Chapter 8

“You said you’d be here before lunch. Why are you only just now arriving?”

They say the tiger appears when you speak of it. Serin, in a silver mini dress, was coming down the stairs. Dressed flashily, she was clearly the star of the exhibition.

Yaein recalled how Serin had insisted she come unadorned because it was “just an exhibition.” She smoothed the sleeves of her simple black dress.

“I’m here on time, Sister.”

Serin only snorted. Even after the wedding, her attitude toward her stepsister hadn’t changed much. At least she watched her words when Yaein’s husband was around, but whenever Yaein was alone, she acted just like before.

“Where’s your husband?”

Serin tilted her head and looked around behind Yaein, even though she must have known it was unlikely he could come at this hour.

“He just got back from a business trip yesterday, so I don’t think he can make it.”

She hadn’t told him about the exhibition on purpose. Nothing good ever came of putting him in the same space as her sister. Even if she had told him, he wouldn’t have come. He was too busy to bother pleasing his in-laws.

“Figures he’s not coming. You two hardly ever go anywhere together anymore, do you?”

Serin seemed pleased by this answer, smiling smugly. Yaein responded with a smile of her own—Serin would find fault with whatever she said.

She still had no idea why Serin hated her this much. Was it solely because she was a stepchild?

“Sorry about that. My bad.”

Serin shrugged, not looking sorry at all.

“It’s all in the past now.”

“Sure. It’s not exactly respectable to lie about your background, is it? Especially when you don’t even know where your own mother is.”

“…”

“You must’ve had a hard time fooling your in-laws, too. Can’t keep them in the dark forever, so you took this chance to confess, huh?”

So that’s why Serin brought it up. How obvious. She was determined not to miss any chance to tear Yaein down.

Still, deep down, Yaein had hoped that if she went along quietly, Serin might eventually accept her as a sister. Maybe not like her, but at least acknowledge her.

“Why do you go this far, Sister?”

“What?”

“I’ve always wanted to ask. Do you really hate me that much?”

As Yaein continued her quiet questioning, Serin’s lips twisted with tension. Her neck was flushing red with anger.

In any case, once she left this place after splitting from Taeheon, Yaein wouldn’t see her anymore. She might never get another chance to ask the question she had swallowed for so long, hoping they could be a family. It was now or never.

“I got married in your place. The fact that you’re even able to hold this exhibition now… you could say it’s partly thanks to me, right?”

“What are you on about all of a sudden? Besides, why would my exhibition have anything to do with you or my mom? You’re being ridiculous.”

“Your mother’s still part of the foundation, and that’s thanks to my in-laws’ money, isn’t it?”

“What did you just say…? Aren’t you done talking yet? It’s been over a year. Still bragging? If that’s how you want to put it, you only got married into that rich family because of Father.”

“Father’s business is always a mess. If he’d done better, I’d never have ended up married just to cover the company’s deficits.”

Their father was a so-called black-sheep second-generation chaebol. With multiple siblings above and below him, the family, fed up with his antics, gave him only enough that he wouldn’t be a disgrace and kicked him out. Leaving the family didn’t magically grant him business sense, so he kept causing trouble. Whenever he found himself drowning in debt, he’d beg his father and siblings for help.

Having been nearly disowned, he could no longer lean on his family. So he decided to seek aid from Taeheon’s company—by selling his illegitimate daughter.

Under the glaring lights of the exhibition hall, Serin’s eyes gleamed with the same rage and contempt she’d shown on the day she discovered the truth a year ago.

“Your mother contacted you,” 

Serin had told Yaein at a family dinner, looking just as she did now—full of excitement at delivering the news. Yaein recalled vividly how delighted Serin seemed.  

“Could you meet her without your in-laws knowing? They think you’re my mom’s real daughter.”

Their father-in-law overheard that whispered conversation in a corner. His furious roar shook the garden.  

Serin had exaggeratedly helped the reeling Yaein, as though in a play, chuckling softly under her breath. At that moment, Yaein was certain this hadn’t happened by chance. Serin, who’d greeted Yaein so warmly that evening, had been waiting for this moment all along.

“What are you going to do, Yaein?”  

She would never forget the laughter hanging on Serin’s eyes.  

Before her father-in-law’s rage, or even the stinging slap from her betrayed mother-in-law, came the sharp delight that slashed at Yaein, drawing first blood.

“What are you going to do now, Yaein?”  

The cold hatred in Serin’s voice was just as it had been then. She jabbed Yaein’s chest with her forefinger.  

“You must really be stupid. Why do I hate you? You’re still clueless enough to ask me that?”

Her fury seemed to burn all the way to the top of her head, and her voice cracked shrilly. She advanced on Yaein, hurling her words like missiles.

“From the moment you came into our house, I hated you.”

