I’m an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me - Chapter 304

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 304

Taeseok, who opened the door without knocking, had several people clinging to both his arms trying to restrain him.

Though commotion had descended upon the quiet office, Taejin didn’t spare a glance at Taeseok who had burst in recklessly.

He simply didn’t put down the fountain pen in his hand, as if he was still busy with his own work.

“Hey.”

“….”

“Hey.”

“….”

“You crazy bastard!”

When Taeseok shouted, the employees holding his arms were startled and made a fuss.

“Sir! Please leave!”

“Someone call the police!”

“Why are you causing a disturbance here!”

Several employees tumbled to the floor from Taeseok’s monstrous strength. Taejin, who had maintained his composure even in the chaos, opened his mouth.

“Everyone, please leave.”

“…CEO….”

“It’s fine, so hurry.”

Even at Taejin’s gentle command, the employees hesitated as if they didn’t like it. Taejin nodded briefly to emphasize once more that it was okay. When the last employee slowly left, Taeseok immediately approached Taejin.

“You son of a bitch….”

“How much do you know? I thought I was almost done.”

“Is that what’s important right now?”

“It’s important. I thought I had handled everything so it wouldn’t leak out, but there’s been a variable.”

The smile had already disappeared from Taejin’s face.

“Where did you hear what?”

“Hah…. Fuck….”

“CEO Gi. Since you don’t seem inclined to talk right now, let me give you some advice first. From now on, don’t act so recklessly, charging in without thinking. You seem very agitated. That won’t do.”

“What? How dare you say such-“

“Today should be the last time you don’t use your head.”

Taejin, who slowly rose from his seat, said.

“Because you’ll have a lot of work to do from now on.”

Taejin held out the documents he had just finished signing to Taeseok.

“Here, take them.”

But Taeseok threw them to the floor. They were obviously bribes. He had no intention of accepting such things.

The white documents scattered in all directions.

But Taejin, as if he didn’t care, held out the next documents. And then the next documents, and then the next.

“What are you doing?”

“Soon, ownership transfer documents will go to CEO Gi. The distillery and all the business sites that Hanamura was running.”

Taejin picked up the documents that had fallen to the floor. Then he lightly dusted them off with one hand.

“My assets.”

Taeseok momentarily doubted his own ears. His expression showed he didn’t quite understand what he had heard.

“It might take quite a while, but I’d like CEO Gi to help with paying compensation to the families of the Koreans who were conscripted… as a priority.”

Taejin placed a stylish leather file in the center of the desk.

“The list is here, and I tried to find what I could reach, but there are so many unknowns that I couldn’t organize it cleanly.”

As if that was the most important thing.

“If you find them later, please make sure to.”

Taejin looked at Taeseok with sincere eyes.

That honest attitude made him feel nauseous. Taeseok grabbed Taejin by the collar. Under his strong grip, the neat shirt wrinkled.

“What kind of bullshit are you pulling right now?”

“So you cover up what Hanamura did. Make it as if it never happened.”

Even with his collar grabbed, Taejin’s expression didn’t change. He was only calm, as if he had expected everything.

“My wife.”

My wife. At the words referring to Huijae, Taeseok reflexively growled.

“Should have nothing to do with such dirty and terrible things.”

But Taeseok stiffened at Taejin’s cold words.

“She should be a pitiful woman who was briefly deceived by a pro-Japanese faction’s son, not a pro-Japanese faction’s daughter. Since she’s a young and wonderful night school teacher for Koreans.”

Taejin, who loosened the hand gripping his collar one by one, held out the last thing he had prepared.

“Please take care of everything.”

On the white paper, neatly handwritten letters were densely written.

The first page was how to make pear blossom tea.

Pear blossoms, pear peels, licorice

-1~2 dried pear blossoms (petals only)

-Half a handful of dried pear peels

-1~2 pieces of licorice

-Two spoons of honey

Wash all ingredients in clear water for 2 minutes, then add one and a half cups of water and boil on low heat for 20 minutes. After that, turn off the heat and let it steep quietly for 5 more minutes, remove all ingredients and gently fan it, then let it cool to lukewarm.

