“Why are you saying that with such confidence?”

Chairman Jo emptied his glass and asked. In response, Minhyung subtly raised the corners of his mouth and whispered as if sharing a secret.

“Aren’t I the one who was engaged to Seorin? I understand Seorin better than anyone else. She’s probably out of her mind right now.”

Yes, she probably was. With convincing photos that could easily lead to misunderstandings about Taejoon and Jiwon, Seorin probably had something in her hands by now.
“I am the person who was engaged to Seorin, aren’t I? I understand Seorin better than anyone else. She’s probably out of her mind right now.”

Yes, that’s right.

There are likely convincing photos in Seorin’s hands that could easily lead to misunderstandings between Taejoon and Jiwon.

Thanks to that, she must be unfolding the wings of her imagination to the fullest. In her petty pride, she must be suffering silently, unable to even ask Taejoon about it.

Just thinking about that made me feel proud enough to skip a meal.

“Surely, not you again…”

However, Chairman Jo’s thoughts seemed to have gone elsewhere, and he interjected with a raised impression. In response, Minhyung vehemently denies while sweating.

“No. No. It’s absolutely not what Father is thinking! So please don’t worry. And there’s no need to be concerned about being found out. I just… unleashed a high-level psychological warfare.”

Minhyung smiled proudly as he spoke, as if he found himself impressive even upon reconsideration.

Chairman Jo looked at his son with a mix of suspicion and trust, but he didn’t say anything specific.

Not caring about the means and methods to achieve a goal was precisely Chairman Jo’s style. As long as he didn’t get caught by someone, and if he could hold what he wanted in his hands, Chairman Jo believed that the process had sufficient value, no matter how it unfolded.

Indeed, had his son, who had been unsatisfactory until now, finally realized this truth properly?

With a hopeful wish, Chairman Jo swiftly drank the glass filled by Minhyung.

New York.

“What? You’re taking a flight tomorrow? Why? Has everything been settled there already?”

[No. There’s nothing to settle, so I’m going.]

While talking to Sodam, Taejoon frowned.

Why is there nothing to settle? There must be. His belongings would still be scattered in Seorin’s officetel, the divorce procedures wouldn’t be easy, and there would likely be property division issues.

Although their time together was brief enough to not even call it a marriage, if it was what Seorin wanted, he was ready to grant her anything.

Because of his greed, Seorin eventually became an ex-wife on paper. And he knew better than anyone else in Korean society what being an ex-wife meant.

It became a desperate regret.

Of course, at that time, it was a hastily submitted marriage report without knowing it would turn out like this. But in the end, it was his greed that made Seorin an ex-wife on paper.

So, he was prepared to compensate more than enough. No, he could have done even more.

But Sodam says there’s nothing more to settle.

“That can’t be true. Did Seorin sign all the documents without any objections?”

[No. In fact, she didn’t sign a single sheet.]

“Not a single sheet? Then… not even the stock transfer agreement?”

[Yes. She said she would sign every document in person after seeing the president’s face. And she told me not to take anything away. You know, I’m more scared of the president than the president himself. If he says to do something, I have to do it, or I won’t get away with it.] Upon hearing Sodam’s words, Taejoon felt a throbbing headache and touched his temples.

Seorin’s marriage was not what she wanted. Therefore, she thought that perhaps divorcing would be easy if she just cleared her mind. But even this seemed to be an excessive greed on her part.

“Ha…….”

[Anyway, I’m taking a flight tomorrow, so please be aware of that. And I’ve clearly conveyed Mr. Jeonmu’s intentions as well.]

“Got it. Be careful and come back.”

[Yes.]

After ending the call, Taejoon took a deep breath by the window overlooking the New York City skyline.

One side of his chest felt stuffy and heavy.

Since coming to New York, he had been troubled by such symptoms. At times, it was so severe that he had difficulty breathing, as if he were suffocating.

Is the air conditioning in New York worse than in Seoul, Korea?

He initially thought so, but now he knew it wasn’t the case.

The stifling feeling, enough to cause difficulty breathing, was because of his malfunctioning heart. Now he knew.

It felt like going back to the time before he met Seorin. Back to a time when his emotions seemed confined, and he had never felt his heart beat strongly towards someone, trapped as if something had caged his emotions.

He thought being away would make it easier to organize his feelings. So he hastily chose to go to New York.

However, that judgment turned out to be completely off the mark.

Being apart only made longing and affection grow.

He wanted to see her more, and he missed her terribly.

But hearing that Seorin hadn’t signed the documents, his emotions went beyond longing and affection, and his eyes reddened.

“Foolish. What did I expect?”

I have no idea how to handle this situation. How to crush these overflowing emotions, how to persuade Seorin, who doesn’t understand. I don’t know.

But then Sodam called again.

“Why.”

[Hello, President. I just received a call.]

“A call? What call?”

[Well… from Han Jiseon.]

It was unexpected news.

“Why would Han Jiseon… why?”

[She has something to tell you. Do you have her contact information? Would you like to contact her directly?]

“Fine. Got it.”

Although he hung up the phone, Taejoon still had lingering doubts. No, maybe this hesitation was fear.

Is the truth still so harsh to him?

Should he call or not? He even thought about it. The fear of the overwhelming frustration he felt when he met Han Jiseon still vividly lingered.

For a long time, he fiddled with his phone.

Eventually, he made the call.

[Hello.]

“Hello. This is Kang Taejoon.”

[Oh. Yes.]

“I heard you have something to say to me.”

He spoke with the calmest voice he could muster. However, the fear of the truth made his heart tremble.

What does Han Jiseon want to say?

[It’s not something to discuss over the phone. I want to talk in person.]

“…….”