TO 36

Chapter 36

Taehyuk’s sudden departure earlier after answering Jung-hyun’s call had been weighing heavily on her mind. He had promised to fill her in once he got back, but his expression had been dead serious. Besides, she had already been thinking about calling Jung-hyun herself anyway.

If Taehyuk was truly set in his resolve, Jung-hyun was the only person left on earth who could actually stop him.

For a fleeting second, Seo-ah wondered if Jung-hyun had been the one to reveal her location to Taehyuk, but she quickly shook her head. It had been six long years. The fact that he hadn’t called her once—even though she sent him a picture of Su-bin every year on her birthday—wasn’t because he didn’t care about the child.

Far from it. Beyond remembering her birthdays, Jung-hyun had thoughtfully sent over clothes and necessities for Su-bin with every changing season. There was no way a man like him would suddenly turn on her now. He was still the protective shield keeping both her and Su-bin safe.

In the end, Seo-ah picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

The line was dead silent.

“Hello? Father-in-law…?”

Still, not a sound came from the other end. Anxiety began to gnaw at Seo-ah. Was he unwell? Had something happened?

“Whoa! Mommy, did you see that?! Did you see Son Heung-min’s goal just now?! That was so awesome! He’s the absolute coolest!”

Even though she had rewatched the clip countless times, Su-bin still got wildly excited every time Son Heung-min scored. Right on cue, the sound of her cheerful voice carried straight through the phone line, drawing a sudden, startled gasp from the caller. Seo-ah’s eyes widened in matching shock as the line abruptly went dead.

Seo-ah’s heart thumped with a dark, uneasy dread.

“Mommy, are you okay?” Su-bin asked, noticing her mother staring blankly at her darkened phone screen with anxious eyes.

“A-Ah, no… Yeah, I’m fine.”

At her mother’s reassurance, Su-bin turned her attention back to the TV with an innocent face. Watching her daughter, a flush of pale nervousness rose to Seo-ah’s cheeks.

A deep, inexplicable dread settled over her heart.

“My goodness…”

That voice was undeniably Seo-ah’s. It was a voice Seung-hee could never forget.

Yet, what shocked Seung-hee even more than Seo-ah’s voice was the little child’s voice chirping in the background. Seung-hee pressed a hand against her throbbing chest.

Mommy. She distinctly said ‘Mommy.’

Seung-hee checked the phone screen once more.

She looked at the date stamp on the text reading, [It’s her first birthday. Thank you, as always.] Actually, there was no need to double-check—every single message had been sent on this exact date, October XX, year after year.

Amid her spiraling confusion, Seung-hee’s mind flashed back to the day six years ago when Seo-ah had supposedly miscarried.

‘The baby was lost.’

Jung-hyun’s somber face as he uttered those words remained vivid in her memory.

And yet…

Seung-hee pushed herself up from her chair. The lingering doubts she had brushed aside all those years ago suddenly burst back to the surface.

Seo-ah’s abrupt divorce and vanishing act. Jung-hyun’s strict order forbidding anyone from ever raising the subject again. The fact that Go-eun’s family faced economic ruin, yet faced no legal retribution whatsoever. On top of all that, Taehyuk’s sudden overseas transfer…

Back then, those events had seemed puzzling and hard to grasp.

Now, looking back, they were pieces of a perfectly crafted puzzle.

Seo-ah never had a miscarriage. The Chairman knew all along and let her go anyway. And to keep Taehyuk from ever finding out the truth later on, he deliberately sent him abroad.

Seung-hee felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She checked Su-bin’s photos once again.

The bright, sharp eyes, the fair skin, even the stubborn set of her mouth—she was the spitting image of Taehyuk.

“My goodness… My precious grandbaby…” Seung-hee muttered under her breath.

After losing the first grandchild because of Go-eun, Seung-hee had assumed Seo-ah would get pregnant again right away, but that had turned out to be wishful thinking. As time slipped by, Seung-hee’s grief over the lost baby only deepened. Yet her twisted mindset chose to blame Seo-ah for failing to conceive again quickly, rather than pointing the finger at Go-eun. Panicking, Seung-hee quickly forwarded all of Su-bin’s photos to her own phone. Right then, the door swung open and Taehyuk walked in.

“Mother.”

Seung-hee set the phone down at once and stood up.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t answer your call earlier; I was rushing to get here. How is Father…?”

“H-He’s fine. The doctor stopped by a moment ago and said the worst of the crisis has passed.”

As he listened to her explanation, Taehyuk examined Jung-hyun with worried eyes, his gaze lingering on the deep wrinkles etched across his father’s face.

Seung-hee studied her son intently.

Does he know? Does Taehyuk know too…?

“Where were you coming from?” she asked.

“I was taking care of a few things,” Taehyuk replied flatly.

“Things?”