The force of her shove pushed Yaein backward, and the stairs behind her loomed ominously.

“You show up in my life, and it makes my skin crawl! You mentioned my father’s business like I should be grateful? Stop pretending to be so noble!”

There’s no real reason, so there’s no way to fix it. Her mere existence brings out their hatred.  

No matter what she does, these people will never accept her.

Even though she already knew that, having it thrown in her face made her feel as though the ground had dropped away beneath her feet. There was nowhere to stand, no place to lean, nowhere to stay—there never had been, not for Yaein.

“I understand.”

Hands clenched into fists, Yaein looked Serin squarely in the eye.

“I guess I had no reason to be nice to you, Sister. It was pointless to try, since you don’t appreciate anything I’ve done.”

“What did you say?”

“I’m leaving now. I enjoyed the exhibition.”

She no longer had any reason to feel disappointed. Once she divorced Taeheon, there would be no more ties to this family.

A push came from behind.

She felt a slight shove on her back, her ankle twisting as she spun around. Serin stood there, calmly watching—this was no accident.

No. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around her belly. But there was nothing more she could do.

Her balance tipped downward. She was falling. She squeezed her eyes shut for an instant—then someone’s arms caught her. A solid chest pressed firmly against her, saving her from the impact.

In that embrace, she recognized a familiar scent. It was heavy and almost animal-like, the sweet trace that remained on their sheets. She checked the face of the one who’d caught her.

“Taeheon…”

He looked just as flawless as he had when leaving home earlier. He should still be at work right now, in that impeccable state.

Is this an illusion? For a split second she wondered, but there was no mistaking the feel of his hand gently stroking her back.

When Taeheon’s piercing gaze fell on her, Yaein bit her lip. He was furious.

Probably because she’d come here alone without his knowledge.

“Oh my goodness. Yaein, are you okay?”

Serin hurried down the stairs. She must have been watching from above, waiting until Taeheon appeared before making her move. Yaein frowned at her.

“You should have been more careful. These marble steps can be slippery.”

Hearing Serin click her tongue while pretending concern left a bitter taste in Yaein’s mouth.

No matter how much you hate someone, how can you go this far? She couldn’t understand it.  

Serin had just endangered not only Yaein but also the child in her belly. That was something Yaein could never forgive.

Yaein closed her moist eyes, then opened them and glared at Serin.  

“How can you be so… petty?”

“What are you talking about?”

Feigning ignorance, Serin reached out in a kindly gesture.

In that moment, Yaein tried to dodge Serin’s hand.

Slap.  

A sharp sound echoed. It was Taeheon, swatting Serin’s hand away.

Serin, clutching her now red hand, opened and closed her mouth in shock. Her face flushed as red as her hand.

“H-how could you do that?!”

“I believe that’s my line.”

Taeheon stepped between Serin and Yaein.

“This person nearly got seriously injured because of you, Sister-in-law.”

“You’ve got to be kidding! I didn’t do a thing. Yaein slipped on her own. Are you taking her side just based on her word, blaming me?”

“In a situation like this, most would trust their wife.”

Serin seemed at a loss for words at his calm reply.

“My wife always walks carefully. She wouldn’t accuse someone without being sure.”

“Look here!”

Seething, Serin turned on him. Facing the towering Taeheon clearly intimidated her, so she leveled her gaze over his shoulder to point at Yaein.

“And you—are you just going to keep your mouth shut? Must be nice, having your husband back you up so you can hide behind him and watch quietly!”

Her heated accusations were ludicrous. Taeheon’s gaze, turned on Serin as she sniped at Yaein, was icy cold.

“Is this how you normally treat people?”

“What? Hey, you’re the ones blaming me out of nowhere—”

“If you invite someone who’s not in the best health, isn’t it your responsibility to ensure they don’t get hurt?”

“Sounds like you have a gripe with everything. Can’t I invite my sister to come see my exhibition?”

“Exactly.”

Taeheon cut Serin off at once.

“I was asking if this is how you treat a younger sibling, but it seems you don’t get it.”

Behind him, Yaein swallowed hard. Hearing the word “younger sibling” made her chest sting.

“Now I understand why Director Baek keeps telling you not to make trouble. In an art world where reputation and connections matter, you don’t seem suited for quietly getting things done without drama.”

Serin flinched at his words.

Though Serin essentially operated under her mother’s name—Director Baek Sojeong—she got anxious whenever her mother was mentioned. She had no qualms about tormenting Yaein cruelly, yet ironically, she and her mother were most cautious around Taeheon.

Her stepmother dismissed Taeheon’s entire family over their background, but whenever she actually faced him, she grew wary, always keeping track of his news.  

Yaein had once overheard her stepmother say that Serin should have married Kwon Taeheon, for all her talk of him being a thug. She belittled him, yet she was equally busy chasing her own ambitions.