Chapter – 39
Joo Jeonghee ran through the parking lot, gasping for breath.
Fortunately, news about her father—Chairman Joo Taebaek—hadn’t spread anywhere yet, so she didn’t have to deal with reporters.
The place she headed for wasn’t her father’s hospital room, but the café inside the hospital.
[I’m at the café with Saei.]
She had received that message from Ryu Dokyung—Saei still hadn’t even been able to see her grandfather and was waiting in the café.
Chairman Joo’s health wasn’t just a family matter; it was something that could shake the stock market and even the South Korean economy. That was why, in situations like this, only family members registered on an approved list were allowed to enter the hospital room.
If Father wakes up and finds out… he’s going to flip the whole place upside down.
As the youngest daughter of Joo Taebaek, Joo Jeonghee was especially good at reading her father’s feelings.
Unlike the Seohae Group, the Dongwoo Group was famously protective of family, and among them all, Joo Taebaek’s greatest soft spot was without question Joo Jeongwol.
More precisely, it was the child his short-lived daughter had left behind—Joo Saei.
Ever since Saei had returned to Jaedamjae, her father’s complexion had visibly brightened.
At one point, he had even asked Jeonghee to visit Saei’s filming site in his place and watch her acting. That was how deeply Joo Taebaek cherished his granddaughter.
And now—if he were to hear that because of a mere access list, a process she herself had set up, his granddaughter had been unable to cross the hospital room’s threshold even while standing right outside…
Oh god…
Jeonghee couldn’t even imagine how much her father would blame himself.
That was why she headed to her niece first. And honestly—she was worried too, after hearing that Saei had cried.
When Jeonghee entered the café, she saw Saei sitting beside Ryu Dokyung, the heir to the Seohae Group.
“…Hey. Saei.”
As Jeonghee approached, Saei lifted her head. Her eyes were red and swollen, as if she had cried for a long time.
Jeonghee steadied her breathing and looked back and forth between her niece and Ryu Dokyung before asking in a low voice,
“Did those bastards push you?”
“…I was the one insisting on going in.”
Saei defended the security guards who had shoved her aside.
So naïve. She really took after her herbivore-like brother-in-law rather than her sister. Jeonghee bit her lip.
After pressing her a few more times, Saei finally explained what had happened. She had been sitting there helplessly after being denied entry when Joo Sudeok and Joo Suyeon passed by.
Jeonghee, who had been listening in silence, cut her off there. With a puzzled look, she asked,
“…My brother saw you and just walked past?”
Instead of answering, Saei nodded.
Jeonghee clenched her teeth.
How could he?
To Jeonghee, simply walking past her niece—who couldn’t enter due to a ridiculous structural issue—was already incomprehensible.
And this wasn’t just anyone.
Joo Saei was Joo Jeongwol’s only child.
As the eldest daughter, Joo Jeongwol had been a guardian to both Joo Sudeok and Joo Jeonghee. She taught them manners, and how to live without becoming targets of criticism as chaebol heirs. She had been their mentor in life.
How could he ignore the daughter of the sister who had once protected him, when she was clearly in trouble…?
Without Chairman Joo’s approval, no one could be added to the access list. Not Jeonghee, not even her brother, could immediately get Saei into the room.
But still—if the child was crying like that, he should have comforted her at least. Or at the very least, told her about the chairman’s condition.
That was what family did.
“…Has he completely lost his mind?”
Angry curses spilled from Jeonghee’s lips.
She had always known that her brother, Joo Sudeok, had his issues.
Up until now, she had chalked up his rough speech and behavior to personality flaws.
After all, he had suddenly become the first-in-line successor after their sister’s death. The stress must have been immense. She had tried to understand.
But this time was different.
This was clear malice.
Malice aimed at pushing Joo Saei—her sister’s only daughter—out of the Joo family.
Honestly, I knew this might happen someday…
Her brother was greedy. It was obvious from the way he subtly eyed Jeonghee’s department stores, atrium, and shares in various affiliates.
