“Are you Kim Hee Joo’s guardian?”

Chae Won entered the emergency room and stared blankly at the woman lying in a miserable state.

Parts of the woman’s body that had received emergency treatment were bandaged, and her barely recognizable form was swollen with pooled blood.

“Aren’t you the one who called earlier? Kim Hee Joo’s younger sister.”

Kim Hee Joo, who came as a customer to the dermatology clinic Chae Won runs two months ago.

Only when she faced the woman with the same face as hers did she realize that this woman was her twin elder sister, whom she had separated from when they were young.

From their barely remembered childhood, Hee Joo was taken by their father, while Chae Won was taken by their mother to America, where she remarried James.

“Isn’t that right?”

Hee Joo, who ran away flustered as if she would never see her again, left her wallet behind like Cinderella’s glass slipper.

Using that as an excuse, one phone call to the number written on the patient chart, that’s how they reunited two months ago.

Unlike the awkward greetings of their first meeting, as the second, third, fourth… meetings continued, the awkwardness gradually melted away, and sincere conversations took place.

They honestly shared about the days when they wanted to find each other but couldn’t muster the courage, and they had planned to properly introduce Hee Joo’s husband, who was said to be a kind and good person, soon.

But suddenly, a phone call came with Hee Joo’s intense crying.

‘Sob. I feel so stupid for living like this, I think I’m going crazy.’

‘Elder sister, what’s wrong? Did something happen? No, where are you now?’

‘I left home. Chae Won, I really… I hate myself so much.’

While barely calming her sobbing sister, she said they should meet.

Do you want to come to the hospital or should I go there, okay let’s meet there, in the middle of such conversation, the sudden scream she heard was her last call with Hee Joo.

Chae Won, who had been thinking, soon straightened her gaze.

“That’s right. What happened?”

“She was hit by a car and is severely injured.”

“I’m a doctor too. Please tell me my elder sister’s condition in detail.”

“Ah, then I’ll show you the CT scan, would you come this way?”

Fractures in her arms, wrists, and shoulders, a collapsed nose bone, and other abrasions, she was mainly injured in the head and upper body.

‘I want to die. I feel so stupid for living like this.’

Saying she was happy with her caring husband, a lawyer, and her warm-hearted mother-in-law.

Saying she had enthusiastically requested consultations for Botox and skin care because she wanted to become prettier, why did she suddenly cry and say she wanted to die?

With various suspicions, Chae Won rummaged through her bag.

“…Divorce papers?”

The divorce papers that came out of the folded brown envelope had an application date from quite a while ago, as if there had been discussions already.

Chae Won’s gaze drifted to the husband’s name written right next to her sister’s personal information.

Noh Jae Min. As she stared quietly at that name, Hee Joo’s phone placed in a corner of the hospital room vibrated loudly.

Though she didn’t know what didn’t fit that they wanted to divorce, he was still her sister’s husband, her guardian.

Chae Won, who had been staring at the phone, pressed the call button without hesitation.

“Hello.”

− Hey.

At the first word, Chae Won’s brow furrowed tightly.

No matter if they were about to divorce, saying ‘hey’ to his wife.

− Are you really going to do this? We agreed to meet in front of the court, so why did you stand me up again today! I told you to take your stuff and leave by today, so why is your stuff still here!

As expected, it seems the divorce papers she saw earlier were the cause.

They had agreed to meet at the court for the divorce, but Hee Joo couldn’t bring herself to do it and left home crying?

− Take your stuff right now! If you don’t take it and leave by today, I’m going to throw it all away, so you better know that!

Does it mean she still likes this man if she couldn’t divorce him despite crying out like that?

Or did Hee Joo do something wrong as grounds for divorce, making this man so angry?

− Hey, Kim Hee Joo, aren’t you going to answer?

Chae Won held up the divorce papers tightly in front of her eyes.

“203 Taeseong-ro 3-gil, Seoul. Is this the correct address?”

When Chae Won asked, the man let out a bewildered breath.

− Ha, really. This is ridiculous. Are you pretending not to remember now? Do you think I won’t divorce you if you do that?

“So you’re there right now, right?”

