ITLW 02

Chapter 2

The Night Sky Was Blue

“Meow.”

When the cat looked up at him and cried, Leeheon curled the corners of his lips into a smile.

“Horangi, have you been well?”

“Meow.”

As if answering him, Horangi meowed once more.

His shirt was buttoned all the way to the collar, his tie perfectly straight, and his impeccably tailored suit without a single wrinkle.

Yet the man who looked as though he wouldn’t allow even one strand of cat fur to touch his clothes casually bent one knee and crouched down.

Then he gently rubbed the cat’s chin and forehead, exactly where Horangi liked being petted.

Horangi was a cat Leeheon had once found on the street.

His father had given him the name because, as a cat who had entered the ‘Lion’ family, he needed to be strong.

“You’re back?”

At the voice from behind him, Leeheon withdrew the hand that had been petting Horangi and stood up.

It was his mother, Yeonsook.

His stepmother, whom he had met when he was seven years old.

Since Yeonsook was the only mother Leeheon had ever known, he had followed her as though she were his biological mother.

“Yes, Mother. Everything all right?”

“What could possibly be wrong with me? I’m always worried about our I-on.”

I-on was Leeheon’s younger brother, six years younger than him.

“Why are you worried about I-on?”

“He’s still working at Fashion, isn’t he?”

Lion Fashion was a subsidiary of Lion Group, and I-on held the position of executive director there.

Their father had sent him there immediately after he returned from studying abroad, saying that he wanted to see what he was capable of.

At the time, Yeonsook had been quite dissatisfied that I-on hadn’t been assigned to the headquarters of Lion Group.

“Don’t worry too much. He’s only been there for ten months. I’ve been receiving reports that he’s doing well.”

“Doing well, my foot. He isn’t even trying to win his father’s approval. I don’t know if he’ll even be able to pull his weight once he goes to headquarters.”

“That’s how people his age are.”

“You weren’t like that.”

“Well, I…………”

In truth, it was more accurate to say that he had never been given the chance to be like that.

From the moment he had entered this house at the age of seven, he had constantly been told things like:

You are a member of Lion Group.

Always strive to improve yourself.

Keep your behavior proper.

Never let others treat you carelessly.

Don’t associate with just anyone.

He had been raised on words like those, molded thoroughly like a machine.

“Don’t worry about I-on. He’ll do much better than I ever did.”

“Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease. Go on inside. The Chairman is in his study.”

Leeheon stood in front of the study and knocked.

A cold voice immediately came from inside.

“Why are you standing around instead of coming in quickly?”

Before the door had even opened completely, Cheolmin scolded Leeheon.

Leeheon quickly approached his father and bowed politely.

“I’m back, Chairman.”

Ra Cheolmin.

The chairman of Lion Group.

He called him his father, but there had never been a single moment when Cheolmin had felt like a father to him.

They had lived more like the person transferring management rights and the person inheriting them.

Perhaps that was why the title Chairman felt more familiar to Leeheon than Father ever could.

“A businessman should do more than simply keep his promises. He should be the one who takes the initiative and makes those promises happen. And to do that, shouldn’t you be arriving early?”

Cheolmin spoke without taking his eyes off the newspaper.

Leeheon wasn’t actually late, but he automatically lowered his head.

“I’m sorry.”

Only then did Cheolmin put down the newspaper.

“Sit.”

“Yes.”

“The matter with Dongyeon Group is settled.”

Before Leeheon had even properly settled into the large black sofa, Cheolmin spoke.

Leeheon looked into his father’s eyes, trying to understand what he meant.

“The marriage.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Leeheon remember that he was engaged.

It had been six months since the engagement, and since it had been arranged by their elders, Leeheon had never expressed an opinion about it.

There had been no reason to.

His life had already been decided for him from the time he was young.

Marriage was no different.

A marriage for the benefit of the family.

It was something he had been told about countless times.

The same was true for Baek Seorin of Dongyeon Group, his intended bride.

The two of them had met several times for meals, but after the engagement, they had hardly contacted each other at all.

“Have you forgotten?”

“How could I? Has the date been set?”

“Yes. Two months from now.”

