Impossible Romance - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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17.

I knew that smile well. It was the same expression Han Seon-young wore when directing my parents at the villa, the same look she gave my younger siblings as they played nearby.
A somewhat hypocritical smile—she spoke unkindly yet considered herself graceful. Every time Han Seon-young saw me, her expression was always like that.
Four years ago, when we negotiated over my brother’s surgery.
Yet perhaps it was thanks to Han Seon-young’s very hypocrisy that my brother lived. Because of that, I could never betray the promise I made to her.
“Yes. I hope you’ve been well, Director.”
I responded with a formal greeting and took a seat across from her.
“What would you like to drink? We just received a new tea that tastes quite good. Oh, but for you, coffee would probably be better. Something more mainstream would suit you, don’t you think? Tea is something you need a refined palate to truly appreciate.”
Having known each other since childhood, Han Seon-young had always spoken to me casually.
“Yes. I’ll have coffee.”
I acquiesced quietly. I understood Han Seon-young’s intention perfectly.
A petty attempt to demonstrate how vast the gap between our stations was with nothing more than a choice of beverage—nothing more, nothing less.
“Kim Secretary, coffee here. Just bring it freshly dripped.”
Han Seon-young instructed Kim Secretary in a smooth voice.
“Yes.”
Kim Secretary poured coffee from a pre-prepared pot into a cup, set it before me, and returned to his station.
“Thank you.”
I picked up the coffee with a respectful bow. The more Han Seon-young tried to diminish me, the more firmly I resolved not to crumble.
“So you’ve joined our Seonjin. And as Seok-ha’s secretary, no less?”
“Yes.”
I set down the cup and answered briefly. It wasn’t surprising that Han Seon-young knew of my changed circumstances.
Kwon Seok-ha likely hadn’t mentioned me to her. But I knew that Han Seon-young’s world revolved around Kwon Seok-ha.
“You know how much interest I take in our Seok-ha. But when I saw the personnel transfer notice, something began to concern me. That’s why I called you here.”
Han Seon-young lifted her teacup, savored her tea, and set it down.
“I see.”
I answered quietly once more.
“Do you understand what I’m saying? Do you know why I called you here?”
Han Seon-young crossed one leg and leaned back against the sofa.
I fell silent in thought. This had been weighing on me ever since I received Kim Secretary’s call.
The reason Han Seon-young had summoned me.
Of course, I had a rough idea. That’s why I came.
To demonstrate that I harbored no feelings whatsoever for Kwon Seok-ha.
“I understand your concern, Director. You’ve mentioned it to me several times before, so if that’s the reason, you needn’t worry.”
I clenched my hands in my lap.
“I did mention it to you a few times before. But that’s not all, is it? You made me a promise. Do you remember?”
“Yes. I remember well.”
“Good. If you claim not to remember and try to wriggle out of it, that would be truly shameless. People abandon their conscience for money, they say, but I believe you’re not that kind of person.”
Han Seon-young knew exactly how to make anyone feel uncomfortable, regardless of the conversation.
“There’s nothing for you to worry about, Director. And the Executive Director is too busy with work to concern himself with anything else. Besides, he and I don’t have that kind of relationship.”
I infused my voice with conviction to demonstrate my resolve. It stung my pride to have to go this far, but I couldn’t afford to let my true feelings show.
“I wish that were true, but people’s hearts don’t always obey their intentions. Especially with someone like Seok-ha—he always gets exactly what he wants. He’s my son, but that boy is truly greedy.”
Han Seon-young smiled warmly as she thought of Kwon Seok-ha. It was a genuine, human smile—the first sincere one I’d seen from her today.
“….”
I remained silent. Kwon Seok-ha and I had ended things long ago when I treated him coldly. Han Seon-young still didn’t know that, and she seemed to be worrying needlessly.
“I’ll be frank with you. My personality doesn’t suit beating around the bush,”
“Yes. Please go ahead.”
Han Seon-young leaned forward from the sofa, her gaze fixed directly on me. Her eyes suddenly turned cold and piercing.
