Ra Jin’s voice was so calm that Suk Young didn’t immediately understand what she was saying.

“Don’t engage in such rude, impolite, and thoughtless behavior. I’ve been careless. It seems I’ve unconsciously adopted these habits from watching it since I was young.”

Only then did Suk Young understand, and her face turned red with embarrassment.

“I will be more careful from now on. And I’m sorry, Seon Woo Oppa. For showing this side of me. I’m truly embarrassed.”
As Ra Jin lowered her eyes and apologized, Seon Woo extended his hand in a bewildered manner.

“Oh, no. It wasn’t that loud.”

His hand pressed firmly against Suk Young’s tightly closed lips. It was the same in the hand holding the bag and in his two feet on the ground.

Fortunately, it wasn’t midday. If it had been, she wouldn’t have been able to hide her reddened face and the fierce glare that seemed ready to spew harsh words.

Suk Young’s lower eyelids trembled.
‘You wicked…!’

By mentioning Seon Woo’s presence, Ra Jin ensured that Suk Young couldn’t treat her disrespectfully. Suk Young was more considerate of others than Ra Jin.

Moreover, now that she knew Seon Woo was from a prestigious family, Ra Jin couldn’t do anything to deter him.

“I’m really fine, Ra Jin.”

“That’s a relief. Isn’t that right, Mother?”

Since when had this wicked and malicious person harbored such feelings?
Pretending to be obedient, submissive, and suppressing everything, Ra Jin’s behavior of revealing her true self and striking from behind as soon as she secured her own path made Suk Young feel wronged for all those years.

She had raised a girl from who knows where, and all that came back was this kind of betrayal.

That’s why they said you shouldn’t take in a black-haired beast.

‘…Let it go. For the sake of our future with Yu Jin, we have to endure it for now.’
Suppressing the desire to pour out anger at Ra Jin, Suk Young made an effort to maintain her composure and wore a remorseful expression as she spoke to Sun Woo.

“Yeah, um, that’s right. I’m sorry, Sun Woo. For showing you a bad side.”

“No, Madam. I don’t think of it that way at all.”

“Well, then, thank you. Let’s definitely meet again next time.”

“Yes, Madam.”

“Drive safely, Oppa.”

“Sure. Ra Jin, you be careful going inside too.”
After Sun Woo greeted Suk Young with a nod and lowered his head, he began to descend the hillside that had brought him up, once he had observed Ra Jin’s figure.

As he was about to disappear from view.

“Why have you come here?”

“Ra Jin.”

“If you have something to say, please say it quickly. I have a lot to do.”

In the face of Ra Jin’s cold voice, Suk Young lowered her head as if she could shed tears at any moment, her expression as if she was about to.

“I’m really sorry.”

Twitch. Strength entered Ra Jin’s forehead.

There were two reasons for the twitch.
One was a slight admiration for Suk Young’s unwavering determination to use these tactics.

The other was a disdain for oneself that still trembled and sank in one’s chest when using such tactics.

Even though she knew it wasn’t genuine, every time Suk Young did this, her chest tightened like an automatic reflex.
“Mom and Dad were in such a hurry. The financial crisis is serious, and the only solution is President Jo Min-chan. Eugene is still too young, so they burdened our eldest daughter too much.”

Our eldest daughter.

That’s not herself but the deceased Yura, and she only speaks well at times like this.

“Rajin.”

“…….”

“Is running away so easy? It’s been almost 20 years since we lived as a family. Have we been unhappy all that time? Have we never been happy? Not even once?”
“I also want to ask you something.”

Rajin slowly turned to her stepmother.

“During the long time we’ve spent together.”

This time it was Sookyung who trembled.

Rajin’s eyes, looking at herself, were deeply filled with an inexplicable emotion.

“Have you ever loved me as a person, not just as a replacement for the late Yura, even once?”

It was Sookyung who came to comfort Rajin. If she could cater to her and say what she wanted to hear, that would be enough.
She should just say, “Of course.”

Why couldn’t she bring herself to say it?

Sookyung always found Rajin exasperating.

Rajin handled everything on her own without asking for anything, and when she received something, she expressed gratitude and made sure to repay in some way.

Unlike Yura, she didn’t need extra tutoring or academy classes to excel in her studies, and she fulfilled her role as an older sister in her own way.

That’s why Sookyung disliked her.
Rajin, who quickly assessed how to make people view her favorably by glancing at the situation, sent shivers down Sookyung’s spine.

It was quite unsettling how Rajin would act gently, as if she had been waiting to call her father and mother that way since the moment she was adopted.

The problem was that ever since adopting Rajin, it seemed like Yujin was falling behind.

Whenever people said, “It looks like all the good traits of Mom and Dad went to the older daughter,” Sookyung didn’t know how many tears she shed inwardly.