Chapter 65
Haemin POV
“No… no, Yuna won’t do that.”
I muttered the words under my breath, but they didn’t sound convincing even to myself. My hands tightened around the steering wheel as I drove, eyes fixed on the road but my mind far away.
My phone had been vibrating for a while, Yuna’s name flashing on the screen again and again. But I couldn’t bring myself to answer. I couldn’t focus on anything right now.
My jaw was clenched so tightly it hurt, my chest felt heavy, and the only thing I could hear was the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears.
Sera was lying. She had to be.
It just didn’t make sense.
Why would Yuna do something like that? There’s no reason. She’s strict, yes—but she wouldn’t hurt my family… right?
[Flashback]
“This is the real reason I asked you to come,” Sera said quietly, sliding the brown envelope across the table toward me.
I frowned. “What is this?”
“Take a look.”
Her tone was calm but serious. I hesitated before pulling the envelope open. Inside, there were several documents, neatly arranged.
As I flipped through each page, my breath caught. My eyes scanned the printed words, disbelief tightening my chest. “This is…” I looked up, my voice unsteady.
“Yes,” Sera said, cutting me off. “It’s about the acquisition of Haedong Street.”
My fingers froze on the page.
She leaned back, her expression softening. “I’m sorry, Haemin. I know it wasn’t right to threaten you just to make you come here. You must have already seen the news about what happened in Busan, right? I know how worried you are about your aunt. But I needed you to see this with your own eyes. If I had told you over the phone, you wouldn’t have believed me.”
I stared at her, confusion mixing with a faint dread. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
Sera exhaled softly, pressing her lips together before continuing, her tone low but deliberate. “After you disappeared from her three days ago, Yuna seems to have made a move. The morning after you were admitted to the ward, Haedong District suddenly received an inspection notice from the local government. By afternoon, the entire area was listed for sale. As a businesswoman, it’s only natural that I noticed something that unusual and I didn’t tell you about it at the hospital because I didn’t want to make you worry.”
Her words made my mind stop for a moment.
I frowned, struggling to follow what she meant. “Wait… what are you trying to say?” I asked quietly. “What does that have to do with her?”
Sera didn’t answer right away. Instead, she nodded toward the papers in my hands. “The documents you’re holding are the records of the companies involved in the Haedong acquisition.” She leaned forward slightly, her gaze steady on me. “Look at number six on the list.”
I lowered my eyes to the page, scanning the lines until my gaze landed on the entry she mentioned.
HNS Development Co., Ltd.
CEO: Lee Sang-ho.
Sera’s voice broke through the silence again. “That company looks normal on paper. It’s not registered under Nara Group’s subsidiaries, so no one would suspect a thing. But Lee Sang-ho isn’t just some random name. He’s been serving as an external director for one of Nara Group’s offshore partners for years. And that company, HNS Development, is one of the shell firms Yuna uses when she wants to keep her name out of direct deals.”
My grip on the papers tightened. “That can’t be right,” I said automatically, shaking my head. “You’re just assuming. Anyone could use an offshore partner—”
But the moment I said it, something inside me faltered.
I remembered the name. HNS Development.
I had seen it before—on one of the older business files Harin once asked me to help organize. At the time, I thought it was just another client company related to construction projects. I didn’t think much about it then.
Now the memory felt like a stone dropping into my stomach.
Sera could see the change in my expression, and she leaned back slightly, her tone calm. “You’re starting to understand, aren’t you?”
I stayed silent, my fingers tightening around the papers.
Sera went on, her tone steady but sharp. “And that inspection didn’t just happen out of nowhere, Haemin. Do you know how impossible it is for a district-wide inspection to be approved and carried out overnight? Normally, that kind of process takes weeks—sometimes even months. But Yuna managed it in less than a day.”
I slowly lifted my head, meeting her eyes.
“That means she pulled strings from the inside,” Sera continued. “Both the Ministry of Land and the regional office were involved. One of my contacts there told me the request came through an internal memo marked as urgent priority—signed under one of Nara Group’s consulting partners. The local officials didn’t even dare to question it. They just followed the order.”
I swallowed hard, my heart pounding faster. “You mean she used her company’s connections just to buy that district?”
Sera gave a faint smile. “She used them to push everyone out of the way. Once the inspection order was approved, most local owners panicked and put their properties up for sale, thinking there would be redevelopment. She took advantage of that chaos. By the time anyone realized what was happening, the shell company had already placed the highest bids.”
