TO 39

Chapter 39

Having said his piece, Taehyuk turned and walked straight out of the airport without looking back even once.

That bastard.

Go-eun clenched her teeth. She glanced over at Seo-ah, as if remembering her presence only now, intending to take her frustration out on her. But Seo-ah was still sitting there with her head bowed low.

‘So annoying.’

Go-eun turned on her heel and headed toward the departure gate.

“I know I made myself clear. I have nothing more to say to you.”

Taehyuk’s blunt words snapped Go-eun back from her memories.

“Why? It’s not like you have a wife right now anyway.”

Taehyuk frowned at her comment.

“That’s none of your business.”

“No, it is my business. You want to bring your child home, don’t you?”

At Go-eun’s persistent probing, Taehyuk’s expression turned completely frigid. Go-eun felt her heart sink, but she forced herself to stand her ground.

I have to win him over.

“I can help you bring the child home.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Marry me. I’ll raise her as if she were my own.”

“Ha.”

Taehyuk let out a dry, incredulous laugh. Even with that expression, he looked infuriatingly handsome. At this point, Go-eun didn’t even care about her father’s company anymore. She wanted this man for herself. She wanted another chance with him.

“Why do I have to stand here and listen to this from you?”

“Because you need both a wife and a mother for your child.”

“I already have both.”

“Are you saying you’re actually going to get back together with that woman?”

“I’m pretty sure I told you that’s none of your concern.”

“Have you considered how your mother feels? Do you have any idea how much she’s suffered because of this? Both your parents are getting old now. They can’t handle any more shocks. Can’t you think about this logically?”

“I am being entirely logical. Now move out of my way. I don’t want to discuss this with you.”

“Are you really choosing that woman over your own mother? Is your love for her really that grand?”

Taehyuk’s brow furrowed slightly.

“You weren’t like this before, Taehyuk. Weren’t you always the most rational, strategic person around? You’re the one who told me that even marriage was just a business transaction.”

“So you’re proposing we do business?”

Taehyuk let out a cold scoff.

“Why not? I’ll raise the kid—even better than her birth mother would.”

“I doubt your only condition is simply wanting to become a married woman again.”

Talking about business right now wouldn’t work in her favor anyway. Business could wait. Go-eun’s mind worked quickly as she put on a harmless, innocent face.

“Just take me back. That’s all I want. I just want to reclaim my rightful place as Jang Taehyuk’s wife.”

Taehyuk looked down and let out a soft chuckle. But when he looked back up, every trace of amusement was gone from his face.

“Keep dreaming.”

Taehyuk walked right past her, leaving her standing there alone. Left behind, Go-eun gritted her teeth.

“Go ahead, keep acting like this. As long as Lee Seo-ah… as long as that bitch is out of the picture, you’ll come looking for me eventually, Jang Taehyuk.”

“Mom?”

“Hmm?”

Seo-ah, who was walking hand in hand with Su-bin, looked down.

“What have you been thinking about this whole time? You didn’t hear a single thing I said, did you?”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Seo-ah offered an awkward smile.

“Hmph.”

Su-bin pouted her lips.

“That mister… is he not coming anymore?” Su-bin asked cautiously.

“Mister?”

“The mister who gave me the soccer ball.”

“Ah.”

Seo-ah stopped in her tracks and crouched down in front of Su-bin.

“Su-bin, should we move to a new house?”

“All of a sudden?”

“Yeah. You get upset because Min-soo teases you all the time, right? Mom doesn’t like it when Min-soo teases you either.”

“What about Yeong-ji then? And Ji-min? And Gyu-min? My other friends don’t tease me! They’re all nice. And Choi Min-soo doesn’t tease me when I’m on his soccer team anyway!”

At Su-bin’s innocent response, Seo-ah offered a faint smile.

Where could she possibly run with this child, anyway? No matter where they went, Taehyuk would track them down without fail. Running would only provoke him further.

“Haah.”

Seo-ah let out a heavy sigh and pulled Su-bin into a tight embrace. She couldn’t let her child be taken away.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you charging your battery?”

Su-bin tilted her head slightly. Seo-ah let out a small laugh. Whenever times were tough, Seo-ah would wrap her arms around Su-bin without a word, often telling her, ‘I’m just charging my battery.’

“Yeah. Can Mom borrow some of Su-bin’s power?”

“As much as you want!”

Su-bin wrapped her short little arms tightly around Seo-ah’s neck. Breathing in the sweet scent of strawberries clinging to the child, Seo-ah closed her eyes.

It wasn’t that she didn’t feel guilty toward Su-bin. She desperately wanted to tell her that Taehyuk was her father—that the most incredible, wonderful man in the world was her dad. But the moment she voiced those words out loud, a surge of anxiety overwhelmed her, making her feel as though she would lose Su-bin forever.

‘I’m taking both you and Su-bin with me.’

Taehyuk’s words echoed in her mind. His voice kept lingering around her heart, refusing to leave.

