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Sehee slowly straightened up and looked down at Chairwoman Cho with an emotionless expression. The beautiful, wrinkle-free face, unchanged from 20 years ago. Her gaze dropped further to the fair, delicate hands with their elaborate nail art. The weapon that had mercilessly struck a nine-year-old girl, the same one that still struck a 29-year-old woman. Resentment and a mix of love and hate flickered fleetingly in her indifferent eyes. Chairwoman Cho, looking at Sehee with contempt, opened her mouth as if she found it laughable.
“Hanshin is an old-money conglomerate, the most legitimate of the legitimate families in the business world. Do you think they’d accept someone dirty like you as a daughter-in-law? Even if Chairman Seo wants to marry you now, he’ll eventually give up if he has to confront Chairman Seo Sr. and his wife. That’s how men are, you foolish girl.”
Kang-joon had told her that Chairman Seo Sr. and Yeonsuk had given their permission for the marriage. But Sehee also knew that permission and understanding were entirely different things. Of course, there was no reason to tell Chairwoman Cho these detailed points.
“You really don’t understand.”
As Chairwoman Cho stared with wide eyes, Sehee let out a small laugh and mumbled,
“Besides you, Aunt, who else would bother to dig up my past and tell the Hanshin family?”
“You, you insolent—!”
Sehee pressed her hand down on Chairwoman Cho’s shoulder as she tried to stand up, and said coldly,
“I’m not finished speaking yet.”
“…!”
“I am now Joo Sehee, the CEO of Inno Fashion, who rose from being a child head of household to become self-made. With that kind of story, I might even become a Cinderella daughter-in-law that helps the Hanshin family’s noble image, don’t you think?”
Looking at her trembling, glassy eyes, Sehee continued softly,
“Of course, Aunt, you’ll have to keep your mouth shut.”
Only then did Chairwoman Cho seem to understand Sehee’s words. Their relationship, where mutual contempt and hatred could never be severed until death. In that case, it meant that terrible, devil-take-the-hindmost strategy of holding each other’s leashes for life.
“Of course, the weaknesses I hold might fade or be buried by the passage of time. So, unlike you, Aunt, I’ll have to continuously dig up your weaknesses.”
She spoke with a rather upset expression, as if she were the one losing out in this deal.
“Of course, if you live well from today onwards, it would be my clear defeat.”
But what about you, Aunt? Just as you know me well, I know you too well. Chairwoman Cho Younghee was a human trash who could never live cleanly, and she would never give up her greed for money and power. Having stepped down from her position as Chairman of Gayang Hospital, the source of her power, Chairwoman Cho would cling to her position as the wife of the Inno Group Vice Chairman. She would need to hold onto even a sliver of power to abuse it and play with money, and Sehee would continue to find weaknesses to exploit. This was why Sehee had dissuaded Youngguk from divorcing her and why she was helping Youngguk maintain his figurehead vice-chairman position.
“What if I refuse?”
“Do you think you have a choice now, Aunt?”
Sehee smiled sweetly as she spoke softly. It was a revenge she had dreamed of for a long time, but because of Pré and Kang-joon, she had decided to change her method of revenge. Instead of a quick and intense one, she would make it long and drawn out. Keeping Chairwoman Cho and her husband under her thumb and surveillance until they died wouldn’t be bad.
“It’s nothing to me if I don’t marry, but as for you, Aunt...”
Sehee deliberately trailed off, then continued calmly with a regretful expression,
“You’ll lose both, won’t you? Your position as Chairman of Gayang Hospital and your status as the wife of the Inno Group. All your wealth and power.”
Chairwoman Cho gritted her teeth in fury. There was no immediate solution other than dealing with that cunning girl. But taking a step back today for tomorrow’s sake might not be bad.
“I’ll accept the deal for now.”
Chairwoman Cho slowly rose from the sofa, feeling a sense of relief again. Thankfully, that girl hadn’t borrowed Seo Kang-joon’s power because of her petty pride. If it had been him, he would have cut off her breath completely, making recovery impossible. First, I’ll accept the proposal, and then somehow, I’ll properly entice that man upstairs to execute my plan. Until then, let’s see if you can still disregard me like this.
“I’ll pray that you marry Chairman Seo, who was once my son-in-law. Then I’ll have something to say when I visit your mother’s grave in hell, won’t I?”
