Mom’s jaw muscles flex. “Yes. Her parents claim she was instructed to dump him, but obviously she didn’t.”
“Why didn’t they just make him go away? Can’t be that expensive.”
“Because they’re cheap and don’t know how to do the most basic things properly. They’re just…sloppy.” Cold disapproval radiates from her. “So it’s best we don’t do anything that will get the tabloids excited.”
Damn it. Fury, resentment and a sense of betrayal all mix together until they’re about to burst. I liked Sera. My parents treated her like a princess, and this is how she repays us? By having a lover? And because of her screw-up and inability to keep her legs closed when she’s around a man who isn’t her husband, I have to contort my life to fit some PR campaign the Hae Min damage control team came up with?
Then an even worse thought hits. “How about Minho? Is he Eugene’s?”
Mom looks away, her mouth tight. “No. We’ll erase him from the family registry as soon as possible and make sure this won’t complicate succession.”
Oh, for God’s sake. I rest my forehead on my fingertips. Poor Eugene. I recall how cold and detached he sounded on the phone when I called him about his wife after the accident. No wonder! And I thought he was being an emotionless robot. I feel like an idiot. He might not be an expressive person, but he loves his family. His real family.
“When are we announcing the divorce?” I ask after a moment.
“When the lega
l team’s through, we’ll issue a written statement at the group level. We’ll go on like nothing’s changed because we can’t let anybody think the divorce means anything significant to us.”
Of course not. That would be conceding too much. And Sera’s not worth it.
Mom continues, “We’re going to get everything we can from her family, since she screwed up. But people in our circle already know what’s going on. Some are sending photos and possible candidates for Eugene’s next wife, but it’s too soon. Besides, it’s going to be his second marriage. That makes everything much more complicated.”
I rub a spot on my temple that’s throbbing like crazy. A man on his second marriage is considered less desirable in Korea. Of course, Eugene has a lot of pluses as well. He’s intelligent, good-looking (even if I am biased, since he’s my brother) and wealthy. Not to mention, he’s the only heir to the Hae Min fortune. Plus he is—or officially will be—childless. So most people will overlook the fact that he’s a divorcée.
“When did he find out about Sera and her…other guy?” I ask.
“About a month ago.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. I might as well be scum on the bottom of a septic tank. I asked Eugene if he was happy with his marriage in his office, all outraged and morally superior. Then I sneered when he said he and his wife had a son. God. I want to crawl into a hole and never come out.
“He found out about Minho last week,” Mom adds.
I stand up. “Why don’t you finish your tea? I’m going to call Eugene real quick.”
Mom nods. She knows I’m going to need to talk with my brother about this bombshell announcement. Despite our recent differences, he and I are close.
I go to the lockers and dig out my phone. Since Eugene and I are going to speak Korean I glance around to make sure I don’t see anybody who might be Korean, then go to a booth that’s shielded by a partition for people who want privacy when they change and close the curtain. I call and tap my foot as every cell in my body jitters with nerves. It’s probably late in Seoul, but he should still be up. He doesn’t normally go to bed until midnight.
“Hello, Yuna.” Eugene’s words are raspy and low, like he’s been smoking and drinking. His voice is always like that when he’s been indulging in his vices.
“You’ve been smoking.” That makes me feel worse. He quit years ago. He only reaches for cigarettes when he’s under extreme stress. And his marriage falling apart and learning that his son isn’t his certainly qualifies.
“Just a cigar,” he says. “Jun-young had a small celebratory party, and he always has excellent cigars.”
Jun-young is Eugene’s close friend. It isn’t shocking that Eugene attended the party like nothing was wrong. You never, ever show anybody you’re affected. It’s already humiliating enough that he’s been made a fool of. He can’t afford to appear weak. The weak do not get pity and sympathy in our circle. They’re ripped apart—often for profit, sometimes for entertainment.
So I need to be strong, too…for Eugene’s sake, if nothing else.
“I heard from Mom,” I say. “About Sera and Minho. I’m so sorry.”
“You shouldn’t be. It’ll work out for the best. Her family’s going to give up their claims to all of our joint ventures. They’re also going to pay a lump sum for the funding promised in the contracts. So Hae Min has come out way ahead. I have to go back to producing an heir, but it isn’t like I’m too old for that sort of thing. Or maybe you can produce a son, and he can be my heir.”
I press two fingers against the spot between my eyebrows. But my heart hurts more than my head because he’s talking so coolly. It’s like he can’t even let his feelings out with me because he’s unsure if he can get the control back again.
It’s all I can do to maintain my own control. “Do you need anything? Other than a son from me, that is.”
“No.” His voice softens. “You just be happy. That’s it.”