To think that GK’s successor is the daughter of Butler Jang. How can this even make sense?

Until the age of twenty-nine, Tae Ha had never dated a woman or even had a common crush.

Many women who tried to pursue a meeting with him due to his outstanding looks and status were thoroughly humiliated.

Eventually, an absurd rumor spread that Tae Ha had that kind of relationship with his secretary, Woo Young. It was a plausible story. Tae Ha had been living with his secretary Woo Young since childhood.

However, despite such rumors, women chose the relatively approachable Jung Woo as a path to Tae Ha, who was difficult to approach, and Jung Woo didn’t refuse despite knowing this.

The two were quite talked about for their looks, and Tae Ha was also well-known not only for his intelligent appearance but also for his abilities.

There were even widespread rumors that in business, Chairman Kwon was rather inferior to Tae Ha.

“Is that true?”

Jung Woo barely swallowed the question of why that was about to burst out.

To refuse a position that all of Korea knows is good and instead choose Butler Jang’s daughter.

This could be an opportunity, but on the other hand, it was also disconcerting.

– Keep it a secret like now. You haven’t forgotten to keep it from your mother, right?

“Mother doesn’t know.”

– Good. Then think of her as Tae Ha’s match and tell me again. Ha Eun, what kind of girl is she?

Since Chairman Kwon would likely already know Yoo Ha Eun’s specs and history accurately, Jung Woo reported only about Ha Eun’s private life and personality as he always had.

Of course, unlike the cautious reports he had given so far, this time it was different in that it was more proactive.

“She’s clever.”

Ha Eun was more adept at dealing with people than having a brilliant mind. She was good at instantly recognizing a person’s status and behaving accordingly, calculating gains and losses.

“Her relationships with men are clean.”

With her quite beautiful appearance, she received and used the advances of several men, but didn’t develop them into romantic relationships.

“She’s also sociable, laughs a lot, and is bright.”

She associates with anyone who can be of benefit. And she laughs in front of that person but sometimes mocks them behind their back.

“Above all, she has a strong desire to climb higher, so she’s diligent in self-management.”

Just like me.

Jung Woo swallowed the last words. That’s why he felt a kind of kinship while watching Ha Eun.

But that woman with Kwon Tae Ha?

“Does Tae Ha know too?”

– I plan to inform him soon.

Wow. Jung Woo whistled inwardly.

– And you should wrap up your branch office work and come to Korea now. Keep your promise.

“Yes.”

– Now that Tae Ha has been appointed as president, you should be of help to him.

It meant to assist with work at the hotel where Kwon Tae Ha had been appointed as president. It was a message to clearly show who the owner was and prevent others from climbing up.

Even his beloved nephew was no exception. He always instilled in Jung Woo that everyone has their proper place.

“Thank you, uncle. I’ll see you in Seoul.”

Jung Woo gently greeted as he crushed the beer can.

* * *

It was 8 o’clock by the time he had loosened his tie, adjusted his cuff links, and finally taken off his watch.

Tae Ha suddenly wondered if Eun Seo had eaten dinner.

Funny. Why am I curious about a woman who might be a con artist?

Am I really that compassionate as she said? Am I such a charitable person?

As Tae Ha was smirking, the intercom attached to the dressing room wall rang. It was Woo Young, who had just returned from Sol Nae Village.

“Brief me.”

Woo Young turned on the tablet, placed it in front of Tae Ha, and sat down in the chair to begin the briefing.

“First, understand that it took some time because the villagers were wary due to the Jo Sung Tae incident.”

“I know you’re capable.”

Tae Ha smiled as he slowly rolled up his shirt sleeves.

“The marriage registration was indeed done by Song Eun Seo’s grandmother. She used a town office far from her address. She remembers it clearly because she said she came on behalf of the couple who had been in a car accident. We’ll need to meet the witness directly. To see what relationship they have with Song Eun Seo’s grandmother. It’s taking some time because there’s no additional personnel for this confidential task.”

“Take your time, please.”

“Also, your phone number on the registration form is fake. So there’s no way you would have received a proper text about the marriage registration.”

“Since when did South Korea become this sloppy?”

“When a white-haired grandmother comes with a power of attorney to register, they probably couldn’t keep asking if this is correct, if that is correct. But the information about you on the documents, except for the phone number, is accurate. Your resident registration number, registered address, things like that.”

The two men’s gazes quietly collided.

Could there really be an accomplice on this side? Several figures flowed through his mind like water, but there was no valid reason for any of them to do such a thing.

“What about the call records between Song Eun Seo and her grandmother?”

“For now, they each have only one number in their names, and I’ve checked all the numbers they’ve called, but they’re all just villagers, government offices, or hospitals.”

“Any numbers that cross-check with our side?”

“Nothing overlaps.”

Feeling as if he had entered a dead end, Tae Ha furrowed his brow as he leaned back against the backrest.

“What kind of person is Song Eun Seo?”

“Song Eun Seo came to Sol Nae Village when she was in 9th grade. The reason is unclear. She came with her grandmother. The important thing is, on paper, her mother is her grandmother. Her grandmother is Song Bok Soon, and she took her grandmother’s surname as is.”

“Could both parents have died before the birth registration?”

“On paper, Song Eun Seo is Grandmother Song’s only child. So for now, there’s no way to know the exact circumstances.”

“Investigate that part more deeply. Next.”

“And she moved quite a lot. Always to rural areas, changed residences a total of eight times. Even changed twice in one year. So she’s lived the longest in the current village.”

