Chapter 3

Life Reversal (2)

***

The subway was quiet during the weekday afternoon.

Dojun sat there, holding the letter left by his mother tightly, waiting for the train to reach his destination. His appearance, already disheveled, had become even more haggard due to the funeral he had to organize.

It had been just a day since he placed his mother's ashes in the columbarium. The shock of her death had not yet subsided, and the contents of the letter were too much for Dojun to bear.

Even now, Dojun was unsure if the contents of the letter were true or if he was on the right path.

Still, he took a step forward because he thought it was necessary to inform his mother's death to the man called his father, if such a person existed, as soon as possible.

Dojun checked the letter again.

It was too sudden and scary.

It was just one meeting,

I really didn't know I would have a child.

So I secretly gave birth and raised you.

I'm really sorry for raising you without a father.

When I'm gone,

You'll be alone.

You've grown up,

And I think it's okay for you to find your father now...

If you say 'Jingwandon Kang Youngsoon,' he'll remember.

...It was an unexpected meeting,

But meeting you was a great fortune in my life.

I was very happy raising you,

And I never regretted it.

I love you. My most beautiful son.

The writing, done after the accident, was weak and wobbly.

Dojun tried to hold back the tears welling up in his eyes as he folded the letter and put it in his pocket. It was hard to believe, but his deceased mother wouldn't have lied on her deathbed.

—The next station is Digital Media City Station, Digital Media City Station. Please disembark if you are getting off...

Dojun stood up and moved to the door.

It was Digital Media City Station, where the headquarters of SG Group was located.

'My father is Chairman Baek Jeonghan...'

***

The SG Group headquarters, with its all-glass walls, exuded a cutting-edge feel.

Since SG Group owned all the companies related to the cultural industry, it also operated production companies and management agencies.

'I used to think it would be nice to work at SG someday, but I never imagined it would be like this.'

Dojun thought as he stepped into the revolving door. Everyone passing by seemed to be in a hurry. In the first-floor cafeteria, there were even famous drama producers and actors.

Dojun first checked the floor guide. As expected, the CEO's office was on the top floor. To take the elevator, you needed an access card. Dojun clenched his fist and headed toward the reception desk.

The receptionist, whose job was to smile, had a less than pleasant expression when she met Dojun's eyes. It was clear that a first-time visitor would find it difficult to face him up close.

"Wh-What is it?"

"I've come to see the chairman."

"Excuse me?"

The receptionist's face turned cold, thinking she had misheard.

"Chairman Baek Jeonghan. I've come to see him."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"If you tell him that the son of 'Jingwandon Kang Youngsoon' is here, he'll meet me."

"I'm sorry, but without an appointment, he can't meet you suddenly."

"Please just pass the message. He'll definitely agree to meet me."

"I'm sorry."

The receptionist repeated "I'm sorry" with a blank expression, her face full of derision.

"Please, just once. If you pass the message, it's like saving a person... I really need to meet him. Okay?"

Dojun was now pleading, but the receptionist remained firm.

Before being the chairman of SG Group, he was Dojun's biological father.

It was hard to believe that meeting his father would be this difficult. Dojun, who had lived without a father for 29 years, felt a deep sense of loss.

At that moment, a group of well-dressed people passed by Dojun. The receptionist quickly came to the front of the desk, bowed deeply, and escorted the woman at the center of the group. People passing by also turned to look at her.

Baek Jeongah, the head of the Strategic Planning Division of SG Group, was 27 years old. She was the youngest daughter of Chairman Baek Jeonghan and had been featured in various media. Dojun recognized her face.

"Hey! Baek Jeongah!"

Desperate, Dojun called out to her. Baek Jeongah and her group stopped and looked at Dojun. Baek Jeongah's face twisted.

As Dojun, who had made eye contact with Baek Jeongah, was about to take a step toward her, the guards around her quickly blocked his path, preventing him from reaching her.

"What is it! Let go! I have something to say, Baek Jeongah!"

The more he shouted, the more the guards tightened their grip.

"Do you know him?"

"Do I know such a person? This is ridiculous. Secretary Kim."

Baek Jeongah turned to the guards and scolded them.

"Is this a place where just anyone can come in? How are you doing your job?"

With that, Baek Jeongah turned and walked away. Dojun didn't understand why he was being treated this way. Filled with frustration, he shouted.