When she pressed him, Taehyuk turned to look at her. Seung-hee felt a sudden sting in her chest. Seeing her son after seven long years, he felt entirely different from before. Though he had always been reserved and cold, he had never been quite like this—it was as if his heart had frozen solid. Though she knew it was due to her own past sins, Seung-hee instinctively placed all the blame on Seo-ah.

That wretched woman ruined my son and ran off.

Just then, Taehyuk reached out and gently wrapped his arms around Seung-hee in a soft hug.

“You must have been terrified.”

At his comforting words, Seung-hee burst into tears. “T-Taehyuk…”

“I’m here now, so don’t worry too much.”

“Oh, Taehyuk…” Seung-hee looked up at him through tear-filled eyes. Taehyuk was gazing down at her with a remarkably softer expression. He was a dependable, solid son. Though he rarely voiced his feelings, he was deep-hearted. Back when she used to cry under the weight of her in-laws’ strict demands, he had been the only one who ever handed her a handkerchief.

Yes, how could a bond of blood ever truly be severed? No matter what, he’s my son. He’s my own child. It’s not a connection that breaks so easily.

Seung-hee leaned against Taehyuk’s chest and sobbed. Yet, all she could picture in her mind was the little face from the photos.

Yes, blood runs too deep to ever be cut off…

“Father-in-law…?”

Seo-ah stood up from her seat. It was late at night. Unsettled by the phone call from Jung-hyun’s number, she couldn’t bring herself to sleep and paced restlessly around the house. She straightened the sofa cushions that were already neatly arranged, then wiped down the spotless dining table over and over again. Just as she was struggling to anchor her mind, Taehyuk’s name flashed on her phone.

—His blood pressure was originally a bit high, and it seems things took a dangerous turn. But he’s out of danger now.

Listening to Taehyuk’s calm voice, Seo-ah let out a long breath of relief.

“Thank goodness. I’m glad it wasn’t anything worse.”

Taehyuk let out a quiet sigh.

“You… must have been really shaken up too, Sunbae.”

—Yeah.

His gentle, straightforward admission caught Seo-ah slightly off guard, making her eyes widen. He was never one to openly share his feelings. Seven years ago, he would have simply brushed it off with a cold, “I’m fine.”

“I-I’ll let you go now. I’m just glad to hear Father-in-law is safe. Well then…”

Flustered by his changed demeanor, Seo-ah hurried to end the call.

—Right. My father should be discharged soon, so as soon as things settle down here, I’ll come by.

“No,” Seo-ah cut in. “No matter how much I think about this, it isn’t right. I’m not denying that you’re Su-bin’s father. If you want, I can even arrange for you to see her once a year. So please… just leave us alone.”

—Are you trying to bargain with me using my own child?

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

—That’s right. And you were the one who broke our very first deal. So I’m never making another contract with you again—especially not one involving my daughter.

“Sunbae…”

—The entire time we were apart, I kept wondering how you were doing.

Seo-ah bit her lip silently. She knew she should hang up, but she couldn’t fight her curiosity to hear what was on his mind.

—I hoped you were living well. I wanted to reach out, but I held myself back as a way of paying for my mistakes—because I assumed you wouldn’t want to hear from me.

“That’s…”

—But I’ve come to realize there’s no reason or need to do that anymore. I never had any intention of letting you go in the first place. If we hadn’t lost the baby back then… I would have kept you right by my side.

“But we signed a contract…”

—Why keep bringing up a contract that both of us were planning to break anyway?

“Sunbae.”

—I was planning to hold on to you. I knew that once the baby was born, you wouldn’t be able to leave. I was going to use whatever excuse I could find to keep you next to me.

“How could you…”

—It feels like we took a massive detour, but if the destination remains the same, maybe that time wasn’t entirely meaningless. We’ve both realized a few things while feeling each other’s absence.

“I haven’t realized anything like that. I’m completely satisfied with my life right now.”

—Well, I’m not.

“I don’t care. We’re already strangers…”

—Did you really never think of me? Not even once?

“I… didn’t.”

—You’re still as terrible at lying as ever. But fine. I thought about you. A lot.

“There aren’t even any good memories between us, so why bother…?”

—You’re right. I couldn’t find a single good memory. I’d almost forgotten what your smiling face looked like, so I never realized just how beautiful you are when you smile.

Seo-ah pressed a hand over her chest, desperately trying to quiet her wildly pounding heart. She felt immensely relieved that Taehyuk wasn’t standing right in front of her.

—So give me one more chance. If you do…

“Even if I don’t want to?” Seo-ah asked, fighting to keep her voice from trembling.

Taehyuk went silent for a moment. Enduring the heavy quiet, Seo-ah felt her heart wither away. She felt as though no matter what answer he gave, she wouldn’t be able to handle it.

—No. You will want me.

“No, I won’t. That’s not true. I’m happy with my life as it is. Just like this, with Su-bin…”

—Maybe you were. Up until I came back. But now that I’m back, your life and Su-bin’s life are going to change. I guarantee it.