TO 38

Chapter 38

“Are you still in touch with that woman? Are you?”

Taehyuk didn’t answer. Seung-hee’s chest heaved with shallow, rapid breaths.

Could it be? She didn’t say anything stupid to Taehyuk, did she? No, she didn’t even seem to know Seo-ah was pregnant back then. So…

“You are in touch with her, aren’t you? Why? Is she asking you for money too?”

“Mother.”

Taehyuk’s brows furrowed deeply.

“Ha. Did that wretched woman seriously go to you too…? Did she?”

The phrase go to you too immediately caught Taehyuk’s attention.

“What do you mean by that? Has my mother-in-law been reaching out to you?”

“N-No. She’s just an unpleasant woman, isn’t she? Don’t you remember how she acted at your wedding? So vulgar, so unrefined…”

“I’m simply helping cover her living expenses,” Taehyuk redirected the conversation, clearly uncomfortable listening to her disparage Young-ran.

“Living expenses?! Why on earth would you—! Why are you giving her money…”

“Regardless, I’ve made my decision. I am bringing Seo-ah back.”

“Is it because of the child?”

Taehyuk’s eyebrows shot up at Seung-hee’s sudden question.

This was something he hadn’t intended to tell her just yet.

“Mother… how do you know about that…?”

Seung-hee let out a heavy sigh.

“Since it’s out in the open now, it’s for the best. I only found out recently myself.”

Seung-hee grabbed a glass of cold water and gulped it down.

“That’s why I hate Seo-ah even more now. She’s so sly and scheming.”

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“How dare she get pregnant with a child of our bloodline and keep it hidden for seven whole years!”

“Mother.”

“Do you think our family is just any ordinary family? Have you forgotten how much grief I got from your grandmother over this? We’re a family where direct descendants are rare. How could she pull a stunt like that on us?! And the Chairman is just as bad. How could he…”

Fanning herself with her hand, Seung-hee looked as if she might burst from sheer frustration.

“How did you find out?”

Seung-hee explained the text messages and the photo album she had seen in Jung-hyun’s room. Then, she pulled up her phone and showed him the pictures of Su-bin she had saved.

Taehyuk’s eyes trembled softly as he stared at the photos of Su-bin, spanning from her first birthday all the way to age six.

Watching his reaction closely, Seung-hee spoke up.

“She’s your daughter. My granddaughter. We have to bring her home right away.”

Taehyuk looked up.

“But not Seo-ah. Absolutely not. Never.”

“I can’t just take the child alone. She’s still young. She needs her mother.”

“If your reason for bringing Seo-ah back is that Su-bin needs a mother, then we can just put someone else in that role.”

Taehyuk narrowed his eyes slightly.

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean we can bring in a woman who can raise Su-bin with the proper manners and dignity fitting for our family.”

“Mother.”

“Unless… is there a specific reason it has to be Seo-ah?”

Seung-hee stared directly at him.

Taehyuk couldn’t answer right away. A reason it had to be Seo-ah…

Suddenly, he felt a heavy, crushing weight settle in his chest. Even as he was demanding that Seo-ah return to him, he hadn’t found a proper justification for it. No, he had simply assumed it was the natural course of action—he had never stopped to think that a reason was even necessary.

“See? You can’t answer either. You’re right that the child needs a mother, but not just anyone will do.”

“So is the woman you’ve already picked out over there?”

Taehyuk’s icy gaze shifted past Seung-hee’s shoulder. Feeling the sudden sharpness in his eyes, Seung-hee turned her head to look behind her. Go-eun was walking toward their table.

Taehyuk stood up. Buttoning his jacket with one hand, he said stiffly, “I should be going.”

Realizing he was about to walk out, Seung-hee hurriedly grabbed his hand.

“Just once. Just meet with her this one time.”

“Mother.”

“She’s been waiting for you all this time. She’s your true destiny. Don’t you see that?”

Taehyuk’s brow creased deeply.

“You need a woman like her by your side—someone who truly loves and cares about you.”

Love?

Taehyuk let out a cold scoff. He had never once wanted something like that. Not even from Seo-ah…

Suddenly, Taehyuk recalled the suffocating pressure that weighed on his soul every time he looked at Seo-ah.

The reason she naturally belonged by his side.

The persistent sensations that kept making him act out of character.

Just as those buried feelings were about to resurface—

“Long time no see.”

A heavy floral perfume drifted from Go-eun as she approached the table.

“Go-eun, you haven’t changed a bit! If anything, you’ve gotten even prettier,” Seung-hee chimed in. Go-eun smiled softly.

“You look wonderful as well, Mother.”

“Right then, I’ll leave you two to chat. I’ll take a taxi home.”

