Seung Jun received the call while he was on a business trip to inspect a factory. He was about to start eating bibimbap with the factory workers when his phone rang, and he got up to answer it.

“Please, enjoy your meal.”

Seung Jun politely excused himself and left the table with his phone in hand. Director Nam watched him leave with a distant gaze before lowering his eyes.

“What could it be?”

He had a rough idea of why the call was made.

[What is all this? You said you were just staying over, not that you were buying things.]

Yu Seol Ah’s voice rang clearly in his ear.

“I bought my own things. I left them there in case something like this happens again, so just leave them be.”

[Why here? I’m going to throw it all away. Even Yu Min thinks it’s strange.]

Seung Jun let out a soft sigh.

“Just leave it. Even if you throw it away, I’ll just bring it back again.”

[Why are you doing this!]

Seung Jun stared into the void. His eyes, filled with emptiness, gazed at the empty sky.

[Please don’t do this. I have nowhere else to go.]

Her voice sounded desperate, even quieter than before.

I have nowhere to go either.

The house I’ve been living in isn’t my home, and the people I called my mother and father aren’t my real parents.

I can’t explain all the details, but I’m on the edge of a cliff just like you.

The reason Seung Jun got angry when he saw the child getting scolded by Jung Ah was because he felt the child was just like himself.

The child who was getting scolded and crying without fully grasping the situation.

That child seemed like himself, crying after being hit by the waves of fate.

Since he was seven years old, he had been living a life without any warm comfort or clear explanations for his confusing circumstances, simply doing what he considered his duties.

His body was that of an adult, but there was still a child inside who hadn’t grown up.

When Seung Jun broke off the engagement with Jung Ah, he felt like he was also parting ways with that part of himself. He no longer wanted to live like that.

Now he wanted to comfort the child crying alone in his heart.

“You’re the one who was betrayed. You should be the one comforting and making excuses.”

His voice was relaxed, but his emotions were not.

His hand gripping the phone tightened.

[It’s already in the past. I don’t want to be tied to the past anymore. If you truly want to be Yu Min’s father, keep your boundaries. This is just making things uncomfortable for both of us.]

Her sharp voice rang in Seung Jun’s ears.

Seung Jun hung up without saying anything more.

It would just be repeating the same words anyway. As if they were living in different worlds.

“I apologize. Let’s eat.”

Seung Jun came back inside with a gentle smile, looking at those waiting for him. He sat down, picked up his spoon, and took a big bite of the deliciously mixed bibimbap.

He couldn’t taste anything, but Seung Jun chewed the food with the brightest smile.

*

“I called because I was curious.”

He received the call when he finished the factory schedule. It was Hyo Young. Seung Jun hurried up at her words that she would wait even if he was late.

“You said you were going to get married, then you say you’re breaking off the engagement. You’re not usually so frivolous in your actions.”

Hyo Young’s eyes gleamed blue. Seung Jun lowered his gaze.

“I’m sorry.”

In front of Seung Jun, who was bowing his head straight, Hyo Young continued in a cold tone.

“Do you not know how many eyes are watching your actions right now? Be more prudent in your conduct. And what on earth happened?”

Seung Jun explained the general situation. Hyo Young’s brow furrowed.

“Why are you getting involved with a kid who has nothing to do with you? Did you step in first? The child was in the wrong to begin with.”

Hyo Young clicked her tongue and spoke.

“That child’s mother seems ill-mannered and unlikely to educate her child well. No wonder the kid goes around doing that to other people’s clothes.”

Hyo Young was always like that. Whenever children acted out of line, she always cursed their mothers. And she said she wouldn’t raise her child that way.

Seung Jun had heard it so often that he didn’t feel much about it before. But today, those words felt particularly grating.

“You can’t say it’s all the mother’s responsibility. The child’s father would be there too. And a child’s mistakes aren’t entirely the mother’s fault.”

He thought of Seol Ah sitting on the swing with a beer can in hand. Passionately speaking about the difficulties of being a mother.

“What do you mean by that?”

Hyo Young’s expression changed.

“You, a kid without any children, are talking as if you were a child’s mother.”

Seung Jun’s mouth closed.

Right. Why am I getting heated over this? It has nothing to do with me. I’ll never be a child’s mother in this life.

But.

He couldn’t see it as someone else’s business either. Because it was the reality his own child and that child’s mother were facing.

“There’s a saying. It takes a village to raise a child.”

Was it a passage he saw in some book? Seung Jun spoke with downcast eyes.

“When you think about it, a mother is just one person. Someone who wants to be understood and respected. Someone who gets hungry when starved, and hurts when hit.”

Hyo Young opened her mouth.

You’ve definitely changed.

The reason Hyo Young decided to meet Seung Jun today was simple. To find out if the changes she sensed in him were just her sensitive feelings or actually true.

