Right. Ha Joon wouldn’t know what I knew.
Su Ah made a troubled expression, as if she had just realized something.
“Actually, I already knew because I heard it from the team leader.”
“From Ji Hoon?”
“Yes. The day you were very sick, the team leader told me. He said there was a reason he couldn’t tell you that you were the vice president….”
So that’s how it was. You already knew. And yet, you didn’t leave me, you stayed with me.
With that thought, a smile spread across Ha Joon’s lips, and he soon continued in a brighter tone.
“My younger sibling came from the U.S. today.”
“A sibling? You have a sibling, Ha Joon?”
“He’s the chairman’s son, so he’s not my real sibling.”
Ah. The chairman’s biological son.
In the lightened atmosphere, Su Ah quickly responded.
“So, you all gathered together for dinner tonight?”
“Yes. He’s been living in the U.S. since he was 7, except for school vacations, but he said he’s completely moved to Korea this time.”
“If he’s completely moved, your parents must be very happy.”
“Yes. They were very happy and delighted.”
Ha Joon recalled the happy expressions of Hyun Seong and Hye Seon, and gently smiled, but soon his smile faded.
“But my sibling said he wants to work at the Hyun Seong Group.”
“At the Hyun Seong Group?”
“Yes. Since it’s my father’s company, it’s natural he would want to work at Hyun Seong.”
“That makes sense.”
“Yes. So the Chairman said that as soon as I finish handing over my duties, he can start working….”
“No, wait. Handing over duties?”
Su Ah interrupted Ha Joon’s words, widening her eyes.
“Yes, handing over duties. Did I choose the wrong words? The chairman seemed to be angry because of that too.”
For a moment, the corners of Su Ah’s mouth turned up in a grin.
“I think I’ve already solved that problem.”
At Su Ah’s words, Ha Joon’s pupils widened in surprise.
“What? You’ve already solved it?”
Ha Joon, who had been leaning in with his eyebrows raised, paused.
“Su Ah, you’re not going to tell me, are you? You’re going to say that I should figure it out for myself like Ji Hoon did, right?”
The raised eyebrows fell gloomily in an instant.
“Did Team Leader Ji Hoon say that? To think for myself?”
At Su Ah’s question, Ha Joon pouted as if he was sulking, recalling the cold expression of Ji Hoon at that time.
“I didn’t think Team Leader Ji Hoon was like that. He’s a terrible person. Why didn’t he tell me?”
Suddenly, Ha Joon’s head shot up.
“So, Su Ah, are you going to tell me?”
“Of course. I don’t like to see my boyfriend upset, so I need to tell him right away.”
Su Ah flashed a gentle smile at Ha Joon, who was sparkling with anticipation.
“The chairman wasn’t angry, he was disappointed.”
“Disappointed? Because of me?”
The word ‘disappointed’ was something Ha Joon hadn’t considered, and a perplexed expression took over his face.
“Specifically, because of Ha Joon, who said he would hand over his duties.”
“I don’t understand what the problem is. I thought the handover was necessary to continue what I was doing….”
Ah, this man really didn’t know anything.
On the surface, he looked more mature than anyone else, but Su Ah could see that inside, there was still a child who hadn’t fully grown up.
“Did I appear as if I was greedy for that position? Is that why he was disappointed in me?”
Ha Joon’s expression had darkened even more as he continued speaking.
“I never coveted it. I even organized the documents so that they would be easy to understand when my brother returned.”
As Ha Joon laid out his excuses, Su Ah, who had momentarily been taken aback, suddenly recalled the words Ji Hoon had asked her to convey.
Looking at Ha Joon, who still referred to his father and mother as the chairman’s wife, and called his brother the chairman’s own son, it was clear that he hadn’t yet fully integrated into their family.
So, of course, he must have thought that the vice chairman’s position should belong to the chairman’s own son, not himself.
“No, the chairman wasn’t disappointed, he was upset.”
“What on earth was the reason?”
“Because to the chairman, Ha Joon, you are his firstborn son. Not an adopted son, just his firstborn son.”
“……”
At Su Ah’s words, Ha Joon’s lips slowly opened, as if he was taken aback.
“And what do you think he would have felt when you suddenly said you would step down from the vicechairman’s position now that your brother has returned?”
“……”
“Obviously, he must have been upset when you revealed that you considered yourself a substitute, standing in for his own son.”
“But that position isn’t mine, is it? It’s naturally the chairman’s son’s……”
“Ha Joon, you’re also the chairman’s son. Why don’t you know that? You’re always drawing a line, saying only your brother is the chairman’s son, as if you’re saying, ‘I’m not a part of your family.'”
“……”
In the end, Ha Joon lost his words once again.
From a young age, he had believed that he shouldn’t be greedy for what wasn’t his.
Even when he was a child, starving, and desperately wanting to eat the food displayed in front of a restaurant, he thought that he couldn’t eat it not because he didn’t have money, but because it wasn’t his.
That was the only way he could endure it. No, he could bear it.
He had realized too early that the moment he coveted something, his life would become even more miserable.
That was why he thought he shouldn’t covet the vicechairman’s position and should immediately return it when Siwoo came back.
But he never thought that this belief of his would cause such a great wound to those who had steadfastly stood by his side for 20 years.
Only then did Ha Joon realize why Hyun Sung had such a dark expression.
“I think I’ve solved that problem too.”
At Ha Joon’s words, Su Ah smiled brightly and hugged him with both arms.
“I’m hugging you as a sign of praise.”
Su Ah placed her chin on Ha Joon’s shoulder and whispered as she slowly stroked his back.
“Ha Joon, you’re always the chairman’s son, and a precious friend to the team leader. They will never turn their backs on you. So, don’t ever think that you’re abandoned again, okay?”
“Yes, I’ll do that.”
A slow smile spread across Ha Joon’s lips.
lu lu lo la ▪️ net (lululola.net)
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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