It was not a heart-wrenching proposal filled with love.

But she could feel his deep feelings.

The way he expressed his desire to get to know the child, not even knowing he was the father, and asked her to introduce them, was so warm.

No, above all, Seo Ina, who had no idea about Tae Seo Jun’s feelings and had underestimated his great love as just a brief romance, couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with shock at this moment.

The time she wandered after that one night. The days that were happy with a new life in her womb but felt like being in a tomb. Meeting him again, loving and being loved, all those things flashed through her mind in an instant.

“You probably know what I meant. When will Eom So Yeon give me an answer? I’m waiting.”

When Ina remained silent for a while with trembling eyes and reddened rims, Seojun urged for an answer in a playful tone mixed with composure.

His warm gaze and smile were so dazzling that Ina’s heart fluttered. But on the other hand, it also ached. Because she knew too well that without revealing the secret, Tae Seo Jun could only be an illusion and a phantom.

To casually bring up being together. No, before that, how much anguish and conflict must he have gone through to decide to become the guardian of her and Hyun Woo?

Ina could vividly imagine him furrowing his brows, grimacing, and sighing countless times.

And for the first time, she looked deep inside herself.

Her mistake of deceiving and lying to a man. Her sin of embracing a vile silence and trying not to reveal the truth until the end.

Oh my gosh! What have I done to this man and my family…?

Belated regret turned into fear, and that fear pressed down on her chest like a heavy lump of lead. As if to burst that pressure and pain all at once, Ina said in a loud voice:

“I’ll go to Jeju Island. And I’ll tell you everything, not just an answer.”

“What? Why all of a sudden? Is what I said too burdensome for you?”

“No. What you said is so good, and I want to answer right away, but I’ve wronged my mother too much until now.”

There is an order even if she confesses her mistakes and gets punished.

Seeking forgiveness from her mother, who has been a great support while raising the child, should come first. Next, she will tell Tae Seo Jun with confidence.

Although that one night was like playing with fire, the reason she can consider that choice the best thing she’s done in her life is because of her son, Eom Hyun Woo. She’s sorry for not telling the truth, but her gratitude is greater than her apology.

“So, you’re saying you’re going to Jeju Island now?”

“It’s too late today, so I’ll have to take the first flight tomorrow morning.”

“Ha, I really don’t understand…”

Seojun looked at Ina intently, narrowing the space between his brows, with an expression of incomprehension.

“You may be wondering why I’m doing this now, but even if it’s frustrating, please bear with me for a few days. I’ll make you understand everything, including what happened today. You can wait until I come back, right?”

“…”

There was no reply from him, but Ina left Seojun’s house anyway.

As she ran to the main road where there were taxis, something that she couldn’t hold back no matter how hard she tried welled up in her big eyes and flowed down her cheeks.

Not even aware that the hot tears were blurring her vision, Ina thought.

That he might get angry. That he might criticize her with sarcasm. That once he knows the truth, he may never look at her again. That she might see him heartlessly turning away from or looking down on Hyun Woo.

The reality of herself as a coward who only wanted to run away, fearing to face the worst situation. As someone pathetic and foolish who compromised with silence that was no different from lies, claiming it was for the best for everyone.

After returning to the Dogok-dong house, Ina stayed up all night thinking and thinking again.

I, who beautified my feelings for him as love while he kept approaching and digging into me, which I simply considered as a man’s primal desire. I, who made him unaware while he was trying to make space for Hyun Woo and me.

I felt like such a bad woman.

Jo Yeon Hee, who had crossed over to Jeju Island four days ago, was spending a leisurely time at her second daughter’s house.

The front yard of the detached house with a great view of the clean and beautiful Jeju sea was bustling with the sounds of two children running around.

Watching them with delight while soaking her feet in the outdoor bathtub, Yeon Hee was brought fragrant tea by So Rin, who extended the mint-colored awning further and asked:

“The sun is quite harsh, are you okay?”

“It’s so nice to sunbathe after a long time. You should come and soak your feet too. The water feels soft after adding natural salt and essential oils.”

“Should I?”

So Rin sat down by the tub and put her two feet in the water.

Meanwhile, Yeon Hee’s gaze was fixed on the children who had entered the tent set up on the grass and started concentrating on building blocks.

So Rin’s son, being the older one, attentively took care of Hyun Woo, who was two years younger. The two children, building a fairly solid castle by joining blocks together in harmony, looked as affectionate as real brothers.

“Your husband must be very tired, having a busy hospital job and even dinner gatherings in the evening.”

“That’s right. The newly appointed hospital director keeps calling for him day and night, sometimes I feel like a widow. That’s why I want to quickly become a specialist and work with my husband.”

When Yeon Hee spoke in a leisurely tone, So Rin showed a deflated reaction with a dissatisfied expression.

“Oh my. In a few months, your second child will be born too, who will raise the children then?”