[End of flashback]
I swallowed hard, my vision blurring for a moment as I blinked rapidly, trying to calm myself. But no matter how many times I told myself that it was fake, Sera’s words kept echoing in my head.
Before I knew it, the car had already stopped. My eyes widened slightly as I realized where I was.
Nara Group Headquarters.
I didn’t even remember the last few turns I made. My mind had been running on its own.
I stepped out of the car, gripping the brown envelope tightly in my hand. The papers inside felt heavier than before.
Without thinking, I walked quickly toward the entrance. The guards bowed, but I barely acknowledged them. My chest burned with nervous energy, and I just wanted to see her and ask her directly.
The elevator doors closed around me, and I leaned back against the wall, staring at the floor number climbing higher and higher. Every second felt longer than it should.
When the doors finally opened, I stepped out. The private executive floor was quiet, just like always. But the moment I walked out, a few staff members turned their heads in surprise.
Their faces said everything — shock, confusion, relief. I hadn’t shown up for three days.
“Haemin-ssi?”
“Haemin-ah!”
It was Daejin sunbaenim and Jiyoo noona. They both smiled when they saw me, walking over quickly, clearly happy to see me again.
I gave them a small, polite smile before walking past. Their voices faded behind me as I moved straight down the hallway.
Then I saw Harin coming from the opposite direction. Her eyes widened the moment she noticed me.
“Haemin-ssi? You’re here—” She stopped mid-sentence when she saw my expression, her tone softening. “Is… everything okay?”
I shook my head slightly, barely meeting her eyes. “I need to see the Yu—Chairwoman,” I said quietly.
She looked like she wanted to say something else, but I didn’t give her the chance. I walked past her without stopping. I could hear her hurried footsteps behind me, probably following out of concern.
When I reached the end of the hallway, I didn’t stop to knock.
I pushed the door open—harder than I meant to.
And there was Yuna, staring at me in confusion.
Harin, who had been following close behind, arrived a few seconds later. The staff outside the office had also stopped what they were doing, their eyes darting between us, unsure of what was happening.
“I need to talk to you,” I said, my voice low but firm, looking straight at Yuna.
The room went quiet for a moment.
Harin stepped closer, her tone soft but cautious. “Haemin-ssi,” she whispered quietly, glancing around, “maybe it’s better if you settle whatever this is later. There are a lot of eyes here right now.”
But I shook my head, my fingers tightening around the brown envelope in my hand. “No,” I said quietly, the edge of frustration slipping into my voice. “I need to talk to her now.”
Yuna sighed quietly, her expression unreadable. Her eyes flicked toward Harin. “Leave us,” she said flatly.
Harin hesitated for a moment, clearly worried, but she knew better than to argue. She bowed slightly and turned toward the door before closing it behind her.
The moment the door clicked shut, silence filled the room.
Yuna walked slowly to her desk and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. Her cold gaze settled on me. The soft hum of the air conditioner was the only sound between us.
I stood there, feeling my throat tighten. I wanted to speak, but before I could say a word, she cut in, her tone sharp and controlled.
“I thought I already told you to stay at home.”
Her voice was calm, but there was clear irritation behind it.
“I know,” I said carefully, trying to keep my tone steady even though my hands felt cold. “But I have something to talk about.”
She didn’t respond right away, just leaned back slightly in her chair, eyes fixed on me.
“You didn’t answer my calls,” she said finally, her voice dropping lower, colder. “You know how many time I called you?”
“You didn’t answer my calls,” she said finally, her voice dropping lower, colder. “You know how many times I called you?”
I didn’t answer either. My lips pressed tightly together as I looked at her, trying to keep my emotions from spilling out. But I couldn’t wait any longer.
Before I even realized it, my feet moved on their own. I walked toward her desk and placed the brown envelope down in front of her. The sound of it touching the surface echoed softly in the quiet room.
“I want to ask about this, Yuna,” I said, my voice low but trembling. “Please… tell me this isn’t true.”
She didn’t reply right away. Her eyes lowered as she calmly reached for the envelope, opening it without a single word.
The silence stretched between us as she flipped through the papers inside, her expression never changing.
My hands tightened at my sides. “Tell me you’re not involved,” I said again, quietly. “Please, just tell me you didn’t do this.”
She placed the documents back on her desk slowly. Then she looked up at me, her face cold and unreadable. She didn’t say anything.
The silence felt heavy, pressing against my chest.
“Yuna…” I said softly, my voice breaking just a little. “Please, say something.”
Her eyes didn’t even flinch. “Where did you get this?” she asked quietly.
“It doesn’t matter where I got it,” I said, my tone fragile but firm. “Just answer my question.”
