The two returned to the hospital room where the father and son were staying and stood beside the bed. Hope, who had been sound asleep earlier, had woken up and was now looking at them with wide, beautiful eyes — dark and gleaming like the night, just like his father’s.

“What’s this lion doll?”

He pointed at the stuffed lion in Hope’s arms.

“Jihoon gave it to him this morning.”

The moment she answered, he snatched the doll and tossed it straight into the trash without hesitation. Even though it was taken away, Hope didn’t cry. Instead, he smiled brightly, beaming at his father.

After glancing around the room, he picked up a rattle from the shelf and gently shook it in front of Hope.

“……!”

Ye-jin gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. It was an unbelievable sight, something she never thought she’d see in her lifetime: Seo Jung-hoo shaking a baby rattle in front of an infant.

“I don’t like babies,” he said quietly, lowering the rattle and staring at Hope. “They can’t talk, and all they do is fuss.”

“……”

“But this one… from the very first moment I saw him, he was adorable. The way he squirmed in my arms, it was… so precious.”

He remembered the day Hope was born. When he cut the umbilical cord and held the baby swaddled in a small blanket, the tiny life that had filled the room with its loud, hearty cry moved him beyond words.

“Even so, I tried to keep my distance… tried not to grow attached.”

“……”

“Maybe I just wanted to throw a tantrum.”

He had desperately wished — please, let this child be mine. But the cruel truth was that he wasn’t. The despair of that reality had eaten away at him.

So maybe that was why he tried even harder to resent the child. Of course, no matter how much he tried… he never could.

“Ugaa-ba-ba-ba-pa-pa-ba-ba-pa!”

Hope pointed eagerly at the rattle with his tiny hand, calling out to his father with excitement. He wanted him to shake it again.

So, his father picked up the rattle and gave it another shake. Hope’s eyes curved beautifully as he laughed in delight.

“Abba-baba!”

“Yes. I’m your dad.”

“Ah-gya-baba-bababa!”

“Yes, yes.”

“Ababba-babba!”

“Yes, Daddy. Daddy.”

“Ah-bba-pa-baba!”

Was it really that fun to have his father play with him? Hope puckered his lips and kept calling for him over and over.

“Does he call everyone else ‘Dad’ too?”

He narrowed his eyes as he asked. Ye-jin shook her head firmly.

“No. When Jihoon came this morning, he didn’t say a word.”

“Then… does that mean he knows I’m his father?”

“Of course he does. You’ve even changed his diapers.”

He set the rattle down and gently brushed his fingertip over Hope’s plump, round cheek. At that, Hope reached out and gripped his pinky tightly in his small hand.

“Agya-baba-bba-appa!”

He looked down at Hope quietly. His chest burned with warmth. Whenever this tiny boy called him Dad, whenever those little fingers wrapped around his own, his emotions would surge uncontrollably.

“Hope.”

He said softly, calling his son’s name.

“Hope, there’s something Daddy needs to tell you.”

His face turned serious as though he were about to impart some great truth about life.

“When your mom picks up a fountain pen, you have to be careful.”

Ye-jin’s jaw dropped. So much for something profound!

She punched him lightly on the back, unable to hold back her irritation.

⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡

Up on the rooftop, puffing on a cigarette, Jung-min listened as Chief Baek told him the truth, his expression one of utter disbelief.

“So, what you’re saying is… Ye-jin never actually cheated, and Hope really is Jung-hoo’s son?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Unbelievable. Just how little trust did that guy have in Ye-jin to make her lie about something like that…?”

“He insisted so strongly that he never wanted children, so Madam seems to have told that lie because of it.”

Jung-min nodded as if he understood completely, then suddenly stopped, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“But wait. Didn’t that guy get a vasectomy? Then how the hell did the baby happen?”

“Well… apparently, the sperm created a bypass and got through.”

“What the…?”

All he could do was let out a dumbfounded “What the hell.”

⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡

Now that everything had come to light, her heart finally felt lighter as though all those fearful, anxious days had been nothing but a bad dream.

Life settled into peace again. As always, Ye-jin stayed at the hospital caring for Hope, while he worked from home.

Once his health fully recovered, he planned to return to the company. Every morning and evening, he would come by the hospital to see Ye-jin and Hope before heading back home.

That evening, as Ye-jin fed Hope his formula, she glanced at the clock on the wall.

It was almost time.

“Daddy will be here soon, right, Hope?”

“Agya-baba-bappa!”

Hope, too, seemed excited for his father’s arrival, babbling cheerfully with a bright smile. Just then, there came a knock on the hospital room door.

Ye-jin’s eyes widened.

“Daddy must be here!”

But her guess was wrong. The person who stepped inside was someone she never expected to see again.

“Gerard?”

It was the first time she had seen him since the fight at the party — or rather, his one-sided *ssault. As a result of the violent outburst, Gerard’s face was badly damaged and he needed jaw surgery.

He said that he would never see Ye-jin again unless he apologised in person. But he never did.

She’d thought she’d never see him again, and she cried, grieving for the loss of their precious friendship.

“I heard the baby was sick, so I thought I should come visit.”

Gerard held out a bouquet. It was filled with hydrangeas — Ye-jin’s favorite — blooming elegantly in soft pastel shades.

“Ah… thank you.”

She accepted the bouquet with a dazed expression. Seeing Gerard again felt almost like a dream.

“I heard your husband donated part of his liver to the child?”
“Mm-hm…”

It wasn’t surprising that Gerard knew the details; news about the liver transplant had already spread everywhere.

“So he does love his kid after all, huh? I thought he didn’t have a drop of blood or tear in him.”

Gerard stepped closer to the bed and peered down at the baby’s face.

“This is his son? What’s his name?”
“Hope. Seo Hope.”
“Cute, but… he looks way too much like his father. Would’ve been nice if he’d taken after you instead.”

Gerard pursed his lips and made a soft cooing sound. Perhaps the sound amused him — Hope’s eyes curved sweetly as he smiled like sunshine.

Ye-jin quietly looked at Gerard. A faint pink scar ran along his sharp jawline, like a pale tattoo.

“You’ve still got a scar on your jaw… I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Makes me look more manly, don’t you think?”

Gerard tilted his chin up with his usual cheerful tone.

“Honestly, my pretty face used to be a bit of a complex. People were always saying I looked like a girl.”

He ran his hand through his wavy blonde hair and smiled as though the incident no longer mattered.

But this only made her heart sink further.

How much pain had he endured before he could accept the scar on his face? Ye-jin, whose own body was covered in scars, could easily imagine how difficult the struggle had been.

“He’ll never apologize. He’s too proud.”

She couldn’t bear to meet Gerard’s eyes, guilt pressing down on her chest.

“So… I wanted to be the one to say it instead.”
“……”
“I’m sorry. I really am.”
“……”
“I won’t ask you to forgive me.”
“……”
“I just… wanted to tell you in person. That I’m sorry.”

She wasn’t shameless enough to expect forgiveness. Gerard had only come to visit today because of the sick child, and she didn’t think their friendship would ever be the same again.

Ye-jin bit her lip hard.

Gerard reached out and tapped her lower lip with his finger. He spoke in a mock-stern voice.

“Careful, you’ll ruin those pretty lips.”

Startled, Ye-jin released her lip and looked up at him blankly.

He was still smiling.

“Call me brother.”
“…What?”
“Say, ‘I’m sorry, brother,’ and I’ll forgive you!”

He crossed his arms, speaking with playful authority.

“Brother…?”
“That’s right. Brother. I’m ten years older than you, remember?”
“For someone who’s been living abroad, you sure are clinging to that title…”

Ye-jin muttered under her breath, and Gerard shot her a mock glare, eyes flashing in exaggerated warning.