Chapter 6

Chapter 006: Force Majeure (3)

Hee-soo looked at Min-jeong with an exasperated expression and shook his head.

There's nowhere to sit in my room. Let's go to the second-floor living room.

While they were talking, Chief Yoon, who managed the household, spoke.

I'm busy cleaning up there, so just go to your room.

Min-jeong answered cheerfully.

Unlike her polite voice when greeting the family, her current voice was full of playful affection.

Ah, yes, Chief Yoon!

Chief Yoon Tae-im had originally been hired by Choi Ji-yong, the founding chairman of Suseong Group.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Hee-soo had practically been raised by Chief Yoon since childhood.

She was responsible for managing the entire household.

That was why Hee-soo always treated her with the utmost respect.

Chief Yoon, whose voice they had only heard until now, finally appeared.

Min-jeong greeted her warmly and linked arms with her, treating her like a friendly neighbor she had known all her life.

Chief Yoon! Hello!

Oh, Min-jeong! Are you here?

Chief Yoon affectionately patted Min-jeong on the bottom.

Hee-soo turned toward Min-jeong.

Looks like we have no choice. Let's go to my room.

Oh my! Are you really inviting me to your room so boldly? I'm not mentally prepared for something like this yet...

Chief Yoon smiled at Min-jeong.

Hurry up and go before Hee-soo changes his mind.

Hohoho! All right!

Min-jeong released Chief Yoon's arm and followed Hee-soo upstairs.

As they walked toward his room, Hee-soo looked at her with an exhausted expression and sighed.

Haah. Don't you ever get tired of this?

Oppa, why do you never respond to my flirting, no matter how hard I try?

I might not be the most beautiful woman in the world, but I'm certainly not someone you'd be embarrassed to show off!

My figure is great, and my face is definitely above average!

As she spoke, Min-jeong ran her hands up and down her body, showing herself off.

Hee-soo froze for a moment, looking as though he had witnessed something he shouldn't have seen.

Then he shook his head helplessly.

Haven't I told you a thousand times? I don't care about a woman's face or figure.

That's because you don't care about women at all, you impotent old man.

Then start calling me Unni from now on.

What the hell are you talking about?!

Shortly after they entered his room, Chief Yoon arrived carrying a plate of fruit.

Min-jeong, have you eaten dinner?

Yes! I ate at home before coming. Has everyone here eaten already?

Everyone except Hee-soo. I thought I'd prepare something for you if you hadn't eaten yet.

No, it's fine. You don't have to worry about me. Besides, I'm on a diet right now, so I can't just eat whatever I want.

Oh, goodness! What weight could you possibly need to lose?

If you lose too much weight, you'll ruin your health. Don't do that to yourself.

Hohoho! Don't worry. I'm taking good care of myself while dieting.

Chief Yoon gave her a meaningful smile.

Hehe. All right, then. Good luck with your diet, Min-jeong. I'll leave you two alone. I probably won't come back in.

Yes, Chief Yoon! Hohoho! Thank you for everything!

Once they were alone, Min-jeong's expression turned serious.

But seriously, are you really going to keep doing that?

Being a firefighter?

Of course.

If I were planning to quit after a short time, why would I have gone through the trouble of taking an examination to join?

An examination, huh? Do you really need to go so far as to break the law just to become a firefighter?

Break the law? I told you I took the examination. Watch what you're saying.

Do you seriously think someone can take an examination and be assigned to actual rescue operations within fifteen days?

Times like these are exactly when I should make use of the influence I have.

They increased the available positions to accommodate me anyway.

I even told them I wouldn't accept a salary.

All I asked was for them to recognize my service as a rescue team member.

Whatever you say. The moment you joined like that, you broke the law.

I had no choice. My life is on the line too.

Min-jeong looked slightly surprised by his sudden statement.

She shook her head in confusion.

Is your life on the line? Why would you say that, Oppa?

Hee-soo immediately realized his mistake and stopped speaking.

