And when I learned about the unbelievable child, I even felt betrayed. Naturally, I assumed there must be a man, but that wasn’t the case.

Yet, what’s funny is me. The discomfort that shot up to the top of my head vanished instantly when I heard her voice saying there was a child but no man. It even felt like relief.

On the small beach in Malaga, which I always visited alone, I saw an angelic smile. Was it pure or innocent? I yearn to see Eom So Yeon’s face, twinkling innocently again. Would she smile like that again if I confess my feelings honestly?

With a serious look and tone, Seo Jun said, “Eom So Yeon once said, people are forgotten by people. So take responsibility for your words.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve entered my heart and got firmly stuck. I’ve tried everything, but you just won’t leave. It’s been like this for quite some time. Ever since the day I first met you.”

“……!”

Her startled gaze wobbled as if about to fall.
With narrowed brows, So Yeon stared intently at Seo Jun, her eyes wide open. She couldn’t blink. She couldn’t even breathe. Her heart, which was beating normally, suddenly stopped, and her nose tingled. She couldn’t see clearly in front of her.

Why did he suddenly say that……

Tears, uncontrollable and hot, cascaded down from her large eyes like a downpour.

During the 10 months while her baby grew inside her, as she stroked and embraced her swollen belly, she always pictured that person, that face, whenever she imagined what her unborn baby’s eyes, nose, and lips would look like.

She had struggled to erase the constantly invading fears and bad thoughts, relying on the memories of one night.

She had endured those days, yearning for a warm touch, alone with thoughts of him. Like a lighthouse in the vast dark sea, he had always been a light, brightening her dark heart.

And it was like an unstoppable natural law, an obvious inertia, flowing in one direction.

This man, who said that I had been firmly stuck in his heart since the day we first met.

That was enough.

All the pain and happiness of those past days were just grateful at this moment.

But nothing changes.

If his feelings were sincere, she thought there might be a little possibility. But Tae Seo Jun was more distant than she thought. The fact that he was from a conglomerate family weighed heavily on her heart.

She already loved him, but she shouldn’t fall in love with him again. She couldn’t hold back the man from a different world just for her own sake.

She couldn’t be a stumbling block in his solid life, nor could she be a pebble scattered on a smooth road.

And she vowed, even if she fell into hell, she would not make a pitiful excuse for her choice.

To be an adult who can take responsibility for her own life. To become a strong mother who can stand firm even in a storm. Most of all, for her child, whom she must protect to the end.

Those were tears with such meaning.

“At Elstella Hotel, Eom So Yeon is a mother. Go ahead with the work as usual. Keep the story the same. Just revise the physical interactions back to the original,” Kwon Eun Young, the writer, instructed her assistant over the phone on the day of the party at the hotel.

Kwon’s principle had always been that a strong love line was necessary to capture the audience’s attention at once. But, considering So Yeon, who looked delicate and young like a flower in a greenhouse, she had hesitated, doubting if So Yeon could handle intense scenes.

But to deceive people to such an extent, a single mother no less. And everyone teamed up against my opinion just because of her pretty face? Fine, if everyone wants Eom So Yeon so badly, I have another way!

With these thoughts and a bitter heart, Kwon revised the script, aiming to at least salvage the ratings.

However, the Elstella Hotel lobby had many ears listening to her words. And there was also Jo In Ha.

In Ha was so incredulous that he might have strangled So Yeon on the spot if she had been in front of him. He felt like going crazy, thinking about the time he had waited for her to see him as a man, all in vain.
But that was just Jo In Ha’s feelings alone. And he felt even more furious realizing he had been the only one hanging on all this time.

On the day he desperately wanted to meet Eom So Yeon, In Ha went to Dogok-dong. But unable to get through to her on the phone, he ended up wandering near her apartment and saw So Yeon getting into a car with Tae Seo Jun.

Since that day, In Ha had been in a constant state of agitation, barely aware of how he managed to handle his numerous schedules.

Today, he had to rush to the airport for an overseas photoshoot. But he couldn’t leave without hearing why So Yeon went to Spain with Seo Jun, so he impulsively visited CN’s CEO office.

“What are you planning to do?”

“Well, I know you care a lot for So Yeon as a junior, but do I have any reason to divulge every detail to Jo In Ha? It’s strictly So Yeon’s personal matter. Have you never thought that your excessive concern might actually make your cherished junior more troubled?”

“Can’t I even worry about her? And why did Director Tae take So Yeon to Spain?”

As In Ha pressed for answers, Won Hu became curious himself.

“I thought In Ha’s behavior was a bit odd all this time, but was that the core issue? Have you liked So Yeon not just as a junior but as a woman all along? Is that why you’re so bothered about her going to Spain with Director Tae?”

“…….”

In Ha clamped his mouth shut at the direct question.

Seeing him not answering, it seemed Won Hu’s guess was right, but he had to ask one more thing.

“If your feelings for So Yeon are mutual, I can freely talk about her future actions. But it doesn’t seem like that’s the case, right?”

Twenty-six years old. Just being a beloved daughter under her parents’ roof at twenty-four wouldn’t have been strange. Having a child at such a young age was quite shocking for Won Hu too.

But regardless of the reasons, Won Hu was most concerned about her. He wondered how much heartache she must have endured while keeping that enormous secret and whether she was struggling alone even after her confession.

But the So Yeon he saw in Seo Jun’s room later seemed surprisingly composed. Her natural look wearing Seo Jun’s coat even made him briefly suspect something was going on between them.

Seo Jun’s voluntary offer to be her practice partner, and his dramatic help on the day of the party, were notable. Going to Spain together seemed suspicious, but wasn’t he a guy who detested women after Yu Jeong Hwa?

I should know better than anyone that he’s not interested in that way.

No room for doubt.

But the real issue was here.

“So, what is it? Are you worried about Eom So Yeon’s future, or are you concerned that the woman you have feelings for will be taken away by Director Tae?”

“That’s harsh, CEO! Do I look like someone who would lose to Tae Seo Jun? Anyway, it seems better to talk calmly with So Yeon when she returns.”

Pride stung, In Ha reacted defensively. Obviously, there was nothing between the two. Confirming this, Won Hu smirked.

“Is our conversation over then?”

“…….”
In Ha frowned as if questioning why he was being asked, and Won Hu, finding this amusing, chuckled and got up from his swivel chair.

“Let’s leave together. I have an appointment, and you, Jo In Ha, need to head to the airport for your schedule.”