To My Brother’s Friend - Chapter 15

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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 15
“What, did you say you’re marrying Beom Gwon-yeol?”
It was half serious, half joking.
He was the kind of older brother who showed no mercy even to his own siblings—thorough and meticulous—yet he was the only one who bent for her, and despite his busy schedule, he always made time on her birthday to personally take care of her.
But… they both understood their positions far too well.
From Jae-yeol’s perspective, it was Hee-jo who grasped her position most thoroughly and painfully.
If she were like any ordinary girl, she would have crossed that line long ago.
The only person Beom Gwon-yeol treated with such tenderness.
A title perfect for misunderstanding.
Yet like a satellite orbiting in trajectories that could never intersect, Yoon Hee-jo remained at Beom Gwon-yeol’s closest distance while never entering his center.
It seemed less like exceptional self-awareness and more like a desperate struggle for survival.
And yet, his mother Jin Seo-ryeong was always anxious about Hee-jo, always uncomfortable with her.
Sometimes it seemed she even found her unpleasant.
From what I could see, it wasn’t Yoon Hee-jo trying to close the distance—it was my brother instead.
“…Yes.”
And today, it seemed Kwon Yeol had finally deviated from his orbit.
At Hee-jo’s answer, Jae-yeol exhaled in disbelief, splashed water on his face, and spoke.
“Hmm… I’m asking because I can’t quite believe it. Your brother knows about this marriage, right?”
“If you don’t believe me, you can always ask my brother to confirm.”
At Hee-jo’s composed response, Jae-yeol shrugged.
“I’m joking. Surely you wouldn’t tell such a lie about my brother? I might, but not you.”
It seems real.
Well, neither my brother nor this girl are the type to speak carelessly.
The news of their marriage was surprising, yet at the same time, I felt as though I’d always known this day would come.
In any case, since Kwon Yeol had finally decided to marry, his feelings for Yoon Hee-jo must run deeper than ordinary.
“Your face—my brother will flip when he sees it.”
“…Surely not.”
Hee-jo let the words slip out before she could help herself, then closed her mouth.
But Jae-yeol had already caught it.
He smiled meaningfully.
‘Ah. So they’re still like that?’
If that’s the case—
“Get in my car for now.”
“Pardon?”
“We need to go to the hospital. I’ll have your car moved, so don’t worry.”
“No, that’s fine.”
Jae-yeol, watching Hee-jo refuse, smiled meaningfully.
“Wouldn’t it be better to win over at least one more family member?”
Family.
As Hee-jo hesitated at that word, Jae-yeol opened his car door and spoke.
“You know the second brother has no interest in such matters, right? If you bring me to your side, it won’t be bad for you, me, or the eldest either.”
“Why… are you trying to help me? Aren’t you equally uninterested in ‘such matters’?”
Jae-yeol chuckled at Hee-jo’s composed voice.
“Because I have something to settle with the eldest.”
“…I must decline.”
“What, are you worried it might harm the eldest?”
Hee-jo’s silence was affirmation.
“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”
So this girl really does care deeply for the eldest.
Well, that explains why she’s pushing forward with the marriage despite such treatment from Mother. She seems completely indifferent to money or status.
“If you follow me now, you could have a much smoother path to marriage.”
* * *
Kwon Yeol’s brow furrowed at the secretary’s report.
“…The hospital?”
“Yes, Executive Director.”
“The reason?”
“She received treatment to reduce the swelling on her cheek. The area that was slightly scraped by glass shards has been disinfected. Fortunately, the wound is not deep.”
At the secretary’s words, Kwon Yeol tapped his index finger against the table—tap, tap.
“She was injured…”
Hong Se-gi, the secretary, quietly lowered his gaze at the terrifyingly cold tone.
‘There’s no need to adjust the schedule.’
Hong Se-gi, who had watched Kwon Yeol since childhood, acknowledged that Hee-jo was an extremely important person to him.
Yet it seemed she was not important enough to take precedence over his duties and responsibilities.
‘The Madam was simply worrying too much.’
Hong Se-gi, who had been frequently troubled by the lady of the house constantly contacting him to ask how Kwon Yeol’s feelings toward Hee-jo appeared, could now be certain.