“Investigate that too.”

“Okay. From when they settled in Sol Nae Village, the village was a bit closed off, so the two who flowed in from elsewhere had quite a hard time. They didn’t have any special occupation, nor did they farm.”

They probably had nothing and no connections either.

The two men imagined their arduous daily life.

“Anyway, it’s rural even among rural areas, and due to frequent moves and nursing her grandmother, she doesn’t really have any close friends. There were quite a few days she couldn’t go to school properly. But she must have been smart because she got into K University.”

“Money?”

“She took out student loans and studied while receiving scholarships and doing some tutoring jobs, and saved enough money from part-time jobs to move from monthly rent to a deposit lease. She even paid off the loans.”

“Then why is she living like that now, without a job?”

“Expelled.”

Tae Ha’s finger, which had been slowly scrolling down the tablet screen, stopped. It was an aspect he hadn’t even considered.

“She was naturally expelled as time passed after taking a leave of absence.”

This was beyond pitiful, it was downright miserable.

“She was doing well in her studies, but when her grandmother’s health worsened, she came down to the village. Since her grandmother was frequently ill, it must have been difficult for Song Eun Seo to continue studying. Plus, her grandmother refused to go to Seoul.”

Nothing was easy or smooth.

“Of course, they probably didn’t have money to rent a place in Seoul either. Even with government subsidies, they always seemed to be living hand to mouth. In the midst of that, she also made her debut in a daily newspaper. Seems like a person who tried everything she could to live diligently.”

Whew. A deep sigh escaped involuntarily.

“The person seems quite smart, kind, and diligent, so that bastard Jo Sung Tae must have had his eye on her. He probably thought he could manipulate her at will since she doesn’t have any strong family to back her up. That’s why that incident happened.”

There was more than one thing to apologize for misunderstanding.

“What are you going to do now? For now, there’s no specific evidence that Song Eun Seo did it, and the people around her seemed to show great trust in her.”

Tae Ha didn’t voice his thoughts.

After Woo Young left the study, Tae Ha sat there for a long time before searching for the contact information of Attorney Joo, his college senior.

The reason Tae Ha chose him was that he didn’t want this news to reach his father.

He never thought he’d be looking for a divorce specialist lawyer when he hadn’t even gotten married.

– Not just civil, but criminal proceedings should be pursued together for a clean resolution. Whoever it is, crush them thoroughly so they can never rise again.

After hanging up the phone, Tae Ha put on the jacket he had taken off and headed to the garden. Walking along the path between the Mediterranean lamps, he rubbed his face with both hands.

Criminal proceedings.

No sooner had his hands fallen than the December winter night quickly invaded his pupils. The white snow that had just started was gradually conquering Tae Ha’s shoulders.

Song Eun Seo.

A name that made him think of the cigarettes he had quit.

As Tae Ha was just passing the bench, a small figure appeared at the end of the long path, backlit and heading towards the main building.

The slowly moving figure was exactly that woman. Eun Seo.

Tae Ha stopped walking and silently waited for her to approach. But perhaps a bit tired, her shadow illuminated by the lights didn’t come closer easily.

[She visited two law offices, staying at one for about an hour. She went to four gosiwons, and had lunch of instant noodles at a convenience store.]

You should eat properly.

Tae Ha swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. For some reason, it tasted bitter.

[You’re being compassionate.]

Don’t look at me pitifully.

At some point she had unpacked her luggage, as her outer clothing had changed from black to a gray padded jacket, with the muffler still the same. And her shoes were the newest among what she owned.

The traces of compassion he had left.

The low-heeled black boots that had been at the edge of his vision stopped a meter away.

Eun Seo, who had hesitated for a moment, took her hands out of her pockets and pulled down the muffler that had been covering her mouth.

“I stood out. I was trying to sneak in.”

A faint white breath obscured her slight smile as it spread with her damp breath.

It seemed like a joke, but also seemed serious.

There didn’t seem to be any resentment anywhere, so maybe it was a joke.

“I thought I was too small to be noticed even if I was here, but I guess I have quite a presence.”

At those words, Eun Seo lowered her eyes and smiled lightly.

I guess dimples can only be seen when she smiles broadly, Tae Ha thought as he changed direction.

The path was not too narrow for them to walk side by side.

“Why were you out here?”

If he said he had been worrying about her, what expression would she make? Would she apologize again for causing worry?

That would be a bit unpleasant.

“Enjoying the snow.”

As he finished speaking, Eun Seo tilted her head back. Through the orange-tinted sky, fairly large snowflakes scattered and fell in all directions.

White breath spread into the cool space from her naturally parted lips.

“I don’t like snow. Whenever it snows, I have to sweep the yard. Why did such a small yard feel so big? And why did the yard’s water tap always freeze? That meant hard work was scheduled. It was like that when I was young too.”

Eun Seo shuddered and grimaced. She had lived walling herself off from the white romance others looked forward to. She learned the phrase ‘White Christmas’ only when she was older. She had no memories of enjoying the snow.

“But now it feels unfamiliar. I wonder if this is the same snow I used to see. It’s pretty.”

As Eun Seo smiled lightly and took a step, Tae Ha’s feet stopped. Because of that, Eun Seo stopped too.

“The lawsuit will start soon.”

Even though she knew it was coming, Eun Seo’s eyes trembled weakly.

“I won’t pursue criminal charges.”

“……”

“Let’s just go with a civil suit.”