Chapter 99
Haemin’s POV
[I’m sorry, Sera. I don’t think I’ll be able to et you tonight. Things beca a little complicated because of the news this morning. It’s probably better if we keep so distance for a while until things calm down a little. I’m really sorry again.]
I stared at the ssage for a few seconds before sending it.
The mont it was delivered, the read receipt appeared almost instantly. As if she had been waiting for it.
I unconsciously sat up straighter, a nervous tension settling in while I waited for her to respond.
But—
Nothing ca.
A few more minutes passed.
Still nothing.
I stared at the screen again.
No reply.
A strange uneasiness settled in .
…Is she upset?
Or maybe angry?
Honestly, I wouldn’t bla her if she was.
Whatever her reaction might be—
This was for the better.
I let out a heavy sigh and locked my phone, slipping it back into my pocket.
The room beca quiet again.
My eyes drifted toward the wall clock. Almost twenty minutes had passed. Harin still hadn’t returned.
The uneasiness in my chest slowly grew stronger.
She looked furious when she left the room earlier.
Surely she wouldn’t confront Yuna because of … right?
But the more I thought about it—
The more likely it felt.
“…Screw it.”
I couldn’t just wait anymore.
Without wasting any ti, I stood up and left, heading toward Yuna’s office.
As I walked through the hallway, all eyes were on again. Especially from the female staff.
The whispers started almost instantly the mont they noticed walking past.
I imdiately looked away.
Seriously…
My ears already felt hot from embarrassnt alone.
Keeping my head down, I ignored all the staring and walked faster toward Yuna’s office, trying not to think about any of it.
Right now, I was more worried about Harin.
Once I finally reached Yuna’s office door, I knocked quickly before pushing it open.
The mont I stepped inside, my footsteps halted.
Both of them were standing close to each other, the atmosphere thick with tension.
Yuna and Harin turned toward at the sa ti.
Harin’s face was noticeably pale, like sothing had shaken her badly.
Am I too late?
Clearly, sothing had already happened here.
“…Haemin? What are you doing here?”
Harin looked visibly taken aback when she saw , her tone turning sharp as if she couldn’t believe I hadn’t listened when she told to stay inside her office.
I quickly forced myself to move forward casually despite the tension.
“I…” I hesitated briefly, trying to think of sothing.“There’s sothing I still don’t understand regarding… the assignnts from this morning.”
A faint smirk appeared on Yuna’s lips when she heard that.
“Really?”
Then she turned her gaze toward Harin.
“You gave him an assignnts, Harin?”
Harin’s face instantly turned awkward. There was even a faint trace of embarrassnt on her face as she glanced briefly at , probably realizing how terrible I was at lying.
Yuna turned back toward again.
“In case you forgot, Haemin. Everything regarding your work cos directly from . So, if you’re going to make sothing up, at least try to make it convincing.”
I imdiately looked away.
Damn it. I got caught way too easily.
This is so embarrassing.
The room went awkwardly silent.
Yuna simply smirked again before calmly turning away and walking back toward her chair. She sat down leisurely, crossing her legs.
Then her gaze shifted toward Harin.
“You may leave now.”
Harin stayed still for a brief second before lowering her head politely.
“…Understood.”
As she walked toward the door, her eyes briefly shifted to mine.
A subtle signal for to follow her.
From the look in her eyes, it was clear that she didn’t like being here.
But before I could move—
“Only Harin is leaving, not you Haemin.”
My body tensed instantly after hearing that.
A familiar anxiety slowly crept back up again.
What was it this ti?
I looked at Harin, hoping she would say sothing to Yuna.
But—
She only glanced at , her eyes filled with concern, yet she stayed silent.
In the end, she lowered her gaze and quietly walked out of the office, the door closing behind her with a soft click.
I could only stared toward the closed door for a mont longer and wondering what exactly happened to her? The way she looked at just now…
Did they have an argunt because of ?
I really didn’t like this.
“What are you staring at?”
Yuna’s sharp voice suddenly cut through the silence, snapping out of my thoughts.
I almost forgot that it was just and her now.
I imdiately looked away from the door.
Her gaze was already on .
