“How difficult do you think it is for your mom, going through menopause these days? Why are you like this too?”

Jaehyuk felt awkward dealing with his mother, who had lately been appealing to emotions more often. It was because he knew that it wasn’t due to her being in ‘menopause.’

If it was because of what his mother called ‘menopause,’ as a son, he could naturally understand and thought he should understand.

However, both she and Jaehyuk knew that the hysterical cause wasn’t due to physical changes.

“Right now, Min Chairman is making a fuss about doing business without a department store. You know how much your father wanted the merger of LW department stores, right?”

“Yes, I know.”

“Then, you shouldn’t act like this!”

“For now, please sit down. It’s hard to look up at you.”

At her indifferent son’s words, Jung Yeosa eventually settled down on the sofa.

“I’ll visit Chairman Min and promise that the marriage will proceed well.”

“Why do I have to do that?”

“I told you, it will ruin the department store if it goes on like this.”

“If you don’t have the strength to do that, you should resign from the vice chairman position.”

“What?”

Jung Yeosa shook her head vigorously.

“Is that what you’re going to say?”

“If you don’t have the strength to do even that and have to rely on women’s power, you should step down from this position.”

“Are you really going to be like this?”

Jung Yeosa couldn’t endure it for even a minute after sitting down. She stood up abruptly and approached him, hitting him.

“Are you really like this, not even in your adolescence? Why are you like this? Don’t you appreciate the grace your mother raised you with, even for a little mistake?”

“What I want to say is that you, Mother, why are you like this? Can’t you trust me? And I will handle the department store issue on my own. I will fulfill my father’s dream without needing help from others.”

“How can you! What are you going to do when Chairman Min refuses like that?”

The reason for Jung Yeosa’s emotional change was all because of Arin. She couldn’t stand the sight of her son being alone because of her barely acceptable daughter, a mere chauffeur.

No matter how pretty and well-off a woman she presented, Jaehyuk refused outright. Jung Yeosa forced, and Jaehyuk resisted, and the vicious cycle repeated, completely breaking the relationship between the two.

Moreover, Jung Yeosa had forced Jaehyuk, from a young age, to uphold various things as the successor to the VAN Group. One of them was not revealing his emotions.

In order not to expose his weaknesses, he, who would lead the VAN Group, had received training not to reveal his emotions in any situation.

That was why. Jaehyuk felt uncomfortable with someone emotionally pushing him. Even if the other person approached while revealing their feelings, he couldn’t act the way they wanted.

So, in the past, the present Jung Yeosa, who showed a completely different course than what she herself had talked about, was uncomfortable.

‘No matter the situation, you’ve changed too much.’
“Is it really you, Ban Jaehyuk? Is it really my son that I gave birth to? You seem like a different person these days, as if your soul has changed.”

Mrs. Jung spoke irritably. What she just said was exactly what Jaehyuk wanted to say to her.

“Marry Yujin. Otherwise, I’ll die, Mom.”

“Mother!”

Jaehyuk had never felt his mother unfamiliar like this before. At present, he had no affection left for his mother.

His affection for his mother began to crumble from the moment he found out that she betrayed Chairman Ban and committed adultery.

As trust in his mother dwindled, he even developed a sense of distrust after learning that his mother harassed Arin and forced her to leave.

The reason Jaehyuk, who used to be an obedient son, turned into a disobedient son with no trust in his mother was due to these factors.

“I, Mother, am Ban Jaehyuk. I am the only son of Chairman Ban Hojun, the head of the world-renowned VAN Group. And strictly speaking, it is detrimental to the LW Group. That’s what I’ll make it.”

“Am I doing this for my own benefit? All I’m saying is for you to do well. And I’m not just doing this for the department store. How long are you going to live like this because of Choi Arin?”

“I clearly told you. There is no one by my side now, and there will be no one in the future. So, please give up, Mother.”

Jung Yeosa, seeing Jaehyuk unyielding despite all kinds of threats, trembled with anger. In her rage, she shivered.

“What’s lacking in Yujin compared to Choi Arin? Why are you doing this because of that woman? Why!”

It was the same story every time, like a broken record. He felt as if he were talking to a wall every time he spoke with his mother.

Unable to endure it any longer, he stood up. Looking down at Jung Yeosa, he said,

“I warned you not to talk about that.”

“Ban Jaehyuk.”

“I’ll have someone escort you out. Please bring her down to the lobby. And one manager, come in.”

At Jaehyuk’s words, a manager gave a nod to his secretary, and the youngest secretary stood up.

“Yes, understood.”