Perfect Possession - Episode 7

Captain Chang was dragging out his words and looking around, and I could tell at a glance what he wanted. Jae-hoon silently looked at Hyun-shik. Seo-yeon watched Hyun-shik take an envelope out of his inside pocket.

Captain Chang’s face changed with tension and joy as he received the envelope, and he peered inside. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

The amount must have been more than he expected, as his hands even trembled. He hurriedly put the envelope deep into his inside pocket and looked at Jae-hoon with a polite face.

“I know his daughter’s phone number. That woman, no, she changed her phone number, so I don’t know it well, but her daughter calls her mom so much that I remember it.”

“Are you sure about the daughter’s phone number?”

Seo-yeon asked, jumping into the conversation in desperation. If Haeja had changed her phone number, she thought her daughter’s number might not be accurate either.

“Yes. She came by not too long ago, asking if she had been in contact with her mother. So, I told her what nonsense…”

“Hyun-shik, get the phone number and come out.”

“Yes.”

Jae-hoon cut off the captain’s words and got up from his seat. Seo-yeon also stood up immediately. She felt nauseous from the captain’s alcohol breath.

“Lawyer Yoon, make sure you get a written statement.”

“Yes, don’t worry. I’ll join you as soon as it’s finished.”

Seo-yeon listened to Jae-hoon telling the captain to keep quiet, and she pressed down on her pounding heart. She thought that if she could meet the daughter, meeting Haeja would be a matter of time.

Seo-yeon’s legs felt weak with the hope that she could find her son if she met Haeja. She grabbed the roadside tree next to her and calmed herself down.

“What are you going to do if you’re like this already?”

Jae-hoon came over and supported Seo-yeon’s trembling arm.

“I’m okay.”

“It doesn’t look like it to me.”

“I’m not like this because I’m sick.”

Seo-yeon quietly shook off Jae-hoon’s hand, feeling like she was constantly showing him this side of herself.

“I’m just nervous.”

“It won’t take a week. I told you I’d find him for sure.”

Jae-hoon supported Seo-yeon’s arm again and opened the car door for her. Just then, Hyun-shik came out, making a phone call. He saw Jae-hoon and said in a slightly excited voice.

“I got through to the daughter.”

“Where is she?”

“Namyangju.”

“Let’s go.”

“Should we grab a quick bite to eat?”

At Hyun-shik’s words, Jae-hoon turned to Seo-yeon. Seo-yeon, who wasn’t hungry and was in a hurry, wanted to say she didn’t need it. But she didn’t want to make Jae-hoon go hungry, so she quietly said,

“Let’s eat something quick.”

“We don’t have time to stop by the Busan villa, so let’s get a packed lunch instead.”

Jae-hoon said briefly and got into the car with Seo-yeon. Jae-hoon said that the packed lunch he was about to eat was the first one Seo-yeon had ever prepared. On their first outing, Jae-hoon happily ate the lunch she had hesitated to prepare.

Seo-yeon was happy that he ate it all without leaving anything, even though it wasn’t a hotel dish made with the finest ingredients.

“Han Tae-yul.”

It was a sudden, out-of-the-blue statement, but Seo-yeon knew it was her son’s name.

“…It’s nice.”

“From now on, don’t call him ‘the baby,’ call him Tae-yul. I don’t know how he’s been for 16 months, but from now on, I’ll raise him to be the best.”

Seo-yeon couldn’t say anything. She couldn’t even imagine what he must have felt for the 16 months he didn’t know about his son’s existence.

They put away the lunch box, which was less than half empty, and the car headed to Namyangju, where Haeja’s daughter was. Seo-yeon desperately hoped that she could find out where Tae-yul was before the sun went down, her heart burning.

“Tell me if you find out anything.”

Jae-hoon opened his mouth in the quiet car.

“Her name is Park Jeongwon, and she used to be a caregiver, but she’s known for getting into fights with the elderly in that field, so she’s almost unemployed. She’s currently in Hwado-eup, Namyangju.”

“Keep contacting her on the way to confirm her location.”

“Yes, I understand.”

As soon as Hyun-shik finished talking to Jae-hoon, he sent a text message to someone. He seemed to be telling a woman named Jeongwon that they were leaving. Seo-yeon took a breath only after hearing the sound of the text message coming into Hyun-shik’s cell phone.

“Get some sleep. It’s going to be another three hours.”

“…Yes. I will.”

Seo-yeon couldn’t possibly sleep, but she couldn’t tell Jae-hoon she was okay. She looked at Jae-hoon’s profile, lost in thought, hoping he would close his eyes for a while too.

