SS - 67

“If you think about it, Father has always lived with guilt because of your mother. He hoped you’d grow up well, and then you went and pursued your dreams in a way he never imagined. Can you imagine how shocked he must have been?”

“There’s no need to make excuses for him like that. I know better than anyone what kind of person he is.”

“No, you don’t understand Father at all.”

Joo-Ho cut off Joo-Hyuk’s words, his laughter fading into a serious expression.

“You hate Father because you believe NextOne grew from the blood of innocent people. And yes, without weapons, there’s no way to protect those innocents either.”

“I already know that.”

“Right, you do understand that point. Everything has two sides. The reason you hate Father is because of your mother—because you believe he let her die.”

“...”

“But by the time your mother came to Father, it was already too late.”

Joo-Ho continued, his voice heavy with emotion.

“Taking you away from her—it was because you were his child. But Father pitied your mother, a woman who had given birth to a child out of wedlock and was shamed for it. That’s why he decided it would be best to bring you here.”

“I told you not to make excuses for him.”

“It’s fine if you want to think that way. But I believe you should know this: after your mother passed, Father cried so much.”

The mighty Chairman Choi… cried?

Even Sena, silently listening to their conversation, found it hard to believe.

“Lies...”

Joo-Hyuk muttered under his breath, clearly stunned. His pupils dilated, his mouth slightly open, and he squeezed Sena’s hand tightly.

“He didn’t bury your mother in the family graveyard out of respect for her, but deep down, he probably wanted her there more than you. You can probably guess how I felt watching all of this unfold.”

Sena couldn’t begin to fathom the years the three brothers had spent harboring conflicting emotions and carrying their own wounds because of their father’s actions.

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”

“Ah, well...”

Joo-Ho hesitated at Joo-Hyuk’s question, then gave an awkward smile.

“I both liked and hated you.”

“What?”

“Joo-Chan probably felt the same. We thought we were supposed to hate you, but hearing you cry alone every night after being separated from your mother... it broke us.”

“Ah...”

“We wanted to be cruel to you, but the thought of hearing you cry again at night made us hate ourselves. So instead, we thought, ‘Let’s make sure he doesn’t cry anymore. If he gets along with us, maybe he’ll forget about his mother...’“

“So why didn’t you tell me about Father?”

“Because we still hated him. Our mother endured so much anger and humiliation to accept you as her son. The thought of Father shedding tears for your mother made us resent him even more.”

Joo-Hyuk closed his mouth, unable to respond. Though he didn’t want to admit it, he understood Joo-Ho’s feelings. With a conflicted expression, he lowered his head.

“Anyway, you don’t need to worry about Father. Even if his methods were wrong, his love for you is real. He won’t interfere with the path you’re walking anymore.”

“Do you really think Father still loves me, even after I exposed him?”

“He’s someone who struggles to express his emotions honestly. When news of the investigation reached him, the first emotion he felt was frustration. As you know, his lobbying has always walked a fine line, but legally, there’s nothing major to worry about.”

Joo-Ho spoke with conviction.

“In fact, this incident might have raised his opinion of you even higher. He always thought Joo-Chan was the only one destined for greatness in our family, but now you’ve proven yourself too.”

His voice carried a strange bitterness.

“Now it seems I’m the only one left to play the role of the eldest son...”

Sena could understand Joo-Chan’s bitterness.

As the eldest son, he had watched everything unfold from the sidelines, overshadowed by their father while his younger brothers grew into influential figures—one as a politician, the other as a journalist. He likely never had the chance to shine under Chairman Choi’s shadow.

She felt sympathy for the weight he must have carried staying by their father’s side.

“That’s enough. Sister-in-law, let’s go home with Joo-Hyuk. There’s much to do regarding the prosecution’s investigation.”

“I’m sorry, Brother-in-law.”

Finally reassured after hearing everything, Sena gently pulled Joo-Hyuk by the hand.

On the way back home, the car was silent. Worried that Joo-Hyuk might still be angry, Sena glanced at him nervously from the corner of her eye.

But his face was expressionless. He stared straight ahead, showing no emotion toward her, focusing solely on driving.

Was he still very upset?

Even so, she didn’t regret her actions.

Though her cheek still throbbed and her split lip stung, she felt as though these wounds were badges of honor for protecting Joo-Hyuk.

Yes, her face bore scars, but she had uncovered the truth about Chairman Choi’s feelings.