He was so comfortable around Min-jeong that he had accidentally revealed his true feelings.

However, he didn't show his panic.

Instead, he quickly came up with an explanation.

I believe the future of our company lies in industries such as defense, safety equipment, drones, and artificial intelligence. I'm saying that I'm willing to stake my life on Suseong's future.

Hee-soo quickly changed the subject.

Min-jeong shook her head, looking as though she had completely given up trying to understand him.

You're seriously making such a big deal out of everything. Wouldn't it be enough to simply manage the businesses you already have?

A company is like a living organism. If it becomes obsessed with maintaining its current position, it'll eventually die. We have to keep changing.

Hee-soo had become so flustered that he was now saying things he didn't even believe.

In reality, he also wanted to take over the chairman's position without unnecessary trouble.

After all, his original career path had already been decided.

He would continue working as the director of Suseong Electronics' Strategic Planning Division, eventually become president of Suseong Electronics, and finally rise to the position of chairman of Suseong Group.

That was all he needed to do.

If the company's performance continued to improve along the way, his claim to the position would become even stronger.

And he was confident that he could accomplish exactly that.

Unfortunately, his current circumstances had left him with no choice but to follow a completely different path.

Min-jeong had no way of knowing what he was really thinking.

She stared at him with an expression of complete confusion.

However, her expression soon softened.

Resting her chin on her hand, she gazed at Hee-soo affectionately.

Well, I suppose that's exactly what made me fall in love with you. I've always liked this ambitious side of you, Oppa.

An awkward silence settled between them.

Without even turning to look at her, Hee-soo asked,

Why did you come here today?

Why else? I came to steal something.

Hee-soo let out a long sigh.

That excuse again? Can't you come up with something new?

Oppa! You already know how I feel about you! Can't you just accept my feelings for once?

Hearing Min-jeong's affectionate complaints made Hee-soo's heart feel even heavier.

Do you really think I don't want to accept your feelings?

If I were living an ordinary life, I'd probably pretend to give in and accept you.

Hee-soo certainly didn't dislike Min-jeong.

Their families had been extremely close since childhood.

He had known Min-jeong since she was just two years old.

They had grown up together and were practically like siblings.

He always felt comfortable whenever they met.

In fact, before leaving to study abroad, he had even considered marrying her after returning home and establishing his position in the company.

Unfortunately, under his current circumstances, that future had become nothing more than a dream.

Managing his responsibilities at the company was already difficult enough.

Now, he also had to work as a firefighter.

Even if he wanted to think about marriage, he simply didn't have the time.

On top of that, he needed to develop new firefighting equipment for his own survival.

He seriously wished he had three separate bodies.

Even after dying and coming back to life, I still don't have enough time.

Just how many more times am I supposed to live through the same life?

Whenever Hee-soo died and returned to life, everything began again.

The world followed the same sequence of events.

It felt as though he were watching a complicated machine whose gears turned with perfect precision.

Everything that was supposed to happen eventually happened.

Even when he wanted to accomplish something extra, his circumstances and limited time prevented him from doing so.

He had barely managed to find enough time to develop his new firefighting gear by drastically reducing his sleeping hours.

However, as he thought about this, Hee-soo suddenly stopped.

Hmm?

But now that I think about it, the timing wasn't exactly the same.

Some events seemed to happen a little later.

When he had entered the burning building to rescue the child, even a slight difference in timing could have resulted in him dying once again.

He was still deeply absorbed in his thoughts when Min-jeong suddenly poked him.

Oppa? Are you even listening to me?

Huh? Did you say something?

Min-jeong looked at him with obvious disappointment.

Oppa, aren't you being a little too indifferent toward me? Whenever I go to a club, the guys there never leave me alone.

Hee-soo immediately responded with sharp words.

Then marry the most handsome and richest guy you can find among them.

Min-jeong finally exploded.

OPPA!

Hee-soo didn't even need to turn around to imagine the expression on her face.

A small voice inside him told him that he should comfort her.

