CRC 09

Chapter 9

Ji Ho-beom’s local office looked very grand from the outside. A large banner with his smiling face hung in front of the building.

He probably won’t agree to meet me easily…

While she was nervously thinking in front of the elevator, the building doors opened—

And Ji Ho-beom walked in.

It was her first time seeing him in person.

She already knew his face, but when she saw him for real, her heart started pounding.

From what she overheard, he seemed to be preparing for an interview with a reporter.

A man standing next to him looked at Yeon-eum.

“How can we help you?”

“Ah…”

Everyone’s eyes turned to her.

It was lucky she ran into him, but there were too many people around. She needed to talk to him alone. Still, she couldn’t waste this chance.

“I… I’m a fan of the Assemblyman.”

“Oh my~ Such a young and beautiful fan! You must feel proud, Assemblyman.”

“Haha, thank you.”

The reporter flattered him, and Ho-beom smiled pleasantly. He even held out his hand to shake hers.

“Why don’t we go inside and talk for a moment? Maybe we can even mention you in the interview.”

Thanks to the eager reporter, she easily entered the office.

“So, what’s your name?” the reporter asked.

Ho-beom was also looking at her with a polite smile.

Will he recognize me…?

She could hardly hide her nervousness.

“Jung… Yeon-eum.”

The moment she carefully said her name, Ho-beom’s eyes widened.

He sat up straighter and stared at her closely.

She froze, unsure what to say, but luckily an aide brought coffee.

“Our Assemblyman is so handsome. His supporters are good-looking too. Come to think of it, don’t they look a little alike?”

The aide looked back and forth between them.

“Alike? Who looks like who?”

Ho-beom snapped irritably.

The atmosphere turned cold instantly.

The reporter’s eyes showed curiosity for a second, so Ho-beom quickly laughed.

“If someone says she looks like an old man like me, she’d feel bad, right?”

“Old? Not at all, sir.”

The aide awkwardly laughed and gently touched Yeon-eum’s shoulder.

“Alright, that’s enough. The Assemblyman has an important interview.”

Before the sentence ended, Ho-beom stood up.

“Then I’ll personally see my fan out.”

He smiled warmly and led her outside.

She had wanted to talk alone anyway, so she followed him quietly.

The moment they were alone in the hallway, his expression changed.

“What are you trying to do? How did you even find this place?”

“I’m sorry for coming suddenly. I thought you wouldn’t meet me otherwise.”

She bowed her head first.

Worried someone inside might hear, he roughly pulled her toward the elevator.

“Get out. Do you even know where you are?”

“Just a minute. Please. If you grant me one request, I’ll never come again.”

She held her ground desperately.

“…What request?”

There was no time to explain everything. He looked ready to walk away.

She had to get straight to the point.

“…Money. Please lend me some money.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and forced the words out.

“Ha!”

He let out a bitter laugh.

“So that’s what this is. I wondered why you were quiet all this time. You came to squeeze money out of me. Is that how your mother raised you?”

She felt tears rising, but she had expected this.

“My mom struggled raising me alone. You never once paid child support.”

“Child support? Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve never acknowledged you. You shouldn’t have been born!”

“I’m not asking you to accept me as your daughter. Just think of it as unpaid child support. Just 100 million won… I’m not asking for free. I’ll pay it back. Please… for my mom’s sake.”

She lowered her pride completely and begged.

Her small pride meant nothing compared to protecting the brewery built by her grandfather and mother’s hard work.

Ding.

The elevator arrived. As the doors opened, Ho-beom pushed her inside.

He couldn’t shout, but he glared at her and whispered harshly.

“If you want money, stay quiet. Don’t ever come again. And don’t even think about appearing in front of me!”

The doors slowly closed.

As his face disappeared, Yeon-eum collapsed to the floor and burst into tears.

* * *

“I shouldn’t have come.”

She got on the bus back to Jinhwa with a heart full of regret.

She hadn’t expected a warm reunion—but she hadn’t expected such cruelty either.

And she had asked him for 100 million won.

Do people lose common sense when they’re desperate?

It wasn’t like she was robbing a stranger.

He was her biological father. He had a responsibility.

I’ll just think of it as money I was owed since childhood.

She wiped her nose and straightened her shoulders.

He hadn’t clearly refused the money. Maybe she should wait.

As her tension faded, she suddenly wanted to return to Jeongju.

The familiar scenery. The smell of fermenting alcohol.

When she thought of home, strangely, it wasn’t her grandfather or mother who came to mind—

It was him.

Lee Hwi-do.

The man who had sat comfortably on the wooden porch like it was his own house.

He rarely showed emotion. He never laughed loudly.

His small smirks were hard to read.

But when he quietly drank, he looked content.

When he looked at her deeply, her heart had raced.

She had regretted talking so much the next day.

When she woke up, he was gone.

Only two empty cups with morning dew remained.

That memory was still warm—but now she felt she had to forget it.

If he found out the brewery was drowning in debt, what would he do?

Maybe the land would be taken cheaply if she couldn’t repay the loans.

“Who says I’ll let it be taken?”

The future of Jeongju Brewery was uncertain, but she had no time to be depressed.

When the bus arrived in Jinhwa, she stepped off with determination.

* * *

Before going home, she stopped by her usual dry cleaner in town.

“Oh my, I almost ruined this! I’ve never cleaned such an expensive suit before. Where did you get something like this?”

The owner made a big fuss.

She pretended not to hear, but naturally thought of the suit’s owner.

The owner continued curiously,

“No one in our town wears clothes like this. The president who came to that county event wore something similar. It’s not his, right?”

“…I have to go to the brewery. I’ll come again next time.”

Feeling uncomfortable, she quickly grabbed the suit and left.

The bus to Cheonghyang Village didn’t come often. It was faster to walk.

As she walked, her arm started to hurt from carrying the heavy suit.

“This feels like punishment.”

Afraid it might fall, she carefully switched arms and finally reached home.

She threw the suit onto her bed.

“I should’ve just thrown it away. Why did I carry it so carefully?”

She rubbed her sore arm.

She couldn’t call that man and tell him to pick it up.

But she also couldn’t throw away something so expensive.

It was troublesome.

After sighing, she hung the suit deep inside her closet and firmly shut the door.