To My Brother’s Friend - Chapter 48

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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 48
After Kwon Yeol returned to Korea and resumed his duties.
Having perfectly resolved the complex power struggles over the Southeast Asia resort construction site, his standing rose dramatically upon his return.
Beom Hun-young’s trust in him deepened further, and it became another opportunity to solidly prove to the Board of Directors that he was the rightful successor.
Though the succession structure was already determined, this achievement drove the final nail in the coffin, cementing it beyond question.
Moreover, while Kwon Yeol was away from Korea, Hee-jo had quietly but shrewdly established her own position within the Foundation, playing her part with dedication.
Thanks to her, who had guided the Foundation’s operations with quiet intelligence, the reputation of “the young couple of the Beom Family” grew with each passing day.
Yet that very reputation brought an unwelcome change to them both.
As their name value rose, the pending matters and official engagements they had to attend multiplied exponentially, naturally leaving them far less time to spend together than before.
-I’ll probably be late again today.
Hee-jo organized the stack of documents as she answered Kwon Yeol’s voice coming through the phone.
“Yes, I have a bit more to finish up as well.”
-Don’t stay too late. Don’t overexert yourself.
Hee-jo, who by now understood that his low, measured tone carried concern, offered a faint smile.
“I will. You shouldn’t overexert yourself either, Oppa.”
-I have to push myself. That’s the only way I get to see you.
Hee-jo’s breath caught, and she pressed her lips together.
Every time he said things like this, I never knew how to respond.
‘He couldn’t possibly feel the same way I do. He’s surely just fulfilling his role as my husband….’
I forcibly calmed my turbulent heart and answered in a deliberately composed voice.
“But we’ll see each other tomorrow anyway.”
Tomorrow was the day of the Foundation’s anniversary charity auction gala.
As Vice Director of the Foundation, Hee-jo had overseen the entire event from planning to inviting distinguished guests—it was a large-scale affair she had poured considerable effort into.
It would be the first official public appearance of the couple together since Kwon Yeol’s return, and moreover, prominent figures from the Jinri Society—the true power brokers of the political and financial elite—were scheduled to attend in force, drawing considerable attention.
-Tomorrow I’m going to spend the whole day looking at only Yoon Hee-jo.
“Oh, really….”
I cooled my flushed cheeks with the back of my hand and cleared my throat.
As if he could see right through the phone, Kwon Yeol’s low chuckle reached my ears, making my heart flutter once more.
“No one will ever know that Executive Director Beom Gwon-yeol is this mischievous.”
-Why would anyone else need to know? As long as my wife knows.
Wife.
The word he uttered tickled the vicinity of my heart before cutting through it sharply.
It’s a title permitted only to me for now.
But once its expiration date passes, it will be transferred entirely to someone else.
The woman who will become his true wife someday will be able to fully savor this tender anticipation.
So I was both joyful and miserable.
The warmth Kwon Yeol poured out to me was, in truth, merely a rehearsal passing through me before being delivered to someone else—the thought chilled the very tip of my heart.
I fanned my burning face repeatedly.
In contrast to my heated cheeks, a thin tremor gathered at the tips of my eyelashes.
“…You should get back to work. Manager Hong must be burning up inside.”
—You’re getting bolder by the day, Hee-jo. Talking to your husband while worrying about another man.
“Manager Hong isn’t some other man…!”
—When you’re with me, focus only on me. You should know that I’m as jealous as I am playful.
At his teasing tone, Hee-jo drew in a sharp breath.
This side of him—cold and composed, so different from how he was with his younger sister—was something I could never seem to grow accustomed to.
Perhaps I was unconsciously refusing to become familiar with it.
I could already envision myself, alone in an empty room long after this relationship ended, collapsing under the weight of memories of him.
The more I grew accustomed to him now, the heavier the loss that awaited me would become—unbearably so.
So instead of fully savoring the tenderness he offered, I chose to treat it as something unfamiliar, as though I were merely borrowing what didn’t belong to me.
The sorrow that would come after losing him frightened me far more than any desire to be loved.
“You should hang up now. You have work to attend to.”
—Right. If I keep teasing you, I don’t think you’ll see me tomorrow.
At the soft sound of his laughter, my chest swelled helplessly.
Even through the phone, I could vividly picture the gentle smile playing at his lips.
—Don’t overexert yourself. See you tomorrow, Vice Director.
With that sweet murmur, the call ended.
Long after the screen went dark, I stood motionless, the warm phone still clutched in my hand.
His voice lingered in my ears like a fading echo.
‘Since he came back, my brother seems even more affectionate.’
He reaches out whenever he has a moment.
When we cross paths at home, he naturally pulls me into his embrace and kisses me as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
On the nights we’re together, he never takes his eyes off me.
As if trying to etch every expression and reaction of mine into his memory, he holds my gaze with relentless intensity before gently pressing his lips against me, again and again.
As though I were infinitely precious.
Enough to make me believe I was being loved.
Remembering that burning gaze and tender touch, I suddenly sprang to my feet.
