Living with an Ex-Husband - Chapter 72: Resolving the Knot (2)

Chapter 72: Resolving the Knot (2)

Mrs Kang was at a loss for words at the thunderous news. Trembling with disbelief, she shook her head violently as if to deny reality.

“No… no way. This can’t be happening. Standing in front of prosecutors and the press is humiliating enough, but to think of being arrested? Is this even real?”

“Why shouldn’t it be real? If you’ve committed a crime, you should be punished.

“What have I done that’s so wrong? Besides, the law protects those who have money. I am the lady of Geumyoung! How could this happen to me?”

“That’s precisely why the legal team is working hard to protect you and assembling an extraordinary defense team. If you were an ordinary person… well, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Lee Joon, speaking coldly, furrowed his brow in irritation. As he let out a frustrated sigh, Mrs. Kang’s bloodshot eyes revealed her fear of the impending issue that loomed over her, as daunting as the prospect of arrest.

“What about the shareholders’ meeting? What will happen with the dismissal proposal?”

“We’re discussing it in a way that minimizes the risks as much as possible.”

“Wait… does that mean… we might have to disclose everything in front of the shareholders?”

Mrs. Kang struggled to continue, her lips trembling.

“That could very well be the case.”

“Lee Joon, if it comes to that…”

“Yes. We may have to reveal everything, including your infidelity. At this point, it’s no longer a secret.”

“But still…!”

“Mother, every freedom and transgression comes with responsibilities and consequences. You are receiving this consequence… far too late. It’s time to take responsibility for your actions.”

As Lee Joon delivered this stinging rebuke, Mrs Kang could only tremble, unable to defend herself. Her son had completely turned his back on her and she felt hopeless.

Amid this turmoil, Lee Joon looked at Mrs Kang and mentioned a name.

“Hope.”

“…What?”

Mrs. Kang’s tear-streaked eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected name.

“It’s the name we’ve chosen for our baby. I guess you weren’t curious at all?”

“Ah…”

Realizing that she had just learned her grandchild’s name, Mrs. Kang stared at Lee Joon blankly.

“Just as I thought, you really had no interest. After all, it’s your first grandchild.”

Lee Joon smiled bitterly at her reaction. His mother was completely wrapped up in herself, believing that she was the most important person in the world.

“I thought about it sometimes. Michael was really pitiful.”

Lee Joon continued, gazing at Mrs. Kang with a heavy heart.

“Despite everything, Michael loved you until the very end. He asked me to take care of you, right up to the moment he closed his eyes.”

“…What?”

Mrs Kang’s eyes wavered violently. It was as if a cry was about to escape her lips, and she covered her mouth with her hand. The sudden realization of a man’s true love for her unsettled her deeply.

“To be honest, Michael was far too good for you.”

Having spoken these brutally honest words, Lee Joon turned and climbed the stairs to the second floor where Eunchae was waiting.

When Lee Joon left, the living room fell silent. It was then that Mrs Kang finally let out the suppressed sobs

“Ugh…!”

Her shoulders trembled as she cried, tears filled with an indescribable mix of emotions spilling onto the floor.

‘I’m probably the person who loves you the most in this world. I can say that with certainty.’

As she struggled to breathe, clutching her chest in pain, Michael’s face and his innocent smile kept resurfacing in her mind, along with the memory of his heartfelt confession.

***

Eunchae paced anxiously on the second-floor terrace and rushed over to Lee Joon as soon as he appeared.

“Lee Joon.”

“Take it easy. What if you trip and fall?”

Lee Joon said with a mock-serious expression, warning her.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just really worried and happy to see you.”

“Still, be careful. I appreciate your concern, and it’s sweet of you to think of me.”

As Lee Joon gently ruffled her hair, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Are you joking right now?”

“What’s the point of not coming out?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Lee Joon took Eunchae’s hand and led her to the sofa under the terrace awning. He seated her on his lap and glanced at the spread of snacks laid out on the glass table.

“You haven’t even touched any of it. At least eat some fruit.”

With a discontented expression, Lee Joon picked up an orange.

“Oh, no.”

“Please it this.”

“Come on.”

Reluctantly, Eunchae opened her mouth and took a bite of the orange at Lee Joon’s urging.

“You eat well. You look cute doing it.”

As she chewed, Lee Joon gently pinched her nose, then popped a piece of orange into his mouth.

“Is everything resolved?”

“Sort of.”

Eunchae swallowed her bite of orange and looked at Lee Joon, who nodded in response. Noticing his unexpectedly nonchalant demeanor, she cautiously broached the subject.

“Are you hiding anything else from me?”

“Hiding? What do you mean?”

As Lee Joon offered Eunchae another piece of orange, he tilted his head in confusion.

“There’s so much that I wouldn’t even know what more to hide.”

With a playful glare, Eunchae scrutinized him with sharp eyes. Under her probing gaze, Lee Joon fidgeted, clearly nervous as he avoided her gaze.

“Remember when a researcher leaked technology and disappeared? I heard my father say that you covered nearly all of the damages. When were you planning to tell me about that?”

“Did my father mention that?”

“My mom told me about it. Dad doesn’t say much, so she filled me in.”

“Oh, really?”

Lee Joon laughed awkwardly and playfully pinched Eunchae’s cheek, admiring her pouty expression. She looked so cute when she looked at him

“I think I saw your car around our neighborhood back then. It was you.”

