Da-hye hurried into the room and gently closed the door behind her before sitting down at the edge of the bed.

“Yes, Seo-hoo.”

—“Did you get home safely?”

The deep, mellow sound of his voice felt as though it were softly brushing against her ears.

Da-hye shyly bit down on her lower lip before answering quietly.

“Yes. I got back safely.”

—“You said you’d contact me once you got home, but when I didn’t hear from you, I got worried.”

Was being worried over by someone always this heart-fluttering and overwhelming?

Feeling emotions she had not experienced in a very long time, Da-hye unknowingly smiled.

“I’m sorry. I got busy unpacking… so I couldn’t call.”

—“It’s alright. I’m just relieved you made it home safely.”

“And Seo-hoo…”

—“……”

“Did you make it to work alright? You barely got any proper sleep because of me last night.”

The moment she said it, the feeling became strangely unfamiliar.

Thinking about it now, she had never once asked Ji-hoon something like that before.

Had she ever truly worried about someone’s workday or whether they slept well?

A small light flickered quietly in Da-hye’s thoughtful eyes.

—“I did. I slept well too. Thanks to you.”

“…Ah.”

Those added words—thanks to you—made her chest tighten strangely.

Da-hye lowered her gaze slightly and absentmindedly played with the hem of her clothes.

—“Did you tell your family that you broke up with Team Leader Kang?”

At the sound of Seo-hoo’s voice, Da-hye slowly lifted the head she had lowered.

“Yes. They really didn’t know. I told them we broke up.”

—“Kyung Hyejung’s expression must’ve been worth seeing.”

“It looks like Hyejung still hasn’t told even her own mother that I know about their relationship.”

That was the part Da-hye could not understand.

Hyejung had always shared everything with Jinhee and schemed together with her, so why had she hidden something this important from her this time?

Da-hye found herself strangely curious about it.

—“It’s probably because of Chairman Kang.”

But Seo-hoo seemed to understand the reason immediately.

“Because of Chairman Kang…?”

—“Looks like she’s watching his reaction carefully.”

“……”

—“Professor Kyung is already completely wrapped around those two women’s fingers, so they can manipulate him however they want.”

“……”

—“But there’s nothing to gain from provoking Chairman Kang. The director position hasn’t been completely lost yet. If Hyejung’s mother found out the full truth, she’d probably roll up her sleeves herself and try to force Chairman Kang into accepting the two of them.”

“…Ah.”

—“And if that happens, wouldn’t things become far more complicated? People would inevitably start turning against each other. And once Chairman Kang discovers their relationship was improper from the beginning, he’ll explode eventually. After all, he genuinely liked you as a future daughter-in-law.”

At his words, Da-hye quietly nodded in agreement.

“I think you’re right. Anyway… because of that, I think things will actually move more smoothly now.”

—“Then that’s a good thing.”

Da-hye fell silent for a moment.

Then she slowly looked around the room.

The furniture Hyejung had been using and her own belongings were now awkwardly tangled together in the same space.

Seeing her things scattered among Hyejung’s belongings filled her with a strange feeling.

“…I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing.”

This time, the line on the other end fell quiet.

“I didn’t want to lose this house that my mother cherished…So I just barged in here with my suitcase without thinking. But honestly… I don’t know anymore.”

—“……”

“I hated seeing them drive me out of this place and live here while enjoying everything that should’ve been mine…And holding onto everything my mother should’ve rightfully had.”

—“……”

“At the very least, if I stay here…Kang Ji-hoon won’t be able to swagger around this house pretending to be the son-in-law while playing newlyweds with Kyung Hyejung.”

But even as she said it, she wondered what the point of any of it was.

None of this would erase the rage still burning inside her anyway.

Then Seo-hoo’s warm voice quietly reached her again.

—“Just disrupting the peace those people were enjoying…”

“……”

—“Just shattering the calm they took for granted is already enough.”

The light fading from Da-hye’s eyes slowly returned.

—“So…”

“…?”

—“You are doing well.”

The heart that had briefly begun wavering quietly settled back into place.

—“Hold your head high and take back what’s yours.”

“…Seo-hoo.”

—“And if anything happens, tell me immediately.”

A faint smile spread across Da-hye’s lips as she nodded softly.

“…You really give me strength.”

Just then, loud voices echoed from outside the room.

It sounded like Jinhee and Hyejung were heading this way.

“Um, Seo-hoo. I’ll call you back later.”

—“Alright. Make sure you do.”

“……”

—“And don’t keep me waiting again.”

With that, the call ended, and Da-hye quietly stared down at her phone.

Every conversation with him left behind a lingering warmth and trembling in her chest.

Knock knock.

Just then, she heard someone opening the door and stepping inside.

Da-hye slipped her phone into her pocket and rose from her seat.

When she looked up, Jinhee was entering the room with a cold, hardened expression.

