Is He Stealing My Assets?
Facing his father, Hyun-seo let out a long sigh upon seeing the Chairman Choi with his face as smooth and wrinkle-free as ever.
“What did you do to your face?”
“Why? Does it make me look younger?”
“Isn’t the most natural thing the best, Father?”
At that, Chairman Choi cleared his throat with a sound far too unnatural for his face.
The Chairman was growing younger by the day, but to Hyun-seo it seemed like he was simply senile. Perhaps he was doing it to impress a woman. Or maybe she had asked him to.
No matter what he had done to his face, the lack of wrinkles made his expression completely flat and lifeless.
Chairman Choi stroked his chin once and muttered to himself.
“I heard everyone else is getting younger.”
“Can you really say that to your father? Doesn’t Mother say the same?”
“Hmph. Uh-huh.”
Chairman Choi was already avoiding eye contact with Oh Jin-hee as much as possible. Hyun-seo sensed exactly what that meant and simply stared at his empty teacup with a blank expression. The tea aroma delivered by the staff moments ago was rich and deep.
“Would you like some tea?”
“It seems like someone told you not to eat it while it’s still on the table.”
“What’s going on? If you want it, you’ll have to pay the full price.”
At Hyun-seo’s words, Chairman Choi lifted the teacup but said nothing. Hyun-seo studied the scowling face and began to think.
When his father reacted this way, it usually meant he was about to commit some shady deal. Knowing from Hwang’s report what was coming, Hyun-seo cut straight to the point.
“Father, you’ve been buying a lot of things lately. And only the kinds women like.”
“Eh? What?”
Since he had no answer, Hyun-seo had expected that reaction. But the real problem came next.
“Hyun-seo, sell the villa.”
“You mean under my name?”
Hyun-seo was already analyzing every word. The Chairman was the one who seemed anxious.
“Well, you can buy it under your name, or under Yun-woo’s mother’s name. Yeah, I think it’s better under Yun-woo’s mother’s name. If you register property in your own name, it’ll be obvious to everyone.”
Those words allowed Hyun-seo to instantly understand the situation.
“Why don’t you buy it yourself, Father?”
“Has he already lost interest in his mistress? He wants to give her the villa, but not under her name. That means he’s fed up with her. He can easily give small luxuries, but this property is quite large, so it must have some weight.”
“I want to buy one in Jeju Island…”
The vague way he avoided the rest made it clear he couldn’t buy it openly.
“Father doesn’t have a villa in Jeju, so that’s not the reason…”
It might be a good chance to give Tae-yeon a share. Hyun-seo quickly calculated.
“It would be better to buy it under Yun-woo’s mother’s name.”
He had already wanted to give her something more. She would have to live under the burden of being Yun-woo’s mother for the rest of her life; perhaps she should receive something extra. It was fortunate this had come up.
“I understand. I’ll instruct Hwang. We’ll go to Jeju and sign the contract. I won’t tell Mother. Is that all right?”
“What’s gotten into you? You’re not complaining at all.”
Chairman Choi smiled when he heard that Hyun-seo had figured out his thoughts. The more his son grew up, the more he noticed his son’s eyes. Especially with an ambitious son wielding enormous business power.
He had said he was enjoying more freedom thanks to his capable son, but now he was the one paying attention. The Chairman had been the one to give him that power in the first place. But the one who was actually farming the fields and reaping the harvest with one grain of rice was Choi Hyun-seo.
In that sense, Hyun-seo was both a reliable successor and a powerful ally.
“Nothing should cause any problems. And as you know, the property registered under Min Tae-yeon’s name belongs to Min Tae-yeon.”
Chairman Choi nodded. He had never suspected his son would divorce, so he hadn’t imagined the assets would leak out. But Hyun-seo had considered every angle when he spoke.
If the process had to be carried out, he wanted to treat her as well as possible, even a little.
“Of course it’s under Yun-woo’s mother’s name. Do you think I don’t know that?”