She noticed the sharp, perfect bridge of his nose, which she had admired every time she saw it. Seo-yeon was appointed as the vice president’s secretary when she first joined Do-young Group as a secretary.

However, unlike other secretaries, she was moved to the vice chairman’s office because she was neat and dignified. At that time, Jae-hoon was busy with important projects at Do-young Group.

As a result, Hyun-shik, who was Jae-hoon’s right-hand man, had to go out more often, handling minor tasks on his behalf.

Naturally, a secretary was needed to assist Jae-hoon in the company, and Seo-yeon became the vice chairman’s secretary just one week after joining the company.

She couldn’t forget the thrill and excitement of that time. Seo-yeon, like the other secretaries, admired Jae-hoon’s appearance.

Jae-hoon had a unique aura that would make any handsome man next to him look ordinary. It wasn’t just that his eyes, nose, and mouth were handsome.

His dignity could be felt in his tall nose, which perfectly supported the center of his face. Seo-yeon liked him, who had an unapproachable charisma.

She couldn’t sleep at night at the thought of being able to serve such a Jae-hoon up close. She was so nervous when she heard Jae-hoon’s voice saying, “Please take good care of me,” that it was hard to keep a straight face.

It had already been three years. Sitting next to him like this after a long time made her feel like she was back to being his secretary.

Jae-hoon turned around, sensing Seo-yeon’s gaze. Their eyes met. It wasn’t a crazy, resentful look of betrayal and misunderstanding, but just a quiet look at each other.

The two looked at each other for a while without saying a word. Seo-yeon saw in Jae-hoon’s eyes the pain he had gone through over the past two years. Wanting to soothe it, she unknowingly took his hand.

“I’m sorry.”

Jae-hoon looked down at the white hand covering his hand. He felt a familiar warmth. There was a time when he couldn’t sleep because he missed this warmth.

He had decided that when he found her, he would make this warmth his own. So that she couldn’t live without him. Even if he had to pour out the money she liked so much.

“In the future, don’t say you’re sorry in front of me. The person who needs to hear that is Tae-yul, not me.”

Seo-yeon froze, feeling the blood drain from her body. He was right. She lifted her arm to let go of his hand. But her hand was immediately grabbed with a strong force.

“It’s the same for me, not just you.”

Seo-yeon bit her lip at those words. She had said she wouldn’t cry, so she didn’t want to show tears. She calmed herself down and took a slow breath.

She suddenly wondered who Tae-yul looked like. No matter how many times she imagined it, her last thought was always Jae-hoon.

When she heard the word “son,” imagining Tae-yul looking like Jae-hoon made the blood flow back into her heart, which had been stopped. She wanted Tae-yul to look just like Jae-hoon. Seo-yeon naturally let those words flow from her mouth.

“I hope he looks like you.”

A flustered and urgent gaze returned to Seo-yeon. She said with a faint smile.

“I was thinking that. I hope he looks like you.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“That way… I can recognize him at a glance. Tae-yul will know that you’re his dad.”

She wanted to say that she wanted him to look like a strong dad rather than a weak mom, but the word “mom” wouldn’t come out of her mouth.

“I’ll recognize our son. If you can’t sleep, at least close your eyes.”

“If you close them, I’ll close them too.”

Seo-yeon said bravely. Jae-hoon stared intently at Seo-yeon, who was being stubborn, then leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Only then did she close her eyes too.

But Seo-yeon’s mind was complicated by the hand Jae-hoon was holding.

She would definitely find Tae-yul. Seo-yeon trusted Jae-hoon. But she hadn’t thought about what would happen to her after she found Tae-yul. She didn’t have time for that.

If Jae-hoon claimed everything about Tae-yul, would she be able to follow him? She thought she would be okay with whatever happened to her as long as her child came back, but she felt like that determination would waver after she saw Tae-yul.

Could she ask him to let her see him a few times a week? What would happen if he married another woman?

Among the myriad of thoughts that were tearing at her heart, she strangely didn’t think that Chairman Han of Do-young Group and Mi-ryung would separate her and take Tae-yul away.

Jae-hoon had respect for Chairman Han’s management of the business, but he thoroughly protected his own territory.

Seo-yeon was sure that he would never allow any interference with his son, even from his own parents. So Seo-yeon was going to trust him and wait.

As they got closer to Namyangju, Seo-yeon’s heart began to beat painfully. Jae-hoon said he would find him within a week, but maybe she could hold Tae-yul in her arms as early as today.

Seo-yeon’s breathing became so rapid that she couldn’t open her chest, and she squeezed Jae-hoon’s hand painfully.

“Pull yourself together.”

Seo-yeon’s eyes welled up with tears as she felt the concern in his cold voice. Finally, the car entered Hwado-eup, Namyangju.

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