From four in the morning until two in the afternoon, Ye-jin shovelled oysters into a bucket like a machine until her entire body screamed in protest. Her calves were swollen, her back felt as though it would split open and the joints in her wrists and fingers ached as though she had tendonitis.

When she took off her gloves, the backs of her hands were red and sore. No matter how thick the gloves were, her hands always ended up like this after a day’s work.

“These are precious hands for playing the piano. What if you hurt them chopping something? Ye-jin, don’t ever do this kind of work again. Leave it all to me.”

Staring blankly at her ruined hands, she heard an old voice vibrating through her ears like a struck string. Chairman Min had once taken the apple peeler from her and spoken to her gently and kindly.

Hearing that tender voice and those warm words again made her heart swell uncontrollably and tears streamed down her cheeks.

But now, none of that mattered.

‘I’ll never play the piano again anyway.’

For a moment, her face darkened under the weight of repressed memories. But then she thought of the precious life growing inside her and a faint smile broke out on her face.

‘Let the old, stale past go to the dogs. My present and my future are full of hope. As long as I have hope, nothing else matters.’

Ye-jin gently stroked her belly with both hands.

The child growing inside her was her only family and her only hope. That was why, even before birth, the baby had been given the nickname “Hope”. It felt inevitable.

‘Soon, I’ll be able to hear our Hope’s heartbeat.’

She had a regular check-up scheduled for that day. To make it on time, she needed to hurry.

She changed out of her work clothes and stepped into the shower. Her whole body reeked of oysters.

She was fortunate not to have experienced morning sickness; had she done so, she wouldn’t have been able to work in the oyster factory.

‘Is it because you don’t want Mama to suffer, that even smells don’t bother you?’

Even before being born, her Hope was already being filial. How beautiful would the child be once they finally came into the world?

⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡

When she stepped out of the factory freshly washed with soap, she found Boss Bae starting up his truck. He leaned out the window.

“Heading home now?”

“No, I’m going to the hospital for a checkup.”

“Then hop in. I was just about to head out to Geoje for some business myself.”

The owner of the house Ye-jin rented, and of the oyster factory where she worked, was Boss Bae—a man with a generous heart.

Wolheundo, an island nestled between Hansando and Geoje, was home to barely twenty families. On such a tiny island, where even people in their fifties were considered young, a woman in her late twenties who had arrived by chance was seen as a complete stranger.

Yet it was Boss Bae who had welcomed Ye-jin warmly from the start, like a falling star that had landed suddenly on their quiet, peaceful island.

He gave her a job when no one else would. He also stood up to the villagers when they gossiped about a pregnant unmarried woman, telling them not to speak ill of her. Whenever he had extra side dishes, meat or fish, he always made sure to set some aside for her.

‘If only someone like Boss Bae had been my father…’

The foolish thought made her shake her head quickly. There were countless people who lived just fine without fathers. She didn’t need one. And neither would her Hope. She would be both mother and father to her child.

“Come on, hop in.”

Ye-jin opened the passenger door and climbed into the blue truck. The old vehicle rumbled as it sped towards Geoje, its engine rattling loudly. Although it was still an island, a bridge had been built a few years ago, reducing the journey time to the mainland to just twenty minutes.

She lived quietly on the sparsely populated island most days and travelled like this when she needed to visit the hospital. It was the perfect place to hide.

“Not cold, are you? Should I turn on the heater?”

“No, not at all. I’m fine.”

“Are you eating properly? How could an expectant mother be this thin? Who’d even believe you’re pregnant?”

Boss Bae clicked his tongue in pity as he looked at Ye-jin, slender as a dried twig. No matter how much he tried to feed her good meals, the weight never stayed on. Perhaps it was the grueling work that began before dawn, but she had even lost three kilograms compared to before her pregnancy.

“At this stage, it doesn’t really show yet. But my belly has started to come out a little.”

“That won’t do, having thin arms and legs with just the belly sticking out. Did you finish the hanwoo my wife gave you?”

“Of course. It was delicious. Thank you, for giving me such precious hanwoo.”

