Episode 33

Another silence ensued. Soo-ah, who had been clutching her clothes with trembling fists, managed to regain her smile, though her lips quivered slightly.

“What do you mean, all of a sudden?”

“…”

“Of course, it was me. How else would I know your name and age?”

“You could have figured it out with some investigation. The servants called me by name when they came to the house that day, and you were there.”

Soo-ah's lips parted slightly but then pressed together tightly. Seeing her avoiding eye contact and remaining silent, Hyun let out a small sigh.

“Right. Even if I say this, there’s nothing I can do if you deny it.”

There was only circumstantial evidence, no solid proof. But for Hyun, that didn’t matter much.

“But I think I don’t care anymore whether you were the person I met back then or not.”

Soo-ah's head jerked at Hyun’s words. Her eyes trembled in shock.

“…What do you mean by that?”

“I told you. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Hyun’s eyes, now void of any particular emotion, gazed at Soo-ah. Realizing this, Soo-ah began to stammer.

“Why, why, just why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”

“…”

“Is it because I made you feel burdened? Was bringing Ji-hye too tiring? Then I won’t bring her anymore. And about seeing each other again as I said before, you can think about it slowly…”

“Your initial purpose for coming here was to help me regain my memory, not to see me again."

“…”

“If I have no intention of dating you again, will you keep coming here?”

Soo-ah couldn’t say anything. Hyun predicted as much. He turned his head and pointed towards the door.

“Just leave.”

“…”

“You didn’t come here to help me regain my memory, so there’s no reason for you to stay. You don’t need to come anymore.”

At Hyun’s firm tone, Soo-ah's shoulders flinched. However, she stayed put and opened her mouth.

“…I-is it because I left you and married someone else? Right?”

“…”

“There were truly unavoidable circumstances. That’s why I came to find you like this now. Okay, Hyun...”

With a rather desperate tone, Soo-ah took a step towards Hyun. However, Hyun’s face remained extremely dry.

“No, that's enough now.”

It was astonishing even to himself. How he could feel so indifferent towards someone who was once a past lover and with whom he shared memories? However, he had been slowly changing. Even when he met Hoon, it wasn’t so much that he was angry over his marriage to Soo-ah, but more that he was enraged Hoon did it in spite. He was more shocked when Hoon claimed he lost his memory while trying to save So-Jung.

Lee So-Jung.

Yes, at some point, he acknowledged that she was the biggest cause of his change. Though he had no recollection, Hyun quickly realized the fact.

“You must have vaguely felt it too. That I’m not the same as before.”

Despite recognizing he had changed, Soo-ah constantly tried to cover everything with past stories and memories. But time had passed, and just like the gap created by their separation, their relationship was already out of sync.

“Go on.”

That was the end of Hyun’s conversation. The door to Hyun's room shut firmly, and Soo-ah could only stare blankly at it.

“…Mom.”

At that moment, Ji-hye, who reentered the villa, ran to Soo-ah. Kang-Chan, who stood behind Ji-Hye, approached while holding a cell phone.

“The CEO told me to see you off properly.”

“…”

“If you didn’t bring your car, I could…”

“No, that’s not necessary.”

It was an order to see her off, but essentially it meant to escort her out of the house. Soo-ah bit her lip, then took Ji-hye’s hand and walked outside. Ji-hye observed her mother's face and opened her mouth.

“What about drawing?”

“…”

“I wanted to draw with Daddy…”

“Ji-hye, Mom needs to make a call, so be quiet.”

Although Ji-hye showed a rare look of disappointment, Soo-ah cut her off and moved her fingers over her phone. A few beeps later, someone answered the call.

“Yes, Mother. It’s me.”

Confirming the connection, Soo-ah quickly got to the point.

“Yes, yes. I’ve been going back and forth to the villa, but…I think we need to expedite things. Yes, yes. I will tell Father as well.”

Throughout the call, Soo-ah's expression remained rigid. Seeing her mother’s expression, Ji-hye held her hand even tighter, an anxious look plastered on her face.

---

“I need to tell him.”

“Tell what?”

“About Harim. I will tell him now."

So-jin stopped munching on the apple slice and lowered her fork.

“He will find out soon anyway… I had a lot to think about after seeing them together that day.”

After losing his memory, he became more unpredictable and sharper than anyone else.

But that day, even while grumbling, he gently patted Harim’s back while holding her. So-jung decided to hold onto a bit of hope.

“I don't think he will react negatively to finding out Harim is his daughter. Although it’s just my feeling… Anyway, that's all I have to say.”

“…”

“And it’s getting harder to hide. There are limits, after all.”

“Yes, Sister. You’ve made the right decision.”

So-jin nodded enthusiastically at So-jung’s words.

“Honestly, I'm ashamed to face Brother-in-law, now that I've become a single mom madly in love with some unknown Mr. Choi.”

“…What is that? Why are you in love with Mr. Choi?”

“It’s just something that happened… Anyway, I'm fine. When are you planning to tell him? Should I be there with you?”

“No, it’s best if it’s just the two of us.”

It was better to say it sooner now that she had decided to speak. But the lingering anxiety in her heart stood evident as So-jung constantly fiddled with her teacup.

“Alright then. If Brother-in-law doesn’t treat Harim like his daughter, then I won’t treat him like my brother-in-law either. I’ll just call him Mr. Choi Hyun.”

Sensing So-jung’s anxiety, So-jin proceeded to feign toughness on purpose. As So-jin rambled on, So-jung managed a small smile, and then her phone vibrated.

Hmm?

The vibration was a message. The sender was Do-yoon.

Haven’t seen you at the hospital lately. Everything okay?

Hospital…

In fact, after the divorce talks, she thought her last visit to Seok was her final goodbye, so she hadn’t been to the hospital since. Thinking this far made So-jung realize there was another matter she needed to discuss aside from Ha-Rim.

I need to talk about the divorce as well.

So-jung’s grip tightened on her phone. As she stared at her phone for a while, So-jin asked.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Nothing much. Just a text.”

“Just a text?”

So-kin, with her keen sense, peered at So-jung’s phone screen. When she saw the message's content, her eyes widened.

“Who’s this guy? Why is he so concerned about you going to the hospital?”

“Someone I met when visiting Father-in-law.”

“Who is it? What’s his name?”

“You wouldn’t know him. He’s the CEO of J Hotel.”

So-jin quickly typed on her phone and soon found a picture of Do-yoon.

“What? A man?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s good-looking.”

So-jin’s eyes sparkled as she closely inspected the screen.

“But why? Why is he sending you such messages?”

“Not sure. We exchanged numbers before, but this is the first time he’s sent a message, so I’m surprised.”

Just then, another text arrived alongside a vibration.

Can we meet if you have time? I have something to give you.

So-jin’s jaw dropped.

“...Does he know you’re married?”

“Yes, we briefly talked about my husband.”

“Then why? It sounds like he’s asking for a second date or something.”

“…”

At So-jin’s words, So-jung remained silent and fiddled with her phone.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to meet him to find out. Maybe he really has something to give me.”

Do-yoon was a hotel CEO. They could have business matters to discuss. However, So-jin remained skeptical.

“It’s kind of funny. No matter what, you’re a married woman, but he’s acting like this. Honestly, even though Brother-in-law lost his memory, he wouldn’t react well if he found out.”

“…”

“Has someone spread rumors about you and Brother-in-law being on bad terms?”

“What, that's too much..."

As So-jin mumbled, So-jung’s eyes widened. She moved her fingers quickly and entered the group chat with the kindergarten moms.

“…”

Today, the chat was eerily quiet. No one was saying a word.

---

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