Eunchae recalled that time and managed a weak smile. Now she understood why Mrs. Hwang had been so flustered when she visited unannounced; it was right after Lee Joon had been there.

“Do you remember how you acted back then? I could have just told them I covered the expenses for the family, but you were so cold to everyone who asked out of concern.”

“Uh…”

At Eunchae’s pointed accusation, Lee Joon could only manage an awkward cough.

“I’m sorry. You know I acted cold on purpose, right?”

He glanced at Eunchae, looking for her forgiveness.

“I’m not angry. I’m just upset. If we hadn’t reunited, I would never have known these things and would have blamed you.”

The more she thought about it, the more overwhelming and heartbreaking it became, and Eunchae let out a long sigh.

“Was that money part of the inheritance Michael left behind?”

“Yeah.”

Lee Joon responded briefly and then elaborated on the situation.

“Your father refused to accept it all the way through. So I used you as an excuse.”

“Me?”

At Eunchae’s surprised question, Lee Joon explained further.

“I figured if I said it was wrapped up nicely because of you, it might keep my mother quiet.”

“That might be true…”

Knowing her mother-in-law’s temperament well, Eunchae couldn’t argue against it too fiercely. As she chewed and swallowed the piece of orange Lee Joon had given her, she gently stroked his knee.

“This knee of yours has been through a lot because of me. How many times has it already knelt?”

As she thought about it, her expression darkened with frustration. Noticing this, Lee Joon cupped her face and looked into her eyes.

“Are you about to cry again?”

“I’m not!”

When Eunchae opened her eyes wide in protest, Lee Joon burst into a hearty laugh and wrapped his arm around her waist.

“It’s not just because of you, Eunchae. It’s because you’re Eunchae that I can kneel without hesitation.”

He leaned in and lightly licked her earlobe before whispering,

“Don’t apologize and don’t cry. Just know how much I love you.”

“I know that well enough.”

Eunchae replied while gently stroking his face and back with her hands. Relishing her touch, he confessed.

“There’s no one more precious to me than you. As long as I have you, we can get through this.”

“I will always be by your side, Lee Joon.”

With her response affirming her trust in him, Lee Joon leaned in and kissed Eunchae. Lost in the sweetness of the kiss, Eunchae closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Despite the complicated issues they needed to resolve immediately, both of their hearts felt remarkably calm and fulfilled.

***

On the day of the emergency shareholders’ meeting, the atmosphere inside and outside the company was suffocatingly tense. This meeting was not only important for the change of CEO, but also for the succession of Geumyoung, making it an event of the utmost importance.

Geumyoung Group employees struggled to concentrate on their work when they arrived at the office. Even the executives felt the pressure as if they were walking on thin ice, knowing that they would have to change their positions. Even the security guards, tasked with keeping the throngs of reporters away, couldn’t take their stern expressions off their faces.

“Is it really true that CEO Tae Lee Joon is an illegitimate child? If that’s the case, succession will be difficult.”

One journalist’s question prompted a flurry of comments from others.

“Surely there’s some truth to it? Since CEO Tae Seong-min brought it up publicly as a dismissal proposal, there must be solid evidence.”

“What kind of evidence?”

“Something like a DNA test.”

“Ah…”

As the conversation shifted, another journalist commented.

“So-hyun looked really upset too.”

“She has every right to be angry,” a female reporter defended So-hyun.

“She gave everything—her body, her heart, and even her money. If his ex-wife suddenly reappears wanting to reunite because of a child, I’d be furious. It’s a textbook case of being discarded after being used.”

“Were they really that close? I heard that CEO Tae Lee Joon didn’t even pay attention to her,” someone interjected, questioning the claims.

“How could So-hyun make such sacrifices if they weren’t close? She’s not just an ordinary girl, she’s the granddaughter of the Dongyang Group.”

“Is that so?”

“Absolutely! Why else would she go as far as filing a lawsuit? If she did all this just because she had feelings, then So-hyun must be out of her mind.

As the reporters exchanged various speculations, Lee Joon finally appeared with Tae Seong-yeol.

“Oh, they’re here!”

As reporters rushed toward the father and son, security formed a human barrier to block them. The incessant camera flashes made it difficult for anyone to see clearly.

“It’s quite chaotic here. You should go in first, Father.”

“Alright.”

With a kind smile, Tae Seong-yeol patted Lee Joon’s shoulder and entered the shareholders’ meeting room first.

The reporters exchanged confused glances at this display. If Lee Joon were really an illegitimate child, Tae Seong-yeol wouldn’t treat him so lovingly.

“Is it true that all the reasons for the dismissal proposal are correct?”

“Is it true what your uncle, Tae Seong-min, has claimed?”

Unable to directly mention the term “illegitimate child,” the reporters skirted around the sensitive questions.

“Is the lawsuit filed by So-hyun from Dongyang Textile also true?”

“I understand that you have a lot of questions. We will hold a formal press conference after the shareholders’ meeting to explain everything in detail.

Lee Joon briefly answered the flood of questions before heading into the meeting room.

“CEO Tae Lee Joon!”

“Mr. CEO!”

Reporters shouted and pushed microphones in his direction as they tried to follow, but they were all blocked by security guards.