Kwon Yeol was a man who prioritized his responsibilities and obligations.
He was absolutely not the type to be swayed by people, especially not by women.
Look at this very moment.
Even though the child he cherished so dearly had been injured, he merely predicted the reason and circumstances of the wound—nothing more.
“I—”
It was the moment Hong Se-gi was about to continue his report.
Kwon Yeol set down his fountain pen and rose from his seat.
He donned his jacket and spoke with his usual composure.
“Cancel all afternoon appointments.”
* * *
“…That should do it. Be careful not to let water touch it for a while, and apply the prescribed ointment thinly morning and evening.”
Hee-jo nodded at the doctor’s measured voice.
“Thank you.”
The middle-aged man organizing the chart with a faint smile was a director-level physician at this hospital and a specialist who treated only VVIP patients.
A man whose face ordinary patients would struggle to see even after waiting months had come down personally for nothing more than swelling on a cheek and a small scrape.
This was due to Kwon Yeol’s stern directive from before—to treat her no differently than a member of the Beom Ho Group’s own family.
While Chairman Beom Hun-young had tacitly approved of this, the suffocating weight of responsibility remained unavoidable.
“Is there anything else that would make you more comfortable?”
“No, there isn’t.”
“Then please rest at ease. I’ll report separately to the Executive Director.”
Hee-jo’s lips had been moving, but she promptly sealed them shut and cast her gaze downward.
The doctor, treating her with the formality of a secretary, offered a respectful bow before leaving the treatment room.
Thud.
As the heavy soundproof door closed, the space fell back into oppressive silence.
Descending from the examination bed, Hee-jo relocated to the dark brown leather sofa positioned in the center of the room.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, Seoul sprawled in panoramic view—this luxurious space resembled the suite room of a five-star hotel far more than a hospital.
Perched precariously on the edge of the sofa, gazing blankly out the window, Hee-jo suddenly drew a sharp breath as she felt the sting from the gauze taped to her cheek.
‘Kwon Yeol will probably hear about this soon.’
She had wanted to ask the doctor something.
Whether it was necessary to report this at all.
She hadn’t wanted to trouble Kwon Yeol.
But reconsidering, even if she requested it, the doctor wouldn’t defy the Executive Director’s orders, and besides….
Kwon Yeol didn’t seem like the type to be bothered by something like this.
During business hours.
Kwon Yeol, the Executive Director, wasn’t someone with the leisure to concern himself with such trivial matters.
Just as the weight in her heart began to lighten, the sound of a door opening came from behind her.
Right now, there was only one person who would enter without knocking.
“The treatment went well, so Jae-yeol should hurry back to school—”
Her words cut off abruptly.
The footsteps approaching her, echoing across the marble floor, were far too heavy and resolute.
A cool, oppressive presence that made her hair stand on end washed over Hee-jo as she hunched her shoulders, and a dark, weighty fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose.
Surely not….
What entered her vision was a navy suit without a single wrinkle.
As she slowly lifted her head, Kwon Yeol was looking down at her with an expressionless face.
“…Kwon Yeol?”
Even seeing him with her own eyes, she couldn’t believe it.
Why he was here at this hour, how he could have arrived already when the report had just gone in moments ago, how any of this was possible—
Her mind went blank and flickering.
“How did you get here?”
The moment the words left her mouth, Hee-jo bit her lip.
The instant Kwon Yeol heard her speak, his eyes grew even colder.
“That’s not what you should be asking.”
With a long stride, Kwon Yeol stepped closer, reaching out to gently cradle Hee-jo’s chin in his hand as he examined her face.
“You should be pouting and complaining about why I didn’t come sooner, Hee-jo.”
His grip tightened, and Hee-jo found herself unable to escape those cold, piercing eyes.
“You should have asked why I didn’t come instead of him.”
His dark eyes lingered persistently on the edge of the adhesive tape precariously clinging to the white gauze covering Hee-jo’s cheek.
Confronted with Kwon Yeol’s cold demeanor—one she had never witnessed before—Hee-jo froze.

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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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