“Co closer.”
I hesitated for a brief second before quietly walking closer toward her desk, stopping a short distance away. My eyes remained lowered the entire ti, avoiding her gaze completely.
Honestly, I just wanted this conversation to end as quickly as possible so I could leave.
Yuna stayed silent for a mont.
Her fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of her chair, the soft sound filling the quiet room.
Then—
“Where did you go last night?”
Huh?
Again?
Was she for real?
Is she planning to ask this every single day now?
A small frustration slowly rose inside .
After what she had done to yesterday—
She still had the audacity to interrogate like this?
Did she never really care about how I felt?
I quietly looked away.
“If it’s not related to work,” I said carefully, keeping my voice low, “then I’d prefer not to answer.”
Then the tapping ca to a stop, followed by Yuna’s long, heavy sigh.
“You see, Haemin…” she said, her voice low and strained, “Tell , how am I supposed not to lose my temper when you respond to like this? Didn’t I ask you nicely?”
“Do you want to see snap again?” she asked, her tone dangerously calm. “Answer . Where did you go yesterday?”
I clenched my jaw. The mory of what she did to yesterday flashed through my mind, making my stomach twist with resentnt.
“I stayed at ho,” I replied simply.
Yuna stared at for a long second, then let out a cold, humorless laugh.
“You stayed at ho? The last ti you said that, it turned out you went to have dinner with Sera behind my back.”
I could only stare at her, almost gaping in disbelief.
“I’m not lying. It’s up to you whether you want to believe or not.”
I saw her jaw tighten slightly.
“You don’t think I’m just going to buy into that, do you? Where did you go yesterday, Haemin?”
“I told you the truth! I just stayed at ho. I didn’t go anywhere.”
*BAM*
Her palm slamd hard on the desk, the loud sound making flinch. Her eyes burned with sudden fury as she stood up, her chair scraping loudly against the floor.
But just as quickly, she closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
“I’m giving you one last chance, Haemin. Tell the truth. Where did you go yesterday?”
“I already told you the truth!”
“Where do you think I would go after what you did to yesterday? I stayed at ho the entire night. I didn’t go anywhere. I didn’t do anything like what you’re imagining in your head right now. I spent the whole night thinking about what you did to and resenting you for it. Is that what you wanted to hear? Does that make you feel better?”
The realization made stop.
I quickly shut my mouth, thinking I might have crossed the line with how openly I spoke.
Silence filled the room again.
Luckily, Yuna didn’t snap, nor did she shout. She simply listened without saying a word. The sharp anger in her eyes had already faded, and the tension in her face eased, as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her chest.
The silence stretched on. Neither of us spoke after that.
Since she didn’t seem like she was going to say anything, I lowered my gaze and quietly spoke.
“…If that’s all, then I’ll excuse myself.”
I turned toward the door.
“Wait.”
Her voice stopped again.
What more does she want now?
I turned back reluctantly, unable to completely hide the frustration on my face anymore. At this point, I was too tired to even pretend properly.
Yuna saw it.
For a mont, she simply looked at before shaking her head lightly, like she couldn’t believe I was acting this way toward her.
Then she slowly walked toward .
Her heels echoed softly as she approached. Reaching the edge of her desk, she leaned against it casually, crossing her arms as she calmly studied .
I instinctively stepped back.
Yuna clicked her tongue in irritation and imdiately reached out—
“Please keep your distance.” I said quickly, taking another step back.
“Stop being rude toward your wife.”
But Yuna didn’t care. She grabbed my wrist firmly and pulled closer toward her without giving room to resist.
Seriously, why was she so strong? This is so unfair. No matter how much I struggled, her grip never loosened.
Seeing like this, she just let out a quiet sigh.
“Look, I’m sorry for what I did to you yesterday… and for scolding you so harshly today.”
For a second, I stayed silent, caught off guard hearing those words co from her.
“But you have to understand too, Haemin. I was upset because you left hanging just like that yesterday. Isn’t it right for to be angry with you?”
I stared at her in complete disbelief.
“Please let go of my hand.” I said firmly, trying to pull away at the sa ti.
Yuna loosened her grip enough for to free myself.
