TVS 07

Chapter 07

This was separate from the fact that Seo-ah followed Se-yeon like a biological older sister.

This was a story that might have something to do with her father-in-law—or perhaps Dong-ha himself. But if that were the case, it was far too serious a matter.

Even so, Seo-ah tried to maintain her composure despite how convincing the story sounded.

“How did you… know about this rumor, Unni? Does the company you work for have some connection to Taeyu Group?”

At Seo-ah’s increasingly serious expression, a corner of Se-yeon’s lips subtly lifted.

However, Seo-ah failed to notice whether it was a smile or something else.

“Like I said, I work at a small company. It’s just that… I happen to know someone in the upper ranks of Taeyu Motors.”

“Someone in the upper ranks? If the rumor came from someone like that, doesn’t that mean there’s at least some truth to it?”

“I only overheard it, so I’d have to look into it again to know for sure. But Kang Tae-kyung, who had been sent away to an overseas branch, suddenly came back to become the head of the Future Strategy Division at headquarters. When you look at that, it does seem strange.”

The more Se-yeon explained, the more Seo-ah, who had initially been suspicious, gradually began to believe that the rumor might actually be true.

If the truth Dong-ha had been trying to tell me really was the same as what Se-yeon was saying…

Then, what connection did this man named Kang Tae-kyung have to either Lee Dong-ha or her father-in-law?

She couldn’t say anything about her father-in-law, but Dong-ha was not the kind of person to casually spout nonsense.

No. No, that’s not right.

For a moment, Seo-ah remembered how she had been deceived at the cost of her entire life.

A gay husband who had a male lover.

A hollow, self-mocking laugh escaped her as she closed her eyes tightly and let out a bitter sigh.

Seeing Seo-ah’s pale, bloodless face and endlessly reddened eyes, Se-yeon pulled her chair closer and sat beside her.

“Calm down. It’s still only a rumor.”

But whether it was merely a rumor or not, it was still a fact that those words had struck Seo-ah directly in her wounds and caused her pain.

Seo-ah collapsed against Se-yeon’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I thought it couldn’t possibly be true. So even after I heard it, I just let it go. I was afraid that if I told you, you’d only worry. Especially when you were already suffering from guilt.”

At Se-yeon’s warm and gentle voice, Seo-ah finally burst into tears.

How could I have known so little? How could I have been this completely unaware?

Even though they had been competitors, they were still in-laws. How had she failed to notice anything while her father’s company was having its core technology stolen and being completely trampled into the ground?

Seo-ah felt utterly pathetic when she thought about her past.

She had been so distracted chasing after a singing career that she could never even achieve, and then she had stubbornly insisted on studying music and immaturely gone abroad.

On top of that, she had fallen for an offer that might have been a trap and had even rushed into marriage, supposedly for her father’s sake.

No matter how she thought about it, Seo-ah could not forgive herself.

Se-yeon tightly clasped Seo-ah’s trembling, furious hand.

“I’ll look into it a little more. I’m really sorry… Seo-ah.”

Feeling Se-yeon’s trembling hand, Seo-ah silently shook her head.

Her throat was too choked with emotion for her voice to come out.

She wanted Se-yeon to understand that none of this was her fault, and that Seo-ah was grateful to her for telling her even this much.

But Seo-ah truly knew nothing.

She had no idea just how perfect Se-yeon’s acting was.

The trembling tone of her voice, the subtle changes in her expression, and the enormous lie mixed with a tiny handful of truth had become an uncontrollable storm that swept through Seo-ah, who had no way of knowing the truth.

Several weeks had passed since Tae-kyung returned to India after attending the funeral.

“Jung Hee-jun.”

“…….”

It was an ordinary trip home after work, but Hee-jun, who was driving, remained silent, apparently deeply sulking over something.

It seemed he had gotten an earful from Tae-kyung after spending the entire day going on about becoming a “Division Head.”

“Assistant Manager Jung.”

At the boss’s low, businesslike voice, Hee-jun finally responded reluctantly in a gruff tone.

“Yes. What?”

Tae-kyung let out a hollow laugh at his grumbling tone before getting to the point.

“You know that woman from before.”

“Ms. Jin Seo-ah?”

“What? How did you know?”

Hee-jun sighed as though Tae-kyung’s question were ridiculous.

“How could I not? You’ve been looking up nothing but information on Wonjeon Electronics ever since that day.”

Tae-kyung did not deny it.

He had not even bothered to hide his actions, going so far as to request information on Wonjeon Electronics and Dong-ha Motors separately from the purchasing department.

Of course, his request had been neatly rejected.

Even though he was the second son of the Taeyu Group, the information was not something an ordinary team leader was allowed to access.

That was why, for now, he had no choice but to rely on Hee-jun, who was from the same area as the two companies and seemed to know something about the situation.

“Why again? What are you curious about?”

“Why… did she get married?”

“What?”

Despite Hee-jun’s exaggerated reaction, Tae-kyung remained unfazed.

“Isn’t it strange? A competing company that had always been at odds with them suddenly makes an investment, then suddenly there’s a marriage, and then suddenly they release the same product? I can’t think of any other explanation except that Dong-ha Motors did it deliberately.”

He had already heard about the Wonjeon Electronics situation from Hee-jun.

But that did not mean he fully understood everything Hee-jun had told him.

If the purpose wasn’t to steal the technology, how else could this marriage possibly be explained?

It would practically be impossible for them to perfectly reproduce a product from Wonjeon Electronics, which had been receiving unparalleled evaluations, in only a few months.

Furthermore, Taeyu and Wonjeon Electronics had maintained a relationship dating back to before Han-kyung took over as CEO.

What Tae-kyung found most difficult to understand was why they would terminate such a trusted business relationship based only on circumstantial evidence that was far from certain.

Hee-jun raised his eyes and glanced at Tae-kyung through the rearview mirror.

He had never seen him take such an interest in something before.

“I told you to stop taking an interest in her. Why do you keep asking?”

“Why? What are you worried about?”

“You really don’t know? Don’t get involved for no reason. The second son of the Taeyu Group and a widow? Does that make any sense?”

Who said I was going to marry her?

Perhaps Hee-jun caught the muttered words, because he abruptly turned his head.

Tae-kyung gestured upward with the back of his hand, signaling him to look ahead.

“Good grief.”

Hee-jun shook his head before continuing.

“I don’t know