“Ha… ah.”

A sharp sigh escaped Tae-yang’s mouth.

‘F*ck.’

Who could understand the misery of having to come to work at the weekend? Nobody appreciated it and nobody cared, but there was a simple reason why he dragged himself into the office at the weekend.

He had taken the next day off. He had promised to watch the New Year’s sunrise with her by the ocean, so he needed to complete his important tasks in advance.

Back then, he could immerse himself in work without even realizing he was tired. But these days, even going to work felt annoying. He hated it.

All he wanted was to be appointed to the board of directors and then spend all day at home doing nothing.

Travelling all year sounded good, too. He had been on plenty of business trips, but he had never travelled for fun before.

He had worked obsessively to achieve his current level of success.

“…….”

But in every imagined trip, two people were at his side. A future shared together kept forming in his mind.

His eyes stung from the workload. He really needed to quit or something.

‘F*ck, why is there so much to do?’

Just then, a knock sounded.

“Come in.”

The moment permission was given, the door opened, and Choi Heeju stepped in. She smiled with her eyes and lifted what she was holding.

“You’re hungry, right? Eat lunch before you keep working.”

She invited him to eat together as she sat on the sofa with the lunchboxes. Tae-yang slumped back into his chair.

“This place is famous for sushi, you know. I waited in line so we could eat together. I did good, right?”

She tapped her fingers against his desk, even though he hadn’t said he would eat with her, she opened the lids like it was only natural. He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Eat alone.”

“…What?”

Choi Heeju’s eyes rounded, as if she’d misheard.

“I don’t like sushi. You didn’t know?”

“But I bought it, so…”

“I’m not hungry. Take it and go.”

Having been raised like a princess, Heeju bit her lip, clearly stung by the insult. She was accustomed to being treated like royalty, and perhaps because no one had ever treated her like an ordinary person, she tended to do whatever she pleased. Occasionally, he needed to rein her in.

“Then I have to eat alone? Everyone else already ate. It’s the weekend, so barely anyone came in. Who am I supposed to eat with?”

She had always looked down on everyone, yet she was one of the few students who actually listened to him.

They had remained friends for so long because she was sensible enough not to push him past his limits.

But when had it started? When had Choi Heeju become so irritating?

“Are you five years old?”

The actual five-year-old he knew was solid, mature, and surprisingly composed for his age. Tae-yang’s eyes darkened.

“Stop whining and get out. Take your lunch. It smells.”

Choi Heeju knew exactly what would happen if she tested him further, so she left, grumbling under her breath. Rather than telling him she was angry, she left the sushi on his desk in a sulk.

He snorted. He didn’t spare the lunchbox a single glance.

Truthfully, he would have preferred the omurice she made for Hyesung to the sushi that people were queuing up to buy. He regretted snapping that he wouldn’t eat with her.

Even when he sat at the table on purpose, hoping they would eat together, she never once invited him.

“Mister should eat with us too.”

Hyesung had said that to her, but she’d been firm.

“Your uncle eats different food. He doesn’t like this.”

‘Ha.’

Eunha had absolutely no tact.

By now, she should have asked him at least once if he wanted to eat together.

Tae-yang let out a faint laugh. When they first met on a blind date, she was wearing shabby clothes and ragged shoes. But now, there wasn’t a trace of that anywhere.

The light pink cardigan she was wearing that morning made her look brighter than usual. Well, she was pretty.

Even when she showed up at the hotel in those pathetic clothes, she was pretty. Convinced that pink suited her, he tried to read the documents in front of him, but the words refused to register. He leaned back and rubbed his neck.

Suddenly, he remembered watching her drink through a straw the previous day.

She drank it too sensually.

A pool of heat gathered between his legs and he muttered a curse as he crossed them. Ever since that long-suppressed desire had burst forth, it had manifested itself at the most inconvenient moments, causing him endless trouble.

With a quiet sigh, Tae-yang opened his desk drawer. He pulled out the documents detailing her turbulent past that he had shoved in there.

He read them from start to finish. Without hesitating for a moment, he tore them to pieces. He shoved the crumpled pieces of paper into the bin.

‘Ha.’

He hadn’t got married just to be treated like this. But something kept nagging at him. No matter how he thought about it, something was off.