“Mom, you know what? I’ll just send both kids to Canada too.”

“Enough! I’m done with child-rearing with Hyun Woo. Now I need to live my own life, how long do I have to clean up after you guys?”

When Yeon Hee cut her off, So Rin smiled slyly.

“Hehe, I’m just kidding. I have good in-laws here and a reliable and caring husband.”

The second daughter and her husband were both doctors. Although she had to give up other things due to early marriage and childbirth, So Rin was quite satisfied and happy. Work is a lifelong dream, but a blessed family is the driving force to realize that dream.

“Mom, about Hyun Woo, I couldn’t tell when he was a baby, but doesn’t he look like someone as he grows up?”

“Well, I see him every day.”

“I mean Tae Seo Jun. The other day while watching a drama, it suddenly occurred to me that they look alike. Could it be that So Yeon and Tae Seo Jun, not just in the drama but from before… Anyway, do you know anything, Mom?”

“What nonsense are you talking about! Look alike? Where do Hyun Woo’s eyes, nose, or mouth resemble Tae Seo Jun’s even in one place…”

But they did resemble each other.

No, it was as if Tae Seo Jun was taken out and put in undeniably.

However, Yeon Hee shook her head slightly and laughed, dismissing the absurd speculation in a few words.

“As you said, they do look alike, but that’s why the term doppelganger was coined. Among the many, many people, there are some who look similar. Especially those with distinct features look more alike. So don’t say such things anywhere else. If strange rumors spread, how difficult would it be for So Yeon, who has just started spreading her wings as an actress?”

“I know. That’s why it’s just between us.”

So Rin nodded as if agreeing with everything her mother said and continued.

“Human relationships are really amusing, how could President Tae’s son and our So Yeon appear in one drama? Mom, you had a meal with President Tae not long ago, right? What did you talk about when you met?”

“Other than asking about your father’s well-being, there wasn’t much to talk about. But that family is quite pitiful too.”

“Why, that wealthy family?”

So Rin also knew well that her father and President Tae Seok Ho were close. So she asked out of curiosity.

“They have two married children, but they still don’t have any grandchildren. Maybe that’s why, the president couldn’t take his eyes off Hyun Woo and kept looking at him with affection. Feeling sorry for him, I even let him hold Hyun Woo, and the child clung to him cutely as if he were his own grandfather, and he really liked it.”

“Anyway, Hyun Woo doesn’t have much stranger anxiety. So Yeon was like that when she was little too, right?”

“She was. She laughed so well and was so gentle that everyone adored her wherever we took her. So I thought our So Yeon would receive a lot of love from her husband and live happily without worries, but that’s…”

The image of So Yeon suddenly coming to Canada years ago came to Yeon Hee’s mind, and the corners of her mouth drooped slightly and then lifted back up. It was a wistful smile, neither good nor bad.

At that time, when Yeon Hee discovered So Yeon standing in front of the house like a rain-soaked puppy, she didn’t know how painfully her heart crumbled. The young child got pregnant and flew a long way alone with a swollen belly, without the child’s father.

“Mom, So Yeon will be able to meet a good person soon too. She’s pretty, needless to say, and has a straight heart. Any man with proper eyes won’t be able to resist falling for my sister.”

“You’re quite the sister. When I go to Canada, can you at least check on her from time to time?”

“Of course.”

Sensing her mother’s heart that seemed on the verge of tears, So Rin hastily turned the topic elsewhere.

“You haven’t heard from your older sister yet? I think she’ll wrap up her life in New York and come back next year.”

“So Won? What about the company she works for?”

“She said she’s getting a partner and starting an advertising company.”

“That’s good news. She can stay with So Yeon then.”

“Even if she starts a new company as a workaholic, how often will she come home?”

“Hmm…”

Her older daughter was no less of a headache than So Yeon.

They say a tree with many branches is never at peace, so instead of welling up with tears, Yeon Hee sighed deeply and shook her head.

It was when Yeon Hee and So Rin finished their foot bath and were wiping their feet with towels.

“Mom!”

When So Yeon suddenly entered So Rin’s yard without notice, Hyun Woo, who was playing in front of the tent, spotted her first and ran to his mother for a hug.

Surprised to see her daughter, whom she thought was in Seoul, Yeon Hee and So Rin stared blankly at So Yeon with wide eyes.

“Yes, Hyun Woo! Were you having fun?”

“Yeah. I was playing nicely with hyung.”

“Good job, my son…”

Holding Hyun Woo for a long time, So Yeon looked pale as if she might collapse at any moment. She was smiling, but her expression was filled with worry and sadness. How could I not know? She’s my daughter born from my womb.

Yeon Hee subtly told So Rin:

“So Rin, take the two children inside? I think I need to talk to So Yeon.”

“Okay. I’ll get the kids some snacks and come out.”

Like Yeon Hee, So Rin also sensed something.

That something unusual had happened to So Yeon.