The sudden words from Tae Oh interrupted her unpleasant thoughts.

“Don’t provoke me.”

“When did I ever?”

“That man from yesterday. He’s not someone you’re seeing, right? Do I look like such a fool to you?”

“No…”

Tae Oh coldly cut off Seo Hee’s attempt to refute.

“You don’t refer to someone you’re seeing as a friend you haven’t met in years. Father said that yesterday.”

She barely held back a sigh that threatened to escape. Seo Hee wanted to ask what difference it made. What he wanted from her, what he was trying to say, why he was being so exasperating. She wanted to confront him, but extending this uncomfortable situation by arguing seemed pointless, so she gave him a quick glance and requested,

“Please leave now. The two of them must be waiting for you.”

“…Right. Dry your hair first. You’ll catch a cold.”

After watching him go downstairs with uncharacteristic concern, Seo Hee finally let out a long sigh.

‘Seriously, what is he thinking? How long is he going to be like this?’

Tae Oh’s unpredictable behavior made her head want to explode.

Four years. During her stay in Guam, Seo Hee had only visited Korea a handful of times. Even then, she either timed her visits to coincide with Tae Oh’s business trips or used short schedules as an excuse to avoid meeting him.

Despite her efforts to cleverly avoid him, there were unavoidable moments when his trips got unexpectedly canceled or he came to Guam where she was staying for a vacation. In those four years, she had only seen Tae Oh three times.

She thought if she kept her distance, he would surely change too.

“Sigh…”

His seemingly unchanged behavior made her feel stifled, eliciting constant sighs.

Seo Hee went to the dining room and hugged her mother tightly from behind as she busily worked in the kitchen with the helper.

“Mm, my mom smells nice.”

“Go away. I haven’t forgiven you yet.”

“Please understand. I was so happy to see a friend after so long that I lost track of time.”

Last night, it was nearly midnight by the time she got home.

Although she felt sorry for making her mother wait in the living room without sleeping until that late hour, she was relieved to have ultimately avoided an unnecessary confrontation with Tae Oh.

Of course, her mother, who had waited up for her, seemed to have a different opinion. She got quite the scolding for being late on a rare occasion when everyone had gathered together.

She appeased her mother with all sorts of sweet talk, as it was understandable for her to be worried when her daughter, who said she was going out briefly, left without her cell phone and didn’t return or contact her until late at night.

Seo Hee never imagined Tae Oh would sleep here instead of returning to his apartment.

It was very unlike him. According to the information she heard from her mother, he had never stayed the night at his family home before… She had an ominous feeling that today would not go smoothly.

As expected, sitting together at the dining table felt like walking on eggshells.

“Seo Hee, you said you’re moving into the studio apartment tomorrow?”

“Yes, sir.”

He just smiled at the way she addressed him. It had already been six years since he started living with her mother, and while she felt apologetic, she still didn’t feel comfortable calling him anything else.

“Your mom will miss you. Why don’t you stay here a bit longer?”

“I can visit often. Well, mom will probably find it more comfortable to see her grown daughter occasionally rather than having her always around, right Mom?”

Her mother gave her a playful glare. Seo Hee knew better than anyone how much her mother cherished living with her beloved daughter, but it couldn’t be helped.

Seeing her mother together with her stepfather still made Seo Hee’s heart ache and feel hollow, reminding her of her late father who was known for doting on his daughter. And Tae Oh…

There was no need to think further.

As her mother ate silently with a resigned look, her stepfather led the conversation instead.

“Don’t just say it, you need to actually visit often. I only raised a son, so I miss having a daughter around too.”

“Yes… I will.”

“And let me know if you need anything. You never accept what I give you, making me feel bad.”

Seo Hee glanced at Tae Oh sitting across from her, feeling conscious of his presence, but their eyes met. She quickly shifted her gaze to the side next to him and smiled brightly.

“I appreciate your words. But I really don’t need much. I have some savings too.”

When her father passed away, her mother had given Seo Hee all the assets and insurance money he had left for her. She had also diligently saved the money she earned from working for several years, so it was true that she lacked for nothing.

Above all, she didn’t want to readily accept anything from her stepfather, if only to prove Tae Oh’s words wrong.

At that moment, a gentle smile spread across her mother’s face, who had been quietly eating.

“Seo Hee, I almost forgot to mention something important. You know the studio apartment you’re moving into tomorrow?”

“Yeah. What about the apartment? Didn’t you say you found a good place?”

“Yes. Well, actually… Tae Oh prepared it for you. Even though I said I would pay for it, he insisted, making me feel bad.”

The spoon heading to her mouth froze in midair. Seo Hee looked at Tae Oh sitting across from her, then at her stepfather next to him, and finally at her mother beside her, swallowing hard as if she had heard something she shouldn’t have.

