“It may be unfilial for a child to speak like this, but I’ll be honest. Father doesn’t have much time left. Yes, I know it’s selfish, but the company is my life’s goal and hope.”

“……”

As expected, her expression softened a bit.

“As I said, I’m not asking you to stay forever. I know better than anyone that there’s nothing good for you by my side, so I can’t ask you to mortgage your life. Our relationship is just a contract romance.”

Even as he spoke, his mouth tasted bitter.

“I wish you would think about it once more. Yes, it’s natural for you to think ‘Why bother?’ I’ll do it as quickly as possible, but stay by my side for just one year. Then……”

He felt utterly shameless. He felt self-loathing.

“I’ll give you everything. Because you and I are just in a contract romance.”

Yes, even if you accept my proposal, this is just a contract.

The reason for repeatedly calling it a contract romance was simple. Even if she stood by his side, it was a warning Ban Jae Hyuk threw at himself not to mistake it for sincerity.

“If you put the VAN Group in my hands, I’ll give you anything else you want. Whatever it is, so stay by my side.”

So don’t refuse now.

After a silence, she opened her mouth.

“When you say you won’t interfere with my private life, does that mean I can interfere with yours, Mr. Ban Jae Hyuk?”

He nodded with a faint smile at her question.

“……I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you.”

But her next words made Jae Hyuk feel somewhat deflated again.

“Don’t get your hopes up too much. I can say I’ll think about it and still refuse.”

She stood up before hearing his response.

“I’ll go first.”

“……Thank you for coming out today.”

Choi A Rin nodded instead of answering.

Jae Hyuk couldn’t get up until all the ice in the lemonade she had been drinking melted into water.

[This is the timeline separator]

A few days later.

A Rin headed to the hospital where Mr. Choi was admitted. Once again, the person who informed her of Mr. Choi’s whereabouts was Ju Young, a close friend of Kyung Sook.

[He lived in a luxurious special ward, but now he must have some money left. He moved to a cheaper hospital. Kyung Sook was complaining about how uncomfortable it is. Seems they don’t treat him as well. A Rin, I know you’re angry, but the parent-child relationship isn’t something that can be easily severed.]

Ju Young’s words echoed in her head.

Parent and child? Do you still think that way?

How can you be so shameless?

Aren’t you sorry to me at all?

A Rin shook her head vigorously to clear her thoughts. They were people who didn’t matter anymore anyway.

“Enough.”

Having quickly erased her thoughts, she walked to the information desk.

“I’m here to see patient Choi Chul Soo.”

“What is your relationship?”

Relationship?

What kind of relationship should I say?

“……”

A Rin hesitated to answer the question. In the past, she would have said ‘daughter’ without hesitation, but now she couldn’t.

It had been a long time since she had concluded in her heart that she no longer had a family.

A Rin, who had only been moving her lips, opened her mouth.

“……An acquaintance.”

There were times when she wished they were just acquaintances. Thinking that if they had been, things wouldn’t have turned out so badly, left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“An acquaintance?”

The employee’s eyes narrowed at the word ‘acquaintance’.

“How do you know each other?”

“We’re just acquaintances.”

The employee’s tone was stiff and seemed almost accusatory.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before?”

“I heard he was sick and came to visit. Do I usually have to explain how I know someone at a hospital?”

Do they go this far with outside visitors coming to see patients?

As the words coming were not pleasant, the words going out were not pleasant either. Her voice became increasingly curt in response to the employee’s unpleasant, prying manner.

“That’s our hospital’s rule. Your name?”

“My name?”

“Yes, your name. Our hospital doesn’t allow anyone but guardians in the patient rooms. If you’re not family, you can’t visit. I’ll check with the guardian first, so please have a seat.”

Mr. Choi was admitted to such a small hospital that the staff and nurses knew most of the patient information well enough to share it, given the small number of inpatients.

That’s when it happened.

“Hey, you.”

A familiar voice came from behind A Rin.

“Guardian of patient Choi Chul Soo!”

The employee who had been arguing with A Rin stood up with a welcoming voice as if nothing had happened.

“I was just about to contact you. Someone here says they’re an acquaintance, could you please confirm?”

With rapid footsteps approaching, A Rin’s body was forcefully turned around.

“Do you know how many times I’ve tried to contact you? Why aren’t you answering your mother’s calls?”

The woman glaring at A Rin as if to kill her was none other than Kyung Sook, whom she once called ‘mother’. Seeing Kyung Sook’s outburst, the employee sensed something was amiss between the two and silently sat down to start their work.

A Rin remained unshaken by Kyung Sook’s shouting.

After all, they were ‘strangers’ to each other now.

“You’ve confirmed my identity, right?”

A Rin’s gaze turned to the administrative employee. The employee nodded without any particular response.

“Which room?”

A Rin asked, turning to look at Kyung Sook.

“What?”

“I’m asking where he is.”

“You, shouldn’t you first ask how I’ve been doing when you see your mother?”

“When did you ever ask how I was doing?”

“Why are you acting like this?”

Somehow, the word ‘mother’ that she used to call naturally no longer came out of her mouth. It was because she had finally accepted with both her head and heart that they were not really family.

