Chapter 98 – GOY 98

#98

Joo ​Seung-hyuk ​already ​had ​a ​track ​record of intercepting ​letters ​between ​Park ​Geon-woo ​and me two years ​ago. ​He had been ​targeting me since ​then. ​And ​after ​that, ​he ​told a first ​lie—one ​that ​happened by chance ​due to our first ​sexual encounter.

Everything ​had been ​a lie ​from the ​start. ​There ​was no way ​those feelings ​were sincere.

“Your expression is ​dark. I suppose your ​heart is heavy since ​you’re leaving ​so ​suddenly.”

Ju Jeong-han glanced over at me.

“It ​is not.”

“I apologize once ​again. ​We ​plan ​to ​begin wedding preparations ​in earnest ​starting ​today. When I ​explained ​the situation to the Lessingtons, ​they said ​there ​was no need ​for ​an ​engagement ​ceremony ​and suggested ​we ​just get ​married. We agreed that would be best, ​so we plan ​to hold the ​wedding in August. Once ​they are ​married, Seung-hyeok will ​likely ​end his amusement.”

Amusement….

I ​had hoped that ​Joo Seung-hyuk ​wasn’t ​sincere. There ​were ​times when ​I ​wanted it ​to ​be ​a mockery or ​a ​game. No, ​I ​still ​do. ​Until just a few days ago, I was the one striving to be dumped by Joo Seung-hyuk.

Yet, hearing it from someone [stolen content]else stolen contentfelt like shit. Why was I [unauthorized copy]feeling this way? Lately, I haven’t even known my own heart.

Perhaps it was actually a relief that things were moving so urgently. If I had time to prepare, I might have unconsciously asked Joo Seung-hyuk everything.

No matter how indirectly I asked, Joo Seung-hyuk would have caught on immediately. If that had happened, I wouldn’t have been able to leave him.

“Please think of it as taking a vacation in Texas during your break.”

“Texas? Didn’t you say LA?”

When we met at the cafe yesterday, Ju Jeong-han had said I would be staying at a hotel in LA during the break.

“Ah, about that. After parting with Guide Yeon-soo yesterday, I gave it more thought and decided that LA is too dangerous. The headquarters of Lessington Pharmaceuticals is located there, and LA has a large Korean population. Since Guide Yeon-soo’s reputation has reached Koreans living in the US, I felt rumors would spread quickly. I ask for your understanding.”

Ju Jeong-han continued to ramble as if making an excuse, gauging my reaction.

“Texas is just as wonderful as LA. The natural scenery is outstanding, and there are many famous national parks. Furthermore, from the villa where you’ll be staying, you can see the ocean at a glance. It boasts the most beautiful view among all the villas I own.”

In truth, any location was fine. I wasn’t going on a sightseeing trip. I was running away to avoid Joo Seung-hyuk.

Whether it was LA, Colorado, or Minnesota, it didn’t matter; it didn’t even have to be in the US. However, there was one thing that bothered me about Texas.

“I believe Ju Tae-han is studying in Texas?”

Because of me, Chairman Joo realized earlier than in the original story that Joo Seung-hyuk was his biological son. He had sent the second son, Ju Tae-han, who used to torment Joo Seung-hyuk, to study in Texas, and he hadn’t called him back to Korea for seven years.

Even there, Ju Tae-han hadn’t come to his senses and kept causing trouble, getting embroiled in various scandals. Eventually, he apparently went around bragging that he had Re-awakened as an S-Class and that someone like Joo Seung-hyuk was nothing to him.

He had always lied about being B-Class, but his boasting had become far worse. It was likely due to his inferiority complex toward Joo Seung-hyuk.

His claims had even made it into the news, but they were all deleted within a few hours of being reported, likely because Seong Han rushed to take them down.

Some claimed a conspiracy theory that Chairman Joo was hiding Ju Tae-han’s Re-awakening to hand the guild over to his biological son, but that was complete nonsense.

In the original story, there is no mention of Ju Tae-han Re-awakening. Just as there was no way I would suddenly manifest as an Omega, there was no way Ju Tae-han would Re-awaken as an S-Class.

While human connections or relationships might change, the trait or grade an individual possesses never changes.

Regardless, it seemed Ju Tae-han had completely fallen out of favor with Chairman Joo. The talk of him returning home after graduating college quietly vanished, and news arrived that he had entered graduate school in Texas.

Only an Ability User could become a guild leader. No matter how much the eldest son, Ju Jeong-han, held Chairman Joo’s trust, as a Non-Ability User, he could not become the guild leader.

On the other hand, Ju Tae-han was a piece of trash and his mana was pitifully meager, but simply because he was an Ability User, he was qualified to be the next guild leader of the Seong Han Guild.

Of course, as long as Joo Seung-hyuk existed, the probability of Ju Tae-han becoming the guild Read on Read BL Novelsleader [stolen content]converged to zero, but since he was the only rival—even if the probability was 0.000000001 percent—his movements were watched closely in many ways.

To the point that rumors about Ju Tae-han had reached my ears.

