To My Brother’s Friend - Chapter 38

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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 38
A sudden chill fell over the room, as if ice water had been poured over the gathering.
Envious glances tinged with shock and curiosity poured down upon me.
“Is that really true, Jung-yeon?”
“My maternal grandfather was the Prosecutor General. Though he’s retired now, he still has influence in those circles. And since so many people around us work in law enforcement and prosecution, I’ve heard things through them.”
The murmuring grew louder at her words.
I drew in a deep breath.
I was all too familiar with this atmosphere—the malice directed at me rippling through the air like waves.
Yet familiarity did not make it hurt any less.
“Oh my, Jung-yeon. If you put it that way, everyone will misunderstand.”
At that moment, Madam Jin Seo-ryeong, who stood beside me, gracefully cut through the scattered tension by softening her expression.
“I actually asked her to run an errand for me that day.”
“An errand…?”
“Director Lee, Kim Shin-woo’s mother, left something behind while taking a knot-tying class. Since Hee-jo happened to be in that area for work, I asked her to retrieve it.”
She glanced at me with a slight upturn of her lips, as if to say, “Isn’t that right, Hee-jo?” before giving my back a gentle push.
“So let’s not have any misunderstandings, shall we? Come now, Hee-jo. Sit here.”
“…Yes, Mother.”
My mother-in-law’s desire for Kim Jung-yeon to become her daughter-in-law remained unchanged.
But what seemed urgent to her now was managing this situation.
Rather than let strange rumors spread and make Kwon Yeol and the entire Beom Ho Group look foolish…
I felt an indescribable emotion watching my mother-in-law choose to protect the “family,” even if it meant overlooking her own preferences.
“I’m so sorry that my children are hearing strange things because of me.”
At Madam Jin Seo-ryeong’s words, Kim Jung-yeon had no choice but to back down.
If she pressed further, she would not only be attacking me, but also the Beom Family, which I had now become part of.
At that realization, Kim Jung-yeon clenched her fist beneath the table.
Her long nails dug into her palm.
‘You won’t stay beside Kwon Yeol for long.’
I’ll make sure you see it clearly today.
What kind of world you’ve stepped into.
* * *
“…Phew.”
After confirming the bathroom was empty, I exhaled a long breath.
The Jinri Society gathering had been as draining as I’d anticipated.
“I’ve always wanted to tell you—I’m so proud of how well you’ve turned out in such circumstances. And you mustn’t forget your mother-in-law’s role in that.”
“Of course. Where else would you find someone like Madam Jung?”
“As you know, Hee-jo, all the so-called prominent people had their eyes on Beom Executive Director as a potential son-in-law. Honestly, I did too. So do well, won’t you? Otherwise, whoosh—they’ll snatch him right back. Ohoho.”
“Mind your conduct. No matter that it was your mother-in-law’s errand, if you’d been more careful, these strange rumors wouldn’t have spread. I’m telling you this out of concern, so take it to heart.”
Most of the older women spoke that way, while the younger ones, led by Kim Jung-yeon, sent hostile glances and ignored me.
Then someone “accidentally” spilled tea on my skirt, and using that as an excuse, I slipped away to catch my breath in the bathroom.
‘At least I’m somewhat accustomed to this kind of atmosphere, so I suppose I should be grateful.’
Had I been thrown into this atmosphere without any preparation, it would have been incomparably more difficult than it is now.
It was as I thought this.
The bathroom door opened.
“So you were here?”
The person who entered was Kim Jung-yeon.
“Is your skirt alright? It looked stained.”
“…Yes, thanks to you.”
“Thanks to me? I did nothing.”
A voice tinged with malice rang out low.
“Not yet.”
Kim Jung-yeon glared at Hee-jo through the mirror.
“How long do you think you can stay in that position?”
Hee-jo answered silently to herself.
‘About a year?’
But unable to say such a thing, she opened her mouth calmly instead.
“I’m not sure.”
Ha. Kim Jung-yeon exhaled roughly, her face flabbergasted.
No matter how much she provoked, Yoon Hee-jo’s demeanor somehow exuded a subtle composure.
There was an aloofness about her that suggested no mere words could wound her.
…Aloofness, how absurd.
