SMW 69

As I sat there gloomily, with nowhere to vent my frustrations, Choi Seol added another comment, seemingly misinterpreting my mood.

“I’m not angry; I’m saying this because I’m worried. What if you had been targeted or harmed?”

“Harmed? Come on, surely the vice chairman of a famous conglomerate wouldn’t do that to a civilian. If an article came out, he’d be the one in trouble, wouldn’t he?”

“He would be. That’s why they handle things quietly, without a trace.”

Handle… what?

I gulped at the chilling choice of words.

“You—you said he’s your cousin!”

“I doubt those people would actually acknowledge me as blood.”

“Why? You look so much alike.”

Choi Seol’s brow furrowed deeply, as if he had just heard the most unpleasant thing in the world. His eyes, which had finally calmed down, became frightening once again. Honestly, I didn’t quite get it. Wasn’t this a compliment? Both that vice chairman and Choi Seol had visuals that weren’t just something to be proud of, but an absolute honor to behold. However, Choi Seol’s sentiment seemed to be different.

“In what way do I look like that psychopath?”

“Psychopath?”

“A guy with a total lack of empathy, who gets rid of people just because they annoy him, and does all sorts of crazy things without blinking an eye if it’s for his own benefit—you’re saying I look like that?”

“Isn’t that practically a crime?”

“For starters, he’s never been caught, [visit our site]and since he’s never dirtied stolen contenthis own hands, he can just deny everything and that’s the end of it.”

A moment ago, it was a secret about a chaebol birth; now it felt like I was peering into the secret underbelly of a conglomerate family. It had felt a bit eerie, but since he had maintained his manners even while threatening me, I had let my guard down.

“That’s scary. Surely I wasn’t marked earlier?”

“Basically, as long as you aren’t someone who causes him loss, he won’t touch you, so there’s no need to be afraid.”

“…That sounds like you’re saying I’m such an insignificant human that I couldn’t possibly affect him even a tiny bit.”

“It is a fact.”

“Hey.”

“And it absolutely must remain that way.”

I shut my mouth at his low, heavy voice. [visit our site]I thought he had finally cheered up, but it seemed [Read on Read BL Novels]he had reverted right back to his usual self, which bothered me.

“I’m joking. Of course, I’d be grateful if I were treated as less than a speck of dust—no, less than the dirt under a fingernail. I don’t want to be entangled in complicated affairs either.”

“That won’t happen. He can never touch you. I won’t let that happen.”

Rather than being touched by Choi Seol’s firm tone, my heart sank. For some reason, I felt an onset of anxiety.

“I told you not to worry. There is absolutely no way you’ll get involved with that family because of me.”

He seemed to have misinterpreted my silence. Before I could clear it up, Choi Seol asked again.

“Are you sure that man didn’t do anything to harm you?”

“I told you, nothing like that happened.”

“Right. Then that’s a relief.”

Only then did Choi Seol relax and give a bitter smile.

“Sorry. I think I showed you a side of me you shouldn’t have seen.”

“It’s okay. But is that man really your cousin?”

“On the family registry, yes.”

“Then, you really are… in the Yuseon Group…”

“For now, I am registered as belonging to them.”

It was true. I gasped as the reality finally sank in.

“If there’s anything else you’re curious about, you can ask.”

“Oh, uh… no. I don’t want to force you to tell me things you’re reluctant to talk about.”

“If I didn’t want to talk about it, I wouldn’t have suggested you ask in the first place.”

I knew. If it were Choi Seol, he would likely spill the inner workings of the chaebol world—things civilians don’t know—far beyond what I would even think to ask. That’s why it was harder to ask. It was also a bit scary.

“Aren’t you curious about how I’ve lived since I was seventeen?”

What a jerk. He said he wouldn’t drag me in, yet here he was. Moreover, it was hard to ignore that expression, which looked like he would be genuinely hurt if I weren’t curious.

“Did all your memories come back?”

“Mostly.”

“How… aren’t memories [Read on Read BL Novels]supposed [unauthorized copy]to come flooding back after [stolen content]some kind of shocking event?”

“I thought so too, but as time passed, they just naturally came back. As if I had known them all along.”

“Well, they are your memories, so it makes sense that you already knew them.”

“Still, there are many parts that are fragmented. Maybe that’s why I often feel as if the story isn’t mine.”

“Anyway, it means you’ve recovered most of them.”

“I suppose.”

Choi Seol, who was always honest about his emotions, always took an ambiguous stance when it came to my memories. This time, his vague answer seemed heavily avoidant, but I didn’t press him further. Nor did I think Choi Seol was lying. I felt that if all his memories had returned, we wouldn’t be facing each other like this. It was a premonition that if something changed, it would change drastically.

“Then I’ll ask a few things. Is Baek Seol-ha also your name?”

Truthfully, I was curious. visit our siteI wanted to know what Choi Seol’s life had [visit our site]been like—the part I didn’t know.

Perhaps the first question was too strong; Choi Seol paused and his brow furrowed. Just as I was about to open my mouth to retract the question because his complexion had soured to the point where I couldn’t tell if he was troubled or displeased…

“Let’s sit first. I think this is going to be a long story.”

Choi Seol let out a long sigh and leaned back against the wall by the door. Once I settled in beside him, the story began.

“How much do you know about the Yuseon Group?”

“I know they’re the wealthiest company in the country.”

“And about the owner’s family?”