But now she felt she knew even without asking more.

“Are you seeing someone?”

Seung Jun raised his eyes. Hyo Young’s face was reflected in his dark, shining pupils.

“Did I have to be seeing someone to say those things?”

“What?”

“Business also deals with people. I’ve been reading a lot of humanities books for substantial business.”

A gentle smile played on Seung Jun’s lips. Hyo Young unknowingly swallowed.

“But while doing that, I remembered something.”

Seung Jun narrowed his eyes.

“My childhood. To be exact, before I was seven years old.”

What on earth was he trying to say now? Hyo Young’s eyes widened. Her voice became urgent.

“Why do you remember that? That time didn’t exist for you. You started your formal successor education from the age of seven. From me.”

At Hyo Young’s words, Seung Jun’s eyes shone without a word.

He moistened his lips with warm tea and slowly spoke.

“If I hadn’t had that past time, I wouldn’t have been able to receive the successor education either. I grew up going through that childhood. And I definitely remember it.”

“Seung Jun.”

“Don’t try to forcibly erase it. I know everything. And I can change the situation at any time. The reason I’m not doing that is because I still have the strength to endure it.”

The smile disappeared from Seung Jun’s face.

Seeing his face hardening, Hyo Young felt a shiver run down her spine without realizing it.

He seemed like a complete stranger, not her son.

“What are you trying to say?”

Hyo Young tried not to, but she felt her voice trembling without her knowing.

“Please don’t tell me to go on any more dates. I’ll handle my own marriage.”

It was a threat that if she brought up marriage or dates again, he would immediately reveal the fact that he was adopted.

Hyo Young’s eyes trembled. She raised her hand and lightly fanned herself.

“What on earth are you saying? Why are you suddenly acting like this? Don’t you know Grandfather’s intentions? You have to become the group’s leader, and for that, you need to get married.”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t get married. I’m just asking you to leave it to me. I’m busy so I’ll be going now. Please don’t contact me so suddenly like this next time and check my schedule in advance. I ask this of you.”

Seung Jun got up from his seat and left just like that. Hyo Young couldn’t say anything and just blankly stared at Seung Jun’s back.

*

“Resting all you want and playing all you want while still getting paid every month. You must be having a grand old time, huh?”

At the company she returned to after a long time, Executive Director Kang threw the report Seol Ah submitted and yelled.

“If you’re going to do your job like this, just quit. Don’t waste your salary!”

Seol Ah hadn’t done anything wrong. Even while using up her accumulated vacation days, she diligently completed all her assignments from home whenever there was work.

But Executive Director Kang was making a fuss, picking on the fact that Seol Ah had legally taken time off.

“Executive Director.”

Seol Ah opened her eyes straight. Executive Director Kang’s brow narrowed.

“What now? Are you going to threaten me again like last time?”

He waved a USB drive in front of Seol Ah.

“The data you created? It’s all in here. Try formatting it and see. You think I’ll even bat an eye?”

When did he take all that? It seemed he had done it while Seol Ah was on vacation.

It was clearly theft and grounds for reporting, but the company would feign ignorance anyway, so Seol Ah had to swallow her resentment.

‘I really want to throw it all away and walk out.’

As she turned to leave, someone blocked her path.

“Can’t you do your job properly? Why are you getting scolded as soon as you return?”

Seeing Hee Sun walking by while trimming her long nails with a nail file, those thoughts boiled up even more. Still, she tried to hold back and return to her seat.

Suddenly, someone tapped her hand.

“Are you okay?”

The person checking on Seol Ah was none other than Yoon Jin.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry too much.”

As Seol Ah smiled weakly, Yoon Jin gently comforted her and glared in Hee Sun’s direction.

“Seriously, she’s not even human-”

“Don’t do that. I’m really okay.”

Seol Ah was calming Yoon Jin down when she saw a call coming in. It was Yu Min.

Yu Min hadn’t fully recovered yet, so Seol Ah had left him with In Sook for a day and came to work.

“Yes, Yu Min.”

When she answered, there was only the sound of breathing, not words, from the other end. Was he running? What was he doing now?

“Yu Min, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

[Mom!]

The shout made Seol Ah have to take the phone away from her ear for a moment.

“Okay. Yu Min. Can you slowly tell me what happened? What’s going on? Why are you out of breath?”

[Mom, did you throw them all away? My drawings and everything! Did you throw it all away?]

Yu Min’s voice was choked with tears.

The small house didn’t have much space to keep things, so Seol Ah once threw away Yu Min’s old toys and had a big fight with him. After that, she never carelessly threw away Yu Min’s belongings.

“I didn’t throw them away. What are you talking about? It’s all there.”

[It’s gone, everything is gone, my drawings and all! Didn’t you throw them out? The awards are all gone too, everything!]

Hearing his wailing, Seol Ah felt her vision go dark for a moment.