The Heir of Blue Blood

“…What?”

Possessing GH. Such a thought had never even crossed his mind. Since arriving in Korea, Jae-hwi had spent his life agonizing over how to live without drawing breath, how to escape the constant surveillance. And for the past few days, he had been debating whether he should simply die or go to Germany and live like a ghost.

That was why Taerin’s words—telling him he deserved to own GH—didn’t immediately sink in.

Moreover, she was talking about Goo Jae-kyung. It was strange enough to be compared to the woman who always looked at him like an insect, but to be praised as better than her was bizarre. It was so overwhelming that he even forgot to mourn the fact that Taerin had pulled her hand away from his head a bit sooner than usual.

“You know, Goo Jae-kyung… she talked a big game about going to a prestigious high school in England, but she failed the admissions.”

“…”

“You didn’t know?”

“No…”

Jae-hwi recalled a time a few years ago when Goo Jae-kyung had locked herself in her room for nearly a week, screaming and crying. At the time, Jae-hwi had been so terrified of becoming her target that he avoided the library he loved and hid in his room, barely daring to breathe.

“There are people who say your sisters—especially the eldest, Jae-kyung—are the ones who will inherit GH, right?”

“…”

“Actually, GH is famous for treating daughters like sidepieces to sons. Just look at your aunts, who aren’t allowed to participate in management at all. But because you’re always hidden at home and your father only takes your sisters to official events, those rumors have started to circulate.”

“…”

“Doesn’t it make you angry?”

“…Excuse me?”

“It’s yours. GH.”

“…”

Jae-hwi couldn’t offer a single word in response. Having never owned anything truly his own since the day he was born, the phrase ‘It’s yours’ felt alien. Let alone the GH Group.

“I heard that when you were born, your grandfather said he wouldn’t have to hand GH over to a stranger’s hands. That’s why your mother had three children in three years. To have a son.”

“…”

“You didn’t know? It’s a very famous story. People cursed the GH Chairman for still being obsessed with male preference. Well, it’s a rumor, so I don’t know if it’s true or not.”

“…”

“But seeing how Goo Jae-kyung is making such a fuss to show your grandfather that women are useful too, it doesn’t seem like total nonsense.”

In 그 moment, Jae-hwi finally understood the cryptic words Goo Yoon-han and Goo Kwang-hyun had said about his “use.” They hadn’t brought him here simply to replace a dead son. They had tracked him down—a boy with Goo Yoon-han’s blood—to serve as a stand-in for the heir who would inherit the conglomerate.

“I don’t know about Goo Jae-eun, but Goo Jae-kyung is definitely eyeing what’s yours. For sure. I heard her telling her friends that she’s going to be the first female Chairman of GH.”

“…”

“Actually, at first, I thought that might happen, too… but you’re this smart. That changes things. Even if it wasn’t about male preference—even if your grandfather believed in equality—he’d still want to leave it to you. A kid entering university at seventeen isn’t common. Especially a prestigious one abroad.”

I’m fifteen. The words almost burst out of him in his desire to be praised further, but Jae-hwi managed to swallow them down.

“So, study hard. It’ll be cool if you become the person who inherits GH not just because you’re the only son, but because you have the talent.”

“…Then, you think I’d be cool?”

“Yeah. Regardless of gender, I want to see you crush Goo Jae-kyung with your own skills. Honestly, I really want to see her taken down a peg.”

For the first time, Jae-hwi envisioned a future. Just as Taerin described, he imagined a version of himself—Goo Jae-hwi—standing tall before the world, equipped with skill and power. And that Goo Jae-hwi was no one else but him.

A thrill ran through him. He had thought there were only two paths: death or living like a corpse. But Taerin had opened a new door.

To crush Goo Jae-kyung, the woman who told him to die. To place the people who loathed him beneath his feet. He felt an illusion of a path stretching out rapidly through the darkness.

“…If I end up owning GH, will you praise me, Noona?”

“You want my praise that much?”

“…Yes.”

When he mustered the courage to answer, Taerin let out a clear, bright laugh. Jae-hwi stared at her, dazed by her beauty.

“You’re so strange. Even if you live with such fierce sisters, you have everything. So why are you so… Never mind. Forget it. Is getting a compliment from me really that important?”

“Yes.”

“You make it sound like receiving a compliment from me is more important than owning GH Group, one of the top three conglomerates in Korea.”

“…Please answer me.”

Taerin’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Jae-hwi, who couldn’t hide his anxiety while pressing for an answer. After a moment, she shrugged and gave a casual nod.

“Fine. I’ll praise you. How should I do it? What do you want?”

She was someone who always ruffled his hair when there was something to praise. Since he had never thought of any other way, his mind went blank at her question.

That was why he blurted out the wrong word.

“A kiss…!”

At the word that slipped out of his own mouth, Jae-hwi slapped his hand over his lips.

At first, he was panicked. Then, he blamed himself. A kiss? How dare he desire a kiss from Won Taerin. How could a mere fake even think of such a thing?

But it was too late. The word had already escaped, and it carried weight. Realizing what he truly desired, Jae-hwi watched as the greed hidden deep in his subconscious suddenly ballooned in size.

“…”

His feelings for her expanded, pressing against him from the inside. His heart felt crushed and his lungs flattened; the pain made his breath hitch.

He had thought it was just admiration. Taerin was the first person in his life to look at him without pity or loathing. He envied her constant confidence. He wanted to be like her. He wanted to be recognized by her.

But a kiss… that wasn’t something you asked of someone you simply admired. It was a word that felt worlds away for him—a boy whose body and heart were still stunted at a child’s level. But…

The moment he realized his feelings for her, Jae-hwi felt something inside him shift. It felt as though a massive, rusted gear that had been frozen in place had begun to grind and turn with a roar. His vision blurred and he felt dizzy. Starting with the thumping of his heart, the blood in his veins began to race faster than ever before.

“I, I am…”

When he finally noticed Taerin’s furrowed brow, panic seized him again. Realizing he had offended her, he squeezed his eyes shut. He tried to pick the right words from the mess of thoughts in his head, but he couldn’t grasp a single thing.

“That is, I mean…”

“Look at this little guy?”

“…”

“I called you cute and look at the things you’re saying now.”

Jae-hwi hung his head before Taerin, who was looking at him with crossed arms and a skeptical gaze. His face, which had turned beet-red in an instant, was full of regret.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… Noona, I was wrong…”

Tears finally began to spill from his eyes as he poured out incoherent apologies. Jae-hwi was furious at his own stupidity. He couldn’t believe he had disappointed and offended Taerin with such a foolish act. Terrified of the anger she might feel toward him, his sobs and his breathing became a tangled mess.

“Hic, I don’t know why I said that, sob… I don’t know. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Noona…”

He knew the moment he acknowledged his feelings that they were a greed he had to bury. That was why the tears flowed without end.

In his desperate rush to apologize, he didn’t even think to take off his glasses to wipe his tears. Thus, he didn’t see the mischievous smile spreading across the lips of Taerin, who had been quietly watching him as if weighing his true intentions.

“Goo Jae-hwi.”

“Hic, sob…”

“Answer me. I’m calling you.”

“Yes, gasp… Yes, Noona.”

“Straighten your back and shoulders. Lift your head.”

At the short, simple command, Jae-hwi corrected his posture. But he couldn’t find the courage to look at Taerin, so he didn’t dare open his eyes. He was ashamed of what he had said, and it was too difficult to handle the overflowing tears and the emotions he had finally realized.

“Sob, I was wro—”

“Shh.”

At the order to be quiet, he swallowed his jagged breaths and held back his sobs. He waited for Taerin’s next instruction.