The only doctor Yeongja knew in the neighborhood was Jinho.

She grabbed her phone and urgently called him. He arrived quickly, lifted Ina into his arms, and rushed her to a fairly large hospital in the busy district.

“She’s pregnant. From the ultrasound, the baby still seems alright for now, but the patient’s condition is very poor. She’s severely dehydrated and has also experienced bleeding. She’ll need to be hospitalized for a while to recover.”

Pregnant, he had said.

She was so thin that her wrist was barely thicker than a handful.

For several days and nights, Yeongja stayed up caring for her.

At first, Ina had been full of wariness, but little by little she began to open her heart to Yeongja.

“From the looks of it, you don’t seem to have anywhere to go. Do you want to live with me?”

Yeongja looked at Ina with tender eyes. She couldn’t simply ignore someone younger than her own daughter.

Perhaps, seeing a mother who continued living even though she had wanted to die, her daughter had sent this girl to give her someone to hold on to.

And Ina was pregnant as well.

So Yeongja decided to take her in as if she were her own daughter.

“I’ll be your grandmother.”

At those words, Ina began to cry quietly.

Feeling sorry for her, Yeongja held her hand, and the two of them cried together.

Not long after that, a middle-aged woman and a man came looking for her.

“Patient Son Yeongja, please come in for your appointment.”

The nurse’s voice rang in her ears, pulling her out of her memories.

Ina, who had been sitting beside her, stood up while holding Yeongja’s hand.

“Let’s go, Grandma.”

Forcing the corners of her lips upward, Ina gave Yeongja a deliberate smile.

***

The consultation did not take long.

Compared to the effort it had taken to secure the appointment and wait for it, it felt almost unfair.

Barely five minutes had passed, yet a strange sense of emptiness crept into her chest.

The next examination was scheduled for three weeks later, and the next consultation four weeks after that.

It was nothing but waiting, over and over again.

“Ha…”

Ina let out a quiet sigh.

Yeongja, who had returned home with her, also looked deeply disappointed. Though she kept saying she was fine and told Ina not to worry, the doctor’s somewhat overly cold attitude seemed to have hurt her feelings.

Jinho explained, almost as if making excuses, that university hospitals were always crowded with patients, so the doctors could only deal with people in a strictly professional manner.

Even so, the hollow feeling refused to fade.

“Grandma, tomorrow I’m going to Seoul. I’m planning to sign a lease for a place and come back. I’ll look for work while I’m there.”

“Stay here. I told you I hate Seoul.”

“That won’t do. You have to receive treatment and live with me for a long time. Let’s go to Seoul.”

“With what money would we live there? I know exactly what your pockets look like. You couldn’t even rent a single-room place.”

Yeongja’s words were true, and Ina had no answer.

Yeongja had lived in Seoul before moving to Tongyeong, so she clearly knew the cost of living well.

“I can manage.”

“Seon-woo.”

“So please take care of Dahyeon for me. I’ll be back soon.”

Would things have been a little better if she had at least graduated from university?

Because she had dropped out, she was now only a high school graduate. On top of that, she had a child, which limited the jobs she could find.

It seemed best to secure a place to live first, then search for work nearby.

But would she even be able to find a place?

The money Jinho had given her to help with housing kept flashing through her mind, but she couldn’t bring herself to use it.

She couldn’t rely on him forever.

“I wanna sleep with Grandma.”

“Our puppy wants to sleep with Grandma today?”

“Yes.”

Dahyeon burrowed into Yeongja’s arms, acting cute.

Thanks to her, Yeongja’s face—dark with worry all day—brightened a little.

“Grandma’s tired. Sleep with Mom.”

“Tired? Not at all. Sleep with Grandma tonight. You go and get some rest. Dahyeon, come here and lie down.”

Watching Dahyeon scamper over and curl up in Yeongja’s arms, Ina let out another quiet sigh.

She stared at them for a moment before finally standing, as if giving up.

“Good night. My train leaves early tomorrow morning, so I probably won’t be able to make breakfast.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Leaving the two behind—people she couldn’t help worrying about—Ina stepped out of Yeongja’s room.

The only family left to her in this world.

Yeongja, who was like a parent to her, and her own daughter.

Thinking of the two of them, Ina steadied her heart.

***

In the end, she had come.

Tilting her head back, Ina looked up at the headquarters of H Electronics.

The grand building was so imposing that simply looking at it made her feel intimidated.

“……”

Her gaze lowered as she stared at it.

Standing here, she could feel all too clearly just how vast the gap between her and him truly was.