She had thought he might eventually become wary of Saei, who held her mother’s shares—but Saei was still a student. To oppose her this openly, this early…
And Saei was the same age as his own daughter.
I can’t just stand by anymore.
Maintaining neutrality between her brother and her niece could itself become an act of harm toward Saei.
The only people who could truly protect her niece were Chairman Joo and her brother-in-law.
But with Chairman Joo unconscious, there was no adult left to shield Saei. And her brother-in-law was still considered an outsider in the Joo family.
After a long moment of thought, Jeonghee steeled herself.
Then I’ll do it. She’s my sister’s daughter.
She would become another guardian for her niece.
She would protect that child—who even now looked at her with such gentle, cautious eyes—from her brother.
Once her resolve was set, Jeonghee turned her gaze to Ryu Dokyung.
He said he’d go straight to the hospital the moment Saei came up.
The sole heir of the Seohae Group caring about her niece.
If used well, this situation could put Seohae firmly on Saei’s side.
Jeonghee slowly parted her lips.
“There are plenty of empty rooms at Jukseonjae, right, Dokyung?”
Jukseonjae—the residence of the Seohae Group’s owner family.
“Take her there and let her stay for just one night. I need to talk to my brother first.”
The moment she said that, Saei’s eyes shook violently.
“…What?”
It wasn’t Ryu Dokyung who asked—it was Saei.
“I can’t get you into the hospital room right now. That’ll only be resolved once the chairman wakes up.”
“Then…”
“Until then, I’m worried my brother might try something against you.”
Saei shook her head, stumbling over her words.
“I could just stay at the old house for a bit—”
Before she could finish, Ryu Dokyung cut in sharply.
“I’ll take her.”
Jeonghee nodded.
Jukseonjae’s security was just as tight as Jaedamjae’s—more than enough to protect her niece.
“…What about Dad?”
Saei asked weakly.
Jeonghee answered immediately.
“I’ll just get your father a place to stay. Honestly, my brother cares about you—he doesn’t give a damn about your dad.”
The firmness of her tone made Saei flinch, but there was no other choice.
Protecting her until Chairman Joo woke up came first.
“Go pack your things. You’re skipping school tomorrow.”
Jeonghee spoke with as steady a voice as she could manage.
Seeing Saei nod, Jeonghee finally felt a small sense of relief.
Jukseonjae (竹宣齋).
The moment I stepped out of Ryu Dokyung’s car, the name felt perfectly fitting.
The pond in the garden rippled gently, koi fish gliding lazily beneath the surface. Bamboo swayed in the cool breeze, producing a soft, pleasant sound.
A chaebol residence—traditional on the outside, modern within.
Unlike Jaedamjae, it carried a different kind of pressure, making me unconsciously let out a shallow breath.
When I followed Ryu Dokyung into the main house, the person waiting for us was Chairman Ryu.
He studied my face quietly as I greeted him.
“So. Saei.”
After looking at me for a long while, Chairman Ryu spoke slowly.
“…That man won’t go down so easily.”
His voice carried a heavy certainty.
“Said he had to see his kid succeed… He’ll claw his way back alive in the end.”
That man—he must be talking about my grandfather.
Is he trying to reassure me?
As I rolled my eyes, trying to understand the meaning behind his words, Chairman Ryu chuckled softly.
He continued,
“Saei. You know…”
“…”
“You’re the shackle holding that man’s life in place.”
My heart dropped.
I didn’t know what to say and lowered my head.
“He’ll stay just fine until you’re firmly settled—Joo Taebaek will.”
“…”
“So don’t worry too much. Rest comfortably while you’re here, alright?”
My grandfather’s lifeline.
The shackle keeping him alive—me.
Unlike my previous life, the realization that my grandfather was placing that much expectation on me hit hard.
If even Chairman Ryu—his longtime friend and rival—could say this, was it okay for me to wait without fear?
Could I really believe my grandfather would recover soon?
“Get it together and follow me.”
The one who snapped me out of my thoughts with a flick to the forehead was Ryu Dokyung.
