It was a bright spring day.

The weather was milder than usual for the time of year, so people were dressed lightly, and the warm sunlight poured into the park.

Taeyun stood to one side, his gaze fixed on a spot in the distance.

A group of children wearing identical gym uniforms had caught his attention. There must have been at least fifty of them.

Their faces were bright with happy smiles. They bickered playfully as they shared their lunchboxes and traded snacks.

Watching them pass around their biscuits, a small smile slowly formed on Taeyun’s lips.

Yet his eyes never left Dahyeon.

Even from far away, he recognized her instantly.

‘My daughter, whose smile was especially beautiful when she laughed.’

As he looked at her, Taeyun’s gaze grew softer.

“She was born seven weeks earlier than the due date. She stayed in an incubator for quite some time…”

Yeongmin looked guilty as he reported it to him.

He explained that even after the amniotic fl*id had broken, the baby hadn’t come out for a long time, and eventually they had had no choice but to perform a caesarean section.

Dahyeon was a child that Ina had protected with her life.

Ina had always carried emotional scars from being abandoned by her parents. Then she had been adopted, only to be abandoned again.

She was a person burdened with countless scars.

So Taeyun didn’t even need to hear it said aloud.

He could easily imagine the kind of heart Ina must have had while raising Dahyeon alone.

The thought of her knowing she was pregnant yet not telling him made his chest feel as though it were collapsing.

“Shall we go to the restroom for a moment? Anyone who needs to go, come with the teacher. The rest of you stay inside this area and keep playing.”

One of the teachers, who appeared to be the children’s form tutor, started to explain something to them.

About ten teachers could be seen.

After asking another teacher to supervise the students, the homeroom teacher led a small group towards the restroom.

Meanwhile, Dahyeon, who had no intention of going, remained seated, laughing and happily eating her snacks.

Taeyun was desperate to see Dahyeon up close.

But he couldn’t.

He couldn’t simply reveal that he was her father.

He was afraid that appearing so suddenly might only confuse her.

So, when he heard that she was going on a picnic, he came here early in the morning just to see her from afar.

Where should he even begin?

How was he supposed to explain everything?

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t find the answer.

“Mister, what’s your name?”

Dahyeon had once asked him that very question.

What would her reaction be if he told her he was her father?

He could still vividly remember Dahyeon’s voice asking for her father’s name.

For several days, Taeyun had been thinking about how he could bring Ina and Dahyeon back into his life.

The most important thing was to ensure that they wouldn’t be hurt any further.

He also wanted to reassure Ina because she was so worried.

“Oh? Mister!!”

Just then, Dahyeon, who had been running around playing with the other children, spotted Taeyun and called out to him.

Startled for a moment, Taeyun quickly composed his expression and gave a faint smile.

As Dahyeon tried to run over to him, the teacher stopped her with a wary look.

“He’s my mom’s friend. A friend!”

“Oh, hello.”

Taeyun had already walked over to Dahyeon and bowed politely toward the teacher.

The teacher returned the greeting reluctantly, though the suspicion in her eyes didn’t fade.

Dahyeon, now standing in front of him, smiled brightly.

“Mister, why are you here?”

“I was just passing by. Then I saw you.”

“What about your work?”

“I should be going soon.”

She must have been curious after seeing him in his suit.

Taeyun crouched down to be at her eye level.

She had looked beautiful from afar, but up close, her small, delicate face was even more adorable.

Taeyun took in as much of her face as he could.

“You came for a picnic?”

“Yes!”

Taeyun gently caressed her small cheek and smiled softly.

As he looked at his daughter, countless emotions passed through his eyes.

It was an indescribable feeling.

His chest felt heavy.

“Dahyeon.”

“Yes?”

“How is your mom?”

“No. Mom is very sick.”

Dahyeon frowned, looking upset.

The moment he heard the word sick, Taeyun felt as if his heart had dropped.

Looking at Dahyeon, he asked in a worried voice.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“A cold. She had a fever yesterday too, but she wouldn’t go to the hospital. Even when Grandma scolds her a lot, she won’t go. Dahyeon is brave, so I go to the hospital well.”

She had said work was hard.

It seemed she had pushed herself too far and ended up falling ill.

The image of her slender waist flashed in his mind.

She had looked as though she might collapse at any moment.

“Then Dahyeon should tell her to go to the hospital.”

“She just says she’s fine.”

“I see.”

Taeyun’s gaze sank deeply as he looked at Dahyeon’s face.

