The Textbook of a Lover - Chapter 84

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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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84.
“Mother, to be honest, I’ve been troubled these past few days. I’ve heard the strangest rumors going around. That this board meeting will recruit the president from outside. Does that even make sense? How many years have I sat in that position?”
Myung-sik let his agitated voice settle for a moment.
“I went to see Father and my brother about this, but they wouldn’t even meet with me. And that wretch Cha Kyung too. Mother, you’ve always been so fond of me since I was young. That’s why I came to you…….”
“How shameless you are.”
“Yes? Mother, have I done something wrong……?”
“I’ve known for a long time. Every time Cha Kyung had an accident, you spread rumors about it. Yes, I decided to see just how far you’d go, but now you’re trying to drive a wedge between your grandmother and her grandson? Is that it?”
Myung-sik swallowed hard.
“Mother, I have never done any such thing.”
“You think you can hide it? When did I ever call the girl who would become my grandson’s wife a scapegoat? Say it. Tell me with your own mouth.”
“That is to say, well, I never meant anything harmful…….”
“You invented words I never spoke and spread them around, called that girl a scapegoat and worse in front of Do-ah, and caused such deep wounds to that child and my grandson. And now you come here shamelessly asking for favors?”
“Mother…….”
“The presidency of Hyunsin Mulsan is not something I involve myself in. If you’ve done well all this time, the board will make their own judgment.”
“What? No, please hear me out a bit more…….”
“I have nothing more to say. Leave now.”
Gyu-seon set down her teacup. It made a soft, sharp sound.
“And from now on, you will not attend any gathering where my grandson’s fiancée is present. Not at ancestral rites, not at holidays, not at the wedding. Nothing.”
It was, in effect, a declaration of severed ties.
Myung-sik wanted desperately to defend himself, but staying in this room any longer risked far worse than an estrangement. He left.
“Damn it all.”
Heat rose sharply up the back of his neck.
“I bent over backward, catered to them endlessly, just to keep that pathetic little position. And now they throw me away? Me!”
Furious, Myung-sik pressed the accelerator hard.
The engine roared, tearing through the quiet air of the residential neighborhood as he sped out of the alley.
A week later, a knock sounded at Cha Kyung’s office.
The secretary who entered shortly after set a morning newspaper and a folder on the desk.
“Front page of the morning edition.”
[Hyunsin Mulsan President Cha Myung-sik Resigns Due to Personal Circumstances…… Rebate and Borrowed-Name Account Allegations Surface]
The headline was clean and straightforward.
Cha Kyung glanced through the article, then opened the folder beside it.
[Materials Related to Former President Cha Myung-sik — Final Summary] was written on the cover.
“What’s the status on the prosecution investigation request?”
“It will be officially filed this afternoon.”
“Prepare thoroughly. Make sure that man pays every last measure of his debt. Not a single penalty reduced.”
Cha Kyung looked down at the newspaper on his desk once more, then dropped it along with the folder into the waste bin beneath the desk.
The rustle of paper falling was light and quiet.
The name of a man who had sat in the president’s chair of Hyunsin Mulsan for nearly thirty years was being erased from the Cha family.
* * *
“My goodness, how long has it been!”
“Not that long. We saw each other at the last gathering.”
“I’m just happy to see you.”
Do-ah smiled at Su-jin’s warm greeting. Today she was attending the Mountain Club Alumni Association’s New Year gathering held at a large cafe.
Since the mountain retreat, Do-ah had grown closer to the alumni and attended every meeting she could make time for.
As she moved from table to table exchanging greetings, a familiar voice drifted from behind her.
“We’re running a new member promotion right now with no enrollment fee. I mention it because it’d be a shame to miss an opportunity like this.”
“I don’t know. I’m not really into meeting people this way.”
“What are you talking about? Do you know how many couples get married through matrimonial agencies these days? With your specs and looks, you’d be a top-tier client at our company. I promise I’d personally make sure your match is perfect. Absolutely top-tier.”