A woman who flushed and panicked at a single kiss, who trembled at the act itself, who burst into tears just from being touched — that same woman was supposed to have spent every day switching partners and living recklessly?

Tae-yang’s fingers tapped faster and faster against the desk. Although he had ordered the investigation, the results had been delivered by Choi Heeju.

There was no way… right?

Hee-ju could be childish, but she wasn’t cruel enough to forge something like that.

And yet—

Eunha had always been strangely sensitive around Heeju. From the very beginning. She constantly bothered him, making him feel on edge and even telling him not to meet her.

On the night of the business meeting, he was angry that Hyesung wasn’t his son. He was furious that someone so adorable and precious had a father who was indifferent to whether his child lived or died.

He hadn’t been able to hold it in. He’d acted pettily. He had deliberately hurt her.

After that, she avoided him, unable to bear seeing him. So he followed her all the way to her family home. He had planned to apologize, but he couldn’t find the words. The look of hurt on her face kept flickering in front of him.

Tae-yang lifted his phone and pressed the call button.

“Hello? Detective Park, how have you been?”

Detective Park had left the force and opened a private investigation office.

“There’s someone I need you to look into. Everything—from around six years ago, when they left for the U.S., until they returned to Korea. Money is not a concern. Please do it quickly.”

—”Then send me their information by message.”

“Will do.”

After ending the call, Tae-yang dragged a hand down his face. At the sound of knocking, he dropped his hand and lifted his head.

“Sir, I came to pick up the documents you finished approving.”

“Give me a moment.”

He hadn’t finished approving them. His mind was preoccupied with other things, making it difficult for him to focus on work. As Secretary Yoon approached his desk, she picked up the untouched lunchbox, knowing he wouldn’t be eating it.

While Tae-yang was signing the papers, he drifted off again.

He had booked a hotel near the Sokcho coast. But maybe he should switch to a guesthouse with a pool instead. They could swim at the hotel pool, but…

Only he should see her wearing a swimsuit. No one else was going to see it.

He remembered her saying that she didn’t have one. He should tell her to get one.

Apparently, Hyesung swam well. So Tae-yang should probably—

He froze.

“Crazy b*stard.”

‘What the h*ll am I thinking?’

His curse made Secretary Yoon flinch, but Tae-yang couldn’t stop the thoughts rushing through his head.

The day Hyesung gave him a kiss, the day he called him “Dad”—something inside him had shifted.

At first, he had been furious enough to want to kill her. He hated her so much he lashed out at her.

But now…

If it was her child—If it was Hyesung—Even if the child wasn’t his…

A small seed of change had sprouted.

“Secretary Yoon.”

“Yes?”

“When did they say that limited-edition LEGO set would arrive?”

“It’s scheduled to be delivered tomorrow.”

“Yeah? Good.”

Just imagining how happy Hyesung would be made the corner of his lips loosen.

“…Should we go to that place called LEGO Land someday?”

“…Sir?”

“No. Forget it. Take the documents and go.”

“Yes, understood.”

He had to admit it. He had tormented her because he felt betrayed.

He had devoted all his energy to planning their future and trying to win her back, yet she had left without saying a word. He hated her for it.

Then he heard that she had had a child with another man. While he lay awake, feeling as though he was dying, she seemed to be living happily. It felt as if he was the only one who hadn’t moved on.

“…Pathetic b*stard.”

He had behaved like a dog. Strangely enough, admitting it made him feel better.

He chuckled as he recalled her pushing him away and complaining that she wouldn’t kiss him anymore because her lips were swollen.

Then his phone vibrated.

He checked the screen and his eyes widened.

It was her. For the first time, she was the one calling him.

“Hello?”

He answered with a faint upward curl to his lips.

—“Tae-yang… Tae-yang! H-hic….”

She was crying.

Tae-yang shot to his feet. His heart plummeted.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

He wanted to shout at her to speak quickly, but he held back—fearing he would scare her—and forced his voice to stay gentle.

—”Mom… my mom c-collapsed… hospital… h-hic… hospital…”

Her voice trembled in panic, but he understood perfectly.

“Where are you? Are you on your way to the hospital?”

Without even grabbing his coat, Tae-yang bolted out of the office. His voice was tender—completely at odds with the urgency on his face.