Once It’s Peeled Off
Chapter 27
Why was she so curious that she had to pry?
She had been the one to cut ties and run away the moment she got pregnant.
"Don't harbor any delusions."
Jayden had entered Korea only to film the commercial and left immediately after. He had announced that he would reveal his Korean name, his activities as a painter, and his works next week.
Fortunately, he hadn't said he was coming back to Korea.
"What? This...!"
Unable to hide her boiling rage, Jisu glared at her, her lips moving as if she were talking to herself.
"Ah, damn it. I should have rammed into that bitch instead of Jung Hoyeon."
What did she say?
Rammed into? It sounded like she was talking about the accident from a month ago. That statement sounded heavily intentional.
Could it be that it wasn't just an accident?
"What are you... right now..."
The moment Hana opened her mouth, the voices of employees drifted in from beyond the secretary's office.
"Did she leave? Shouldn't we wait a bit longer before going in?"
"Chief, what should we do?"
Realizing her mistake, Jisu snapped her mouth shut and glared at Hana.
"Anyway, you. Don't go running your mouth."
After delivering a warning that wasn't quite a warning, she turned on her heel and stormed out. The employees, startled by the loud clacking of her heels, cautiously greeted her with a "Please go ahead."
"Representative."
The employees sat down at the secretary's office to begin their work, and Secretary Park approached, holding out a coffee to Hana.
"Did you buy one for me, too?"
Hana took the coffee with her left hand and held it up as if to say thank you.
"Did your conversation go well?"
"It was less of a conversation and more of a one-sided machine-gun fire. I'll enjoy the coffee."
She wrinkled her nose and gestured toward Managing Director Choi’s empty seat. They had left together, but it seemed he hadn't returned and had gone somewhere else.
"He went to meet Managing Director Kim."
Managing Director Choi wasn't the type to report where he was going, but it was a predictable move.
Secretary Park was the type to verify everything before reporting it to her.
"I see."
Hana gave a simple nod and stepped back into the representative's office. *Click.* She closed the door and fell into thought.
'I should have rammed into that bitch instead of Jung Hoyeon.'
She had never doubted that it was an accident. But for the first time, Jisu’s words planted a seed of doubt.
Was it not a random accident?
Since the words came from Jisu’s mouth, Dong-yun naturally came to mind.
I need to dig into this.
Hana took a sip of the coffee Seon-ju had given her.
"..."
It was a Vienna coffee, which was more to Hana’s taste than Hoyeon’s. The deeply sweet and bitter taste felt jarring on the tip of her tongue.
Of all things, the hand holding the coffee was her left hand, where the ring was.
Hana thought of the people who had given her each item: the coffee she liked, and the ring in the design Hoyeon preferred.
A small sigh escaped her lips.
Seon-ju, who had been by her side for seven years, had brought Hana’s coffee without a shred of suspicion.
On the other hand, Tae-oh had been in the same class for three years during their school days, but after graduation, she had only seen him once or twice a year.
He had brought two rings as if testing her, and he had looked happy when she chose the one Hoyeon would have liked.
"What do you want from me?"
She muttered to herself in a complex state of mind and sat at her desk.
She left the coffee to one side, took off the ring, and placed it in front of the monitor. After staring at the ring for a long time, Hana rubbed her temples and furrowed her brow.
"Seo Tae-oh."
*Tap, tap.* Her slender fingers, which had been drumming on the desk, stopped moving.
His behavior seemed as if he were testing whether or not she was Jung Hoyeon.
But even so, there seemed to be no reason for her to step forward and reveal that she was Jung Hoyeon.
"What is your motive?"
To him, Hoyeon was neither a friend nor a woman he played with.
Yet, why did he seem to want Hana to be Hoyeon so badly? It was hard to understand.
She sighed once more, her gaze drifting past the ring to the monitor. She had plenty of work to do as it was.
There was no point in wrestling with an answer that wouldn't come.
Hana sat in her chair, stretched lightly, and began to work. Leaving her unnecessarily racing heart behind.
***
"Hey, Jung Hana! Over here."
As she entered the VIP restaurant at the JK Hotel, Wooseok, who was sitting by the window, raised his hand to acknowledge her.
When she reached the table, the manager who had followed to guide her pulled out a chair.
"Thank you."
The manager, who replied with a slight bow to her greeting, stepped back to fetch the food.
Hana looked at her sister-in-law sitting next to Wooseok and greeted her.
"It’s been a while, sister-in-law."
"Yes. It has."
Her pale face lacked any color. She was still recovering, and Hana couldn't help but worry that she might have pushed herself too hard to come out.
"Are you going to greet your sister-in-law before even saying hello to your mother?"
Mi-ok, sitting at the head of the table, glared at Hana with a look of annoyance. Hana bowed her head slightly toward Mi-ok.
"Oh my, why has this child changed so much?"
Mi-ok muttered as if talking to herself, shaking her head. Hana brushed off Mi-ok’s reaction and kept her gaze fixed on her sister-in-law.
"How are you feeling?"
When she asked after her health, her sister-in-law, Heejin, smiled brightly as if grateful.
"I’m much better, I’m fine."
Wooseok clicked his tongue, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his legs. Mi-ok sighed and spoke as if lamenting.
