“Hey kid, who are you?”

Seo Jun’s chilling gaze as he asked the question sent shivers down her spine.

So Yeon reached out her hand towards the phone, but in an instant, her hand was grabbed and pulled, causing So Yeon to end up in Seo Jun’s arms.

This was the first time he had been so forceful. As Seo Jun tightly gripped her slender wrist to the point of pain, So Yeon let out an agonized groan through clenched teeth, looking as if her world had shattered.

“Ngh…”

“Is it really that startling for me to ask to look at a photo of your precious son together?”

“Ah, so you figured it out?”

Seo Jun confirmed his suspicions were correct based on So Yeon’s horrified eyes and her flustered, panicked reaction.

Eom So Yeon, who frequently became sensitive and at times tried to hide something. Tae Seo Jun, who couldn’t help but become increasingly suspicious of her because she seemed calm but not quite so. The cause of it all lay with the child in the photo.

“Why didn’t I realize sooner that the child resembles me?”

He already knew.

“Tell me. Or say it’s not true.”

Seo Jun’s reddening eyes pressed her.

So Yeon knew it too.

A perilous scam. Audaciously telling her family the child’s very much alive father was dead, and being reluctant to even mention him to others, pretending he didn’t exist at all.

How absurd and cruel her actions had been, and that her deceitful conduct ultimately caused Tae Seo Jun considerable disappointment and immense shock.

An agonizing silence.

The years she had endured like that.

From the baby being conceived and born to becoming a bright child who could now speak well. It wasn’t easy to verbalize that secret she had only deeply buried for years.

Using that as a reason, she had stalled for time, thinking just a little more, just a bit longer.

In the meantime, he who had figured it all out was revealing the truth of that secret before her.

“…”

So Yeon fiercely stared at Seo Jun with eyes brimming with tears.

It was cruel.

It was upsetting.

This fleeting moment that had snatched away even the chance for her to reveal the truth herself.

[This is the timeline separator]

Bong, the manager, hurriedly entered the spacious hall of the bar and spotted Yeo Do Soon and Gu Won Hoo, who were drinking at a corner table. He quickly approached them.

“Where is Director Tae?”

“What’s going on today? Did something happen?”

“What?”

As Do Soon asked back, Manager Bong also counter-questioned.

“Well, isn’t it strange? Director Tae and So Yeon are in the room together with an extremely serious atmosphere as if something might happen at any moment, and Manager Bong, you’re rushing over here as if to prevent an impending accident. What is it?”

“Ah, that’s… Just a moment…”

First confirming Tae Seo Jun’s whereabouts was the priority for Manager Bong, who quickly ran towards the corridor where the rooms were located.

Earlier, the call had abruptly ended during Manager Bong’s conversation. It was the moment Seo Jun arrived at the hotel and got on the elevator.

Although that call was also cut off soon after, there was at least some information gained. Because he had received the answer that Seo Jun had come to the hotel bar to meet Eom So Yeon, so not to interfere.

The resolute voice sounded stern as if suppressing intense emotions, and just from the different atmosphere in his voice compared to usual and him asking about the child’s birthday in the previous call, Manager Bong could be sure that Tae Seo Jun had finally seen through the truth.

Immediately after that, Manager Bong contacted Park Sung Ho and instructed him to stand by in front of the hotel, then rushed straight over here.

About 5 minutes passed.

The conversation coming from inside the room was clearly about the child. After quietly listening to the two people’s voices while standing by the door, Manager Bong returned to Won Hoo and Do Soon and joined them at the table, asking for their understanding.

“Phew… Some water, please…”

As soon as he sat down, Manager Bong let out a huge sigh and chugged the cold water on the table. Staring blankly at him, Won Hoo spoke.

“That’s alcohol, you know.”

“Pft…!”

No wonder it had a sharp taste that clung to his mouth.

Having already put it to his lips, Manager Bong downed it all and set the empty glass down. That’s when it happened.

“Manager, you seem to know what’s going on with those two, so please tell us straightforwardly.”

As Won Hoo asked with a serious gaze, Manager Bong glanced at Do Soon and chuckled.

“Since only one big fuss remains now, you two should know beforehand. Eom So Yeon’s son is Director Tae’s son.”

“!”

“!”

The moment Manager Bong revealed the truth, both Won Hoo and Do Soon froze all over.

Of course, they had thought the child looked similar. However, connecting Tae Seo Jun and Hyun Woo’s relationship beyond that was something they couldn’t even dare to imagine. Do Soon was simply dumbfounded.

Won Hoo kept letting out hollow, self-mocking laughs as if all his energy had drained away, leaning back against the chair. Even for him, whose feelings hadn’t gone as he wished, it became clear at this moment.

