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“What do you mean, ‘where did it come from’?”
“You know exactly what I’m asking. Don’t play dumb.”
“I know. I know, but where did it suddenly come from?”
“I bought it. It appeared because I bought it. Is that so hard to understand?”
“A car? You’re telling me an expensive luxury car just magically appeared because you bought it?”
Hyun-soo’s eyes narrowed with suspicion as they darted toward Hyunseo’s tightly clenched fist. She knew what was hidden inside that palm—a car key. A very expensive, high-end luxury car key.
At this point, a faint but distinct possibility crossed Hyun-soo’s mind. It was the only explanation that made sense of all these bizarre events. But she prayed desperately that it wasn’t true. She couldn’t bear the thought of yet another collapse in her already crumbling world.
“Noona.”
“What?”
“I hope it’s not what I’m thinking.”
“What are you talking about? What do you think is going on?”
“Oh, this is irritating. Just say it outright. What don’t you want to be true? Did I do something? Did Dad?”
When cornered, even a mouse bites the cat. Hyunseo’s brazen attitude only solidified Hyun-soo’s suspicions further.
“Where did all this come from?”
“I told you, I bought it. Do you think I stole it or something?”
“Stop joking around and tell me straight—whose money was used to buy all this? Who paid for it?!”
“Don’t raise your voice at me, damn it! How dare you! Are you insane?”
As soon as Hyun-soo raised her voice, Hyunseo’s face flushed red with anger. Even a slight elevation in tone seemed like an unbearable act of insubordination to her.
“Why do you keep pretending you don’t know? You know everything already.”
“No, I don’t. That’s why I’m asking you to explain.”
“Oh, fine. You want me to spell it out for you? Open your ears wide and listen carefully.”
Hyunseo tucked her hair behind her ear, flashing a bright smile before delivering her sharp words.
“That bastard Yoon Guk bought it all for me! With his money! Got a problem with that?”
Hyun-soo felt her breath catch in her throat. She had hoped against hope that it wasn’t true. It shouldn’t have been true.
“I warned you. Those kinds of men—they don’t care about us no matter how much we struggle or take from them. So I took some. Does that bother you so much? Are you mad because I’m trying to improve my life and Dad’s too while you live comfortably alone?”
“Stop saying crazy things, please!”
“Don’t shout at me, you lunatic. You think marrying well makes you superior? Let me remind you, I’m Kim Hyunseo. No matter how high you fly, you’ll never measure up to me.”
It was always like this. Living under her shadow, treated as nothing more than a freebie attached to the main product, Hyunseo had known this reality since childhood. And she reveled in tearing others apart emotionally. But...
“You’ll regret it.”
“What?”
“One day, you’ll regret everything you’ve done.”
The sins of the Yoon brothers were piling up, and their crumbs would choke them one day. The day would come when they’d wish they hadn’t laughed so easily.
“Oh, are you planning to run to Yoon Guk and tattle on me for revenge?”
“Is that all you can think about? Typical of you. Your brain really can’t process anything beyond petty schemes.”
“Hear her talk. She’s been spewing nonsense since the start.”
Hyunseo’s eyes widened as she smirked. She tossed her handbag onto the floor and quickly closed the distance between herself and Hyun-soo, her face radiating a strange madness.
“Come here, you.”
Just two or three steps away, Hyunseo lunged at Hyun-soo, grabbing her by the hair. Where did such strength come from her frail body? With one hand, she yanked hard enough to make Hyun-soo stagger.
“Let go...! Let go of me!”
“Why? Go ahead, say something smart. You’re good at that, aren’t you?”
“I said let go!”
This time, Hyun-soo didn’t stay passive. Grabbing the collar of Hyunseo’s shirt like a scruff, she pulled with all her might. Hyunseo stumbled sideways, slamming her waist into the kitchen counter.
“Aaah! Shit, seriously!”
More enraged by the audacity of Kim Hyun-soo daring to touch her than by the pain itself, Hyunseo lost all restraint. Wrapping Hyun-soo’s hair tighter in her grip, she slapped her across the face. The sound of the slap echoed through the room.
“How dare you!”
Hyun-soo blinked, her ears ringing from the blow. For a moment, her vision blurred. Stumbling, she instinctively clung to Hyunseo for balance.
“You’re heavy. Let go, huh? Or won’t you?”
But Hyunseo was far too worked up to show any mercy. She violently shoved Hyun-soo away, sending her sprawling. Hyun-soo’s legs gave out, leaving her unable to resist as she was pushed to the ground. It happened in an instant. And then—
Thud.
“Ugh...!”
Hyun-soo slammed her stomach into the edge of the counter and collapsed onto the floor.
“Haa… Crazy bitch. Making me sweat for nothing.”