When she left for Guam, it was her mother who had sold the studio apartment she used to live in. Her mother would have kept all the money from selling the apartment. So when Seo Hee decided to leave Guam and return to Korea, the first thing she did was ask her mother to find a studio apartment suitable for a woman living alone.

She had strongly advised her mother to let her know if money was short, but her mother said she had found the perfect place and signed the contract, assuring there was no lack of funds. So what was this sudden talk?

“…Why? Was there not enough money? Then you should have told me. Seriously, Mom.”

Despite her reproachful words, her mother smiled with inexplicable satisfaction as Tae Oh’s voice flowed from behind her.

“It’s a welcome back gift. You’ve been working hard abroad for several years. It’s for you to rest comfortably there. It’s located near the station, so it’s convenient to get around, and the infrastructure is well-developed. There’s a police substation nearby that patrols frequently, so there’s no better place for a woman living alone. It’s a two-room apartment, isn’t it nice?”

Seo Hee seemed to be the only one flustered here. Her stepfather and mother looked on with contented smiles, while Tae Oh continued eating as if it was no big deal. What on earth was going on?

Seo Hee set the spoon she had been holding in midair back down next to her rice bowl. Her already lacking appetite had completely vanished. Just as she was about to speak up, thinking this wasn’t right, her stepfather beat her to it.

“Since it’s a gift from your brother, you can accept it comfortably.”

“That’s right, sweetie. It’s rude to refuse your brother’s thoughtful gesture, don’t you think? Tae Oh put a lot of effort into it. I went to see it too, and there’s nothing lacking in terms of location or interior facilities. The security seems well-managed, so it puts my mind at ease.”

A studio apartment was way too much for a welcome back gift. But when the three of them joined forces as if on cue to make her accept this absurd present, Seo Hee couldn’t find the words to refuse and just sighed in vain.

‘Stop your futile delusions. This is him telling you to know your place.’

His words were still vivid in her mind, so what was this scheme? One moment he treated the mother and daughter like gold diggers, and the next he acted like a real older brother. His unfamiliar behavior made her feel not just perplexed, but extremely uneasy.

Seo Hee’s unease didn’t end there.

“Seo Hee, if you haven’t found a job yet, how about joining our company?”

Ki Taek, her stepfather, greatly nodded in agreement at the unexpected suggestion.

“That’s right. Tae Oh had a good idea. Why bother looking for another position when you can come to our company? With Seo Hee’s excellent qualifications and background, no one would dare accuse her of being a parachute hire.”

Her mother Sun Joo was delighted by Ki Taek’s words.

“Oh my, that sounds so reassuring and great. What do you think, Seo Hee?”

Her mother’s words didn’t even register.

Han Tae Oh, are you testing me right now? Seo Hee avoided Tae Oh’s gaze and carefully opened her mouth after taking a sip of water to wash down the food.

“I appreciate your words, but I have no intention of causing trouble at the company you two have worked so hard to build. I’ll take my time looking for another job. I actually have an offer from a senior I know.”

A faint frown flashed across Tae Oh’s brow before disappearing.

“There’s no rush, so think it over slowly. Creating a position for you is hardly an issue.”

“Yes. Thank you for considering it… brother.”

It made her more anxious to see him acting out of character.

Seo Hee, dressed in a neat black suit, stepped out the front door. Her mother followed her out, fussing as if brushing off nonexistent dust, and casually asked,

“You’re going there, right?”

“Yeah. I’m in Korea, so of course I have to visit.”

“It’ll be tiring to go all that way by bus. Why don’t you buy a car? Tae Oh said he would look into it for you.”

Seo Hee couldn’t help but sigh. During the four years she was away from Korea, something must have happened, because the relationship between the three of them, excluding herself, seemed a little different from before.

If Tae Oh’s visibly changed attitude towards her stemmed from goodwill without any ulterior motives, it would be welcome. But she knew best that this wasn’t the case.

She had no intention of playing along with his antics, whatever his sudden reason was for putting on the mask of benevolence.

“Mom. Please don’t. I’m still not entirely comfortable with Han Tae Oh.”

“How long ago was that for you to still view him through tinted glasses? And Han Tae Oh? He’s four years older than you. He’ll have a sister-in-law soon, so watch your words.”

Seo Hee was dubious of her mother’s words and carefully asked again.

“Mom. Is he really getting married? Are you sure he’s seeing someone?”

“I told you, yes. These days, his face looks different. He was clearly giving off the vibe of someone in a relationship.”

“What, so it wasn’t even certain? It was just your guess, Mom?”

Seo Hee deflated, feeling drained of energy.