Chairman Yoo Jin-gap, exuding the kind of aura that could swallow a person whole, was the first to step onto the terrace. Assistant Manager Son Jin-seong was dragged behind him. Standing at the door, he glanced back at Yoo Sia, who looked like a lamb caught in a snare.
“Why aren’t you coming out?”
At the chairman’s prompt,
“I-I’m coming!”
Son hurried forward.
Thud!
The door to the terrace slammed shut behind the two of them.
“…What do I do?”
Yoo Sia stamped her foot in rising anxiety. After all, the man on the terrace was not the grandfather she knew. He had always coddled her with smiles and never scolded—but tonight was different. Ever since dinner, he felt more like the fearsome head of HR Group than a doting grandfather.
‘Perhaps I shouldn’t have suggested meeting him…?’
Maybe it would have been better to get permission from my parents first, or to elope. Every thought careened through her mind. No matter what she did, it was only a matter of time before Chairman Yoo confronted me. Today’s scene was inevitable.
She pressed her ear against the door.
‘…I can’t hear a thing.’
This mansion was absurdly soundproof.
‘He’s not going to hit him, is he?’
She bit her lip. All she could do was pray that her grandfather did not overstep—and wait outside.
Hesitantly, Son Jin-seong stepped onto the terrace.
Thud!
The door slammed shut automatically.
A chill wind blew across the terrace. It was bone-cold, piercing his heart so sharply he feared it might stop.
Beyond the terrace lay a courtyard larger than the mansion itself—but in that vast space, only Chairman Yoo and Son Jin-seong remained.
‘Why…?’
He had no idea why he’d been summoned here for a private meeting.
On a table stood an elegant cigar case. Chairman Yoo silently removed a cigar. But after a moment’s glance, apparently unsatisfied, he set it down and produced a full cigar of his own.
I, Son Jin-seong, rose from the bottom rung to assistant manager by nothing but intuition and sense. I immediately drew a lighter from my pocket.
Click.
I held the flame to his cigar—to light it for him.
Except… Chairman Yoo, instead of drawing in smoke, removed the cigar from his lips and regarded me.
“Do you smoke?”
“Yes…?”
Worried I’d made a misstep, I hastily pocketed the lighter.
“No, sir-I quit.”
Quitting smoking was one thing; I’d never smoked such an expensive cigar.
“You quit?”
“Yes.”
“How long ago?”
“I only started trying to quit recently.”
“Is that so?”
He still seemed displeased. He struck a match and lit the cigar himself.
‘Should I have said I still smoke?’
Damn—since my quit attempt was under a week old, I should just have lied.
“Why?”
“Pardon?”
“Why did you quit? It’d serve you better at work.”
Chairman Yoo fixed me with a blunt gaze. He was right: in a large, hierarchical conglomerate like ours, social smoking—where deals are made over cigars or introduced during smoke breaks—can be a vital part of business, despite the health risks.
“Well…”
I decided honesty was safer than deception. “Because of Sia.”
A crease formed between his brows.
“Did she tell you to quit?”
“Oh, no, sir.”
I explained calmly: “Sia is pregnant. It’s not good for her or the baby.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
“The lighter?”
“It’s for business. Many in my department smoke, and I sometimes need it when meeting clients.”
Chairman Yoo’s gaze softened slightly—though it remained 99% displeased—likely because of the pregnancy. But I knew the real issue wasn’t my smoking: it was that Sia was expecting.
“I heard someone already told you about her pregnancy…”
“You did.”
“My apologies.”
He released a plume of thick smoke instead of speaking further; the haze drifted into the air. Chairman Yoo felt conflicted. Today, his cigar tasted strangely flat. Though the aroma was the same, every draw left him more parched and uneasy—so he crushed it out on the stone.
He worried this foul smoke might drift to his granddaughter and harm her.
“Perhaps I should ban smoking across the company…”
“Sir?”
“Heavy smokers—there’s nowhere but the roof or ground floor. If Sia inhales secondhand smoke, it’ll be bad for her.”
“That might be extreme…”
“Better yet, make Gwanghwamun a no-smoking zone. I’ll talk to the Land Transport Minister tomorrow—”
His words built to a crescendo, then abruptly stopped. Chairman Yoo realized he’d lost himself in emotion; every mention of Sia triggered his obsession. The sight of Son Jin-seong before him now felt almost malicious.
“What a brazen fellow…”
A heavy silence followed their exchange about cigars. He could have reduced me to tears, but he did nothing. Could have made me kneel, grab my collar, even slap me—but he did none of it. He simply stared into the distance beyond the terrace. Time passed.
Standing motionless, my legs went numb. Finally, without warning, Chairman Yoo spoke.
“Have you ever thought about death?”
“Pardon?”
His question was savage, especially after so few words had passed between us.
“After I heard that Sia was pregnant, I was pained enough to die.”
“….”
His voice crushed me, like tightening a noose.
“But to suffer alone—” His tone grew fierce. “—when the one who did it is right over there.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“If sorry could fix this, it’d have been done long ago.”
“….”
His expression turned grave. I knew I had to do something—or I might never leave this mansion alive. Desperately, I blurted out the only thing I could think of.
“With… with the gestational sac!”
“…?”
“I can see it!” I held my trembling voice steady. “I visited the OB-GYN two days ago. I’m six weeks along… I even heard the heartbeat.”
But it backfired. Chairman Yoo’s eyebrows trembled.
“It’s not like the others.”
“Listen here, Assistant Manager Son…” He could not bring himself to say “son-in-law.” He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them. “Assistant Manager Son.”
“Yes…?”
“I have thirteen grandchildren.”
“….”
“And over twenty great-grandchildren.”
I knew that. To him, I was just another bloodline branch.
“What makes this one special?”
“I-It’s truly special…”
“What exactly?”
Chairman Yoo stepped forward until he was inches away.
“If you were invoking Sia as a shield, you’d—”
“Two.”
“…?”
“I can see two gestational sacs.”
“…!?”
“Twins.”
I forced myself to meet his gaze and said, “Twins…”