Flower Fiancé Chapter 92

He absolutely could not manage his expression. The more he thought about it, the more suspicion arose. There was no way a signing ceremony important enough for a foreign buyer to visit would not have been announced in advance. Usually, such events are broadly publicized and turned into issues well before they happen, but this was a schedule he had never heard of. If by any chance that schedule were real, he wondered what the intention was behind keeping it quiet until just two days prior.

‘Could it be intentional?’

He didn’t know if it was just his mood, but he couldn’t interpret it favorably. There was one person weighing on his mind.

Ji Yeonwoo.

‘Could it be that he’s trying to separate me from Ji Yeonwoo? As long as we’re together, he can’t touch Ji Yeonwoo, so is he thinking of splitting us apart and doing harm?’

But even that didn’t readily make sense to him.

‘A person who strictly separates public and private affairs—would he really drag company matters into it just to separate me from Ji Yeonwoo….’

As all sorts of unpleasant thoughts flashed through his mind, Chairman Choi’s voice continued.

“You’ll handle the work well enough on your own, and since I’ve called many reporters, don’t cause misunderstandings and just manage your expressions well. It’s about time you started showing your face publicly anyway.”

“I have work right now, so that’s difficult.”

Though he couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, he first deflected indirectly. Fortunately, there was an important company schedule in two days, so it made for a good excuse.

“That day I have a prior engagement with the bank president. Since it’s an appointment I made directly with the bank president, I can’t miss it….”

“Choi Moohyuk.”

At that, Chairman Choi’s voice, which had been relaxed throughout, suddenly became laden with tension.

“Do you think I came all the way here to play word games with you?”

“….”

“You will go yourself. This is an order.”

The voice, thick with displeasure, cut off sharply. At this point, even Choi Moohyuk felt a surge of anger rise up. They had rarely seen face to face or had direct confrontations because their companies were separate. When they did, it was usually about arranged marriage meetings. Of course, he had found it hard to understand the unilateral way his father handled things each time, but he had tolerated even that. He had endured it, telling himself it was for the sake of the company and out of concern for his son, but this time he absolutely could not let it slide.

“Why do you keep doing this every time? Do you have no intention of considering my schedule at all anymore?”

“For the greater cause, small things can always be postponed. You can just reschedule the appointment with the bank president, can’t you?”

“How can you measure everything by your own standards, Chairman? You call an appointment with the bank president a small matter? No. To me, it is by no means a small matter.”

“If a man in your position has such small-mindedness, what use is he?”

“This isn’t about breadth of mind. Didn’t I tell you it’s a prior engagement? Why can’t you consider my matters even a little bit?”

“Choi Moohyuk.”

“I’m not inclined to take on this task because it wasn’t something I was involved in from the start. If there’s another opportunity, please send me then.”

“There won’t be a next time.”

“Then I won’t do it.”

“You little…!”

Chairman Choi could not contain his anger. His face contorted, and he half-rose from his seat, gripping the armrest of the sofa with both hands.

But Choi Moohyuk was not one to back down.

“There will be plenty of opportunities to show my face even if it’s not now.”

“Don’t you know that no excuse is as good as being photographed with an overseas buyer in the same frame?”

“If that’s the case, you can send Minhyeok.”

The tug-of-war continued without either giving ground. Chairman Choi, with eyes sharp as an awl and panting as if suppressing his anger, flopped back onto the sofa.

“If I had intended to send that brat Minhyeok, I wouldn’t have come all the way here myself.”

“Father.”

“And once this matter is finished, hand over Sunwoo Industries and come to headquarters. The vice chairman position cannot remain vacant forever.”

“…Ha, Chairman.”

“If you defy me, there will be no place for you in Sunwoo any longer. Keep that in mind.”

“Chairman!”

As Choi Moohyuk tried to speak, as if refusing to surrender, Chairman Choi slowly rose from his seat. Choi Moohyuk, stopping mid-sentence, looked up at the standing Chairman Choi.

“Do you still not know your own father?”

“….”

“I won’t say it twice.”

Chairman Choi, fastening the loosened button of his jacket with deft fingers, said only what he had to say and turned to walk away. The clacking sound of leather soles against the marble floor echoed through the quiet office.

Then, with the sound of the door opening and closing, a calm silence settled over the managing director’s office.

“…Ha.”

Choi Moohyuk, who had been sitting motionless on the sofa, finally let out a deep sigh after a long while and leaned back into the sofa. His movements as he unfastened both his jacket and the vest buttons underneath were tinged with irritation.

Sitting still and lost in thought, Choi Moohyuk took a small breath and organized his thoughts.

There was circumstantial evidence but no hard proof. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like the business trip had been hastily arranged for something other than the signing ceremony, but since the Chairman wouldn’t speak plainly, he couldn’t bring it up first. Above all, the Chairman was a man who rarely revealed his emotions through his expression, so making assumptions was no easy task.

‘Given that he went that far, is he really trying to solidify the succession structure starting with the signing ceremony?’

Even when he tried to think of it in connection with Ji Yeonwoo, there were many parts that didn’t make logical sense. If it were simply to separate him from Ji Yeonwoo, wasn’t this plan too obvious? Knowing that the Chairman was not someone who would make such a sloppy plan, it was hard to gauge his true intention.

Turning on his phone, Choi Moohyuk checked the schedule once more. In that brief moment, the originally scheduled meeting with the bank president two days later had disappeared, replaced by a business trip to Jeju Island.

He let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.

‘At this rate, it seems difficult to avoid the business trip.’

Tapping the leather of the sofa rhythmically with one finger, Choi Moohyuk turned on his phone again and called someone.

[ Yes, Managing Director. This is Park Jincheol. ]

After only a few rings, the other party answered, and Choi Moohyuk, phone to his ear, rose from his seat. He stood before the glass window that occupied one entire wall behind the desk.

“Yeah, it’s me. I need you to check something.”

With one hand in his pants pocket, Choi Moohyuk gazed into the distance and spoke.

∞ ∞ ∞

As the silver elevator doors opened to both sides, Choi Moohyuk walked out. He strode down the hallway at a moderate pace and stopped in front of the house. He could hear voices softly bickering from inside.

He narrowed his eyes in puzzlement. At this hour, there should only be Ji Yeonwoo and the housekeeper, so what could they be arguing about loudly enough to be heard outside the door? As he moved his eyes and pondered, Choi Moohyuk entered after punching in the passcode, and the conversation stopped as if on cue.

“Mr. Yeonwoo.”

He called out loudly on purpose and walked straight toward the kitchen, where he heard signs of movement. As he turned the corner toward the kitchen, Choi Moohyuk’s eyes quickly sought out Ji Yeonwoo.

His expression remained cold and hardened. Perhaps because of the meeting with the Chairman, he was on edge over even trivial matters.

Ji Yeonwoo and the housekeeper, who had been standing in front of the induction cooktop, flinched at Choi Moohyuk’s hardened expression.

“Oh, Mr. Moohyuk. You’re back?”

Ji Yeonwoo hesitated, gauging the atmosphere. Choi Moohyuk’s eyes, quickly scanning the kitchen, were sharp. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Side dishes were set on the table, and a half-made soybean paste stew was bubbling on the induction cooktop.

“What’s going on?”

Hearing the wary tone, the hesitant housekeeper stepped away from the island and approached.

“Oh dear, Managing Director, you’ve come at a good time. Please talk some sense into Mr. Yeonwoo.”