To My Brother’s Friend - Chapter 35

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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 35
“Ah, my apologies.”
“Ha!”
Jin Seo-ryeong let out an incredulous laugh.
“What on earth is wrong with you? You can’t even concentrate for this short moment? Recite the route I’ve been explaining until my mouth aches!”
Hee-jo calmly set down her teacup and opened her mouth.
“We depart from Haneul Orphanage and enter through the east entrance of Yeongbin Hall. Then we display the embroidered knot set—a bazaar item—in Main Hall 2, and you said we begin greeting guests at precisely 2 p.m.”
…It was perfect.
At Hee-jo’s flawless answer, without a single word out of place, Madam Jung found herself momentarily speechless.
She’d seemed to be lost in thought, yet….
“You, what kind of child are you….”
Madam Jung cleared her throat awkwardly and shoved the documents across the table roughly.
“Review this again. Don’t make any mistakes. Pay attention at the meeting with the other family this weekend too. Don’t ruin the atmosphere with behavior unbecoming of your station. Understand?”
“Yes, Mother.”
As Hee-jo bowed respectfully, her neat silhouette became unbearably irritating to Madam Jung.
How was it that this girl absorbed everything taught to her like a sponge?
Even when she searched for flaws to harshly break her spirit, the girl presented everything flawlessly without a single point of criticism—it left a bitter taste in her mouth.
‘I’ve never seen such a stubborn creature.’
Well, at least she’d be presentable enough in front of others to maintain some dignity—
Yet on the other hand, it was deeply unpleasant.
Why Kwon Yeol was so obsessed with this child, she’d come to understand the reason all too well, and it infuriated her.
The more she taught her, the more refined elegance flowed from that rigid bearing, relentlessly pricking Madam Jung’s arrogant pride.
The harder she tried to keep her under control, the more she felt an eerie sense of threat, as though the girl were encroaching upon her own domain.
Finally, the day of the meeting arrived.
Only when the heavy doors of Yeongbin Hall opened could Madam Jung finally see the root of where Hee-jo had learned to be so confident.
“It’s been a long time, Madam. I hope you’ve been well?”
Han Young-sook, seated at the place of honor in an elegant hanbok, spoke first with a deliberately gentle smile.
“Pardon? What do you mean….”
“I simply meant how delighted you must have been to welcome a daughter-in-law like our Hee-jo. Hehe.”
Han Young-sook’s leisurely laughter filled the room with a chill.
Jin Seo-ryeong forced her lips upward and squeezed out a response.
“…Of course. I too feel quite moved to welcome the disciple of the renowned Han Young-sook into our family.”
But that was only brief, as Jin Seo-ryeong adopted a deliberately worried expression.
“Only, since the Beom House’s family traditions are so strict, Hee-jo has had quite a difficult time adjusting. There are so many unfamiliar things.”
Han Young-sook could hardly fail to recognize the subtle contempt masked as concern.
‘That woman’s deep-rooted sense of superiority doesn’t even attempt to hide itself.’
She had indirectly jabbed at the point that Hee-jo’s very birth made her unworthy of crossing this threshold.
“Mother.”
Kwon Yeol too understood his mother’s intention perfectly.
Then, with a soft clearing of her throat, Han Young-sook gave Kwon Yeol a subtle wink.
“At the formal meeting, please don’t take sides with me or Hee-jo. Just stay neutral. I’ll handle it myself.”
“But Mother—”
“Yes, we might get through that moment thanks to Beom Executive Director, but then Madam Jung will resent Hee-jo even more. She might find even more petty reasons to torment her where no one’s watching.”
“Are you certain about this?”
“Of course! I want to show that Hee-jo has a formidable family backing her. So please bear with me that day, hehe.”
Kwon Yeol, recalling his promise with Han Young-sook, kept his mouth shut despite his visible discomfort.
“The harsher the teaching, the tighter the knot becomes. Only by enduring such tension does a work become truly precious.”
Han Young-sook grasped Hee-jo’s hand beside her and smiled.
“With Madam Jung pulling so earnestly, our Hee-jo will become an exceptionally strong and beautiful knot.”
It was a declaration that no matter how much Madam Jung pushed, shook, or tried to topple her, her student would never crumble.
Madam Jung’s lips trembled slightly.
Finding it amusing, Si-yeol and Jae-yeol, seated nearby, exchanged glances and laughed silently.
Even Kwon Yeol, who had grown cold under his mother’s attitude, lifted one corner of his mouth now.
Han Young-sook was demonstrating quite clearly that she had a formidable family of her own.
As the atmosphere grew tense, Beom Seok-jun gave his sons a stern look and calmed the situation.
“….”
Hee-jo looked anxiously between the two adults, then found herself gazing at Kwon Yeol.
He gave her a small nod, as if to say everything was fine.
Just as Hee-jo barely steadied her breathing from that silent reassurance.
“The Chairman has arrived.”
With the announcement of Beom Hun-young’s arrival, the heavy door swung open. Everyone rose from their seats as if by prior agreement to greet him.
“It’s been a long time, Master Han.”
“You’ve been well, Chairman. I never imagined our paths would cross like this.”
“Indeed. They say you can’t see even an inch ahead in life, yet here we are at such a precious moment.”
Chairman Beom, smiling benevolently, turned his gaze toward Hee-jo.