Without her dead brother being Kwon Yeol’s friend, she was nothing but a worthless orphan.
Yet why did this insignificant, fragile woman appear so unshakeable?
“Don’t be mistaken. Kwon Yeol married you out of pity.”
With her lower lashes lowered impassively, Hee-jo’s lips slowly curved upward, and a quiet laugh spilled forth.
Kim Jung-yeon’s eyes widened in shock—she had expected Hee-jo to be wounded.
“D-did you just laugh?”
How could she not laugh?
The person who knew that best was herself.
Even as her lips curved in laughter, her heart ached.
She sensed this pain would never dull, not even until the day she died.
“It’s still alright.”
Hee-jo slowly lifted her gaze and looked into Kim Jung-yeon’s eyes as she spoke.
“Because I love him.”
A confession she could never make to the person herself, yet here she was making it to someone else.
At that thought, another hollow laugh escaped, and eventually Kim Jung-yeon shrieked “What kind of nonsense is this!” before turning and leaving.
“…”
Left alone, Hee-jo gazed at her reflection in the mirror and took a slow, deep breath.
Today, I missed Kwon Yeol terribly.
* * *
“I’ve just uploaded the meeting minutes. Also, regarding the report submitted by the Marketing Team 1 leader…”
Secretary-General Hong Se-gi’s voice gradually trailed off.
Yet Kwon Yeol remained utterly motionless, his gaze fixed somewhere on the screen.
Tap. Tap.
The index finger that had been intermittently drumming on the table suddenly stilled.
A tense Hong Se-gi straightened his posture and held his breath.
When Kwon Yeol fell silent like this, it meant he had reached some momentous decision.
Whether reversing an existing order, cutting someone loose, or perhaps—
“That dessert you mentioned buying for my daughter last time.”
Asking about dessert, of all things… what?
Hong Se-gi blinked slowly.
“Where is it?”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“Have it prepared so I can take it with me when I leave.”
Kwon Yeol spoke with casual indifference, then turned his detached gaze back to the monitor.
Hong Se-gi, who had been staring blankly at him, finally collected himself and cleared his throat.
“Ah, ahem, yes. Understood.”
“And—”
At his continued words, Hong Se-gi forgot to manage his expression and opened his mouth wide.
“The Jinri Society… all of them?”
* * *
When they returned to the Crystal Room at the Hanhui Hotel where the gathering was held, women caught between the visibly uncomfortable Kim Jung-yeon and Madam Jin Seo-ryeong, who was trying to introduce her daughter-in-law, fidgeted awkwardly.
Reading the uncomfortable atmosphere, Hee-jo lowered her head to avoid meeting anyone’s eyes, just as she was about to take her seat.
Knock, knock—.
The door opened with a neat knock.
The hotel manager, impeccably dressed in a black suit, led the way, followed by staff members pulling carts in single file.
The carts were laden with boxes both large and small that were clearly extraordinary, along with dazzling floral arrangements.
“These are gifts sent for those attending the Jinri Society gathering.”
At the manager’s sonorous voice, everyone’s attention focused at once.
“Gifts? From whom, exactly?”
In response to someone’s impatient question, the manager smiled warmly and answered.
“From Beom Gwon-yeol, Executive Director of the Beomho Group.”
“…What? Our Kwon Yeol?”
The room stirred. For him, who was famous for rarely attending private gatherings, to send gifts?
“Yes. He expressed hope that his wife’s first Jinri Society gathering would be fragrant, and instructed us to reset the entire room with flowers directly shipped from the Netherlands this morning.”
The staff moved with perfect coordination, filling each table with vibrant blooms.
In an instant, the air in the Crystal Room transformed.
The women who had been treating Hee-jo as invisible now gazed at her with astonishment.
But it was far from over.
Soon wine bottles began appearing on each table.
“1990 Château Margaux.”
Everyone’s eyes and mouths fell open at the sommelier’s words.
Kwon Yeol had gifted vintage wines—each bottle worth millions of won—to every person present.
“He said it was a small gesture for everyone here. He asked that you take good care of his wife.”
All of it, solely to preserve his wife’s dignity.
It was precisely then that not only the guests, but even Madam Jung and Hee-jo could not hide their astonishment.
“Hee-jo.”

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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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