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Based on the solid image he had built over the past ten years, he possessed personal assets and shares in the Gio Group that had been gifted to him in advance, but considering his conflict with his grandfather, he had to establish a more certain independent financial foundation.
Seok-hyun began to flesh out the blueprint for VONA's IPO, steadily devising a systematic plan to strengthen growth and the governance structure.
“President, will you be leaving for the day now?”
Secretary Jung, having confirmed that today's schedule was over, asked if he was heading home. Seok-hyun glanced at his wristwatch. Since he had felt that Hee-jin was reaching her limit this morning, he had intentionally skipped her lunchtime rehabilitation. He couldn't just keep tightening the screws; he intended to let her relax appropriately. She should have caught her breath by now.
“I'll leave after checking this one last thing.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
Since she hardly ever wanted to go outside except for the hospital, he thought it would be a good idea to invite a chef to the house. Hee-jin, who already had a small appetite, had lost a noticeable amount of weight as she no longer enjoyed eating after her injury. Since she had been alone during lunch today, she might have skipped the meal entirely.
“I'd like to request some takeout for dinner, Korean food. Is there a decent restaurant?”
“Shall I order two servings from the traditional Korean lunch box place affiliated with the company?”
“That sounds good. Please do.”
Even without Seok-hyun specifying a menu, Secretary Jung ordered according to his tastes. He didn't know the preferences of Yoo Hee-jin, who would certainly be eating with him, but instead of asking, he chose the most popular beef rib set.
The lunch boxes arrived just in time as Seok-hyun finished his work. Today, he intended to make Hee-jin eat everything, no matter how much she refused. At this rate, it wouldn't be strange if she were rushed to the hospital due to malnutrition. Should he hold her in his arms and feed her, just like during rehabilitation? The thought of pushing meat into Hee-jin's mouth and forcing her to chew stirred a strange desire within him. He felt an urge to get home quickly.
The moment the elevator doors closed with Seok-hyun inside, someone rushed over and roughly grabbed the closing doors. With a thud—a sound he disliked—the doors opened again to reveal Hong Yuna. The displeasure that had been etched on Seok-hyun's face soon vanished, leaving him devoid of all emotion.
“Leaving?”
Since Seok-hyun was alone, Yuna spoke comfortably in informal language. Then, noticing the paper bag Seok-hyun was holding, she asked with an exaggerated expression.
“Is that dinner?”
“I noticed the report hasn't been submitted yet.”
“Stop nagging. I've almost finished putting together the TF team. You've emphasized repeatedly that people are the most important thing.”
Though she knew it was essentially telling her to hurry up and go down to Busan, Yuna replied nonchalantly. Perhaps he had decided not to hide his true nature from her, as Seok-hyun's attitude was unfiltered. Yuna found that coldness uncomfortable and awkward, but she tried her best not to show it. She glanced inside the bag and saw two lunch boxes. Naturally, Yoo Hee-jin came to mind.
“There are two?”
He must have bought them to eat with Yoo Hee-jin, right? While feeling the jealousy and anxiety that surged up by habit, Yuna struggled to push those emotions away. She had to remember that the man before her was no longer the person she had loved.
In the midst of this, it suddenly occurred to her that there was something she was missing.
The whereabouts of Yoo Hee-jin after her discharge from the hospital.
Previously, she had visited the hospital to try and meet her behind Go Seok-hyun's back, only to be disappointed upon hearing she had already been discharged. However, finding the discharged Yoo Hee-jin had been difficult. Judging by Go Seok-hyun's attitude, she didn't seem to have returned to the US yet, so Yuna had simply assumed she was staying at some hotel and let it go.
Why hadn't she thought about it more seriously? She felt incredibly pathetic for assuming that she had naturally found another hotel or accommodation.
“By any chance… did you bring her home?”
The answer was already decided, so what was she trying to confirm? While blaming herself for asking what answer she possibly wanted to hear, Yuna chewed her lip anxiously, unable to resolve her unease.