− Of course I’m here, where else would I be! And what’s with the creepy formal speech? Did you hit your head somewhere?

Chae Won lowered the papers with an expressionless face.

“That’s quite a way to talk to your wife.”

“What?”

Is it because they’re twins that even their voices are similar?

The man who was her husband still didn’t realize he wasn’t talking to his wife.

“Just wait,”

Chae Won, who ended the call, looked down at Hee Joo’s face, asleep after emergency surgery.

“Surely, you haven’t been living with such a jerk?”

Her face, with eyes closed and no answer, was no longer the same as her own.

The swollen face, white bandages wrapped around various parts of her body, and purple bruises. Especially her broken nose, though reconstructed, would not be the same as before.

“And let me tell you as a dermatologist, elder sister, you… Your style is a bit shabby, but you don’t need Botox or anything else.”

If you just make your damaged hair a bit shinier, put on some vibrant lipstick on your naturally fair skin, shed that outdated style and dress up a little.

Then really, whether men or women, they’ll all just look at you.

“Because the successful Kim Chae Won, I’m the very proof of that.”

Since he said he’d throw everything away if she doesn’t take her stuff and leave by today, I should go get it for now.

“I’ll pack your things, you only have me now since father is gone too, elder sister.”

One day, on documents obtained out of necessity, there was a notation that the father they hadn’t seen for a long time had become deceased.

And a month later, a line was drawn through the mother’s name due to an unexpected accident.

“But you, with the same face as me, you didn’t live like a fool, did you?”

The man’s harsh voice from earlier keeps bothering me.

Thinking of Hee Joo’s fragile personality, different from her own despite having the same face, she probably couldn’t act as fiercely back.

What kind of guy did she marry and how did she live, I should take this chance to see that bastard’s face too.

What on earth happened…

“I’ll be back… Until then, elder sister, you must open your eyes.”

Because seeing you lying here with the same face as mine is the worst.

Chae Won got up from the chair, put on her jacket, and picked up her shiny clutch bag with her white hand.

*

Despite ringing the bell several times, there was no answer.

“Is this not the right house?”

Coming out to a bright area with streetlights to check the address again, it was certainly correct.

Looking at the two-story detached house, Chae Won tilted her head with a puzzled look.

“It seems they’re not in a difficult financial situation.”

When she first saw Kim Hee Joo, she didn’t think they would be well-off because she was so unadorned.

Perhaps because she had unconsciously assumed it would be a small house, seeing this two-story house in quite an expensive neighborhood made Hee Joo’s unadorned appearance at the same age even more incomprehensible.

As she was grumbling discontentedly, her phone rang.

Chae Won’s eyes, which had looked down indifferently, widened.

“Oh no. That’s right. The blind date!”

Choi Yoo Gun, who was said to be the grandson of someone James does business with.

There had been a request from her stepfather James, saying that he wanted to introduce them, and even if they didn’t date, just to meet once for formality’s sake.

Flustered by the call from the hospital, she had forgotten about the appointment she had made to meet him.

Surely he hadn’t been waiting all this time.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Choi Yoo Gun. I had an urgent matter… Have you been waiting long?”

As soon as she answered, Chae Won hurriedly apologized first.

“Hey. Kim Hee Joo. What’s going on?”

Turning her head at the sharp voice, a man in a shirt holding a convenience store plastic bag was looking at Chae Won with a crooked posture.

Recognizing immediately that he was Noh Jae Min from the voice saying ‘hey’, Chae Won, keeping her gaze fixed on him, said,

“I’m sorry, but I’ll call you back.”

Ending the call, Chae Won faced Jae Min who had now approached.

*

A black form-fitting dress with a beige jacket, stiletto heels, and a clutch bag held in a hand adorned with sparkling rings.

Jae Min’s eyes slowly scanned Chae Won.

“Hey, you…”

Looking at Chae Won standing with an elegant posture, with long, well-textured brown hair and red lips, he stared with a blank expression before quickly frowning.

“What’s with you? Where did you put your glasses… No, where did you buy clothes like these, and what, did you do your hair too? This luxury bag is… No, it can’t be a luxury bag, where did you get a fake and bring it here.”

