Late in the afternoon. After conducting an observation of the infrastructure development, I didn't want to take the time any longer and quickly got ready to return to Sokcho.

I glanced at my watch, which was still showing 3:00 in the afternoon, and smiled, feeling impatient to come back. I thought that I would make it in time to return today, so I felt like I wouldn't make Chunghee disappointed.

However, a second after I leaned my back against the back seat of the car, Oh Yeonjae, who was my trusted person, hurriedly came knocking on the windshield while showing his cell phone which was on a call with a worried face.

Frowning, I rolled down the windshield and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Ah, sir, this ... Big Master wants to talk to you," Oh Yeonjae replied, handing his cell phone.

Hearing those words, I immediately straightened my back. I glanced at Yeonjae's cell phone. Looking at the caller ID that displayed my father's name, I immediately thought that he was going to curse me for never picking up a call from him.

With hesitation, I grabbed the cell phone and answered, "It's me, what's the matter?"

"Go home right now! I want to talk to you. I'll be waiting for you at the Main House." His tone sounded furious as if it represented bad luck when I met him later.

However, as I thought that I should return to Sokcho right away, I tried to refuse, "But, I have a business that—"

Unfortunately, before finishing my sentence, he immediately cut in an angry tone, "If you don't come home right now, you don't have to come home forever! Go back to France and rot there alone until you die!"

I immediately clammed up. I could tell that it wasn't a threat by just hearing how he said his words so emphatically.

"Do you hear me, beast?!"

Kim Myungdae was a very strict person and would never deny the curse he gave, like a rock that was hard to break. So, no one would be able to argue with him.

I took a deep breath and paused for a moment before agreeing grudgingly, "Fine, but I'm not going to linger there."

After finishing my words, he immediately hung up the phone.

There's something wrong with my father today. Usually, he would always ask about my works but this time, it was different. I felt that something worst was going to happen and make me nervous.

I immediately ordered the driver to drive me home.

Along the way, I kept frowning in confusion. Even though I knew that this wasn't a trivial matter, I was still confused. However, when I recalled the boldness of his words, I thought that I had to prepare myself and mentally for the worst thing that could happen.

I tried to think this through and wonder inside, "is it about my works?" But, considering that I had never neglected everything even once, I doubted that it was the excuse for his fits of anger.

However, I didn't want to think about this any longer, then turned on my cell phone and called A Yeong immediately.

"Ah, sir, what's the matter?" A Yeong asked on the phone.

"Go to Sokcho right now and take Chunghee to his place. I have an urgent business, so I can't come back this afternoon."

A Yeong complained, "Huh? Sokcho? Right now? Sir, but I still have some works that I haven't finished and I have to—"

"Leave your works now and ask anyone to finish them. You can tell him that this is a direct order from me. Now, contact Yeonjae to ask one of my men to take you there. This is not an order from me but a plea. I'm counting on you, okay? Go right now."

Hearing my words, she sighed softly, "Ah, sir, don't give me that. I'll do it even if you don't say that."

A smile instantly etched on my face.

I was about to hang up the phone, but a sudden thought popped into my head. I exclaimed, "Ah, one more thing! Go to TU now, then get into my office. There's a parcel on my desk and give it to Chunghee when you get there."

"Hn, well, okay, boss."

As soon as the phone disconnected, I leaned my back limply. I didn't expect that I would change my mind and give Chunghee a gift from that bastard.

I smiled, revealing how my action made me feel silly and stupid.

I knew clearly that I really hated that person and didn't deny it at all. But somehow, my good side prompted me to present his gift with sincerity that I didn't understand.

Am I starting to feel sorry now for him?

I felt so much for hating him, but the more I hated him, the more I felt his pain.

How stupid this is.

I felt that I was more stupid than an idiot. All my words were like trash.

As soon as I arrived at my family residence, I immediately went inside. I asked one of the maids where my father was and she said that he was in his office on the third floor. Without lingering, I immediately rushed upstairs.

Once there, Kim Myungdae was already sitting behind his shiny-black desk, staring at me with sparks burning in his eyes, emitting a sharp glow that could cut through anything.

Judging by the atmosphere, this room seemed to be emitting an aura of intense anger, which I could even feel in my spinal cord.

I couldn't help but try to stay in this place by trying to be as calm as I could.

Nearly a minute, he had not even said a word yet. He frowned and showed the same gaze, sharply and coldly, like a sword.

I didn't dare to start a conversation, so I waited patiently for him to start it. Voicing without being invited would be like deliberately entering the cage of a hungry tiger.

Until a moment later, his hand hit the table quite hard. A thunderous sound immediately rang out, along with his cold face giving off a red aura like an explosion of rage. He got up from his seat and started walking towards me.

Even though I was a little surprised, I still maintained my composure not to look nervous. Then, with the innocent face like a child who didn't know his faults, I stared at his face that was getting angrier and angrier until he was right in front of me, and ....

Slap!

The sound of a slap sounded very painful in this room.

He hit me in the face with one unexpected hard blow, sending me to stagger to the side, and almost to the ground. Fortunately, my legs swiftly hold and balance my body.

The cold and sharp gaze made his wrinkled face even darker and looked terrifying. He then shouted, "Beast! I told you that you don't have to deal with Lee!"

Touching my face that felt throbbing in pain, I frowned in confusion, staring at him in surprise.

Looking at the expression on my face like a clueless person, he explained in a loud voice full of anger, "You're meddling in his business and now, he's threatening to confirm the rumors that he is gay at a press conference at the beginning of next month. Not only that, but he will also confirm that our family helped him to cover up the rumors all this time. You must know the impact on the company if he does that, right?!"

I sighed heavily, then asked him to reassure, "What do you mean? What business? I don't get your point."

"Heh, are you pretending not to know anything? Or, is my son right now acting stupid?" He sneered coldly, then continued, "Lee just met me this noon and he said that you were meddling in his love affairs."

I flinched in silence all of a sudden, didn't move an inch. The feeling of shock made me go to great lengths to maintain my composure. It's not that my father said his words out loud, but I never thought that Donghwa would complain about this to him.

Being a stubborn person, I tried not to defend myself, "Listen, I don't understand—"

At first, I was about to manipulate this situation and trying to find an excuse to be able to dodge the statement. However, I was too naive and stupid to forget that Kim Myungdae had a better experience with manipulation. Thus, he immediately interrupted my words and spoke with increasingly clear anger.

"Who told you to interrupt me, bastard?" His index finger trembled at the edge of my vision, and said, "Heh, okay then. Forget about it. I don't really think if Lee wants to say anything at the press conference. I still have a way of escaping."

"That-"

"Shut the fuck up!" As if not wanting to hear a word from me, he interrupted, "What I want to make sure is where have you been lately? Sokcho?"

I took a breath silently. With suppressed fear, I confirmed, "Yeah, right."

He stared at me with eyes that seemed to have a lot of embers in them. He asked, "Is it true that you live with Lee's partner right now? Is it because of that person that you have been going back and forth to Sokcho a lot lately and even ignoring my calls all this time, beast?"