Was his schedule free two months from now?

Leeheon briefly recalled the schedule his secretary’s office had reported to him.

Then Cheolmin’s voice brought him back to attention.

“Dongyeon Group controls not only the aviation industry but also the railways. In other words, they possess the one thing we don’t. The benefits we stand to gain from this marriage will amount to trillions of won. If you think about it, it will become the largest project you’ve ever handled.”

“Yes. I’m aware.”

“Good. Don’t forget that this is the work you must prioritize above everything else.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Are you free?”

“No.”

Leeheon rose from his seat.

The main point of the conversation was over.

It was his father’s way of telling him to leave.

“You said the wedding date has been set?”

As Leeheon finished his greeting and stepped outside, Yeonsook immediately approached him.

“Yes. Two months from now.”

“That’s good. It’ll be a good thing for our I-on, too.

Make sure everything is handled properly through to the end. It’s dark out, so drive carefully.”

“Yes.”

Leeheon stepped into the outdoor parking lot and got into his car without even looking up at the sky.

Then he took out his phone to check his schedule for two months later.

Suddenly, he remembered that he hadn’t given Horangi the treats he had prepared for him.

They were handmade treats that his secretary, Dohyeon, had specially ordered.

Leeheon hesitated for a moment before turning around and going back inside the house.

As soon as he did, Horangi approached and rubbed himself against Leeheon’s leg.

Just then, voices drifted from the direction of Cheolmin’s study.

The voices carried a tension that made them feel like more than an ordinary conversation.

Without realizing it, Leeheon cautiously approached the study.

“Honestly, you’re so impatient. Why are you hounding him like that when you couldn’t even wait?”

“Do you think I can just sit around and do nothing? When exactly is our I-on going to become the president of Lion Group?”

It was Cheolmin and Yeonsook.

It sounded like nothing more than a quarrel between husband and wife, so Leeheon was about to turn away.

But for some reason, the word president lingered in his ears and made his feet stop.

“If you’re going to keep whining like that, then go out and take care of your own business.”

“Whining? Do you think I’m doing this for no reason? Why did you bring Leeheon into this family in the first place? So that our I-on could inherit the group without trouble, while Leeheon handled all the miscellaneous work for him. Marrying him to Baek Seorin of Dongyeon Group was for the same reason.”

“What is wrong with you today? Why are you being so damn persistent? Aren’t you going to stop?”

“They’re handing us distribution, real estate, and electronic finance in exchange for taking care of a sick girl whom no one else would marry. So why did you have to give Leeheon the position of president, too? Meanwhile, all our I-on gets is that insignificant executive director position at Fashion.”

What…………… was she talking about……………?

Leeheon held his breath, wondering if he had really heard what he thought he had.

“Even if Seorin is sick, how could we form an alliance with Dongyeon Group without giving her husband the title of president? Once everything is settled, I’ll gradually switch the positions. Don’t worry. It’s already been discussed and settled with Dongyeon.”

“You’re not going to change your mind later, are you?”

“Do you think a man says one thing and then goes back on his word?”

“You still love Leeheon’s mother, don’t you?”

“Love? What is that supposed to mean? Besides, why would I love the wife of one of my subordinates? Especially a dead woman. You know what kind of person I am, so why do you keep trying to test me over pointless things? Are you that bored?”

“If you even think about doing something else, I’ll take I-on and disappear. You’re going to make me live with a child who doesn’t have a single drop of your blood.”

Leeheon quietly slipped away from the study.

He couldn’t understand a single thing they had been talking about.

And yet, somehow, he understood everything perfectly.

He was not a blood relative of this family.

At the very least, he had always believed he was his father’s son.

But he had nothing to do with Lion Group at all.

So that our I-on could inherit the group without trouble, while Leeheon handled all the miscellaneous work for him.

His mind went blank.

He couldn’t think of anything.

Perhaps that was why.

With everything before his eyes suddenly turning dark, Leeheon looked up at the sky.

At the sky he had never once thought to look at before.

He had always assumed the night was simply black.

But the first night sky he truly saw was blue.

A startlingly deep blue, in a world that had always seemed entirely black and white.