Eunha rushed into the emergency room. She had run so fast her breath caught in her chest. Her lungs felt like they were tearing apart.

“Mom… Mom….”

She had been repotting a plant, transferring it into a new pot because the old one had cracked when her mother called.

— “Eunha… I think something’s wrong with my body…”

Before she could even finish the sentence, her mother collapsed.

—”Thud—”

No matter how loudly Eunha screamed, there was no answer.

The memory of that terrifying moment lingered on. Her hands were still trembling.

She had tried calling her father, but all she could hear was an automated message saying that the call could not be received.

Her mind had gone completely blank. Standing there pale and unable to breathe properly, she watched Mrs Hwang dial 119.

Eunha couldn’t even recall her parents’ home address and was stumbling around in confusion. She kept blaming herself, fearing that her delay might have slowed down the rescue effort, while fighting the urge to cry.

She told the paramedics which hospital her mother usually went to. Then, on the way there in a taxi, she called him.

She didn’t know why he had come to mind. But when she was consumed by fear and felt she might die, he was the person she thought of.

“Mom… haah…”

‘Stay calm. Lee Eunha, you have to stay calm.’

Her mother hadn’t been coughing recently, so Eunha assumed she was recovering. She shouldn’t have—
she had relaxed too soon.

Like a fool…

Because life felt a little easier, she hadn’t checked on her mother properly.

“Ms. Park Eunhye! Where is Ms. Park Eunhye?”

Drowning in guilt, Eunha followed the staff member’s directions.

And there, she saw her mother with her eyes closed.

“Ah…”

Her legs gave out, and she sank to the floor but someone caught her arm, steadying her.

“You okay?”

The moment she heard his voice, tears filled her eyes in an instant.

“Hic… ugh… h-hic…”

Finally, Eunha burst into tears.

He didn’t say anything. He simply pulled her into a firm embrace, and Eunha shook her head, insisting she wasn’t okay.

In truth… she was terrified.
Overwhelmed.
Exhausted.

His hand gently patting her back was soft and warm.

Eunha had lived her whole life giving up too easily. She hadn’t known how to say she was hurting, even when she was suffering. Hadn’t known how to cry, even when she was sad.

But him, he was too kind. Seeing him made her feel safe right away.

That was why she cried. That was why she couldn’t hold the tears back.

“Your mom will be okay.”

Because he said she would be okay, Eunha truly felt as if her mother would be.

‘Brother… do you know? When I found out I was pregnant with Hyesung, I felt like the ground was collapsing beneath me. Back then… I wished you would hold me, just like you did now. I was so scared… with nowhere to lean on. I cried every night in secret… and I missed you so much.’

Eunha covered her mouth and wept. He simply watched her, his gaze fixed on her trembling shoulders.

As he had said, her mother did indeed become stable a little later.

From the moment he arrived at the hospital, events had moved at incredible speed. The waiting doctors came immediately. In the emergency room, patients usually have to wait for their turn, but this time there was no waiting at all.

They were escorted straight to a VIP room. Once her mother was settled, she opened her eyes briefly before falling asleep again. It was all thanks to him.

Looking at her mother sleeping peacefully, Eunha finally let out the breath she had been holding. The doctor explained that it was temporary shock caused by low blood sugar. Her lungs and heart were fine, and she would make a full recovery after a few days’ rest.

‘Low blood sugar.’

Had her mother not been eating properly?

The guilt of not taking care of her weighed on Eunha’s shoulders like a mountain.

“Lee Eunha.”

His deep voice pierced the quiet space. Footsteps—clear and firm, just like their owner—approached, and then his large hand settled on her shoulder.

She felt embarrassed remembering how she had cried in his arms. She couldn’t look him in the face. But her body turned toward him far too easily.

“Tsk. Look at your swollen eyes.”

His fingertips gently rubbed the tender corners of her eyes. Something in his touch felt like regret, and Eunha lifted her head to look at him.

“You got even uglier.”

