CHAPTER 64

Mrs. Kang weakly closed her eyes and twitched her fingers. Yeonseo quickly took her hand.

She was grateful to be able to say a final goodbye. It was fortunate. However, accepting the finality of the word ‘last’ was incredibly difficult.

“Mrs….” 

The two of them looked at each other. The warmth in her eyes still enveloped Yeonseo.

After a while, Yeonseo tidied up Mrs. Kang’s disheveled hair aand took out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her mouth. She knew that Mrs. Kang, who always maintained a neat appearance, had a strong sense of pride. It must have been difficult for her to show a vulnerable side to her children and grandchildren here.

“Now you look even more beautiful.”

Whether speaking was difficult or not, Mrs. Kang did not easily part her lips.

So, Yeonseo called her the way she’d always wanted to call her, but never dared.

“…Grandma.”

“Yes. My… baby.”

Mrs. Kang replied slowly, one word at a time. Yeonseo’s eyes welled up.

Don’t cry. You can’t waste this precious time by crying. 

She bit her lip.

Suddenly, she remembered the day she found out she was pregnant, and the first person who came to mind then was Mrs. Kang.

 “I… I’m pregnant.”

 “Is it Tae… heon’s…?”

How did you know that? 

Yeonseo wanted to ask but tears in her eyes overwhelmed her. 

“I kind of expected it… that Taeheon, the blunt guy, would find someone beautiful like you…”

“I’m sorry.”

“In the future, think only… of yourself. It’s fine to have a child… but prioritize yourself. Understand?”

Yeonseo nodded, holding back tears.

“Grandma, I love you.”

She embraced Mrs. Kang’s frail body. She said her last words to her, promising her that she would give her child the love she had received from Mrs. Kang.

“Eat… well.”

Yeonseo nodded. She didn’t cry as she wished for Mrs. Kang to be at peace. 

Go to a good place. We’ll meet again later. 

Thank you.

And I did something wrong, but I won’t tell you.

She would live her life with a perpetual sense of guilt. Instead of letting Mrs. Kang’s know, to ease the heavily weight on her conscience, Yeonseo decided to silently bear the burden of her mistakes.

“…See you again.”

Yeonseo pressed her lips to Mrs. Kang’s dry cheek and took hesitant steps away, reluctant to let go.

Taeheon was next to greet Mrs. Kang. farewells. Seeing Taeheon’s broad back, Yeonseo wondered what he might be thinking at the moment. 

Did he understand the pain too? I hope he does.

When they went out into the hospital hallway, Yeonseo finally couldn’t hold it in and burst into tears. 

“Sob…”

 “Yeonseo.”

Taeheon picked up a shaken Yeonseo and headed for his car. She didn’t have the strength to fight him off and continued to sob with grief.

In the arms of the person she hated most in the world, she was comforted to know she wasn’t alone.

At dawn that day, Mrs. Kang passed away. She left this world peacefully after Leehyeok, returning from a business trip, had said his last farewell.

Beep-

An unintelligible mechanical sound echoed in her ears.

The funeral was held. The funeral of Mrs. Kang, who was like a spiritual holder of a company, was held on a large scale, just like Chairman Woo’s.

It was all over the news and a continuous stream of mourners paid their respects. Fortunately, Yeonseo didn’t face any opposition when she lingered in a corner of the funeral home for two days.

She watched the line of mourners and the pictures of Mrs. Kang in the obituary.

Some people cried sorrowfully, others suppressed their grief with anguished expressions. Some were perfunctory in their gestures, bowing and offering incense with a businesslike attitude. All of them bid farewell to Mrs. Kang.

Director Woo shamelessly took a central position, meeting mourners with a gloomy face. Mrs. Kang must have known everything from the beginning. Yeonseo only realized it now.

For someone receiving a final farewell from so many people, one of the pillars of Sewon, there was no way Director Woo and his wrongdoings would have gone unnoticed by Mrs. Kang. 

An apology was not enough.…

Yeonseo stepped outside the funeral home. It was the second day of the funeral. There was still no end to the number of mourners. Compared to when Moon-sik, her father, passed away, the difference was as great as heaven and earth. Death resembled the life the deceased had lived.

Yeonseo walked slowly, feeling dizzy, and sat down on a bench.  As she reminisced about her memories with Mrs. Kang, memories from several years ago flooded her mind.

While working as a nurse, Yeonseo went to the VIP ward after work to deliver something to a fellow nurse.

[Nurse Lee, you left this behind.]

[Oh, my God, look at me. Thank you, Nurse Han.]

