“Yes, it’s me.”

Seoyoon barely moved her dry lips.

Her carefully arranged voice shattered frighteningly as it came out.

Cold sweat formed in the hands held by Kanghyun.

The footsteps approaching from across the entrance echoed loudly in her ears, pounding like her heartbeat.

“It’s okay.”

Once again, Kanghyun comforted Seoyoon, gently rubbing her narrow shoulders, forcing a smile.

Although he couldn’t empathize with Seoyoon, who was so nervous, his face showed signs of anxiety.

Even if Seoyoon wanted something, her parents were beings he could never create, even if he had the determination to fetch them from the other side of the earth.

Therefore, he hoped that they wouldn’t hurt Seoyoon for any reason.

Regardless of what Seoyoon thought, any moment that harmed her would be an enemy to him.

There was undoubtedly a part that he couldn’t overlook while monitoring her situation.

Sss, the door lock was released, and as the door opened, Kanghyun’s eyes, staring at the gap between the door, sank coldly.

“Hello.”

Meeting eyes with Docheol, who came out after opening the door, Kanghyun greeted first.

“I’m here, Dad.”

Following, Seoyoon, who wore a charming smile, also shook hands.

“…Yes, Seoyoon. Thank you for coming. Chairman, please come in.”

Opening the door wide, Docheol, while rubbing his neck heavily, ushered Seoyoon and Kanghyun inside.

A dining table, similar to the one when Kanghyun treated them, occupied the center of the living room.

The main menu items, set up like side dishes around the grill pan, were packed on the table.

“What about Mom?”

Seoyoon, who glanced at the dishes, undoubtedly prepared by Junghye’s skill, busily turned her head.

“In the bedroom. Your mom tends to cry a lot. I wonder how much she’s crying standing in the kitchen. She’ll calm down and come out.”

Docheol, who pushed away the impulse to embrace his daughter, whom he hadn’t seen in months, calmly spoke in his own way.

“I’ll bring you something to drink, so sit down. Just sit.”

Suppressing the tears about to burst, Seoyoon sat in her place.

Although it was a new home obtained with Kanghyun’s help, not the house they had lived in for four years after the traffic accident, there was a scent of her parents’ warmth in this place as well.

“Yuna, can you eat like this?”

Kanghyun, sitting closely next to Seoyoon, lightly wiped away her red teardrops.

Seoyoon, receiving his affectionate touch, tried to calm her emotions.

“I can eat.”

“Your hands are trembling, and your lips too. Since you were young, you’ve always felt sick when eating in an uncomfortable place. If you can’t eat, don’t force yourself.”

Worriedly, his long fingers lightly brushed her white face.

A small smile finally appeared on Seoyoon’s lips.

Facing eyes that only held Han Seoyoon, his whole world, there was a feeling of relief in his tightened breath.
Even if she faced an unfortunate outcome with her parents, he would blindly focus on her alone and protect her.

“…Now I should be healthier than you.”

Unable to find a counterargument, Kanghyun closed his mouth.

Seoyoon, who had withered in loneliness, had regained her health during the time they were apart, and the one whose body and mind were in shambles was Kanghyun.

“They said there’s nothing wrong at the hospital.”

“There’s inflammation, but they said it’s not a serious problem. They emphasized the importance of consistent management. Also, not being able to sleep is not good for you…”

“I get it, so stop.”

Kanghyun mentioned the test results from the hospital he visited a few days ago, failed to counter Seoyoon’s statements, and closed his mouth again.

Anyway, thanks to that, Seoyoon, who had loosened up, made a small clicking sound when she playfully jabbed Kanghyun’s expressionless side.

Seeing the approaching Junghye cautiously, Seoyoon, who noticed, stood up in a clumsy posture.

“Mom…”

Junghye’s steps abruptly stopped.

Her repeated resolutions in the room seemed meaningless as tears quickly filled her eyes.

Unlike the daughter who had lived side by side with her, who disappeared overnight without even saying goodbye, only the tree where the dead daughter was buried remained.

The grief for the sad farewell to Ji An was as large as the sadness of sending Seoyoon away.

Unlike Ji An, who didn’t open her heart to her, Seoyoon had accumulated thick affection with her mother.

I should go back to the room and sober up.

Wiping away Junghye’s pouring tears, she quickly turned on her heels.

“Mom!”

Seoyoon hugged Junghye, who was trying to turn around.

“Sorry, Mom.”

“…What are you sorry for?”

The twins had reversed, and after hearing for the first time that Ji An had died, she fell into despair and couldn’t do anything.

She couldn’t believe that such a situation had happened, and she didn’t want to believe that the happy times she spent with her daughter were actually not with her daughter.

In a state of deep frustration, one day, led by Docheol, she stepped into the arboretum where Ji An was buried.

“Hey, we should greet Ji An.”