One Year Marriage

Chapter 1

Part 1

Late Summer

Even higher; even more prominent.

Chairman Sung-bok Cha’s obsession with outward appearances had turned the headquarters of Yoojung Construction into a beacon of extravagance. Even the chairman’s office exuded opulence.

In the room adorned with long-outdated golden accents, Kang-jae stood, staring out the window, teacup in hand. Looks like it might rain, he thought as he watched the gathering black clouds.

“They said I had one year at most.”

Chairman Cha was the first to break the long silence. Kang-jae’s eyes shifted from the window to the imposing figure seated at the head of the room.

“It’s the time I have left.”

Lung cancer. Even with treatment and surgery, they said he would live one more year at best.

The man, now in his mid-sixties, spoke with a calm resignation. Yet Kang-jae, facing his father’s confession of terminal illness, only let a faint smirk touch his lips. It wasn’t an expression one might expect after having heard about his father’s imminent death.

“She doesn’t know I’m ill. I don’t intend to tell anyone for the time being.”

She. He was talking about the woman he now lived with. It was the chairman’s second wife—Kang-jae’s stepmother.

Kang-jae nodded slowly, as though uninterested in the family drama. Concern or grief was absent from his face, as it had been for years.

Silence befell the room once again. Kang-jae sipped his now lukewarm tea. This time, it was he who broke the silence.

“You called me over just to tell me you’re dying?”

Though they saw each other every morning for breakfast, the chairman had sent someone to bring Kang-jae over from the prosecutor’s office, which was his workplace. Was such urgency really necessary if he was only going to announce his impending death? Father and son did not have a deep relationship, and neither would expect to share tears or sadness.

“Quit your prosecutor job and come work for the company,” said Chairman Cha.

His gaze was piercing.

“Sun-jae is incapable of running it, and every project he touches bleeds money. Most recently, he lost a contract that was pretty much in the bag. I cannot leave the future of this Yoojung Construction in his hands. Kang-jae, you’re the only one capable of taking over this company after I’m gone.”

For the first time, Kang-jae’s stoic face cracked into an incredulous smile.

His father had ordered him to move to the guest house after his mother had left the family; his father had remained cold and unyielding to him throughout his childhood. And then, of course, there was the way Kang-jae had been treated after his mother’s sudden death.

“Be grateful I feed you and give you a place to sleep! Stop causing a scene! Kang-jae Cha—stay out of my sight if you know what’s good for you. Do you understand?”

He remembered every moment vividly—this was his father’s disdain and refusal to see him as a son. And now, the same man was asking him to take over his company? Now?

Why now?

Kang-jae was caught off guard. He chuckled out loud, placed the teacup on the table, and feigned wiping away a tear. Mockery was evident in his every movement.

“Oh, Father—you’re so humorous today. You’ve got all the jokes.”

His smile faded as he spoke. A coldness settled where his smile had been.

“Maybe you thought this was a joke, but take it as truth!” the chairman replied.

“And you think Sun-jae’s mother will ignore this?” asked Kang-jae.

“This is my decision to make. Who would dare to interfere?”

“As always, you’re quite disloyal to the woman you share a bed with. I suppose you’re not dying anytime soon. I was told that people usually change before they die.”

Kang-jae rose—his disinterested gaze roamed around the gaudy room. The place was so grand yet devoid of any warmth or appeal.

“The tea’s awful, and the decor is even worse. Yours is not a position I particularly envy.”

With a curt nod, Kang-jae turned to leave.

Chairman Cha spoke up from behind him. “Your mother would have wanted you to take my place.”

Kang-jae froze when he heard the words “your mother.” Did his father even have the right to utter them? His clenched fists trembled with barely restrained anger as his face hardened like stone.

＊ ＊ ＊

Kang-jae subdued his rising emotions as he stepped out of the office. He left without a moment’s hesitation.

As he walked, he noticed Sun-jae coming out of the elevator.

A director at Yoojung Construction, Sun-jae was the son of the woman who’d taken over the main house as soon as Kang-jae’s mother had gone. He was two years younger. Perhaps he had heard the news, but his hurried steps and disheveled appearance betrayed his urgency.

“Sun-jae.”

Sun-jae finally noticed Kang-jae and halted. Kang-jae approached with slow strides. He was 185 cm tall, with a sharp gaze and a cold demeanor.

Sun-jae was immediately put on guard by Kang-jae’s naturally intimidating presence. He stood silent, unable to talk.

“What’s the rush?” Kang-jae asked, his tone almost teasing as he reached out to adjust Sun-jae’s crooked tie. What a chump. He chuckled as he noticed Sun-jae’s quivering shoulder.

For a fleeting moment, he recalled a distant memory of Sun-jae as a child, following him around and calling him “hyung” with wide-eyed innocence.

“I’m now the lady of the house for Yoojung Construction. I’m the wife of Yoojung Construction.”

The thought of Sun-jae’s mother taking over the main house immediately broke the nostalgia. Her face began to overlap with Sun-jae’s in Kang-jae’s mind.

Kang-jae’s eyes grew immediately cold. When his hand grew tight around the necktie, Sun-jae’s eyes, which had been looking up at Kang-jae, widened.

Kang-jae looked back at Sun-jae’s quivering eyes, finished adjusting his tie, and stepped back.

Sun-jae immediately staggered backward. “What are you doing here, hyung?”

Kang-jae stared at him silently.

“I said, what are you doing here?”

Kang-jae curled his lip as he listened to this accusatory question. “Who knows?” He shrugged.

“Did Father call for you?”

“Yes.”

“He did? Why?”

Perhaps worried about his voice carrying into his father’s office, he lowered his volume. He glanced nervously over Kang-jae’s shoulder.

“He asked me to take over the company.”

“What?”

“It seemed like he was disappointed in you.”

“Well, it’s only because that idiot Jung-won Min ruined the last project!”

After five years of work, the large construction project for a Han River apartment complex—worth two trillion won—had been nearly in the bag. And yet, it’d been taken away so easily.

The media had reported about the hard work of Executive Director Jung-won Min of Hankang Construction—he had secured the contract against the competition. Reporters had analyzed why Yoojung Construction had lost the bid, and they’d concluded that Sun-jae Cha’s lack of ability had been the company’s downfall.

Yet, for some reason, Sun-jae seemed to blame Hankang Construction instead of his abilities. He was the only one who did so, and there was no sign that he had learned his lesson.

“Right. You’re right.” Kang-jae nodded as if he understood Sun-jae. With a little smirk, he put his hand on one of Sun-jae’s shoulders. “Sun-jae, just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re doing a fantastic job.”

He patted Sun-jae’s shoulder a few times and started walking away. As soon as he reached the front of the elevator, Sun-jae suddenly stopped him by grabbing his arm.

“Are you going to do what Dad says? Hyung, you said you didn’t care about the company.”

Kang-jae pulled his arm from Sun-jae’s grasp and pressed the elevator button.

“Did I?”

He raised his eyebrow as if he didn’t remember. Sun-jae’s face crumpled.

“Hyung!”

“Relax. I’m not interested.” Kang-jae said coolly. As he entered the elevator, he added, “Yet.”