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It was an ordinary morning. A month had passed since the visit to the main house, and life continued unchanged.
Despite her earlier expressions of hurt, Hae-in still woke up early to see Suhyun off in the mornings and waited for him late into the evenings. Suhyun, in turn, maintained his indifferent attitude toward Hae-in’s efforts.
If there was one silver lining, it was that he at least came home every night.
“Sunbae!”
“…”
Hae-in would rush out like a puppy waiting for its master whenever he returned home, trying to greet him with a smile. But Suhyun no longer spared her a glance, heading straight to his room instead.
The next morning, throwing away the carefully prepared meals had become a ritual. At first, tears would flow as she discarded them, but now she felt nothing. It had simply become part of her routine.
As she tidied the fridge and took out ingredients for another uneaten dinner, her phone rang.
“Who could this be so early?”
Wiping her hands on her apron, she picked up the phone—it was her mother.
“Hae-in-ah!”
Her mother’s voice, trembling with urgency, immediately signaled something was wrong.
“Mom? What’s going on this early?”
“Can you come to the hospital right now? Jeong-In… Jeong-In is very sick.”
“How bad is it?”
“…If you’re on your way, you should at least say goodbye.”
The moment Hae-in heard her mother’s words, her heart sank. It felt as if the ground beneath her feet had crumbled, leaving her body suspended in midair.
“I’ll… I’ll be there right now. Right now.”
Hanging up the call in a panic, Hae-in rushed upstairs, threw on some clothes haphazardly, and hurried down again.
Calling her chauffeur, she got into the car and headed to the hospital, her mind racing with anxiety. While Jeong-In’s condition had worsened multiple times before, this was the first time her mother hinted it might be the end.
‘Jeong-In, just hold on a little longer.’
Praying fervently, Hae-in clasped her hands tightly, her legs trembling uncontrollably. Perhaps because of this, when she arrived at the hospital, her steps faltered, and she stumbled a few times. Regaining her composure, she made her way to the ward.
Bursting into the room in a hurry, she found it empty.
“Madam, please go to the operating room. They just left.”
The caregiver tidying the bed informed her. Frowning deeply, Hae-in scanned the unfamiliar layout until she finally located the operating room and set off.
“Mom!”
Her parents were seated outside the brightly lit glass doors indicating surgery in progress.
“What happened all of a sudden?”
“Hae-in-ah.”
Seeing Hae-in, her parents leapt to their feet. The three embraced silently, holding each other’s hands tightly.
“The doctor said we need to prepare for the worst. That’s why I called.”
“When did it get this bad?”
“Last night…”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“We didn’t want to bother you unnecessarily. You know how often Jeong-In gets like this.”
Though resentment bubbled up inside her at the thought of her parents hesitating to call, Hae-in bit her tongue. She understood her mother’s hesitation.
“It’ll be okay. Jeong-In has always pulled through.”
Hae-in reassured her mother, speaking softly. Beside her, her father slumped back into his seat, bowing his head.
The worst-case scenario.
She didn’t want to imagine it, but what would happen if the worst came to pass?
Sitting beside her mother, holding her hand, Hae-in finally began to process the situation.
If Jeong-In were to leave like this…
Ironically, her first thought was that she might finally be able to escape Taesung.
‘How despicable of me. How can I think such things when my brother might die…’
Terrified that somewhere deep inside, she might have wished for her brother’s death, Hae-in was overwhelmed with self-loathing.
‘Jeong-In, I’m sorry for even thinking such thoughts, even for a moment. Just live. I’ll do better, I promise.’
Clamping down on her lips, she tried desperately to clear her mind of the torrent of thoughts swirling within.
________________________________________
The surgery lasted a full eight hours.
When Jeong-In was wheeled out of the operating room, there was barely time to glimpse his face before he was rushed to the ICU. Machines strapped to his frail body, he passed by Hae-in in a blur.
“How’s Jeong-In’s condition?”
Hae-in’s mother clung to the doctor, asking anxiously. The exhausted surgeon, emerging from the operating room, gently reassured her.
“Thankfully, we’ve passed the most critical point. However, we’ll need to monitor him closely for a few more days.”
“Ah, thank goodness.”
Watching her relieved parents, Hae-in was overcome with conflicting emotions.
She was genuinely glad Jeong-In hadn’t worsened, but it wasn’t as joyful as it should have been.
Feeling exposed for harboring even the slightest impure thought, Hae-in slowly backed away from where her parents and the doctor stood.
She was disgusted with herself, shivering uncontrollably.
‘What was I hoping for?’
Stumbling out of the hospital in a daze, she took a deep breath of the cold air, which finally cleared her mind somewhat. As she wandered aimlessly outside, her mother called again.
“Where did you go?”