"Tell Chairman Baek Jeonghan! The son of Jingwandon Kang Youngsoon is here!"

People in the cafeteria were glancing at the commotion in the lobby.

"Who is he?"

"Did he suffer some injustice from Chairman Baek...? Maybe he was unfairly fired in the past..."

"Shh, Manager Lee. Watch your words."

Fortunately, the murmurs of the SG Group employees didn't reach Baek Jeongah.

Baek Jeongah and her group got into the elevator and disappeared without looking back.

"This guy is completely crazy."

"His luck is really bad. He's going to get disciplined for this."

"Exactly. Sir, if you want to cause trouble, do it alone. Who are you trying to mess with? You look like a piece of chewed gum."

"If you don't leave now, I'll call the police. Got it?"

The guards threw Dojun to the ground. He rolled on the floor like a piece of chewed gum.

'Is this how it ends?'

Dojun didn't feel resentment toward the father he had never known. He wanted to inform his mother's death and meet the man who had given him half his blood.

Was even that one meeting too much to ask?

After leaving the building, Dojun waited in a blind spot where the guards couldn't see him, hoping to catch Chairman Baek Jeonghan. It felt ridiculous to hide behind the building, but he wasn't planning to commit a crime.

'If I can't meet him... should I send a letter with my hair?'

Dojun shook his head. His letter would never reach Chairman Baek Jeonghan. It would be classified as a crazy person's junk mail.

The scorching heat of early summer was intense, and Dojun's back was already drenched in sweat.

Then, a black sedan with a heavy presence pulled up in front of the building. A man in a suit got out of the passenger seat and held the back door open. Soon, a group of guards lined up and came out of the revolving door. The guards who had pushed Dojun were among them.

It wasn't clear, but it was evident that a high-ranking executive was coming out of the building. Dojun regained his composure and cautiously approached the sedan.

At that moment, a middle-aged man with a massive build, not even out of breath, appeared.

'...It's Chairman Baek Jeonghan!'

Chairman Baek Jeonghan was coming out, escorted by his secretary and guards. The man in the suit bowed and held the back door open.

"Chairman—!!!"

Dojun dashed toward the sedan and Chairman Baek Jeonghan.

"What is it!"

"What, he's still here?"

"Stop him! Quickly."

Two guards and a secretary blocked Chairman Baek Jeonghan, while four guards surrounded Dojun. The secretaries tried to get Chairman Baek Jeonghan into the car.

"Just a moment! Chairman Baek! Please, just a moment!"

"Do you know where you are? Can't you be quiet?!"

Chairman Baek Jeonghan didn't flinch, having dealt with workers who blocked the road to protest before.

"Chairman! Do you know Kang Youngsoon?!"

At the name "Kang Youngsoon," Chairman Baek Jeonghan paused and turned to look at Dojun. His eyes softened as he recognized Dojun's face through the guards.

"I'm the son of Jingwandon Kang Youngsoon... If you don't believe me, we can do a DNA test..."

But Chairman Baek Jeonghan's pause was brief. Before Dojun could finish speaking, he got into the car.

The car door closed with a thud, and the sedan quickly drove away. Dojun, who had been struggling to break through the guards, felt his strength drain away.

"Damn, who's trying to ruin someone's day? Hey! Junior! Take this guy to the police."

"Got it!"

The guard called "Junior" grabbed Dojun.

***

Since Dojun had no criminal record and hadn't committed assault or property damage, he only received a warning for causing a disturbance at the business premises.

Even while being questioned at the police station, Dojun was in a daze.

'He definitely paused when he heard my mother's name...'

Apart from knowing that his mother had never revealed his existence, Dojun knew nothing about the two people or their story.

'Has he completely forgotten about my mother? Well, it was almost thirty years ago...'

As Dojun left the police station, a bitter taste lingered in his mouth. He had no idea what to do next. Just a few days ago, he had thought his father didn't exist.

'What does a father mean to my life?'

Dojun took out his phone from his pocket. He had his own life to live and couldn't just focus on revealing his existence to Chairman Baek.

Checking the messages he had exchanged with a film production company a few days ago, Dojun wrote a new message.

He had to be satisfied with knowing that his father existed.

And that he was the chairman of SG Group. If he became a famous actor someday, he could enter the SG building and be heard.

With that thought, Dojun headed home. But he didn't have to wait that long. Chairman Baek Jeonghan had already completed a DNA test that night.

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