The one going from table to table promoting was none other than Na-hui.
Do-ah had heard through acquaintances that Na-hui had been fired from Abe and started working at a matrimonial agency.
But she hadn’t expected her to come all the way to the alumni gathering to pitch clients.
“Why are you doing sales here of all places?”
“Right? If the company’s that good, she should match herself with a good man.”
“Exactly. She was always searching for men with good specs. If she found men like that, wouldn’t she just marry one instead of introducing them to us?”
Sharp comments drifted from nearby tables.
Some were even saying that if she kept this up, they should block her from attending next time.
The moment Do-ah turned the corner to go deeper into the venue, she came face to face with Na-hui.
Na-hui’s face had hardened. She was gripping the pamphlet so tightly that wrinkles formed along its edges.
Her face maintained a smile, but the flesh around her eyes had gone rigid as stone.
Do-ah tried to pass by without acknowledging her. Then Na-hui grabbed her arm.
“You think I’m pathetic, don’t you?”
“…….”
“Just wait. Do you really think a chaebol is going to keep seeing someone like you? He’s just amusing himself with you for now. Once he finds his footing again, you’ll be the one who’s truly miserable.”
Do-ah slowly pulled her arm free from Na-hui’s grip.
“Whether Cha Kyung keeps seeing me or not is between him and me. It’s not something you need to worry about. And are you even in a position to be thinking about that right now?”
Na-hui’s face went rigid. But Do-ah didn’t stop there.
“Focus on your own life. The fire that’s burning is yours, not mine. The things you’ve done are coming back at you like a boomerang, and you still can’t see that it’s time to wake up?”
“……What do you mean?”
“The way things are going for you, it looks like it’ll take a while. That fire burning at your feet.”
With those words, Do-ah turned her back on the fuming Na-hui.
As she walked toward her seat inside, Do-ah came to a realization.
The world is less fragile than one might think.
Sooner or later, the words and deeds a person sows come to rest before them, exactly as they were.
* * *
Kyung-jun sat with his back against the wall in one corner of Seoul Detention Center.
Besides Kyung-jun, there were five others in the cell, and a large-built man among them occupied the central position with his arms crossed.
The other men called him “boss.”
“Boss, tell us about that fight you had outside. You were telling us about dealing with some guy in Eulji-ro, but you stopped. Come on.”
“What’s so great about that story?”
“Ah, boss, that story sounds just like reading a martial arts novel—it’s so vivid and interesting!”
The man called boss shrugged and began to boast.
“That bastard was over 190 centimeters tall. Built bigger than me too. But I told you, didn’t I? You don’t fight on size alone.”
“Right, boss! It takes technique!”
“I know how to throw a punch. The moment I saw him, I knew exactly where and how to hit him. So I landed one solid blow—bam―”
“And then what happened, boss?”
“That bastard flew right up into the air and smashed straight into the wall.”
Damn gangsters.
I could write better martial arts fiction with my feet than this garbage. Both the fools telling the story and the idiots listening to it.
“Tch.”
The moment Kyung-jun let out an involuntary scoff, the cell went ice cold. The “boss” slowly turned his head and glared at Kyung-jun.
“Hey, you. Get up.”
“What? Why me……?”
“You just scoffed at me!”
“No. I was just thinking about something else and couldn’t help laughing. I wasn’t listening to your story.”
“Look at this liar. You heard every word we said, and now you say you didn’t hear it? You’re making fun of me?”
The boss grabbed Kyung-jun’s collar and hauled him to his feet.
One of the others who’d been placating the boss moved to block the cell door’s window.
Thud―
A fist connected with Kyung-jun’s jaw.
Kyung-jun cursed inwardly. These social dregs are hitting me? I’m different from you. I went to university, got into a major corporation!
I only ended up here by mistake!
As another punch landed on Kyung-jun’s cheek, his vision swam sharply. Everything went black.

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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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