Episode 12

Choi Ji-hye.

A child who resembled Soo-ah stood before Hyun. Ji-hye clutched Soo-ah's hand tightly.

"You know this already, right? This is my daughter, Ji-hye."

"..."

"Ji-hye, say hello."

At Soo-ah's words, Ji-hye politely bowed her head and greeted Hyun. However, despite Ji-hye's greeting, Hyun gazed at her without saying a word.

His cousin's child.

Although she was his niece, Hyun's expression was not pleasant. In fact, it might have been because she was family that he reacted this way. Soo-ah, aware of this, hurriedly added,

"I really wanted you to meet her at least once. See? She looks a lot like me, doesn’t she?"

"..."

"Although she's my daughter, you have no idea how gentle and well-behaved she is."

Ji-hye, still clinging to Soo-ah, quietly looked up at Hyun. After a moment of hesitation, the child opened her mouth.

"Are you Ji-hye’s daddy?"

"What?"

It wasn’t Hyun who was most surprised by Ji-hye’s bombshell question. It was Kang-chan, who had just left the room after taking his call.

"Daddy, what... What is she talking about? And why is this child here...?"

"She's my daughter. And don’t worry. I asked for permission to bring her here."

There was no need to mention who bestowed Soo-ah that permission. Kang-chan’s mouth fell agape at the sight of Ji-hye, but Hyun remained silent.

"Ji-hye, go over there and draw for a bit."

"Okay."

At Soo-ah's urging, Ji-hye ran to the living room and began drawing. Only then did Soo-ah open her mouth.

"I divorced a year after giving birth. So she doesn’t know who her real father is. I said I would take care of the child when we split."

"..."

"That is why she keeps asking every man she sees if he's her father."

Soo-ah's explanation seemed to slightly relieve Kang-chan, though he still glanced nervously at Hyun, who finally spoke up.

"...So there was no contact at all after the divorce?"

"None. I told you, it was a loveless marriage. We’re complete strangers now."

"..."

"Hyun, I know you still have a grudge against the fact that I was married. But... we were never in love. Please believe that."

Soo-ah's trembling hand gently grasped Hyun's. Tears welled up in her eyes, prompting Hyun to sigh deeply.

"Okay. I get it. Don’t cry."

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t help it..."

Soo-ah wiped the corners of her eyes with her fingers.

"The child is innocent. And... I really wanted to show Ji-hye to you. I know you don’t want kids, but you don’t dislike them. Besides, you’ve always liked quiet children."

Indeed, Ji-hye was drawing quietly with colored pencils, not making a fuss or throwing a tantrum. After a while, she finished her drawing and ran over to show it to Soo-ah.

"Mom, look at this."

"Oh my, did Ji-hey draw this? The three of us?"

"Yes."

The paper Ji-hye handed over depicted three people standing side by side. The small child and woman in the drawing were Ji-hye and Soo-ah, and the man next to them was Hyun. Soo-ah smiled at the drawing of the three standing closely together.

"It’s well drawn, isn’t it, Hyun?"

She handed the drawing to Hyun. As he stared at it, his gaze shifted to Ji-hye, who was looking at him expectantly.

"...You did draw it well."

"Right? The kid must take after me, she seems to have a knack for this."

Hyun quietly agreed. Ji-hye's lips curled up in a pleased smile, and Soo-ah praised her daughter. As Kang-chan observed from behind, he couldn’t shake his unease.

---

"..."

So-jung lost her balance and stumbled when she collided with someone from the corner, only to be quickly held by the man. She stared at his smiling face for a while before she stood up.

"I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going."

"No, it’s partly my fault for walking too fast. Are you hurt?"

"No, thanks to you. Fortunately, only my phone fell."

So-jung picked up her phone from the ground. The screen was cracked, but it was still functioning.

"Is your phone broken?"

"Yes, but it’s working, so it’s alright. I’ll get it repaired."

"I’m sorry. I must have grabbed you too hard and caused you to drop it. I’ll cover the repair cost."