She resembled Ina so much.

Her beautiful smile when she laughed.

Her clear, gentle face.

Her bright, expressive eyes.

‘A child of Ina and me.’

The thought that she was his daughter made his chest ache.

After quietly looking at her, Taeyun gently held Dahyeon’s small hand.

Just then, the teacher’s voice calling the children together could be heard from afar.

“The teacher is calling you. Let’s see each other again next time, okay?”

“Mister, are you going to work?”

“Yes.”

“Goodbye!”

“Be careful.”

“Okay!”

Dahyeon bowed politely before running towards the group of children.

As Taeyun stood up, the teacher nodded slightly at him.

He returned the gesture and stood there for quite some time.

As Dahyeon walked towards the bus, she suddenly turned around and waved at Taeyun.

Taeyun smiled faintly and waved back.

‘My name.’

‘When will I be able to tell you?’

Taeyun watched Dahyeon with troubled eyes.

***

“Are you feeling a little better?”

“Ah…”

“Just lie down.”

When Ina tried to sit up, Jinho stopped her.

Ultimately, she couldn’t bear it and left work early to go home.

Her body felt unbearably heavy, and she couldn’t stand properly in the shop.

She had put so much strain on her heart by pushing herself so hard that it seemed to have taken its toll.

She had groaned with a high fever, but after taking some medicine and sleeping for a while, she felt slightly better.

“…!”

Suddenly, she felt a hand touch her forehead.

If it had just been a doctor checking her condition, she wouldn’t have thought much of it.

However, Jinho had recently been showing an unusual level of personal interest in her.

Ina pressed her lips together in confusion.

“It’s still a little hot. I brought some porridge, so eat.”

“….”

“Your grandmother called and said she was worried. That’s why I came.”

It seemed Yeongja had called him.

‘She really didn’t have to do that.’

Ina thought with a quiet sigh.

Turning her head, she checked the clock.

Dahyeon would be coming home soon.

Since she had gone on a picnic today, Ina had been told she would be dismissed at five.

“Thank you. I’ll eat it.”

“Did you take medicine?”

“Yes. I did.”

Jinho narrowed his eyes.

Outside the room, Yeongja clicked her tongue and shook her head.

Because the house was small, stepping into the living room meant you were practically right outside Ina’s room.

“She only took one fever reducer. Didn’t even buy proper medicine. I don’t know why she’s acting like this.”

Muttering as if scolding her, Yeongja went into her room and closed the door.

Jinho had already heard the same thing during their phone call.

He placed a bag on Ina’s lap.

“Take it. I brought medicine for body aches and a cold.”

“….”

“If your heart is hurting, you shouldn’t let your body get sick too.”

Upon hearing his words, Ina slowly raised her gaze.

She must have been going through a hard time.

She looked terrible.

Seeing how much weight she had lost made Jinho’s heart ache even more.

Although he wanted to wait until things had settled down, he couldn’t stand by any longer.

Jinho frowned slightly and spoke.

“I’ve been waiting for you to sort things out yourself.”

“Doctor.”

“If you’re not going to get involved with that man anyway, you can use me instead.”

For a moment, Ina couldn’t understand what he meant.

Her eyes trembled slightly.

‘How much had Yeongja told him?’

Yeongja had been the one who firmly opposed Taeyun because of his mother.

She had said Jinho, who cared about her, would be a much better choice.

Yet it seemed she couldn’t hold herself back and had ended up telling him everything.

“I can help you as much as you need.”

“No. It’s okay.”

“Ina.”

“….”

Since she changed her name, he had always called her Seonwoo.

Having helped her with the name change and the registration of Dahyeon’s birth, ‘Yoon Seonwoo’ had become a more familiar name to him than ‘Ina’.

However, calling her by her old name suggested that he was no longer willing to stand by and do nothing.

“I’ve been watching this whole time. But seeing you sick like this… I can’t hold back anymore.”

He frowned and sighed.

He had pretended not to care, remaining calm and waiting quietly by her side.

However, as he watched her grow thinner and thinner, he realized that he couldn’t wait any longer.

He was afraid she might collapse one day.

Malnutrition in this day and age!

The memory of Ina collapsing in the shop five years ago was still vivid in his mind.

“If you give me permission, I’ll raise Dahyeon well, just like I’ve been doing.”

“That’s ridiculous…”

“So if you want to push that man away, just tell me. I’ll go and settle it myself.”

Ina’s lips parted slightly.