Dual Persona

A week had passed since their father's funeral.

The billionaire's post-funeral family gathering was held at the mansion of Han Tae-jin, the second eldest of the Han siblings. The funeral itself had been a high-profile event, leaving little room for personal discussions, making this gathering all the more necessary.

But beyond the social pleasantries, there was a greater reason for their presence: the announcement of their late father's will.

Sungjun arrived with his daughter, Jiyeon, alongside Sae-ri and her family.

The door creaked open, the familiar scent of jasmine-scented candles mixed with the rich aroma of home-cooked meals wafting in. Han Sung-Jun stood at the threshold, the weight of fifteen years bearing down on his shoulders. His eyes darted around the room, trying to absorb everything at once.

Name: Han Tae-jin

Age: 48.

Relation: Second Eldest son of Han Dong-hyun

Profession: Chairman-CEO of Vera Cosmetics, a billion-dollar company with 57 branches all over the world.

Networth: 294 billion KRW (204 million USD)

Marital Status: Married.

Children: 3 (a son and two twin daughters).

*

"Sungjun-ah!" His eldest brother, Han Tae-jin, was the first to step forward. He was bigger than Sung-Jun remembered—more in charge, more polished. The CEO's aura wrapped around him like a tailored suit.

Sung-Jun's lips twitched into a smile, but it was tight and cautious. "Hyung," he muttered, his voice gravelly from the years of silence.

Tae-jin clapped him on the back. "You look... all grown up, how long has it been..."

"You too have changed, Hyung. You have grown older," Sung-Jun chuckled softly, trying to be all casual and affectionate, but it didn't reach his eyes. He looked past his second eldest brother, meeting the eyes of the next person in the room.

"Hyung," he said, nodding to his third eldest brother, Han Ji-hyun.

Name: Han Ji-hyun

Age: 46:

Relation: Third son of Han Dong-hyun.

Profession: The owner of a popular fast food chain, Seoul Street Eats.

Networth: 70 billion KRW (48.5 million USD)

Marital Status: Married

Children: 1 (daughter)

*

Han Ji-hyun's face softened as he took a few steps forward. He was a little rounder now, but still with that easy smile that always made him seem like he could talk to anyone. "Long time, Sungjun-ah." His handshake was firm, though his fingers lingered just a moment longer than usual.

"Long time, Hyung." Sungjun grabbed his hand and bowed with a smile before Ji-hyun embraced him with a warm hug. "Missed you a lot, Jun. You look like a fine young man now."

"And you have grown belly, Hyung. Aren't you a fit soccer player?" Sungjun grinned, staying casual with his third brother, who had been close to him since childhood. Ji-hyun's eyes carried a bit of embarrassment. "Things change, brother." After a brief pause, he freed from the hug, looked at his dear young brother, and asked. "Where have you been for this long, Jun? You haven't even attempted to contact us even once. What happened to you?"

The question hung in the air, but Sung-Jun didn't feel the need to answer. It was too complicated for a simple handshake.

And then, someone else caught his attention—a sharp but friendly tone that cut through the air like a knife. "It's been a while, Sungjun-ssi."

"Hmm?" Sungjun's head turned toward the source. It was a familiar figure, a woman standing in grace, dressed in an attire that screamed millions of dollars even at one glance. "Ah, Hyeong-su-nim, annyeonghaseyo." He greeted with a slight bow, his lips becoming stiff for a moment before they were forcefully widened. "How are you?"

Name: Kim Seol-ah

Age: 46

Profession: Co-founder of Vera Cosmetics, Housewife

Background: The only daughter of a five-time assemblyman.

Education: Master's at Harvard University.

*

Before he left home, his second eldest brother was already married and had kids. Hence, he was familiar with his sister-in-law. And he doesn't like her personality. She is one of those people who tries to stay in an affluent social circle, likes to mingle with the rich, and looks down on the poor. Because of her father's enormous influence in the political circle, she knew prosecutors, the chief of police, businessmen, hospital directors, etc.

If there is one redeemable feature of hers, she isn't a rude person; if anything, she acts nice to all regardless of their financial status, atleast to their faces.

"I've been well, keeping up with all the usual responsibilities," she replied smoothly. "Tae-jin-ssi is successful in life, managing to grow our Vera Cosmetics into a trillion-won company, and my son, Chulwoo, got into KAIST, following his father's footsteps."

Sungjun saw that his sister-in-law didn't speak about the twins, Han Minji and Han Eunji. He couldn't help but wonder whether this woman didn't approve of their path or something.

Putting away his thoughts, he nodded with a smile. "It's good. Where are they, by the way?"

Seol-Ah replied. "Oh, they are helping out Eun-ji-ssi, you know, with cooking and setting up the table."

"Cooking?" Sungjun blankly stared at his brother as if he was asking, "Isn't it your house? Why would third-sister-in-law cook?"

As if his third brother understood the meaning behind his gaze, he leaned toward Sungjun and murmured. "Your sister-in-law would always do it no matter where we are. Do you know I have only visited a Michelin restaurant once, and we got kicked out because of her critique? We've got to terms with it already."

"Alright. Uhh... anyway, this is my daughter, Jiyeon." He glanced to the side at the 14-year-old who stood in surprise for some reason. "Vera, pozdorovaysya so svoimi dyadyami."

"A, da." Jiyeon, the green-eyed half Korean teenager, awkwardly smiled as pairs of eyes fell upon her. "Hello. Nice to meet you all. I'm Han Jiyeon. I'm 15 by Korean age." Jiyeon greeted her uncles wth a polite bow and was a well-practiced Korean despite her evident foreign upbringing.

"You are not 15. The Korean age system was officially abolished last year, Vera." Sungjun said, shutting his eyes for a moment as if he was controlling his annoyance. He looked at his brothers and added. "Sorry, she always insists that she is 15."

"I am, Papa." Jiyeon's politeness suddenly had a turnaround in an instant, raising her voice as if she were complaining. But, in reality, it is just that others couldn't understand Russian, and she was speaking quite fast. "The government abolished it, Papa, not the people. Moreover, the Korean age system goes far back into Korean cultural history, centuries ago. Yes, it evolved from counting the age from a mother's womb to Jan 1st, but still, either way, I would be 15, and in six weeks, I will be 16, papa. 2 more years for the freedom."

"No, you won't. You are a Russian citizen. Hence, your age is counted on international standards, Vera." Sungjun argued back, countering her statement with a fact. Crossing his arms tightly to the chest, he smirked. "It will be 4 years before you can become independent. Dream on, munchkin."

"Daaaad! I told you not to call me that." As Jiyeon's face reddened in embarrassment, Han Ji-hyun patted Sungjun's shoulder. "Okay, I don't know what's going on here. Let's calm down and sit down."