What, fake?

Chae Won laughed dryly.

She understood that he mistook her for Hee Joo because they were twins, but even so, the assumption that the luxury item must be fake was a point that showed how much Kim Hee Joo must have been disrespected living with him.

For a couple about to separate, and for this man who showed no respect or courtesy, she decided to think a bit more about whether it was right to inform him of Hee Joo’s condition.

“Where are the belongings? I came to get the belongings.”

Hearing formal speech unlike usual, Jae Min looked at Chae Won strangely before smirking.

“Ah, I see. You’ve been like this since the phone call earlier, now you’re using formal speech to cut ties? Then you’ll come to the court tomorrow, right? Huh?”

Chae Won stared straight at Jae Min in front of her.

This man with tanned skin, large piercing eyes, and quite a handsome appearance, though it’s unclear how many years he lived with Hee Joo, seems quite stupid.

No matter how identical they look, how can he not realize the woman in front of him is not his wife.

“The belongings. I’m asking where the belongings are.”

Jae Min blinked with a subtle expression.

Sensing how much she had changed, he tilted his head before frowning again and leading the way.

“I don’t know what you’re up to, but hurry up and take your stuff and leave. Don’t drag this out any longer.”

As Chae Won followed Jae Min into the house, a middle-aged woman came out stretching.

“I should have told you to buy beer and squid too, I forgot… What, oh my, who are you?”

Chae Won quietly looked at the middle-aged woman who was gasping and opening her mouth.

Blinking a couple of times, she quickly frowned like Jae Min had earlier and approached.

“You left home and went completely crazy, huh? Huh? What is this outfit? And where did this bag come from?”

Young Ja, who was touching Chae Won’s bag, raised her head sharply.

“Did you steal a card? Did you steal our Attorney Noh’s card and buy this? How does someone who used to receive an allowance have money to buy something like this? Huh? And where did you throw away your glasses!”

Is this the uproar in the whole household when Kim Hee Joo buys a luxury bag? Why all this fuss over just one bag.

“Where do you think you’re looking with those eyes wide open! Aren’t you going to tell the truth? Did you steal something to buy this, huh?”

Ignoring her, Chae Won looked around the house as if touring and entered the spacious living room.

“Hey, aren’t you going to answer? Your mother-in-law is asking where you got it!”

“What mother-in-law when divorce is imminent.”

As Chae Won muttered with an indifferent expression, Young Ja and Jae Min’s eyes widened.

“What did you just say, huh?”

“I said, what mother-in-law when divorce is imminent?”

“Oh my, oh my, she’s gone crazy! Hey!”

Chae Won stood askew, avoiding Young Ja’s hand trying to push her.

“Oh my, oh my! Aigo!”

Young Ja, who fell on her own when nothing touched her, clutched her head that hadn’t even hit anything.

“Aigo, my head. Ah, what is this.”

“Mom, are you okay?”

“Son, Attorney Noh! No, she seems to have gone completely mad! On the last day, staring straight at her mother-in-law and talking back!”

Jae Min, who supported Young Ja, soon approached Chae Won with an angry expression.

“Are you crazy? Did you go out and hit your head somewhere after leaving home? Huh? Stop being clingy and just sign the divorce papers, I want to end this quickly!”

Chae Won sat on the wide fabric sofa and crossed her legs.

“Should I do it, or not.”

“Hey!”

Chae Won chuckled and looked around this house once more, reeking of a makjang drama.

This is something Hee Joo should do anyway.

“The divorce is on hold”

“What?”

But Kim Hee Joo seems to have lived even more foolishly than expected.

If possible, she wants to sue for defamation for her elder sister who lived being treated like this with the same face.

“I’ll teach you how to spot authentic luxury goods in the meantime.”

Until elder sister wakes up, I should restore her damaged image a bit.

If you feel wronged, wake up quickly, Kim Hee Joo.

“…What, what are you saying?”

Jae Min frowned at Chae Won, who was smiling softly.

“Since you seem unable to distinguish between real and fake.”

Chae Won lightly shook her luxury clutch bag and said,

“I look forward to working with you, dear.”