Chapter 119: Chapter 117 - Soobin

(Soobin’s POV)

I stormed out of the room, not knowing exactly where I was heading. I only knew that if I stayed in that suffocating hall, my mask would slip, and everyone would see the ugly expression I hid beneath the perfect-son act.

The cool night air hit my skin as I stepped into the garden, but it did little to calm the storm raging inside me.

My chest felt tight, my fists clenched at my sides. The weight of expectation, of duty, of playing a role I had never asked for, eased ever so slightly with each step.

I didn’t have to force a smile, didn’t have to nod politely, didn’t have to pretend that my father’s grand announcement hadn’t just upended everything I had been preparing for my entire life.

My entire life had been turned upside down too many times.

But this—this had to top it all.

First, Jia. The girl who had been my first love. The girl I thought loved me just as much, who had stood by my side with that warm smile that made me believe in something real—only to betray me.

Then, the discovery that I wasn’t the only son my father had brought into this world. Infact the son was older than me.

And now this.

Co-CEO?

Was this supposed to be a joke?

For as long as I could remember, I had been raised to be the heir.

The sole leader of Choi Industries.

There was no room for error. No room for mistakes. No chances of improvement.

Chois do not make mistakes.

That was what had been drilled into me from the moment I was old enough to understand the word ‘responsibility.’

And yet, the same man who had hammered that into my brain had just gone ahead and declared that both his sons would lead together.

Did he think it was that simple?

That he could just announce it, and everything would fall into place? That I would just accept it?

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. I hated him for it.

I hated him for making that decision without so much as a conversation.

He had no right to take a call like this without so much as informing me before.

I hated him for playing god with my life, shaping me into the perfect successor only to change the rules at the last second.

For the world I may be a price with a golden spoon in my mouth but the reality was that I was just a pawn.

I held no real power at all. All the power remind with my father and I hated him for that.

And most of all, I hated that he had done it with a smile, as if this was something to be celebrated.

Then, there was Yeonjun.

I hated him.

I didn’t want to hate him initially, but how could I not?

How could I look at him and not think about how my father had loved someone else?

How that love had broken my mother?

How the existence of that love had been thrown in my face in the form of a half-brother I had never asked for?

My father had brought Yeonjun back to Korea, parading him around, making sure everyone knew about him.

Making sure my mother knew.

She never said a word about it. She played her role perfectly, just like I played mine.

But I knew. I knew how much it hurt her.

I saw it in the way her smiles grew colder, in the way she spent more time in meetings, in the way she turned her pain into a sharpened edge of ambition.

She gave her entire life to my father, but she never had his heart.

And Yeonjun? He was the living proof of that betrayal.

So, when he came into my life, acting like he wanted to know me, to bond, I did the only thing I could—I turned him away.

I let him see the worst parts of me.

I shed the mask of the perfect son, the perfect student, the perfect friend, and I made sure he saw the person I hid from everyone else.

Yeonjun was probably the only person who knew just how ugly I could be.

And I hated that fact even more.

I hated that even though I didn't want to show him my weakness, he knew me truly to my core.

How could I think of Yeonjun without Yuri now?

The one person who had entered my life without knowing any of the baggage I carried.

She was different.

A breath of fresh air.

She hadn’t grown up in this world of cutthroat business, of whispered expectations and masked intentions.

She still had hope, even when life threw obstacles in her pathagain and again.

She didn't let it break her. She faced them, and moved on, not minding of she won or lost. She knew she had to keep going.

She had that hope.

I wanted to be part of that hope.

But even that—

Yeonjun had to lay claim to it.

I exhaled harshly, running a hand through my hair.

The thought of him and Yuri together burned in my chest, a bitter mix of frustration and something dangerously close to jealousy.

But I wasn't as stupid as Yeonjun. I did not think of a distant future with her and not did I make fake promises.

I knew the sacrifices I had to make in my life ever since my birth. Things like these did not matter.

Everything had to be strategic.

What could have been if my life hadn’t been so complicated?

If my last name hadn’t dictated my future before I was even old enough to understand it?

I felt like shit for leaving her back in the hall.

She had agreed to be my date tonight, and I had just walked out.

But I needed to be alone.

I didn’t want her to see this side of me.

She had a light about her that I didn’t see often, and I couldn’t bear the thought of tainting it with the bitterness swirling inside me.

The sound of footsteps behind me made me tense.

I knew that stride.

I knew who it was before he uttered my name.

“Soobin.”

My father’s voice was calm, measured, the same way it always was. The same voice that had dictated my future, that had shaped me into the person I was today.

I did not want to face him right now Be I was still angry, and my grip on my emotions were loose.

My father always said ' never get into an argument with a hot head. You will lose before you start.'

Funny how that were the words that rang in my head when I contemplated facing my father right now.

But I knew he came here for a reason and he wouldn't leave until I faced him.

I turned around slowly, finding him standing there in the dim light of the garden, his expression unreadable.

He had come looking for me.

I scoffed, crossing my arms.

“What? Coming to make sure I don’t embarrass the family?” it was an unnecessary jab but I couldn't keep the bitterness from my voice.

His gaze didn’t waver.

“I came because I knew you’d be upset.” he said ever so calmly.

People always told me how much I resembled him and I never understood it but now seeing him maintain that stoic expression made me realise my similarities in tense situations.

“Upset?” I let out a short laugh, shaking my head.

“That’s putting it mildly, don’t you think?”

He sighed, taking a step closer. “Soobin—”

“You’ve been preparing me my whole life for this.” My voice was low but sharp, each word carrying the weight of years of expectation.

“You made it clear, over and over again, that I was going to be the next leader of Choi Industries. The leader. Not one of two.”

He remained silent, watching me.

“Did you ever even consider talking to me about it?” I continued, my voice rising.

“Or was I just supposed to accept whatever decision you made, like I always do?”

Was I just another pawn in his game plan of life?

He let out a slow breath.

“I did what I believed was best for this company.” he said with a finality I did not like.

I laughed again, but there was no humor in it.

“Right. Of course. Because what’s best for me never really mattered, did it?”

“That’s not true.” His expression hardened slightly.

I clenched my jaw, looking away.

“You and Yeonjun are both capable. You both bring something valuable to the table,” he said firmly.

“And I refuse to let the world force you into competition with each other. This decision was made to prevent division, not cause it.”

I turned back to him, anger burning in my chest.

“Then maybe you should’ve thought about that before bringing him back here. Before making sure the whole world knew who he was. Before making sure Mom knew.”

His lips pressed into a thin line. For the first time, he looked away, and I knew I had hit a nerve.

Silence stretched between us.

I exhaled, my anger simmering beneath my skin.

“You never even asked me what I wanted.” it is not like I expected an apology but I did not accept his justification.

He looked back at me then, something unreadable in his gaze.

“What do you want, Soobin?”

I opened my mouth, but the words wouldn’t come.

What did I want?

To be free of all this? To not feel like my entire existence was dictated by my last name?

Or did I want what I had been working for my whole life—the very thing that had just been taken from me?

I didn’t know anymore.

And that terrified me.

A/n: update!!!!!!! First Soobin's pov ever! I was looking forward to writing this and took my time to really articulate his feelings. I hope this chapter sheds some light onto Soobin's and Yeonjun's relationship as well.

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter.