The Secretary's Power (Completed Main Story) - Side Story 3

Tae Beom set out to find Hye Won’s parents based on the personal information Yang Hoon had given him.

He had firmly rejected Yang Hoon’s offer to handle it himself, saying it would be awkward to meet them directly, and insisted on meeting them in person.

Hye Won’s biological mother, Kang Yeon Soon, lived on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, while her biological father, Yoon Hong Seok, resided near a small port in a provincial town.

Tae Beom first met Yoon Hong Seok, whose side he managed to contact earlier. Yoon Hong Seok, who had spent a long time working in the fishing industry, met Tae Beom right after finishing the dawn fish auction.

He had already started a new family and had two grown children of his own.

Tae Beom introduced himself to Yoon Hong Seok, briefly stating his profession and purpose for visiting, and matter-of-factly mentioned that he was going to marry Hye Won.

Her biological father didn’t say a word—just drank makgeolli, quietly chewing on dry, stale carrot pieces and nodding his head. Tae Beom coldly and plainly delivered his message: never seek out Hye Won, his biological daughter whom he had abandoned long ago, for as long as he lived.

Yoon Hong Seok quickly finished a whole bottle of makgeolli and opened another without offering a drink to Tae Beom sitting across from him. Though he could have politely poured a drink, Tae Beom just silently watched his future father-in-law refill his own cup alone.

Inside the shop, it was peak summer, yet there wasn’t even an air conditioner—only an old wall-mounted fan slowly rotating. The atmosphere remained stiff, dry, and utterly devoid of warmth.

Tae Beom, impeccably composed and restrained in appearance, and Yoon Hong Seok couldn’t have felt more different—despite sharing the same space, they seemed as if pasted together from separate pictures, with not even a sliver of harmony between them.

No emotion could be read in Tae Beom’s gaze as he looked at Yoon Hong Seok. Although Yoon’s sun-darkened skin peeking through his worn clothes hinted at a harsh life, Tae Beom felt neither reason nor right to interfere.

The father of the woman I love. The man of the daughter I love. There was no heartfelt connection between them—none whatsoever.

When Yoon Hong Seok was halfway through his second bottle of makgeolli, he finally broke his long silence.

“How have you been?”

This time, he took a bite of sharply sour pickled chili peppers. Tae Beom, watching him silently, exhaled deeply and moved his lips slightly.

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