After the message about having to work overnight, Ha In didn’t reply to any more texts.

They should at least have minimal contact to check on each other’s well-being, but Ha In avoiding him like this made Je Guk’s insides burn up.

However, Je Guk didn’t want to provoke Ha In.

After confessing to her, he wanted to wait until she was ready, just as he had resolved to do.

Yet he was still worried that something might happen to Ha In.

All he could do now was watch and keep Hyun Baek Hap in check to make sure they didn’t try to threaten Ha In.

Je Guk strived to remain unwavering through the countless times of patience and trials.

Besides his feelings for Ha In, he had many other things to take care of, but he prioritized Ha In above all else.

If she contacted him, he was prepared to drop everything and run to her.

But the day of the vote on his dismissal as CEO approached, and still there was no word from Ha In.

It’s not that he wanted a cringe-worthy message of support.

Even if her lips were tightly sealed with no expression, he just wished she would look at him with those big eyes.

He missed her.

“Sir, your schedule is in 1 hour.”

Usually the secretary would brief him on the schedule, but today the chief secretary specially informed him.

For Je Guk, it was just another day, nothing special.

“Yes, I understand.”

Je Guk replied calmly. The chief secretary looked very gloomy.

“Ah, before that, the chairman requested that you stop by his office.”

If Je Guk was the type to go just because he was called, he wouldn’t have stirred up this situation in the first place.

Whether he went to the chairman’s office now and heard good things or bad things, it wouldn’t help Je Guk anyway.

“Tell him I won’t go.”

Rather than meet Chairman Lee, Je Guk wanted to do his best at his duties until the very last moment.

Unable to wait any longer, Chairman Lee came down to find Je Guk himself.

With his temperament, he couldn’t hold back what he wanted to say and chased after him.

Chairman Lee’s nasty temper exhausted those around him. Je Guk let out a deep sigh and got up from his seat.

“Still no remorse! And to think I trusted you as my only son! Did you have to do this to your father?”

Chairman Lee approached Je Guk, gesticulating wildly.

“If you came here just to vent, please go back.”

With little time left, Je Guk wanted to calm down. He also wanted to avoid wasting unnecessary emotions.

“What, what, what?!”

Je Guk’s fingertips reached for the phone.

“I was going to change my mind if you begged for forgiveness even now! Forget it! You little punk!”

Chairman Lee still thought the company was his personal playground to flaunt his power.

Even if it was a parent’s actions toward their child, Je Guk couldn’t help but shake his head.

“The voting results will come out, and it’ll be no use grabbing my pant leg then! Even the people who used to act like your limbs have all turned their backs!”

They would find that out when the voting results were revealed.

Having no need to listen further, Je Guk pressed the call button.

“I’ll bring you down and see if I let that lowly wench Cheon Ha In off the hook! I’ll be watching closely to see how long you abandon your father to fool around with a cheap girl like her!”

In an instant, Je Guk’s eyes turned into knife blades.

He couldn’t care less if they cursed him or brought him down, but he wouldn’t forgive anyone insulting or threatening Ha In.

Just then, the secretary who heard the call entered.

“I’m sorry. I’ll call again, so please step out for a moment.”

The secretary quickly made himself scarce after assessing the atmosphere.

No matter how Je Guk thought about it, Chairman Lee had no reason to demean Ha In.

Who in the world deserved to be called a “lowly wench”? And to say such crude things about Ha In, it made Je Guk angry.

“Did you say, lowly, wench?”

Je Guk fired the question at Chairman Lee.

“That’s why your stepmother gave her that name. The lowest of the low. Because she had no other toy to play with!”

Chairman Lee continued his insults with words that shouldn’t even be uttered.

Engulfed in overwhelming anger, Je Guk squinted his eyes shut before glaring at Chairman Lee.

Still, this was his father. Je Guk took a moment to calm his breathing as he felt words he couldn’t bring himself to say rising in his throat.

“Your mother in heaven would lament if she saw you unable to forget her like this! After the way we raised you!”

Je Guk wanted to demand how exactly they raised him.

Whenever Je Guk thought Chairman Lee couldn’t get any worse, he always managed to surpass it. Je Guk suppressed the harsh words threatening to spill out once more.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never clearly told you this. Whether I keep my position or not, our relationship as parent and child ends here. Let me make it clear. From now on, I have no father in my life.”

Je Guk spoke while looking straight at Chairman Lee. It was a decision he made because he couldn’t sink together with Chairman Lee.

“What, what, what?!”

Chairman Lee shouted as if he would grab Je Guk by the scruff of his neck.

“Chairman, why are you so surprised? Isn’t this what you wanted?”

