“You said you couldn’t come, but since your lover came, you’re coming. Why didn’t you say anything? Didn’t you say you were getting married?”

Seung Jun felt like his insides were turning upside down at the sight of Hyo Young’s bright smile.

Did she not understand what I said last time?

I clearly said I would prepare everything on my end. Why are you making things like this?

“No, mother. Seung Jun is very busy, isn’t he? He probably wanted to tell you properly by arranging a formal meeting. Right, Seung Jun?”

Jung Ah smiled brightly.

He had intended to talk about the marriage beforehand. But not like this. He didn’t want Hyo Young to meet Jung Ah separately either.

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

Seung Jun stood up from his seat.

Seung Jun left the inner room and walked to a less crowded area inside the hall. Feeling complicated, he bit his lip and turned around to find Jung Ah standing in front of him with a tense face.

“I don’t like saying many words.”

Jung Ah quickly interrupted Seung Jun’s words.

“I know. But I thought I should at least meet your mother before the wedding. Even if Seung Jun says he’ll take care of all the wedding preparations, there are still things to discuss with your mother beforehand.”

Jung Ah’s words weren’t unreasonable. Rather, it was Seung Jun who had been making unreasonable demands.

“You just need to be there when I first meet your mother. After that, I’ll handle everything with her. I hope you’ll stay for today.”

At that moment, a child’s voice was heard from somewhere.

Seung Jun unconsciously looked up and saw a child who appeared to be five or six years old, singing and coming towards them holding a plastic cup.

Before anyone could stop them, the child came close to Seung Jun and Jung Ah and tilted their body, spilling the cup. The drink from the cup stained Jung Ah’s white skirt.

“Mom! What are you doing!”

Jung Ah, who had been acting infinitely refined until then, shouted sharply and stepped back. At that moment, a woman who seemed to be the child’s mother hurriedly approached.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry. What should we do?”

As the woman bowed her head, Jung Ah pointed her finger at her with a completely changed demeanor.

“Do you think this can be resolved with an apology? Do you know how much this skirt costs! You can’t even properly watch your child and you’ve ruined my skirt like this?”

Seung Jun suddenly recalled what happened yesterday while taking care of Yu Min.

While eating porridge, Yu Min suddenly vomited, staining Seung Jun’s shirt and hands with vomit. Yu Min couldn’t say anything, and Seung Jun silently cleaned up what he had thrown up.

Seung Jun looked at the child who was trembling, seemingly aware of their mistake.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

The child’s mother bowed deeply in front of Jung Ah.

“I’ll pay for the dry cleaning. I’m truly sorry. I just took my eyes off for a moment.”

“Ha, do you think this can be perfectly cleaned? Unless you buy me a new one, there’s no perfect compensation! If you bring a child, you should take proper care of them! If you can’t take care of them, stay cooped up at home instead of wandering around!”

While Jung Ah was shouting loudly, the child was whimpering with a completely terrified face. However, the child’s mother was too busy bowing to Jung Ah to pay attention to the child.

Seung Jun stood in front of the child’s mother. The child’s mother looked at Seung Jun with an even more frightened expression.

“Mother.”

As the deep bass voice resonated through the space, Jung Ah looked at the back of Seung Jun’s head with expectant eyes.

Although he hid himself within politeness, he wasn’t an easy man. He would probably scold them even more properly than she would.

“First, please hug your child. They seem scared.”

However, the words that came out of Seung Jun’s mouth broke Jung Ah’s expectations.

What are you saying now? I’m in this state and you’re worried about the child first?

“What? Oh, yes.”

When the mother awkwardly hugged the child, the child finally burst into tears that they had been holding back.

“Jung Ah.”

Seung Jun turned to face Jung Ah.

Not knowing what he was trying to do now, Jung Ah looked at Seung Jun with one corner of her mouth raised.

“Let’s go.”

“What?”

“The child did it unknowingly. If you feel wronged, I’ll compensate.”

Jung Ah shook her head. She didn’t want to back down like this to the child and mother who had ruined her skirt.

“Why should you do that, Seung Jun? Do you know these people?”

“Do you know them, Jung Ah? You were talking about staying at home, so it doesn’t seem like you’re not acquainted.”

Seung Jun was retorting to Jung Ah’s words, saying how could she speak so rudely to people she wasn’t even close with.

“Seung Jun, this is.”

“An adult is not a child because they’re an adult. If we’re adults, let’s act like adults. I’m embarrassed.”

Watching Seung Jun turn away after speaking coldly, Jung Ah grabbed the plastic cup from the child who had stopped crying.

And before anyone could stop her, she poured the remaining drink over the child’s head.

Sticky drink dripped down the child’s head and body. Jung Ah spoke coldly to the shocked child’s mother.

“Let’s call it even for the dry cleaning costs with this. I can’t stand being wronged.”

The child’s mother trembled, unable to say anything. At that moment, Seung Jun, who belatedly recognized the situation, quickly walked back to them.

“Are you in your right mind?”

He spat out with an attitude full of anger, completely different from just a moment ago.

“What are you doing to a child?”

“What about you, Seung Jun? Did you have to humiliate me like that in front of the child? You said you were embarrassed?”

Jung Ah shouted back.

