CH 68

“Your ego’s gotten inflated after forcing your grandmother to give you her shares,” Mr. Cha sneered.

That confirmed it; Mr. Cha had gone to the States to bring Jaeho back to compete against Muyeol, but since his half-brother alone would not be enough, Mr. Cha involved Heesu in the plan as well. Strangely enough, Jaeho’s fiancée was not surprised by the sudden turn of events at all, as if she had witnessed it plenty of times before.

Muyeol’s lips curled with bitterness. Mr. Gong, K group’s CEO was well known for his fiery temperament and the spartan treatment he subjected his sons to.

“When I tell you to do something, just do it,” Mr. Cha commanded.

“I don’t want to. This project is my work, and it’ll be completed by me.” Pangs of pain ran through Muyeol’s body as he spoke, but it wasn’t from getting hit by the ashtray. It was the way Mr. Cha had insulted him by questioning his blood. Mr. Cha was always like this, throwing the nearest thing he could grab and cursing at him without any concern of the people around whenever he was upset. But it still hurt.

‘Filthy-blooded b*stard like me…’ Muyeol thought as he recalled Mr. Cha’s words.

“How many times have I told you that your selfishness always ruins the company’s image?” Mr. Cha scolded.

“I remember covering up your mistakes in order to save the company’s image more, though.” Muyeol was ready to contradict Mr. Cha at every step. “I covered for you when you were about to get arrested at the airport in the States after going on a power trip on the plane. Oh, and what about the time when you blemished the company’s reputation after calling a prostitute to your hotel room?”

“You… y-you dirty half-blood! Who do you think you are to say such things to me?”

“Your role here is to leave the workers alone when they’re on their way to gain profits for this company,” Muyeol sneered, “This isn’t a small shop we’re handling.”

Jaeho’s face grew stiff as he realized that it wasn’t going to be easy to interfere in Muyeol’s project. He silently studied Mr. Cha’s face. It seemed Muyeol had grown a lot stronger in the past three years. He never submitted to Mr. Cha even when he was young, but he was more resistant now, pointing out Mr. Cha’s flaws without any hesitation.

Suddenly, Heesu stepped forward and held Muyeol’s hand. “Muyeol, I understand what you’re saying. The role of the upper management is to let the workers achieve good results and encourage them. We’ll remember that.”

Muyeol had heard about Heesu; she was the smartest one among all the K group heirs, and she was cunning enough to interrupt the argument in order to dissipate the tension.

Mr. Cha smiled with satisfaction and addressed Heesu. “As you can see, he’s inadequate. There’s probably a hidden deficiency in his project, so you and Jaeho should support the Istanbul project and make it successful. If it goes well, our S airline will become one of the top 3 airlines in the world.”

“We’ll definitely make the project successful,” Jaeho said resolutely, “I’ll do my best.”

“There won’t be an opportunity for you to do your best because I won’t allow you to take any credit,” Muyeol snapped and left the room. He couldn’t care less about Mr. Cha shouting behind him angrily like he always did.

He straightened out the wrinkles in his suit, brushing invisible dust off his shoulder; the suit was like a shield for him, he never allowed it to look unkempt.

Muyeol called his secretary, Mr. Hong, the moment he reached his office. “Tell everyone to gather in the meeting room right now.”

“Okay, sir.”

The rest of the team had already been waiting anxiously when they heard Muyeol had been summoned by Mr. Cha. In an instant, Mr. Hong asked everyone to report to the meeting room.

* * *

This morning, Yiyoung was particularly busy; she couldn’t rest for a single moment. The influx of patients started quite early. First, there was a patient who had cut his finger with a sharp knife. Next, there was a patient with an incision, then there was another with a scald, and another with a deep wound inflicted by a weapon. Fortunately, none of the injuries were life-threatening. Sure, they were suffering from pain, but at least they could easily get it treated.

Before Yiyoung could even breathe, a paramedic brought in a woman. She looked disheveled; her hair was tangled wildly, as if someone had pulled it harshly, and her face and clothes were covered in blood dripping from her nose and lips. A nurse quickly brought a wheelchair for the patient, but the woman clung to the paramedic, seemingly desperate for the comfort of a trusted person. Yiyoung quickly ran to their side.

“She’s a victim of dating violence. The officers are going to arrive soon,” the paramedic explained, “And…”

The paramedic wanted to elaborate, but Yiyoung already knew what he was going to say. She immediately assisted the woman and gently said, “I’ll take care of you from now on. My name is Yoon Yiyoung.”

Yiyoung’s soft tone lessened the woman’s anxiety; she burst out crying and clung to Yiyoung this time.

Yiyoung hugged her tightly and reassured her, “I’ll take care of you, so you just have to trust me.”

The woman nodded, still bawling her eyes out. Yiyoung—still hugging the woman—silently signalled a nurse to prepare the intensive care unit.

When Dr. Kang came out after treating a patient with a burn, the ER was as quiet as the eye of a typhoon. The silence was strange; just earlier, the ER had been so busy that the doctors were on the verge of fainting.

“I wonder if everyone’s busy,” he muttered as he looked around. The doors to all the ICUs were closed, so it seemed everyone was occupied with something.

“You’ve all been frantically working today, right?” he asked one of the nurses.

“Yes, Dr. Kang,” she replied.

“Would you like to have some coffee?”

“We would appreciate it if you could.”

“Alright, please wait a moment.” Dr. Kang went to the vending machine and bought enough coffee for all the nurses. If Yiyoung had been there, then he would have used her help to carry all of them, but she was still treating patients.

He could have had coffee alone, too, but he knew that it mattered when he shared small things like this with the staff of the hospital; it would help him gain support when he would become a professor.