The Regressed Chaebol Grandson Finds It Hard to Forgive - Chapter 79

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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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Episode 79. The Woman Next Door (3)

Click. Creak.

Ayura returned to her officetel near work.

The heat simmering inside her hadn’t cooled, even now that she was home.

Her stomach, accustomed to cognac and whisky, was thirsting for more alcohol.

The moment she arrived, she rushed to the refrigerator and pulled out a cold beer.

The sound of the can opening echoed through the quiet apartment. She took a light sip and moved to the window.

The city lights blazed brilliantly outside, embroidering the night.

Once desire is ignited, it does not extinguish.

Though it had passed midnight, traffic still crowded the roads.

It seemed as though everyone out there was racing to satisfy their own desires.

“Broker…….”

Ayura had envied several senior colleagues who worked as brokers.

To put it coldly, they were legal brokers who fulfilled the desires of the upper class by proxy.

Especially as a Jo & Chang attorney, they received top-tier broker treatment simply from that fact alone.

“Riding the Tiger.”

She took a deep gulp of beer and recited the four-character idiom she’d heard earlier.
She had accepted the Crown Prince’s proposal.

She understood the way the world turned.

Ayura had done her best to gather information on her Crown Prince client.

And just before work ended today, she’d received an email.

“The unfortunate son of a prince cast out from the Haryun Group…….”

The first email didn’t contain much information.
But it was enough.

“So he multiplied his capital through cryptocurrency investments…….”

It was only speculation so far, not confirmed.

But simply living in the expensive Signiel and contracting directly with Jo & Chang was enough to dispel doubt.

Between service fees and residential funds, the costs were far beyond what an ordinary person could afford.

“Those eyes weren’t lying. And…….”

Even now, remembering it made her shudder.

“The Goblin Daegam. Ugh.”

Ayura trembled.
She had never visited a shaman’s house for a fortune reading.

She’d been too busy studying in school and after becoming a lawyer.

She’d heard that most successful people are born with good destiny.

Such people don’t bother visiting shamans but instead walk their own path by their own strength.

But today, facing Goblin Daegam…….
After hearing the fortune, her thoughts changed.

The Goblin’s blessing and warning, delivered to the Crown Prince through the bartender’s lips, still rang in her ears.

“Crown Prince. I’ve decided. Please nurture me as you promised.”

If she built a solid legal career, she might get lucky and be appointed as a judge or prosecutor later.

Even if the path didn’t unfold that way, a solid connection could leave her as an ultra-elite attorney earning hundreds of millions annually.

A collaborator, necessary for the foundation of social success.

Gulp, gulp.

The more she thought, the thirstier she became.
Ayura drained the beer in one go.

“But was I…… not attractive today?”

She’d thought of it as a date, done full makeup, and paid attention to her dress code for that evening out.

It bothered her that she hadn’t caught the man’s attention.

He was a high school student, yet already an adult man.
It had been a perfect opportunity to appeal to his attraction.

“……Tch.”

Ayura’s lips pouted at the needless thought.

* * *

Pour, pour.

Red wine filled the slender, tapered transparent glass.

‘Wine with ramyeon……? Does that even match?’

Seo Da-hee watched the wine fill the glass and thought to herself.

Normally, wine was paired with formal Western cuisine.

Wine pairing with ramyeon was unimaginable.

Though Seo Da-hee wasn’t experienced, she’d heard plenty from those around her.

But today was…….

“Looks delicious, doesn’t it?”
“Huh? Y-yes…….”

It wasn’t a picture she’d requested.
Ha Tae-ung had pointed at the wine cellar behind her.

The moment Seo Da-hee saw the wine, the taste came to mind, and she swallowed.

With recent circumstances weighing on her, she was craving alcohol.

Once the ramyeon had satisfied her hunger, alcohol naturally called to her.

The thought of sipping wine while admiring the night view was delightful.

“Drink.”

The man’s movements were unhesitating.
Yet he never lost his manners.

His natural, confident bearing looked good.

“Yes…….”

Seo Da-hee, approaching her thirties,

found her voice trembling like a fresh recruit’s.
Working in entertainment, this was her first encounter with a man of such refinement.

Ting.

They clinked glasses lightly.
She held a sip in her mouth, then swallowed…….

“……!!”

‘Delicious!’

Seo Da-hee was genuinely surprised.
The wine paired perfectly with the soft ramyeon broth with the beaten egg.

It coated her mouth with a clean, crisp grape aroma.

“Good, isn’t it?”
“Yes!”
“This combination is my first time too.”
“Really??”

