San Ha, who had been sitting next to Hae Il reading a book, turned his head at the sound of a knock.

The door to the hospital room opened and the head nurse entered.

“Director, you should get up now. Your wife is coming.”

“Is that so?”

“She said she’d come in the evening, but she’s arriving earlier than expected.”

There were about ten pages left until the end of the book, but San Ha stood up.

“Thank you.”

The nurse bowed her head in response to San Ha’s gratitude and quietly withdrew.

He approached the sofa, picked up the padded jacket he had left there, and went back to Hae Il’s side.

“Your mother is coming. I’ll come back later.”

San Ha carefully covered Hae Il with the sheet and left the room.

*

“How long do we have to stay here?”

Song Jeong Mi said as she opened the door to the VIP lounge.

In her 50s.

Her family followed behind her ample figure.

Kang Gi Taek, with his slightly thin build, sat down in the main seat of the sofa and said,

“How long have you been waiting? Don’t say such things in front of my sister.”

Gi Taek warned.

“Who’s saying that in front of your sister? But we’ve been at this hospital all day today. What’s the point of keeping busy people here?”

“Do you have any sense? Don’t you know how important the situation is right now? Stop saying useless things and please shut that mouth. And where’s Ha Eun? Why isn’t she here yet?”

“She’s in Busan. She’s on her way up now.”

“She’s not causing trouble again, is she?”

“Do you think our daughter is some kind of troublemaker?”

“Isn’t she? It’s her job to do whatever she wants and call the legal team’s lawyers all the time. Please, tell her to be quiet. I can’t face my sister every time Ha Eun causes trouble.”

Jeong Mi closed her pouting mouth at Gi Taek’s reprimand.

“Anyway, let’s all pray for Jung Hyun to wake up. Understand?”

He went out again, seemingly feeling frustrated.

As soon as the door closed, Jeong Mi said,

“Pray for Jung Hyun to wake up? Am I crazy? I feel like dancing with joy.”

Kang In Pyo said to Jeong Mi, who was snorting,

“Mom, watch your mouth.”

The man in his early 30s, dressed in a stylish suit, was the son of Gi Taek and Jeong Mi.

“Did I say something wrong? Jung Hyun has to go for you to become the perfect heir to the PR Group, right? Indeed, our son is lucky. How did the accident happen at just the right time?”

“I’m telling you to be careful. There are a lot of people here. What if it gets to aunt’s ears by mistake?”

In Pyo scanned the spacious lounge again unnecessarily.

“Who else is here besides us? And those people outside are already on our side. Didn’t you hear what the doctor said? Jung Hyun’s heart is ruptured, not to mention other organs. Even with an oxygen respirator, he’s as good as dead. They say it’s touch and go even to fly to a hospital in the United States, so what’s the point?”

“Mom, please.”

“Hey, Jung Hyun will eventually go, and the group will fall into our hands. Come to think of it, it’s not so bad to endure a few more hours in this stuffy hospital.”

“Mother, please watch what you say. It’s really uncultured.”

Jeong Mi’s gaze turned to the elegantly dressed woman sitting across from her.

“What, culture?”

“In Pyo is right. What if someone hears you saying such things?”

“Did you eat your culture?”

“What did you say?”

“Anyone watching would think you’re the mother-in-law and I’m the daughter-in-law. Are you looking down on me because I only graduated high school, or what?”

“Dad’s not wrong. Please be quiet. Aunt is facing great sorrow right now, how can you say such things?”

Suddenly, Jeong Mi burst out laughing.

“Hey, honestly speaking, aren’t you, Sophia, the one who’d be most happy and dancing if Jung Hyun dies?”

“Mother!”

“Why are you so serious? Did you cause Jung Hyun’s accident?”

“Do you think words are sweet?”

Jeong Mi laughed more as she watched Sophia gasp in shock.

“Hey, are you feeling upset now? Of course you are. It’s natural. If Jung Hyun goes, your husband becomes the heir to the PR Group. Why are you acting so noble with that on your mind?”

