Counterfire Marriage — Chapter 11

DO YOU FEEL GUILTY ABOUT MY ACCIDENT?

BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T HOLD ME BACK LONGER THAT DAY?

BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T STOP DO YONG-TAE'S THEFT IN TIME?

DO YOU FEEL INDEBTED TO ME?

IS THAT WHY YOU HELPED ME ALL THIS TIME...

AND GOT ANGRIER AT DO YONG-TAE THAN I DID?

IF THAT'S TRUE...

YOU REALLY ARE TOO KIND.

WHATEVER THE REASON...

IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT, DIRECTOR.

IT FELT LIKE YOU WERE SHOULDERING TOO HEAVY A BURDEN FOR WHAT HAPPENED,

SO I WANTED TO TELL YOU.

...I'VE BEEN AWAY TOO-

PARDON?

I'VE BEEN AWAY FROM MY DESK TOO LONG.

I SHOULD HEAD BACK.

I HAVE ANOTHER MEETING AT THE OFFICE.

AH, OF COURSE.

IT GOT LATE.

THANK YOU AGAIN TODAY.

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT YOUR COUSIN?

YUHWAN IS HAVING A WEDDING THIS FALL.

...DID YOU KNOW?

NO.

AREN'T YOU SURPRISED, THOUGH?

HER FAMILY HAS STRONG POLITICAL TIES.

WITH HIS IN-LAWS BACKING HIM, YUHWAN HAS BEEN STEPPING UP HIS PUBLIC PRESENCE.

CHOI HYUN- MYEONG'S FATHER, CHOI JUN-SIK.

YOUR GRANDFATHER STICKS FIRMLY TO THE ELDEST-SON SUC- CESSION PRINCIPLE,

AND YOUR TRACK RECORD CLEARLY OUTSHINES YUHWAN'S.

STILL, THE WORLD VALUES FLASHY PRESENCE OVER QUIET COMPETENCE.

YOU CAN'T JUST SIT BACK ANYMORE...

...ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?

YES.

SIGH... YOU HAVE NO DRIVE AT ALL.

NOT THAT I CAN EASILY LECTURE YOU THESE DAYS...

NEXT WEEKEND, THERE'S A STRATEGY MEETING AND GOLF GATHERING.

KEY FIGURES FROM GLOBAL INVESTMENT FIRMS IN ASIA WILL BE THERE...

WHY DON'T YOU ESCORT THE CHAIRMAN AND ATTEND?

DON'T JUST REFUSE RIGHT OFF THE BAT...

ALL RIGHT.

UH...

WAIT, WHAT?!

...A-ARE YOU REALLY ALL RIGHT WITH THAT?

YOU CAN ACTUALLY GO?

YOU TOLD ME TO GO.

...YOU ALWAYS TURN ME DOWN SO COLDLY.

...AND THERE'S THAT TRADE EXPO TOMORROW.

WHY DON'T YOU ATTEND THAT TOO?

I HAVE ANOTHER COMMITMENT, BUT...

I CAN STOP BY FOR A BIT.

OH, AND!

THE WEEK AFTER NEXT, THERE'S AN OVERSEAS BUSINESS TRIP FOR THE NEW PROJECT...

FATHER.

THAT ISN'T MY DEPARTMENT.

RIGHT...

I WAS JUST BRINGING IT UP.

FIGURES.

CALMLY SAYING WHATEVER HE WANTS... MY FORMIDABLE SON.

STILL, THIS WENT PRETTY WELL.

IF ONLY HE'D BE A LITTLE WARMER.

WITH EACH PASSING YEAR, HE LOOKS MORE LIKE HIS MOTHER... SO HANDSOME.

...WHAT IS IT?

NOTHING. IT'S NOTHING.

IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT.

IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT.

IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT, HYUN- MYEONG.

...BUT...

I CALLED MOM AND WOULDN'T STOP CRYING.

TELLING HER I WAS SICK AND TO COME HOME RIGHT AWAY...

IF I HADN'T CALLED, MOM WOULDN'T HAVE...

RUSHED BACK AND GOTTEN INTO THAT ACCIDENT...

SHE WOULDN'T HAVE DIED...

HYUN-MYEONG'S MOTHER, YEOM MI-HYE,

WAS A BEAUTIFUL AND CAPABLE WOMAN.

SHE JOINED CHOISEON C&T AS AN ENTRY-LEVEL EMPLOYEE AND QUICKLY CLIMBED THE RANKS,

AND WITH HER WARM PERSONALITY, SUCCESSFUL MEN CONSTANTLY COURTED HER.

AND ONE OF THOSE MEN WAS CHOI JUN-SIK.

TRAGEDY, HOWEVER, STRUCK YEOM MI-HYE OUT OF NOWHERE,

TEN DAYS.

YEOM MI-HYE COULDN'T MAKE IT PAST THAT POINT.

NOW...

I THINK YOU SHOULD PREPARE FOR THE WORST.

IN HONG YUYEON HOVERING BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH, CHOI HYUN-MYEONG SAW HIS MOTHER.

WE BELIEVE THERE'S NO LONGER ANY HOPE.

YET TEN DAYS PASSED, THEN ANOTHER TEN,

AND EVEN AS YEARS WENT BY,

HONG YUYEON KEPT HOLDING ON TO LIFE.

FAINTLY BUT STEADILY, HONG YUYEON ENDURED THAT TIME.

SHE'S STILL ALIVE.

AND HER WILL TO LIVE BECAME CHOI HYUN-MYEONG'S HOPE.

IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT.

FATHER, THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME THAT.

BUT WOULD MOTHER FEEL THE SAME WAY?

IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT, DIRECTOR.

IT FELT LIKE YOU WERE CARRYING FAR TOO HEAVY A BURDEN FOR WHAT HAPPENED,

SO I WANTED TO TELL YOU.

...MOTHER.

...I THINK I’VE BEEN

ALONE FOR FAR TOO LONG.