But that was only until his college years. Once Ju Tae-han caused the Re-awakening commotion, his path back to Korea was blocked, and he was forced into graduate school, people lost interest in him.

Lately, I didn’t even know what he was doing with his life. But it was certain that he was in Texas.

In the original story, Ju Tae-han was a piece of trash who constantly hit on Lee Yeon-soo.

He probably hasn’t changed now. Driven by the greed to possess an S-Class Guide, he would do all sorts of despicable and filthy things.

I didn’t even want to brush shoulders with Ju Tae-han.

“Ah, that brat Tae-han is there too….”

When I brought up Ju Tae-han, a bitter smile played on Ju Jeong-han’s lips.

“I heard that Guide Yeon-soo had some unpleasant incidents with him in the past. But that was when you were young. He has reflected on it, and he’s changed a lot now.”

If he had changed, he wouldn’t have caused a Re-awakening scene.

To give such an absurd compliment; I suppose blood is thicker than stolen contentwater since they are biological Read on Read BL Novelsbrothers. Seeing Ju Jeong-han subtly take his younger brother’s side made me even more anxious.

“Executive Director, surely we aren’t using the same accommodation? I do not wish to encounter him.”

“Haha. Of course not. If that were the case, I would have told you in advance.”

Hearing that boisterous laugh, like a politician’s, a wave of anxiety washed over me again.

Among high-ranking officials, there were many who made promises with a laugh like that, only to sneakily change their words later.

“Texas is seven times the size of South Korea, so even if you’re in the same state, there’s nothing to worry about. The villa is in Houston, and his university is in Austin.”

Regardless of the size of Texas, the problem was that Ju Tae-han could come looking for me.

In the original story, he was jealous that Joo Seung-hyuk signed an exclusive contract with an S-Class Guide and coveted him until the very end.

Moreover, as far as I knew, Houston and Austin weren’t that far apart. It was a distance he could easily cover if he set his mind to it.

However, it felt awkward to nitpick every detail, so I replied briefly.

“Still, please keep it a secret that I am going. I absolutely do not want to run into him.”

“Haha. Yes. I understand. It seems stolen contentthat brat Tae-han has really left a visit our sitebad impression on Guide Yeon-soo. He’s quite immature. As his older brother, I apologize.”

“No. There is no need for the Executive Director to apologize on his behalf.”

Furthermore, if it was an apology for things that happened seven years ago, it was Joo Seung-hyuk, not me, who should receive it.

Since I didn’t know what conversations had passed between the brothers during that time, I couldn’t go as far as saying that, though.

“Thank you for saying so. Oh, while you’re staying in Texas, please visit our laboratory as well.”

“A laboratory?”

“Yes. There is a special research facility for Seong Han there.”

“Is it perhaps the laboratory of Seong Han Pharmaceuticals?”

The first Chairman abandoned the principle of eldest son succession and chose the second son, Ju Won-chan, an Ability User, as his successor, instead handing Seong Han Pharmaceuticals over to the eldest son, Ju Gyeong-chan.

At that time, the development of new drugs regarding mana and matching rates was in full swing.

It was an era when everyone was filled with dreams that, with the advancement of science and technology, ordinary people could become Ability Users, and that grades and matching rates could be raised using drugs.

The first Chairman might have hoped that the eldest son would succeed [visit our site]in developing a new drug and overcome the limitations of a visit our siteNon-Ability User through his own strength.

With the appearance of ‘Jeokrunhwa,’ the material of dreams, research into new drugs for mana and matching rates accelerated even further. However, the Jeokrunhwa drugs that everyone had high hopes for failed miserably. Seong Han was no exception.

Eventually, the Jeokrunhwa craze that swept the world came to an end, leaving only scars, and the hope that grades and matching rates could be surpassed through drugs and science also vanished.

When Ju Gyeong-chan died in a drunk driving accident, Seong Han Pharmaceuticals became the property of his younger brother, Chairman Ju Won-chan, instead of his young son. However, as Ju Jeong-han, the son of Ju Gyeong-chan, grew up, Chairman Ju Won-chan returned the pharmaceutical company to him.

This was the same in the original story. However, in the novel, he tried to hand over various businesses to Ju Jeong-han, including Seong Han Hospital, Seong Han Electronics, and Seong Han Ability User Heavy Industries, in addition to pharmaceuticals. (Though it eventually failed because Joo Seung-hyuk interfered….)

But now, there was only Seong Han Pharmaceuticals. Chairman Joo had publicly declared Joo Seung-hyuk as the successor and expected Ju Jeong-han to play the role of supporting his biological son. Ju Jeong-han didn’t seem to have any major complaints about this.

In the original story, he often said that since Joo Seung-hyuk was more capable than him in terms of skill, he hoped Joo Seung-hyuk would inherit the business.

In any case, the only business entity Ju Jeong-han could currently lead proactively was Seong Han Pharmaceuticals.

“No. It is an unofficial research facility operated by the Seong Han Guild.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Originally, it’s a facility that only a few within the Seong Han Guild know about, and entry is impossible for those who aren’t related to it, but I am granting special permission for Guide Yeon-soo.”