The Regressed Chaebol Grandson Finds It Hard to Forgive - Chapter 44

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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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Chapter 44. The Oyang Group Family (2)

‘Sigh.’

Lee Hyo-joo’s face, watching Ha Tae-woong from behind, turned ashen.

The true nature of Ha Tae-woong that she had never revealed even to her mother.
The fact that he was a Saixue — something she had meant to hide forever.

She never imagined she would encounter him again in a place like this.

And worse still, with her grandfather present.

Her grandfather, who enjoyed reading people’s physiognomy, could be evasive about other matters.

The attitude Ha Tae-woong displayed now was exemplary enough to satisfy even a stranger seeing him for the first time.

There wasn’t yet any sign of a flaw that could be caught.

But if the fact that he was a Saixue came to light, everything would become meaningless.

The moment that happened, both her mother and father would undoubtedly face ridicule.

Cousin Lee Jeong-ho hadn’t noticed yet, but he would find out soon enough.

“…….”

The family’s eyes swept across Ha Tae-woong in unison.

Chairman Lee Do-joong regarded Ha Tae-woong with particular interest.

‘The space between his brows is clear, his eyes like those of a phoenix, and his nose bridge rises beautifully like a mountain range. His philtrum is deep, and his lips too…….’

Lee Do-joong felt curiosity stir at the sight of such fine physiognomy in a long while.
Recently, he had not encountered such clear and open features.

Lee Hyo-joo, the only daughter of his second son.
A child who had shown intelligence beyond her years since early childhood, compared to his other grandchildren.

Pretty enough that he wouldn’t mind having her in his eye, she had made a habit of doing only lovely things.

She naturally took after her mother, and her disposition was beyond reproach.

Had she been born a son, he would have groomed her as the Group Heir without a moment’s hesitation.

But unfortunately, being a girl, there were limits he could not overcome.

His affection for the granddaughter remained unchanged, yet he harbored no thoughts of passing the group to Hyo-joo.

But it was undeniable that he watched her with greater attention than his other grandchildren.

A tender spot — the girl who had once experienced unintended ostracism in her youth and closed her heart to those around her.

And yet such a child had brought a friend.
A schoolmate from the same high school who frequented the Golf Course, encountered naturally.

“A friend of our Hyo-joo’s?”

Lee Do-joong spoke with gentle eyes.

“Yes, Grandfather.”
“……!!”
“……??”

At Ha Tae-woong’s answer, the entire family was startled.

Except for Hyo-joo’s mother, everyone present was meeting for the first time today.

He had addressed Lee Do-joong, a complete stranger, as Grandfather without hesitation.

Lee Do-joong, who typically maintained a stern demeanor even before his own children.

At the company, everyone addressed him uniformly as Chairman.

So even as a granddaughter’s friend, one would never call Lee Do-joong by the title of grandfather.

In fact, it would be more accurate to say he had never met a granddaughter’s friend before.

So those watching grew more tense.

If a scolding about disrespect were to fall from the Chairman’s lips…….

“Oh, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

Suddenly, a hearty laugh erupted from Lee Do-joong’s mouth.

“That’s right, she’s my granddaughter’s friend, so I am indeed a grandfather.”

An unexpected answer broke through the family’s dire prediction.

‘What……is this?’
‘That bastard!!’
‘Hmm.’

Lee Hyo-eun, Lee Jeong-ho, and Lee Jeong-hoon, who had followed along, widened their eyes in disbelief.

Never had their grandfather shown them such an unburdened smile.

Yet……he displayed a surprising degree of goodwill toward this friend of Hyo-joo’s, whom he was meeting for the first time.

“Were you in the middle of a round?”
“Yes.”
“And here?”
“Not yet, sir.”
“Then come over and sit. Let’s have a drink together.”
“Thank you.”

Lee Do-joong readily offered Ha Tae-woong the seat beside him.

His three sons suddenly found themselves needing to vacate a seat.
Those who had been sitting confidently in their chairs stood up in a flurry.

Without anyone uttering a word, they carefully shuffled along, shifting their places one by one.

“Did you come alone?”
“No. I have a companion.”
“Is that so?”

Whoosh.

Just then, the door to the Pavilion opened and An Hyun-joo stepped inside.

The Pavilion held only the Oyang Group family and the uninvited Ha Tae-woong.
No one else was mixed in among them.

