Christmas Eve.

A modest birthday celebration dinner for Cha Yeo Jin was held at the main house in Gahoe-dong.

Although lavish parties attended by celebrities from all walks of life had been held at hotels every year, this year, with just a few days left until the new year, Cha Yeo Jin strongly pushed for a quiet gathering with only family members.

This was a measure heavily influenced by Cha Yeo Jin’s consideration for her first and second daughters-in-law whose bodies were heavy with pregnancy, and Tae Seo Jun’s marriage which could not yet be widely announced.

It was an evening when the lights lit throughout the house warmly illuminated the entire home.

After finishing their meal, the elders of the family moved to the cozy reception room. Then the young people left in the living room, the largest space in the main house, began to converse more energetically.

It was around that time.

Even though she was here for a family event as the one qualified to be Gu Won Hoo’s wife, Yeo Do Soon had been fuming since earlier, unable to accept the very picture of Yeo Jeong being here. Because of that, just as she entered the dining room intending to drink some cold water after leaving the reception room, at that very moment.

“Oh my…!”

An irritated voice burst harshly from Yeo Jeong’s mouth. As if her temper wasn’t bad enough already, seeing an unexpected large furry dog and small child enter her view doubled her displeasure.

“Hello, great-aunt.”

Hyun Woo, who had been crouched down feeding Black under the dining table, quickly stood up and gave a polite bow with his tiny hands folded at his navel.

Hyun Woo, who greeted adults so politely every time he encountered them like this, was neat and articulate no matter how one looked at him. And that wasn’t all. He was a child so lovable, shining like sunshine that could drive away the dark clouds of gloomy weather and angry waves.

What luck did her elder sister have to possess not only wealth but also such an outstanding son and even a grandchild like this? No matter how hard I struggle, I haven’t properly achieved even one thing.

Being unable to stand even such a well-behaved and bright child was due to unbearable jealousy.

“Who brings a beast like this inside the house! They say you can tell from the sprout, is this how your mother taught you? Your unseemly behavior is just like your mother’s!”

Yeo Jeong yelled at Hyun Woo with an incredulous expression.

He was just a four-year-old child. Cha Yeo Jeong lashed out mercilessly at that young child.

“Hic…”

As if startled, Hyun Woo looked up sharply at his great-aunt with his small stature. His large black eyes quickly filled with brimming tears.

His small lips trembled as he held back tears, his face turned pale white, and his frightened body suddenly stiffened.

Perhaps the dog sensed Hyun Woo’s fear as well. Black, who had been sitting, suddenly stood up on his hind legs and fiercely bared his sharp canine teeth toward Yeo Jeong.

“Grrrr…”

The deep growl scratching from his vocal cords and the ferocity emanating from his large body were meant to protect his master from the threatening presence.

However, Yeo Jeong continued to spit out harsh and cruel words toward Hyun Woo, as if unbothered by the dog.

“Well, with a mother like that, what can you expect from the child! Your mother who shamelessly had a child first and you, an illegitimate child, both have such improper behavior…!”

“Hyun Woo, don’t listen!”

Do Soon, who suddenly burst out from the back of the kitchen, hugged Hyun Woo tightly and covered his ears.

But Hyun Woo, who had already heard Yeo Jeong’s thorny words, didn’t fully understand the meaning, yet tears that burst out from the oppressive atmosphere were thoroughly wetting both his cheeks.

Do Soon and Jessica had been hiding behind the kitchen island, waiting for the right moment to give Hyun Woo his Christmas present. In that time, Yeo Jeong had stepped into the dining room and instantly spewed out unspeakable verbal abuse.

Do Soon handed Hyun Woo, whom she was holding, over to Jessica and sent the two of them out of the room.

“What are you trying to do with me now!”

Yeo Jeong raised her tone sharply at Do Soon who had turned around after closing the door, frowning intensely. It was because of the inexplicable pressure she felt from Do Soon’s strong gaze looking at her. And that feeling immediately became reality.

“Mother, you were wrong!”

Do Soon, who took a step closer to Yeo Jeong, said in a heavy tone.

“What?”

“The CEO told me everything, so I know too. That your marriage and childbirth process wasn’t exactly honorable. But how can someone so sensitive about their own affairs say such things! No matter how much you dislike So Yeon and me, did you really have to do that to innocent little Hyun Woo?”

As Do Soon questioned her relentlessly, Yeo Jeong faltered slightly.

She had divorced the chairman and his legal wife by putting forward the son she had through an affair. Though she had claimed the position of mistress of the house that way, Yeo Jeong vividly remembered Gu Won Hoo being branded as an illegitimate child until just before the marriage, as if it were yesterday.

