LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 157: Don’t Trust Too Much
Chapter 157 < Don’t Trust Too Much >
“Mr. Yoo! Wait a minute.”
“Do you remember me? It’s been a long time.”
“…Hello.”
Yoo Yeon Seo hid his nervousness and went along with it for now. How many times had this happened already?.. In the past, there were no groups that approached him so friendly after being harshly rejected by some people who came to greet him.
‘Damn, I lived too diligently.’
He had long shed his image of being a troublemaker. He didn’t know if it was because he had been doing well in the entertainment industry without any problems after the accident, or because his father, who had been absent from his life, had been bragging about him so much that he had a good reputation.
How could this be?..
‘…Should I break it?’
He had thought about it.
He stopped staring at the champagne glass and handed it to the staff. He endured it for the sake of his family’s dignity on this commemorative day of the 80th anniversary. But he would try again someday.
‘Where is Grandpa?’
After sending them away, Yoo Yeon Seo looked around and frowned when he saw the man standing in front of him.
“Hey, long time no see?”
“…Who are you?”
The face was quite familiar. But even with his good memory, he couldn’t identify who it was.
“Don’t you know me? I’m Kim Seong-woo from HU Construction.”
Kim Seong-woo… He was the person who was in the memory that was synchronized. He had met him at a similar event in the past, when he couldn’t resist his grandfather’s pressure.
He had provoked him by associating his entertainment career and his mother, and he had dealt with him, but he didn’t run away in anger, did he? He didn’t look like this back then… Well, that’s not important.
“Aha… You remember me well after meeting me a few years ago. Didn’t you get enough of being scolded back then?”
Yoo Yeon Seo played along for now, as he seemed to not let go easily. Kim Seong-woo’s mouth twitched slightly, but it was only for a moment.
“…That was a long time ago, why are you holding a grudge?”
Oh, this is a new reaction. As far as he knew, Kim Seong-woo followed his brother like a cousin, Choi Ji-hoon. He was narrow-minded, petty, and hot-tempered. He thought he would back off if he provoked him enough, but he was acting as if he was composed.
“Okay, nice to see you. Bye then.”
“Hold on.”
Yoo Yeon Seo looked at Kim Seong-woo’s hand that grabbed his arm with disdain. He had a lot on his mind already, and he didn’t need this nonsense to stick to him. He felt his old personality coming out.
Kim Seong-woo let go of his hand when he saw Yoo Yeon Seo’s eyes and tried to smile.
“Let’s talk a little bit since it’s come to this. What have you been up to?”
“I don’t think we were that close, you know.”
“We can become close now, can’t we? Let’s forget about the past.”
This guy, he seemed to have something he wanted from me… Yoo Yeon Seo looked over Kim Seong-woo’s shoulder. Three women were glancing at them.
“Is that her?”
“What?”
“The person you’re interested in.”
Kim Seong-woo clenched his mouth. He didn’t answer, so it must be right. Yoo Yeon Seo chuckled. The women waved at Yoo Yeon Seo. So… The women’s interest was not on him, but on me, and he wanted to use me somehow, since he had a shallow acquaintance with me…
“Don’t tell me you’re using me to woo her?”
“No, no, what are you talking about. No.”
“You even touched your face… Why do you have such low self-esteem? Were you always like this?”
Yoo Yeon Seo leaned close to him and whispered in his ear. He had to lower his head because Kim Seong-woo was short.
“You said to me back then that your bloodline was worthless and your son would follow suit. You didn’t even know what you were talking about.”
“That, that was…”
“Don’t you remember?”
Kim Seong-woo shuddered when he met Yoo Yeon Seo’s eyes. In the past, anything related to his mother was taboo for Yoo Yeon Seo. Some people who didn’t know that fact provoked Yoo Yeon Seo by mentioning his mother.
They probably envied Yoo Yeon Seo, who had nothing lacking in terms of appearance or family. And the more he was provoked, the more he acted out, which only made his image worse.
‘But it’s different now.’
Unlike the past, when he didn’t explain why he acted that way and fueled the bad rumors, he had earned the trust of his family to some extent.
“Well, you don’t remember, so you must have talked to me well. Right?”
“No, no, that’s not it…”
“Kim Seong-woo, have some courage. People are not all about their looks. The important thing is the heart.”
“Ugh…”
“Does it hurt? What if you fall down like that? Everyone is watching.”
Yoo Yeon Seo smirked as she pressed a spot on Kim Seong-woo’s shoulder. His face turned redder as he frowned in pain. It must have hurt a lot.
“Anyway, you’re still stuck with your ugly looks and rotten personality. You have no hope.”
“Kuh…”
“You can do it. Fighting. And don’t forget to stay out of my sight from now on.”
She casually patted Kim Seong-woo’s shoulder and quickly left the scene.
When she looked at where he was staring, she saw Yoo Eunho and Baek Seo-joon eating finger food and watching him.
“What did you do to him?”
“What, were you watching?”
“I was worried you might cause trouble again.”