“And the woman will be taken care of soon. Of course, she seems to still have attachments since she wants to bring her to the villa, but I heard Mother has been digging into it. It would be better for Father to let her go.”
“What? My mother?”
Chairman Choi frowned at Hyun-seo’s remark. It already proved that Mother had caught on. Hyun-seo nodded. He knew his mother’s terrifying jealousy well. Of course he understood.
After all, another mistress would be the most threatening to Oh Jin-hee, who had once been one herself. Hyun-seo knew better than anyone how thoroughly she had investigated his father.
“When is the contract?”
“The sooner the better, of course.”
“Then I’ll make the arrangements right away.”
“Yes.”
Giving the mistress’s gift to his son-in-law. It shouldn’t be a bad thing. Hyun-seo considered it fortunate. After all, she had already been removed from his life.
The core of this transaction was exchanging the wide land and villa in Jeju for the mistress’s silence. His father would boast to her while taking her to the villa, and his son would simply close the deal.
An impure transaction between father and son. But he had never imagined the spark would ignite somewhere completely unexpected.
* * *
Tae-yeon was exploring the Dream Department Store Cultural Center, the most popular venue for young mothers these days. Play classes were available for infants who hadn’t even turned two, making it an excellent place for baby moms to meet and connect.
She had carefully read the reviews and examined the programs when the front doorbell rang. No one was supposed to come to this house.
She hadn’t told anyone she was taking a break, so no one knew where she and Yun-woo lived. When she went to her family home, she had taken Hyun-seo and Yun-woo with her as if nothing was wrong.
Icheon-daek looked at the intercom screen wearing sunglasses and asked,
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Icheon-daek.”
There was no mistaking Oh Jin-hee’s voice. Tae-yeon jumped in surprise and hurried to open the front door.
The moment the door opened, Oh Jin-hee removed her sunglasses and swept inside with a huff. Icheon-daek didn’t even greet her; she simply waved at Yun-woo and called his name. Then she looked at Tae-yeon and said,
“You and I need to talk.”
The weight in her voice pressed down on Tae-yeon.
What could it possibly be? She had expected something when she learned Oh Jin-hee knew they had left the main house, but her mind was completely blank.
“Mother, please come this way.”
Leading her into the study, she stepped inside and Oh Jin-hee immediately demanded,
“Have you suddenly become so greedy lately? Greedy woman? You don’t look like it, but you’ve got a lot of money on your mind.”
The sudden words were jarring. But she could guess the meaning. A few days earlier, Hyun-seo had said something.
“I think we should acquire some property under Min Director’s name. Why don’t we buy some Miwoo stocks with it and register it?”
“What? Property?”
It wasn’t a joke. During their separation before the divorce, he suddenly wanted to register property in her name?
“If it’s necessary for work, I understand.”
“It’s for work, of course, but it’s still property. It shouldn’t be a bad thing for you.”
“Good. Anything that brings money is good. I understand.”
She had dismissed it as casual talk. But now Oh Jin-hee was sharpening her claws over it.
“Did Hyun-seo give it to you?”
“Yes, Mother.”
“You didn’t beg him for it?”
The questioning tone made Tae-yeon feel like she was staring at a fox sucking the marrow out of a man’s bones. Tae-yeon exerted the acting skill she had perfected through their marriage.
“There’s no way. Hyun-seo said it was fine, so I did it.”
“Really? But you, my dear, are in far too much of a hurry. Why can’t you wait to take the property out?”
Was it that obvious? Tae-yeon couldn’t answer the unexpected remark. Oh Jin-hee folded her arms and sighed.
“Hasn’t that idiot Hyun-seo gone completely senile? How can he hand over such a big house so casually after only a short marriage? He keeps transferring shares to Yun-woo too. What exactly is going on between you two? Why are you living here when you already have a perfectly good house? A second house?”
“…”
She should have stayed proud, but somehow her head drooped. For a moment Tae-yeon couldn’t decide how to respond, until a sharp voice rang in her ear.
“No way. You two are separated?”