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Had she finally grown accustomed to the uncomfortable cot? Even though it was a VIP room, a hospital room was still a hospital room.
But today, the bed felt unusually soft. Her cheek sank into the plush pillow, unable to pull away.
“Ugh…”
Despite her sense of duty to get up, an involuntary groan escaped her lips.
Stretching and shifting her body this way and that—
“…!”
Half-open eyes caught the towering silhouette before her, and Joo-eun’s body shot up like a spring.
There he sat on the sofa, legs crossed, impeccably dressed in a suit, reading the newspaper.
“D-Did I fall asleep here?”
Her voice trembled.
Finally lowering the paper, he smiled mischievously and uncrossed his legs.
“You must’ve been exhausted. You slept soundly without waking once.”
After their searing kiss had ended, wrapped warmly in the blanket, sleep had overcome her naturally—but why had she fallen asleep just anywhere like that?
And worse, the state of the blanket mirrored exactly where things had heated up but stopped the night before. Mortified, she didn’t know what to do with herself.
“I’ll step out so you can get ready at your own pace.”
“Yes…”
“I made sure to save my progress this time, so let me know when you’re ready.”
His teasing expression made her cheeks burn.
Finding her adorable, he smiled faintly, and Joo-eun pulled the blanket higher to hide half her face.
“I’m going to devour you alive if this keeps up.”
Whether it was meant as a soliloquy or for her to hear, she couldn’t tell.
Embarrassed and unsure how to respond, she bowed her head deeply. Grabbing his car keys, he slipped out of the room.
Left alone, she felt even more mortified.
Glancing down at her exposed body beneath the blanket, she shivered and wrapped herself tightly before heading to the bathroom.
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One hand on the steering wheel, the other holding Joo-eun’s small hand.
Minhyuk seemed endlessly fascinated by the hand he held, touching and stroking it repeatedly.
Though he was only touching her hand,
Why did it feel like her whole body was being caressed?
Every time his fingertips lightly grazed her knuckles, Joo-eun tensed and turned her gaze toward the window.
“Focus on driving.”
“Don’t worry. I’m great at everything. You know that.”
His playful arrogance made her laugh despite herself.
The laughter helped ease some of the tension.
Their eyes met, and smiles bloomed naturally on both their faces.
Yes, she had missed this man’s endearing arrogance.
To hear it again—it felt like a dream.
“How about we say you’re pregnant?”
“Cough…!”
W-What?
Startled, Joo-eun asked, “What are you talking about?”
“Pregnancy. Isn’t it the ultimate cheat code to overcoming parental opposition?”
What kind of drama had he been watching…?
There was no way she could give her frail mother such a shock.
“No way. Absolutely not.”
“Just so you know, I wouldn’t be able to pull off a fake breakup either.”
“Neither could I.”
One of his sharp eyebrows twitched upward in satisfaction.
Clearly pleased.
“Thank you for having the courage to say that.”
“…”
“The desire to hold onto you is beyond anything I can express, but it felt selfish and made me suffer.”
“It wasn’t your fault that our family fell apart. Please don’t blame yourself so much.”
“But… I can’t deny that it’s Mother’s fault…”
Minhyuk’s expression grew heavy.
Joo-eun couldn’t bring herself to say that it wasn’t the Chairwoman’s fault either.
“Let’s just think about us.”
“Will that be okay…?”
“I won’t suppress my feelings anymore—not from myself or anyone else.”
Understanding the sincerity behind her words, Minhyuk couldn’t help but be moved.
“Do you remember what I said before?”
“What…?”
“That you already saved me.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Little did I know you’d saved me even as a child. You’re now irrevocably my fate. There’s no escape.”
Joo-eun chuckled softly, and Minhyuk joined in.
His radiant smile left her marveling anew.
But soon, an inexplicable unease crept in.
“Mom might…”
“…”
“She might hurt you deeply.”
After a brief silence, he took a deep breath.
“I’m prepared for it.”
“As her daughter, no matter how angry I am, I’ll understand eventually. But you’ll be the one who gets hurt.”
“I’m not the type to get hurt easily. Don’t worry.”
Having endured harsh words and buckets of water, he was clearly trying to reassure her.
Even so, she appreciated his effort.
Squeezing his hand tighter, she said, “Don’t get wet today. I’ll protect you.”
“Feels good to have you on my side.”
“If I can, I’ll even stop bullets for you.”
“Wow. Are you taking responsibility for my life too? Looks like I hit the jackpot.”
“Of course.”
She feigned a brazen expression and blinked prettily.
