As soon as In Hwa’s resentful muttering ended, Yi Hyun’s previously motionless lips began to move.

“So what? Ha Jun has disappeared……”

A low, hoarse voice spat out grumpy words. Then, as the closed eyes slowly opened, In Hwa sprang up from her seat.

“Yi Hyun!! Are you conscious?”

“My head, is ringing. Ah……, it hurts like hell……. Ugh……”

“Are you alright? Should I call a nurse?”

“No. If there was an accident, ugh……! It’s supposed to hurt. Haa, what is this? Am I a cyborg?”

Yi Hyun looked down at his legs, which were crisscrossed with metal pins and fitted with round metal fixators on top, and chuckled lowly.

“Your legs are all broken. Both sides snapped cleanly.”

“Ha…… No wonder it hurts so damn much,”

Yi Hyun’s handsome brow furrowed deeply, seemingly in considerable pain. However, In Hwa breathed a sigh of relief at his speech, which seemed more coherent than expected.

“By the way, you, that child Ha Jun……”

“Mother didn’t hide her, did you?”

“When the accident happened…… Is that what you were calling to ask about?”

“Yes. But you just said earlier, Mother. That you told me all the ways…… Ugh,”

“Yes, you brat! By that point, hadn’t I practically spoon-fed you everything?”

“Sadistic…… Always making me take the roundabout way even when there’s a straight path. Ha……”

“How am I supposed to know if those feelings will last a lifetime or shatter in just 1 or 2 years? What if you get bored and end things with her after a short while? In that case, marrying Yu Ha would be more beneficial in many ways. Besides, I hadn’t finished speaking when you just stormed out.”

“I’m serious, ugh.”

“Then you need to show that. You have to put in that much effort for it to be worthwhile. Even if you’ve lived a life where everything has been handed to you on a silver platter from birth, truly valuable and desperate things must be obtained through your own efforts.”

“I acknowledge that.”

“Good, I’m glad you acknowledge it. But what will you do now? It seems that child Ha Jun intends to end things with you now? It must be disappointing to have lost her so futilely.”

“Who’s lost her? Me? Huh, I haven’t even started yet. Just watch. I’ll definitely get her back.”

In Hwa was dumbfounded. To think he would still insist on going after the girl even in this state.

Looking at her son, who seemed out of his mind in many ways, In Hwa snorted.

“Well, go ahead and try your best. With those cyborg legs.”

“Ah yes, there’s one thing our Madam Jang needs to do for me?”

“What is it?”

“The engagement ceremony with Jin Yu Ha. If you don’t want to cancel it, you should at least postpone it. As you said, how can I have an engagement with these cyborg legs? Regardless of who the other party is.”

“That’s true. Alright. I’ll take care of it tomorrow. Would six months from now be enough? No, wait. I’ll talk to the doctor tomorrow and decide.”

“Yes. Please do that. Oh, and remember that Ha Jun might be the one entering that engagement ceremony venue instead of Jin Yu Ha.”

“……Are you confident you can find her? Is there any guarantee that she will love you and wait for you until then? Any guarantee that your feelings won’t cool off by then?”

“I said just watch. Then you’ll see, won’t you?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you this confident. Fine. Since you’re saying all this, I’ll reconsider that child Ha Jun too. So for now, focus on healing that leg and taking care of yourself. Understood?”

“Yes. Let’s do that. Ugh! Ah, it really hurts like hell.”

“Your bones are broken, did you expect it not to hurt?”

“Urgh, ah~ This won’t do. Please ask them to give me some painkillers.”

“Alright. Wait.”

In Hwa pressed the call button on the wall, and the assigned nurse immediately rushed in. After checking Yi Hyun’s condition, she promptly brought painkillers.

Yi Hyun swallowed them with water and lay back down on the bed, grimacing.

“I need to sleep.”

“Yes. Sleep well and eat well so your bones will heal quickly.”

“Mother, you should go home too. I’ll be fine alone.”

“Let me spend some time with my son while I have the excuse. Since your father passed away, I haven’t had much time to spend with you kids.”

“You were very busy.”

“Yes, I was…… I’ve been busy from then until now. So let me play hooky a bit thanks to you.”

“While pushing all the work onto elder brother?”

“Someone has to work their tail off. There are so many mouths to feed in the Jae In Group.”

“Ugh, anyway……”

“Stop talking and sleep. I’m going to lie down too now.”

“Yes. Sleep well.”

In Hwa looked warmly at Yi Hyun, who closed his eyes with a smirk, then quietly lay down on the guardian bed. Yi Hyun, who had opened his eyes and was watching that scene, quietly opened his lips.

“……Mother, why did you marry Father? Even if he was the head of Jae In Group, he was a widower with a child. I was young so it’s hazy, but I don’t think my late maternal grandfather liked Father very much.”

“Were you curious about that?”

“A little?”

“He was handsome, wasn’t he? Heh, just kidding…… I knew Il Jun’s mother too. She was the youngest daughter of a small business family, very kind and pretty. And she had a weak constitution…… It was a slightly tilted marriage, but your father pushed it through like a bulldozer. That story was very famous too. But as you know, she died giving birth to Il Jun, and after that your father raised elder brother himself.”

“By himself? Without hiring anyone?”