Hyunseo irritably brushed her tangled hair back and took a deep breath. After straightening her clothes, she finally turned to look at Hyun-soo, who was groaning in pain.
“Such drama.”
But when Hyunseo saw Hyun-soo’s condition, she froze.
Blood was flowing between Hyun-soo’s legs.
“...Hey. Hey, Kim Hyun-soo.”
“Huu, uh...”
“What’s wrong with you down there? Why are you bleeding? What the hell!”
Overcome by sudden abdominal cramps, Hyun-soo hadn’t yet realized the bleeding below. Only after Hyunseo’s reaction did she notice, reaching down toward her lower body.
“Ahh, aaah... Ahh...!”
Dark red blood dripped down her fingers, trickling steadily.
“Hello? 119? Someone here has collapsed...”
Suddenly, Hyun-soo’s throat tightened, making it hard to breathe. Her vision began to narrow. Hyunseo’s rigid expression as she frantically called for help slowly faded to black.
Was this the end? What was happening?
“Kim Hyun-soo! Hey, snap out of it!”
Hyunseo shook her forcefully, but it was futile. Hyun-soo’s eyelids felt impossibly heavy, impossible to lift.
Her blood-stained hands twitched weakly before she finally passed out.
________________________________________
Staring blankly at the dull ceiling from her hospital bed, Hyun-soo’s gaze was vacant. Her hand gently caressed her abdomen.
“You’re pregnant. You really didn’t know?”
At those words, tears streamed down Hyun-soo’s temples. They pooled and spilled endlessly, leaving long streaks down her face.
“If you didn’t know, then stop crying.”
Hyunseo clicked her tongue impatiently from the visitor’s chair. After watching Hyun-soo cry for a moment, she pulled out her phone to check the time.
“He should be here soon.”
Though Hyunseo muttered something, Hyun-soo heard none of it. All she could focus on was the fact that there was a child growing inside her—a child born of her and Guk, their shared bloodline.
A baby. Their baby.
Despite the bleeding, the doctor reassured her that the baby was safe, calling it a miracle.
Yes, yes. Everything sounded so positive. But... why did she feel this way? Neither purely joyful nor purely sorrowful, but suspended in some strange liminal space, uneasy and unsettled.
Hyun-soo felt like a monster. She couldn’t greet this child, who had entered her life, with unconditional love. It felt so unnatural, like something was broken inside her.
Other mothers wouldn’t feel this way. Why did she? Though she had never met it, she already felt the need to apologize to the tiny life growing within her. Maybe its mother was somehow defective. Please forgive me.
“Finally, he’s here.”
Hyunseo, who had been scrolling through her phone, stood up. Hyun-soo, who had been staring blankly, turned her gaze toward the approaching figure. Unable to face him, she looked away.
“The doctor?”
“He finished rounds and left. Luckily, the baby seems fine.”
The familiar scent of him filled the air as he approached—she would recognize it anywhere.
Guk, the father of the child growing inside her, appeared calm and composed, handling the situation with eerie detachment.
“Still, given the bleeding, they strongly recommended bed rest and hospitalization.”
“What caused the bleeding?”
“Oh, she tripped or something. Hyun-soo’s always been clumsy, you know.”
“Who? Hyun-soo?”
“Yeah. Didn’t you know?”
Hyunseo blatantly lied, avoiding eye contact as she picked up her handbag. As she prepared to leave, Hyun-soo glanced at her.
“...Where are you going?”
“Where else? Home.”
“You’re leaving? Just like that?”
“He’s here now. Isn’t that enough?”
Hyunseo’s indifferent response elicited no reaction from Hyun-soo—she hadn’t expected anything different. However, Hyun-soo noticed the icy daggers in Guk’s eyes as he watched Hyunseo’s behavior.
“I’ll stay. You can go now.”
“See? She says she’ll handle things. I’ll trust her and leave.”
Hyunseo smiled sweetly at Guk, ignoring Hyun-soo completely as she exited the room. The spacious ward was now filled only with silence and the two of them.
“I was already on my way back to Seoul.”
“...”
“You have no idea how panicked I was. You can’t imagine the state of mind I was in rushing here.”
“...”
“Kim Hyun-soo. Are you going to keep avoiding me like this?”
Hyun-soo’s gaze remained fixed on the pale white wall. Guk kicked the visitor’s chair lightly and sat down beside her. His voice, once distant, now came close.
“You seem upset. Talk to me.”
“…There’s nothing to say.”
“Don’t make me dig deeper if you’re upset.”
Hyun-soo slowly turned her head to meet Guk’s eyes. Her unfocused, vacant stare made him furrow his brow as though sensing something was off.
“I told you, there’s nothing. Stop bothering me.”
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