“……Ah.”

As the tension eased, Yuri lost consciousness. But even as the black curtain fell, a sigh of relief involuntarily escaped at the warm body temperature enveloping her entire body.

When consciousness returned, she was lying in a hospital bed. Hyunkyung was watching over her with a worried face.

“Yuri, are you coming to?”

“……Hyunkyung.”

“It’s all over now, so don’t worry.”

“……Where’s Jeho? Where is Jeho?”

Worried about Jeho, Yuri hurriedly sat up. Unlike herself who had fainted when the tension eased, Jeho was bleeding from his head. Moreover, he was tied to a chair and one-sidedly beaten by Minwoo.

“Worry about Jeho later, right now you need to rest first.”

But before she could even half-raise her body, Yuri was forcibly laid back down on the bed by Hyunkyung’s hand.

“Where is he now? Is he hospitalized like me?”

When Yuri asked with a worried face, Hyunkyung quickly shook her head.

“No, Jeho received simple treatment and went back right away. He did injure his head a bit, but it’s just a cut on the skin, not a concussion. The test results showed nothing abnormal. So don’t worry.”

“But to go back right away?”

“The attending physician did recommend he stay hospitalized for a day, but he refused saying he was busy.”

“……Ah.”

Yuri’s heart ached at hearing Jeho had suffered a cut wound, but it ached even more to hear he was too busy to be hospitalized.

“He’ll be extremely busy dealing with the mess Minwoo made. The media is plastered with articles about Minwoo now. Not only a murder suspect, but kidnapping, confinement……”

Hyunkyung frowned as if dumbfounded and shook her head.

“Now KG Group’s stock price has plummeted because of Minwoo, not to mention the group’s image is in tatters. I was worried Chairman Kwon might collapse because of this incident, but fortunately it seems he’s holding up well.”

Yuri silently listened to Hyunkyung’s explanation. It was natural to feel uncontrollably angry when recalling the fact that Minwoo had kidnapped her, but the fact that Jeho was having a hard time because of it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

At that moment, a question she wanted to ask out of curiosity came to mind.

“By the way, Hyunkyung, how did you come to rescue me so quickly?”

She had guessed a missing person report would have been filed, but she never imagined they would find her location so quickly. She had even been anxious that she might never be rescued and would be forced to commit suicide like this.

“Fortunately, you were wearing this when you were kidnapped.”

Hyunkyung smiled slightly and pulled out a wristwatch from her bag. The wristwatch that had been removed while changing the unconscious Yuri into a hospital gown was handed over to Hyunkyung, her guardian.

“This is?”

“Yes, the watch Jeho gave you as a gift. I told you, right? To always wear it. This watch saved you.”

“Ah, that’s right. I completely forgot. There was a tracking device in this, right?”

“Yes, and another fortunate thing was that your cell phone was at home. If you had been kidnapped with your cell phone or if it had been damaged during the kidnapping, it would have taken time to find you.”

Hyunkyung continued speaking as she put the watch back on Yuri’s wrist.

“Jeho asked me to tell you thank you. For wearing the wristwatch.”

The feel of the watch wrapping around her wrist felt as comforting as if Jeho was wrapping her wrist. Yuri gently stroked the wristwatch as if touching Jeho’s hand.

“Thank you…… I’m the one who should be more thankful.”

Just then, there was a knock and Kim, the aide, entered. He smiled faintly as if relieved when he confirmed Yuri was awake. Approaching closer, he carefully opened his mouth while examining Yuri’s complexion.

“I just finished the discharge procedures for the assemblyman. He wants to see Yuri before going home, would that be alright?”

“Yes, of course.”

As Yuri nodded, Hyunkyung pressed a button to raise the upper part of the bed so Yuri could sit comfortably.

Then she hurriedly left the room with Kim, saying she had an urgent call to make. Though she said that, it was consideration to give father and daughter space to talk.

A little while later, there was a knock and Assemblyman Chae entered the room with a gloomy expression.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. How are you, Father?”

“I’m alright. I’ll rest at home just for today and plan to get back to my schedule from tomorrow. And……”

Assemblyman Chae paused for a moment and quietly looked at Yuri’s face. It seemed like he had something to say but it wasn’t coming out easily. Instead of continuing to speak, he sat down in the chair next to the bed and grasped Yuri’s hand lying on the blanket.

Yuri flinched in surprise.

Since comforting Yuri by holding her in his arms as she cried loudly at So Yeon’s funeral, Assemblyman Chae had never made an affectionate gesture. When Yuri looked at him with surprised eyes, a bitter smile appeared on Assemblyman Chae’s face.

“While you were unconscious, Executive Director Kwon came to see me. He had the audacity to propose a deal.”

“A deal?”

“He asked me to cover up the fact that Minwoo kidnapped you. That it wasn’t kidnapping, but that you went to Minwoo on your own. And that Jeho, upon learning this fact, rushed over later and a fight broke out. He said if we just match our stories like that, he would tell me who revealed the secret of Yuri’s birth to him.”

Yuri was at a loss for words and could only stare at Assemblyman Chae.

Even when he should be on his knees begging, he proposes a deal!

Perhaps it was only natural that a monster like Minwoo was born from such parents.

“……So…… what did you say?”

It should have been right to refuse, but…….

Even if the sky fell, such an absurd proposal should have been rejected, but……. Sadly, Yuri couldn’t trust her father. After all, he was the Assemblyman Chae who had tried to cover up his own faults by making his deceased wife into an adulteress.

“Did you agree to do that?”

Instead of answering, Assemblyman Chae just looked at Yuri.

Is Father currently contemplating Executive Director Kwon’s proposal? Is he going to demand sacrifice again this time?

Even though his own daughter was kidnapped and almost died?

