Secret Baby (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11

After that day, Seo Ha hid out in Hyo Jae’s rented apartment to avoid Seung Ae. However, Seung Ae somehow tracked her down almost immediately.

Seo Ha’s heart sank. She felt guilty, as if the child wasn’t being welcomed because of her.

Her mind was filled only with the thought that she had to run away without anyone knowing, to protect her child.

Seo Ha didn’t even have time to wipe away her rising tears.

Fear and sorrow crashed over her all at once.

Biting her lips hard, she dragged her unresponsive body and barely managed to reach the main road.

She then impulsively hailed a passing taxi.

“Where to?”

“The intercity bus terminal.”

All Seo Ha could think was that she had to leave this city right away.

This was Seo Ha’s situation five years ago.

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Not long ago, Jin Cheol Wook, Yu Na’s father and a congressman, visited Hyun Young.

With a relaxed expression, Congressman Jin Cheol Wook sipped his tea and spoke.

“Legislation to regulate corporations keeps getting proposed. If passed, it’ll affect not only the HY Group but also T&K, which has just started spreading its wings.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

Hyun Young also paused her words while sipping her tea. The tense standoff between them charged the air in the chairman’s office.

Cheol Wook thought that if he wanted to move Hyun Young, who sat as unmoving as a stone statue, he’d have to make the first move himself.

“Jin Cheol Wook and the HY Group can become strong partners.”

As if burning, Cheol Wook gulped down his now-cooled tea and got straight to the point.

“I understand well how hard both HY Group and T&K are working for our economy. That’s precisely why we politicians must create supportive policies to nurture and encourage such enterprises. Politics and the economy must cooperate.”

“I agree with Congressman Jin.”

“Just as I thought—Chairwoman Park and I truly are the best partners, aligned in the same direction. Haha.”

Cheol Wook let out a hearty laugh at Hyun Young’s single sentence.

“Since you’re working so hard, I have no choice but to trust you, Congressman.”

Hyun Young nodded slightly in polite agreement with Cheol Wook’s words, and only then did he reveal his true intentions.

Cheol Wook wasn’t satisfied with such a shallow connection—he needed an unbreakable bond.

He cleared his throat once more.

“By the way, it’s getting even harder to see Tae Kyung these days. Honestly, as a father with a daughter, I wonder how much longer he intends to keep Yu Na waiting. Please understand my feelings.”

Hyun Young offered a faint, practiced smile and said nothing. All their scheming had barely managed to link Tae Kyung and Yu Na this far.

In this world, marriage wasn’t simply the fruit of love.

Marriages caused corporate stock prices to fluctuate and politicians’ approval ratings to rise and fall.

Although Hyun Young wasn’t particularly fond of Yu Na, she couldn’t afford to reject this situation.

She couldn’t afford to alienate Cheol Wook, a leading presidential candidate.

“Young people rarely listen to elders, do they? I’m sure Tae Kyung has his own plans regarding his relationship with Yu Na.”

Hyun Young knew full well that Tae Kyung was stubbornly refusing to marry Yu Na.

She gave a vague reply, sipped her tea, and offered a small smile.

Watching Hyun Young’s effortlessly composed face, Congressman Jin Cheol Wook’s lips twitched slightly in frustration.

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As she always did, Yu Na checked herself in the mirror and reapplied lipstick in a calm, understated shade. She gently patted her compact back into place, tidying up her makeup.

After stepping out of her car, she examined her appearance and adjusted her jacket by tugging lightly at its hem.

With the sharp click of her heels, she walked from the underground parking lot into the HY headquarters building.

She took the elevator to the 23rd floor, where the Planning Department was located.

As she strode confidently into the office, all eyes turned toward her.

Among them, a middle-aged man with thinning hair greeted her warmly.

“Good morning, Assistant Jin.”

“Good morning, Team Leader Park.”

“Beautiful as ever today, Assistant Jin.”