“If you didn’t want to be humiliated, you should have behaved properly from the start. That’s enough. Let’s end this. I don’t feel any value in dealing with you anymore.”

Seung Jun’s fist clenched tightly.

“Ha, this is really not funny. Just acting all high and mighty because you have a lot. I’m done too. I wouldn’t want someone as unlucky as you even if they gave me a truckload.”

Jung Ah waved her hand and left first.

Seung Jun turned his head to look at the child and mother. The child’s mother was crying while taking out a handkerchief to wipe the child’s head.

Seung Jun took off his jacket.

After covering the trembling child’s body with his jacket, he took out a business card from his wallet and handed it to the child’s mother.

“I will compensate. Please contact me.”

As he got up and walked towards the inner room, he encountered Hyo Young who had come out after hearing the commotion.

“What happened? Where’s Jung Ah?”

“She left.”

Seung Jun closed his eyes tightly and opened them again.

“And we decided to forget about the marriage. I have an appointment and need to go. I’ll contact you again later.”

“Suddenly? What on earth is going on?”

At that moment, the child’s mother who Seung Jun had given his jacket to earlier approached him. She held out the jacket again and said with trembling pupils,

“Take your jacket back.”

However, Seung Jun did not take the jacket and replied,

“No. Please cover the child with it, they might be cold. I have another one.”

“We feel burdened accepting something like this.”

Seung Jun finally accepted the jacket that was persistently being held out. Then the child’s mother bowed deeply and raised her head.

“Thank you. For telling me to hug my child. Even though I’m the child’s mother, I was so flustered at that moment that I didn’t realize how shocked my child was.”

The child’s mother said this and then lowered her eyes.

“My child is a bit slower than other children. I couldn’t even take them out anywhere. Today was the first time in a long while that we came out to eat, and we heard those words again.”

The child’s mother bit her lip tightly and continued speaking.

“Thank you for taking our side.”

The child’s mother bowed her head once more and then turned around, holding the child’s hand. As Seung Jun watched their retreating figures with a somehow heavy feeling, Hyo Young opened her mouth.

“What on earth happened? Why did you give your jacket to a stranger? How much did that cost?”

“It probably wasn’t as expensive as the hurt feelings in that situation.”

Seung Jun was surprised by his own words. Why do I understand that child’s mother’s feelings? I’ve never been interested in such things before.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Seung Jun.”

Even feeling Hyo Young’s gaze, Seung Jun quickly left the restaurant.

Hyo Young’s face became complicated as she watched his retreating figure.

Suddenly, she was reminded of seven years ago.

After finding out about his relationship with the youngest secretary, Hyo Young felt like her world was turning upside down.

At that time, Seung Jun was thirty years old and was scheduled to be appointed as vice chairman. Just a few more years of waiting would have been enough. Seung Jun himself was trying to ruin everything.

‘How did I raise you?’

She didn’t want anything dirty to taint him as the successor. Even if he met a woman, she wanted him to meet a well-educated woman from a respectable family and have a marriage befitting his status.

Hyo Young met with a journalist from a well-known media outlet. It was a journalist who had recently met with her and expressed a desire to resign, saying work was difficult.

Hyo Young handed the journalist an envelope of money she had prepared in advance.

– Go live comfortably anywhere. Didn’t you say you wanted to resign?

The journalist’s mouth fell open. The amount was beyond what he had imagined.

– This, this…

– In exchange, just publish one article for me. And then disappear without a trace.

Hyo Young smiled faintly.

The next day, an article about Seung Jun’s marriage vaguely concealing the other woman was published, and as expected, Seung Jun was furious.

The article was taken down shortly after, but Hyo Young heard through someone that Seung Jun’s youngest secretary had resigned.

Seung Jun noticeably lost weight, but Hyo Young pretended not to know on purpose. After all, to become a successor, one couldn’t always take the easy path.

After that, Seung Jun didn’t show much emotional change in anything and only focused on work. But now…

‘Something’s strange.’

Hyo Young furrowed her brow. Just like seven years ago, his emotions were being shaken.

*

“What’s the matter?”

Seol Ah stopped as she was coming out of the hospital room. Seung Jun was breathing heavily.

“You said you couldn’t come.”

“I’m here now.”

Seung Jun tried to enter the hospital room. But Seol Ah blocked him.

“He’s asleep.”

Seol Ah’s eyes were red and bloodshot.

“He fell asleep just now after crying and getting upset. Don’t wake him up again. They say his inflammation levels aren’t good either. He needs to rest well.”

“Why.”

At Seung Jun’s question, Seol Ah silently glared at him.

Does he not know and that’s why he’s asking?

All day today, Yu Min only played Go. Saying he would definitely beat uncle. Then evening came and a message arrived. Saying uncle wouldn’t be coming today.

Yu Min didn’t say he was disappointed that uncle wasn’t coming. He just got uncharacteristically angry. Saying the food tasted bad, when could he go home, he really really hated it here.

There was a commotion when he flipped over the tray with porridge. When Seol Ah finally scolded him after holding back, Yu Min burst into the saddest tears.

“Don’t come again. You’re only hurting Yu Min. That’s what your existence is.”

Wasn’t that how you were to me too? Promises you couldn’t keep pushed me into despair. I can’t let Yu Min be like that too.

Seung Jun was at a loss for words in front of Seol Ah’s firm gaze.