#105

Curious? I slowly blinked and tilted my head at Secretary Sung Yoojun’s question.

“To be honest, not really.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’ve spent my whole life living with someone who looks exactly like me.”

The person I was referring to, who had the same face as mine, was, of course, my younger sister, Cheon. Secretary Sung Yoojun, who must have figured it out, made a slightly surprised expression and parted his lips. However, before he could speak, I got the first word in.

“Secretary Sung, you know. My younger sister and I look so much alike.”

“……Yes, that’s true. You two really resemble each other.”

I smiled softly at Sung Yoojun’s agreement. He noticed my intention to change the topic so that he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable, and he relaxed his expression before continuing.

“Come to think of it, you two don’t look much like the former chairman.”

“Ah, yes. Cheon and I take after our late mother. When the three of us were together, anyone could tell we were family.”

“Is that so? Then, the late madam must have been very beautiful. It’s a shame I never got to meet her.”

I looked at Sung Yoojun, who seemed genuinely regretful that he hadn’t met my mother, and fell into a brief moment of thought. Talking about my mother suddenly brought something to mind.

“Come to think of it, it’s exactly the kind of person my mother liked.”

“Huh?”

“Secretary Sung, I mean. He’s exactly the type of person my mother would have liked. Someone who’s good at their job, considerate, kind, and also handsome. My mother loved people like that. If she had met you, she would have treated you very well. And she would have probably said to take good care of me.”

There was a subtle playfulness and a touch of longing in my voice as I spoke, and Sung Yoojun gently lifted the corners of his mouth.

“Well, now I wish even more that I could have met the late madam. I really want to hear her say, ‘Please take care of the president’.”

At Secretary Sung Yoojun’s teasing, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. The thought of my mother meeting Secretary Sung Yoojun was such a delightful image that it immediately lifted my spirits.

“Yeah, I wish I could have introduced you to her, too.”

I had quite a few friends, but I had never brought anyone home to introduce them to my mother. So, if I had brought Sung Yoojun, I’m sure my mother would have been really happy. She probably would have teased me, saying, ‘Thank goodness my son has at least one friend.’

Thinking about my late mother made me feel both nostalgic and wistful. I quickly pushed down the bitter feeling that began to surface and was about to speak again when I heard a knock at the door, shifting my attention.

“Sir, it’s Jung Minjae.”

“Come in.”

At my calm response, the door opened, and Secretary Jung Minjae walked in. He gave a brief nod to Secretary Sung Yoojun, who was standing in front of my desk, and then strode over to me.

“I’ve brought what you requested.”

Saying this, Jung Minjae placed a thick envelope, clearly full of documents, in front of me. I took the contents out and flipped through a few pages.

“Seems like there’s quite a lot here.”

What I had asked Secretary Jung Minjae to look into was a background check on Rep. Oh Hahyun. I couldn’t read everything right away, so I picked through the large pieces, but there was so much to go through.

Well, considering what she had done to me that day, I thought she might be up to something behind the scenes. I let out a hollow laugh and gently placed the documents on the desk. Then, I turned to face Secretary Jung Minjae, who was watching me with sparkling eyes, and gave him what he seemed to be expecting.

“It must have been tough to find all of this. Thank you, Secretary Jung.”

“No, not at all. Feel free to take your time reading. I’ll leave now.”

At the sincere compliment, Jung Minjae’s face brightened. I watched him leave the president’s office with light steps, unable to hide his smile, even though he pretended otherwise.

“Is all of this about Rep. Oh Hahyun?”

As soon as the door closed, Sung Yoojun looked at the stack of documents on the desk with a puzzled expression and asked. I lightly nodded at his question and responded.

“More precisely, it’s about that person’s corruption.”

Sung Yoojun looked at the thick pile of documents with a grim expression.

“It seems like she’s been up to quite a lot.”

“People who will stop at nothing to gain power are a dime a dozen.”

“Are you planning to use this to pressure Rep. Oh Hahyun?”

Pressure……

I fell into thought and tapped my fingers on the desk.

“For now, I plan to do nothing and just watch.”

After a long pause, I quietly spoke, and Sung Yoojun widened his eyes in surprise. His gaze remained fixed on me, clearly wondering what I was thinking. I exhaled quietly in response to his silent pressure and spoke again.

“There are a few things I’m considering before starting any confrontation.”

“Is it because of Lee Gaon-ssi and Lee Daon-ssi?”

“……Yes, I guess I can’t deny that.”

“It’s not that you can’t deny it, it’s just that I know that’s the only reason.”

At Sung Yoojun’s sharp observation, I awkwardly smiled, feeling embarrassed. I had hoped no one would notice, but of course, I was found out. Since it was already out in the open, I figured it would be ridiculous to keep hiding it, so I finally decided to confess my thoughts to Sung Yoojun.

“It’s their mother, you know. Gaon-ssi and Daon-ssi’s mother. That’s why I feel it’s a bit too much for me to make the first move.”

“They probably aren’t considering that at all.”

“I know. That’s just how they are. But I……”

I trailed off in a heavy voice, then hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“……I’m worried about how the kids will feel, especially Gaon-ssi.”

No matter how much one dislikes or hates someone, when something bad happens to a parent, it’s impossible for a child not to feel discomfort deep inside. Whether that emotion is worry or something else, one can never be sure unless they are the one feeling it. In fact, they might not even be aware of it themselves. But one thing I can be sure of is that it’s not a particularly positive emotion.

I didn’t want the kids under my protection to feel that way. I wanted them to experience only happy and joyful things in as safe a place as possible. Of course, I already knew that was impossible, but at least I could try, right?

“But unless she gives up, there’s no way around it. Eventually, we’ll collide.”

“Seems like it, yes.”

With a bitter voice, I let out a heavy sigh. I just wished that Rep. Oh Hahyun would give up first. I wouldn’t mind avoiding a clash with the parent of the twins, and they wouldn’t mind me keeping her various corrupt actions under wraps. It seemed to me like it was better for both sides, right?

“……Anyway, unless she provokes me, I won’t use this against her.”

A person with something to protect naturally becomes more cautious and careful than someone who has nothing to lose. That’s why I couldn’t act recklessly.

“Isn’t it kind of funny?”

“What do you mean?”

“Rep. Oh Hahyun is the mother of Gaon-ssi and Daon-ssi, but the thing she’s trying to protect doesn’t even include them. I’m not trying to say that a mother should unconditionally protect her child and sacrifice for them, that kind of nonsense. But still, I think there should at least be the bare minimum of something between family members.”

At that point, I thought about my father for a moment. My father, who was so consumed by money and power that he tried to use his own family. Whenever I thought about Rep. Oh Hahyun, my father always came to mind. Although he was dead in this world, and in prison in the real world.

“Gaon-ssi and Daon-ssi are her own children, aren’t they? How can she even think of using them to increase her power? I honestly don’t understand. Isn’t that something no one should do?”

“Maybe it’s because she’s not really a person.”

I muttered with a gruff expression, and a calm reply came back. I rolled my eyes and looked at Secretary Sung Yoojun, who was staring at me with an oddly pleased look.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Listening to you speak, it just really hit me that you’re younger than me. It’s kind of a revelation.”

Suddenly? At Secretary Sung Yoojun’s amused voice, I raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve always been younger than you, and I probably always will be until the day I die.”

I knew what Sung Yoojun was trying to say, but I deliberately shifted the subject. Unfortunately, my attempt to dodge didn’t work on Secretary Sung Yoojun.

“But seeing you whine like today, it’s rare. It’s kind of cute.”