Seok-hyun, who had been looking straight ahead, turned his gaze toward Yuna. His expressionless face, which seemed to have no intention of providing an answer, pierced through her heart. Facing a Go Seok-hyun who did not hide his nature, a fundamental fear took precedence. He was a man who would hurt her without a moment's hesitation. The days she had spent longing for his affection now felt laughable. Yuna found this situation unbearably agonizing.
“Yuna. We've known each other for a long time.”
The voice that reached her ears sounded kinder than expected.
“You're not useful yet, so could you just stay quiet?”
The words that followed, however, were utterly chilling. Seok-hyun took a large step forward. As the distance closed in an instant, Seok-hyun's shadow poured over Yuna. Stumbling backward, Yuna looked up at him and swallowed hard.
“S-still…?”
The elevator that had arrived at the parking lot slowly opened. After casting a glance outside, Seok-hyun leaned his head slightly and whispered in a soft voice.
“You want to play the villain who gives the protagonist a trial, right? Then you should follow the proper order.”
“What…?”
Yuna was bewildered, not knowing what that meant, but before she could ask, Seok-hyun stepped out of the elevator and walked away.
His stride toward the car was incredibly light. As if his desire to quickly feed these lunch boxes to Yoo Hee-jin was bleeding through.
✾ ✾ ✾
Arriving home in a good mood, Seok-hyun sensed that the atmosphere inside the house was different from usual. As he went further inside, his expression sharpened due to an anxiety that grew clearer.
Seeing that all the shoes were there, it was certain that Hee-jin was home. He confirmed it wasn't the worst-case scenario, but he still didn't let his guard down and entered quickly.
When he saw the door of the display cabinet that graced the center of the living room wide open, he momentarily wondered if a thief had broken in. But if that were the case, the anti-theft system would have gone off. As he approached cautiously, he saw a violin sprawled on the floor. It was hard to believe Hee-jin had done this—a violin worth over ten billion won lying on the floor like a toy.
Seok-hyun approached slowly to check its condition. Fortunately, it seemed she had simply set it down on the floor; it wasn't broken. Nevertheless, since he still couldn't tell what the situation was, his expression remained tense.
“…….”
Then, the smell of alcohol hit the tip of his nose. Since Hee-jin had never drunk since he brought her home, the strong scent of alcohol felt foreign. Seok-hyun took a deep breath and turned his head toward the source of the smell. Several spots in the liquor cabinet were empty.
After putting the violin back in the cabinet, Seok-hyun headed toward the kitchen, but he stopped when he felt a grating sensation beneath his slippers. It seemed a bottle had been dropped; shards of broken glass were scattered everywhere. Considering Hee-jin's fastidious nature, it would have been normal for her to have cleaned them up already.
“Noona.”
Seok-hyun's expression turned grave as he discovered Hee-jin slumped in a disheveled posture in the dining room beyond the cabinet. Even as he made a grating noise by kicking away the glass shards around him, she didn't even lift her head, seemingly unaware of his presence. Her hair, falling haphazardly, slightly covered her flushed cheeks.
“Did you drink without any snacks?”
Confirming that she was awake, though dazed, Seok-hyun asked lightly, as if it were no big deal. Reacting to his voice, Hee-jin slowly lifted her head. Her unfocused eyes turned toward him.
Hee-jin stared at him with eyes that seemed unsure whether Seok-hyun was actually in front of her or if she was seeing a hallucination.
The swamp pulling her down gripped her more strongly the more she struggled. She saw no way out. But why was Go Seok-hyun so fine? His solidity—his shameless, unwavering solidity—made her feel insanely angry.
Moreover, while keeping her by his side as she collapsed like this, wasn't he still trying to manipulate and control her?
Hee-jin felt that she simply couldn't do this anymore and intended to leave this place. To escape from Go Seok-hyun. However, Lord Wilton held her ankle. The hope that she could perform on stage again if she endured this clung to her like a swamp and would not let go.
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