Just Twilight-Chapter 76

“There are only three people in the world who know what she demanded. Only two people know where she is now. And the only person who knows both of those things…”

Lowering herself slightly, she whispered.

“Is me.”

Their gazes locked at close range. Seungwoon swallowed dryly, his fist clenching without realizing it.

“That woman.”

“She was registered as missing and was removed from the resident records a long time ago.”

A chilling cold cut through the air. Seungwoon, conscious of his slightly roughened breathing, cleared his throat. Gripping the blanket beside him, he slowly sat up.

“What do you want from me?”

“I want to see Hankeong fall into the hands of Madam Hong, your mother. Everything I do is for that purpose alone.”

“I know. You're a truly loyal dog.”

Ignoring Seungwoon’s barbed remark, Chief Kim continued.

“Since you've decided to get involved, the first thing you need to do is fully grasp the financial structure your mother controls. You must understand exactly how money is moving for the upcoming general meeting. Once you can prove you fully comprehend it, I will tell you what comes next.”

“What? What comes next?”

Narrowing his eyes, Seungwoon let out a sharp laugh.

New novel chapt𝒆rs are published on ƒгeewebnovёl.com.

“If I make a demand, shouldn’t you make one too? This doesn’t sound fair.”

“I never said this would be fair. And…”

Without a hint of concern, Chief Kim went on.

“You don’t actually think what you’re asking for is that simple, do you?”

Seungwoon shut his mouth. Wrapped in the blanket, he stared at her as she let out a short sigh.

“What I want is for you to become qualified. This deal won’t cost you anything. In the end, our goals align in certain ways.”

She watched his tensed jaw in silence. Her gaze narrowed as she observed him deep in thought.

Na Seungwoon knew far too little. He had grown up sheltered, pampered in a greenhouse, and now he thought that just because he had made up his mind, he could suddenly rise to the throne. That kind of fairy tale only happened in stories. He didn’t even realize that he was too inexperienced to negotiate with someone like her.

Mihyang had trusted her completely. At least, she had—until a few years ago.

Chief Kim knew everything. Who Mihyang met, when she planned to sell assets, how much passive income she earned daily without lifting a finger. Even if others executed the transactions, Chief Kim was aware of every detail.

The first crack had started with something small.

That winter, when she turned fifty, she underwent a minor surgery. For nearly three months before and after the procedure, she could barely walk, rendering her unable to assist Mihyang.

With no other option, she entrusted financial management to Team Leader Han. Mihyang reassured her, telling her to take her time and rest until she fully recovered.

She had never taken time off before. Suddenly, she had more time than she knew what to do with, and with that time came too many thoughts.

Being away from Mihyang, whom she had worked beside every single day for decades, she found herself no longer just Chief Kim, but Kim Hyunhee instead. And Kim Hyunhee was…

Pathetic.

Of course, she had stayed in a private room. The staff had been polite. Thanks to Mihyang’s influence, she had been treated like a VIP. She was well aware that all of this was because she was Mihyang’s shadow.

But knowing something logically and experiencing it firsthand were two different things.

During recovery, she had relied on the VIP ward staff for almost everything. She had no family, so she needed their help even for the simplest things.

She only realized how they truly saw her when she accidentally overheard them talking behind her back.

"She acts like she’s some high-class lady from Hankeong. Every time she talks, it’s ‘yes, sure, of course.’ It’s annoying as hell."

"Her way of speaking is so grating, right? And remember that time? She couldn’t even bring herself to say she needed underwear, so she just kept mumbling ‘that, that thing’ five times before finally saying ‘underwear.’ I almost burst out laughing right there."

"She’s like those snobby department store clerks who act like they’re the luxury brand themselves and look down on customers. Just like that."

"Apparently, people like her are the worst. Since they get pushed around by their bosses, they go outside and act superior to everyone else."

"Shh. Watch what you say."

"Oh, no, of course, I wasn’t talking about Madam Hong. She’s amazing—always so elegant."

"Exactly. But that woman? She’s old enough to know better. Honestly, I feel bad for her. What if she gets fired? She doesn’t even have a family. Never got married either."

"You worry too much. She still makes way more money than you."

If she had been wearing her sharp, tailored suit and handling business with her usual precision, she wouldn’t have let a single one of them get away with it.

But at that moment, she had been a patient in a hospital gown, unable to even put on underwear properly, sitting in a wheelchair with a catheter attached.

She couldn’t even turn a corner without hearing them walk toward her. She had to quickly retreat to her room before they saw her.

That moment of humiliation and helplessness—she hadn’t felt anything like it in a long, long time.

Even then, Mihyang’s name was spoken with reverence. But the boiling discomfort in her chest was something she clenched tightly, like a drawstring bag.

Mihyang’s prestige had been her pride. That’s what she had believed all these years.

After returning, the first thing she did was clean house at the VIP ward. Hankeong had invested heavily in that hospital, which meant she had influence. Some were dismissed for poor service, others for leaking patient information.

Of course, none of that actually made her feel better. Because worse things were already happening.

"Oh, leave that matter to Team Leader Han. He’s handling something important right now. The people we’re working with are extremely nervous about leaks, so we’ll just have to wait and see. Just focus on maintaining internal relations for now. Take it easy."

She had only been gone three months, yet the most important parts of her work had already been handed over to Team Leader Han.

Despite Mihyang’s words, the financial management she had once controlled never came back to her.

"By the way, Chief Kim, did you mess with the VIP ward at S Hospital behind my back?"

Why? Had she made a mistake? Did Mihyang think she wasn’t capable anymore? Did she not trust her anymore?

Those thoughts were still circling in her mind when Mihyang casually mentioned it one day.

She had never reported that matter to Mihyang. There had been times she didn’t report minor things, but dealing with S Hospital had been something she had taken into her own hands, without Mihyang’s instruction.

"I’m sorry. Some staff overheard my work calls, and I thought it would be safer to—"

"Seven different people ‘overheard’ you?"

Mihyang smiled, a master of concealing emotions beneath her expressions.

And in that moment, Chief Kim realized—this was why she had been pushed aside.

From that moment on, there had been an invisible wall between them. A trust built over decades had collapsed in an instant, without even a chance to explain.

She still worked for Mihyang. But it wasn’t the same.

And she knew it never would be again.