“…You’re really vulgar.”

At that moment, Jeong Mi slapped the sofa armrest and shouted,

“What, vulgar? How dare you speak to your mother-in-law like that? And I’m not a sly person with a different inside and outside like you. I’m just an honest and straightforward person.”

“It’s not honest and straightforward, it’s ill-mannered.”

“You really don’t know how scary a mother-in-law can be, do you? Is that how you were taught in your cultured household?”

In Pyo intervened between the two women as sparks flew.

“Stop it.”

“Don’t you see your well-educated wife looking down on your mother?”

Sophia tried to retort, but In Pyo grabbed her hand.

“Stop it. There’s nothing good about raising your voice here. Don’t you know that, smart person?”

Though she seemed upset, Sophia closed her mouth.

As her son took her side, Jeong Mi became even more triumphant.

“But honey, aunt doesn’t have other thoughts about that child, does she?”

Sophia, who had been silent for a moment, asked.

“What do you mean?”

“She wouldn’t give the heir position to that child, would she? Otherwise, why make such a contract?”

In an instant, Jeong Mi, who had been in a good mood, glared at Sophia and said,

“Why are you saying such unlucky things? What would she give to that X?”

“But Jung Yeo Reum is aunt’s only blood relative.”

“You saw how sister treated that mother and daughter earlier. They’re mortal enemies.”

“Still, you never know. They’re blood relatives.”

“Hey, your aunt isn’t like that. Don’t you see she cut ties with her only son for 20 years? How hurt and angry must she have been to make such a proposal? That’s venting her anger.”

In Pyo interjected,

“What if it’s not?”

“What?”

“What if aunt is trying to bring that child in?”

Looking at her son and daughter-in-law with serious expressions, Jeong Mi waved her hands and said,

“Why are you kids like this? Bluntly speaking, if your aunt wanted to make that child the heir, she could have brought her in right away. Why would she say she’ll save her father in exchange for the next 20 years of that child’s life? Plus, cutting ties with parents and doing everything aunt says. That’s just slightly rephrased, but it’s a slave contract.”

Jeong Mi shook her head, saying it made no sense.

“Aunt really doesn’t have any other feelings for Jung Yeo Reum, right?”

“Don’t worry about that child. Besides, she was just thinking about being a teacher, right?”

It was In Pyo.

“Really?”

“That’s right. I checked. She majored in history and is about to be appointed as a history teacher. She’s just a 25-year-old kid who knows nothing about the world. Such an ordinary child is easy to handle.”

“She seemed to have a strong personality to me? You saw how she confronted aunt earlier.”

Looking at the still worried Sophia, Jeong Mi said,

“That’s just a puppy not knowing to fear a tiger. Because she’s never seen one. Plus, her father’s life is at stake, so what else can she see? She’s so provincial, having grown up in Busan. A complete country bumpkin. I don’t know why Jung Hyun raised the child like that.”

Sophia had a somewhat uneasy expression, but Jeong Mi’s face said not to worry about it.

At that moment, there was a knock and a secretary entered.

“The chairman says to come out now.”

“Geez. What are we supposed to do outside? This is tiring.”

Everyone looked clearly annoyed, but they went out as if they had no choice since it was Gi Taek’s call.

The lounge became quiet again.

Then, a figure rose groggily from behind the sofa near the window.

It was San Ha, who had been lying down with his padded jacket spread out.

He looked back at the entrance.

‘…Jung Yeo Reum?’

No way.

But 25 years old and from Busan.

San Ha looked down at the back of his left hand.

“Could it be that magpie…?”

*

“Mom, stop crying. You’ll collapse at this rate.”

Yeo Reum tried to comfort her, but Se Jin couldn’t stop crying.

She buried her face in her husband’s bed and continued to sob.

“Ah, mom…”

“…How can this be? How can this be happening? What have I done…”

In a moment, dad and mom will be going to America.

Having received the news to prepare, Se Jin’s crying grew louder.