Seo-ah shook her head to clear her thoughts. It had been a miserable marriage. She had no intention of stepping back into that mud pit. She knew better than anyone what she had been driven to do just to escape it.

She had even considered giving up her child back then. She had considered handing over the baby as the price for her freedom and running away alone.

Whenever she looked back on that desperate decision, she felt dizzy with regret. How could she have ever lived without this child warming her heart? Could she have even survived? Perhaps she would have simply withered away inside that house, completely broken.

‘I never intended to let you go in the first place. If things hadn’t turned out that way with the baby… I would have kept you right by my side.’ ‘I was planning to hold on to you. I thought once the baby was born, you wouldn’t be able to leave. I was planning to use any excuse I could find to keep you with me.’

Taehyuk was right. If the baby had been born safely and Taehyuk had held her back, she probably would have given in and stayed in that house.

And then she would have lived there like an empty, transparent glass jar—existing, yet feeling like a ghost.

Seo-ah stood up, refusing to let her thoughts spiral any further.

“Are you all charged up now?” Su-bin asked proudly.

Seo-ah smiled softly.

“Yeah. Thank you.”

“Since Su-bin charged Mom up, you feel all strong now, right?”

“Of course.”

“Hehe! Then Mom, can we go to the playground and ride the swing ten times before we go home?”

“You can ride it twenty times!” Seo-ah replied brightly.

Only then did Su-bin let out a radiant smile and dash off toward the playground. The whole world seemed bathed in a golden glow. Bright ginkgo leaves sparkled like gold right above Su-bin’s head.

“Mom! Hurry! Hurry!”

Su-bin shouted as she reached the swings. Unable to wait for Seo-ah to catch up, she had already hoisted herself onto a swing. Kicking her legs, Su-bin was soaring into the air before Seo-ah could even give her a push.

Seo-ah’s eyes quivered nervously.

“Su-bin, go a little slower,” Seo-ah called out.

“Mom, I’m the best swing rider out of all my friends!”

Su-bin’s cheeks flushed bright red against the crisp autumn wind.

“Still, go a little slower. Mom’s getting worried,” Seo-ah said, stepping closer. The swing was already moving too fast for her to catch safely in mid-air.

“Hold on tightly to the ropes.”

Seo-ah kept her eyes glued to Su-bin as she spoke. Su-bin gave a firm nod and kicked her legs even harder, soaring higher into the air.

For a terrifying second, Seo-ah felt as though Su-bin might fly away—far beyond where her hands could reach.

Her heart pounded wildly against her ribs.

‘I’m taking both you and Su-bin with me.’

Taehyuk’s voice echoed in her ears once more.

“Su-bin!”

Just then—

Taehyuk…?

Seo-ah turned toward the sound of the voice. Seeing a silhouette running down the path lined with ginkgo trees, her heart dropped into her stomach.

Did he come back?

“Uncle Jin-won~!”

Su-bin practically flew off the swing, landing on her feet and running straight toward the figure. Only then did Seo-ah snap back to her senses.

The person running toward them was Jin-won.

“Haah.”

Seo-ah brushed her hair back in flustered relief.

I must be losing my mind. Seriously…

Jin-won approached, carrying Su-bin in his arms as Seo-ah stood there hesitating.

Dressed in a light plaid shirt, he carried the crisp, refreshing scent of autumn with him.

“I’m not late, am I?”

“No.”

Seo-ah offered an awkward smile.

“I’m so sorry. You keep doing this for us…”

Jin-won waved his hand dismissively at her apology.

“Please, don’t mention it! Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking forward to taking Su-bin to the magic show today? Right, Su-bin?”

“Yeah! Yeah!”

Having rushed over from the swing, Su-bin was now clinging to Jin-won’s neck, swinging her legs happily.

“See? We’re best friends,” Jin-won chuckled warmly.

“Thank you so much. If it weren’t for my special lecture today, I would have come along too…”

“It’s totally fine. Su-bin and I were planning to go together anyway.”

Seo-ah smiled apologetically. In truth, she had lied about having a special lecture today. She was actually planning to visit a lawyer’s office. She couldn’t just sit back and passively wait for Taehyuk to make his move.

“I’ll head straight over as soon as my class finishes.”

“You don’t need to hurry. The two of us are going to grab dinner before coming back, so just take it easy and relax.”

“Yeah! Mom, just relax. I’ll make sure to take good care of Uncle Jin-won!”

Hearing Su-bin’s comment, a soft smile touched the corners of Jin-won’s lips.

“You heard her, right? Well, we’re off!”

Jin-won let out a cheerful laugh and headed off with Su-bin.

“Su-bin, make sure you listen to Uncle!” Seo-ah called out after them. Su-bin waved both of her hands wildly.

“Uncle, Su-bin’s gonna get a dad soon,” Su-bin whispered, clinging to Jin-won’s chest.

“What?”

Jin-won stopped dead in his tracks, his face suddenly turning bright red.