I imdiately stepped back again, creating distance between us.
“So that’s what you’re upset about? There’s not even a shred of guilt for what you did to yesterday? All you care about is how you felt when I walked away from you?”
Yuna didn’t answer. Instead, she suddenly took my hand again, more firmly this ti, and lifted it close to her face.
“If you’re that angry about it, then slap back, now.”
“What are you talking abo—“
She pressed my palm lightly against her soft cheek.
“Go on, slap back. Vent your anger.”
The way she said it, like she was making fun of , it only deepened my disappointnt toward her.
I tried harder to pull my hand down from her face.
“Let… go, Yuna. You’re hurting my wrist.”
A faint smile slowly appeared on her lips.
“So now you’re finally saying my na. I’ll let go once you stop struggling.”
With my hand still pressed against her cheek, the position felt incredibly awkward. I could only stare at her with obvious dissatisfaction written all over my face. Arguing with her felt pointless at this stage.
Maybe she found so kind of amusent in seeing like this because, after a brief mont, her grip on my wrist wasn’t as tight anymore. But she still didn’t release .
Instead, she closed her eyes and slowly inhaled the scent of my palm, as if savoring it.
The intimate gesture only made feel even more conflicted inside.
“Haemin…”
Her voice ca out soft now.
“Aren’t you tired?”
As she spoke, Yuna gently nuzzled her cheek against my palm, rubbing it slowly and affectionately, her warm skin brushing softly against my hand.
The conflicted feeling inside my chest only beca heavier.
“Didn’t I already lower my ego and apologize to you?” she whispered, her breath brushing against my fingers. “Wasn’t that what you wanted to hear from ?”
She slowly opened her eyes again after that, looking directly at while still holding my hand against her face.
“So stop all of this already. How many tis do I have to make you understand that you can’t escape ?”
I stayed completely silent while looking at her.
Honestly, I didn’t even know how to respond anymore.
Yuna’s expression softened slightly when I didn’t resist this ti. But there was sothing almost sad in her eyes now as she continued gently caressing my hand against her cheek.
“I actually feel sorry for you, Haemin. At this point, you’re exhausting yourself doing sothing pointless. You’re fighting a losing battle. No one is going to speak up for you anymore. And those evidences you have against , how exactly are you planning to use them? Do you really think they’ll listen to you?”
She slowly brought my wrist to her lips and kissed it, a soft, lingering press of her lips. Then she looked at again.
“Call off the divorce, Haemin, and co back to . Stop making this harder for both of us. You still love , don’t you?”
This was how I always ended up forgiving her whenever she hurt . Every single ti, she would soften up and act like she regretted it, but once her temper ca back, all of that remorse disappeared.
I couldn’t keep letting myself get pulled around by her emotions anymore.
“Are you genuinely done talking this ti? Can I go now?”
Yuna simply smirked while looking at my reaction before she slowly lifted her other hand and gently brushed my hair.
“Stubborn, aren’t you?”
I quietly reached up and lowered her hand away from while keeping my eyes on her.
I thought she was going to be rough with again, but instead she only shook her head lightly before stepping back and releasing completely.
And the mont I was fully free from her—
I didn’t waste another second.
I imdiately turned around and walked toward the door without looking back again.
But just before I could leave—
“If I ever find out you do sothing like yesterday again…”
I stopped in my tracks.
“You’d be as good as dead, Haemin.”
Yuna, you…
My jaw tightened slightly at her words.
For a brief mont, I almost turned around and snapped back at her.
She had really crossed the line this ti by threatening like that.
However, in the end—
I held myself back and simply reached toward the door instead.
I just wanted to get out of here.
Just as I was about to grab the door handle—
*BAM*
My entire body froze.
A hand suddenly slamd hard against the door right beside my face, stopping from opening it.
The loud impact echoed sharply, leaving my ears ringing.
My breath caught instantly.
Yuna was already behind .
When did she get so close?
My body stiffened imdiately the mont I felt the warmth of her body pressing close behind mine.
A chill slowly crawled down my spine.
I didn’t even dare to turn around.
Then—
I felt her breath brush softly against the side of my neck.
My fingers slowly tightened.