Yeo Reum hugged her mother and pressed her face against her back, saying,

“Don’t cry. We’ve gained a chance to save dad. And the contract can always be changed.”

At those words, Se Jin, who had kept her face buried, lifted her head to look at Yeo Reum.

“…No.”

Se Jin shook her head.

“Anyone else maybe, but not your grandmother. She’s not that kind of person.”

Maybe that was true.

To cut ties with her only son for 20 years, no matter how much she hated him.

And to demand this absurd contract.

However, in this situation, she couldn’t say such things.

“Mom, don’t think about anything else. Just think about living happily with dad.”

“…Yeo Reum.”

“I’ll endure here no matter what. So mom, you endure too. No matter what. Okay?”

She burst into tears even more but nodded.

Honestly, Yeo Reum wanted to cry too.

But she gritted her teeth and held back.

If she cried here, how much more would it hurt mom?

So she just hugged mom tightly.

Because she wouldn’t be able to feel this scent for a while.

So she focused all her nerves to remember it.

“Dad might get jealous if I just hug mom like this.”

Smiling slightly, Yeo Reum got up and approached Jung Hyun’s face.

Just as she did with mom, she carefully hugged him with both arms outstretched.

Yeo Reum whispered quietly to him,

“Dad. You need to wake up soon. Kim Se Jin, who you love most in the world, is crying. I won’t say it’s embarrassing anymore when you carry mom on your back, so hurry and wake up. Okay?”

Yeo Reum pressed her forehead against her unresponsive father’s forehead.

Hot tears welled up from the bottom of her chest, but she gritted her teeth.

“I love you, dad. You know your daughter Yeo Reum really loves you, right? So just sleep for a little while and wake up soon.”

Se Jin, who had been holding back, started to shed tears again.

Yeo Reum rubbed her face against her dad’s face and said goodbye.

At that moment, there was a knock and the hospital room door opened.

It was Chairman Kang Ju Hwa and the medical staff.

They slightly bowed their heads and pushed Jung Hyun’s bed out.

As they left the lobby, a waiting ambulance could be seen.

Jung Hyun’s bed was loaded and Se Jin sat beside it.

As Yeo Reum tried to get on, Ju Hwa blocked her way.

“You can’t.”

“I’ll just see them off at the airport.”

“No. End it here.”

Se Jin started to shed tears again.

Yeo Reum, feeling urgent, said,

“We won’t be able to see each other for 20 years if we part like this. Can’t I even do that? At least let me see mom and dad get on the plane.”

“Don’t you remember the contract? It takes effect from today.”

Yeo Reum glared at Ju Hwa standing in front of her, but only a cold smile lingered on her lips.

With no other choice, Yeo Reum said to Se Jin,

“Mom, be careful on your way.”

“Yeo Reum…”

“Don’t neglect your health while taking care of dad. You need to eat well. Okay?”

As Se Jin burst into tears and tried to get off again, Ju Hwa gave a nod.

The ambulance door closed.

“Yeo Reum!”

Mom’s crying voice could be heard loudly.

But the ambulance departed.

“Chairman.”

A line of black sedans approached where the ambulance had left.

Ju Hwa got into the sedan without a word.

As the sedan carrying her departed, Gi Taek and his family followed.

“Miss.”

The middle-aged man was Director Ahn, Ju Hwa’s secretary.

He carefully approached Yeo Reum, who was standing endlessly looking in the direction the ambulance had disappeared, and said,

“We need to go now.”

“…Just five minutes.”

Yeo Reum turned to him and said,

“I have time to go to the bathroom, right?”

“Yes.”

As soon as he answered, Yeo Reum went back into the lobby.

However, she ran to another exit, not the bathroom.

There was a loud thumping noise as air ducts densely occupied the space.

Perhaps because of that, there were no people and only thick bushes in the flower bed.

Yeo Reum ran in there and looked up at the sky, roughly swallowing her breath.

But soon tears burst out.

San Ha, who had hurriedly followed, watched from leaning against a wall.

Amidst the thumping noise, the heart-wrenching crying continued for a while.