But how had that son, who hated even the slightest mention of that incident, been persuaded to tell Yeo Do Soon everything in detail?

The more she thought about it, the more bizarre it seemed, and Yeo Jeong let out a scornful laugh.

“So? Are you daring to lecture me?”

“I have no reason not to. I’m just pointing out what you did wrong.”

“Look at this girl? You’re so spoiled in this house that you have no manners. So, as the elder, I was disciplining an ill-mannered child, what’s wrong with that? No, more than that, I don’t understand why I have to exchange words with you over something like this!”

Yeo Jeong, who couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by Yeo Do Soon’s unflinching honesty when she should be trying to make a good impression, unconsciously raised her voice higher.

“How is Hyun Woo ill-mannered? For bringing a pet dog that’s like family into the house? Is that bad behavior? Oh, really! Please say something that makes sense!”

“You… are you saying my words are nonsense?”

“Yes!”

“I’m appalled! Don’t you know how outrageous your behavior is, talking back so rudely to an elder?”

Yeo Jeong snorted. It was arrogance that no matter how much you try to persuade me, it’s an unchangeable fact that Gu Won Hoo is my son even if the sky falls.

But Yeo Do Soon’s retort exceeded Cha Yeo Jeong’s expectations.

“Then, shall we go ask the CEO? Whether what you just said to Hyun Woo was appropriate, or if I’m strange for saying it was wrong?”

“What?”

“That’s right. So Yeon clearly had a child with an unmarried man, while you seduced a married man. Anyway, it’s like the pot calling the kettle black, and you even scolded innocent Hyun Woo over it!”

“W-what? Pot calling the kettle black? Oh my, where did this girl…!”

How can I deal with this thing that’s rampaging without knowing right from wrong…!

As Yeo Jeong staggered, clutching her forehead, Do Soon spoke with a look that said even Hollywood action wouldn’t work on her.

“See? You’re making such a fuss about your own affairs, yet you carelessly throw hurtful words at an innocent child? Is that what an adult should do! You should know that the CEO who endures a mother like you is the most pitiful!”

“W-what… no, enough!”

“You need to apologize to Hyun Woo first, what do you mean enough!”

Ha! This young thing dares to try to best me? The more she thought about it, the more infuriated she became, but if she continued to argue with this girl, even her non-existent blood pressure would skyrocket.

“I said that’s enough!”

Just as Yeo Jeong opened the dining room door with veins popping on her neck, it was at that moment.

I’m not sure how long she had been standing in front of the door, but Yeo Jin, who was staring intently at Yeo Jeong while standing, ordered in a stern tone and expression that no one had ever encountered before.

“Cha Yeo Jeong. Come see me.”

Hyun Woo cried.

“Hyun Woo…”

Even though So Yeon held him in her arms and comforted him while asking why he was crying, the child gave no answer. He just shed tiny teardrops and pouted his small red lips.

Though he could throw tantrums freely like other children his age, he was a child who didn’t know how to be fussy. That made his crying seem even more pitiful and sorrowful.

“Um, miss…”

Jessica, who had been watching So Yeon patting the child on the sofa, approached the front of the sofa as if she had made up her mind about something and whispered exactly what had just happened to Hyun Woo.

In fact, Jessica had first reported this incident to Cha Yeo Jin, whom she encountered right in front of the dining room as soon as she left. She couldn’t keep quiet when asked about the situation, as Yeo Jin was very surprised to see Hyun Woo crying.

But she couldn’t bring herself to mention it to So Yeon, fearing it would hurt her. However, Jessica felt she could no longer delay and had to confess everything that had just happened to So Yeon. Since Yeo Do Soon and Cha Yeo Jin knew about what happened to Hyun Woo, something was bound to happen soon anyway.

“So, what did the madam do?”

“I don’t know what happened after that since I brought Hyun Woo to you, miss, but I saw the madam standing quietly at the kitchen entrance.”

“I see. Thank you for telling me, Jessica.”

After hearing Jessica’s story, So Yeon felt upset. Though not quite despair, a disappointed sigh escaped involuntarily. She was also angry.

Not everything goes as one wishes, but it seemed Cha Yeo Jeong’s twisted heart was still in the same place, making her visit to Seongbuk-dong to seek reconciliation seem futile. She was deeply saddened that the unyielding heart had even reached Hyun Woo.

But the worry that it might escalate into a conflict among the family elders constricted So Yeon’s chest even more.

At that moment, Chairman Tae’s voice, who had rushed out of the reception room, resonated loudly throughout the spacious area.

“Who is it! Who dared to make my grandson cry!”

