Chapter 31: I’m Madly In Love.

“Jae-Ha, what are you doing here?”

Vice President Seo Min-Guk looked surprised to see Jae-Ha standing at the doorway with his usual laid-back smile.

“I don’t know how you found out about this meeting, but I’m talking with my future daughter-in-law right now. Step aside.”

The surprise in the vice president’s eyes faded quickly. He gestured for Jae-Ha to leave, clearly annoyed. But a brief silence settled before Jae-Ha, who had been watching him with a calm yet firm gaze, walked over and sat next to me.

“I have something to say too.”

He took the seat beside me, completely unfazed.

The vice president stared at him in disbelief, while I sat stiffly beside them, tense from the pressure. In contrast, Jae-Ha looked almost amused by the situation.

“Can’t it wait? Just go—come next time.”

The vice president snapped, irritated by Jae-Ha’s persistence. To him, Jae-Ha’s business wasn’t important right now. I was the one who mattered—W Group’s sole heiress and the bride-to-be he needed to secure for Hojin.

Jae-Ha, normally sharp and pragmatic, must have seemed completely out of character to him today. Arms crossed, the vice president gave his son a sharp look.

“For heaven’s sake, what’s so urgent? What did you come all the way here to say?”

Eventually, the vice president gave in to Jae-Ha’s unwavering stare, but not without side-eyeing me suspiciously.

‘He’s probably figured it out—why I brought Jae-Ha here.’

He likely guessed I had told Jae-Ha about this meeting. I lowered the cup I’d been holding, the water inside trembling slightly.

Then, in a voice as composed as ever, Jae-Ha spoke.

“I’ve decided to get married.”

The Vice President’s eyes locked on Jae-Ha, blinking for a moment in surprise.

‘This must be a shock.’

Jae-Ha, who’d been so openly cynical about marriage—even willing to give up his inheritance for it.

The vice president straightened up, suddenly suspicious.

“To whom? What family is she from?”

He narrowed his eyes and wrinkled his nose as he asked. But then, he glanced sideways at me.

“No, never mind. This isn’t the place. We’ll talk later, just the two of us.”

It seemed he remembered we’d just been discussing my broken engagement to Ji-Han and dismissed the thought that I could be the woman Jae-Ha meant.

But Jae-Ha kept his gaze on him and spoke slowly.

“She’s from a great family, highly educated, perfect in every way. I even like her personality.”

The Vice President blinked in surprise, taken aback.

His son, who never showed interest in women, was suddenly smitten? His curiosity visibly deepened.

After a few awkward coughs, he finally gave in, pretending to be casual.

“Hmph, is that so? And who’s the lady that’s got you all worked up, Jae-Ha? Bring her to dinner at the family estate sometime.”

“Ah.”

Jae-Ha smiled, clearly satisfied. Then he slowly shook his head.

“No need to meet her separately. She’s already here.”

The vice president froze in his seat.

“What?”

“She’s right here. I want to marry Yoon Yeo-Jin.”

Jae-Ha dropped the bombshell, then gently took my left hand resting on my lap.

While I sat there stunned, he calmly raised our joined hands and smiled.

“W-What?!”

The vice president nearly choked on his drink. He stared at our hands, then back at our faces, eyes wide in disbelief.

“You two—you’re serious?!”

Before he could even close his gaping mouth, he slammed his cup down on the table.

“Is this some kind of joke?! Yeo-Jin is supposed to marry Ji-Han, not you!”

“Then she can just be the eldest daughter-in-law instead.”

His hand clenched tightly around an empty bottle, which he tried to pour, but it ran dry. Frustrated, he slammed it down.

“You think this is funny?!”

He yelled, gripping his forehead in disbelief.

But Jae-Ha remained calm, responding with a smug smile.

“You were the one who originally offered me this marriage, remember?”

That was true—it had been a long time ago. The vice president’s hand visibly trembled as he glared at Jae-Ha’s cool demeanor.

“You turned it down yourself!”

Even the cold rebuttal didn’t rattle him.

“Well, I’ve changed my mind. I’m ready now. We’re getting married.”

“Hah… You’ve lost your mind.”

“Yes, I’m madly in love with this woman. Whether it’s an engagement or marriage, I want it to happen as soon as possible.”

The vice president stared at him, stunned.

His face, which had been scrutinizing the two of us, gradually flushed red. Eventually, realizing that reasoning with Jae-Ha was pointless, he turned to me instead.

