The longing for the child who left first, mixed with a hint of resentment, led to the adoption of a child of unknown origin, and now my precious child was being undervalued.

Our Yujin, despite growing older, remained pure and cheerful like a child. However, because of that inscrutable dark side, he had become someone with a bad temper and short-sightedness.

“Why are you asking such an obvious question?”
After hesitating, the voice that finally emerged from her lacked self-assurance, even to Sookyung.

“I had to align everything I liked, from food to music, and even my clothing style and color, with Yura’s preferences.”

“That… that’s…”

“You’ve never asked me once about what I like or dislike, both of you.”

“…Rajin, how old are you now, and you’re still saying such things, huh?”

“You always ask Yujin, who is the same age as me. ‘How about our baby, is this okay, do you like that?'”
Watching them from a distance like that, Rajin’s heart would ache every time. And she had made a promise.

“I need to work harder, then they’ll notice me,” she would say.

But such a day never came, and today arrived instead.

“Phew. I didn’t know that our Rajin also has a childlike side. Yu Jin had the pain of losing her twin sister, so Mom and Dad had to pay more attention to her, didn’t they?”

By that measure, she had the pain of being abandoned from birth.
It’s not about who has it harder or who is in more pain, but still, she had hoped that someone would consider her perspective even once.

“Rajin. Mom came to apologize to you. She’s here to seek forgiveness again. But do you have to stand like this?”

“…Forgiveness?”
“That day, your actions went too far. You pushed your younger sibling into chaos and left like that. What are we supposed to do? Ever since then, Eugene hasn’t eaten a proper meal. She can’t sleep either. She’s marrying the worst man imaginable, someone we never even thought of, so how could you?”

“You were trying to marry the worst man imaginable. Like a lightning strike.”

Suk-young looked pained, pursed her lips, and bit her lower lip.
Anyway, without saying a word of support, she was being stubborn.

How had she hidden this temper and endured it all this time?

Thinking that she had been pretending to be good, quiet, and flat on her stomach, stifling her breath, Ra Jin shuddered even more.

But Suk-young had to prevent the disaster of marrying Eugene off to a divorced man twelve years her senior, so she took a deep breath and composed herself once again.

“Ra Jin, this is how families live, supporting and enduring each other like this. So, relax a bit. And, is running away as easy as you make it sound?”

(Note: There’s a mention of Eugene here, which is not one of the provided names. Please let me know if you have a specific translation for this name.)
The word “abandonment” suddenly pierced Ra Jin’s heart.

“Do you think you’re the only one who sacrificed? When we adopted you, we immediately left our familiar home and moved. Why? Because people would surely hurt you if they knew you were adopted.”

“You did it for my sake? Not because of your reputation?”

“That’s what it is. Let our reputation be tarnished; when you become family, your reputation becomes ours too.”

Suk-young’s tone remained resolute throughout, as if she had done nothing wrong.
Ra Jin inwardly let out a bitter laugh.

She had thought she had let go of everything, but it seemed that a glimmer of hope still lingered somewhere in her heart. Seeing something so disappointing like this.

“Let’s say you get married. What are you going to do for the traditional wedding? No matter how many people these days pride themselves on being awake to modern customs, do you think they’ll welcome it when my son brings an orphaned girl home?”

Without realizing it, she thought of Jae Heon.
The possibility is zero, but let’s assume for a moment that the talk of marriage with Jae Heon arises.

She would have to reveal the fact that she’s an adoptee.

No matter how Jae Heon evaluates people solely based on their abilities without considering their backgrounds, would he truly accept her as she is?

Even if her father is the CEO of Sahl Food, compared to the Geonyoung Group, it would be like a drop in the ocean. Let alone the fact that she was abandoned at birth and doesn’t even know who her parents are.
“Even ordinary families hesitate to accept an orphaned girl as their daughter-in-law, let alone a tremendously wealthy household.”

Ha, you’re hitting the nail on the head. It’s as if you’ve been waiting for this moment. Sookyoung’s words flowed smoothly without any hesitation.
“Let’s say we got permission. What do you think people will say when they see the empty bride’s side at the wedding, and what would they say about you? Do you think they’ll just blame you? They’ll probably ridicule the groom too. No matter how influential a household that operates a massive academic foundation is, being paired up with the bride will make them look…”

“Wait a minute.”

Ra Jin interrupted Sookyoung.

“What are you saying? Operating a massive academic foundation?”

Look at this mischievous one. Sookyoung couldn’t hide the look of annoyance in her eyes as she spoke.
“The ‘boyfriend you mentioned before who promised marriage’ is that young man, isn’t it? He’s the grandson of the Chairman of the Jung Sung Foundation, Jung Joon Kyu.”

Ha, she was so dumbfounded that she couldn’t speak.

“How on earth did this happen, no, how did you end up dating him? You should have told us earlier. Then Mom and Dad wouldn’t have made a mistake.”

“Don’t make unreasonable assumptions. We’re just university seniors and juniors.”

Senior and junior in university? What was that supposed to mean?

Ra Jin didn’t quite understand, but Seon Woo’s gaze as he looked at her was the unmistakable look of a man in love.
She seemed kind and friendly to everyone, but Sun Woo made a special effort to appear even more so, especially to me, Ra Jin’s mother, and that feeling was not lost on me.

Even as he talked to me, Sun Woo kept stealing glances at Ra Jin’s side profile.

“Anyway, this feels suspicious. If I say he’s her boyfriend, are they going to try to extort money from us?”

Well, we might be asking for an investment, but it’s not about taking money, it’s about providing it.
If the financial difficulties were resolved, Sahwal Food could not only recover but also enhance its image by forming a connection with the Jeong Sung Foundation.

If that were to happen, there was plenty of willingness to forgive Ra Jin’s previously uncouth behavior, which had risen out of desperation.

“Are you really not dating at all?”

“No. So, please don’t say strange things in the future.”

Ra Jin, who spoke as if advising not to have any hopes, made Suk Young smile falsely and said, “Then how about letting our Yu Jin introduce you?”