To My Brother’s Friend - Chapter 21

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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 21
What followed was polite in tone, yet in substance, it was a cruel verdict.
Hee-jo swallowed hard.
‘What on earth is happening?’
A considerate decision made in light of the instructor’s change in circumstances, given that she would soon become a member of the Beom Family House….
The Chairman’s intention that priority should be given to preparing for the wedding ceremony and receiving education in maintaining dignity….
The contract was terminated, and the classes were cancelled.
But what truly froze Hee-jo’s blood was the very next sentence.
[…Furthermore, we hereby announce that all Foundation sponsorship and venue rental for Han Young-sook, Master Craftsman, and all her students will be suspended effective immediately.]
She had anticipated that Madam Jung would take action.
Her teacher Han Young-sook had also said, “No matter what happens, it’s not your responsibility, Hee-jo.”
But she hadn’t expected her to move so swiftly.
Moreover—
‘A prospective member of the Beom Family House.’
Recalling Madam Jung’s sharp intensity from just days ago when she had poured her anger upon me, the phrase made no sense whatsoever.
I could not fathom Madam Jung’s true intentions.
Hee-jo stared blankly at the screen for a moment, then closed the email as if entranced.
Then her finger moved unconsciously toward the red number ‘1’ hovering above the messaging app at the edge of her vision.
The moment she checked the message content.
Hee-jo’s pupils, which had been wavering uncertainly, suddenly hardened with resolve.
* * *
“Kwon Yeol… no.”
Hee-jo cleared her throat once and slowly lifted her gaze.
“I have decided to marry Kwon Yeol.”
Despite the somewhat shocking and unconventional declaration, Beom Hun-young didn’t bat an eye as he slowly extended his thick, weathered hand.
“Pine flower dasik, I see.”
The pale yellow dasik held lightly between his thumb and forefinger was crafted using pine pollen—a delicacy among all dasik that had been considered the finest and worthy of gracing the royal table since ancient times.
“Did you have a reason for preparing this?”
“I noticed during our last meal that you seemed to drink tea quite frequently. Your mouth appeared dry, so I prepared this.”
“Mm.”
As if a single dasik resting on his fingertips weighed more heavily than a marriage that would determine the family’s future, Chairman Beom slowly brought it to his lips and tasted it.
….
While Beom Hun-young savored the dasik, Hee-jo waited quietly with her head bowed.
Until everything lingering on his sharp tongue had vanished.
“Truly.”
Beom Hun-young chuckled softly as he dabbed his mouth with the linen cloth on the tea table.
“You’re a clever child, Hee-jo. It’s a shame you’re not of my blood.”
Tap. Tap.
Chairman Beom tilted his head slightly as he tapped his forefinger on the armrest.
“The sweetness has faded, yet the aftertaste has deepened. Did you use salt?”
“Yes, Chairman. I added a pinch more of the roasted sea salt.”
Sea salt—a traditional Korean ingredient made by boiling seawater—possessed a subtle umami depth and refined flavor rather than mere saltiness, making it a precious culinary treasure.
If one relied solely on sugar or honey for sweetness, the palate would be left sticky with residual glucose, coating the mouth with an unpleasant dryness when mixed with saliva.
Thus, I had boldly reduced the sugar and instead used the umami of salt to reshape the texture of the sweetness.
‘Truly… I find myself in constant admiration.’
She was a child with exceptional powers of observation, judgment, and insight.
Moreover—
“I’ve decided to marry Kwon Yeol.”
Rather than asking for permission to marry, she had met my gaze directly and respectfully informed me of her decision—a display of both boldness and audacity.
Since the outcome wouldn’t change anyway, wasn’t she essentially asking me to accept it?
She presented what amounted to a bribe—though not quite a bribe—one that precisely targeted my tastes, offered with courtesy and complete transparency.
Even though she had noticed my satisfaction, Hee-jo showed not the slightest hint of arrogance or excitement.
That quiet composure, standing unmoved in her place and waiting patiently for judgment without wavering, embedded itself deeply once more in Chairman Beom’s heart.
“She’s quite different from my daughter-in-law. Speaking of which, your future mother-in-law.”
“….”
