Small and Fragile Things - Chapter 41

[A Master’s Greeting]

A banner announcing artist Lee Seonjae’s farewell exhibition was now hanging on the outer wall of Taejin Art Hall.

Tonight was the preview night, an exclusive event where friends and colleagues had gathered to celebrate the artist’s retirement.

“You’re the last person I expected to see here, Vice President! Aren’t you busy with wedding prep these days?”

“Ah, Assemblyman Hong. It’s good to see you. I’m not doing much, honestly. My fiancée’s the busy one.”

“Hah, figures. Brides always have more to prepare. Was the same when I married off my son…”

Though he hadn’t planned to attend tonight, Il-hyun found himself receiving an early round of congratulations. Many of the people invited to his upcoming wedding were also here tonight, so naturally, the conversations flowed in that direction.

“But your fiancée didn’t come with you?”

“No, unfortunately, she couldn’t make it.”

“I saw you two together the other day—you really suit each other. Such a good-looking couple!”

“Thank you.”

If they’d had even a little more time to prepare, Il-hyun would’ve invited Jung Songyeon along. It was always best to be seen together as much as possible before the wedding.

Their union—Samun and Hanmin—needed to be firmly established in the eyes of society. That way, if anything unexpected happened, it wouldn’t throw the entire gameboard into chaos. But this event had been arranged too suddenly. There hadn’t been time to coordinate schedules.

From across the hall, he spotted Chairman Choi chatting with artist Lee. As usual, Il-hyun hadn’t been told anything in advance by his father. Instructions had come through the secretary’s office, and he had simply followed them.

There had been times when this way of doing things felt stifling or frustrating. But now, with all the responsibilities and duties he had as Vice President, he no longer had the time or energy to question it all.

He chose to believe that he and his father were heading in the same direction—and focused on doing the work entrusted to him, and doing it well.

That kind of unshakable faith was something only someone born and raised as the undisputed heir could possess.

“Well, enjoy the evening.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Il-hyun stepped away and moved to a quieter corner.
Thirsty, he quickly downed a glass of champagne and checked his phone.

[Director Choi Muk-hyun has arrived. He is accompanied by a woman.]

A message from his secretary.

“A woman?”

That couldn’t be right. They must have seen wrong.

Scoffing, he casually lifted his head—and immediately froze at the sight before him.

“…Huh?”

It really was Choi Muk-hyun. And he wasn’t alone.

Normally, Muk-hyun would’ve slipped in quietly, like he wasn’t even there. But tonight, the woman beside him was drawing everyone’s attention.

Who is she?

She wore a pale yellow chiffon dress and looked petite, almost delicate. From a distance, he couldn’t make out her features, but her presence was graceful and pure.

The curve of her neck reminded him of a swan or a deer—elegant but stiff, like she didn’t belong here. Despite her refined looks, she stood awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable. But even that made her look like a ballerina—her movements were graceful, her silhouette slim and fluid.

As she nervously glanced around, her eyes suddenly met his.

Why did it feel like déjà vu? He had never seen this woman before, but in that split-second of eye contact, an image flashed in his mind—her in a pure white wedding dress.

Startled, he quickly checked to see if she resembled Jung Songyeon somehow—but no. Everything about her was different. The vibe, her build, even the way she walked.

Her gaze soon turned back to Muk-hyun, but Il-hyun found himself unable to look away.

Is she here to meet Father?

Most likely. Muk-hyun must’ve also been ordered to attend tonight. Of course he’d go greet their father—but… with a woman?

A gift?

That seemed the most likely explanation. He vaguely recalled hearing that artist Lee liked to paint young women as his muses.

Still… the woman looked too timid, too lost to be some kind of offering. She seemed more like an ordinary girl, dragged into this place without knowing what was going on.

But Muk-hyun wasn’t treating her like a date, either. His attitude was cold, detached—not what you’d expect if she were his partner for the evening.

Il-hyun remembered the rumors—how Muk-hyun supposedly treated women harshly.

Just then, Chairman Choi noticed them and started walking over. From this distance, Il-hyun couldn’t hear what they were saying. But to outsiders, the three of them looked… almost friendly.

Of course, Illyun knew better.

Most likely, their father was displeased—annoyed that Muk-hyun had brought a woman without prior approval. The girl was probably flustered and uncomfortable.

As expected…

Il-hyun noticed the woman quietly retreating behind Muk-hyun. He set down his champagne glass.

Before stepping forward, he quickly sent his secretary a message.

[Find out everything about the woman Director Choi brought. Immediately.]

***

“Chairman.”

Meanwhile, Irang was barely holding herself together. Everything was wrong—the feel of the silky dress brushing against her legs, the high heels, the weight of her styled hair and makeup.

She had liked what she saw in the mirror back at the boutique. But now that she was being paraded around in front of strangers, their curious stares made her want to pass out.

Muk-hyun hadn’t said a word since they left the store. Without any explanation, he had brought her here and left her in front of someone called “Chairman.”

“Oh, you’re here.”

The man didn’t look particularly old, aside from his silvery-white hair. He was tall and broad-shouldered, his face barely wrinkled. “Chairman” or not, he didn’t match her image of an old man.

So… this guy must be someone really important? she thought vaguely.

“This must be the young lady.” They say you can tell what kind of person someone is just by looking them in the eye.

When her gaze met the Chairman’s, Irang instinctively held her breath.

“How are you? Nice to meet you.”

“H-hi… It’s nice to meet you…”

The best she could do was look away and bow.

Wherever his eyes landed, her skin crawled like bugs were crawling across it. But Irang clenched her fists and endured. Her gut told her not to hide behind Muk-hyun, even though she desperately wanted to.

She didn’t know much about the world—naïve, inexperienced—but she had always been good at reading people. Especially people who wore fake smiles.

And the Chairman… scared her.

There was no warmth in his eyes. Just a shallow curiosity. The kind you’d feel when looking at a strange flower on the sidewalk—or a bird with funny feathers. The kind of gaze that could just as easily pluck the flower or shoot the bird without a second thought.

Irang was sure of it.

“Young lady. Do you know who I am?”

She had seen eyes like his before. A long, long time ago.

“…Chairman?”

She barely managed to respond, though fear had numbed her fingertips. The man chuckled as if amused.

“That’s right. Haha, I’m the Chairman of Samun Group.”

Irang couldn’t bring herself to look directly at his face—just glanced at his jawline. And then froze. There, on the right corner of his mouth, was a deep dimple—just like Muk-hyun’s.

“That boy next to you? He’s my son.”

“…Your… son?”

She turned to Muk-hyun in shock. He simply nodded, unfazed.

His father? How? How could someone with those eyes… be his father?

Irang looked up at him, confused, but Muk-hyun didn’t react.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, the Chairman grabbed her arm and pulled her closer, lowering his voice to a whisper.

“Guess what. I’m the one who told him to take you out of there.”

“…Ah…”

Irang let out a soft gasp.

“I told him to take good care of you. Has he?”

“…”

“I know you went through a lot in that place. Shouldn’t I at least get a thank you for that?”

He knows me.