“He did hire some help. But you know, it was before Il Jun was even one year old, and there was an Economic Leaders’ Night event that year?”

“And?”

“Would you believe it, your father came there with Il Jun strapped to his chest in a baby carrier. Over his designer suit, no less. He said the baby wouldn’t sleep and would just cry if separated from him. The event started at 8 PM, you know.”

“Pfft! Ah, that’s hilarious. Is that true?”

“I fell completely for him when I saw that.”

“……Was a man who’s good with children your ideal type?”

“Something like that. More precisely, I wanted a man who was family-oriented, caring, and devoted only to his family. Not like your maternal grandfather who ruled over his family at home and treated them like servants, while pretending to be a nice person and generous benefactor outside. I wanted a man who would love and care only for his own family.”

“He was perfect then.”

“So I proposed to him right there. I said I would raise Il Jun well. Or that I would go to work at the company if he wanted to raise Il Jun himself.”

“Our Madam Jang is amazing as always.”

“So we got married somehow, despite grandfather’s opposition. And as I expected, your father was a man who only cared about work and family…… Though it might not have started with love, we lived happily, cherishing and loving each other. Il Jun followed me well too, and even though he was young, he took such good care of his younger sibling. He was just like his father in that regard, so I adored Il Jun too.”

“Someone who fought for love like that, why are you trying to sell off your sons now?”

“Well, you treat women like weeds on the roadside, so I picked the most expensive one who’s crazy about you, and as for Il Jun…… Have you ever seen Il Jun and Se Ra together?”

Yi Hyun thought for a moment and shook his head.

“No. I only ran into Se Ra occasionally when she barged into our house while I was in college.”

“Then watch them together sometime, and talk to me again.”

“……That’s quite meaningful.”

Even if it started as a political arrangement, it seems something has developed between them.

Relationships between men and women are full of unexpected turns. Il Jun and Se Ra, Ha Jun and himself……

A bitter smile played on Yi Hyun’s lips. In Hwa, who had been quietly watching this, murmured as she pulled up the blanket.

“I really need to sleep now. No more questions.”

“Yes, sleep well. And remember, I’m truly sincere about Ha Jun. Don’t forget that.”

“……Alright.”

In Hwa closed her eyes and turned her back. Yi Hyun, who had been staring at that sight, also closed his eyes. The memory of his father’s gentle touch and reassuring gaze, still vivid in his mind, made his chest feel inexplicably heavy.

Ha Jun felt as if she was buried in a gentle cloud right now. It was so warm. And cozy.

A pleasant smile unconsciously formed on her lips. When she gently opened her eyes, it was the living room where she had been watching TV with Bok Seon earlier. The low, hard buckwheat pillow and the pink floral microfiber blanket must have been brought by Bok Seon to support her head and cover her.

The blanket smelled exactly like the modest scent that came from Bok Seon.

“Nice……”

Ha Jun hugged the blanket to her chest and buried her nose in it. Taking a deep breath made her feel inexplicably good.

“Are you awake?”

“Yes.”

“Come over here. I was originally gonna let you live in that separate building over there, but you’re just a baby, so stay next to grandma. Okay?”

Bok Seon opened the door of the room directly opposite the master bedroom as she spoke.

“There’s blankets and pillows and everything, so use them and stay with grandma. Okay?”

“Yes, I will.”

As Ha Jun gave a small but pretty smile, an equally pleasant smile formed on Bok Seon’s wrinkled lips as well.

“Aren’t you hungry? Want some rice cakes?”

Ha Jun’s gaze fell on the clock hanging on the wall at Bok Seon’s question. Only 3 hours had passed since she had eaten two bowls of rice earlier.

It probably wasn’t even fully digested yet……

However, contrary to the thoughts in her head, Ha Jun nodded.

“Yes, please.”

She felt strangely hungry. Wondering if everything had digested while she slept, Ha Jun folded the blanket and pushed it to one side.

Meanwhile, Bok Seon came out of the kitchen carrying rice cakes and cinnamon punch, and set them down in front of Ha Jun.

“It’s made with powder from beans I grew. Smells nice.”

The soft injeolmi and cinnamon punch were really delicious too. Ha Jun ate the rice cakes and drank the punch mindlessly. Bok Seon sat across from her, smiling constantly as she watched Ha Jun.

“It’s delicious.”

“Do you want more? Oh my~ You’re so pretty. You’re pretty when you eat well.”

“No. I don’t need to eat more. I’m full.”

When Ha Jun shook her head, Bok Seon, who had just understood, reattached her bottom to the floor after half-rising.

“Alright, let’s eat again later. Hehe.”

“Yes.”

“Pretty baby’s name is Hye Jin, right?”

“Me?”

“Yes, Hye Jin. I heard from Hyun Ju~”

“It’s not Hye Jin, it’s Ha Jun. Lee. Ha. Jun.”

“Hmm? Lee, A Jung?”

“No. Lee, Ha, Jun. Ah, wait a moment, grandmother.”

Ha Jun took out her phone, opened a text message, and showed Bok Seon the letters spelling out ‘Lee Ha Jun’. Only then did Bok Seon nod in understanding.

“Lee, Ha Jun. Lee Ha Jun…… Who gave such a boyish name to a pretty baby~?”

“My parents. Mom and…… Dad.”