The meeting room was quiet, save for the soft rustle of paper as Minwoo continued flipping through the documents in front of him. Jaehoon sat motionless, his mind still reeling from the magnitude of what he had just learned. The inheritance, the responsibilities, and the dark undercurrent of family politics—it was all far more complex than he had anticipated. But there was one thing still bothering him, something that Minwoo had yet to address fully.

Minwoo glanced up, his gaze calculating as if he knew what Jaehoon was about to ask.

"Mr. Lee," Minwoo began, his voice lower now, almost reluctant. "There is one more matter to discuss. It's a more personal matter, but it is crucial to your understanding of this inheritance."

Jaehoon’s chest tightened. He wasn’t sure what could possibly be more significant than the inheritance details he had just reviewed, but he remained silent, waiting for Minwoo to continue.

"Your grandfather," Minwoo said, carefully placing a set of documents onto the table, "was once a part of this family. A part of the Lee legacy."

Jaehoon’s eyes narrowed. This was the first time he had heard this mentioned in any of the meetings. His grandfather? The man who had always been a shadow in the family’s history? The man who had struggled to make ends meet, who had never once spoken about wealth or a family of prominence?

"My grandfather?" Jaehoon asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "But... I thought he had no connection to the Lee family."

Minwoo nodded. "That’s what you were told. But the truth is, your grandfather was disowned by the family many years ago. For reasons that are... well, complicated."

Jaehoon’s mind began to race. He had always known that his grandfather’s past was shrouded in mystery, but this was far more than he had expected. “Disowned? But why? What could have happened?”

Minwoo leaned forward, his expression softening as he explained. “Your grandfather fell in love with a woman from outside the proper social circle, someone who was not deemed suitable by the family standards. At the time, the Lee family had strict rules about marriage, about maintaining their status and influence. Your grandfather’s choice was seen as a betrayal.”

Jaehoon’s heart sank. He had heard bits and pieces of the story before—his grandfather had married someone from a lower class, and in doing so, had been cast out of the family. His father had always avoided the topic, never offering any details, but Jaehoon now understood why. The pain from that betrayal had been passed down, a wound too deep to speak of.

“So, that’s why we never had any connection to the Lees,” Jaehoon said, his voice hollow with the weight of the revelation. “My father... he must have resented it.”

“Yes,” Minwoo said quietly. “Your father carried the burden of that rejection throughout his life. He was a proud man, but also someone who struggled with the weight of his family’s past. Your grandfather’s decision to marry outside the family’s expectations meant that his name was erased from the records, and his descendants were left to fend for themselves.”

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Jaehoon sat back, trying to process the enormity of what Minwoo had just said. His family’s struggles—his father’s sacrifices, his own rise from humble beginnings—had all been part of a larger story, one that had begun generations ago.

"And why is this being revealed now?" Jaehoon asked, a mixture of suspicion and curiosity in his tone. "Why after all these years has the Lee family decided to acknowledge this connection?"

Minwoo hesitated, his gaze flickering toward the door as if searching for the right words. “The decision to bring you into the fold, Mr. Lee, was not made lightly. It has been discussed for some time now, but the family needed certainty. The lineage needed to be confirmed, and that took time. The research, the DNA tests—all of it was to ensure that you were, in fact, the rightful heir.”

“But why now?” Jaehoon pressed. “What has changed?”

Minwoo’s expression tightened, his lips pressing into a thin line. For a moment, he said nothing, as if contemplating how much he should reveal. Then, with a sigh, he spoke again, his tone somber.

“There are forces at play within the Lee family, Mr. Lee. Changes that are coming in the near future. There are rival factions, business threats, and power struggles that are looming. The family needs someone they can trust to step in, to stabilize the legacy. And that someone... is you.”

Jaehoon’s pulse quickened. There was something in Minwoo’s voice that made him uneasy, as though the heirship wasn’t just about the legacy—it was about positioning, about filling a vacuum. He had thought this was about wealth, power, and responsibility, but now it seemed more like a chess game.

“You mean... I’m here because they need me,” Jaehoon said slowly. “Not because I’m family, but because I can fill a role.”

Minwoo met his gaze squarely. “Yes. That is part of it. The Lee family has faced internal divisions for years, and there are those who would challenge your position. Your grandfather’s disownment—while painful—has become a symbol of the family’s rigidity, and there are those who believe that a new bloodline, a fresh perspective, is what’s needed to move forward.”

Jaehoon’s mind spun. His entire life had just been turned upside down. What had he thought? That he was going to inherit a fortune, become the head of a dynasty, and live a life of comfort and respect? That was all he had imagined. But now he saw the truth—the Lee family’s legacy wasn’t a well-oiled machine; it was a battlefield.

“Do you think I’m ready for this?” Jaehoon asked, his voice barely a whisper, as though speaking the words aloud might make them more real.

Minwoo’s eyes softened, but there was no sympathy in them—only cold professionalism. “No one is ever truly ready for such a responsibility. But the opportunity is yours now. It’s up to you to decide whether to accept it, or to walk away.”

Jaehoon felt a weight on his shoulders that no amount of wealth or power could ever lift. The decision wasn’t just about money—it was about loyalty, about the survival of a dynasty, about choosing sides in a family divided by secrets and rivalries.

The silence stretched between them, heavy and thick. Finally, Jaehoon closed the binder in front of him, the weight of its contents still pressing on his chest.

“Is there anything else I should know?” Jaehoon asked, his voice tired.

Minwoo paused for a long moment before answering, his gaze shifting toward the documents on the table.

“One last thing,” Minwoo said quietly. “There are certain family members who might not accept your position. Some of them have been waiting for this day for a long time. And not all of them will be happy to see a stranger step into the role of the heir.”

Jaehoon’s eyes narrowed. “Who?”

Minwoo’s lips curled into a thin smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes. “That, Mr. Lee, is a story for another time.”

Jaehoon stood up, his mind still clouded by the revelations of the past few hours. He knew that his life had changed forever—and that the true test of his character was just beginning.