He called her ugly, yet his gaze was warm. His hand patting her head was gentle, careful.

Feeling like she would cry again, Eunha knocked his hand away.

“I should go bring some things for my mom.”

Although there were nurses assigned to her mother and he had hired a carer, she still needed to prepare her own personal items. Her mother’s regular medication, undergarments and other necessities had to be brought from home.

“I’ll take you.”

She rode with him in the car to her parents’ house. Having cried so much, she felt weak and drained of energy. Slumped against the seat, she stared out of the window.

Each time they stopped at traffic lights, he turned to look at her. She could see all his movements reflected in the window, but she stubbornly refused to look at him.

“Wait a minute.”

“I’ll go in with you.”

“No. It’s fine. I’m just grabbing my mom’s things, why would you come in?”

Eunha fully intended to confront her father, Lee Sun-han. She planned to question him, so she insisted on going in alone.

A message had arrived moments before:

［Why did you call? I had plans, but I’ve just come home. Why aren’t you or your mom answering your phones? You’re both the same! I can’t stand either of you! Tell your mom to call me as soon as you reach her!］

He never answered her calls when she needed him, and yet now he had the nerve to send that message.

She hadn’t been able to take his calls because her world had been turned upside down by what had happened to her mother. He didn’t even know where she was.

And yet, as always, he blamed her and her mother. Rage rose to the very top of her head.

“I’ll be right out.”

She didn’t want him to see her arguing with her father. Stepping out of the car, she squared her shoulders and walked away with purpose.

She was determined to ask him how he could ignore his phone when he should have realised that something was wrong.

She was going to tell him that from now on, he had to answer his phone, no matter what. He would yell, but she didn’t care.

Inside the house, Eunha first packed her mother’s things. She wasn’t sure what would happen once she started arguing with her father, so she got everything ready in advance.

She set the packed bags by the front door. Then she headed for the study.

Her fists were clenched tightly and her expression was resolute. If her mother hadn’t managed to call her, something terrible might have happened. Eunha had seen in her mother’s call log that there had been multiple attempts to call her father before calling her.

If she hadn’t discovered that…she wouldn’t even have thought to confront him. She never should have left her mother alone with her father. The guilt twisted painfully as she stood before the study door.

“…You ordered her to die…!”

A loud voice boomed out from inside.

A guest?

At first, she thought it was her father on speakerphone. But the sound was far too clear to be coming from a phone.

If there was someone inside, she shouldn’t confront them. It didn’t matter. Not today. She wasn’t backing down.

Eunha reached for the doorknob.

At that exact moment, the door burst open. Startled, she stepped back.

“Chairman Gu! We’re not done talking—!”

Lee Sun-han grabbed the man coming out of the study but when he saw Eunha, he froze and fell silent.

“Well, look who it is. This is Chairman Lee’s daughter—Eunha!”

Eunha froze.

Who was this man, and how did he know her name?

“You don’t remember me? I used to see you from time to time when you were a kid.”

People should not be judged solely on their appearance. However, the man — who was tattooed not only on his neck, but also on his jaw — looked every inch the delinquent.

Had he seen her when she was younger?

Now that she was looking more closely, he did seem familiar.

“…Ah!”

He was the troublesome man who used to “handle things” for her father. She remembered now. Even before her father’s business collapsed, she had seen him a few times passing through their home.

“So you do remember.”

Eunha stepped aside.

A silent gesture—if you’re done, leave.

“Well, isn’t this perfect? Chairman Lee! Your money is right here. How dare you say you don’t have the money to pay me? You’ve got a daughter who married well.”

“Chairman Gu! Hold on! Let’s talk! Let’s talk about this—please!”

Her father rushed out, desperately trying to stop the man. It was practically begging. But the man had no intention of stopping.

He took a step towards her, a cruel smile twisting his lips.

“Six years ago, your father hired me… and asked me to kill a driver. So I killed him.”

Hic.

Eunha’s heart plummeted.

Her world collapsed.