Although it wasn't his fault, the man seemed quite apologetic. So-jung waved her hands dismissively.

"No, it would have if I had fallen without your help. You don’t need to do that."

"But I still feel bad. This wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t collided... Ah, just a moment."

The man pulled out his wallet and handed her a business card.

"Here’s my card. Contact me for the repair costs."

"No, truly, it’s not necessary."

So-jung tried to refuse the card, but the man was persistent.

"I’ll feel better if you take it. Please."

"...I won’t contact you even if I take it."

So-jung felt it was better to be clear, but the man continued to smile.

"Still, take it. If you’re hesitant about asking for money, I might be able to help in another way."

"..."

"I feel bad about this. Please."

It seemed endless. So-jung eventually received the card.

Jung Do-yoon.

The card bore the name of the man and his company.

Y Hotel?

Y Hotel was as large as the H Hotel, where Hyun was currently the representative. So-jung studied Do-yoon, the man in front of her, and his business card.

Despite his friendly demeanor and bright smile, he didn’t fit the typical image of a CEO. However, the card confirmed that he was indeed the sole representative of Y Hotel.

"Why? Do I not look like a CEO?"

"Oh, it’s just..."

"I get that a lot. People always tell me I need to act more serious. Do I really seem that way to you too?"

Do-yoon laughed as if he read So-jung's thoughts.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. But I don’t have a business card on me. What should I do?"

"It’s fine. I gave you mine, after all. If you need to call later, just mention 'phone.' I’ll remember."

She probably wouldn’t call, but considering he was the CEO of Y Hotel, they might meet again somewhere. So-jung nodded.

By the way, has the hotel’s CEO changed? She recalled it was a different person.

So-jung pondered over mentioning her connection to H Hotel but decided against it. Bringing it up would inevitably lead to speaking about Hyun, and if Do-yoon wished to meet him, things could get complicated.

"Are you here to visit someone at the hospital?"

"Yes, I have a family member who’s been hospitalized for a long time."

The two walked out of the hospital together. Do-yoon responded to her family member’s hospitalization in kind.

"It's the same for me. I'm visiting someone at the hospital as well."

"Ah, then I guess you're on your way right now."

"Uh, actually, I didn't stop by their room."

"Yes?"

Surprised by the unexpected answer, So-jung reacted.

"We’re not on good terms. That was why I visited today, only to leave."

"Oh, I see."

If he visited the hospital but couldn’t bring himself to enter, the person must have been important to him. However, So-jung chose not to ask further. There was nothing more to say, and the hospital exit was already in sight.

"Which way are you headed? Can I give you a ride?"

"I have an errand nearby. You go ahead first."

A car was waiting for Do-yoon at the exit. He extended his hand to So-jung. After a brief hesitation, she shook it.

"Nice to meet you, despite the circumstances."

"..."

"Please contact me if you need anything."

After shaking hands, Do-yoon entered his car and left. So-jung alternated her gaze between the business card and her cracked phone.

She told him it wasn’t necessary...

But given who he was, their paths could cross again. So-jung placed the business card in her wallet.

As she put her wallet away, she recalled Do-yoon’s face. Despite this being their first meeting, there was a strange familiarity about him. Had she seen him somewhere before? As she pondered this, her phone rang.

—Where are you? Why aren’t you here yet?

A sharp voice rang through the phone. She didn’t need to check the caller ID to know who it was.

"I had an errand to run. I’m near the restaurant, so I won’t be late. Don’t worry."

—You should be there at least 30 minutes early. What if they find a reason to complain?

"I’m coming right now."

There was still plenty of time, but Mi-ae's voice was particularly sharp today. Aware of the reason, So-jung quietly agreed.

So-jung and Mi-ae were to attend a dinner rendevous. It wouldn't be just the two of them. As So-jung reached the restaurant entrance, a couplet of voices could be heard nearby.

"I knew it. It’s just the two of us again."

"Don’t worry. I’ve got everything handled. It doesn’t matter who comes..."

So-jung stood by the entrance and observed Byeol and Woon who had just arrived.

The three people met eyes.

---

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