“I’m not saying one is better than the other. It’s simply that each has her own color. Thanks to you, the household will gain a fresh hue.”
Hee-jo drew in a deep breath without realizing it.
“Once Kwon Yeol makes a decision, he never backs down. He’s the child who resembles me most, so I know this better than anyone.”
“That means….”
“It will be difficult. The weight you’ll have to bear will be far heavier than anything you can imagine right now.”
“I’m well aware of that.”
“It will be arduous. It will be harsh.”
I felt Beom Hun-young’s gaze settle on the gauze above my cheek.
“Thank you for your permission, Chairman.”
Hee-jo bowed her head, her hands clasped together.
“Ah, now, if you keep calling me that, what will people think? They’ll say the old man’s past is catching up with him, that he’s gripping his future daughter-in-law like she’s his last possession.”
“Oh….”
Unlike her composed and bold demeanor until now, Hee-jo hesitated several times, her lips trembling, before finally uttering the words.
“…Grandfather.”
“Yes, that’s right. It sounds good.”
Chairman Beom Hun-young smiled, soft wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes, and lifted his cup to savor the tea.
“Not only the tea cakes you make, Hee-jo, but the tea you brew is truly delicious. I can’t fathom how you manage to scratch exactly where my heart itches.”
There was a warmth in Chairman Beom Hun-young’s voice as he spoke Hee-jo’s name—a warmth different from before.
Only then did Hee-jo’s body and heart, which had been rigid with tension, begin to slowly unwind.
‘What a relief… truly, what a relief.’
My gamble-like prediction—that I must never bow unconditionally to Chairman Beom—had proven correct, and I was genuinely relieved.
Moreover, for the first time in my life, I had spoken the word “Grandfather” aloud.
After the business collapsed, relatives had turned their backs in fear, lest I reach out my hand to them.
Because of that, I had never spoken any family title except for “Brother.”
‘Grandfather….’
Hee-jo silently called out the name once more within her heart.
The unfamiliar, weighty title was proof that Chairman Beom had accepted it.
Deep within her chest, something resonated with a sharp, piercing ache.
“Hee-jo.”
“…Yes, Grandfather.”
“Will you continue to scratch this old man’s itch so satisfyingly in the days to come?”
“I will do my best.”
“Then, let me ask you one thing.”
Hee-jo nodded.
In that moment when she was resolved to solve whatever difficult task lay ahead—
“You must not bear children.”
Beom Hun-young’s Chairman still wore his benevolent smile as he placed another piece of tea cake into his mouth.
“Mmm, truly remarkable. How did you match my taste so perfectly?”
“…”
“Why do you not answer?”
Hee-jo, frozen with a faint smile on her lips, barely drew in a breath and blinked her eyes.
Behind the image of a gentle grandfather, she felt the suffocating pressure of a seasoned wielder of power making a chilling demand.
In the silence that threatened to shatter at any moment, Beom Hun-young’s Chairman leisurely lifted his teacup.
“I do not lack remorse toward you, but that was an accident, was it not?”
An accident.
At those words, the pinky finger Hee-jo had been gripping trembled ever so slightly.
Chairman Beom’s seasoned gaze, missing not even that fleeting wavering, ensnared Hee-jo.
“I know well how clever and good a child you are. But you also know this, don’t you? Kwon Yeol needs a capable wife from a powerful family.”
A rough, damp rope burrowed deep into her lungs, strangling her breath.
Her heart, which had been pounding as if it might burst, repeatedly grew cold and still.
“Rather than waste precious time bickering over marriage, this arrangement seems best for you both, does it not?”
As if something were lodged in her throat, her voice could not emerge.
“While you remain, do your best. Then, for the rest of your life, you may live freely, doing whatever you wish.”
Beom Hun-young’s Chairman smiled with the tenderness one shows a granddaughter.
“This is a secret between you and this old man.”
“…”
“Even if it is heavy and burdensome, endure it just a little longer. It will not take so very long.”
Taking Hee-jo’s silence as assent, Chairman Beom placed the last piece of tea cake into his mouth, wiped the crumbs from his hands, and let out a low chuckle.
“Welcome to the Beom Residence.”

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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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