Seung-hee hurriedly rose from her seat.

“Mother.”

When Taehyuk tried to stop Seung-hee from leaving, Go-eun stepped directly into his path.

“Are you going to stand me up again this time?”

“As always, you’re entirely unplanned and impulsive,” Taehyuk remarked coldly, but Go-eun merely offered a charming smile.

“That’s what people call destiny. Even when we move impulsively without any plan, we still end up meeting in the end.”

“No, I call that being selfish. And that happens to be the thing I despise most.”

As Taehyuk made a move to walk past her, Go-eun spoke urgently.

“Just a moment. Let’s talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Well, I have things to say to you.”

Go-eun blocked his path once more. Taehyuk, hands thrust into his trousers pockets, glared down at her with a fierce, dangerous edge in his eyes. Meeting his gaze, Go-eun felt her heart drop into her stomach.

It was the exact same look he had given her at the airport seven years ago.

Back then, Go-eun was fleeing the country in a hurry. But she hadn’t wanted to leave. She was furious that she was the one being forced to run away because of Seo-ah. She hadn’t cared about Seo-ah’s health or the baby in the slightest.

‘She was just unlucky! Why is everyone blaming me?!’

Go-eun had stomped her feet in frustration inside the car. Her parents grimaced at her behavior.

‘President Jang Taehyuk is arriving today. What do you think will happen if he finds out what you did? Our company is supposed to receive a massive investment from them this time. Are you trying to ruin everything?’

Her father’s stern warnings went in one ear and out the other.

‘He’s landing today? Taehyuk? Can I see him? Check what time his flight arrives, right now!’ ‘What are you trying to do this time…?’ ‘Hurry! I can change his mind again. Besides, the baby is gone now anyway.’ ‘You…!’

Go-eun took matters into her own hands, grabbing the phone to call his secretary herself.

‘Check President Jang Taehyuk’s arrival flight immediately.’

The moment she reached the airport, Go-eun brushed past her protesting parents and headed straight for the arrivals gate.

She spotted Taehyuk in the distance.

Seeing him in person made her heart race. If she could, she wanted to turn back time—back to the day before, when she had thrown that childish tantrum. If she could just rewrite that moment, she wouldn’t be fleeing the country right now; she would be at the airport welcoming her husband back home.

Go-eun quickened her pace. That was when she caught sight of Seo-ah standing a short distance away, her face pale as a ghost.

‘What is she doing here? Don’t tell me… she’s here to tattle on me?’

Go-eun bit her lip nervously. Would it be better to just board her flight and run away? But…

‘Our company is supposed to receive a massive investment from them this time. Are you trying to ruin everything?’

Her father’s words echoed in her ears.

What do I do? What do I do?

She had only wanted to see Taehyuk’s face one last time before fleeing.

But…

I can’t just let that woman tattle on me!

Go-eun rushed forward before Seo-ah could reach Taehyuk.

‘Taehyuk!’

She shouted his name at the top of her lungs before he could notice Seo-ah. Taehyuk’s eyes turned toward her. Though his gaze was sharp and cold, she didn’t care. She had no other choice right now.

Go-eun sprinted toward him with all her might. She didn’t know how effective it would be, but at the very least, she hoped to plant a small seed of discord between the two of them.

She threw her arms around Taehyuk’s neck. Never imagining she would hug him so boldly, Taehyuk froze in shock.

However, a second later—

‘What do you think you’re doing?’

Taehyuk shoved Go-eun away roughly. As she was pushed back, Go-eun caught a quick glimpse of Seo-ah. For some reason, Seo-ah was slumping onto a chair in the corner with her head bowed low.

Did she miss it? No, she couldn’t have…

Still, this was her only chance.

‘A-Ah, no, I was just so glad to see you.’

Go-eun offered a sweet, playful smile. Taehyuk brushed off his chest where her cheek had touched him, speaking in a frigid tone.

‘That is none of my concern.’

As cold as ever, Jang Taehyuk didn’t leave her even the smallest sliver of an opening. If there was one silver lining, it was that he didn’t seem to have heard the news about Seo-ah yet.

Even so, Go-eun couldn’t bring herself to say another word under his intense gaze. The mere frostiness in his eyes felt like a cold chill wrapping around her limbs.

‘Never do something like this again. I have no reason or business to ever meet with you.’ ‘You’re so cruel. I was your fiancée once… you don’t have to treat me with such cold detachment.’

Go-eun had teared up. She didn’t even care about Seo-ah anymore; her crushed pride took top priority. Taehyuk, who had already turned away, merely glanced back over his shoulder and spoke.

‘That was in the past. It means nothing to me. I have a wife now.’