“Well, I’ve seen Chairman Baek Han-pil on the news a lot. I think I saw him going to the prosecution’s office in a wheelchair a few times. As for your cousin I saw earlier, I know his name and basic background because I’ve heard them so often. But this was the first time I’d seen his face.”

“Is that so? He must have appeared in the media quite a bit.”

“Unless he went to jail, I don’t know. I don’t really watch TV. I’ve seen the news a few times when my parents and relatives gathered and forced me to watch.”

“Not that side; he appeared mostly in entertainment or economic sections. With the image of a young entrepreneur.”

It suited him well. Come to think of it, if Choi Seol dressed up in a sharp suit, he’d be perfect as a cover model for an economic magazine. Suddenly, the shabby t-shirt and soil-stained farming pants he was wearing caught my eye. His face was doing all the heavy lifting, but compared to the vice chairman from earlier, it was true that he looked infinitely shabby, and I felt a sudden surge of pity.

“You’d suit it too.”

“What?”

“The entertainment or economic side. The young entrepreneur image. You’d suit it a hundred, a thousand times better than him. Definitely.”

“…Thanks.”

Choi Seol answered instinctively to my words and let out a small, amused unauthorized copychuckle. Poor stolen contentguy. If you’re going to fall from grace, you should fall in front of a rich man’s gate; since he caused trouble in a rural corner like this, the most he can shine as is the heir to a farm.

Unaware of my frustrated inner thoughts, Choi Seol continued his calm explanation.

“The founder of Yuseon Group was Baek Han-min. He had three sons; one of them is the current Chairman Baek Han-pil, and the third son’s name is Baek Han-gu. That third son is my biological father and the current chairman of H.S. Corporation, which branched off from Yuseon Group.”

I had been nodding diligently, but by the end, my eyes widened.

“H.S. Corporation? Isn’t that the place famous for its department stores and hotels?”

“Correct. And the heir to H.S. is the current chairman’s eldest son, Baek Seol-ha.”

“I see. Baek Seol… what?”

I nearly jumped out of my seat. Before I could, Choi Seol lightly pressed down on my shoulder. I tried my best to piece the situation together.

“So, you’re saying the chairman of H.S. Corporation is your biological unauthorized copyfather, and the [Read on Read BL Novels]eldest son and heir to that company is you?”

“To be precise, I replaced him. The real Baek Seol-ha died.”

“What!”

For the second time, I nearly jumped up in shock, only to be stopped by Choi Seol again. I had been trying to grasp the situation since earlier, but I had ultimately failed.

“I heard he had a weak heart from birth and eventually died before turning twenty. When that man first came to find me, Baek Seol-ha was already dead.”

“So… he told you to take the place of that dead son?”

“Ridiculously, that world is a society that prizes bloodlines. Being Baek Seol-ha, who carries the title of a child from the legal wife, is beneficial in many ways compared to being Choi Seol, a half-blood illegitimate child.”

“That’s insane!”

I finally couldn’t hold back and stood up, raising my Read on Read BL Novelsvoice. This [visit our site]time, Choi Seol didn’t stop me.

“Even so, did the dead person’s mother just let that happen? What about the other family members? Weren’t there any siblings?”

“I don’t know how he persuaded them, but since he did, I’ve been able to play that role until now. Of course, I’ve only seen them a few times, so I have no way of knowing the inner details.”

Choi Seol let out a scoff, as if he found it absurd as well.

“As you said, it’s crazy. I had the same reaction as you at first. But after my grandmother became like that, everything rolled according to that man’s will, and that’s why I went to study in the US. The real Baek Seol-ha died in an American hospital, but the setting was that he had actually fully recovered there and entered college. Since very few people in the Yuseon family knew the face of Baek Seol-ha, who had practically lived in hospitals since birth, there was nothing that would get in the way of swapping one person for another.”

“Then, everyone who knows Baek Seol-ha is participating in this play?”

“Rather than that, they just don’t care. They are a breed of people who are indifferent to others’ business as long as their own territory isn’t invaded.”

The situation became so absurd that I actually started laughing. Suddenly, I thought of Vice Chairman Baek Han, who had visited a while ago.

“Your cousin knows, right?”

“Actually, that man is less of a bystander and more of an accomplice in this play. He’s the one who helped me adapt to that world.”

The new fact I learned was even more surprising.

“That man helped you?”

“Various things while I was in the US. When I first went to study, he was at the Manhattan branch. Turns out, he’s a specialist in raising kids. My biological father just threw me in as a bonus.”

“…I don’t know what that means, but given his personality, I can’t imagine him raising a kid.”

“Surprisingly, he raised me well.”

Choi Seol chuckled, as if remembering those times. The atmosphere felt a bit softer.

“I’ve been thinking this for a while. You don’t [unauthorized copy]seem to dislike [Read on Read BL Novels]your cousin that much.”

“He’s not someone I need to make an enemy of. And he really was a huge help. I’ve lived thinking I was quite capable, but the elite high-society types are on a different level. To achieve more than just survival in that gap, I had to completely overhaul every pattern I had lived by.”

“And that man is the one who taught you that.”

“The appropriate facial expressions, gestures, manner of speaking for the situation, and even how to properly give a giant middle finger to an opponent I didn’t like. I learned it all very usefully.”

For a moment, Vice Chairman Baek Han overlapped with Choi Seol. Even though I knew it was an illusion, I felt strangely unsettled.