She knew that wasn’t the real reason. Yoo Yeon Seo sighed and reached for the glass on the table. But Yoo Eunho stopped her.
“Don’t drink alcohol. You’re not feeling well.”
“Do you have to go? You’re popular, right?”
There were still many people who wanted to talk to them. Yoo Eunho sighed as he had been bothered since earlier.
“It was fine as long as you stayed by my side…”
Ah… Was it because he was worried I might get into trouble if I stuck to his side whenever there was an event like this… Or was it because he really liked being with me?
“Where’s Grandpa?”
“There.”
Yoo Seong-won was chatting and laughing with his old acquaintances and was about to leave his seat for a moment.
“I should go and talk to him.”
“Should I go too? Can I go alone?”
“Well, he seems to like me.”
She had to find out why he looked at her like that. Ignoring her brother’s advice to go home if she was tired, she snatched Baek Seo-joon’s glass and put it in her hand.
“What?”
“Drink this new one.”
Yoo Yeon Seo followed Yoo Seong-won into the bathroom and pretended to notice him late as she washed her hands at the sink.
“Oh? Grandpa.”
“Yes, you’re the second child of the eldest.”
Yoo Seong-won used the sink next to Yoo Yeon Seo after finishing his business.
“How are you? It’s been a long time since you came.”
“You’ve changed a lot.”
“But you seem to have fun with your friends.”
“Yes, I’ve seen their faces, so I should go soon.”
“Can I ask you one thing?”
Yoo Yeon Seo grabbed Yoo Seong-won as he tried to pass by her. She felt like this was her only chance.
“Why did you look at me like that earlier?”
“Did it show?”
“I’m sensitive to emotions. I’m an actor.”
If his eyes only showed guilt, she might have suspected ‘the head’. But Yoo Seong-won pitied and sympathized with her. It could have been because he ordered her to witness a tragedy as a child.
But it felt different. He was genuinely sorry for her.
“Anyone who knows your situation would look at you like that. Especially since you’re blood-related.”
“I guess so.”
Yoo Yeon Seo deliberately made a pitiful expression. If he felt sorry for me, he might give me a small clue to identify ‘the head’. Seeing her like that, Yoo Seong-won licked his lips and looked at her with determination.
“Let me tell you something.”
“Come this way.”
Yoo Yeon Seo led Yoo Seong-won to the reception room nearby. There were water and cups on the table with expensive sofas. Yoo Seong-won let out a faint snort at her preparedness, but Yoo Yeon Seo had no time to spare.
“So, do you know why I stepped down from the chairman position?”
“Grandpa didn’t tell me, so I only heard rumors. That our grandpa did some backstabbing.”
“Heh, there were such rumors too…”
Yoo Seong-won took a sip of water. He liked Yoo Yeon Seo’s directness.
“It was because of my two sons’ accident, right?”
“Okay.”
“That’s not true, actually.”
Yoo Yeonseo didn’t fully believe the rumors, but he half-agreed that his grandfather’s eccentric personality could have caused them.
“I had no talent for management. Your grandfather and Changho were the ones who handled my work.”
“So you were like a figurehead?”
“Yes, I inherited it reluctantly because I was the eldest son.”
He said he had planned to pass the company to his younger brother, not his son, after finishing the important tasks.
“······But before I could tell them that, they started fighting with each other.”
“No way.”
“Yes, that accident was not Changho’s fault, but theirs······.”
Yoo Seongwon couldn’t finish his sentence. Yoo Yeonseo handed him his handkerchief. It was a tragedy that happened because he had delayed telling his ambitious sons that he would give the company to his brother.
‘He really had no talent for management.’
He was too kind and indecisive. He was the opposite of Yoo Chairman, who was cold-hearted but honest and outspoken.
“You seem to get along well with Eunho.”
“Yes, well······.”
“Good. But listen······ Don’t trust your family too much.”
“Do you think my biological mother was involved in that accident?”
Yoo Seongwon didn’t answer. But Yoo Yeonseo could guess from his expression, breathing, and gestures. He didn’t think she was ‘smart’ enough.
He was just a grandfather who cared about his nephew and grandson who had suffered a similar tragedy.
“I should get going.”
“Wait a minute.”
Yoo Yeonseo didn’t just catch his gaze. He also remembered the moment when he had looked at his relatives with discomfort. If he said not to trust his family, there must be someone he suspected.
“Is there anyone······ you have a hunch about? Could you contact me if you do?”
“······You.”
Yoo Seongwon saw the desperation in Yoo Yeonseo’s eyes. He didn’t know the details behind Lee Heeseo’s accident, but he could read a lot of stories from that look.
“You’re doubting something.”
“Please contact me. I beg you.”
Yoo Yeonseo bowed his head.
He escorted Yoo Seongwon to the entrance and returned to join Yoo Eunho and Baek Seojun.
“How was it?”
“······.”
Yoo Yeonseo answered Baek Seojun’s question with silence. He had really hoped it wasn’t true······ He glanced at his family and relatives. His stepmother, who was chatting and laughing with the guests, and his aunt and uncle.
They were the only ones left.