The warmth that had been filling her chest moments ago because of Seo-hoo vanished as though it had never existed.

“Finished unpacking yet?”

Jinhee asked while slowly scanning the room.

“Mostly. I still have some things I haven’t brought over yet.”

Jinhee silently nodded before suddenly fixing her gaze directly on Da-hye.

“How long are you planning to stay here?”

Instead of answering, Da-hye simply sat down at the edge of the bed.

Seeing her ignore the question entirely and sit there in silence, Jinhee let out a scoff.

“You… really are hopeless, aren’t you?”

Only then did Da-hye slowly lift her chin.

“What did you say?”

“You weren’t this bad when you were younger. Back then, you still called me stepmother properly, and you called Hyejung your older sister too.”

“……”

“But now what? Ajumma? Kyung Hyejung?”

“……”

“What, did you eat something wrong?”

At that, Da-hye slowly stood and met Jinhee’s gaze directly.

Deep hatred and vengeance began swelling within her eyes like dark waves.

“I did. I told myself I’d become a good daughter… and a kind younger sister who listened well.”

“……”

“That’s what I promised myself when you and Kyung Hyejung first entered this house.”

Something about her voice unsettled Jinhee enough that she unconsciously took a step back.

Outside the room, Hyejung silently watched everything unfold.

“One day, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.”

“…What?”

“In the storybook I read as a child, the giving tree gives and gives until nothing remains but its stump. And even then, the tree apologizes for having nothing left to offer, while still feeling happy that the tree was able to give everything for someone else.”

“What the hell are you even talking about?”

After pausing briefly, Da-hye slowly bent forward while keeping her eyes fixed on Jinhee.

“But I wondered if I could ever do that.”

“…?”

“Because I lost far more than I ever gave away. So even after being stripped down to nothing… could I really still be happy?”

At those meaningful words, Jinhee froze.

Outside the room, Hyejung frowned deeply and clenched her fists tightly.

“But I don’t think I can.”

“Kyung Da-hye.”

“I’m not generous enough to apologize for having nothing left to give while happily handing over even the last thing I own.”

“……”

“So don’t take this too personally. This room was originally mine, and this house was originally ours.”

“So?”

Jinhee let out a mocking laugh and folded her arms tighter.

Then she slowly looked Da-hye up and down with an even colder gaze than before.

“So if it comes down to it…Are you planning to throw this stepmother and your older sister out of the house?”

At that, Da-hye smiled faintly and shook her head.

“Of course not.”

Then she looked away from Jinhee and resumed unpacking her belongings.

“You worked so hard to get yourselves into this house…How could I possibly throw you out so carelessly?”

“What?”

There was a sharp edge hidden beneath Da-hye’s words.

Something about the way she spoke grated unpleasantly against Jinhee’s nerves, making her bite down on her lip as her brows furrowed deeply.

“What did you just say?”

“Don’t worry.”

Without even sparing her a glance, Da-hye continued calmly.

“I’m not going to throw you out.”

“…!”

“Though I can’t promise you won’t end up walking out on your own.”

Outside the room, Hyejung slowly turned away in growing anxiety.

‘That b*tch… she’s completely out for blood now. This is seriously driving me insane.’

Just then, Da-hye’s phone vibrated again.

Jinhee’s eyes immediately shifted toward the phone.

“……”

The moment Da-hye saw the caller’s name on the screen, a strange expression crossed her face.

Then, while staring directly at Jinhee, she lifted the phone to her ear.

“Yes, Madam.”

At the word Madam, Jinhee’s eyes widened.

At the same time, Hyejung—who had been turning away—froze in place.

—“…Da-hye? Would it be possible for us to meet for a moment? Today.”

At those words, Da-hye glanced thoughtfully at the clock.

For some reason, Jinhee suddenly felt restless standing there before her.

‘Madam? Is that her future mother-in-law calling?’

She stared intently at Da-hye, practically straining to overhear every word.

“How about six this evening?”

—“Alright. Let’s meet then. I’ll choose the location and send it to you in a message.”

“Yes. Understood, Madam.”

The call ended shortly and neatly.

After slipping her phone back into her pocket, Da-hye looked toward Jinhee.

“Could you leave now? I still need to finish unpacking.”

“…Who was that? Don’t tell me… your future mother-in-law?”

Jinhee narrowed her eyes as she questioned Da-hye, who had already turned away.

At that, Da-hye looked back at her with an awkward expression.

“You shouldn’t call her my future mother-in-law anymore. Team Leader Kang and I are already over.”

Then suddenly—

“Ah…”

A short sigh escaped her as the corners of her lips slowly lifted in an oddly meaningful smile.

“…Though I guess she’s still technically my future mother-in-law, isn’t she?”

At those words, Hyejung—standing outside the room—looked utterly horrified.