On the other hand, Kyung Sook felt anxiety creeping in at A Rin’s somehow changed attitude.

“Room 411.”

As soon as A Rin heard Kyung Sook’s answer, she started walking. Kyung Sook followed her with irritated footsteps.

Entering the hospital room, she saw a man lying like a corpse. In this place reeking of death was Mr. Choi, whom she once called ‘father’.

“They said it would be difficult at stage 4, but fortunately no cancer was found after the surgery. Everyone called it a miracle. They said if it doesn’t recur for about 5 years, it’s considered cured, but……”

Kyung Sook, who had calmed her emotions by now, trailed off, glancing at A Rin’s expression.

For good reason, Kyung Sook thought A Rin was the only person she could rely on in this situation. At first, those who offered comfort and help cut off their relationships as the battle with illness dragged on and news came that Mr. Choi had relapsed.

Kyung Sook thought of Jae Hyuk, who had acted like a giving tree, and recalled the past A Rin, who was easier to extract money from than an ATM machine. She felt resentful and annoyed at A Rin. But soon she changed her mind.

She was a child with an exceptional affection for family. She thought that the heart of a child who had even forced marriage for her father’s sake wouldn’t change easily, that her different behavior now was just because she was a little angry.

Moreover, although Jae Hyuk had also been cold to her, Kyung Sook didn’t worry much about it. She thought that since he hadn’t remarried, he must still have lingering feelings for her daughter. If so, there was still a chance.

Kyung Sook moved closer to A Rin and spoke in a pitiful voice.

“But in a recent regular follow-up examination, the cancer has recurred. It’s spread not only to the lungs but also to the liver and bones, so surgery is difficult. A Rin.”

Kyung Sook grabbed A Rin’s hand. Kyung Sook looked at her with the most pitiful face in the world.

“I was wrong. I was just a bit angry earlier. So please help us. We can’t just let your father go like this without doing anything.”

“……”

“We need to go to a big hospital for him to survive. I heard the hospital where your father was is famous for skilled doctors. When I called, they said the waiting list is long. What if your father dies while waiting? How much will you regret it? So use your influence a bit. That’s right, Mr. Ban. If it’s your word, Mr. Ban will help.”

A Rin stared at Kyung Sook, who still called Jae Hyuk ‘Mr. Ban’. It was so expected that she no longer felt disappointed or even sighed.

‘Yes, this is how this person always was.’

The expectation of them as parents had long disappeared from her heart, and as she accepted Kyung Sook’s true nature as a human being, she rather felt at ease.

A Rin hardened her expression and recalled Jae Hyuk’s words.

[I think it’s better to tell you after all.] [What is it?] [Are you in contact with your family?]

After the divorce, A Rin had not once contacted Kyung Sook, who was once her mother.

[Your mother came to see me.] [She even came to see you? So? Did you give her money?] [No, I didn’t. You don’t like that. Even then… Never mind. Anyway, I thought you should know.]

‘I should have legally severed ties earlier.’

A Rin bitterly reproached her past self for thinking so carelessly.

Before stamping the divorce papers, she had intended to settle things with Kyung Sook as well. She had heard that if one is not a biological child, it’s possible to remove oneself from the family register. To do this, the task was to prove that she was not their biological child.

A Rin had gone to see Kyung Sook to get a genetic test done.

[Are you saying we should all die? Why are you acting like this?] [After all we’ve done to raise you, you repay kindness with enmity? How did I raise you!] [If your father dies, it’s all your fault. It’s as good as you killing him!]

Everything Kyung Sook said from beginning to end was just ‘Give us money.’ Kyung Sook was not someone who could be reasoned with. A Rin couldn’t say in that situation that she knew she wasn’t their biological daughter. She had to find another way.

She thought about filing a paternity lawsuit, but she had heard that was also an incredibly difficult process. Moreover, she couldn’t completely ignore Mr. Choi’s health condition.

If I don’t meet them, it should be fine, right?

Like that, living under the same sky but not living under the same sky, wouldn’t that work?

That’s how A Rin had tried to conclude by erasing thoughts of Kyung Sook and Mr. Choi.

But,

[Don’t give them money.] [Don’t worry. That will absolutely never happen.] [……I’m sorry.]

A Rin regretted her carelessness. She apologized to him and changed her mind. She decided to legally sever the relationship.

[I’ll resolve this well. I’ll make sure they never call you again. I’m sorry for causing you concern.]

Kyung Sook wasn’t interested in how her daughter was looking at her or in her daughter’s changes. All she wanted was money.

Moreover, she only remembered what A Rin had done for them in the past. Unable to even imagine what consequences her foolishness would bring, Kyung Sook poured out words to A Rin.

“Can’t you ask the vice chairman to help admit your father? I’m not asking for money. Right. You. You’ve earned a lot of money, haven’t you? I heard there’s good medicine. A Rin.”

Kyung Sook thought A Rin didn’t know that she had contacted and asked Jae Hyuk for help.

When her daughter didn’t move a muscle, Kyung Sook changed tactics. She burst into fake tears.