The Return to Seongjin

Joon Ha stood at the edge of the mountain village, the crisp dawn air biting at his skin. Behind him, the wooden cottage that had been his refuge for months stood silent, untouched by the chaos that awaited him in the city.

His fingers curled around the Haewon insignia, the cool metal pressing into his palm like a reminder of the war that lay ahead. The battle for Haewon Group was no longer a distant storm—it was here.

Master Kang watched him in silence, his aged face unreadable. “Are you ready to face the storm?”

Joon Ha exhaled. “Ready or not, it’s coming.”

The village had been his sanctuary, a place where he had rebuilt himself from the ruins of his past. But sanctuaries do not last forever.

Ha-Yoon stood at the threshold, watching him pack a small bag. “You don’t have to do this alone,” she said.

Joon Ha paused. “I need you here, Ha-Yoon. If things go wrong, I—”

“No.” She stepped forward, eyes burning with resolve. “You once told me exile was a test. Then let me be tested too.”

Joon Ha studied her for a long moment. She had chosen this path the day she followed him into exile. He could not ask her to turn back now.

“Then we leave at dawn.”

The city of Seongjin loomed ahead, its skyline a stark contrast to the quiet mountains they had left behind. Towering skyscrapers. Blazing neon signs. Streets pulsing with restless energy.

Joon Ha’s return had not gone unnoticed.

As they entered the Haewon Tower, the silence was suffocating. Guards. Board members. Old allies and enemies alike. They lined the marble halls like statues, their eyes following him.

At the far end of the room, seated in the chair that once belonged to his father, was Haewon Group’s new chairman—his uncle, Joon-Taek.

The older man’s lips curled into a smirk. “You should have stayed in exile, Joon Ha.”

Joon Ha met his gaze, unflinching. “And let you tear apart my father’s empire?”

Laughter rippled through the room, low and mocking. The war for Haewon had already begun.

Joon Ha’s fists clenched at his sides as he stepped forward. “This company was built on my father’s name. Do you really think I’ll let you rip it apart?”

Joon-Taek leaned back in the chairman’s seat, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “You speak as if you still have a claim to it.”

“I do.” Joon Ha’s voice was steady, unwavering. “And I’ll prove it.”

A low murmur spread through the room. The board members, the ones who had once sworn loyalty to his father, now looked at Joon Ha with doubt in their eyes. He could see it—hesitation. Fear. A hunger for power that had made them weak.

Ha-Yoon stepped forward, placing a folder on the long conference table. “The financial records,” she announced. “And proof of how the chairman has been draining Haewon’s assets for his personal interests.”

Joon-Taek’s smirk faltered for a split second before he let out a low chuckle. “And? What do you plan to do with that information?”

Joon Ha tilted his head. “Expose you.”

Silence fell over the room. The tension crackled like a live wire.

“You have no power here, boy,” Joon-Taek said, voice laced with amusement. “You’re just a man who returned from exile with nothing.”

Joon Ha stepped closer, his gaze never wavering. “Then let’s find out who still stands with me.”

His voice echoed through the grand hall. A challenge. A declaration. A promise.

Joon-Taek’s smirk faded, and for the first time, Joon Ha saw something flicker in his eyes—doubt.

The battle for Haewon had begun.

Shloka/श्लोक/절

"धर्म एव हतो हन्ति धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः।

तस्माद्धर्मो न हन्तव्यो मा नो धर्मो हतोऽवधीत्॥"

Dharma eva hato hanti dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ,

tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato’vadhīt.

다르마 에바 하또 한띠 다르모 락샤띠 락쉬타하,

따스맛 다르모 나 한따뵤 마 노 다르모 하또 아바딧.

"When Dharma is destroyed, it destroys us. When Dharma is protected, it protects us. Therefore, never destroy Dharma, lest it destroy you."

다르마가 파괴되면, 그것은 우리를 파괴한다. 다르마를 보호하면, 그것이 우리를 보호한다. 그러므로 다르마를 파괴하지 말라, 그렇지 않으면 다르마가 너를 파괴할 것이다.

Like Rama returning to reclaim his rightful place, Joon Ha steps back into the battlefield of power and betrayal. The throne of Haewon stands before him, but victory will not be given—it must be taken.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***