She exhaled slowly, as if my words didn’t reach her at all. “Yes,” she said calmly.
I blinked, confused. “What?”
“I said yes,” she repeated, her tone steady, emotionless. “I was involved.”
For a moment, I couldn’t even move. My mind went blank. “No… you’re not serious,” I whispered, shaking my head. “You wouldn’t do something like this.”
But she didn’t deny it.
My throat tightened. “Why?” I asked quietly, struggling to keep my voice from shaking. “Why would you do something like that?”
Her eyes met mine without a trace of guilt. “Because you went missing,” she said calmly. “What did you expect me to do, Haemin?”
I stared at her, unable to believe what I was hearing. “Yuna… I was in the hospital,” I said slowly, my voice trembling with hurt. “Because of everything that happened… because of you.”
Her tone stayed cold. “That wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t run away from me in the first place.”
I felt something sink deep in my chest. The pain of hearing her say that hurt more than anything I could explain.
“Do you even realize what you’re saying right now?” I asked quietly, my voice breaking with disappointment. “You’re talking about this like it’s my fault… So what, are you telling me that you’d use my family just to keep me from leaving you?”
For a moment, Yuna didn’t move. Her eyes stayed locked on mine.
“Yes,” she said finally, her tone calm but firm. “If that’s what it takes to make you stay by my side, then so be it.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the chest. I just froze there, staring at her in disbelief. My knees suddenly felt weak, the strength in my legs fading away. Slowly, I turned and walked toward the sofa, sitting down heavily. My hands came up to my face as I tried to steady my breath.
Why… why was she turning into someone like this?
Why was Yuna becoming so cold and cruel?
For a moment, I just sat there, rubbing my face with both hands, trying to calm the storm building inside me. I could feel the sting in my chest tightening with every thought that came up.
A few seconds passed in silence before I heard the sound of her chair moving. Then, the sharp echo of her heels against the marble floor drew closer. I didn’t even need to look up to know she was standing right in front of me.
When I finally lifted my eyes, she was there—calm, emotionless, staring down at me like I was a problem she needed to deal with.
But I guess she noticed the tears forming in my eyes, because her voice softened just slightly. Still, her tone stayed cold.
“Listen,” she said quietly, “let’s discuss this at home. There’s a lot to talk about. Let’s go home first.”
Maybe this wasn’t over yet to her. Maybe she was just trying to drag me away before anyone could see. She reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me up with a firm grip.
“Let’s go.”
Maybe because I was too upset, too tired of being pushed around, I yanked my hand away from hers.
“No,” I said, my voice shaking. “I don’t want to follow you.”
Yuna froze, caught off guard by my reaction. Her eyes narrowed sharply. “What did you just say?” she asked, her voice turning cold again.
I looked at her, my hands trembling slightly. “You’re just going to hit me again when we get home, right?”
Her gaze stayed locked on me, silent and unreadable. She didn’t deny it. She didn’t say anything.
Something in me broke then. My chest tightened, my voice cracked, and my eyes blurred a little as I finally spoke—everything I’d been holding back spilling out.
“Yuna… don’t you think you’ve gone too far already?”
My voice trembled, but I kept going.
“I’ve been following everything you said all this time. Everything! But why do you still treat me like this?”
“You told me to stay at home, I stayed for you.”
“You told me not to go out with my only friend, I did as you said.”
“You wanted me to drop out of university—I followed that too.”
“You told me to work for you even though I’m not ready, and I still followed what you wanted.”
My voice cracked harder now, my throat tightening as tears finally rolled down.
“So why, Yuna? Why do you want to ruin the only family I have left? They’re innocent! They’ve got nothing to do with us. If you’re unhappy with something, then just take it out on me—don’t drag everyone around me into this.”
For a moment, Yuna just stood there, silent. Her expression didn’t change. She just stared at me—cold, as if my pain didn’t reach her at all.
Then, as if my words meant nothing, she stepped closer again. Her hand reached out, gripping my wrist even tighter this time.
“I know you’re just tired right now,” she said, her voice low. “Let’s go home while I’m still talking nicely to you. Alright?”
I yanked my hand away again, harder this time.
“No,” I said, my tone breaking. “Like I said—I’m not going home. If you want to talk, say it here. And if you want to hit me, then just hit me here, in your office!”
Yuna’s jaw tightened. I could see her fingers curl slightly, her fist clenching, but she kept her composure.
“What are you talking about, Haemin? Stop this and let’s go,” she said coldly, trying to reach for me again.
