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At Secretary Song’s quick movements, the people waiting quietly in the mansion also became busy. Dr. Park, who had been watching this blankly, slowly walked over and knocked cautiously on Sanghyeon’s door.

“Come in.”

At Sanghyeon’s permission, Dr. Park entered the bedroom.

“Where is Secretary Song?”

“He is requesting Mrs. Kim to prepare a meal.”

Dr. Park’s gaze stopped at the pile of blood-stained tissues on the bedside table next to the bed.

“How were you last night….”

“The same.”

Sanghyeon answered as he walked out of the bedroom without a single hint of discomposure. Dr. Park hurriedly followed him, trying to persuade him just as he did every day.

“Mr. Chairman, even now….”

“Let’s go out.”

“Mr. Chairman.”

“Dr. Park.”

“…I understand.”

When Sanghyeon went down to the first floor and entered the dining room, not only Secretary Song but also the newly formed legal team was sitting there. As Sanghyeon began to eat, they too started their meal.

“Is that the best we can do for the inheritance-related taxes?”

“Yes, it is.”

“How are the preparations for the board meeting?”

“They are proceeding without a hitch.”

Sanghyeon seemed to be eating as usual, but the amount he ate was noticeably less, and the types of food were also very different from before. In this moment, Secretary Song felt the transience of life and had a bitter thought.

“Mr. Chairman.”

“Speak.”

As the meal was nearing its end, Secretary Song looked at Sanghyeon and carefully began to speak.

“Director Han Jiyun of the Hangang Gallery keeps contacting us.”

“Hmm… the Hangang Gallery is in the Hangang Construction headquarters in Gangnam, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Sanghyeon was lost in thought for a moment, and then he said something different from what Secretary Song had expected. Secretary Song was momentarily flustered and answered a beat late.

“Put in a call saying I’m visiting today because I need a painting.”

“I understand.”

Secretary Song had been politely refusing Jiyun’s requests. She showed no signs of backing down, and Secretary Song was in a truly difficult position, caught in the middle. But Sanghyeon had accepted her proposal. Secretary Song let out a sigh of relief without realizing it.

Eventually, everyone in the dining room, including Sanghyeon, finished their meal. Just as a servant approached Sanghyeon and handed him a glass of water, Sanghyeon suddenly made a pained expression, clutched the tablecloth, and dropped the water glass he was holding to the floor.

“M-Mr. Chairman!”

At the sound of the glass shattering and Secretary Song’s shout, Dr. Park, who had been waiting outside, rushed in with the medical team. They skillfully moved Sanghyeon to the nearest room, laid him on the bed, and quickly began to administer treatment.

A short while later, the door opened cautiously and Dr. Park came out into the hallway. Secretary Song approached him with a worried face.

“How is the Chairman?”

“He refused any further treatment, so we only prescribed painkillers. Though I can’t guarantee the painkillers will be effective.”

“Is there really no hope, even with treatment?”

“…That’s correct.”

Sanghyeon was currently in stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Moreover, the cancer cells had already spread throughout his body. Sanghyeon, who knew his condition better than anyone, refused all further treatment. In fact, there was no treatment that could be done. Sanghyeon did not want to forcibly extend his short remaining life with meaningless life-sustaining treatment.

“Senior Staff Jeong.”

“Yes.”

“Put in a call to cancel the visit to the Hangang Gallery today.”

“I understand.”

Secretary Song instructed his executive secretary, Senior Staff Jeong, in a small voice. However, Sanghyeon seemed to have a different idea from Secretary Song.

“Secretary Song.”

“Yes, Mr. Chairman.”

At the sound of Sanghyeon’s voice coming from inside the room, Secretary Song quickly ran to his side.

“Yes, please speak.”

“Proceed with the visit to the Hangang Gallery as scheduled.”

“B-But….”

“Let’s just do it.”

Sanghyeon didn’t want to be treated like a patient until the day he died. Perhaps because of that, a hint of irritation was present in Sanghyeon’s voice toward Secretary Song.

“Yes, I understand.”

“I’ll get ready to leave in three hours, so you can go out.”

“Yes.” Sanghyeon soon fell asleep, and the mansion was once again enveloped in a quiet silence.

☂︎

Yejun came out after taking a shower and approached Junhyuk, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV.

“I’m leaving in fifteen minutes.”

“Alright.”

Junhyuk said while changing the channel with the remote control.

“But Yejun….”

“Why?”