A man who even drank wine perfectly said he was trying this combination for the first time.

“But tonight, it felt right to drink it this way.”
“Why…… why is that?”

Seo Da-hee was curious.
It was a remark that could easily be misunderstood.

A strange man and woman eating ramyeon in the dead of night.

Ramyeon time, proof of romantic tension.
And wine on top of that?

The perfect play-by-play.

Seo Da-hee’s heart began to race.

She’d overcome her shame and asked for this out of sheer hunger.

Yet somehow it had become a meal far more atmospheric than she’d expected.

Past midnight now.

The night had deepened, and the mood was soaking in.
It wasn’t as though she didn’t understand men and women.

Seo Da-hee wasn’t one to give herself over carelessly.

But tonight, for some reason, it felt like she could.

With one sip of wine, Seo Da-hee felt her blood warming.

‘Those eyes…… are driving me crazy.’

The man’s eyes were deep and fathomless.
Each time she met his clear, glittering gaze, Seo Da-hee marveled inwardly.

Despite his youthful appearance, his eyes held depths far beyond his years.

“I think you’ll need more of my help…… don’t you?”
“……!!”

* * *

I’m personally a fan of Seo Da-hee’s songs.

This is our second meeting.
For me, it’s a special connection.

Before regression, I had no interest in singers—only in the music.

The lyrics were primarily melancholic tales of love and separation that pierced the ears.

Especially on rainy days, they were exquisite.

Objectively, she was a female solo vocalist with the perfect trifecta of beauty, voice, and sensibility.

Now, she lives in the apartment next to mine.
I never knew we’d end up neighbors.

Meeting Seo Da-hee reminded me of one past incident.

Before regression, I happened upon her story while watching YouTube.

A toxic contract with her first agency.
At the time, she was pushed to the brink, and public opinion was turbulent.

Not only her relationships but every aspect of her private life was managed.

Of course, even her diet was strictly controlled.

In an interview at the time, Seo Da-hee revealed she had even contemplated suicide.

The current timeframe is fortunately a point where she’s holding out by refusing to renew her contract.

After this, like her first original song, she made a comeback with her own compositions.

That’s three years ahead from now.

Until then, Seo Da-hee must endure long, agonizing silence and suffering alone.

Knowing her past, I want to offer a helping hand.

Beyond fandom, as a human being.

“Sniffle…….”

Suddenly, Seo Da-hee burst into tears.
It was entirely unintentional.

I’d cooked the ramyeon as gently as possible because she’d been starving—worried she might get indigestion.

Eating hastily on an empty stomach is never wise.

So I deliberately ate alongside her to control the pace.

An empty stomach is more fragile than one might think.

Especially for someone who’d recently collapsed.

Sudden exposure to spicy food requires extra caution.

I chose the wine deliberately—as a buffer to ease tension.

“…….”

I looked at her, tears streaming.
It seemed my one careless remark had unleashed sealed sorrow.

How hard must she have borne this alone.

Only the individual knows their own pain.
I didn’t know even when I read past interviews.

I was too weighed down by my own life then.
So I didn’t understand.

But now I can confirm it from the color of pain radiating from Seo Da-hee’s body.

Blue mixed into her transparent aura!

And beneath it, another layer of Black!

An aura of darkness where loneliness and depression coexist.
It gnaws at her moment by moment.

That’s why I kept asking if there was anything I could help with.

Quietly,

I rose from my seat.

“Sniffle. Sniffle…… Sob.”

Once the tears had started, they wouldn’t easily stop.
I approached her slowly.

“It’s alright now. I’ll help…….”

Whoosh!

I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder…….

I’d only meant to pat her back in comfort, but Seo Da-hee suddenly stood and threw her arms around me.

“……!!”

I was caught off guard for a moment.

“Sob…… Sniffle.”

Seo Da-hee, clinging to me, cried even harder.

Her tears soaking my chest burrowed deep into my heart.

Gently,

I wrapped both arms around her.

In the darkest moment, someone’s embrace becomes a cure that keeps you alive.

It’s how humans share their pain.

I patted her back softly.

With the tender touch and heart of a mother soothing a child.

“Sob…….”

Gradually, her sobs subsided.

Tap-tap, tap! Patter-patter!

The sound of raindrops drumming against the window reached us.

Rain—perhaps the last of spring or the beginning of summer—pierced through the soundproof glass, falling heavy and fierce.

“Haah…….”

From my arms, Seo Da-hee drew one long breath and released it.

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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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