Divorce Contract C91

Chapter 91

 

Yoon Jaeseon could not bring himself to offer a positive reply, not even through a lie. Though he did not know the details, he understood well enough what had transpired between the two of them. To lie on Seo Dohyeon’s behalf despite knowing this felt no different than committing a sin against Go Igyeol himself.

“I do not know what I ought to do. I know what he wants, but that is truly… a last line of defense.”

“Perhaps you should first attempt to talk with him? To explain, at the very least, the circumstances that led to things turning out this way… and, well….”

“……”

“To be honest, I am not certain either. I am hopeless when it comes to relationships. Still, after having an honest conversation, would you not need to offer him a proper apology?”

He knew it already, but speaking with Go Igyeol was not easy. Whenever they faced one another, the young man would shrink back, brimming with fear, tense and overwrought. Above all, the conviction dominated Dohyeon’s mind that Igyeol would not desire such a conversation in the least. What he feared most of all was rejection.

“I know. I know it all….”

“Rather than postponing it like this, it would be best to do it before it becomes too late.”

Through the rearview mirror, Yoon Jaeseon caught sight of the devastated expression twisting Seo Dohyeon’s face, and he let out a sigh.

Upon his return to the company, an onslaught of meetings devoured the hours in a blur. Even as Dohyeon occasionally asked questions and listened intently to the replies, a persistent and unyielding gaze clung to him.

“Ha.”

The deep sigh escaping from him startled even the presenter, who faltered and turned to stare.

“…Th-th-that concludes my presentation.”

The lights in the once-darkened conference room flickered on, and people began to gather their belongings one by one. Only Seo Dohyeon, Seo Jeongjae, and Seo Taehyeok remained seated. The executives, stealing nervous glances, slipped out first, and soon the planning team that had prepared the meeting bowed deeply to Jeongjae before departing. Dohyeon sat with indifferent detachment, while Taehyeok wore a sullen scowl.

Only when the room lay emptied did Jeongjae part his lips.

“Is Igyeol faring well?”

“You have already received reports. Why ask me?”

“How accurate can secondhand accounts ever be? It would ease my mind to see with my own eyes, but you…”

“I cannot fathom by what right everyone—from Mother to Grandfather—keeps trying to meet with Go Igyeol. Did you shred all the documents you prepared back then? You had even gone so far as to arrange the tickets.”

With deliberate insolence, Dohyeon reminded Jeongjae of how he had once intended to send Igyeol away, to dispose of him. The lazy smile curving his lips made the question all the more infuriating. At that moment, Taehyeok, who had been examining his neatly trimmed nails, lifted his head.

“Even so, you ought to show him, Executive Director Seo.”

“You are still here?”

Taehyeok frowned at the impertinent answer. He knew well that he need not have lingered, yet having missed the right moment to depart, he stayed—curious, after all, about the grandson born into the family. With his irritation still etched on his face, he pressed Dohyeon.

“Then at least show him to me.”

“What are you saying, right now?”

“Why not? What reason have I to be excluded? What crime have I committed against Igyeol?”

He shrugged and laughed lightly. Is that not so? His voice was nothing but guileless. He held himself apart, convinced that unlike others, he was innocent. He had heard enough from Im Yeonhui to gather the general shape of the situation. He knew as well, vaguely, how his wife had treated Go Igyeol. He did not believe every word she had told him—he could sense her account had been heavily varnished.

Thus, he deemed himself fully qualified to meet his grandchild. He had never tormented Igyeol, nor demanded a divorce on a whim as his father had. He had always treated the young man with consistency. Surely Igyeol would feel no discomfort toward him either; indeed, Igyeol had always been as indifferent to him as he was to the boy.

“No. No one will be allowed to meet him.”

“Come now, Igyeol’s opinion should also be heard. This is not yours alone to decide.”

Rising from his seat, Taehyeok bowed slightly to Jeongjae. Declaring he would take his leave, he departed from the conference room. Jeongjae’s gaze lingered on his retreating son. A man once interested in nothing but company affairs and his own position, now speaking of wanting to see his grandson and betraying emotion—it was strange indeed.

Leaving the conference room, Taehyeok was immediately apprised that Go Daesik had caused a commotion in the lobby. Shaking his head, he checked the room behind him, then instructed that Daesik be brought to his office. He wondered what business his in-law could possibly have, coming all the way to the company to make such a scene, and at the same time suspected whether the boy’s family too had been denied sight of the child. From Dohyeon, such a thing was more than plausible. If so, Daesik’s disruptive visit could almost be understood.

Meanwhile, Dohyeon, still alone with Jeongjae in the conference room, faced the elder’s piercing gaze.

“In the end, you will need my help.”

“If the need arises, I will tell you.”

“Why are you refusing to let anyone see the child?”

“This conversation is becoming repetitive. I will excuse myself first.”