“Yeo-Jin, you answer me.”

“…”

“Are you serious? Do you really intend to marry Jae-Ha?”

His eyes, burning with fury, sent a chill down my spine. If this had been my past self, I might’ve frozen and said nothing, trembling in fear.

“Yes.”

My reply was short but unwavering. He frowned deeply at my firm response.

I didn’t avoid his scathing gaze.

When I first stepped into this room and faced the vice president, the pressure he exuded felt overwhelming.

But ever since Jae-Ha arrived, strangely enough, I felt at ease and bold; even that heavy weight in my chest had lifted.

Brushing my disheveled hair behind my ear, I gave him a wry smile.

“Actually, I proposed to Jae-Ha first.”

“…”

“I figured I’m allowed to make my own decisions about who I marry.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie—I was the one who’d first brought up marriage. Jae-Ha frowned slightly, clearly not fond of my choice of words.

“How dare you make such a decision without consulting your elders!”

His furrowed brows and flaring nostrils betrayed his shock. This defiant version of me must’ve been completely unexpected.

Just then, Jae-Ha tapped the back of my hand gently—his signal.

“Once the stage is set, excuse yourself.”

“Excuse myself?”

“Yes. My father won’t show his true thoughts in front of you.”

He was right. This seemed to be the moment he’d been referring to.

I nodded and accepted the cue.

“Oh, I’m getting a call.”

Just as my phone vibrated, I stood from my seat.

I gave a polite smile to both men before stepping out of the room.

—-

Inside the room, after Yeo-Jin left, the two men stared at each other.

Vice President Seo Min-Guk’s initial shock quickly gave way to calculation.

He was now weighing what he could gain—or lose—from this situation.

“Tell me honestly. What are you planning to do?”

After a long moment, Seo Min-Guk broke the silence.

“You’re really going to marry her? Your brother’s ex-fiancée?”

“Yes. It’s not a bluff. I mean it. We will get married.”

“Unbelievable… My own sons are going to be the death of me.”

Clutching his forehead, Seo Min-Guk groaned with a headache. He was already dreading how to explain this twisted love triangle to Chairman Seo Moo-Jin in the U.S., who was extremely sensitive about these matters.

“You know what she means to Hojin, don’t you?”

She was the key to propelling Hojin into a global player.

Jae-Ha nodded, understanding.

“I do. But from what I’ve heard, quite a few shareholders are against the merger.”

“…”

“And I know why Hojin desperately needs capital right now.”

Likely to expand their construction equipment division.

Min-Guk’s gaze sharpened as he stroked his jaw, now rough with stubble.

“If you understand all this, why are you causing such a mess?”

His voice rose with growing frustration.

“There are other ways to raise funds besides W Group. Hojin is a prestigious company.”

“…”

“If a future successor can’t come up with alternatives, maybe he doesn’t deserve the position.”

Jae-Ha spoke with the confidence of a seasoned businessman—annoyingly sharp, yet impossible to refute.

He flashed a smug smile at the vice president, who now looked as if he were chewing lemons.

“Besides, isn’t it better that I become W Group’s son-in-law than rely on a shaky merger?”

For the first time, Min-Guk’s expression shifted.

“If I have to marry someone, I’d rather it be her. You know I’ve never been attached to the successor’s seat anyway.”

“Even so… How do you expect to handle public scrutiny?”

“If I cared about public opinion, I wouldn’t have given up the successor’s position in the first place.”

Min-Guk groaned and rubbed his temples.

“Yeo-Jin has no intention of marrying Ji-Han. You won’t be able to bind them with marriage.”

“Ha…”

“Keep this up, and W Group could slip away from your grasp for good.”

Min-Guk slammed his glass down on the table, seething with anger as thoughts of Ji-Han’s recent failures clouded his mind.

“All of this is because of that useless fool Ji-Han!”

If Chairman Moo-Jin caught wind of this, the fallout would be severe.

Reading the resignation in the vice president’s eyes, Jae-Ha pressed on.

“He got cocky and thought he had it all.”

Jae-Ha took a sip of his drink, thinking of the arrogant Ji-Han, who’d strutted around so confidently before the last shareholders’ meeting.

He even chuckled, picturing the shocked faces of Ji-Han and his mother when they found out.

‘That mother and son duo are going to be fun to watch.’

“If someone can’t think straight over a woman, maybe it’s time to reconsider who should lead the company.”