Gu Hoseon's house.

It was the evening of Lunar New Year, but the house didn't feel the way it usually did.

Normally she'd have spent it at her in-laws', the whole family laughing and talking — the most relaxed stretch of the holiday.

One incident at Hyundo Construction had blown that peace to pieces.

Her son Gu Changjin had gone out to see his friends. Her elder daughter had brought her fiancé over to meet the family, then, as if she sensed something was off, left quietly without staying long.

The youngest had shut herself in her room with her webtoons.

In the end, Min Seoyeong was left alone in the living room. This had been her castle, calm and peaceful.

It was supposed to be the most comfortable place there was, where she could relax no matter what.

But tonight, strangely, it was hard to breathe.

Min Seoyeong picked up her wineglass and sank deep into the sofa. Her eyes stayed fixed on the television.

The news kept repeating the Hyundo Construction story.

Allegations of missing rebar at an Incheon apartment complex. Site photos and design drawings.

And a headline that was already spreading fast through the internet portals.

Boneless Hyundo!

"Ugh…… so annoying."

Min Seoyeong took a sip of wine, picked up the remote, then put it down again. Switching channels wouldn't help.

Every channel had the same story; only the anchors changed, and Hyundo's name kept filling the screen.

Calls from the group had poured in since the afternoon, and her husband, Gu Hoseon, had gone in to headquarters without even finishing his meal.

Her father-in-law, Gu Monggyu, had called in every affiliate president on Lunar New Year's Day itself.

That meant this wasn't going to end as an accident at a single construction site.

"How did this get so big?"

Min Seoyeong bit her lip and glared at the screen.

Unpleasantly, one face flashed through her mind.

Ha Tae-ung.

As she chewed over the name, something in her chest felt oddly uneasy.

At first she'd thought of him as nobody.

Just some high school kid with…