It's Not Like This Is Some TV Drama...

10.

The head of Guwon Group.

With an overpowering charisma that kept everyone in line and an aggressive, innovative management style, he had raised Guwon Group to the ranks of the world’s leading corporations.

Even though we were in the same room, he felt like someone from another world.

He was so imposing that I almost wondered whether he really was my father.

He certainly gave off a different air from the one he had at a modest family dinner.

Maybe everyone else felt the same way I did, because they all sat in deathly silence.

The room was filled not only with my brothers and stepmother, but also my aunts and uncles, along with several executives holding key positions at the company.

My father, Jeong Jae-heon, slowly surveyed the room. His tiger-like eyes flashed before he finally spoke.

“I called all of our family here today because there are several important matters everyone needs to know.”

There wasn’t even a microphone, yet his voice seemed to reverberate through the room.

I swallowed without meaning to.

‘Several matters…? Is there more than just the thing about me?’

A brief silence fell.

Father’s gaze swept over the room once more, then stopped on me.

“Jeong Ha-won, come forward.”

‘Here it comes.’

He had never publicly acknowledged me as his illegitimate child, but everyone gathered here knew all about my circumstances.

They were also people Father trusted.

He seemed to have decided that, at least for these people, he needed to explain my bizarre transformation.

Of course, I wasn’t strongly opposed to it, either.

It would be better to get ahead of things and prevent gossip than to keep it secret, only for it to come out later and give everyone a headache.

I cautiously walked over and stood beside Father.

Everyone’s eyes turned toward me as if on cue.

The last time so many eyes had focused on me at once was when I was eight, the day Father announced I was his illegitimate child.

My hands began to tremble slightly.

I felt the strength drain from my legs, too.

My throat went dry with tension, and my lips were parched.

Father glanced around at everyone, then looked back at me.

“Would you like to tell them yourself?”

I took a deep breath, then nodded.

I, Jeong Ha-won, won’t be intimidated by something like this.

“Hello. As you may have heard, I’m… Father’s third son, Jeong Ha-won.”

Saying it out loud myself felt strange.

The expressions on people’s faces began to change drastically.

Murmurs from all around rang in my ears.

I closed my eyes, then opened them again.

I drew a shallow breath and spoke again.

“I didn’t cross-dress or undergo sex reassignment surgery. I changed into this form overnight, against my will.”

The murmuring grew even louder.

Everyone looked as though they were thinking, What kind of crazy nonsense is this?

Only my stepmother and brothers remained calm.

Before things could get any noisier, Father stepped in to intervene.

“All right, all right. Quiet.”

At that single word, the villa instantly fell silent, as if it had become a temple.

“Do you think I, Jeong Jae-heon, would gather all of you busy people here just to spout ridiculous nonsense?”

“No, sir!”

A loud reply came from somewhere in the room.

“Even I find it hard to believe, but… it’s true that Ha-won turned into a woman overnight.”

As he spoke, he held out a hand to the side. Secretary Shin, as if waiting for the cue, placed several documents in Father’s hand.

“These are the results of a DNA test. We’ll provide everyone with copies, but they clearly show that the current Ha-won is my biological child. We also received results confirming that the previous Ha-won and the current Ha-won have identical DNA.”

The secretarial staff quickly distributed the documents to the family and executives.

Everyone who looked at the results had their mouths hanging open in astonishment.

Even seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn’t believe it.

I suppose this is the sort of situation that expression is used for.

If even I, the person involved, couldn’t believe it, how must they feel?

‘So that means… I haven’t become a completely different person. My sex has simply changed…’

It was a small blessing in the midst of misfortune, but even so, there was no explaining this impossible, unscientific phenomenon.

“Guwon Biotech has begun researching the mysterious phenomenon Ha-won experienced. We’ve also received cooperation from the medical field. In any case, let me say once again: this isn’t a joke, nor some bizarre event put on for your entertainment.”

At Father’s words, the murmuring died down.

Then his younger sister—my aunt—raised her hand.

“Does that mean Ha-won is now the chairman’s daughter?”

At my aunt’s question, I flinched without meaning to.

But Father nodded as if he’d expected the question and replied.

“For the time being, I suppose so. Strange as this phenomenon may be, Ha-won is currently a woman. If we distort and deny reality too much, it’ll only cause more trouble.”

Several more questions followed, but Father answered them without hesitation.

I added a few comments here and there, but nothing caused any major problems.

Most of the people gathered seemed to be gradually accepting it.

Father had spoken as if announcing something momentous, but to the people gathered here, I was just an unwanted nuisance.

Once they realized that whether a good-for-nothing with no standing in the group, who spent all his time lounging around, changed or not would have little effect on their own positions, it hardly mattered whether they accepted it.

‘If they leave me alone like they did before and keep doing so in the future, that’s fine by me.’

Father’s second announcement followed.

“As for the entertainment business, which Division Head Jeong Min-hyeok has been overseeing… I think we should leave the CEO position vacant until we find a more suitable candidate.”

Jeong Min-hyeok’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.

Madam Kim Ju-gyeong’s face twisted, too.