In that moment, anger welled up and Yuri forcefully pulled her hand out of Assemblyman Chae’s grasp.

“Instead of answering, I gave him a punch. If Kim hadn’t stopped me from the side, I would have hit him a few more times……”

“What?”

When a completely opposite answer from what she expected came back, Yuri was stunned for a moment.

Father punched Executive Director Kwon?

“Not just this incident, but I’m going to hand over all the information I’ve gathered about Manager Kwon Minwoo to the police and prosecutors. Besides kidnapping you, he’s committed many other crimes. This time, even if Chairman Kwon steps in, neither Executive Director Kwon nor Minwoo will be able to escape together.”

“Really? Even though you don’t know what Executive Director Kwon might do……?”

Assemblyman Chae made eye contact with Yuri and slowly shook his head.

“Whatever he does, whether he spreads the secret of Yuri’s birth with his own mouth or not, my decision won’t change.”

“……Father.”

Taking Yuri’s hand again, Assemblyman Chae continued speaking.

“I promise you. I won’t touch your mother again. I have nothing to say to you…… and to your mother too. It’s hard to even say I’m sorry because I have no face to show, but……”

The look in her father’s eyes as he gazed at her was so sad that Yuri couldn’t say anything.

“But I must apologize. ……I’m truly sorry. I don’t expect forgiveness from you. Of course, not from your mother either….. Haa.”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Assemblyman Chae couldn’t continue speaking and lowered his head. Was it just her imagination that her father, who had always been so dignified, looked lonely and weak today?

“Father, will you really be alright? If the secret of Yuri’s birth leaks out……”

“I know, it will become a fatal scandal for me. But isn’t it all true?”

It was true. It was all true. That he had an affair out of anger from suspecting his wife, and that Yuri was born as a result.

“It all happened because of my mistakes, so I should take responsibility. I plan to convey my intentions to the party soon. I’m thinking of withdrawing my registration as a presidential candidate and resigning from my position as assemblyman.”

“Father.”

Yuri unconsciously raised her voice at these words that were even more shocking than before. Assemblyman Chae slightly raised the corners of his mouth as if he knew this reaction would come.

“If I step down from my position as assemblyman, there will be no reason to dig into our family’s past. I don’t know who knows the secret of Yuri’s birth, but it will probably become a useless piece of paper.”

“Are you serious? Are you saying you’ll completely retire from politics?”

Assemblyman Chae quietly nodded.

“Isn’t that what I should do? Without even knowing the heart of the one I loved, I’ve spent a lifetime hurting and causing pain…… For someone like me to live as a politician embracing the pain of the people. Huh, in a word, it’s laughable. I’ve only just realized that now.”

Patting Yuri’s hand, Assemblyman Chae paused for a moment before continuing.

“……Actually, the one who should have been in politics was your mother, not me. But reality was not favorable, and your mother tried to fulfill that dream through me. If So Yeon had become a member of the National Assembly, she would have truly become a good politician.”

To Yuri’s eyes, Assemblyman Chae seemed like a completely different person. Perhaps this was the image of her father from the past that had now faded from memory.

The image of her father when her mother was still alive, before Yuri was born.

A father who, though stern in expression, always caressed with gentle hands and sometimes smiled brightly.

“……Father.”

As forgotten memories began to resurface one by one, tears started to well up in Yuri’s eyes.

“Father.”

At the sound of Yuri’s voice from inside, Jeho stopped his motion of knocking on the hospital room door. It was an agitated voice as if greatly surprised by something. Peeking inside through the door’s glass window, he saw Assemblyman Chae holding Yuri’s hand and conversing with her.

“If I step down from my position as assemblyman, there will be no reason to dig into our family’s past……”

It seemed to be a serious topic, so instead of entering the room, Jeho waited for the conversation to end. A moment later, Assemblyman Chae gently patted Yuri’s shoulder and slowly rose from his chair.

“Take good care of yourself. Let’s see each other after you’re discharged.”

After finishing his words, Assemblyman Chae turned around and left the room.

Opening the door and coming out, Assemblyman Chae noticed Jeho standing in the hallway and paused his steps for a moment. As Jeho bowed his head towards him, Assemblyman Chae let out a short sigh and slowly approached Jeho.

“With all the commotion, I didn’t properly thank you. Thank you so much for saving Yuri.”

“Not at all. I’m the one who should apologize. I failed to properly control Minwoo, letting things come to this point.”

“Why would that be your fault?”

Assemblyman Chae waved his hand at Jeho’s apology.

“There are parents who only think of covering up when their child acts so recklessly……”

As Assemblyman Chae alluded to Executive Director Kwon, Jeho bit his lip tightly. When he heard the news that Executive Director Kwon had rushed to Assemblyman Chae after learning Minwoo had been arrested for kidnapping Yuri, he had surely thought he went to apologize.

But when he heard the content from Aide Kim, his breath was taken away.

How could one be so rude even with a thick skin? It was as shameful as what Minwoo had done. So as soon as he had a break after handling urgent matters, he immediately rushed to see Yuri.

“I heard my uncle came to see you. I’m truly sorry. Whatever threats he made, you don’t need to worry. I will handle that at my level……”

“No.”

As Jeho apologized again, Assemblyman Chae waved his hand once more.

“I’ve already taken care of that, so you don’t need to worry about it. Instead……”

Assemblyman Chae paused his words and took Jeho’s hands in both of his. Jeho furrowed his brow as if surprised.

“Let me make one request.”

Assemblyman Chae gripped Jeho’s hands more tightly and stared straight into his eyes. Then he slowly continued his next words.

“Please take care of our Yuri.”

It was something he had never even thought of, so Jeho’s gaze wavered greatly as he looked at Assemblyman Chae.