Chapter 14: Ryu Taesan

"See you in the evening at HoloVerse Innovations, Mrs. Ryu

Sooah," I said, deliberately avoiding the word mom. I wouldn't compromise anymore—not with her. When I glanced at Sera's face, I saw that she had pieced everything together. I gently grabbed her hand, hoping to calm her down. After class, as soon as I stepped outside, I noticed people whispering and glancing in my direction. Their stares felt like daggers.

Zixuan appeared, his face serious. "You need to see something," he said, pulling out his phone. He showed me posts and messages about me flooding social media. It had spread everywhere—my real identity, the owner of HoloVerse Innovations. There was even a video of me holding Sera's hand, with comments speculating that I was protecting my 'girl' from my 'mom.'

Just then, Dohyun rushed over, concern in his eyes. "Your phone's off. Kim Jongkook called me. He's waiting for you outside. He's organized all the papers."

"My battery died," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'll go now. But take care of Sera."

Dohyun nodded firmly. "Don't worry about her."

I hurried to the main gate, where I found Jongkook nim waiting with a serious expression. I climbed into the car, and he handed me a stack of papers. I sighed heavily, feeling the weight of it all. He glanced at me and said, "Don't worry. You're doing the right thing, Taesan. You're the rightful owner. You need to secure your place before you turn 26. But there's another condition—you have to show up at the company sometimes, take on some responsibilities before you turn 26. Otherwise, even when you turn 26, you won't get full ownership."

I frowned, trying to process it all. "What does that mean?"

He paused, his expression serious. "If you don't take ownership by 26, your mother becomes the official owner. You'd only hold a position as president or general secretary. But she never told you this. Because…"

"There are many things you need to know now, Taesan. I've kept them from you since you were a child, hoping you'd grow up and claim what's yours on your own. But now that you've come, it's time you see the truth."

My heart clenched. "What is it?"

He looked straight ahead. "Just wait 10 more minutes until we reach HoloVerse Innovations."

When we arrived at the office, everyone greeted me with deep bows. It felt strange, unsettling even, since I wasn't used to such respect. Most of them were older than me, their gazes a mix of curiosity and unease. Jongkook nim led me toward my late father's office, where my mother had taken over. He gestured to the door, and I nodded, feeling a surge of determination. I pushed open the door without hesitation.

Inside, I found my mother, sitting way too close to another man. My blood ran cold when I recognized him—Mr. Yeo Dongmin, Dohyun's father. Rage bubbled up inside me, threatening to spill over. They both jumped up, startled by my sudden entrance.

"Taesan, what are you doing here?" my mother stammered, her voice barely a whisper.

"To get what's rightfully mine," I said, my voice hard. "Seems like I came at the right time, I told you I'll be at the office in the evening. But you didn't really believe or imagine it."

"Look, Taesan—" Mr. Dongmin began, but I cut him off sharply.

"I don't want to hear anything from you, Mr. Dongmin. Just stay put until I make my decision."

My mother tried to intervene, her voice trembling. "Taesan, it's not what it looks like—"

"It's exactly what it looks like, and now I have proof." I pulled out my glasses slightly, letting her see the tiny camera embedded in the frame. "I'm recording everything."

Her eyes went wide with panic. "What? Recording? Where? Is it your phone? Give me your phone!" She lunged toward me, frantically searching my pockets, patting down my jeans and shirt. But she couldn't find anything. She would never guess that the recording was coming from my glasses. I stepped back, keeping my voice icy and firm.

"Mrs. Ryu, take your things and your boyfriend and get out. Don't even think about stepping foot in this place again."

Her composure shattered, and she screamed desperately, "Taesan, don't ruin my life! You know how hard I've worked to get to this position! I'm your mother—you can't do this to me!"

"Worked for this position?" I shot back, my voice cold. "So you admit it. You were the one who caused my father's death. But don't even dream of keeping this position. I am the rightful owner now."

I called out to Jongkook, telling him to bring in the security guards. They arrived quickly, ushering her and Mr. Yeo out of the office. I shut out her pleading words, every ounce of my focus on the storm of emotions inside me. All I could think about was how I'd face Dohyun now, knowing that his father and my mother had betrayed us both. Mr. Dongmin had been our company's lawyer, a trusted figure. I never imagined he'd be involved in this twisted mess with my mother.

As I stood there in the aftermath, the weight of everything settled on my shoulders. This was just the beginning, and I had to be strong—for myself, for my father's legacy, and for the truth that needed to come to light.

I got a message from Sera. She wrote,

"Wherever you are, come to Dohyun's place."

I knew right away that Dohyun must have already heard the news. I rushed out of the office, and the company driver drove me straight to his house. When I arrived, the door was slightly open. Inside, Sera sat on the sofa, her face tense. Mrs. Yeo Suji, Dohyun's mother, sat slumped in a chair, her head buried in her hands. Dohyun sat on the floor, his head hanging low. They all looked up when I entered.