Everything was about Huijae.

On rainy days, she tends to have nightmares often, so don’t let her sleep in too dark a room but keep a small lamp on, and even on days when she has no appetite and doesn’t eat well, she still eats egg custard with milk….

The papers that showed how long he had cherished and loved Huijae couldn’t be thrown away.

Taeseok caught his breath for a moment. His throat trembled as he took a deep breath.

“…What are you thinking?”

“Since the amount is large, there will be many people targeting CEO Gi. Since it’s harder to protect wealth than to attract it, be more careful from now on. If you slip up once, many things will fly away.”

“I’m asking what you’re thinking.”

“For the sugar import matter, I’ve made arrangements with the United States. Distribution shouldn’t be difficult. The people who took on the job are good friends, but… still, don’t trust them too readily. Well, I’m not in a position to say such things to a self-made businessman. It’s a bit embarrassing.”

“Answer me!”

“After I leave, they’ll be watching for a while, and as you know, if you can’t properly take control in a short time, there will definitely be trouble. Since it’s such a major upheaval, everyone will swarm in like a pack of dogs.”

“You’re really going to abandon everything and take the blame alone?”

Taejin leaned against the desk as if sitting on it.

“I’m not abandoning anything.”

His expression was much more relaxed now, as if his heart was finally at ease.

“Since it wasn’t mine from the beginning, I’m just letting it go….”

Bitterness emanated from his small smile.

“I thought you, if no one else, would understand.”

“Me? You?”

They were different from birth. The noble-born Taejin had no right to say such things to Taeseok, who had crawled through the bottom as a poor man.

But Taejin laughed loudly.

“Men don’t want to look pathetic to the woman they hold in their hearts.”

However, the two men were alike in that they loved one woman.

Taejin, on the day he learned everything, decided to let go of everything. He decided to deceive Huijae and bear all the sins alone.

Once he knew the truth, he couldn’t bury it. As a human being, he absolutely couldn’t do that.

Even breathing was burdensome.

The letters written in excessive detail tormented Taejin.

Manchuria, Sakhalin, Hokkaido, Kyushu, construction, railways, coal mines, military supplies, and.

Military supply worker distribution table.

Taejin’s father had supplied Koreans to the right places at the right times.

The documents became increasingly brief. As if it was bothersome to even write people’s names, they were simply recorded as numbers.

The weight of sin came as numbers.

Someone had to take responsibility for this.

Even if forgiveness couldn’t be received, apologies had to be made.

As a human being, it had to be done.

However, Taejin couldn’t bring himself to say they should bear it together. He couldn’t do that.

She was always at the end of Taejin’s gaze.

What she liked, what she disliked, what she couldn’t bear, what she dreamed of… Knowing her better than anyone else was the privilege of someone with unrequited love.

So he decided to move forward alone, without Huijae.

“Even if I can’t be a remarkable man, I really don’t want to be pathetic.”

There were countless things he wanted to do for his wife as they grew old together.

But Taejin decided to be satisfied with this.

It was enough that he had seen her smile like that for the first time since their marriage. That alone made this decision worthwhile.

“Perhaps I could teach reading to people around me who can’t attend night school due to circumstances? The beginning is difficult, but once you get the hang of it, writing is quite easy.”

No matter what man came along, no one could replace this.

“I’m just… doing it because it’s something I can do.”

Because it was truly something only Taejin could do.

It wasn’t an easy decision. Every time he came home in the early morning hours and looked at his sleeping wife’s face, greed would suddenly surge up.

He sometimes wanted to pretend he knew nothing and continue living as Yeonhuijae’s husband.

But he didn’t want to taint his feelings for her.

He just wanted to be proud of his love.

Taejin decided to give up everything.

Still, it was okay because he had kept this one feeling intact until the end.

Any choice that wouldn’t make him ashamed before the woman he loved was acceptable.

Taejin playfully joked with Taeseok, who was staring at him blankly.

“I’m going to Manchuria. I heard there are no schools or hospitals there… it’s a complete mess.”

The Koreans his father had used and abandoned couldn’t return and remained there. They lived day by day in harsh conditions at the border.