“We’re going back to Korea tomorrow, do you really have to go to the cafe?”

“Of course.”

Yejun, holding his phone and looking at various news, answered Junhyuk, who was speaking in a displeased tone, firmly.

“Besides, Gyeongchan can’t clean up by himself.”

“Aren’t you taking care of Han Gyeongchan too much?”

Although Gyeongchan was someone Junhyuk had sent, Yejun trusted the seven years of friendship they had spent together. Junhyuk was openly jealous of the relationship the two had developed over that time.

“I have a lot of my things at the cafe, including my laptop.”

“…Alright.”

Junhyuk tried to make an unreasonable argument, but he had no choice but to shut his mouth at Yejun’s sharp gaze.

[Saeil Group Generational Change Imminent. Will Executive Director Cha Junhyuk Ascend to Next Chairman?]

Yejun, perched on the armrest of the sofa, inadvertently clicked on the news with the provocative thumbnail. Junhyuk came up behind Yejun, hugged him, and fixed his gaze on the phone screen.

[Saeil Group, founded by Chairman Cha Sanghyeon, a well-known self-made entrepreneur, is on the verge of a generational change.

Saeil Group announced through a public disclosure today that Chairman Cha Sanghyeon has bequeathed all of his stock shares to his son, Executive Director Cha Junhyuk, and that the inheritance tax, amounting to approximately 1.2 trillion won, has been paid in full. This inheritance announcement has drawn public attention to the board meeting scheduled for next week.

As it is known that the appointment of the next chairman is included in the agenda for this board meeting, interest is focused on whether Executive Director Cha will be inaugurated as chairman.]

Yejun, who put the phone down on the coffee table, turned his body toward Junhyuk, whose atmosphere had suddenly turned cold.

“Junhyuk….”

“Wait, just a moment… I need to make a call.”

Junhyuk gave Yejun a light kiss on the forehead and went outside.

“Hoo….”

A moment ago, after the anchor on the news switched to a video related to Saeil Group, Sanghyeon’s face was shown on the phone screen for a long time. Yejun felt his heart rate quicken and his lips felt dry and parched. He let out a long breath and closed his eyes to calm his anxious heart. But the events of that time kept coming back to Yejun’s mind. Yejun shook his head violently to shake off the memory.

Father and son.

The relationship between Sanghyeon and Junhyuk, a stone engraved like a tattoo, weighed heavily on Yejun’s chest. No matter how long seven years had passed, the incident with Sanghyeon was a wound for Yejun, and it was too shocking of an event to be lightly brushed off.

Dirty.

A tear dropped from the eyes of Yejun, who was biting his lip. He ran straight into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face to erase the traces of tears. But he couldn’t stop the tears that were pouring out. Yejun locked the bathroom door and crouched in a corner, hugging his knees.

☂︎

Junhyuk frowned at the unpleasant feeling rising from deep within his chest. Junhyuk, who had left Yejun alone in the house, picked up his phone and called somewhere.

“A gift, what does this mean?”

— The Chairman proceeded with it in top secret, so we only found out today. I’m sorry.

It’s too early.

Too early to step down from the chairmanship.

Junhyuk especially couldn’t understand why Sanghyeon was trying to step down from the chairmanship so quickly.

“Has there been anything unusual about my father recently?”

— On the surface, there was nothing unusual. However, the number of times he worked from home has increased slightly.

“Have you contacted Dr. Park?”

— Dr. Park has sent over the date for the Chairman’s health check-up.

“And the results?”

— As for that….

“When I arrive in Korea tomorrow, I’ll stop by the main house for a bit.”

— I understand.

Junhyuk felt a strange sense of déjà vu as the situation unfolded in a completely different direction from his expectations. Back then too, his stomach had churned and he had felt like throwing up.

“What is this?”

That sense of déjà vu was the feeling he had experienced at his dead mother’s funeral.

Junhyuk, who had been silent for a moment after hanging up the phone, thought of Yejun.

Ah… Yejun.

He couldn’t predict the current development of the situation at all. Junhyuk washed his face with his dry hands to get a grip. He resolved that in this whirlwind of a situation, Yejun must not get hurt.

He hurriedly walked into the living room of the house and turned his gaze to the sofa where Yejun had been perched. But he wasn’t there, and Junhyuk grew even more anxious.

“Lee Yejun!”

Just then, he heard the sound of running water from inside the closed bathroom. Junhyuk called out to Yejun and threw the bathroom door open.

“Yejun!”