It was true that Han Seon-young had applied pressure on me multiple times without Seok-ha’s knowledge.
And while the transfer to the US Branch was ostensibly due to the successor training program that Chairman Kwon—her father-in-law—had proposed, Han Seon-young’s true intention was to separate me from Kwon Seok-ha. It was Han Seon-young who had convinced Chairman Kwon that overseas branch experience was crucial for Seok-ha’s development.
But the moment Seok-ha returned from the overseas branch with impressive results, the first thing he did was hire Ahn Joon-hee as his secretary. Han Seon-young was utterly exasperated.
So Han Seon-young had no choice but to try to control me.
“Even though I’m trying to keep you two apart, the fact that Seok-ha is still doing this shows it’s all just greed—lingering attachment to something he can’t have. In cases like that, you can’t just block it outright. Once you satisfy a craving, it loses its appeal anyway.”
Satisfy a craving.
For a moment, I doubted my own ears.
My fingers trembled against my knees, and my chest tightened painfully.
“I heard Seok-ha brought you into his house. What do you think that means?”
Han Seon-young’s gaze pierced through me. My heart ached as if stabbed, but it hurt even more because it was true. Yet I couldn’t just sit there and accept it.
“That’s for a different reason. If you could persuade the Executive Director, I would leave immediately.”
The different reason was my brother Jun-young’s debt. I didn’t want to bring that up in front of Han Seon-young. But I genuinely hoped she would pressure Kwon Seok-ha into forcing me out. And I needed to show her my sincerity. For the promise I made four years ago.
“I’m not saying you should leave.”
But Han Seon-young’s next words were unexpected.
“Then what do you mean?”
“Whether you roll around with Seok-ha or sleep with him—I won’t interfere. You’re both young and full of vigor. I have no intention of meddling in my son’s personal affairs.”
Crude words flowed effortlessly from Han Seon-young’s refined lips. For her, it was a significant concession, but I felt disgusted and stared at her with a hardened expression.
“Let me spell it out more clearly. I’d appreciate it if you two would enjoy yourselves and then part ways cleanly.”
Han Seon-young smiled as she watched me turn pale.
“My son is in his prime. Even if I tried to stop him, it would only make his blood boil—like Romeo and Juliet. Opposing from within the family is something only amateurs do. Don’t you agree?”
Han Seon-young took a sip of the tea before her. The way she savored its aroma was elegant, yet her words were not merely direct—they were brazenly blunt.
It meant she saw me as far too easy, far too insignificant.
“The Executive Director and I—that will never happen. So please don’t jump to conclusions, Director.”
I expressed my discomfort within my limits, masking it as courtesy. There were too many people connected to Seonjin for me to lose my temper and expose myself recklessly.
But Han Seon-young simply let my carefully considered words pass through her ears.
“Even if people say all are equal, when you put them on a scale, one side always tips heavier. You know yourself how much you fall short compared to my Seok-ha, don’t you?”
Han Seon-young’s clear voice pierced my ears and stabbed my heart.
I know.
I know how inadequate and lacking I am compared to Kwon Seok-ha.
I know it, but hearing it spoken coldly from Han Seon-young’s beautiful lips was something else entirely. Her words cut like a blade, wounding my chest, and it hurt all the more for it.
“….”
It wasn’t that I rejected Han Seon-young’s words—the pain was simply too overwhelming to open my mouth. As I stood there unable to respond, Han Seon-young spoke again.
“Are you feeling wronged? Why does your face look like that?”
“No, ma’am.”
I answered with a composed expression. I didn’t want to show tears in front of Han Seon-young. I refused to do anything that might give her reason to misunderstand me further.
Yet Han Seon-young, as always, twisted my words and began to excavate my wounds.
“I didn’t want to say this much, but your parents—they work as caretakers at our villa. I know everything, even about the accident your mother caused while gambling. So why do you have that wronged expression on your face? If anyone has a right to feel wronged, it’s me.”

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