Staff Choi, recently hired, also approached Yu Na amiably, and she responded with a practiced, faint smile.

It had already been six years since Yu Na joined HY headquarters as a new hire in the Planning Department. In that time, she’d been promoted from staff to assistant, and rumors were already circulating that she’d soon become a manager.

Some people claimed her relationship with Tae Kyung was the reason behind her rapid promotion.

The openly acknowledged closeness between HY and Congressman Cheol Wook further fueled speculation about an engagement between Tae Kyung and Yu Na.

Yu Na carefully concealed her distant relationship with Tae Kyung from everyone.

“When will you finally hand out your wedding invitations, Assistant Jin?”

“……”

Team Leader Park, unusually curious about others’ private lives, repeated this question to Yu Na almost like a routine greeting.

Whenever they tried to ask about Tae Kyung, she’d blush faintly as if embarrassed and simply smile.

That was enough—to spark people’s imaginations.

Just as Yu Na intended, everyone became convinced that she and Tae Kyung were engaged.

Neither Tae Kyung nor Hyun Young had made any clear statement—they hadn’t confirmed nor denied it—so people interpreted their silence as tacit approval.

As soon as Yu Na sat at her desk, she texted Hyun Young.

[I’m Yu Na. You haven’t forgotten our lunch today, right? I’ll come pick you up at your office.] [No need. I’ll come down to the Planning Department myself.]

A subtle curve formed on Yu Na’s thin lips.

She was pleased that Hyun Young would come to her instead of the other way around.

It would leave a strong impression on everyone watching.

Humming softly to herself, she turned on her computer with light, cheerful movements.

Right at lunchtime, as promised, Hyun Young came down to the Planning Department.

As the office door opened and Hyun Young appeared, everyone immediately stood up to greet her.

“Hehe. It’s lunchtime—go ahead and eat. Shall we go, Yu Na?”

“Yes, Chairwoman.”

Yu Na quickly grabbed her designer handbag and followed Hyun Young out. Half the onlookers sighed in admiration, while the other half shot disapproving glances.

As soon as they left the Planning Department, Yu Na affectionately leaned closer to Hyun Young.

“How have you been lately? The temperature dropped suddenly—how’s your health?”

“Thanks to your concern, Yu Na, I’ve been doing well.”

To an outsider, they looked like a very affectionate mother and daughter—exactly as Yu Na had intended.

Hyun Young, fully aware of Yu Na’s motives, chose to pretend she didn’t notice.

She gave Yu Na a courteous smile in return for her sweet act.

Hyun Young and Yu Na sat facing each other at an upscale Japanese restaurant Hyun Young had reserved.

Although Yu Na had offered to make the reservation herself, Hyun Young insisted and booked the restaurant instead.

“I hope the food suits your taste.”

“This place is famous as a top restaurant—I’m so grateful. And please, let’s drop the honorifics. If you keep speaking so formally, I’ll feel distant from you… Mother.”

Yu Na deliberately emphasized the word “Mother.”

She was determined to get a clear answer about her marriage to Tae Kyung today.

She’d been waiting for Tae Kyung for six years already.

She could overlook the year he’d dated Kim Seo Ha.

Who hasn’t dated before marriage, after all?

Even if he’d done more than just dating, she could forgive it—as long as Tae Kyung would be hers alone.

“Still, there are watching eyes—it’s better to be careful, don’t you think? Eat before your food gets cold.”

“Yes, you’re absolutely right, Mother. I was being thoughtless.”

Yu Na held a gentle smile at the corner of her lips.

That crafty old fox—teasing her without ever fully committing.

“Tae Kyung seems extremely busy lately. It’s nearly impossible to see him. I suppose I should understand, since he’s running a business?”

“I’m grateful for your thoughtfulness, Yu Na. That boy Tae Kyung is just hopelessly inconsiderate.”

“The one who loves more is always at a disadvantage. I’d like to take our relationship further now. And I want to give you a grandchild who looks just like Tae Kyung.”