Of course, none of that excused her decision to visit him without Joo-Hyuk’s knowledge.

“I’m sorry.”

Breaking the silence, Sena finally spoke.

“It wasn’t because I didn’t trust you. I just felt so strongly that it was my turn to protect you.”

“...”

“Say something... please...”

Worried by his continued silence, Sena turned to look at him—and froze in surprise.

Joo-Hyuk, having parked the car, was smiling faintly at her.

“You’re not mad anymore?”

“I was.”

“Then why are you smiling?”

“Because I finally got an apology out of you.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Sena realize she had been busy making excuses and hadn’t actually apologized to Joo-Hyuk.

That should have been her first priority.

“So you stayed silent this whole time because I hadn’t apologized?”

“I thought if I opened my mouth again, we’d just end up arguing.”

True enough, every time he had asked her why she did what she did, she had been too busy defending herself to offer a proper apology.

If they were to avoid further conflict, either he had to remain silent or she had to apologize. His decision to stay quiet was ultimately for both their sakes.

“Thank you for waiting until I apologized.”

“I’m also grateful that you apologized. I was worried you’d keep stubbornly insisting you were right.”

“Stubborn?”

“I thought you might insist till the end that you did nothing wrong.”

“But I still think I did the right thing.”

“Haa—, you really are stubborn.”

Joo-Hyuk shook his head in exasperation, a wry smile on his face.

“It’s true though. Sure, it was my mistake to visit Father without telling you, but thanks to that, I learned something about his true feelings…”

“We don’t even know if those feelings are genuine yet.”

Joo-Hyuk cut her off with a cold tone.

“But Brother-in-law said—”

“We don’t know how much of what my brother said is true. Even if what he saw was real, only Father truly knows what was in his heart.”

With that sharp retort, Joo-Hyuk turned back to face forward and started the car again.

Sena slumped her shoulders, sighing inwardly. She had no idea where to even begin unraveling the tangled relationship between father and son.

For now, more time was needed.

In the meantime, she resolved to focus on being there for Joo-Hyuk, taking good care of him in her own way.

“Can I hold your hand?”

At her words, he glanced at her sideways and extended his right hand. When she took it, he intertwined their fingers tightly.

This was enough for now.

It was sufficient.

She smiled at him, feeling a sense of relief from the warmth of his hand. She hoped her touch would bring him some comfort as well.

A faint smile returned to his previously hardened face.

---

Did Father really feel proud of me?

Overwhelmed by bitterness, Joo-Hyuk found himself craving a cigarette, a habit he had quit long ago. Though he hadn’t particularly enjoyed smoking back then, it had been easy to quit because he never truly liked it.

Should I buy some?

He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.

The image of Sena sleeping alone in the bedroom came to mind. With the possibility of a child arriving anytime soon, preparing for that future was far more important than indulging in cigarettes. The very thought felt absurd.

Instead, he went to the kitchen, opened the fridge, grabbed a can of beer, and sat down at the desk.

Since he had resisted the urge for a cigarette, one can of beer wouldn’t hurt, right?

More than anything, he felt he needed something to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside him.

“Taking you away—it was because you were his child. But Father pitied your mother, a woman who bore a child out of wedlock and faced shame and judgment. That’s why he decided to bring you here.”

To think Father pitied my mother and brought me here… Wasn’t that just an overly biased perspective favoring Father?

“I understand if you want to think that way. But I believe you should know this: after your mother passed, Father cried so much.”

The mighty Chairman Choi shedding tears for Mother…

It was an unbelievable claim, delivered by Joo-Ho with a blank expression—or perhaps one tinged with regret.

“Lies. Are you trying to make me feel sympathy for Father with these lies?”

Spinning his chair to face the window, Joo-Hyuk muttered toward the absent Joo-Ho.

“He didn’t bury your mother in the family graveyard out of respect for her, but deep down, he probably wanted her there more than you. You can probably guess how I felt watching all of this unfold.”

When Chairman Choi first brought Joo-Hyuk into the family, his late grandmother had greeted him with a somewhat weary expression. Yet, until her final moments, she never once raised her voice at him.

Though she didn’t shower him with love, she had embraced him with pity.

There was only one instance when she refused his request: when he had begged her to bury his biological mother in the family graveyard.

“Don’t say such nonsense.”

“Grandmother, please. I don’t want to leave her even lonelier after she’s already gone.”