However, his heart had already become so exhausted and emotionally drained that he couldn't bring himself to do it.

His next words were filled with irritation.

I'm extremely busy and exhausted right now. Please don't make things harder for me. If you've got enough time to come here and bother me, just go to a club and have some fun.

Min-jeong trembled with anger.

Then she suddenly jumped to her feet.

FINE! I GET IT! THAT'S ALL I MEAN TO YOU, RIGHT?! I'M LEAVING! I'LL JUST LEAVE, THEN!

She snatched up the jacket she had taken off earlier and stormed out of the room.

A short while later, Chief Yoon entered.

She looked worried.

Hee-soo, are you really going to let Min-jeong leave like that? She seems much angrier than usual today.

Hee-soo lowered his head.

Chief Yoon, I'm sorry for causing such a disturbance. But I'm really exhausted today.

I know. You certainly look exhausted. I watched the news too.

Chief Yoon paused for a moment.

Hee-soo couldn't bring himself to raise his head and look at her.

He knew that she was worried about him.

In fact, everyone living in this house genuinely cared about him.

When Chief Yoon spoke again, her voice was filled with that same affection and concern.

You looked wonderful on television.

But you also looked like you were in terrible danger.

Hee-soo, you only have one life.

It's good to be passionate about your work, but please don't do anything that would make the people who love you suffer.

Yes, Chief Yoon. I'll remember that.

That includes Min-jeong. Whenever she visits while you're away, all she talks about is how worried she is about you.

Hee-soo couldn't answer.

He felt far too guilty about the way he had treated Min-jeong.

Samhan Ilbo's newsroom.

Reporter Jo Yoon-hee was sitting at her desk with a serious expression.

She repeatedly examined two photographs placed in front of her.

No matter how long she stared at them, she simply couldn't understand what she was seeing.

She wasn't wearing any makeup.

Her long hair had been carelessly tied back, just enough to keep it from falling over her face.

She wore a blouse, a black business suit, and low-heeled shoes.

At first glance, she looked like an ordinary office worker.

She had the kind of face that would probably look extremely beautiful if she put on some makeup.

However, she clearly had no interest in maintaining her appearance.

Even the clothes she wore, while not luxury designer brands, were expensive enough that most people wouldn't wear them so carelessly.

Yet she seemed completely indifferent to such things.

Frowning, she continued comparing the two photographs.

Are you seriously telling me these two people are the same person?

Choi Hee-soo, the third son of Suseong's chairman, is actually doing something like this?

Am I really supposed to believe that? Isn't this some kind of stunt double?

She spoke with the exhausted tone of a young adult who had already suffered through the hardships of working life.

However, her naturally high-pitched and youthful voice still made her sound like someone who hadn't completely outgrown her childhood.

The photojournalist sitting beside Yoon-hee shook his head.

You saw it with your own two eyes. Besides, I'm the one who took these photographs. They're definitely the same person. I even have a video.

Yoon-hee seemed completely uninterested in listening.

She stroked her chin and began speaking to herself.

Choi Hee-soo, the third son of Suseong's chairman.

And not just any third son, either. He's the man everyone considers the company's actual successor.

That man risked his life by entering a burning building and rescuing a child.

As if that weren't enough, he then went back inside the building, even though the fire still hadn't been brought under control, and rescued another person.

The entire world is deeply moved by this incredible demonstration of humanity, which goes far beyond the usual expectations of noblesse oblige.

As a result, Suseong's public image continues to improve, and its stock price keeps rising.

Hey, you can doubt it all you want, but everything you just said is true.

Do you have any idea how popular Director Choi is right now?

He's already got his own fan club.

Of course I know.

Yoon-hee continued.

On top of those heroic achievements, he's 183 centimeters tall, handsome enough to outshine most idols, and has an incredible physique.

He's a handsome genius with a doctorate from a prestigious American university. There's practically nothing he lacks.

And he's a third-generation chaebol heir with a good personality.

He even served in the special forces.

With all that going for him, how could anyone possibly dislike him?