Chapter 10

So Mother must still think I’m lacking.

Thinking that she should listen carefully to her words, Eunjae nodded as well.

At that moment, someone called out to Mikyung.

“Mrs. Yoon? You’re the wife of Kwonil Construction’s President, right?”

Mikyung turned toward the voice and greeted the woman politely with a slightly stiff expression.

“Oh my, Assemblywoman Jung! How have you been?”

The woman called Assemblywoman Jung grabbed Mikyung’s hands with both of hers and shook them.

“We meet here of all places. Why have you been so absent from gatherings lately?”

“My son is preparing for his wedding, so I’ve been busy with one thing or another. Oh, right. Let me introduce you. This is Lee Eunjae, the youngest daughter of Taeon Hotel. She’s my daughter-in-law.”

“Oh my goodness. I’ve heard so much about you. Congratulations, Madam.”

It hadn’t even been ten days since the blind date, one date afterward, and the formal family meeting.

Thinking that the news had spread because Kwonil Group was such a prominent family, Eunjae politely bowed.

“Hello.”

Assemblywoman Jung’s gaze traveled from Eunjae’s head to her feet.

There was a hint of contempt and displeasure in her eyes.

“Yes. Congratulations on your marriage. It must be a great concern since President Lee is very ill. It was pancreatic cancer, right?”

“Ah… yes.”

“I hope President Lee recovers soon.”

“Thank you.”

Rather than sounding concerned, the woman seemed more curious.

Eunjae moved her lips slightly.

As if there was nothing else to ask, Assemblywoman Jung turned back toward Mikyung and continued.

“You’ll definitely attend the volunteer event this time, right? Bring your daughter-in-law with you. The woman who will become Hahyuk’s wife is coming too.”

“Of course. I’ll see you then.”

* * *

After drinking a glass of ice water, Mikyung angrily wiped the water from her lips with the back of her hand.

Eunjae watched her carefully and quietly refilled her glass with water.

Since Assemblywoman Jung hadn’t exactly shown Eunjae complete kindness either, Eunjae wasn’t feeling comfortable.

“Ha, seriously. How can someone who’s a member of the National Assembly be shopping at a luxury store in a department store in the middle of the day? The public should know about this…”

After letting out an irritated breath, Mikyung continued.

“What Assemblywoman Jung said earlier.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“You know Executive Director Seo Hahyuk of Kwonil Electronics, right? She’s related to him through his mother’s side.”

After her marriage had been decided, Eunjae had heard plenty about Kwonil Group, so she knew exactly who Seo Hahyuk was.

The eldest grandson whom Chairman Seo of Kwonil Group, Hajun’s grandfather, cherished deeply.

“Actually, Executive Director Seo Hahyuk is less capable than Hajun. But because he’s the eldest grandson, everyone considers him the successor. That’s why people like that act that way toward us, like they did earlier. Sigh…”

Mikyung quickly erased her cold expression and gently brushed her hair back with an elegant gesture.

“On top of that, Executive Director Seo keeps provoking our Hajun, but Hajun doesn’t even care. He says he just needs to do his own work well. He doesn’t even try to win the Chairman’s favor.”

In the past, when Eunjae admired Hajun, she had read about him several times whenever he appeared in economic magazines.

She knew what kind of person he was.

Someone who started from the bottom at Kwonil Construction, secured several major contracts every year, handled countless projects, and worked with incredible passion.

The way he focused on his work without worrying about those around him was exactly like him.

Eunjae found herself thinking of Hajun without realizing it and remained silent.

Mikyung glanced at her.

“Don’t act so clueless. Our Hajun takes care of even Executive Director Seo’s mistakes and handles everything for him… You can’t make our son suffer unfairly just because you’re his daughter-in-law.”

“Yes, I understand what you’re saying.”

Mikyung stared at Eunjae, who hurriedly nodded.

“Taeon Hotel also needs to support our company more from now on, and you need to help as well.”

Was she saying that she needed to be a good wife who supported her husband?

As Eunjae nodded, Mikyung spoke in a firm tone.

“You need to have a child right after getting married.”

“Ah…”

Eunjae’s mouth slightly opened in surprise.

She hadn’t expected to hear about pregnancy so directly.

Then she quickly remembered Hajun’s words.

‘We’ll have to have a child soon too.’

At the time, she had only blushed and imagined embarrassing things after hearing him say that.

But now that she thought about it, it seemed to be for the sake of his stable future and a smooth succession of leadership.

Right.

A man who clearly had no interest in her must have had a reason for bringing up something like that.

For some reason, she felt a little sad.

“If you have a child before Executive Director Seo Hahyuk’s wife does, wouldn’t Chairman’s heart naturally turn toward Hajun?”

Still, if this would help Hajun…

And if she had a child quickly and told her father Seongchan the news, he would surely be happy.

With those thoughts in mind, Eunjae naturally nodded.

“Yes, I understand what you mean.”

“Good. I’m glad you understand quickly.”

* * *

As soon as the thirteen-hour long-distance flight ended, Hajun turned on his phone, which he had turned off during the flight.

Messages and missed calls he hadn’t been able to receive during the flight came flooding in.

Among them were several messages from his younger sister Hamin, so he checked those first.

What she had sent were photos of Eunjae standing in a wedding dress.

She looked slightly tired but was smiling, and the wedding dress suited her pretty appearance well.

Since he couldn’t personally check every detail of the wedding or be present for everything, he had worried that his young wife might complain or make things difficult.

But according to the reports he received, Lee Eunjae had no problems and had recently looked at furniture and chosen her dress together with Mikyung and Hamin.

Hajun was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Around the time the plane was about to land, Hajun asked Secretary Son, who was sitting beside him.

“Do I have anything scheduled tonight?”

“No. You can rest at the accommodation tonight. Your schedule starts tomorrow afternoon.”

Hajun nodded, picked up his briefcase, and stood up.

Just as he was about to leave, an unfamiliar voice called his name.

“Hajun oppa?”

No one called him by that title.

Hajun glanced at Secretary Son and gave a slight nod.

Understanding immediately that he should handle it, Secretary Son stepped in front of the unfamiliar woman.

“Excuse me, but who are you?”

However, the woman acted as if Secretary Son wasn’t worth her attention.

She pushed him aside irritably and tried to move closer to Hajun.

Secretary Son blocked her again.

“I asked who you are.”

The woman hid her annoyed expression, tilted her head around him, and smiled at Hajun.

“Oppa, it’s me. Hamin’s friend, Choi Shinhye!”

Shinhye nervously watched Hajun’s reaction.

She was the daughter of the owner of Gukdong Pharmaceutical, a small and medium-sized company that had recently developed a new drug for degenerative arthritis treatment and signed a contract with a major American pharmaceutical company, making headlines every day.

Once its stock was listed soon, Gukdong Pharmaceutical would enter the ranks of major corporations, so these days Shinhye was treated like the main attraction wherever she went.

But the only person she wanted was Hajun.

That was why she had found out his business trip schedule and even taken the same flight.

Shinhye’s mind was filled with thoughts of going on a date with Hajun tonight.

After such a long flight, having dinner and drinks with him would be perfect.

Once the atmosphere loosened up, she would naturally seduce him.

She smiled brightly like a flower.

“How did we end up meeting here? Oppa, I’m really happy to see you.”

Shinhye lightly brushed up her long hair, trying to look as graceful and innocent as possible.