"As you know, I'm both the vice chairman of Sanha Group and the CEO of Sanha Electronics. Even if there were two of me, I still wouldn't have enough time to get everything done. Of course, I have employees, but I've only just returned to Korea after ten years away. I can't trust all the existing staff completely."
Yunhui explained his circumstances in a calm, measured voice.
Although everyone knew and acknowledged that he was the heir to Sanha Group, he said that things within the group weren't as straightforward as they appeared. Several of his relatives coveted his position, and some might even have planted spies among the people closest to him.
He asked whether Haemyeong Industries wasn't much the same.
Since Ian's father's death, Haemyeong Industries had descended into chaos as people blinded by their hunger for power fought over control of the company. Neither Ian nor his mother could deny that Yunhui had a point.
"I need someone I can trust completely, someone who has no ties whatsoever to the existing executives at Sanha Group. In that respect, Ian is the ideal person for me."
This was all news to Ian.
If Yunhui really was having trouble within Sanha Group, he could have explained the situation from the beginning. Ian would have been more than willing to help him without Yunhui having to use Yudam to threaten him.
But that thought made him pause.
If his father hadn't died and Ian hadn't been forced out of Haemyeong Industries, he wouldn't have been able to leave the company, no matter what difficulties Yunhui might have been facing.
It was only because his own circumstances had deteriorated so badly that he could accept such an arrangement.
"So that's why you want Ian to work as your secretary."
His mother accepted Yunhui's explanation much more readily than Ian had. She nodded, then turned toward her son.
"Once I'm admitted to the hospital, Ian will have to live all by himself..."
Ian had never lived alone, so it was only natural that his mother would worry about him.
"I'm planning to have Ian live with me."
Once again, Yunhui answered before Ian could open his mouth.
"As I mentioned earlier, I'm so busy that every minute and every second counts. I need someone who can stay with me around the clock and help me with my work. Ian has already agreed. That's also why I'm arranging for you to stay at a hospital where you'll receive dedicated care twenty-four hours a day."
Ian almost blurted out a question about when, exactly, he had ever agreed to such a thing.
But his mother was looking directly at him, and he barely managed to swallow the words on the tip of his tongue.
"I see."
Once his mother heard that Ian had agreed to assist Yunhui around the clock, she seemed to understand both the sudden decision to move her into a hospital and Yunhui's offer to cover all her medical expenses.
She appeared to think that, under those circumstances, she could accept Yunhui's help without feeling quite so guilty about imposing on him.
Ian made no attempt to correct her.
His feelings were complicated.
He hadn't been confident that he could lie to his mother himself, so part of him was relieved that Yunhui had handled all the explanations for him, even if they had been a mixture of truth and lies.
At the same time, he was confused because he couldn't tell how much of what Yunhui had said was actually true.
Had Yunhui meant that he wanted Ian to work as his secretary around the clock when he demanded that Ian become his?
Considering that he had even made Ian sign a contract, perhaps his demands really had been strictly professional.
Well, what else could they be?
That bastard. He could've just said so plainly instead of making everything sound so strange.
But still...
Ian couldn't understand why Yunhui had forced him to break up with Yudam.
Was it because Yunhui intended to make him work day and night and thought Yudam would get in the way?
He let out a disbelieving little laugh at the absurdity of his own speculation.
*
On the way back from taking his mother to the hospital in Yangpyeong, Ian sent his lawyer a message with his new phone number.
The lawyer called him almost immediately.
[I'm sorry to call you so late. Something rather difficult has come up, and I thought it would be better to let you know as soon as possible.]
There was something ominous about his very first words.
[I've been unexpectedly called upon to take part in a government assignment. I'm afraid I'll have to devote myself to that work for a while...]
In short, the lawyer could no longer handle Ian's renunciation-of-inheritance process or the lawsuits involving Haemyeong Industries.
Ian couldn't simply offer to wait for him indefinitely. Every additional day the inheritance-renunciation process took was another day that Ian couldn't access the assets tied up under provisional seizure.
[Would it be all right if I introduced you to another lawyer instead?]
The lawyer's suggestion was the best accommodation he could offer Ian under the circumstances.
[He's still young, but he's a sharp fellow. He might even be able to handle things faster than I could.]
The recommendation came from someone who had worked alongside Ian's father for his entire life. Surely the man he recommended would be trustworthy.
Ian had no reason to refuse.
[His name is Choi Jubin. Oh, come to think of it, he went to the same high school as you. You might recognize him.]
The name didn't immediately bring anyone to mind.
Ian had attended a private school that held alumni reunions every few years, but he couldn't recall seeing anyone by that name at those gatherings, either.
