Chapter Twenty-Three – The Weight of a Name
(Joon-Ho’s POV)
The mansion was noisier than usual. Servants moving in and out, his mother’s voice echoing through the marble halls, his father’s sharp tone cutting through the air like a blade.
It hadn’t stopped since the article went out.
His face on the news. His name attached to headlines: “Daehan Group’s Hidden Heir Revealed.” Every business partner wanted to meet him now, every society family wanted their daughter introduced.
And his father was determined to make sure of it.
“Sit straighter.” His father’s voice snapped from across the table that evening, his gaze stern over the rim of his wine glass. “You are not just my son anymore. You are Daehan’s future.”
Joon-Ho clenched his jaw, forcing his posture into something his father would approve of.
His mother smiled faintly, satisfied, but his father leaned forward, eyes sharp. “The company board is restless. They’ve been waiting for years to see you step forward. From now on, you’ll attend business gatherings with me. The public will see your face. They will learn your name.”
It felt like shackles tightening around his chest.
Joon-Ho swallowed. “I still have university.”
His father’s expression didn’t shift. “University is not the priority anymore.”
Joon-Ho said nothing, but inside, the frustration burned. University was his escape. It was the only place where he wasn’t Daehan’s heir—where he could just be Joon-Ho.
Where he had met Amara.
His hands tightened under the table. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since seeing her again on campus. The fire in her eyes when she looked at him—anger, betrayal, hurt—it had sliced straight through him. He had wanted to go to her, to tell her everything.
But he couldn’t.
If his family even suspected his connection to her, she would be dragged into this mess. The press, the business world, the whispers—none of it was a place for her. He wanted to keep her safe, even if it meant pretending she didn’t exist.
But the truth was, every day without her was a fight he was losing.
His father’s voice dragged him back. “There is a dinner this Friday. Important people will be there. Including the Lee family. Their daughter is—”
“I’m not interested.” The words came out sharper than he meant, and the table went silent.
His father’s eyes hardened. “This is not about interest. This is about duty. You will be there.”
Joon-Ho lowered his gaze, hiding the storm in his chest. He wanted to argue, to shout that he didn’t care about duty, that he had already found the one person who made him feel alive.
But instead, he nodded silently.
Because in this house, rebellion was never free.