Reentering the hospital, she found her mother waiting in the lobby.
“Oh, my legs suddenly gave out.”
“Hae-in-ah. Did you hear anything from the in-laws?”
“…What do you mean?”
Startled by the sudden question, Hae-in turned to her mother.
“The doctor said we need to double the dosage of the medication, but…”
“And?”
“Taesung has decided to stop funding the treatment. The doctor asked if we could cover the costs ourselves. Hae-in-ah, do you understand what this means?”
“No… What are you talking about?”
Just when Jeong-In needed increased medication, Taesung had abruptly announced they would cease covering the costs starting next month.
After hearing everything, Hae-in immediately called Director Seok.
“Director, I’m at the hospital… I heard something strange.”
Seok sighed heavily and hesitated before replying.
“It’s Chairwoman Park’s order, Madam. She said that unless you conceive as per the contract, there will be no further support.”
“Director, but pregnancy isn’t something I can control.”
“Yes, I know. I understand…”
“But the contract stated within a year. It hasn’t even been a few months yet. How can they unilaterally stop the funding like this?”
“You’re right…”
Seok trailed off, sighing deeply. For a while, both remained silent, the weight of the situation pressing down on them.
In the prolonged silence, Hae-in clutched at her collar, feeling as though her chest was being crushed.
She had barely managed to endure this far, and now even that fragile support was crumbling beneath her.
What use was the contract? Facing Park Yoon-Hwa, who manipulated lives at her whim, Hae-in realized the futility of her previous efforts.
Part of her wanted to tear up the contract and flee this hellish place.
“…I’ll try everything I can.”
Ending the call with a heavy heart, Hae-in realized she had nowhere left to retreat.
Perhaps she had been complacent. Thinking she had done her best and merely waiting for Suhyun to accept her, she now understood that patience alone was no longer enough.
She couldn’t wait any longer for Suhyun’s feelings to change.
‘This can’t go on.’
With a look of determination, Hae-in stepped out of the hospital.
________________________________________
“Suhyun-ah. The war over shares begins now. In earnest.”
Suhyun sat in the office, listening to Tae-Hoon’s words. He too had been waiting for the moment when Park Yoon-Hwa would incite her children’s greed.
“Then it’s time to make our move. Father.”
Humans blinded by greed were surprisingly oblivious to the dangers lurking beneath their feet. They believed what they had was untouchable while obsessively trying to seize what others possessed—a common mistake.
Suhyun had spent years convincing his father that Park would eventually pit her children against one another in a proper fight. And now, that moment had arrived.
“I’m not sure how well this will go. There are eyes watching us not just internally.”
“Don’t worry, Father. I’ve prepared accordingly.”
Suhyun reassured Tae-Hoon confidently. Born with a frail constitution, Tae-Hoon was timid despite his position as vice chairman of a conglomerate.
While Tae-Hoon was meticulous and detail-oriented, Suhyun was bold and adventurous.
When Suhyun caused chaos upfront, Tae-Hoon quietly cleaned up behind the scenes, ensuring practical gains. Now, their combined efforts were directed at their siblings’ holdings.
A winner-takes-all world—this was the battlefield Park Yoon-Hwa had orchestrated.
Suhyun despised her for relishing the spectacle. How long had he prepared to end everything in one fell swoop?
After Tae-Hoon left the office, Suhyun returned to his desk and opened the documents awaiting his approval.
He deliberately overloaded himself with work, partly to avoid going home and spend as much time as possible at the office.
Even if it was 2 a.m. or 3 a.m., Hae-in was always waiting for him at home.
No matter how harshly he treated her, ignoring her completely, Yoon Hae-in never tired of waiting for him. Her relentless determination reminded him of her university days, when she tirelessly earned scholarships.
Without realizing it, he had begun to look forward to seeing her sitting alone in the dimly lit house, greeting him warmly. Though he ignored her presence, refusing to meet her eyes, his heart betrayed him.
“Director, may I come in?”
Lost in thoughts of Hae-in, Suhyun was startled when Im Se-Young entered the office.
Following Park Yoon-Hwa’s orders, Se-Young had started working under Suhyun this week. Having studied abroad as a Taesung scholar, she quickly adapted to her tasks.
Still, Suhyun neither favored nor treated her differently from other employees. He simply had no interest in her.
“What is it?”
“Oh, I was wondering when you’d be leaving work.”
Se-Young smiled sweetly, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have dinner together?”
Buzz.
Just as Suhyun was about to respond, his phone screen lit up. It was a message from Hae-in.
[Sunbae. Are you late again today? I have something to say. I’ll wait for you with a delicious meal.]
Raising his gaze from the phone to Se-Young, he saw her approaching confidently. Her fingers toyed with the buttons of his blouse.
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