The Heirs

Chapter 16

So Eun-sang takes the deal with the chairman devil, accepting his plane ticket to exile in exchange for a two weeks all-access pass to Tan. Not really a fair trade, but it’s not like she sees a better option.

Mom receives a flurry of text messages from people to whom she owed money, thanking her for paying back the loan. Mom’s first thought is that her severance came in early and she asks Madam Han about it. That makes Madam Han panic at the thought of losing her favorite housekeeper and she huffs, You’re wanting your pay NOW? Are you thinking of another boss right now? Who is she? How far have you gone? It’s cute.

Eun-sang doesn’t know about this either, though she realizes that the chairman must have paid off their debts behind their backs, wasting no time shoving her out of their lives.

Now she’s allowed up the staircase and puts on a smiling face for Tan, who pulls her inside, thinking she sneaked past the guards. She lets him think that, saying she missed him so much she had to see him. He pulls her into a hug, and she apologizes for being the cause of his captivity, but he sets her straight and takes responsibility for it: “I came back of my own will, so that I could stop being locked up. Because the way to be with you isn’t being with you.” Okay, I get what you’re saying, even though semantically what you just said makes no sense.

He asks her to trust him no matter what he chooses: “Now all I have left is you.” He holds her close, and she cries silently.

Won has a drink with Manager Yoon, who even now is playing neutral and not taking his side, which Won notes wryly. Manager Yoon suggests that he try understanding Tan’s position, but Won has lived through the past generation’s bitter sibling strife after Grandpa died and his aunts and uncles turned on each other. Why try to understand Tan when that fight is in his future? I guess the option of not fighting is not on the table.

Won had offered Manager Yoon a new job as his vice president, an offer Manager Yoon is still considering. He says he’ll answer soon.

In the morning, Tan keeps a close eye on the front gate security feed. Are we back to the stalking-is-romantic line? Eun-sang anticipates that Tan may be watching and writes him a greeting, sending a wave up at the camera.
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Eun-sang gets a few snide remarks on her way in to school, and then is accosted by reporters eager for an interview with anybody who knows Tan. She’s rescued by her tormentor-turned-black knight Young-do, who takes over the conversation and sends her along. When asked if he’s close with Tan, Young-do quips that he’s Jeguk’s third son, and Myung-soo(k) chimes in with a girlish “And I’m the youngest daughter.” Lol. They both win points for that, defusing the situation in the best way possible.

Eun-sang finds her locker trashed and her gym clothes soaked in soy milk. So Young-do orders a whole stockpile of the stuff from the store, then winds up to throw a box at the other lockers. (I always wonder at the stuff that happens off-screen in moments like this—so are they just standing around for twenty minutes, twiddling their thumbs while waiting for the delivery?)

Young-do’s thought process is that he’ll get the culprit if he just throws milk everywhere, to which Eun-sang exclaims, “You’re going to ruin everything just to ruin the culprit?” Uh, are you unfamiliar with his style by now? He is Mr. Scorched Earth.

She thanks him for the thought but declines the gesture. Young-do leaves the soy milk to her, and she hands them out to Bo-na and Chan-young. They’re suspicious, of course, and ask if she’s experiencing any ill effects, heh.

Eun-sang gives Bo-na the promised photo of childhood Chan-young, and then apologizes to Bo-na before giving Chan-young a hug. I love the look on his face, all discomfort and confusion, which is then mirrored on Bo-na’s face when she gets the next hug. Eun-sang can’t explain that she’s saying her goodbyes, so she just says it was a whim.