“...”
“That your daughter was even dirtier and viler than you.”
She said this because she knew Sehee’s exact weakness and trauma. But Sehee, who was expected to be hurt, instead approached Chairwoman Cho with a calm expression.
“Go tattle to Mom, or anyone else. Tell them you lost to me, and even to your daughter.”
Unlike her soft whispering voice, Sehee’s eyes, looking at Chairwoman Cho, conveyed another warning. If I have lived holding my breath and laying low under your surveillance until now, from now on, you will live holding your breath and laying low under my surveillance for the rest of your life.
“Unless it’s Mom, I plan to make you live watching my every move, even your breathing, so you can’t open that vulgar mouth anywhere.”
A villainess was best dealt with by an even greater villainess.
________________________________________
Friday afternoon. Sehee came to the women’s hospital, where she had first confirmed Pré’s existence alone, with Kang-joon. The moment Kang-joon entered, the eyes of everyone in the hospital converged on him. The celebrity-like man, exuding wealth and nobility, treated his wife like a queen, and everyone looked at Sehee with envious gazes. But the person who was the center of attention acted as if he saw no one but Sehee. Her belly was still flat, yet he treated her like a heavily pregnant woman. Things often look bad when they are overdone. Sehee snatched the paper cup from Kang-joon’s hand as he tried to even feed her water.
“Kang-joon, I’ll drink the water myself.”
“Why? I want to feed you too.”
Following Kang-joon’s gaze, she saw a husband sitting across from them feeding his wife water. But no one was looking at that couple. Everyone was only looking at Kang-joon and Sehee.
“Kang-joon, you don’t have to copy things like that.”
“Do I look like the type to copy anyone? I’m doing it because I want to.”
Sehee let out a faint sigh, watching the man who instantly became arrogant.
“Everyone in the hospital is looking at only us, you know.”
“Let them look. Who’s to say anything if I want to feed my woman water?”
It’s not that someone’s saying something, it’s just embarrassing. It seemed that true chaebols really didn’t care about public attention. Even at this moment, the embarrassment was solely Sehee’s. She felt at a loss as to how to make Kang-joon understand this feeling.
“If you’re uncomfortable, Sehee, should I tell them not to look?”
“No!”
Knowing he was a man of his word, she answered sharply, and Kang-joon chuckled.
“But I’m a little disappointed. You’re with me, but you’re worrying about other people.”
Kang-joon put an arm around Sehee’s shoulder, pulling her closer, and pressed his lips close to her ear.
“All I see is Joo Sehee.”
Not content with tender physical affection and sweet whispers, Kang-joon even gently kissed her forehead.
________________________________________
At that moment, Sehee heard and saw it all. The gasps from behind them. The nurses covering their mouths and stamping their feet, saying, “Oh no!” The wives poking their innocent husbands in the ribs. The women looking at Kang-joon with hearts in their eyes, or those looking at Sehee with envy. It was then, when she was about to give Kang-joon a stern warning because this really didn’t feel right, that—
“Joo Sehee, please come in.”
The nurse called Sehee’s turn. Sehee shot Kang-joon a glare and stood up. He’s truly a master of timing. She felt it once again: even the heavens were on Seo Kang-joon’s side, annoyingly so.
________________________________________
During the ultrasound, Kang-joon sat by the bed, his gaze fixed on the monitor, and Sehee’s gaze was fixed on Kang-joon. She was just curious. What kind of eyes and expression would this man have now, what would he be thinking? But as always, Kang-joon maintained a perfect poker face, revealing no discernible emotion. Sehee was subtly disappointed by this. As she entered her fourth month, her weight loss remained the same, and the doctor said a word to Kang-joon.
“Considering the gestational age, the fetus is a bit small, so Mr. Kang-joon, please make sure the mother eats well, focusing on protein.”
Sehee looked at Kang-joon, who nodded quietly, with apologetic eyes. She knew how much Kang-joon cared about her eating. She wanted to eat heartily out of appreciation for his care, but what could she do if she couldn’t? After the ultrasound, Kang-joon told Sehee to go out first, as he had something to ask the doctor. About 10 minutes later, Kang-joon emerged from the examination room and sat next to Sehee.