“How dare you do this to me!”

Je Guk no longer wanted to entertain Chairman Lee’s words.

He also wanted to make things clear about Ha In, but there was no point in provoking Chairman Lee, who would only do more if told not to.

“Chairman, how can you do this to Cheonha Group? Even if it’s me, this company is…”

Je Guk trailed off, overwhelmed with emotions.

“Hah… Let’s stop here.”

Je Guk spoke in a calm voice, having decided not to waste any more feelings on Chairman Lee. Then he pressed the call button again.

“The chairman is leaving.”

The secretary entered, but Chairman Lee showed no sign of leaving.

Not wanting to be with Chairman Lee for a moment longer, Je Guk walked out of the office first.

Chairman Lee continued shouting indiscriminately behind Je Guk’s back. But that wasn’t enough to shake Je Guk.

The more emotional Chairman Lee became, the more composed Je Guk grew.

A heavy atmosphere could be felt from the hallway leading to the main conference room. Je Guk walked steadily, step by step.

The reason he wasn’t afraid of this entire situation, no matter how threateningly Chairman Lee acted, was because he had always put his heart and soul into everything.

No matter the outcome, he was confident he would have no regrets.

The main conference room was packed with executives. The attendance rate was higher than ever.

Among them, Je Guk spotted his maternal relatives.

Some of Je Guk’s maternal relatives had even flown in from far away after hearing about the situation.

Je Guk’s maternal family tended to be cautious about voicing opinions and didn’t usually exert influence. There was a reason they made an appearance like this.

There were more than a few suspicious points about Je Guk’s mother’s death, and his maternal family was extremely displeased that they were trying to drive out Je Guk, who shared his mother’s blood, in this manner. They had joined forces on this occasion.

The maternal elders who made eye contact with Je Guk sat there with steadfast demeanors.

Seeing them immediately brought Je Guk’s mother to mind, chilling his heart, but he tried his best not to waver.

Hyun Baek Hap and Lee Je Ni, who participated in the vote, already looked elated as if they had received their desired outcome.

Such things weren’t even worth his attention. Je Guk boldly walked to his seat without heeding them.

As soon as Je Guk sat down, the vote officially began.

Seated, Je Guk kept his gaze averted from those around him even more than usual.

Looking at the people he had trusted seemed like it wouldn’t help with mind control.

Everyone finished voting and returned to their seats. Je Guk was the last to vote before taking his seat.

The people tallying the votes were busy with their tasks.

This ballot would determine Je Guk’s fate, but it was also a matter on which Cheonha Group’s future rode.

Conducted electronically, the voting results came out very quickly.

“I will now announce the results of the vote on the dismissal of CEO Je Guk Lee.”

At the voice flowing from the microphone, everyone straightened their postures and waited for the results.

* * *

“Senior! Try to stay conscious! 119! 119! Someone call an ambulance here!”

Ha In had fainted. In the process of collapsing, she hit her head on the armrest of a chair.

Startled, Gang Jun pulled Ha In close and called out for help. The investigators rushed over and quickly called for an ambulance.

The ambulance arrived in front of the prosecutors’ office, and Ha In was carried out on a stretcher.

She had been severely overworking herself lately, and Gang Jun anxiously stayed by her side, worried that something seriously wrong might have happened.

“We will transport her to a nearby hospital.”

Just then, a memory flashed through Gang Jun’s mind.

“Please go to Sunhwa Medical Foundation.”

He had seen Ha In’s medicine packet before. It had Sunhwa Medical Foundation written on it.

If she normally received treatment there, they would have her medical records and could likely skip unnecessary procedures or tests.

The ambulance headed for Sunhwa Medical Foundation.

The paramedics assessed Ha In’s condition.

“Her breathing and pulse are both weak.”

“She has been overexerting herself too much lately. It’s already been several days.”

Gang Jun counted the days in his head. He hadn’t seen her sleep or eat during that time.

It would be strange if she didn’t collapse with that kind of schedule.

“Take a look here. She hit her head when she fainted. Will it be okay?”

The paramedic examined Ha In’s head. Gang Jun was anxious, worried that something serious might happen to Ha In.

“There’s visible trauma. Tsk. We’ll probably need to do a detailed examination to check for any brain issues.”

Needing a detailed exam was something hospitals often said, but in this situation, those words sounded devastatingly ominous to Gang Jun.

“Oh no, what do we do…”

The side of Ha In’s forehead was swollen and bruised, the bump visibly growing larger.

“Prosecutor, you should contact her guardian.”

“Guardian?”

At the paramedic’s words, Gang Jun’s vision went dark.