I took a few steps back, avoiding her hand. Her calmness, her complete lack of reaction, only made my chest ache even more.
Seeing her like that… like she didn’t care at all… it made something inside me snap.
I let out a shaky breath, my tears still clinging to my lashes, and then, without thinking, I gave a small, bitter smile.
“Yuna,” I said softly, “do you want to know how I got those documents?”
Her eyes flickered slightly, but she didn’t answer.
I smiled faintly again, still with tears in my eyes. “Sera gave them to me.”
Her expression immediately changed.
I continued, my voice trembling but steady enough to push her buttons. “Do you want to know how she handed them to me?”
Her eyes darkened, a warning in her expression.
“I met her at a hotel,” I said quietly.
Yuna’s face froze, and then darkened completely. “What did you just say?”
“Yes, Yuna,” I said, looking straight into her eyes. “We met at a hotel. Just the two of us.”
“And you asked why I didn’t pick up your calls?” I added, voice breaking slightly. “That’s because I was busy talking to her.”
[SLAP!]
The slap came out of nowhere—sharp and stinging across my cheek. My head snapped to the side as I stumbled back, losing balance.
Yuna’s eyes burned with fury, strands of her hair falling over her face. She yanked her necktie loose and rolled up her sleeves with a sharp tug. “What did you say just now, Haemin?” she said, her voice low and trembling. “I must’ve heard you wrong.”
My cheek throbbed, but I forced a faint smile through the pain. Tears welled in my eyes. “I said I was busy talking to her,” I repeated softly. “That’s why I didn’t—”
[SLAP!]
Yuna snapped. Her hand swung again, harder this time. The second slap sent a jolt through my skull. My vision blurred, the room spinning around me.
Her breathing grew heavy and uneven. Her face twisted in rage. She’d completely lost control.
I smiled faintly, even as the sting burned across my skin. “Why, Yuna?” I asked, my voice weak but steady. “Does that trigger you? It’s funny… you didn’t react when I told you how I felt, but now you hit me because you’re jealous?”
“Shut up!” she shouted, and her fist slammed into my stomach. The air rushed out of my lungs. I doubled over, clutching my abdomen as pain shot through me. Before I could recover, her hand gripped my hair, yanking my head back. The pain was sharp and searing.
I forced another shaky smile, which only made her angrier. She let out a sharp breath and shoved me hard against the wall. My back slammed into the wall, the impact jolting through my spine. The rough surface scraped against my shoulders as pain shot up my neck.
She pulled me close until her face was inches from mine, her voice shaking with rage.
“Are you trying to die here, Haemin?” she hissed, her breath hot against my ear. “Telling me such a lie? Say it’s not true. Tell me you didn’t meet Sera!”
Despite the pain, I smiled again. “It’s not a lie, Yuna,” I said quietly. “I really met her. I didn’t want to at first, but now I’m glad I did. If I hadn’t, I never would’ve known what you’ve been doing behind my back.”
Her rage exploded. She grabbed my shoulders and threw me to the floor. My knees hit the hardwood with a crack. Before I could move, her foot struck my ribs. The pain was brutal, stealing my breath. She kicked again. And again. Each blow carried her anger, her jealousy and her desperation.
I curled up, trying to shield myself, but she didn’t stop. Her fists pounded my back and arms. A punch to my temple made my ears ring. Warm blood trickled down my forehead and stung my eyes.
She yanked me up by the hair, forcing me to my knees. Her nails dug into my scalp. Then she slammed my head against the wall. The impact burst through my skull like lightning. My vision darkened, but I refused to scream.
That only fueled her more. She twisted my arm behind my back until I felt the joint strain. Her knee drove into my spine, and I collapsed. My cheek pressed against the cold floor, blood pooling beneath me.
Finally—after what felt like forever—she stopped.
My body was covered in bruises. My head throbbed. Blood matted my hair and dripped down my face. Yuna grabbed my collar and lifted me slightly. Her eyes were still wild, but there was fear in them now—like she’d just realized what she’d done.
I coughed, tasting blood, and met her gaze. “Why, Yuna?” I rasped. “Why stop? Isn’t this what you always do to me?”
Her grip tightened, but she said nothing. Her expression was cold, empty.
“If you’re not going to keep hitting me, then let me go,” I whispered.
Her knuckles turned white, but she didn’t move.
“I’m tired, Yuna,” I said quietly.
“Tired of waiting for you to change.”
She opened her mouth, but I cut her off.
“Yuna…” I looked straight into her eyes.
“Let’s get divorced.”
And the room felt heavier for the second time.