Chapter 11
“Poor thing. Do you even know what ‘that’s great news’ means?”
Wooyeon clicked his tongue as if looking at something pitiful.
“W-What does it mean…?”
“It’s called sarcasm, mockery, ridicule, and sneering. ‘Greeeaaat~ job~ Youngoh~.’ Like that.”
“……!!”
Whether Youngoh’s jaw dropped or not, Wooyeon casually stuffed a piece of bossam into Yewon’s mouth across from him.
“Hey, kid. Eat your bossam. Your uncle doesn’t seem to have time to take care of you, so this uncle will do it for you.”
“…I’M NOT A KID!!”
“Yep. Kid. Chew nicely~”
“…….”
“If I’m an uncle, then you’re a kid too~ If you want to be an adult instead of a kid, then go tell me to be your uncle again~”
Yewon chewed her food in frustration.
There was no way that would happen. You’re an uncle forever.
“…So what exactly did the CEO say again?”
Doha’s low voice cut in, and Youngoh kept glancing around nervously.
“Um… he said to bring Yewon to the company tomorrow and introduce her. Since she’s basically family now, it’d be better to meet properly….”
“That’s strange. Our CEO isn’t the type to talk so warmly. Don’t filter his words. Repeat exactly what he said.”
“Th-That really is what he said….”
Youngoh said tearfully at Wooyeon’s interruption.
“He really said that? That iron-blooded CEO? Then Doha, you’re seriously screwed. I’ll arrange a grand funeral for you.”
“Why would I be.”
“No, that’s how it usually goes. When a scary person suddenly acts kind, it means you’re about to die. A death flag. Yeah.”
“……”
At Wooyeon’s casual words, Yewon’s face turned pale instead.
She had heard about the CEO of Time Entertainment before.
A legendary figure who left Wonder Entertainment in his early 30s and founded Time Entertainment alone, turning it into one of the top three agencies in Korea in no time.
Rumor said he was someone you could stab and not even get a drop of blood.
A truly terrifying person…
And that kind of person wanted to meet her?
Yewon looked up at Doha with anxious eyes.
But surprisingly, Doha didn’t look worried at all. He seemed calm.
“Say we’ll go tomorrow afternoon. I’ll take Yewon.”
“Seriously? Doha, you really got bold after raising a kid. Childcare really changes people, everyone.”
Wooyeon clicked his tongue, and Doha glared at him.
“Since this is an important matter, it’s only proper etiquette to meet them in person and greet them. But if he says anything strange, we just don’t renew the contract.”
“!!”
“It’s almost renewal season anyway. I’m sure they know better than us who needs who more.”
Doha’s relaxed voice made the others shake their heads.
“Right, it’s already our 7th year, huh?”
Wooyeon chuckled.
When he acted like this, Lee Doha really wasn’t normal either.
“…I-Is that really okay…?”
Yewon asked worriedly, and Doha gently smiled, placing a hand on her head.
“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
“But still….”
“And also, Director Park.”
“?”
“He may be a scary person, but he’s not a bad person.”
“…!”
Even after Doha’s firm words, Yewon still didn’t look reassured.
Was this meeting really going to be okay?
The Big Day
“I’ll adopt her.”
“!!!”
It was not okay at all.
Yewon and Doha received a shocking proposal from the so-called “not-bad Director Park.”
Crack.
It almost sounded like something breaking.
Both of them froze, staring blankly at him like statues.
“Wow, our director is really something. Amazing. I’m seriously moved. Not by his personality, but by his scale.”
“Shut up, Han Wooyeon.”
“Such determination to keep Lee Doha under control! Long live capitalism! Wow! I should learn from this!”
“Do you want your mouth shut?”
At Director Park’s growl, Wooyeon immediately mimed zipping his lips.
Once it finally quieted down, Director Park cleared his throat and spoke again.
“I’m serious, Doha. I also think this is the best option for everyone.”
“……”
“I heard everything about Yewon from Youngoh… I’m already 53. It wouldn’t be strange for me to have a granddaughter, let alone a daughter. Honestly, I’d be happy to suddenly have a daughter.”
“……”
Even Lee Doha, who was usually unfazed by anything, seemed completely speechless.
“…Wow.”
He looks way too young for 53.
Yewon secretly admired him.
He had a sharp, charismatic presence that made him look like someone who’d still look impressive even in his 50s.
“Wow. A daughter in one shot, that’s actually a great deal, Director. Skipping a useless husband and going straight to a cute daughter is definitely a win….”
“I told you to shut up.”
“Oops, my mouth’s itchy~”
No matter what Wooyeon said, Director Park continued looking directly at Doha with sincerity.
“Anyway, Doha, I heard from Youngoh that you rejected the relative he found. At the funeral, in front of everyone. It was supposedly a real relative he worked hard to track down.”
“…A real relative?”
At those words, Yewon’s eyes wavered.
Wait.
The fake uncle… was actually a real relative?
‘But Jieon said we weren’t actually family.’
So what was going on?
She had thought she was just left with Doha by chance, like strangers thrown together…
What kind of relative was he?
Yewon silently decided to ask Doha about it later.
“…Anyway, Doha, what were you thinking?”
“…That’s—”
“I said I didn’t like him!”
“!”
Everyone turned to Yewon, startled by her sudden interruption.
“That uncle said really scary things. That’s why I didn’t like him.”
“Scary things…?”
“Yes.”
Director Park looked confused.
That made sense. It would be shocking to hear that the person they found for the child had scared her.
But Yewon also had more to say.
That man didn’t just scare her. He had practically abused her and even talked about killing her at the end.
“What exactly did he say?”
“He said I have to work very hard from now on. And that I have to repay all my mom’s debt, he whispered it to me!”
…Well, that wasn’t said at the funeral, but something he said about the future. Still, it was true.
“!”
At her words, all the adults’ faces hardened.
“…What?”
Doha was the first.
“…What did you say? He said that to you? What else did he say?”
Director Park followed.
“Wow, how did Youngoh even find someone like that? Should we report him to the police? Is he insane? No, seriously? Bring him here first.”
Wooyeon added.
“I-I-I-I’m sorry… ah, this isn’t the time! We need to talk to a lawyer immediately!”
Youngoh panicked.
All the adults were furious for Yewon’s sake.
Yewon blinked, slightly overwhelmed by their emotions.
It was the first time since her mother that someone had been this angry for her sake.
“…I was stupid.”
“!”
Doha clenched his fist.
“We should have investigated more. If he volunteered to take care of Yewon, he must have had prior connections. We should’ve been suspicious when he said he’d never met her before.”
“…He said it was because Yewon’s father passed away early and they lost contact. There was no reason not to believe him… and no other relatives either. At the time, he seemed like the only option.”
Director Park tried to calm Doha.
From what they heard, the fake uncle was from the father’s side of the family.
‘Then why did he say he was from the mother’s side?’
Everything about this was strange.
“I’m sorry, Yewon. We didn’t know he was that kind of person. We’ll make sure he’s punished.”
Director Park sincerely apologized.
Instead of answering, Yewon nodded and tightly hugged Doha’s arm.
Then Director Park spoke again.
“…Anyway. This just proves my point even more. If we can’t trust anyone else, then I’m the best option.”