‘Get a grip. If I’m not careful, I might make a mistake tomorrow.’
Tomorrow’s event was far more than a mere extension of my duties.
It was my chance to prove I was a partner worthy of standing beside Kwon Yeol.
I gripped the final event report on my desk once more.
* * *
The Black Diamond Hall of The Lotus Hotel, where brilliant chandeliers cast their radiance in cascading waves of light.
The charity auction gala celebrating the founding of the Beomho Cultural Foundation had begun in splendid fashion.
Guests adorned in elegant gowns and tuxedos graced the venue, while the air carried the delicate fragrance of fresh flowers mingled with the refined notes of premium champagne.
In the center of the hall, where a string quartet played an elegant melody, I stood beside my mother-in-law, Jin Seo-ryeong, greeting the distinguished guests.
“I heard you personally curated the auction list for this event? Your eye for detail is remarkable.”
“You’re too kind. It’s only thanks to the Director’s excellent guidance.”
As I responded with a graceful smile, Jin Seo-ryeong found herself adjusting her posture slightly.
Well, she certainly looks like a proper member of the Beom Family now.
‘Hmph, as she should be. After all the time I’ve spent teaching her.’
Hee-jo was a brilliant child—teach her one thing, and she would absorb three, demonstrating mastery of ten.
I was grateful that she presented herself flawlessly as a member of the family, yet simultaneously unsettled by how perfectly she was assimilating into this world.
I feared she might become permanently bound to Kwon Yeol’s side.
The shackles restraining my son—who should soar to greater heights—seemed to grow increasingly unbreakable.
At that moment, the entrance to the banquet hall suddenly stirred with commotion.
Every gaze in the hall, as if by silent agreement, converged upon a single point.
“Hee-jo.”
It was Kwon Yeol, impeccably dressed in a black tuxedo that fit him like a second skin.
He received the cascade of greetings with a subtle nod, then proceeded without hesitation directly toward where Hee-jo stood.
As though, amid the throng of countless people, only his wife existed in his world.
“Oppa.”
When their eyes met, Kwon Yeol offered a faint smile and naturally drew her close, his arm encircling her waist as he took his place beside her.
“You’ve worked hard, Vice Director.”
His low, resonant voice tickled against Hee-jo’s ear.
“You, don’t you see your mother?”
At the sharp edge in that voice, Kwon Yeol finally turned his gaze toward Jin Seo-ryeong.
“Of course I do. Your presence is far too distinctive to overlook.”
“Yet the moment you arrive, you embrace only your wife like this?”
As Jin Seo-ryeong’s eyes narrowed in displeasure, Kwon Yeol tightened his hold around Hee-jo’s shoulders with a subtle smile.
“Father is quite the jealous type, after all.”
“That’s exactly right.”
Then, a voice similar in timbre to Kwon Yeol’s—low and weighty—sounded from behind.
“My dear!”
Upon spotting Vice Director Beom Seok-jun approaching, Jin Seo-ryeong’s face brightened instantly.
“When did you arrive? I thought you’d be running late.”
“I finished early. I wanted to see you.”
Beom Seok-jun smiled gently as he clasped his wife’s hand, then turned his gaze toward Hee-jo with a benevolent smile.
“I hear you’ve worked tremendously hard. Your mother-in-law has been singing your praises—said you were remarkably quick to learn and wonderfully cooperative.”
“This boy! Why do you make things up? When did I ever say that?”
Beom Seok-jun laughed at the sight of Jin Seo-ryeong’s flustered expression.
“Please understand—your mother-in-law is simply quite shy.”
“Thank you for your kind words, Father. Everything proceeded smoothly thanks to Mother’s meticulous guidance.”
Beom Seok-jun nodded with evident satisfaction at Hee-jo’s response.
As the saying goes, like father like son—Beom Seok-jun, who cherished his wife dearly, and Kwon Yeol, who had inherited that very nature and refused to release Hee-jo from his embrace, together embodied the unshakeable prestige of the Beom Family.
“And Father?”
In response to Jin Seo-ryeong’s question, Beom Seok-jun checked his wristwatch. “He should be arriving shortly. Ah, look—Manager Eom is entering now.”
The grand doors of the banquet hall opened once more, revealing Manager Eom, the attendant secretary of Beom Gwon-yeol.
Following in his wake, Beom Gwon-yeol—the apex of Beom Ho Group and the absolute authority of the family—stepped into the hall.
In an instant, every eye in the banquet hall turned toward him.
In an instant, all eyes in the Banquet Hall turned toward that direction.
The distinguished guests, along with Vice Chairman Beom Seok-jun and his wife, Kwon Yeol, and Hee-jo, all turned toward the entrance to welcome the head of the family.
Every spotlight and word of praise converged upon Chairman Beom Hun-young and the immediate family members surrounding him.
‘Smile brightly now, Hee-jo.’
Jung-yeon’s cold gaze fixed upon Hee-jo, who beamed radiantly nestled in Kwon Yeol’s embrace.
‘That happiness of yours will end soon enough.’

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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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