Yuna leaned in even closer, close enough that I could feel her presence surrounding completely.
“Do you understand?”
Her voice ca out cold and low right beside my ear.
My throat tightened imdiately.
“U-Understood.”
“Good. Don’t waste the last chance I’m giving you.”
I quietly nodded after that.
Only then did Yuna slowly remove her hand from the door.
I imdiately opened the door and walked out.
The mont the door closed behind , I finally let out a quiet breath.
Last chance she’s giving ?
Wasn’t I supposed to be the one saying that to her instead? What made her think I was the one receiving rcy here?
Honestly—
This was so stressful.
I felt like screaming right now.
How was I supposed to endure this for a few more weeks if Yuna kept acting like this every single day?
Just thinking about it already made feel exhausted.
And it wasn’t only her.
*Whisper* *Whisper* *Whisper*
The stares follow as usual once I stepped back into the hallway.
I quietly lowered my gaze.
Seriously…
How am I supposed to handle all of this?
I let out another sigh before making my way toward Harin’s office, worried about her.
But when I finally reached her office and pushed the door open, the room was empty.
Hm?
Did she go sowhere?
I pulled out my phone and tried calling her.
No answer.
Where did she go? Did Yuna send her sowhere for work?
I left the office again and headed toward the elevator before going down to the main lobby.
*Whisper* *Whisper*
These people… are they seriously not done yet?
I walked straight toward the front entrance, trying to check if Harin’s car was still in the parking area.
But it wasn’t there.
I stared at the empty space for a few seconds.
She really left, huh.
I hope she won't be out for too long. I really don't want to be stuck with Yuna all day again. Just thinking about it is already giving a headache.
Urghh.
Just when I was about to turn around and head back upstairs—
“Assistant Kim!”
I stopped imdiately.
One of the security staff was hurrying toward quickly from across the lobby.
The man looked slightly out of breath by the ti he reached .
“Yes?”
The security guard quickly straightened himself.
“Luckily I found you, sir. I’ve been trying to contact Secretary Yoo, but she hasn’t been answering her phone.”
“What happened?”
“It’s a last-minute notice, sir. None of us had ti to prepare properly or inform the Chairwoman because—“
The words suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
“Because?” I prompted.
But his eyes had shifted past toward the front entrance and a strange tension imdiately appeared on his face.
Instinctively, I turned around as well.
At that exact mont, several black sedans slowly entered through the front driveway outside the lobby.
The atmosphere inside shifted almost instantly.
One by one, people began turning toward the entrance.
And then—
The entire lobby seed to freeze.
No one spoke. No one moved.
Even the security guard standing beside looked nervous.
Seeing the expression on his face made uneasy as well.
Who exactly arrived?
Then—
One of the car doors slowly opened.
And a woman stepped out.
The mont I saw her figure—
My breath stopped.
For a brief second, I almost lost my footing.
The entire lobby had already fallen completely silent.
The woman stood elegantly outside the entrance, dressed in a luxurious dress while several people surrounded her respectfully from behind.
Even from this distance alone—
Her presence felt overwhelming.
Everyone nearby imdiately bowed politely the mont she entered the building, followed closely by several others behind her.
But I could barely focus on them.
Because that woman…
A cold feeling slowly ran through my body.
There’s no way…
She was walking directly toward the lobby entrance.
And toward .
My body stiffened.
The closer she got—
The heavier the pressure beca.
Her heels clicked softly against the marble floor.
Each step seed to echo throughout the silent.
Then—
She finally stopped right in front of .
My heart skipped.
Her eyes landed directly on mine.
I imdiately lowered my head and bowed politely almost on instinct.
“Good morning, Madam.”
No way…
This is the first ti I’m eting her…
The woman in front of …
If people referred to Yuna as the face of a new generation of conglorate leaders, then the woman standing in front of right now…
She belonged to the generation that built those empires in the first place.
Soone who had stood beside the late Chairman since the very beginning, helping lay the foundation for everything that exists today, before eventually stepping away from the spotlight after his passing and allowing her daughter to take over.
The one standing in front of right now…
It’s Han Sun-young.
Yuna’s mother.
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