The drive back from Lee Minwoo’s office was eerily silent. Jaehoon’s mind was in turmoil, and Jiwoo seemed equally lost in her own thoughts. The sleek cityscape outside the car windows blurred as they sped past, but neither of them seemed to notice the world around them. All that mattered now was the weight of the decision that hung between them—the inheritance, the legacy, and the dark clouds that had begun to form on the horizon.
Jaehoon’s thoughts kept circling back to what Lee Minwoo had said. He was the heir. The rightful heir to the Lee family’s vast fortune, a fortune that had been hidden from him for so long. And yet, despite the confirmation, despite the documents, the reality of it all felt surreal, like a dream that could shatter with the slightest movement.
"I don’t know what to think," Jiwoo finally spoke, her voice breaking the silence. Her tone was soft, hesitant, as though she, too, was still trying to process everything that had happened. "We’ve always wanted more for our children, but... this? It’s too much to understand all at once."
Jaehoon glanced at her, his hand resting on the steering wheel. “I know. It’s hard to believe, especially after everything we’ve been through. But it’s real, Jiwoo. I saw the proof. I heard it from Lee Minwoo himself.”
She nodded slowly, her eyes lost in the distance. "I believe you, Jaehoon. But I also sense there’s something they’re not telling us. Lee Minwoo warned you about challenges to your inheritance. What kind of challenges are we talking about?"
That was the question that had been gnawing at Jaehoon ever since their meeting. Lee Minwoo had been cryptic, dropping hints about opposition within the family, about people who would stop at nothing to prevent Jaehoon from taking his place as the heir. The more Jaehoon thought about it, the more he realized that this inheritance came with risks—risks that could destroy not just his life but the lives of those he loved.
“I don’t know,” Jaehoon admitted, his voice strained. "Lee Minwoo said that some people within the family would contest it. There are people who think I shouldn’t have access to the wealth. People who want to keep everything for themselves."
Jiwoo turned to him, her brow furrowing in concern. "That doesn’t sound like a simple inheritance. It sounds more like... a battle. Are we ready for that? Can we even survive it?"
Jaehoon’s grip tightened on the steering wheel, but he didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure. He had always believed that the hardest battles were the ones fought with nothing but determination. But this was different. This wasn’t just about hard work—it was about navigating a world of power, deception, and treachery that he had never imagined.
The car came to a stop at a red light, and Jaehoon’s mind wandered to the call he had received that evening. The one that had shaken him to his core.
As soon as they had stepped out of Lee Minwoo’s office, Jaehoon had been walking to the car when his phone had rung. The number was unfamiliar, and at first, he had assumed it was some kind of telemarketer or spam call. But when he had answered, a low, gravelly voice on the other end had made his blood run cold.
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“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into,” the voice had said, barely more than a whisper. “The Lee family is not what you think it is. You think the wealth will change your life, but it will destroy you instead. You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
Jaehoon had tried to respond, to demand answers, but the voice had hung up abruptly, leaving him with more questions than before. Who was that? Why had they warned him? What did they know that he didn’t?
Jiwoo turned to him, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Jaehoon, what’s wrong? You’re pale.”
Jaehoon shook his head, trying to brush it off. "It’s nothing. Just... too much on my mind."
But Jiwoo wasn’t fooled. “What’s going on? You’ve been acting distant ever since that phone call. Who was it?”
“I don’t know,” Jaehoon said, his voice tight. “The caller didn’t say who they were. They just warned me about the Lee family, about what this inheritance could do to us. They said I didn’t know what I was getting into.”
Jiwoo’s eyes widened with concern, and she reached for his hand. "That doesn’t sound good. Jaehoon, this is too much. We’re already in over our heads with the inheritance. If there’s someone out there threatening us, we need to know who it is."
“I’ll find out,” Jaehoon promised, though a sense of dread settled in his chest. How could he find out? And more importantly, how could he protect his family from whatever storm was coming their way?
The drive home felt longer than it ever had. The weight of the inheritance, the strange phone call, and the growing realization that they were stepping into a world far more dangerous than they had imagined were all too much for Jaehoon to process. The quiet of the car, once a comfort, now felt oppressive. The promise of wealth, of a new life, seemed like a distant dream, overshadowed by the looming threat of something much darker.
When they finally arrived home, the night had fallen, and the streets of their neighborhood were quiet. Jaehoon turned off the engine and sat there for a moment, staring at the dark apartment building in front of them. It felt like everything had changed, yet nothing was different at all. They were still the same people they had been that morning—ordinary, struggling to make ends meet—but now they had inherited a legacy they didn’t understand, a legacy that threatened to tear their lives apart.
"Jaehoon," Jiwoo said softly, breaking his thoughts. "I know you want to protect us, but we need to think this through. We can’t just rush into something we don’t fully understand. The Lee family, the inheritance, this mysterious caller—it’s all too much."
Jaehoon nodded, but deep down, he knew that they couldn’t turn back. The inheritance was already a part of his life, and whether he wanted it or not, he would have to face whatever challenges came with it. But as he looked at Jiwoo, he knew she was right—he couldn’t do this alone.
"We’ll figure this out together," he said, his voice firm. "Whatever happens, we’ll face it as a family."
But as they stepped inside their apartment, Jaehoon couldn’t shake the feeling that the storm was already here—that whatever danger loomed on the horizon had already found its way into their lives.
The call, the warning, the inheritance—it was all connected. And Jaehoon knew that the road ahead would be anything but easy.
As the door clicked shut behind them, Jaehoon felt the weight of the legacy he had inherited, and the ominous future that seemed to await him. He didn’t know what would come next, but one thing was certain: the story of the Lee family was only just beginning. And it would take more than just courage to survive it.