Whoosh!

The moment An Hyun-joo entered, the eyes of the entire Oyang Group family fixed upon her.

“Oh! An Hyun-joo, the pro!”
“Ma’am, what are you doing here…….”

Lee Seok-jong, the third son of Chairman Lee Do-joong who oversaw the leisure division, recognized An Hyun-joo first.

Soon after, Lee Jeong-ho and Lee Hyo-joo, both students at Cheongwha High School, confirmed her presence as well.

‘What…… what’s happening?’

An Hyun-joo, who had emerged from the restroom a little late.
When she didn’t see her playing partners, she came to the Pavilion to find them.

But the situation she faced was the gazes of strangers.

Though some of them recognized her.
And then.

“Ma’am.”

An elderly man in front of her who didn’t appear ordinary.
And Ha Tae-woong, seated beside him.

In a loud voice that everyone could hear, he called out to her.

‘Was An Hyun-joo my round partner today?’

Lee Hyo-joo’s head spun in confusion.
Of course she knew the Golf instructor, An Hyun-joo.

Though not a formal teacher, she oversaw the After-School Program.

Particularly popular with the male students.

An Hyun-joo, early twenties, radiating the scent of a mature woman.

Ha Tae-woong, who appeared to have done a round with this unexpected person.

‘Ha Tae-woong, what on earth is your real identity?’

Lee Hyo-joo felt her head growing tangled with endless doubts.

What kind of Saixue student does a round with a pro?

An Hyun-joo, whose professional activities were restricted.

There was no way she could have covered the cost of this round.

“Grandfather. An Hyun-joo was my teaching manager for today’s round.”
“Is that so?”

Lee Do-joong found it pleasant how Ha Tae-woong used the title Grandfather with such natural ease.

His actions, bearing, and tone of voice all exuded satisfying confidence.

If he was a friend of his granddaughter Hyo-joo, he must already know his identity.

At Cheongwha High School, the Group Family members inevitably stood out compared to ordinary students.

The manner in which Ha Tae-woong carried himself within such a circle — completely unbowed and unintimidated.

‘If he’s from the Ha family…….’

Lee Do-joong recalled a certain family without showing it.
The Ha family group, which held rank several notches above the group he himself managed.

‘There’s something similar about him…….’

Lee Do-joong and the Chairman of the Haroon Group were colleagues on friendly terms in business circles.

A man even more principled than Lee Do-joong, more thorough in managing his group and his children.
This was the Ha Chairman of the Haroon Group.

Though others might not know intimately, Lee Do-joong understood the Ha Chairman’s character well.

He was a man who would shed neither blood nor tears for the sake of his group.

“Come here, Ma’am.”

Lee Do-joong beckoned An Hyun-joo closer.
Though he enjoyed golf, he was not well acquainted with active players.

He had been playing golf for decades, a form of exercise.
But he maintained a cold distance from golfing circles.

When other corporate chairmen scheduled rounds with beautiful female pros, he never attended.

There was no need to invite gossip, and it offered little benefit to his privacy management.

And though it had been long since his wife passed, Lee Do-joong still loved her deeply.

“Yes? Yes…….”

An Hyun-joo could not believe what was unfolding before her eyes.

She had never seen them before, but these people were not ordinary.
And Ha Tae-woong, mingled among them, occupied a seat without the slightest discomfort.

“Ma’am. This is the Chairman of the Oyang Group.”
“……!!”

An Hyun-joo, about to sit in the empty chair created beside Ha Tae-woong, was startled.

A series of astonishing events had unfolded since she became acquainted with Ha Tae-woong.

Ha Tae-woong, a Saixue admission student at Cheongwha High School, was now sitting beside the Chairman of the Oyang Group.

“F-First meeting, sir. I’m An Hyun-joo.”

An Hyun-joo naturally adopted a more modest demeanor.
And she bowed deeply from the waist.

She had already learned bitterly that one must not show pride before a group chairman.

“Don’t be nervous.”

Chairman Lee Do-joong smiled warmly.

Though unexpected encounters kept piling up, his mood was excellent.

His curiosity had been roused by both Ha Tae-woong and An Hyun-joo.

Ha Tae-woong displayed a quality that only Chairman Ha Cheol-gon of the Haroon Group possessed.

An uncanny resemblance, though he could not be certain.

A few more words of conversation and he would surely discern the boy’s true identity.

People often regard Group Heirs with prejudice, calling them Gold Spoons or Royal Family.

But Group Heirs do not simply grow of their own accord.

One cannot place an unverified man at the helm of a ship.

They are cultivated to possess character, academics, mental fortitude, and social acumen.

The effort that goes into this process is immense.

A single group sustains anywhere from thousands to hundreds of thousands of employees.

The group’s captain holds the wheel of that great vessel.

Such a creature is not born by chance.

An Hyun-joo sat down carefully.

“Grandfather. Allow me to pour you a drink.”
“Go ahead. Ha ha ha ha.”

At Ha Tae-woong’s easygoing manner, Lee Do-joong let his guard drop entirely.

His hearty laughter created an odd illusion of looking at another person.

Ha Tae-woong, who showed no apprehension whatsoever, struck him as all the more special and commendable.

His grandchildren were uniformly intimidated by him.

Even his sons were always cautious.
Both inside and out, they treated him only as the Oyang Group Chairman.

Ha Tae-woong, pouring drinks for a lonely, aging lion, touched his heart.

Ha Tae-woong respectfully lifted the Makgeolli carafe and tilted it toward the glass.

The cold rice wine filled the glass refreshingly, creating a gentle fizz.

The side dish was Seafood Pajeon, the Chairman’s favorite.

Glug-glug.

Ha Tae-woong filled the glass with both hands, unwavering.

The measured composure learned and ingrained in his past life for the sake of survival now manifested as an embodied grace.

‘He’s been trained well.’

Lee Do-joong observed each movement and was satisfied.

Boys this age do not conduct themselves with such restraint.

It meant his household had disciplined and taught him strictly.

Even looking at his grandchildren, they clumsily fumbled with a wine bottle when offered.
Compared to them, Ha Tae-woong…….

Glug.

The rice wine stopped precisely at the point where it would not overflow.

“Will you take a drink?”
“I would be grateful to receive one.”
“Father. If he’s Hyo-joo’s friend…….”

Lee Seok-pil, the eldest son, carefully interjected as he watched the two.

This was an outsider, not family — and a minor at that.

Lee Seok-pil was concerned that offering alcohol might cause problems.

“I had circumstances in my childhood that led me to take time away from school.”
“……??”
“Though I’m in the same year as Hyo-joo, I am already an adult. There’s no need for concern.”
“Ah! Then do accept a drink.”

Lee Do-joong paused, then picked up the carafe again.

Ha Tae-woong held out the glass with both hands.

‘That bastard!!’

Lee Jeong-ho felt his jealousy boiling to the point his head might burst.

Except for memories so distant they were hazy, he had never sat close to his grandfather’s side.

Alcohol?

Of course he had never received any.
But how could this situation be happening?

This Ha Tae-woong, meeting Hyo-joo’s friend for the first time today.
And there he was, claiming a seat beside his grandfather like a tiger, performing every manner of flattery.

‘You’re dead by my hand!!’

Lee Jeong-ho ground his teeth furiously in silence.

Ha Tae-woong, who mentioned he attended Cheongwha High School.

The moment school began, he would find him and destroy him, Lee Jeong-ho swore.

“Well, let’s drink.”

Lee Do-joong raised his glass first and brought it to his lips.

Followed by Ha Tae-woong and the others, who also raised their glasses and drank.

Only the grandchildren stared blankly at the unbelievable scene unfolding before them.

“Grandfather.”
“……??”
“If it’s agreeable to you, may I join your next round and play alongside you?”

Ha Tae-woong made an unexpected proposal to Lee Do-joong, who had just emptied his Makgeolli glass.

To join in the next round.

And to mingle with the family already in the middle of their round.

“I’m breaking eighty today……and I would like to learn your wisdom.”
“Is that so? Then let’s play together. I’ll share everything I know! Ha ha ha ha.”

Lee Do-joong’s mood lifted even higher.
He nodded repeatedly with delight and gladly granted permission.

“…….”

At Chairman Lee Do-joong’s extraordinary conduct, the Oyang Group family’s jaws dropped.

A boldness this extraordinary — the family was witnessing it for the first time.

‘Sigh.’

Lee Hyo-joo, unable to reveal Ha Tae-woong’s identity.

She buried the fact that he was a Saixue in her heart once more and exhaled a short sigh.

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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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