“Precious? Hanwoo’s nothing rare—you can find it in heaps at the mart. I’ll get you more next time. Make sure you eat well. A mother-to-be can’t be so frail.”

He laughed heartily, speaking to her with the same warmth one might show a youngest daughter.

Ye-jin nearly cried. Perhaps because she had craved affection since childhood, even the slightest act of kindness from others touched her deeply.

“A young girl raising a child alone… what a hard road.”

“I can raise this baby well on my own.”

At Boss Bae’s concern, Ye-jin answered firmly.

“Why don’t you try getting along with that young man who comes down on weekends? He seemed polite and dependable.”

“Jihoon? He’s just an old high school friend.”

Ye-jin replied, waving her hand as if the very idea were absurd.

“That’s exactly why you should give it a try! Friends often become lovers, don’t they? How long do you plan to work yourself ragged like this while you’re pregnant? You need someone solid to lean on.”

“These days, women all work even while pregnant.”

“Working at a desk in an office isn’t the same as standing all day shucking oysters, is it? I’m telling you, that fellow is the real deal.”

“Why would someone like him want to be with me?”

“Why not? Bat your lashes a little, charm him a bit—that’s all it takes. What good is a pretty face if you don’t use it?”

‘A pretty face…’

Ye-jin let out a bitter smile.

That face, too, she intended to erase once Hope was born safely and she had saved enough money. Only then could the existence of “Yoo Ye-jin” vanish without a trace.

⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡

“Thank you for the ride. Please take care on your way back.”

As soon as she got out of the truck, she took a baseball cap out of her bag and pulled it down over her head. Then she put on a mask.

Unlike quiet Wolheundo, Geoje was full of people—many of them young and constantly exposed to the media.

For over ten years, Ye-jin had lived as the daughter of Min Soohee, director of the Sunhwa Foundation and largest shareholder of SH Group. She had even performed as a pianist, and last year, her wedding had made the tabloids.

No one recognized her in Wolheundo. But in Geoje, one could never be too careful. Although she didn’t think they were actively searching for her, she couldn’t afford to take any risks. If word got out that someone who was supposedly dead was living there in relative peace, it would be disastrous.

‘I’ll have to completely remake this face before I can ever feel at ease. Then I’ll head to a big city, find a job that pays better, and buy plenty of good things for Hope.’

Resolving herself once more, she stopped at the crosswalk and waited for the light to change. Right across from her stood the obstetrics clinic.

She waited quietly for the signal—when suddenly, a dull roar battered her eardrums.

Tilting her head upward, she saw a sleek black helicopter slicing elegantly across the sky.

‘What a magnificent helicopter.’

Geoje was well known for its helicopter tours, so such a sight was not unusual.

Ye-jin thought nothing of it and continued waiting for the light. In time, the helicopter drifted farther away, its rotor noise fading like a lingering echo until it disappeared altogether.

The signal turned green. Ye-jin stepped forward with firm strides.

⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡

With a heavy roar, the helicopter touched down on the rooftop of the Shinseong Heavy Industries Geoje branch building. The rotating blades whipped up a fierce wind, tearing across the rooftop like a storm.

Through the gale stepped a tall man, emerging from the helicopter. Dressed in a perfectly fitted black Armani suit, he exuded the sleekness of a black jaguar—an aristocratic elegance laced with untamed, magnetic allure.

At 192 centimeters, his height and broad, solid frame radiated overwhelming presence. His face, as if carved with divine precision, was so flawless it drew instinctive admiration.

On his left ring finger gleamed a simple yet striking band, catching the sunlight with a brilliant flash.

“You’ve arrived, sir.”

The branch director said, who had been waiting on the rooftop, hastily bowing his head.

“The car?”

“It’s ready. Will you head straight to the shipyard?”

“I didn’t come here for business.”

The director blinked in surprise at the man’s firm response. As usual, he had assumed that the visit was just another inspection of the shipyard.

“Then, may I ask for what purpose…?”

“To catch a runaway cat.”

The man’s fingers brushed the ring on his fourth finger with a strange, lingering touch.