Dohyun got up and stormed towards me, his expression filled with a mixture of anger and pain. He said, his voice rough,

"Why did you come? Just go. I don't want you to see me like this."

Sera's voice cut through the tension. "I called him to come."

Ignoring Dohyun's plea, I stepped closer. "You didn't do anything wrong, Dohyun. Don't say things that could hurt our friendship."

Dohyun turned away, his fists clenched. He muttered, half to himself, half to the room, "I believed him. I married him. I never questioned why he stayed out some nights, trusting him when he said he was with his friends."

I walked over to Mrs. Yeo Suji, gently taking her hand in mine, whispering, "Aunt…"

Her composure crumbled, and she broke into tears, clutching onto me as if I was her last lifeline. Her sobs filled the room, but they were interrupted by the sudden arrival of Mr. Dongmin. He barged in, his face pale, desperation in his voice as he tried to speak.

"Let me explain everything before—"

But Dohyun didn't let him finish. He charged at his father, knocking him to the ground with a forceful shove. He punched him square in the face, his anger wild and uncontrollable. Just as he grabbed a wine bottle and raised it to strike again, I managed to grab his arm, stopping him. Dohyun's entire body shook with rage.

I glanced over at Sera, her eyes wide with fear. "Take aunt to the other room," I urged her softly, not wanting them to witness what might happen next. She quickly helped Mrs. Suji to her feet and guided her away.

Turning back to Dohyun, I tightened my grip on his arm and said firmly, "Dohyun, calm down."

I had never seen him like this before—so furious, so broken. He screamed at his father, his voice cracking with anguish,

"How could you betray my mom like that? How could you cheat on her with Taesan's mom? My best friend's mother? How could you do this, you monster? I swear I'll kill you!"

Dohyun struggled against my hold, still trying to bring the bottle down on his father's head. His father lay beneath him, his face bloodied, and he pleaded,

"Son, please, just listen to me…"

I stepped in front of Dohyun, forcing him to look at me. "Dohyun, don't do this. Don't even think about killing your own dad."

Dohyun's voice broke as he shouted, "Taesan, this man destroyed my mom's life! He deserves to pay for it!"

Behind us, his father weakly whispered, "Dohyun…"

I took a deep breath and said, "Just hear him out, Dohyun. Please."

The room was thick with tension, and I could feel Dohyun's breath, heavy and unsteady. But for a brief moment, he hesitated, and I hoped it would be enough to keep him from doing something he could never take back.

We quietly went down to the first floor, making sure not to wake Mrs. Yeo. She was already in a fragile state, devastated and barely holding on.

Mr. Yeo's voice trembled as he spoke, "Mrs. Ryu and I... we started seeing each other two years ago. But believe me, I didn't kill Mr. Ryu."

I narrowed my eyes and replied, "We never asked you if you killed my father. Why would you say that?"

Dohyun, filled with anger, jumped up, ready to strike his father again. I quickly grabbed his arm, holding him back. I met his eyes, silently pleading with him to calm down and let me handle it. Mr. Yeo took a shaky breath and continued, his voice filled with regret.

"Everything spiraled out of control, even though I never meant for any of this to happen. Two years ago, Mrs. Ryu and I went on a business trip to China. She got drunk that night, and I just wanted to help her get back to her room. But that's when the accident happened... and we ended up together. After Mr. Ryu's death, the whole company knew about us. Everyone is too scared to say anything, including me. Mrs. Ryu... she became obsessed with me ever since I joined the company. She threatened me, saying that if I didn't continue seeing her, she'd ruin my life and expose everything to my family."

Just as he finished speaking, my phone suddenly rang, cutting through the tension. It was my landlord, the man who had rented me a place for the past week. His voice was frantic on the other end.

"Ryu Taesan, where are you? If I had known you were the owner of HoloVerse Innovations, I would have never rented to you! Reporters are all over my property. You need to come here and leave my place today!"

I ended the call abruptly, my mind racing. Dohyun and I hurried outside, only to find a mob of reporters surrounding my house. The moment they spotted me, they swarmed forward, bombarding me with questions.

"Why are you hiding yourself, Mr. Ryu?" one shouted.

"What really happened that day at the office?" another demanded.

Cameras flashed relentlessly, the blinding lights stinging my eyes. I had never been the center of such attention before. My whole life, I had stayed in the shadows, but now, everything was crashing down on me.

Suddenly, a sharp, deafening sound rang through the air—a gunshot. The crowd froze, the reporters fell silent, and everyone turned, frantically searching for the source of the noise. A reporter's panicked voice broke through the tension.

"It's a murder! Someone shot Mr. Yeo!"

I whipped around and found Mr. Yeo lying on the ground, his body motionless, lifeless. He had been shot, the attacker already gone. He was dead on the spot.

Dohyun collapsed to his knees beside his father's body, his face twisted in grief and shock. The gunshot had drawn Mrs. Yeo and Sera from the second floor, and they arrived just in time to witness the chaos.

In that moment, everything fell apart.