Rising, Dohyeon bowed politely and left the room. As he walked out, he checked the phone tucked inside his jacket pocket. Missed calls and messages from Yoon Jaeseon flooded the screen. Something had clearly gone awry. He bit back a curse.

Opening a few of the messages, he promptly dialed Jaeseon’s number. The moment he pressed the phone to his ear, the man’s voice tumbled out.

— Executive Director!

“What do you mean? Why is my father….”

— *Ah! No, no. I was quicker. I brought Mr. Go Daesik to your private office. Did you not read the messages I sent?”

“There were too many. I only skimmed a few. I am on my way now—keep him there a little longer.”

As soon as the call ended, Dohyeon jabbed impatiently at the elevator button. He scrolled through the unread messages one by one.

‘Mr. Go Daesik has arrived in the lobby. How shall we handle this?’

‘He is raising a ruckus, demanding to see you immediately. What should we do?’

‘The Chairman has ordered that he be brought up! Director Park is on his way down—what should we do?’

In matters like this, Jaeseon’s instincts were always sharp. He must have realized at once that Daesik could not be allowed near Seo Taehyeok. In his haste to intercept the man on Dohyeon’s behalf, his messages had become riddled with typos.

‘Executiv3 Direct0r I’ll brng hi up myslef’

The final message, after safely diverting Daesik, carried a note of relief.

‘I am bringing him up.’

‘He is waiting in your private office.’

Dohyeon let out a disbelieving laugh as he stepped into the elevator. How desperate could he be for money, that he could not endure even a handful of hours before barging into the company itself?

As expected, Go Daesik shamelessly demanded money. Brandishing Go Igyeol’s name as leverage, he acted as though such demands were only natural. Not once did he inquire after Igyeol’s health, nor the baby’s condition. He knew nothing of Igyeol’s state of mind, yet used them both as hostages to extort.

Dohyeon soothed him with patience, pressing into his hands an amount of cash far short of what he had asked for. Is his head only for decoration? Dohyeon nearly laughed aloud. He had hoped Daesik would burn through everything in the gambling dens, yet the man could not even make it a single day.

“I did not expect you to come so quickly.”

“Well, you see, we are distressed because of Igyeol too, and his mother, after working herself sick preparing food, is bedridden. Eh? We need to pay visits to the hospital as well.”

“Yes, of course. But if you appear unannounced like this, I cannot possibly prepare as much as you desire. Surely you will be needing more than this, am I right?”

At the softly murmured words, Daesik bobbed his head eagerly. Gambling was a battlefield of bullets— the more one had, the greater the chance of winning. That was the meaning. He muttered a perfunctory thanks as he stuffed the wad of cash into his jacket.

“Next time, be sure to call ahead, Father.”

“Yes, yes, I will.”

“That way, you can take precisely as much as you wish.”

“Now that sounds sensible! You know Igyeol worships the ground I walk on, don’t you? You saw it just now—he couldn’t even open his mouth. If I told him to pack up the child and come home this instant, he would. So you’d better treat me well, eh? Don’t think you can ignore me just because I come around asking for money.”

From between those filthy lips, brazen words spilled like sewage. Who exactly did he expect to be treated well? Maintaining an unruffled expression, Dohyeon merely nodded with poise.

“To me, money carries little meaning.”

“Exactly! So why not share a little of that surplus? Don’t come at me with all that nonsense about clean sources and proper expenditures. Eh? I will see you again soon.”

Offering a careless farewell, Daesik strode across the office. Hand on the doorknob, he glanced back—only to find his son-in-law still standing with immaculate composure. An uneasy feeling stirred within him, but the heavy bulge in his pocket quickly drowned it out.

“Take care on your way.”

With a gentle smile and courteous send-off, Dohyeon let him go. Outside, Yoon Jaeseon guided Daesik discreetly to the parking lot, away from prying eyes. When they reached the waiting car Dohyeon had prepared, Daesik demanded his business card outright.

“Well, Executive Director Seo might not always answer my calls!”

“Yes, I understand.”

Crushing the glossy paper in his fist, Daesik relished the deference shown to him by the young man in his suit, who escorted him so politely, opening the car door as though for a dignitary. The more he thought on it, the clearer it became: if Igyeol were to divorce, he himself would lose out. He resolved then and there to continue using the marriage as a cudgel for blackmail, but never to permit a separation. After all, that simpleton always obeyed him.

“We will meet again.”

“Yes, sir. Please take care.”

Rubbing at the scraggly beard that spread over his chin, Daesik swaggered and chuckled as he rummaged in his pocket. He had thought he would leave empty-handed today, since his demand had been far too high to fulfill on short notice. But no—he had not expected that cash would be drawn so readily from a personal safe.

“Shit, how much is this even?”

Feeling the satisfying heft in his pocket, Daesik reined in the surge of exhilaration. He had already won earlier that morning; naturally, he would win again. His cards had been falling well today. Clutching his fist tight, he was determined not to let go of the luck that had at last returned to him, eager only to hurry back to the gambling den.