“Honey… no, Chairman! What are you saying all of a sudden? Are you going to remove our Min-hyeok from the CEO position out of the blue?”

Father’s eyes sharpened.

“Have I ever made a personnel decision without a valid reason?”

“That’s…”

“You know better than anyone. And the various indicators make it clear, too. Division Head Jeong Min-hyeok still lacks the ability to lead the business.”

Jeong Min-hyeok looked as if the sky had fallen.

‘Serves you right, you idiot. Heh.’

I felt a sense of satisfaction.

It was the pot calling the kettle black, but no matter how you looked at it, Jeong Min-hyeok was unqualified.

Father’s decision was right a hundred, a thousand times over.

“For now, Executive Director Choi, I’d like you to serve as acting CEO for a while.”

“Understood. And what do you plan to do about the next CEO?”

Father paused for a moment, then glanced subtly at me.

I’d been listening comfortably until then, but suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.

“When a suitable candidate appears, I intend to put them in that position regardless of their status or connections. But I am a little concerned about whether you’ll object if that person turns out to be our third child.”

What kind of bolt from the blue was that?

Surely he wasn’t planning to make me work for the company?

The room grew noisy once again.

This really was an important announcement, then. Even people who were undeniably top-tier talents were reacting in such a panic.

“Calm down. I’m not saying I’ll put this child in the position right away. Naturally, if I judge this kid to be unqualified, I have no intention of making them CEO.”

“Chairman! I think this is going too far!”

As expected, Madam Kim Ju-gyeong strongly objected.

I didn’t think this was right, either, but there was nothing I could say.

“That’s the end of the discussion. If anyone continues to argue, I’ll take it as a challenge to my judgment and take appropriate measures, so keep that in mind.”

With that, Father brought things to a close and turned away.

Then a man called Executive Director Choi stepped forward and took over.

“Um… I have a few other things to announce, so please stay seated for a moment.”

Father stopped walking and turned toward me.

“Ha-won, come see me for a moment.”

Did I come here for nothing?

Should’ve just stayed holed up at home and let them do whatever they wanted.

I trudged after Father into his office.

Father took the seat of honor on the office sofa and gestured for me to sit beside him.

“Were you surprised today?”

“Yes. A lot.”

A faint smile rested on Father’s face. The tiger-like air of authority from earlier had considerably eased.

“I thought it was about time you did something with your life. I hope you understand. You’ve had your fun. Since your body has changed, it might not be a bad idea to change your life, too.”

Ah, damn it.

Was my life as a rich good-for-nothing finally over?

But what on earth had Father seen in me to come to that conclusion?

He’d phrased it indirectly, but wasn’t he saying he was going to put me through management training?

Did I even have the qualifications or aptitude for something like that?

“Honestly… I don’t think I can say ‘I’ll give it a try!’ right here and now.”

Father slowly nodded as if he’d known I would say that.

“Yes, there’s no need to rush.”

“I understand how you feel a little, Father, but I don’t know if I can do it—or even if I should. In any case, right now…”

“Yes, yes. I understand what you mean. We’ll take it slowly. By the way, this dad of yours is happy, in a way, to suddenly have a daughter.”

If anyone else had said that, I’d have started cursing them out, but given who it was, I had to swallow my words.

“No matter what you look like, you’re still my child.”

At Father’s words, it felt as though I’d been lightly struck on the head.

Father was saying the same thing that had echoed in my head when I went to see Mom.

Was this what a parent’s love was like?

Even Father, who had always seemed frightening and impossible to approach, was ultimately just like any other father when it came to his child. I could vaguely sense that.

“Oh, and there’s something I prepared because I thought you might need it.”

“Huh? What did you prepare…?”

At Father’s gesture, Secretary Shin, who had been standing beside him, bowed and headed toward the office entrance.

He opened the door slightly and quietly said to someone outside, ‘Come in.’

The door opened right away, and a man stepped inside.

‘Huh?’

I took one look at the face of the man who’d walked in and was startled.

The man also flinched when our eyes met, but soon returned to a stern expression.

“From now on, this man will be in charge of your personal security, Ha-won.”

When Father finished speaking, Secretary Shin gestured toward the man.

The man swallowed once, then bowed deeply to me.

“Hello. I’m Seong Ji-hoon of Guwon PTG.”

“Ah… yes….”

No way. Surely not.

Things I hoped wouldn’t happen always seemed to come true.

This isn’t some TV drama, so what kind of ridiculous turn of events is this?

Whether he knew how I felt or not, Father just wore a pleased smile.

“What do you think?”

About what?

Father, I haven’t even become a woman in mind, let alone completely.

I shook my head slightly.

‘No, wait, this isn’t like he’s introducing me to a husband. He’s just the person in charge of my security.’

I turned my head slightly and looked at Seong Ji-hoon.

He’d been sneaking glances at me, too, and our eyes met.

An awkward tension hung in the air.

“Haha… yes, I think he’ll be fine.”

After the kidnapping, this was the best precaution Father could take for my sake.

I understood.

Even I had to admit that my current body had become incredibly frail.

I smiled awkwardly and went along with it, but every time my eyes met Seong Ji-hoon’s, embarrassment tingled all over my body.