“You want to meet your younger sibling?”
At Nok Hyun’s question, Tae In showed him the email she received from Arin.

Sister, I’m really scared.

I want to go to you.

That was all the content of the email.

“It doesn’t mean she wants to come to me.”
Tae In’s pupils wavered.

After a long sleep, when she woke up, there was something she needed to protect but couldn’t remember what it was, and her chest tightened.

She thought maybe what she needed to protect wasn’t Arin.

Nok Hyun watched Tae In with a critical gaze.

He knew Arin was being despised by her family, but he didn’t know it was that bad.

He thought Arin, being Tae In’s halfsister and the daughter of her father and stepmother, would be treated better than Tae In.

“Let me see it for a moment.”
Nok Hyun briefly checked Tae In’s phone.

There were several emails under the name Seo Arin.

They were all marked as read.

“It looks like it’s been acknowledged.”
“Huh? Ah, my sister could have seen that I read it.”
“She probably said that because she thinks you’re alive, don’t worry too much.”
“…I’m relieved. I was worried in case something bad happened to her, or she had bad intentions.”
If only she could recover her memory, they could meet soon.

Tae In was frustrated.

“I’ll meet her first just in case.”
At Nok Hyun’s words, Tae In finally seemed reassured, nodding her head.

“Tell me about your family.”
“You might lose your appetite.”
“Even so.”
“Your second sister.”
“Seo Se Yeong?”
“She wears a necklace. The one I bought for her.”
“Ah…… I can’t forgive her.”
Tae In bit off a large chunk of chicken, as if punishing Se Yeong.

Nok Hyun watched Tae In quietly, a smile spreading across his face.

Would Tae In, as she was now, be able to handle what was about to happen? The thought crossed his mind, and simultaneously a cold feeling gripped his heart.

If Tae In could regain her memory, it would help Nok Hyun in many ways.

And she might be able to uncover the truth about her sister’s death.

But Tae In had nothing to gain. On the contrary, she would have a lot to deal with.

If Tae In were to step out into the world, her family might harm her again, she could even become Nok Hyun’s enemy.

As he thought up to that point, Tae In put something in Nok Hyun’s mouth.

A sour taste stung his tongue.

“Everything here is delicious.”
Tae In said, followed by a big, hearty laugh.

Nok Hyun laughed along, feeling somewhat empty.

The chicken bowl was emptied in no time.

“I’ll come again tomorrow!”
“Only once every two days.”
“Okay.”
Tae In tightly gripped Nok Hyun’s hand.

Would you still hold my hand like this even if you regain your memory?

Remembering the cold Tae In, Nok Hyun chuckled.

No, if she regains her memory, the first thing she would do is let go of my hand.

The next day, Nok Hyun went to Arin’s kindergarten with a princess doll.

It was incredibly easy to find Arin among the children leaving school.

All he had to do was look for the smallest and prettiest child.

Arin, who had been walking hand in hand with her kindergarten teacher to board the shuttle bus, halted as she saw Nok Hyun.

She peeped out from behind the teacher’s long skirt where she had been hiding.

She seemed like a small cat, wary but wanting to approach.

He had brought a teddy bear to seem less scary, but it seemed to be of no use.

“…Excuse me, who might you be?” the teacher asked with a flushed face.

“I’m Arin’s brotherinlaw.”
“Bro, brotherinlaw?”
Upon seeing the teacher look at Arin, Arin nodded her head and approached Nok Hyun.

Then, she politely bowed to the teacher.

Arin looked up at Nok Hyun, who was considerably taller than her, then bowed her head.

“Hello…”
Nok Hyun lowered his height to match Arin’s gaze.

Her large eyes resembled Tae In’s.

“Yeah, hello.”
“That, is that present for, for me?”
“Why, don’t you like it?”
“…I don’t dislike it terribly.”
So, she didn’t like it, did she?

“What about this?”
Nok Hyun extended the hand he had been hiding behind him. Arin’s eyes widened at the sight of the toy robot in his hand.

“I, I, I like, like this!”

‘If I were Arin, I would like the toy robot more. Just a hunch.’

Tae In’s intuition was right.

Arin accepted the toy robot from Nok Hyun and firmly grabbed his empty hand.

The warm and soft touch didn’t feel unfamiliar for some reason.

“Is there something you want to eat?”
“Um… Chi, chicken.”
Just like her sister, her preference for food was the same.

Nok Hyun chuckled and took Arin to a nearby fastfood restaurant.

After feeding her well, he drove her.

As soon as Arin climbed into the backseat, Ikhyun, who had been waiting, took out a tablet and handed it to Arin.

Arin, tilting her head, stared at the large screen.

Hello, Arin.
As Tae In awkwardly smiled and waved, Arin just looked at her blankly.

Arin turned her large eyes to look at Nok Hyun sitting next to her.

“Is that, my sister? Or, or is it a recording?”
Worried that Arin might burst into tears any moment, Nok Hyun carefully called out to Tae In.

“Seo Tae In.”
Yeah?