“Fortunately, Father had more assets than expected. There’s quite a lot I can do.”

“You’re saying you’ll use your father’s assets for the Koreans in Manchuria?”

“That’s right.”

“Will the country allow such a massive amount of money to leave?”

“Well. They weren’t exactly pleased about it… but I’m leaving my assets with CEO Gi. There’s justification. Something like a Korean industrial development fund.”

Taejin decided to willingly spend what his father had left him.

Culture, refinement, and connections.

The United States naturally strongly supported a Korean-American capitalist providing a foundation for self-reliance to Koreans in Manchuria.

The UN also had no reason to oppose the beginning of strategic support that would spread the roots of the free world.

And current Korea couldn’t be free from the gaze of America and international organizations.

Taejin first announced his donation intentions externally. Because Taejin had already committed to everything, the government couldn’t intervene.

However, since he was essentially sending assets that could be recovered and immediately used by the state to external parties, they demanded compensation.

Korea gained priority participation in Official Development Assistance (ODA), and international loan conditions became more flexible. The International Cooperation Administration (ICA) promised to increase subsidy ratios, and the quantity of incoming aid supplies would increase.

Taejin extended his hand.

“I’m sorry for acting so petty all this time. I was just so jealous I couldn’t help it.”

Only after he urged the frozen Taeseok by moving his hand could they shake hands. The rough hand, different from his own, made Taejin feel more ashamed.

Instead of his own soft, straight hands, how many people’s hands had been wounded, cracked, and broken?

“Well then, farewell.”

Taejin shook the hand a couple more times encouragingly, then issued an order to leave. Taeseok slowly turned around.

Watching the back of the young, capable, promising man, and above all, the man his wife held in her heart, Taejin spoke one last time.

“Oh, quit smoking.”

“….”

“She can’t stand cigarette smoke.”

The door closed very quietly, unlike when it had opened.

In the quiet office.

Taejin, who had sat back down, finished his remaining work. He stamped the documents.

A red seal like blood was stamped on the white paper.

It had been his father’s.

As his father had taught him, Taejin had grown up refined. Thanks to playing piano for so long, his movements were very smooth and quick.

Quick enough to easily steal safe keys from a drunk old man’s embrace.

“I’m so glad I learned piano for so long…”

Taejin smiled softly and hummed a song as he picked up the next document. It was a piece he had once played with his wife sitting beside him.

Salut d’Amour.

Despite being a piece he could usually play quite skillfully, he had made several mistakes. His nervousness from wanting to impress his wife had made his hands uncooperative. He couldn’t recall the sheet music well, which had been quite embarrassing. Worried that his wife might be disappointed by her hopeless husband’s playing skills, he had suggested they play piano together.

But this was an embarrassing story that only Taejin would ever know.

Huijae paced by the window. Something was strange. Her husband continued not to come home. She had an ominous feeling.

“…!”

Then she saw a familiar car beyond the window. It was her husband’s car. Huijae immediately ran out. He got out of the car and immediately recognized Huijae.

“It’s so cold today.”

Taejin frowned seeing Huijae come out in her pajamas. He unwrapped his scarf and put it around Huijae.

“Is something wrong?”

“Did you run out here because you wanted to see me?”

“I’m not in the mood for such jokes right now.”

“My… how heartless of you.”

Taejin embraced the sulking Huijae. Huijae tried to break free, hitting his chest with her fists. But for some reason, her husband wouldn’t listen. Instead, he held her even tighter.

“You must sleep well.”

Taejin, holding his wife, said incomprehensible words.

“And don’t skip meals.”

As if satisfied, Taejin released Huijae and took out an envelope from his coat. It was small enough to contain a love letter.

“The lawyer will explain the details.”

“What on earth is…”

“Being with you all this time…”

Taejin’s nose turned red. It wasn’t from the cold.

“I was truly happy.”

Then he turned his back and walked away. Leaving Huijae behind. Leaving her alone.

In her ridiculous outfit of white pajamas and red scarf, Huijae opened the envelope.

Inside was a divorce agreement with all of Taejin’s portions filled out.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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