[He worked as an international lawyer in the United States until recently, when he returned to Korea. He's exceptionally knowledgeable about corporate and economic law, so I'm sure he'll be able to help you.]
At the mention of someone returning from the United States, Ian instinctively turned toward Yunhui, who was driving.
The timing of their returns was remarkably similar.
Could it be a coincidence?
The fact that Jubin had also attended their high school made it even more suspicious.
Could Kang Yunhui have had a hand in this, too?
Remembering what Yena had told him, Ian felt a powerful surge of suspicion.
On the other hand, he couldn't see why Yunhui would have any reason to separate him from the lawyer who had worked with his father.
Besides, Ian had already signed a contract agreeing to stay by Yunhui's side.
"Why?"
Yunhui must have sensed Ian looking at him. He asked the question without taking his eyes off the road.
"No, it's nothing."
Ian shook his head and faced forward.
He was being needlessly sensitive.
Yunhui had no reason to go so far as to replace his lawyer.
"By any chance..."
Still, the lingering suspicion left him uncomfortable, and he eventually spoke again.
"Do you know someone named Choi Jubin? Apparently, he went to high school with us."
"I do."
Yunhui answered more readily than Ian had expected.
"Were you close back in school?"
Ian had no memory of anyone named Choi Jubin, so he had naturally assumed Yunhui wouldn't know him, either.
It was surprising to hear otherwise.
"Not in high school. I got to know him in the United States."
Someone Yunhui knew whom Ian didn't.
It was only natural, considering how long they had been apart. Yet the realization felt strange. In the past, Ian's friends had always been Yunhui's friends, too.
"Are you close?"
The moment he asked, Ian wondered what he was doing.
What difference did it make whether they were close or not?
"He's currently Sanha Group's retained legal counsel."
"Oh..."
Ian's feelings grew even more complicated.
Of all people, the lawyer his father's longtime friend had recommended turned out to be Sanha Group's legal counsel.
If he was good enough to work for Sanha Group, his professional abilities were certainly beyond question.
But the fact that he was connected to Kang Yunhui bothered Ian.
Surely not...
The suspicion he had tried so hard to suppress rose to the surface again.
"Is there a problem?"
Ian had been staring at Yunhui without realizing it. Sensing his gaze, Yunhui asked the question.
His response was so matter-of-fact that Ian shook his head.
He was being needlessly sensitive.
If Choi Jubin really was someone Yunhui had sent to him, Yunhui wouldn't have admitted knowing him so casually.
And the person who had recommended Jubin was none other than his father's longtime friend.
It had to be a coincidence.
Having reached that conclusion, Ian put the matter out of his mind.
When the car stopped at a traffic light, Yunhui glanced at him.
Ian had propped his arm against the window and was resting his head on it, staring out into the darkness despite there being nothing to see.
Since Ian had suddenly asked whether he knew Choi Jubin, Yunhui could guess who had called him a little earlier.
With so many coincidences piling up, it was only natural that Ian would be suspicious.
Yet he hadn't asked anything further.
The thought of Ian's trusting nature made Yunhui let out a humorless little laugh.
No wonder Ian had been unable to break away from Han Yudam for nearly twenty years.
Seo Ian was far too upright and innocent.
Because he was that way himself, he believed everyone else must be the same.
That was his problem.
*
It was past ten by the time they arrived back at Yunhui's house.
The journey to Yangpyeong and back had taken a considerable amount of time.
"Do you want something to eat?"
Yunhui gestured toward the kitchen as he asked.
Ian considered it for a moment, then shook his head.
"You haven't had dinner, have you?"
"No, but I'm not hungry."
No matter how excellent the facilities were, Ian couldn't feel entirely at ease after leaving his mother so far away.
The sudden change of lawyers was still bothering him, too.
"You should eat something."
Watching Yunhui repeatedly urge him to eat, Ian couldn't help letting out a small, involuntary laugh.
Yunhui looked at him as though he couldn't understand what was so funny, then frowned.
"What?"
"Nothing. It's just that hearing you keep telling me to eat reminds me of the old days."
The words had slipped out without thought.
Ian stopped short.
Yunhui's face had gone completely expressionless as he stared at him.
Had he said something wrong?
Ian went over his own words, but nothing struck him as inappropriate.
Then, a moment too late, it occurred to him.
The Kang Yunhui standing before him now wasn't his friend.
Strictly speaking, he was Ian's employer.
"Sorry. I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't act like we're still the way we used to be. It's just a habit..."
His voice trailed off as Yunhui strode forward and stopped directly in front of him.