"Honestly, why are you fixing your health after getting married? You should have fixed it beforehand. Oh my, shouldn't your parents be paying for the medical bills?"
It was truly low-class to be stingy about a daughter-in-law’s medical expenses. It wasn't as if they were short on money. What she said next was even more wretched.
"They say if you can't bear children and are sick, you're committing a sin against your in-laws, you know."
At Mi-ok’s smiling remark, Heejin’s face turned even paler.
"Do you not know what is appropriate to say and what is not?"
"W-what?"
At Hana’s remark, Mi-ok asked back with an absurd look on her face. When Hana stared straight at her, the corners of Mi-ok’s mouth twitched.
"This girl! Can't you even take a joke?"
"Jung Hana, seriously. What is wrong with you?"
Wooseok asked irritably, as if she were meddling in a way she never used to.
"..."
Hana swallowed a sigh and looked around at the family sitting at the table. It was nauseating to have to see these people as her family.
"Ever since you almost died, you’ve become a completely different person."
As soon as Wooseok finished speaking, the servers began placing plates down. Luxurious dishes filled the table.
"That’s enough. Let’s eat."
Mi-ok said to stop it and picked up her cutlery. The sound of clinking silverware echoed.
Hana brought her water glass to her lips and scanned them with a cold gaze.
If it were the original Hana, she would have mocked Heejin and joined in the belittling.
Whenever the actions and words the original Hana might have used came to mind, she felt a chill.
She realized that behind a bright, smiling face, she had been so twisted inside.
"SNUG, it’s been quite hot lately."
Wooseok brought up the topic while slicing his steak and putting it in his mouth. The table was filled with meat-heavy dishes.
"We should wrap it up soon."
Mi-ok raised the corners of her mouth and turned to Hana.
"Since you’ve proven your ability, come under Wooseok and prepare."
"That’s right. There’s a lot to do to prepare for the national project. When are you coming?"
Even though she was her own daughter, Mi-ok didn't offer a single word of praise for a job well done. She hadn't been looking for praise, but many thoughts crossed her mind.
"I’m not sure."
How should she put it? Just being gathered with her immediate family made her body react on its own.
The desire to be recognized by her family and the longing for warm affection.
That must have piled up, leading her to believe that treating Hoyeon like a dog was only natural. Yet, it was ironic that only Hoyeon had given her warm affection.
Though Hana didn't count the affection given by Hoyeon—who wasn't "real" family—as true affection. Whatever "real" meant.
Bitterness brushed past her lips.
"Chairman Kang will make the announcement."
There was a family dinner in two weeks. At that meeting, which would serve as both a conference and a chance to see each other, Mohyeon would likely try to send Hana to JK Construction.
But it wasn't time to go to Construction yet.
Hana quietly raised the corners of her mouth. She would trigger the issue regarding the JK Mart that Jisu was operating.
Articles questioning her management ability would be published, and she planned to use that opening to dig into the mart.
If she stirred up the subsidiaries under Dong-yun, she might be able to find clues about the "accident" Jisu had mentioned.
"That may be, but."
Wooseok said, chewing his food.
"If you come and start moving beforehand, Grandmother will be pleased, too."
He meant they should move early and score some points. Wooseok grinned and twirled his knife.
"Little sister, it’s good for you too if I become the chairman."
He meant that if their uncle took that position, they would all be left chasing chickens. He said they had to move quickly.
"And you."
Wooseok pointed the knife he had been twirling at his wife, Heejin.
"Try to speak well to your father."
Heejin’s father was a member of the National Assembly. He was a lawmaker for the ruling party that currently led the government, and he was someone with quite a bit of influence.
"Tell him we’ll support him heavily, okay?"
"I will."
Heejin, who had barely managed to raise the corners of her mouth, replied in a small voice.
"He needs to run for the next presidential election."
He wasn't the party leader, but he was a lawmaker with a lot of support within his region.
It meant that if they helped the current national project go well, they would provide the funds for him to play a major role in the next presidential election.
"Set a date so I can meet him."
"I understand."
Hana stared at Heejin, who was answering quietly.
She was introverted and soft-spoken, but she had apologized to Hoyeon from time to time. The meaning behind that was the guilt that came from not being able to stop Wooseok’s violence.
Heejin was weak and powerless.
Whenever Wooseok couldn't control his anger and kicked Hoyeon, Heejin would just cry, not knowing what to do. Sometimes, Hoyeon would shield Heejin, which made her feel even more sorry.
Hana found herself wanting to help Heejin escape this place. Though she didn't know if she would want that.
***
"Heh, heh, heh. I find myself laughing these days because of our Hana."
Laughter rang out in the study of Chairman Kang Mohyeon’s main residence in Hannam-dong. It was Chairman Kang’s tea time.
Since her health had declined, Mohyeon always made sure to have tea in the afternoon, during which she would listen to reports from Managing Director Choi or Managing Director Kim of the Management Support Office.
"Her unstoppable progress reminds me of you in your younger days, Chairman."
"Ho ho ho. Is that so?"
Mohyeon replied softly, clearly not displeased by Managing Director Kim’s sycophantic remark.
Today, Managing Director Choi was also present for the report.
"Managing Director Choi. How is the atmosphere?"
She was asking about the evaluation of Hana among the shareholders following the success of JK Furniture.
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