Ju Ri had sat before.

She thought it might be Cha Yong Hee, but the hair length was different.

Just as she was about to approach closer, someone grabbed Yang Ju Ri’s shoulder.

When she turned her head, Cha Yong Hee was looking down at her.

“I’ve been thinking, and a scenario needs a protagonist. A real protagonist, not a fake like Song Da Eun.”