That Eom So Yeon was someone he could no longer even have a one-sided love for.

[This is the timeline separator]

Tae Seo Jun kept staring at So Yeon’s face that had turned white as a sheet, with eyes that remained reddened.

It would have been better if he had at least yelled at her roughly, but under his gaze filled with resentment and anger, So Yeon felt her heart shatter. Because now, even if she spoke the truth she couldn’t reveal herself, it would be nothing more than a poor excuse.

She shouldn’t have hurriedly left his house.

She should have revealed everything right then and there, in front of Tae Seo Jun who asked her to live together.

If she had…

At least if she had…

The immensely regretful feeling hurt even more because of that. It felt like her heart was splitting in two. To endure that sharp pain, all So Yeon could do was harshly bite the tender flesh inside her mouth until it bled.

The sin of deceiving everyone.

So Yeon could make no excuses.

Helplessly left with no choice but to be a sinner, So Yeon ran out of the room, unable to face Tae Seo Jun properly.

Leaving the cocktail bar in a daze, So Yeon was running through the hotel lobby.

Tears gushed endlessly from her large eyes filled with despair, her blurry gaze having sunken miserably, a mixture of confusion and wretchedness.

She had to take the elevator and go downstairs, but upon making eye contact with hotel staff busy with event preparations late into the night, So Yeon had no choice but to step back.

“Hey, look over there!”

“Wait, isn’t that Eom So Yeon?”

“What? You mean the actress Eom So Yeon?”

“Where…?”

It would be stranger not to know Eom So Yeon, who garnered more attention than the lead in a drama that broke highest viewership records with each episode. Pushed by the gazes of the staff members intently looking at her, So Yeon, who had somehow ended up at the emergency exit, went down the stairs at a rather fast pace.

“Ah!”

However, her slender ankle, which she had been precariously stepping on as her heart raced ahead of her body, wobbled. At that moment, her upper body toppled forward as the joints in her ankle twisted, and her body rolled down the stairs.

Thud!

So Yeon, who had tumbled a few times and slammed hard into the corner wall between floors, got up again despite the pain. But perhaps it was too much for her.

“Ow…”

Plopping back down in that spot, So Yeon couldn’t muster any strength. Still, she curled up her body and leaned against the wall.

Blood flowed from her forehead.

Even if she cried out in pain, the small and frail So Yeon just quietly sobbed with her tear and blood-stained face buried between her knees, shrinking into a ball. She couldn’t even freely make a whimpering sound.

‘Is it really that startling for me to ask to look at a photo of your precious son together?’

The low voice laced with mockery seemed to strike her ears again.

Your precious son.

Your son.

Wasn’t referring to Hyun Woo like that implying he would never acknowledge him as his own son? Of course, she would undoubtedly be forever cast out from his heart too.

Even as the sad and disheartening thoughts flashed through her mind, So Yeon couldn’t let go of Tae Seo Jun.

She couldn’t reverse the direction of her heart that flowed only one way.

From the moment they first met until now, she saw no one but Tae Seo Jun. So Yeon already knew. She knew that like wearing blinders that made her see only one person, she would spend her whole life looking solely at Tae Seo Jun.

A monster who looks at only one man as if her life depends on it.

What could she do, being someone like that? A heart stolen once by a beautiful man could never be taken back. However, she had not the slightest desire to forcibly tie together Tae Seo Jun and herself, who were like polar opposites.

But somehow, things had come this far.

And in the end, she couldn’t avoid his condemnation.

Since it was the result of her own greed that she could only cherish, abandon, gather again, and have to abandon once more, So Yeon had no intention of making any excuses.

What should I do now?

Ah… I don’t know.

I can’t think of anything anymore.

No matter how he found out, no matter what happens later, this was how things were meant to turn out from the start. Thinking that way, it seemed like a part of her heart felt refreshed.

She had endured alone, embracing a thorny world. It was due to the fatigue that had all rushed in at once. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and as if the whole world was spinning, she felt dizzy. So Yeon, who lacked the energy to even open her eyes again, slowly leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, soaked with tears.

Maybe it was because of the alcohol or the shock of falling, but her exhausted body felt drowsy. Unable to muster the strength to open her eyes again, she gradually slipped into unconsciousness.

Some time passed like that.

“Ha, Eom So Yeon! I was wondering where you went…”

A low voice penetrated deep into her eardrums, but So Yeon’s mind and body, worn out from all sorts of worries, were only listless.

Her head, twisted and pressed against the wall, was supported by a large hand. And then, her slender body was lifted into the air, cradled against a broad, warm chest.

The deep scent of Tae Seo Jun stimulated her sense of smell, but So Yeon refused to wake from her slumber.

