“Oh, why is it so hard to see our daughter’s face? Huh?”

Approaching closely, Suk Young hugged Ra Jin without giving her a chance to respond and patted her back.

“I missed her, our daughter.”

For a moment, Ra Jin was stunned. Her breath caught in her throat.

Amid Suk Young’s pretentious words and actions, anger welled up from deep within Ra Jin’s heart like vomit.
She wanted to shake off Suk Young’s arm abruptly, even right now, but Sun Woo was watching.

She didn’t want to reveal her family situation to him, nor did she want to put him in an awkward situation.

The best course of action here was to send Sun Woo away quickly and finish the conversation with Suk Young as soon as possible.

“No contact at all, what’s going on?”

Saying that, Ra Jin subtly removed Suk Young’s hand. But the more she did that, the more Suk Young clung to her.
“What’s going on? Your mom wants to see our daughter, so you have to endure it. But who is this?”

Before she could answer, Sun Woo, who had taken a step forward, politely greeted her with his hands together and his head bowed.

“Hello. I’m Jung Sun Woo, a fellow graduate from the same university as Ra Jin.”

“Oh, didn’t we see each other at our graduation ceremony?”

“Yes, that’s right. I briefly greeted you, and you remember.”

“How could I forget such a handsome and charming young man like you?”
“Haha, thank you for being so kind.”

“Wow, so humble. Your parents must be really proud.”

Seeing Suk Young appear as a loving and compassionate mother who cherishes and loves her daughter, it sent shivers down their spine.

With her graceful demeanor and kind smile, she didn’t appear to be someone who would sell her adopted daughter to her ex-husband.

Sun Woo saw it the same way.

“Having such a beautiful and loving mother, Ra Jin must be really happy.”
“Ha ha ha, how can words be so beautiful?”

“Ra Jin resembles you a lot, Mom.”

“Of course. Whose daughter could she be?”

Ra Jin clenched her hand around the bag, her heart pounding anxiously.

How could she smile so casually without batting an eye?

The arrow of words Suk Young had shot that day still pierced her heart deeply.
So, even going into that house is daunting.

The label of ‘abandoned adoptee’ feels heavy, sticking to my back, making me constantly lower my head.

People who have been hurt live in pain their whole lives, but those who have caused the hurt turn around and forget, living as if nothing happened.

This fact made Ra Jin feel stifled. She could even feel the pain in her chest.

“Please lower your voice, Mom.”

“Oh, can I?”

“Yes.”
“Then shall we?”

Sook Young, who accepted Sun Woo’s proposal as if she had been waiting, suddenly widened her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand.

“Wait a moment, but your name is Jung Sun Woo, right? Wait… Could it be that you are Chairman Jung Jun Kyu of Jung Sung Academy?”

Sun Woo looked surprised and opened his eyes wide.

“You know our grandfather?”
“Oh my, now that you mention it, your eyes look just the same. I saw an interview with you in the newspaper once. I thought you were such an amazing person that I saved the article and read it every day. It felt like I knew you personally, you know?”

“I see. I think Grandfather will be very pleased if I tell him.”

Sook Young, who was getting excited, even clapped her hands and was about to continue speaking, but Ra Jin quickly stepped in front of her and Sun Woo.

“Thank you for bringing him, Oppa. Please be careful on your way in.”
“Oh? Ah, yes.”

“Ra Jin, now that he’s come this far, we should at least offer him some tea when he comes in.”

Ra Jin turned her head and looked at Sun Woo with determination, but Sook Young pretended not to see her and smiled at Sun Woo.

“Go upstairs. It’s fate that we met like this.”

Sun Woo was a bit surprised by Sook Young’s words. It was 8:30 PM, and while it might not be considered very late, inviting her daughter who had just returned from work to her own place, especially at this hour, seemed a bit inappropriate, didn’t it?
Moreover, usually, in situations like this, she would at least have checked if her daughter had eaten dinner first, even if it was something light.

But as varied as the number of households in the world, there were diverse ways of living.

Sook Young appeared to cherish her daughter dearly, but perhaps in the outside world, she put others before herself.

“I appreciate your offer, but it seems quite late now. Ra Jin must be tired too.”

“Hey, Ra Jin. Are you tired?”

Sun Woo was even more taken aback by Sook Young’s cheerful inquiry.
“Oh, no, it’s not a problem. I just returned from a business trip, so I think I should rest.”

“Oh, I see. Well then, you should go. It’s a pity.”

“I hope we can meet again next time, Mrs…”

Sook Young hesitated for a moment at being called “Mrs.”

“Oh, I’d be delighted. How wonderful it would be if someone like Sun Woo became our son-in-law in the future…”

“Mother!”

“Oh my, you startled me! Hey, you, you surprised me!”

After the brief surprise, Sook Young spoke with a slightly stern expression.
“Ra Jin, no matter how much I adore you, there’s one thing I can never tolerate, right? It’s your lack of manners. I didn’t raise you to be someone who shouts in public.”

Ra Jin bit her lower lip and gave Sook Young a sharp look, as if she wanted to retort.

If it weren’t for Sun Woo, she would have snapped back at that audacious remark.

But she didn’t want to involve him in her private life.
Sook Young was aware of this, which is why she chose to make such comments in Sun Woo’s presence. She wanted to maintain an image of being loving but strict when necessary.

If she ever went on a tirade, she would likely use today as an example of how she had always done her best in raising her children, emphasizing her dedication.

On the flip side, she would probably complain about having raised a child who was loud and lacked manners, making it challenging.

With these thoughts in mind, Ra Jin couldn’t just sit and take it.
“Yeah, anyway, if I end up going into seclusion, everyone around us will find out eventually. By holding it in like this, I’ll end up blaming myself for everything.”

Taking a deep breath, Ra Jin looked into Sook Young’s eyes and said, “I’m sorry, Mom.”

Sook Young smiled inwardly. Ra Jin had made desperate efforts to appear as if she had grown up in a harmonious family.
Ra Jin had been making desperate efforts to appear as if she had grown up in a harmonious family, like a child who had been raised well.

She couldn’t easily reveal her sharp claws in front of others.

“I wanted to emulate every aspect of my mother, so I ended up copying even these bad habits.”