Yu Na revealed her desire more openly this time.

“It’s kind of you to consider even an old woman like me, but you should also think about your career. It’d be a loss for our company if someone as capable as you had her career interrupted by pregnancy and childcare. There’s no need to rush.”

Hearing Hyun Young’s words, Yu Na bit down hard on her teeth in frustration.

That scheming old woman—indeed, not an easy opponent.

“Thank you for thinking so highly of me. I still have many shortcomings.”

“How modest of you. Now, let’s eat.”

Hearing Hyun Young’s compliment, Yu Na’s clenched frustration loosened slightly.

She just needed to push forward, little by little, according to her plan.

She’d already waited six years—what were a few more?

She comforted herself: one step back to take two steps forward.

She resolved never to back down.

When Yu Na returned to her office after successfully finishing lunch with Hyun Young, her phone rang.

[Director Han went to Yangpyeong on another business trip today.]

Yu Na’s expression instantly turned serious.

It was a text from the youngest secretary at T&K, whom she’d bribed.

Suppressing her uneasy intuition, she texted the secretary back.

[How often has he been going to Yangpyeong lately?] [They’re short on instructors, so he seems to go about twice a week. Even on days without official trips, he often heads to Yangpyeong after work.]

For some time now, Tae Kyung had been going to Yangpyeong on business trips unusually often.

Although the secretary claimed it was because instructors were scarce and Tae Kyung was personally teaching classes, a woman’s intuition told her otherwise.

If a company’s CEO had to step in as an instructor, wouldn’t that mean the company was in serious trouble?

Yet T&K’s co-CEO, Kyu Won, didn’t seem concerned—there didn’t appear to be any major issues at the company.

There had to be something she didn’t know. Could he have another woman?

Yu Na chewed her nails nervously, then texted the secretary again.

[What’s the name of the kindergarten in Yangpyeong where he goes on business trips?] [Onnuri Kindergarten.]

Onnuri Kindergarten. With a pounding heart, Yu Na typed “Onnuri Kindergarten” into her browser’s search bar.

She clicked through various sections on the kindergarten’s homepage until her cursor stopped on the faculty introduction page.

There, she found Kim Seo Ha’s name listed.

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Although the coding class at Onnuri Kindergarten was scheduled for the afternoon, Tae Kyung had come down to Yangpyeong early that morning.

Kyu Won disapproved of Tae Kyung’s behavior, but Tae Kyung wasn’t the type to care about such opinions.

When Tae Kyung arrived at the kindergarten, the atmosphere felt unusually hectic. The children were excited, and the teachers were busy managing them.

“You’re here very early today, Director Han.”

“Good morning, Principal. I came down early because I also have class monitoring at another kindergarten in Yangpyeong, so I decided to drop by.”

“I see.”

Yoon Hee gave Tae Kyung a gentle smile. Tae Kyung felt grateful toward her.

“I’ll just see where the children are off to today.”

“Yes. The five-year-old and seven-year-old classes are going on their monthly swimming field trip.”

“Ah. Isn’t it a bit chilly for that? Will they be okay?”

“It’s an indoor pool, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Yoon Hee and Tae Kyung stood side by side, watching the children climb onto the van.

Two vehicles—one from the kindergarten and another from Min Seob’s MS Sports Center—were loading the children.

Among them, Min Jun stood out, brimming with excitement—a true little troublemaker.

Tae Kyung unconsciously smiled like a proud father. Yoon Hee didn’t miss that smile.

But when Min Seob openly fussed over Min Jun, Tae Kyung felt an inexplicable surge of irritation.

“That PE teacher seems to treat the kids unfairly, doesn’t he? He’s being awfully attentive to Min Jun.”

At Tae Kyung’s sullen remark, Yoon Hee replied gently.

“Does it look that way to you? Teacher Kwak naturally pays more attention to Min Jun—it can’t be helped.”