Even if it was a dream, it was fine. Because she could feel him. Because she could hear his voice. Just that alone made everything feel tranquil, as if the rough waves had calmed.

As if sinking deeper into her unconscious, So Yeon fell into an even deeper sleep.

Not knowing in whose arms she was embraced, where she was being taken, or how.

[This is the timeline separator]

8:00 AM.

Perhaps this was the life of extreme occupations. Manager Bong and Park Sung Ho, who had finished work at dawn and took a brief nap at their respective homes, met again at a restaurant in Nonhyeon-dong. Although there were no particular instructions from Seo Jun yet, the two men were on standby, ready to move if necessary.

As the restaurant ajumma brought out steaming bowls of seolleongtang, Sung Ho licked his lips and said,

“Manager, let’s eat before it gets cold.”

“Alright, let’s eat.”

As Park Sung Ho took a few spoonfuls, he implicitly expressed his curiosity.

“By the way, what could Director Tae be thinking? He told Yeo Do Soon to pack up all of Eom So Yeon’s clothes. Is he planning to live with her?”

If a famous actress was carried to the emergency room drunk well past midnight, it would be a major scoop for reporters. For that reason, Seo Jun, who took the injured So Yeon home, treated her and let her rest with utmost care and devotion.

Park Sung Ho, who saw such a caring side of Tae Seo Jun for the first time, couldn’t help but wonder.

“Have you ever seen Director Tae be this sincere with anyone?”

“Obviously not, except for Eom So Yeon.”

“Exactly. So whatever the two of them do from now on, it won’t be some superficial act.”

“Manager, you seem to know more than I do. Am I right?”

“Actually…”

Even though they were practically family and it was something he needed to know as an aide, it wasn’t something he could easily divulge yet. Mentioning it in front of Gu Won Hoo and Yeo Do Soon was because they would be the first to lend a hand if things went wrong and the issue became known to the public.

But even regretting that a little, Manager Bong leaned his head forward and discreetly told Park Sung Ho so he wouldn’t feel left out.

“There are things like that. Ignorance is bliss, and knowing can hurt you.”

“Ehey! Are you really going to be like this between us?”

“The closer you are, the more you need to separate public and private matters to make it last, don’t you know?”

Just as Manager Bong finished speaking and chuckled, it happened.

Ring-ring…

Manager Bong hurriedly answered the incoming call and even straightened his posture.

“Yes, Chairman.”

– Did Seo Jun find out?

“That’s correct.”

– Oh my, I was hoping it would take a bit longer, but it was unexpectedly quick. So Seo Jun is with that girl right now?

One way or another, he was an uncanny person. Clearly, there must be other informants besides Manager Bong. Otherwise, how could he already know and ask about what happened early this morning? There was nothing to hide anyway, but Manager Bong decided to completely let go of such thoughts from the start.

“Yes, that’s right.”

– That kid, really. Hahaha.

Chairman Tae, who burst into hearty laughter, pressed him to explain in more detail. Saying he needed it to plan the next steps or something.

Manager Bong told Chairman Tae exactly what he saw, nothing more, nothing less.

Late last night, Park Sung Ho and Manager Bong had a car on standby in front of the main building of the Elstella Hotel.

So Yeon, who seemed a bit drunk, was sound asleep. It was Seo Jun who sat her in the back seat of the car.

And throughout the ride to Nonhyeon-dong, Seo Jun, who could have just let So Yeon sit there as she would have been fine, laid her slanted towards him and embraced her warmly. With a touch that cherished her, he gently stroked and caressed her injured forehead and head.

Even his deep gaze that serenely watched Eom So Yeon nestling into his arms. Manager Bong, who had never seen Tae Seo Jun treat a person so preciously anywhere, could feel it.

Their appearance was undoubtedly ‘love’ to anyone who saw it.

Chairman Tae, who had been listening quietly without a single interjection or response until Manager Bong finished recounting the previous night’s events, had a subdued voice.

– Hmm… Is that so? Anyhow, good to know.

Expressing his gratitude at the end, Chairman Tae hung up without any particular instructions.

“Manager…”

As Park Sung Ho looked at him with eyes full of curiosity after fully hearing the phone conversation, Manager Bong lowered his voice and spoke secretively.

“There are things like that. Not knowing is medicine, and knowing can hurt you.”

The two men, who shared the common denominator of Tae Seo Jun, understood who they were talking about without needing to specify the subject.

“I don’t know what it is, but if Chairman Tae is intervening to this extent, does that mean Director Tae has done something extremely serious?”

“Yeah.”

Replying half-heartedly, Manager Bong calmly started scooping up the gukbap.