Unable to maintain his serious act any longer, he burst into laughter.
“Was that too much?”
Her awkward attempt at being brazen quickly gave way to shyness, and she giggled bashfully.
Until they arrived at the hospital, neither let go of the other’s hand, laughing frequently and meeting each other’s gazes often.
Even if sadness would follow later, for now, they were undeniably happy.
That was enough.
Warm sunlight bathed their intertwined hands.
This morning, wanting anything more felt like greed.
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A short while later, the elevator arrival chime rang through the heavy silence.
The doors opened, and a tense Joo-eun and Minhyuk stepped out hesitantly.
“…Are you okay?”
She looked up at him with concern.
Despite his own tension, Minhyuk forced a smile for her sake.
“I told you not to worry.”
“Mom probably woke up a while ago.”
“If she hasn’t, we’ll wait until she does.”
It was clear he had come prepared to endure whatever abuse came his way.
He had likely never been insulted in his entire life.
How had he come to love someone like her, enduring all this for her sake?
Feeling both pity and gratitude, tears welled up in Joo-eun’s eyes.
“What’s this crying already? We haven’t even started yet.”
“Right… Why am I doing this…”
Joo-eun wiped her bare eyes with the back of her hand.
“I’m fine, so please don’t cry. Understand?”
She nodded.
Her obedient demeanor reminded him of a well-behaved child, and he gently ruffled her hair.
She wrinkled her brow slightly and smiled, while he raised and lowered his eyebrows playfully.
Struggling to lighten the mood, they headed toward the hospital room.
Through the open door crack, an unfamiliar voice leaked out.
“I don’t know how you’ll take this, but… I’ve always lived blaming someone.”
That voice…!
Surprised, Joo-eun glanced at Minhyuk, who had already frozen.
There was no mistaking her mother’s voice.
“When I was young, I resented my parents for trying to marry me off to anyone wealthy. After the forced marriage, I resented my husband. Eventually, I hated the world, everyone… Even those who saved my life…”
Hye-joo, who had never spared a glance outside the window, let out a deep sigh.
“Ha…! It’s way too late for excuses. Spare me your apologies and leave.”
“At the time, I was in so much pain I couldn’t think of anything else…”
“Oh, sure. Of course.”
Hye-joo sneered openly.
Jin-sook, however, refused to back down and poured out the truth she had carried for so long.
“When I heard the pension had failed and you’d moved somewhere else, I thought, ‘They’ll probably start another business and live well.’ I just convinced myself to feel better. Truly… I was so foolish. I’m sorry…”
Unable to bear it any longer, Hye-joo whipped around.
“Look at you, wearing clothes worth hundreds of thousands won and carrying expensive bags. What could you possibly lack that you’re in pain? People who don’t even have time to be sick because they’re struggling to survive manage to keep going!”
Her tear-filled eyes quivered with anger.
“For people like us, one failure is enough to destroy everything. After that shock, my husband drank himself to death, and my daughter and I barely survived. Do you think a simple apology fixes that? Does it change anything?”
“…”
“Can the dead come back? Can the years of suffering my daughter and I endured just vanish?”
Jin-sook had no answer, even if she had ten mouths to speak with.
But for Minhyuk’s sake—for her son—she desperately wanted forgiveness.
“You can hate me as much as you want. But please… don’t hate Minhyuk. Don’t hate him.”
“So that’s it. In the end, it’s all for your child. Afraid your son will pay for your sins.”
Jin-sook bowed her head.
Her pitiful figure shook Hye-joo’s anger, which had been boiling over.
Yet, the angrier she felt, the harsher her words became, as if testing Jin-sook’s sincerity.
“Honestly, I should thank you for pushing your son away because of this cursed connection. Who’d want to be tied to a poor family like ours? Stop this charade and leave.”
“He’s already lost so much because of me. I don’t want him to lose anything else because of this wretched mother…”
No matter what Jin-sook said, Hye-joo’s ears refused to hear.
As she turned to leave, Jin-sook suddenly knelt and bowed deeply.
“What… What are you doing? Get up.”
Not satisfied with kneeling, she bent her waist until her forehead nearly touched the ground.
“If it proves my sincerity, I’ll do anything.”
“For heaven’s sake, I said get up!”
Hye-joo grabbed Jin-sook’s arm and pulled her to her feet.
Stumbling as she rose, Jin-sook’s cheeks were soaked with tears.
Though their lives had been worlds apart, their shared anguish as mothers moved Hye-joo deeply.
For the first time, hearing Jin-sook’s sobs, Hye-joo began to sense her genuine remorse.
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