“What did you ask?”
“Just various things. Information learned from books might differ from information heard from a doctor.”
Just then, the nurse called Sehee’s name again. In the brief moment of receiving the ultrasound photos and the prenatal handbook and listening to the explanations, Kang-joon seemed lost in deep thought.
“What are you thinking about?”
As Sehee approached, Kang-joon briefly lifted his gaze, then returned it to Sehee’s still flat belly.
“The doctor said to let the fetus hear the father’s voice a lot,” Kang-joon mumbled, then wrapped his hands around Sehee’s slender waist and said sternly with a serious expression,
“Pré, don’t give Mom a hard time. If you keep doing this, Dad will punish you later.”
As if Pré, now four months and two weeks old, could understand and see her father’s expression. But at Kang-joon’s next words, Sehee froze.
“To Mom, you might be the greatest gift in life. But to Dad, your Mom is the greatest gift in my life.”
Kang-joon slowly lifted his head and met her eyes.
“Thank you, Joo Sehee.”
“...For what?”
It’s me who should be grateful, why are you?
“For being born into this world, for appearing before me, for making me a father?”
His half-closed eyes beneath thin eyelids pierced deeply, as if engraving an impression on her heart. Then, Sehee’s eyes welled up, and her chest burned hotly. It was the first time. The first time anyone had said such words to her. Until now, her very birth had been a misfortune, a curse, a sin. Biting her trembling lips painfully, she quickly hid her tear-filled eyes beneath her long eyelashes. Did he notice the tears she didn’t want him to see? Kang-joon slowly stood up and embraced Sehee. The moment she was held in his arms, Sehee realized. When she was in his embrace, she didn’t care about other people’s gazes. In his cozy and comfortable embrace, because of this man, Sehee thought for the first time: I’m glad I was born into this world. I’m glad I lived so fiercely and tenaciously.
________________________________________
Sehee was scheduled to meet Jinkyung at Royal Department Store in the evening. She planned to let Jinkyung choose a gift she liked, both to congratulate her on becoming an executive director at Inno Fashion and to give her a birthday present. After dropping Sehee off at the department store, Kang-joon offered her his credit card.
“You should carry this card from now on, Sehee. Pay for your friend’s gift today with this card, and you too, use this card for anything you buy from now on.”
Sehee immediately recognized the black premium card from M Card Company. It was so difficult to get that even famous celebrities failed to obtain it. She understood Kang-joon’s intentions, but this card felt a bit overwhelming. Should she ask for a different credit card instead? But as if he had read Sehee’s thoughts, Kang-joon said,
“I know, I gave you a pretty amazing card.”
“If you know, then give me a different card.”
“No, it has to be this card.”
The man who always said “it’s okay” to Sehee refused flat out this time.
“You made me a father, and thinking about it, I haven’t done anything for you. Since you don’t want anything, I don’t know what to buy you either.”
Smiling sweetly, Kang-joon gently stroked Sehee’s hair back and continued,
“Can’t you just accept it as a gift from me to the mother of my child?”
Choosing Seo Kang-joon meant adapting to Seo Kang-joon’s class. Just like this card. If she said no, he’d just try to convince her in another way. She should just relax. It wasn’t that she loved him because he was a chaebol; it was just that the man she loved happened to be a third-generation chaebol. Sehee took the card and threatened him playfully,
“Just you dare complain if you keep getting transaction alerts.”
“Would you please do that? My happiness index will soar every time I get a notification.”
Only after Kang-joon’s car disappeared did Sehee enter the department store. Jinkyung’s favorite C brand store was on the 6th floor in the luxury goods section. But Sehee’s steps, heading for the elevator, stopped as if mesmerized in front of a baby products store. She and Kang-joon had planned to go baby shopping together, but hadn’t yet. After a brief hesitation, Sehee entered the store. The first thing that caught her eye was a pair of adorably tiny shoes.
“I don’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl yet.”
A gentle smile spread across Sehee’s face as she held the shoes and looked at them. Just then, a familiar voice came from behind her.
“You’re CEO Joo Sehee of Inno Fashion, aren’t you?”
Sehee turned around casually and froze when she saw Yeonsuk entering the store. Yeonsuk’s sparkling eyes were fixed on the baby shoes in Sehee’s hand.
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