I’ll ruin what you value the most, hyung.

Nokhyeon closed the terrace door, ensuring no sound would reach the bedroom.

A line was drawn between Taeein and Nokhyeon.

Taeein, sleeping like an angel, should not be aware of the world Nokhyeon had confined herself to.

“She’s demanding my death.”

With a dry laugh, Nokhyeon spat out cold words.

Sim Yuran, Kang Jiwoon. The two resembled each other a lot, especially in their confrontational aspects.

Can I kill him? Oh, there’s something to congratulate again. Hyung, you’re becoming a dad.

Nokhyeon’s hand holding the phone tightened.

It was revenge planned for ten years. There was no way she hadn’t predicted such a variable.

How did I gain this happiness?

Nokhyeon hung up the phone. Her breathing became rough, and her hands trembled.

Revenge begets revenge. But that didn’t mean she could avoid revenge.

Nokhyeon had a lot to lose now. So, she had to be safer and more meticulous.

Not even touching a single hair of Taeein. There was no Plan B. Success was mandatory.

She had to cleanly cut out Kang Jiwoon and Sim Yuran. However, she had to pay for all the sins.

The next day, Nokhyeon found her father, Cheolhan. Worried about Taeein, she kept him close to her and strengthened the security inside the house. Not only Cheolhan but also by hiring a private security company, she took special care of Taeein’s safety.

Yet, she was still uneasy.

Cheolhan, whom she met in the hospital room, looked even more emaciated than before.

Finding the culprit who killed Dohyun was a punishment given to her father.

By tracking them down, he would closely learn about their wickedness.

Could Cheolhan withstand the shock of seeing the cruel and dirty side of someone he considered family? There was a bit of anticipation.

“I found him. The dump truck driver who hit the car you and Dohyun were in.”

“You found him.”

“But he’s already dead.”

Nokhyeon pulled out a USB from her suit pocket while Cheolhan listened silently. She connected it to Cheolhan’s phone and played the recording file.

The voice instructing the driver to commit murder was undoubtedly Director Kim’s.

Cheolhan bit his lip. The Director Kim he trusted, Jiwon, whom he thought of as his own child, and Yuran, whom he loved, were all part of the same deception. Now Cheolhan knew.

Nokhyeon found Cheolhan trembling with betrayal.

“Why did you do that?”

Nokhyeon asked with a sigh-mixed voice. She always wanted to ask. Why did they hurt people with such actions?

“It couldn’t be helped back then.”

It couldn’t be helped.

It was the phrase perpetrators often used.

In the slowly rising anger, Nokhyeon clenched her fist tightly. A sly smile escaped her lips.

It seemed like she could hear it. Dohyun’s voice.

It seemed like she could see it. Dohyun’s last appearance, covered in blood, slowly drying.

“He protected me. That kid, with his small body. But Dad never protected us. Not even once.”
A man who had brutally ruined the lives of one woman and two children was truly small and unimpressive.

So pitiful that revenge seemed tasteless, he slowly spoke.

“I have nothing to say, I.”

Even if he had ten mouths, he probably wouldn’t have anything to say.

“Taeein is pregnant. I got scared all of a sudden. I was afraid I wouldn’t be a good dad because I didn’t learn anything from my father.”

Cheolhan’s murky pupils shook ever so slightly.

A grandson who might have been held in his arms if he hadn’t committed mistakes in the past. Tears welled up in regret.

Money, fame, power, love. She thought she had it all, but now, there was nothing left. The only thing remaining was a sick and aging body.

“You’re different from me.”

Once, she thought she resembled her father and wouldn’t be able to have proper love or a proper family.

She detested her father-like self.

But now, it wasn’t the case. She learned love meeting Taeein and felt happiness.

“Yes, I’m different. I’ll do my best to be happy. I’ll dedicate myself to protecting both of you.”

With a bittersweet expression, Cheolhan nodded.

Protecting the family. It was something Cheolhan couldn’t do.

As Cheolhan lowered his head, Nokhyeon sighed while looking out the window.

“I’ve already submitted the originals to the prosecution. All the evidence I gave to Father is also included. Now, Father just needs to choose.”

Without saying a word, Cheolhan took out a will from the bedside table and handed it to Nokhyeon.

It stated that he would inherit all his property.

“Jiwon’s case is going through legal procedures, so wait a little. I’ll also gift you all the company shares.”

Nokhyeon smiled as if she was drawing.

“You should do that.”

With an emotionless voice, Nokhyeon replied and left the hospital room without any regrets. There would be no more meetings with Cheolhan now.

She wouldn’t even go to the funeral hall. This was the end.

Thinking so, the hatred that had been filling her just a moment ago seemed to wash away completely.

Nokhyeon, who got on the elevator, called Taeein.