“Um, I don’t think it’s a normal relationship. The chairman even set up a household for her…”

“What?”

Only then did Yeon Hwa’s face harden.

He may spend nights with other women, but never develop a serious relationship. That was like an unspoken rule between Chairman Kwon and Yeon Hwa. But if he set up a household, hasn’t he clearly crossed the line?

“Are you sure?”

Though trembling in fear at Yeon Hwa’s fierce glare, the woman nodded.

“Yes. That woman is a friend of my younger sister’s friend… It’s certain.”

Yeon Hwa recalled how Chairman Kwon had been unusually busy with work lately, coming home late often. Come to think of it, his business trips were strangely frequent too. He always brought back gifts, so she didn’t think to be suspicious.

‘So he was at that woman’s house?’

Yeon Hwa sensed this was no ordinary matter.

“Do you know that woman’s address?”

“Somewhere in Hannam-dong, they say. I’ll ask my sister for the details.”

After obtaining the address, Yeon Hwa immediately rushed there with her secretary. The location was a luxury villa in Hannam-dong.

− Who is it?

“We’re here on the chairman’s orders.”

Yeon Hwa’s secretary answered through the intercom. A moment later, a woman with a slender figure in a tight, long dress opened the door.

“Did oppa send herbal medicine again? Really, I told him it’s fine, but he keeps…”

Yeon Hwa, who had been hiding behind her secretary, pushed past the woman and entered the house.

“Hey, who are you to barge into someone else’s home?”

The protesting woman belatedly recognized Yeon Hwa’s face and was shocked.

“Oh my!”

Regardless, Yeon Hwa stood in the middle of the living room and looked around. Seeing how spacious it was and lavishly decorated, she felt sick to her stomach.

“…!”

Only after surveying the house did Yeon Hwa turn her gaze to the woman.

“Ha!”

The moment she saw her face, a bitter laugh escaped. So this is what they call a pine tree-like taste? With long straight hair and a delicate figure, her face looked pure and pitiful, as if seeing a younger version of herself.

That meant she was no match in terms of beauty.

Though Yeon Hwa herself was fifty this year, she was still said to look like she was in her thirties, but looking young and actually being young were different. How could a appearance barely maintained through all sorts of procedures and care compare to truly radiant youth?

The woman looked barely in her mid-twenties. Even up close, her smooth skin without a visible pore was infuriatingly lovely.

Sitting comfortably on the sofa as if it were her own home, Yeon Hwa crossed her legs and said,

“How much do you want?”

“Pardon?”

“How much will it take for you to leave our man alone?”

Hesitantly sitting across from her, the woman trembled as she meekly folded her knees and replied,

“I’m not with oppa for money. I truly love him.”

This time, a real laugh burst out from the sheer absurdity.

“Pfft!”

What kind of crazy woman would truly love a man over sixty? Would she say such things if Kwon Yong Chul were just a security guard at Daewon Group?

“Listen, save that line that even a dog wouldn’t believe for your oppa. Don’t do this between pros.”

At that moment, surprisingly, the fear disappeared from the woman’s face. As if she had never been so pale and trembling, the woman straightened her back and crossed her legs. Then she took out a cigarette from under the table, lit it, and gestured towards Yeon Hwa with her chin.

“Would the ajumma like one too?”

“What? Ajumma?”

Yeon Hwa was dumbfounded to be called ‘ajumma’ by a woman who looked less than half her age. Though she glared, the other didn’t flinch at all.

“Didn’t you say we’re both pros? No need for courtesy between pros, right?”

The woman smirked and blew out cigarette smoke pointedly.

“Don’t glare at me like that. They say a concubine can’t stand the sight of another concubine, guess that old saying is true.”

Concubine!

That one word was like touching Yeon Hwa’s raw nerve. Yeon Hwa, who had maintained an outward composure until now, finally lost it. I’ve been the legal wife for ten years, why am I a concubine!

“You crazy bitch, what did you just say?”

Yeon Hwa immediately lunged forward and grabbed the other’s hair. Even with her hair grabbed, the other strangely didn’t resist. She even smirked.

“You’re laughing?”

Even the great Ji Yeon Hwa felt a chill down her spine. Startled, she let go without realizing, and the woman began crazily messing up her own hair, then started smashing the furniture.

Vases, clocks, mirrors – everything was shattered one by one.

“Is she really crazy…?”

While blankly watching what kind of show this was, a sudden memory came to mind.

A long time ago, she herself had done the exact same thing as this woman.

The reason was…!

Just as her heart sank, the front door burst open and Chairman Kwon rushed in.

“What are you doing?”

Realizing she had fallen into a trap, Ji Yeon Hwa recalled a distant memory.

[He’s a man with a family. Please, Seung Joo’s father, send him back home.]