“How is my daughter-in-law? Did you sleep well last night? Have you been managing well?”
“Yes, Chairman. Thanks to your concern, I’ve been doing well.”
“Chairman? You must call me something else now.”
“Ah….”
Hee-jo, pressing her lips together, carefully opened her mouth.
“…Grandfather.”
“Hehe, yes, yes. How lovely that sounds! Now I truly feel we’re welcoming a new family member. Come, everyone, please be seated.”
After Chairman Beom took his seat first, the rest of the family sat down in turn.
Soon, refined and precious dishes began to be served in succession across the table.
From the royal court’s sinseollo garnished with Jeju-caught blackhead fish, to pomegranate soup rolled with thinly sliced Korean beef sirloin filled with chestnuts and jujubes, and even sea cucumber steamed with minced meat and topped with gold leaf.
These classical delicacies, rarely seen in everyday life, were presented in ornate brass vessels.
“I hope the food suits your palate.”
“Since the Beom House prepared it, how could it not? Our eyes are already being treated.”
“Our daughter-in-law should eat plenty as well.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
Unlike the sharp verbal sparring from earlier, the atmosphere on the surface was now as harmonious as could be.
By the time the meal had progressed considerably.
Kwon Yeol deftly filleted the well-prepared fish with practiced ease and placed it atop Hee-jo’s rice.
Just as Hee-jo was about to accept it without thinking, she lifted her head with a startled expression—only to find every eye at the table already fixed upon the two of them.
“Wow… what did I just witness?”
At the youngest, Jae-yeol’s murmur, Hee-jo’s face flushed crimson in an instant, like a perfectly ripened apple.
“Hehe, I was quite shocked the first time I saw it too.”
“M-Master.”
Hee-jo floundered helplessly at Han Young-sook’s teasing remark.
The second son, Si-yeol, also gaped in disbelief, and even Kwon Yeol’s father, Beom Seok-jun, froze with his chopsticks suspended, staring at Kwon Yeol.
Jin Seo-ryeong’s face had already flushed crimson and then pale with fury.
Watching her son attend to Hee-jo with such tender devotion—a sight that had become far too familiar—ignited a thousand flames of rage within her.
“You must be more careful from now on. There are elders present, and this is hardly appropriate. What if you make a mistake at an important occasion?”
At Madam Jung’s barbed reproach, Hee-jo hastily opened her mouth.
“Ah, I apologize…”
“I will be mindful.”
Kwon Yeol cut off Hee-jo’s apology and added nonchalantly.
“From now on, we’ll only do it when we’re alone together.”
At his brazen declaration, Jae-yeol made a retching gesture and covered his mouth, while Si-yeol performed an exaggerated dry wash of his face before pinching his own cheek.
Beom Seok-jun cleared his throat and averted his gaze, while Chairman Beom observed Kwon Yeol with narrowed eyes.
What had always concerned him was not Hee-jo.
It was always his eldest grandson.
In the way he cared for Hee-jo, in the way he gazed at her, an emotion that could not be suppressed seeped through unmistakably.
Indeed, whether these two could part ways unscathed after one year remained to be seen.
‘The key rests with that child.’
His shrewd eyes settled upon Hee-jo.
If her feelings for his eldest grandson were genuine, his plans would unfold exactly as he wished.
So long as vain greed and desire did not rear their heads in the interim.
‘I must watch carefully to ensure she does not become pregnant.’
The moment she conceived the Beom Family’s blood, the situation would become infinitely more complicated.
After Beom Hun-young, the patriarch of the Beom Family, finished his ruthless calculations behind the mask of a benevolent grandfather.
“Well, on such an auspicious day, I believe I shall have a cup of rice wine.”
“My, then shall I have one as well?”
“Oh, is that so?”
Soon after, a staff member entered carrying a heavy ceramic bottle.
“Master.”
Hee-jo whispered anxiously and tugged gently at Han Young-sook’s sleeve.
Her expression betrayed concern about potential mistakes given the formality of the occasion, but Han Young-sook offered her a smile that was both kind and resolute.
“Don’t worry. You know my capacity for alcohol.”
“Hehe, with Master’s generous spirit, the wine tastes all the better. Here, please accept it.”
Chairman Beom personally filled Han Young-sook’s glass.
“You’ve gone to such lengths raising our daughter-in-law so well. I hear you’ve been looking after her even before the accident.”
The accident.
The moment those words left his lips, Hee-jo’s shoulders tensed almost imperceptibly.
A sharp unease rippled through the air, yet Beom Hun-young’s expression remained perfectly composed as he brought his glass to his lips.
“Yes, that’s right. Our Hee-jo has always been such a kind and clever child from her earliest years. I’m certain you’ll grow fond of her in no time, Chairman.”
“Ha, you flatter me. She’s already like family to me.”
“Then perhaps next time you might call her by her name directly.”
Chairman Beom paused, his glass halfway to his lips.
Yet Han Young-sook simply smiled with perfect ease.
“The name Hee-jo—whenever I call it, it’s like summoning a bird that brings joyful tidings. It lifts my spirits every time.”
“…Ha, indeed. You’re quite perceptive. I can’t hide anything from your keen eye. I suppose I’m still awkward with it, and you’ve caught on immediately.”
Chairman Beom broke into a hearty laugh and nodded in surrender.
“And Chairman, there is one more thing I wish to ask of you.”

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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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