Hidden Motives || Chae Hyungwon

[ thirty - six ]

"i prefer we don't talk about those things from the past, mr. kwon. you know how it's a sensitive matter for my daughter." i tried to bury a piece of memory he was trying to open.

"i haven't started on anything yet, mr. baek." he suddenly started chuckling on the other line. i decided to meet him with deafening silence to get him to cut to the chase.

i wasn't playing any of his games.

"you see, mr. baek, you need to teach your adopted one not to meddle with anyone's affairs." his warning eventually came.

"mr. kwon, as far as i know, ha rim knows where she stands."

"oh really? then do you support how she's coming in between my daughter's engagement?"

i frowned the moment i heard his accusation against ha rim.

"what do you mean? sorry, but ha rim has more important matters to take care of." i asked, wanting him to clear it up.

"mr. baek, my daughter kwon eun gyeol is engaged to mr. chae's son, chae hyungwon. tonight, i found my daughter heartbroken. she revealed to me that it was baek ha rim who was leeching onto hyungwon like a third party in their relationship."

my lips slightly parted in shock and in displease of what i have just heard. never have i imagined ha rim to be involved with chae's son in this manner.

"you know how i hate it when the princess of our family is hurt. since her childhood days, she's been devoted to pursuing mr. chae's son. why is your adopted daughter suddenly growing a closer relationship with him now?"

i tightened my grip on the phone in rage. i was extremely disappointed in ha rim.

"i know she's the daughter of the seo family but since you took her in, you're accountable for raising her correctly. if matters get worse, i won't just sit back and let ha rim destroy my daughter's long-awaited wedding, mr. baek."

i was speechless. i found it hard to control the disappointment and anger i felt towards my daughter. immediately, i hung up on mr. kwon and tried to look for ha rim around the house.

"good evening, i'm home!" i eventually heard my daughter's notice as she pushed the front door open.

Baek Ha Rim

"good evening, i'm home!" i took my shoes off and switched to my slippers as i got in the house absent-mindedly.

to my surprise, however, i was met with a strong slap across my face. i immediately lost balance and fell down to floor in shock. as the pain hit me, i started feeling my left cheek burn.

it happened all too quick for me to process, but the first thing i recognized was my furious father who was already standing right in front of me.

"dad..." my heart broke with the way greeted me roughly without letting me know what was wrong first.

"ha rim-ah!" changkyun caught sight of me from a distance and started running towards me in an attempt to protect and shield me from my father.

"you had my trust, but all you've done is waste your time and flirt with the mayor's son! you've been betraying us and your true family by doing this behind our backs!" my dad yelled, pointing his finger at me.

"tell me in a way i could understand!" my voice cracked as i felt how unfair it was to be suddenly accused.

"you thought i'd never know what you were doing? a colleague called and claimed you were coming in between chae hyungwon and his fiancée! i didn't allow you to work in that stupid company to beat around the bush and give me a bad reputation!" he scolded.