She seemed to hear the voice of her husband’s ex-wife, Kang Hye Sun.

The woman who was foolishly gentle and unnecessarily cultured didn’t grab the hair of her husband’s mistress who bore his illegitimate child, but rather bowed her head and begged humbly.

[We’re both mothers raising children. Please, I’m begging you.]

Born the only daughter of a chaebol family, yet handing over the chairman position to her husband and living as the perfect wife at home all her life – she was truly befitting of a madam.

‘Elegance should be selective, you stupid woman.’

If only she had grabbed her hair or slapped her face, things would have been easier, but the woman just kept begging to let her keep her family before leaving. With no choice, after Kang Hye Sun left, Yeon Hwa smashed the furniture with her own hands and pinched and scratched her own body all over.

[Mom, Mom!]

The mess in the house and the wounds on Yeon Hwa’s body. Decisively, when Seung Hyun, who was still in elementary school then, cried in shock, Chairman Kwon flew into a rage.

[You’re saying Seung Joo’s mother did this? Have you ever seen such a vicious woman!]

It was exactly what Yeon Hwa was experiencing now.

No, come to think of it, the situation back then was a little better. At least Chairman Kwon had burst in only after Kang Hye Sun had left.

‘I guess I’m receiving that punishment now with interest.’

Of course, that didn’t mean Yeon Hwa was about to repent. Shaking off her reverie, Yeon Hwa immediately glared at her husband.

“Are you taking this girl’s side now?”

Chairman Kwon didn’t want to engage in a long conversation with his angry wife.

“What are you doing? Take this person out right now!”

Chairman Kwon’s attendants grabbed Yeon Hwa’s arms.

“Let’s go, madam.”

“Let go of me!”

“We’re sorry.”

As Yeon Hwa was dragged out by the attendants, she heard Chairman Kwon’s worried voice behind her.

“Tsk tsk, have you ever seen such a vicious person… Are you hurt anywhere?”

*

Seung Hyun had been pondering for a week.

Even after obtaining evidence that his elder brother, Kwon Seung Joo, was living with a female employee in their old house, he hadn’t revealed it yet because he had a strong hunch that something much bigger was hidden behind it.

But no matter how much he racked his brains, he couldn’t figure out what that ‘something’ was.

The suspicion that there must be something more was based on the fact that Kwon Seung Joo and Yoon Eun Seo were calling each other ‘noona’ and ‘Seung Joo-ya’.

Why on earth were they calling each other that? After thinking and thinking, he even wondered if Yoon Eun Seo might actually be insanely young-looking and had lied about her age to get hired.

‘Is that even possible?’

As he was deeply lost in thought again today, he overheard some employees talking.

“Huh? Manager, you didn’t tell me to write a proposal?”

“Oh come on, Kim, did you get amnesia? I clearly told you through messenger last Friday!”

Amnesia?

At that moment, Seung Hyun felt his eyes pop open.

Come to think of it, his brother had been in a car accident right before he suddenly disappeared from the hospital.

‘That’s it!’

His heart began to race. If he had lost his memories due to the accident, it would make sense for him to call the much younger Yoon Eun Seo ‘noona’. He felt like he had found the answer.

Seung Hyun tried to calm his excitement. It was important to know exactly how many years of memories he had lost. The more, the better. Since he was calling the 27-year-old Yoon Eun Seo ‘noona’, he must think he’s at least 26 or younger…

‘How can I confirm this?’

Suddenly something occurred to him. Seung Hyun hurriedly called his mother.

− Seung Hyun!

For some reason, Yeon Hwa’s voice sounded choked up, but that wasn’t the issue right now.

“Mom, this is urgent, so please just answer my questions. Why did you say your elder son embarrassed you at the hospital when he had that car accident?”

Yeon Hwa answered with a sniffle.

− Why are you bringing that up again? It still makes my blood boil just thinking about it.

“What exactly did he say then?”

− I told you, didn’t I? He had the nerve to ask me who I was, saying ‘ajumma, who are you?’ and demanding to know where his mother was!

“Is that right?”

At the time, Seung Hyun was still in America, and his mother had called internationally to complain. Back then, he thought his half-brother was deliberately trying to humiliate his stepmother in front of people…

But what if he really didn’t recognize her?

“Mom, when did you first meet Kwon Seung Joo?”

− We moved in about a year after his mother disappeared, remember? That’s when I first saw him, so he must have been in his second year of high school.

Even through the phone, Seung Hyun could feel Yeon Hwa shuddering.

− When I first saw him, that young brat glared at me so fiercely, like he wanted to kill me. Come to think of it, he looked at me the same way at the hospital. It gives me chills just remembering.

A thrilling sensation ran to the tips of Seung Hyun’s fingers.

If that’s the case, then Kwon Seung Joo now thinks he’s at most eighteen years old!