It wasn’t anything new, yet it felt as though a heavy stone had been placed on her chest, leaving her utterly suffocated.

“Hoo…”

Ina took a deep breath.

Now that she stood at a dead end, she had only one choice left.

She couldn’t accept the money from Jinho, who had already helped her for five years. But she also couldn’t turn her back on Yeongja, who meant more to her than her own parents.

Going to Taeyun had been the one thing she believed she must never do.

That was why she had gone up to Seoul again and again, trying desperately to find a place to live and a job.

But the results had been disastrous.

Seoul’s unbearable cost of living. The absurdly high deposits. The monthly rent and maintenance fees she would have to pay.

And on top of that, Yeongja’s medical expenses.

As well as the one hundred million won Taeyun was demanding she repay.

There was no path forward she could see.

As if making up her mind, she slowly stepped into the building.

She didn’t know whether coming here would even allow her to meet him, but since he was the Executive Director of H Electronics, she had come anyway.

Walking across the magnificent lobby, her face stiffened slightly.

Unsure where to go, she looked around until an information desk caught her eye.

As she approached, the employee greeted her politely with a bright smile.

“Good afternoon. How may I assist you?”

“Ah…”

She had come all this way, yet the words would not come out.

As Ina hesitated awkwardly, the employee smiled kindly again, as if reassuring her.

“You may go ahead and tell me.”

“Um… I came to see Executive Director Han Taeyun.”

At the unexpected name, a flicker of surprise crossed the employee’s face.

“Did you perhaps schedule an appointment in advance?”

“No. I didn’t.”

“Then I’m afraid that will be difficult.”

The employee refused immediately.

Ina was just as flustered.

‘What should I do?’

She did have his number…

Should she call him directly?

“If you don’t have a prior appointment, you won’t be able to meet him. I’m sorry.”

As if confirming it firmly, the employee bowed slightly while repeating the refusal.

After a moment of hesitation, Ina lowered her head and quietly turned away.

Standing once again in front of the building’s main entrance, she finally tapped his number.

***

Thud! Thud!

Inside the enclosed space, the sound of a ball striking the wall echoed together with rough breathing.

Taeyun kept his eyes fixed on the ball while gripping his racket.

Each time he swung his long arms sharply, the ball ricocheted in every direction.

“Ha… ha…”

His mind was crowded with restless thoughts, so he had come to the squash court again today.

His sharp eyes chased the small ball.

Screech—thud!

“Ah…!”

The sound of his sneakers sliding rang out as Taeyun lost his footing and practically tumbled onto the court floor.

“Hah… hah…”

Lying on the floor, Taeyun breathed heavily while staring blankly up at the ceiling.

His chest rose and fell sharply with every breath.

No matter how much he exhausted his body like this, sleep never came.

Insomnia.

It was one of the things he had gained after Yoon Ina disappeared.

For a brief moment, as the thought of Ina crossed his mind, he missed the ball.

Pathetic.

The woman who had once hurled harsh words at him without even blinking.

It was hard to believe she was the same Yoon Ina he once knew—she had been so cold.

“……”

No matter how deeply he investigated, he couldn’t find the slightest clue as to what she had been doing during those missing years.

By now, he should have given up.

Why couldn’t he forget her, even after she had given birth to another man’s child?

He laughed bitterly at his own pathetic state.

He had threatened her, but he didn’t truly understand what he intended to do.

He believed that once he found her and knew where she was, he would finally be able to let her go without lingering feelings.

But reality was far different from that quiet resolve.

The way his thoughts refused to settle made it clear that he needed a cold shower.

Breathing heavily, Taeyun slowly pushed his exhausted body upright.

Just then, the quiet room was interrupted by the vibration of his phone.

Taeyun raised his wrist to check who was calling.

The moment he saw the name, a strange glint flashed in his eyes.

He pressed the Bluetooth earbud already in his ear.

“Yes.”

He answered with a short reply.

There was a faint hesitation on the other end.

Taeyun tossed the racket in his hand onto the floor.

With a dull thud, it rolled across the court.

“If you called, say what you need to say. Don’t drag it out.”

His cold voice echoed across the court.

Frowning slightly, Taeyun picked up the water bottle in front of him.

“I want to meet you.”

“Why? Planning to pay the money back? Did you get it from that bastard?”

Every time he opened his mouth, nothing good came out.

When he asked in a crooked tone, her voice returned after a brief silence.

“I’m… standing in front of H Electronics headquarters right now.”

A faint, crooked smile formed at the corner of his lips.

Wiping the sweat from his face with a towel, he spoke.

“I’ll send you the address. Come to my place.”