TO 37

Chapter 37

“S-Sunbae…”

—It’s getting late. Go to sleep. And tell Su-bin good night for me, too.

“Sunbae!”

—Sleep well. It’s a shame. If I were right beside you, I could at least give you a hug.

“I don’t need one.”

Taehyuk let out a soft chuckle at her dry response. That faint laugh pricked at Seo-ah’s heart like a sharp shard of glass.

—Tell me what you want. Just like seven years ago. I’ll give you everything.

“I already told you. What I want is…”

—Even if I wanted to grant that request, I can’t. I’m sorry.

The line went dead. Seo-ah bit her lip as she stared blankly at her phone screen.

It was an unmistakable declaration of war.

“Tell me the absolute truth. Don’t even think about trying to deceive me.”

At Seung-hee’s stern warning, the voice on the other end of the line faltered with hesitation.

“Doctor!”

Catching herself raising her voice, Seung-hee snapped her mouth shut and nervously glanced around the room. She was currently sitting in the visitor’s bedroom attached to Jung-hyun’s hospital suite. The door was firmly shut, and the room was completely silent.

“I don’t have time for this, so speak up right now,” Seung-hee urged impatiently.

The person on the other end of the line was the OB-GYN director who had broken the news of Seo-ah’s miscarriage seven years ago.

—Well, you see…

“Out with it. Don’t disappoint me any further.”

—You must promise never to tell Chairman Jang that I was the one who told you.

Seung-hee suddenly remembered that the doctor and her husband had gone to college together.

“Don’t worry about that. The Chairman isn’t exactly in a position to care about these things right now anyway.”

Reassured by Seung-hee’s promise, the clinic director finally caved.

—Seven years ago… Ms. Lee Seo-ah didn’t actually suffer a miscarriage.

Seung-hee’s eyes widened in shock.

I knew it. I knew that was what happened.

—Chairman Jang instructed me to report it as a miscarriage.

“And then?”

—The baby was completely fine. Honestly, the mother’s health was in much greater danger than the child’s at the time.

However, Seo-ah’s physical condition was the furthest thing from Seung-hee’s mind. The only detail that mattered to her was that the child had survived.

“And what happened after that?”

—I don’t know anything past that point. All I know is that she was quietly discharged and moved to another hospital on Chairman Jang’s orders…

“You don’t know which hospital she was transferred to?”

—Well, that’s…

“When all the other clinics were struggling through financial crises, who do you think made sure your hospital could expand and relocate?” Seung-hee cut in, her voice dripping with cold condescension.

—I’ll look into it right away. She was transferred in one of our hospital’s vehicles back then, so…

“Get back to me as soon as possible.”

Seung-hee hung up the phone, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs. It had been years since anything had managed to make her heart race like this. And this wasn’t just any minor news.

The overwhelming realization that her own grandchild—her true bloodline—was alive and well in this world kept Seung-hee awake all night long.

How dare that wretched woman hide my own grandchild and raise her in secret?

She spent the entire night torn between explosive rage and sheer joy.

One moment, she burned with fury over Seo-ah’s deception; the next, she felt immensely grateful that her own flesh and blood was out there under the same sky.

I came so close to dying without ever getting to see my own grandchild’s face.

Seung-hee pulled out her personal phone that she had brought from home. She scrolled through Su-bin’s photos, staring at them over and over until she could picture every detail of the little girl’s face with her eyes closed.

She desperately wanted to see the child in person. She imagined how adorable Su-bin would be running up to call her “Grandma,” and how cute her tiny mouth would look while eating—just thinking about it made her heart swell with emotion.

I have to bring that child back.

Right then, Seung-hee’s phone rang. It was Go-eun.

—I heard the Chairman collapsed? Is that true? Go-eun asked the second Seung-hee answered.

“Yes, but he’s recovering well now.”

—Phew. What a relief.

Seung-hee curled her lips into a knowing smirk. If Jung-hyun never woke up, Go-eun’s family would lose any chance of recovering from their financial downfall. Naturally, she would want to rush the marriage arrangements with Taehyuk as soon as possible.

Seung-hee now agreed with Go-eun’s sentiment that they were both in the same boat. Above all, Seung-hee was terrified that Taehyuk might use the child as an excuse to bring Seo-ah back into his life.

Anyone but her.

Seo-ah knew far too many of her dark secrets, and Seung-hee never wanted to look at that gloomy, unreadable face ever again.

Go-eun was much easier to handle than Seo-ah. Even if Go-eun held leverage over her, Seung-hee held just as much dirt on Go-eun in return.

“More importantly, when are you planning to meet with Taehyuk?”

Go-eun’s voice instantly brightened at Seung-hee’s question.

—Are you asking because of the Chairman’s health? I’d love to meet him right this second! You know I’ve just been waiting for you to arrange a time for us, right?

“Come over to the hospital.”

—Right now? Wouldn’t seeing me just make the Chairman’s blood pressure spike all over again?

“You don’t need to see the Chairman. Taehyuk is at the hospital right now, so I’m telling you to come meet him.”

—Hmm, the hospital is a bit…

Go-eun clearly felt uncomfortable being anywhere near Jung-hyun. She knew that pushing the Chairman’s buttons could easily send her father’s struggling business straight into bankruptcy instead of just cutting its profits in half.

“You need to get your act together.”

—What do you mean by that?