It seemed the news that Hyun Woo, who had been playing happily, suddenly started crying had reached Tae Seok Ho’s ears. He was a grandson so precious he wouldn’t hurt even if put in his eyes.

Moreover, since he had never seen the child’s sunny face full of dark clouds before, Chairman Tae’s thunderous shout instantly turned the atmosphere in the house into thin ice.

Following that, the atmosphere in the main house, where all the relatives were dismissed and only the immediate family and Chairman Gu’s family remained, was a so-called state of emergency. However, Chairman Tae couldn’t unleash his fiery anger for fear of startling the child. Instead, he pressed each person with a stern gaze.

Though he was asking why the child wouldn’t stop crying, no one answered. No, no one knew the reason. Except for So Yeon, Jessica, and Hyun Woo.

“Chairman…”

But Do Soon, who came out of the master bedroom, called out to Chairman Tae. And she told him everything he wanted to know.

The atmosphere that had been bustling a moment ago changed to a calm like the eye of a storm as soon as Do Soon finished speaking, with Chairman Tae narrowing his eyes sharply.

“Jun Yi, Jun Yong, you should go home now too.”

At Chairman Tae’s solemn order, the two brothers left the main house with their wives without a word. They knew their father’s angry expression was the most agitated they had ever seen, and staying would only invite unnecessary trouble for themselves.

So Yeon spoke softly while gently stroking Hyun Woo, almost whispering.

“Hyun Woo. It’s okay.”

“Hic…”

“You know that you’re always a joy and happiness to mom and dad, right?”

“Mm.”

Perhaps his mother’s voice had calmed his sorrow. Hyun Woo, who had finally stopped crying, nodded his head slightly. Then So Yeon, after making eye contact with Seo Jun who was sitting right next to her, stood up from the sofa.

Seo Jun’s room in the main house was on the second floor. While So Yeon sent Jessica and Hyun Woo up there, Do Soon called Yeo Jin and Yeo Jeong out of the master bedroom to the living room on Chairman Tae’s orders.

As Chairman Tae and the Gu chairman couple sat on the sofa, So Yeon and Do Soon also took seats next to Seo Jun and Won Hoo.

From now on, it was truly the calm before the storm.

The uneasy discoloration that deepened on Cha Yeo Jeong’s face was due to the harsh words she had heard from her elder sister in the master bedroom.

‘I wasn’t unaware of your impulsive personality, but I didn’t know it was to this extent. The fact that it’s getting worse as days go by is probably mostly my fault for leaving you be like that. Without needing to say much, we’ll need to keep some distance from now on.’

‘Sister! Are you treating me this way because of your grandson? Come on, isn’t this too much just because a child cried a little!’

‘It might be different in your house, but in this house, even dogs are family. You should know that, so I don’t understand why you did that to Hyun Woo. Moreover, you badmouthed the child’s own mother to him, so how big of a bruise must have formed on that tiny heart.’

‘I’m telling you it was a mistake that I spoke too harshly.’

‘You think I’m like this just because of Hyun Woo? You mistreated not only So Yeon but also your future daughter-in-law. Are you going to say that was a mistake too? From now on, I won’t defend you in social circles anymore. If you did something shameful, you should pay the proper price, but I’ve been too lenient until now.’

Just as everywhere else, Cha Yeo Jin was the queen of queens in social circles. From wealth to unrivaled dignity and elegance. Thanks to her sister’s presence, which stood out in every aspect, she was able to receive some attention. But now it seems like they’re going to be like strangers.

She had touched something that shouldn’t have been touched.

Cha Yeo Jeong, who had just realized this, kept her lips tightly sealed without saying a word, just like her sullen heart.

Chairman Tae was too dumbfounded to say anything, and Yeo Jin, who had already said what she needed to say, just stared at her sister’s face. Chairman Gu and Won Hoo remained silent as if they knew this was coming, and like them, Seo Jun and Do Soon were also quiet.

It was So Yeon who broke that heavy silence.

“If uncomfortable feelings keep piling up, they become knots that can’t be untied. That’s why I purposely visited Seongbuk-dong to pay my respects. Even if you hated me, I also hoped it would end with me. But I guess I was very lacking.”

She didn’t even expect an apology. Rather, So Yeon carefully chewed and repeated each word, hoping that incidents like today that hurt Hyun Woo would never happen again.

“Still, please don’t hate the people around me because of me. I beg you.”

“Oh my… I’m afraid I can’t accept that request.”

Yeo Jeong raised her haughty gaze sharply. That gaze seemed to pierce So Yeon and Yeo Do Soon deeply. It meant that she could never accept those two as her niece-in-law and daughter-in-law.