“That woman, Seo-ah… She’s been raising a child this whole time. And it’s Taehyuk’s.”

—What on earth… are you talking about? How? They said the baby died back then…

“That’s what we thought. She completely fooled all of us. That sly little thing.” Seung-hee clicked her tongue in disgust.

—My goodness…

“I’m not sure if Taehyuk knows about this yet, but if he finds out, do you really think he’ll still want to marry you?”

—I’ll be right there.

Seung-hee switched off her phone with a resolute expression. First, she needed to figure out where Taehyuk stood on this matter.

It was obvious that Jung-hyun knew about the child’s existence, but what about Taehyuk…?

Seung-hee stood up and walked toward the primary hospital room where Jung-hyun was resting. Sitting beside the bed, Taehyuk was posture-perfect despite having stayed up the entire night.

“Why don’t you get some rest?” Seung-hee said gently.

Taehyuk looked up at her.

“I’m fine. You look like you haven’t slept a wink yourself, Mother. Please get some rest.”

Although the real reason for Seung-hee’s sleepless night was entirely different, she offered an awkward smile and looked over her son.

Having stayed by Jung-hyun’s bedside all night, Taehyuk looked slightly worn out, but his sharp appearance hadn’t faltered one bit.

My poor, tragic boy… completely unaware that he has a child of his own out there…

Seung-hee patted Taehyuk on the shoulder reassuringly.

“Would you like to step out for a quick cup of tea with me? Your father just took his medicine and fell asleep, so he won’t wake up for another hour or two.”

At his mother’s suggestion, Taehyuk stood up. He had a few things he wanted to discuss with her as well.

After telling the private nurse on duty to contact him immediately if anything happened, Taehyuk escorted Seung-hee to a nearby hotel coffee shop. He chose the spot because Seung-hee had complained about feeling suffocated inside the hospital. On the way over, Seung-hee discreetly texted Go-eun their destination.

Once they were seated at the coffee shop, Seung-hee took the lead in the conversation.

“I suppose Chairman Jang is really getting old now, too.”

“He’s still strong, so he’ll recover soon.”

“Yes, I’m sure he will. Still, no one can escape aging forever.”

Seung-hee toyed with her coffee cup absentmindedly.

“And with no heir to carry on the family line…”

She casually floated the topic, watching his reaction closely. Expecting Taehyuk’s expression to harden like it usually did, she was surprised to see him remain completely unbothered. Seung-hee narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

No way… does he already know?

“Actually, there’s something I need to tell you,” Taehyuk spoke up.

Seung-hee instinctively swallowed hard, her throat feeling dry.

“Something… to tell me?”

“It’s about Seo-ah.”

—Father-in-law, it’s Seo-ah.

“Ah, yes.”

Jung-hyun offered a faint smile at the sound of Seo-ah’s voice over the receiver.

—I heard you weren’t feeling well.

“I am fine. But more importantly… it seems that rascal Taehyuk went out of his way to track you down after all,” Jung-hyun said, his voice laced with bitterness.

—Well, the thing is…

Seo-ah hesitated for a brief moment before continuing.

—Father-in-law, I am so sorry to bring this up while you’re unwell, but you are the only person left I can turn to for help. Please, help me. He says he’s going to take Su-bin away from me.

Her voice trembled, thick with unshed tears.

“What?”

Jung-hyun’s brows furrowed deeply. He had anticipated this. The reason he hadn’t warned Seo-ah the moment Taehyuk set off to find her was that he wasn’t sure how she truly felt.

A small part of him had secretly hoped that if the two met and worked things out peacefully, they might actually end up getting back together.

“You really don’t want this, do you?” Jung-hyun asked, confirming her true feelings.

—I like my life the way it is now. I just want to keep living quietly with Su-bin, just like this.

Jung-hyun’s brow twitched slightly at her desperate plea.

“Alright. I will speak to Taehyuk myself.”

—He’s completely set on his decision. He’s determined to… take my child away…

Seo-ah choked out the words, her voice shaking with sheer terror.

—He looks like he’s capable of doing anything right now.

“I will make sure to keep the promise I made to you. If there is ever anything you need my help with, do not hesitate to ask me. Ever.”

—I am so sorry to burden you with this when you aren’t even fully recovered yet. Calling you out of the blue just to say this…

“Nonsense. I am perfectly fine. So no matter what happens, if you ever need help, you come to me. Understand?”

“What?!”

Seung-hee’s face twisted into a deep scowl.

“What on earth are you saying right now?”

“I said I am going to get back together with Seo-ah,” Taehyuk repeated in a calm, steady voice.

“Absolutely not. I refuse to accept her,” Seung-hee shot back instantly.

Taehyuk’s brows knit together slightly.

“Have you already forgotten everything that happened to our family after she entered our house? Before her, our family was peaceful and happy. We had nothing to envy. And now you want to bring her back into our lives? Over my dead body.”

Seung-hee shook her head adamantly.

“Mother.”

“I despise her, but I despise her mother even more. If you knew just how vulgar that woman really is, you wouldn’t even dream of saying such things. A daughter always turns out just like her mother.”

Taehyuk silently recalled the memory of Young-ran.

“Mother-in-law and Seo-ah are completely different people.”

“Mother-in-law?!”

Seung-hee raised her voice in outrage.

“You’ve been divorced for seven years! And you’re still calling her your mother-in-law? Don’t tell me…”

Seung-hee narrowed her eyes dangerously.