Yeonseo returned the forgotten phone and chatted briefly with Nurse Lee. Since the VIP ward was quieter than the regular ward, there was some free time.

After finishing their conversation, Yeonseo thought about going home and found an emergency exit. She planned to walk down the stairs for some exercise.

But when she opened the emergency exit door, she witnessed a precarious scene. A patient in a wheelchair was stuck at the bottom of the stairs.

[Patient, it’s dangerous for you to be here……. Patient!]

Suddenly, at the end of the stairs, the wheelchair’s wheels wobbled, and it tumbled forward. Yeonseo swiftly rushed forward, agilely catching the patient as she fell forward.

Unable to overcome gravity, the wheelchair tumbled over the two of them and crashed to the bottom of the stairs. A terrible crash echoed down the stairs.

Luckily, the patient was spared from rolling down the stairs, so Yeonseo, breathing a sigh of relief, looked at the patient in her arms.

[Are you okay?]

[Oh my, oh my… Nurse, are you alright?]

Being a patient of some age, Yeonseo quickly regained her composure after nodding and checked the patient’s body. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any significant injuries.

Yeonseo turned her body to lift the patient. As they rushed back to where they had come from, the nurse recognized the torn IV bag and exclaimed.

[My goodness! What happened?]

That was Yeonseo’s first meeting with Mrs. Kang.

The incident left Yeonseo a little bruised. She had three stitches in one of her knees, the one that was cut on the stairs and her right wrist required a half cast.

Nevertheless, it was genuinely fortunate. If Mrs. Kang had collapsed forward as well, it would have been a significant disaster.

When she visited Mrs. Kang again, the elder was worried about Yeonseo’s condition.

[I’m sorry. I was trying to see where my grandson was coming from when I heard he was coming. I’m really sorry.]

[It’s okay. I’m just relieved that you are safe.]

For this incident, Yeonseo received a sick leave. She thought that, even in a large hospital where manpower was scarce, it would be difficult to be granted a leave after causing an accident while assisting a patient.

The day she returned from her leave, Yeonseo was told to report to the VIP ward. She was assigned to be Mrs. Kang’s dedicated nurse.

[This is a picture of my Taeheon. He’s the one my heart is most concerned about out of all my grandchildren.]

Yeonseo glanced at the phone in Mrs. Kang’s hand. She wondered how adorable he must be for Mrs. Kang to have gone to meet him. However, on the screen, instead of a child, there was a grown man.

Even in a photo taken from afar, but at a glance, she could tell he was handsome.

[Why don’t you consider dating him, nurse?]

[What?]

[My Taeheon.]

[Me?]

[Since Taeheon doesn’t have a partner yet, so wouldn’t you be a good match for him? A kind and good person like you is so precious in this world.]

Yeonseo wasn’t that kind of person, but when Mrs. Kang said that, she wanted to be that kind of person. She awkwardly smiled, not knowing how to respond.

[I’m not that nice, Mrs. Kang, and please feel free to speak comfortably. If you keep speaking so formally, I might start calling you ‘teacher.’] 

Mrs. Kang laughed amiably. It was only after Yeonseo actually called Mrs. Kang ‘teacher’ that she started calling her ‘Yeonseo, dear’.

A few days later, a man approached Yeonseo while she was working the night shift.

A tall, handsome man in a dark suit.

It didn’t take Yeonseo long to recognize him as the grandson Mrs. Kang had been bragging about.

Woo Taeheon.

[Sorry for the late introduction. I’m Woo Taeheon. My apologies for the circumstances.]

[Hello.]

[Keep this. It’ll make Grandma feel better.]

He handed her a white envelope.

[What’s this?]

As Yeonseo widened her eyes in surprise, he handed the envelope to her as if forcing her to take it.

Money, perhaps?

The envelope was inscribed with Woo Taeheon’s name and three Iranian characters in neat handwriting.

That was already a few years ago.

“It’s chilly, aren’t you cold?”

A voice behind her snapped her out of her reverie. She wiped away the tears that had fallen and looked up to see Taeheon there. He was dressed in mourning clothes.

“If you collapse like this, will Grandma be pleased?”

Yeonseo shook her head. It was time to head back anyway.

“We still have time until the funeral. Take a break.”

 “Can I go too?”

She thought only immediate family members were allowed.

“Yeah. My house is nearby. I’ll contact you if you stay there.”

 “Your house…?”

His residence? 

Yeonseo thought of the tall towers she’d seen on TV and shook her head.

“I’d like to go home. It’s more comfortable.”

Taeheon grabbed Yeonseo’s arm and helped her up. After facing each other, he reached down and wiped away the tear stains on her cheeks. She turned her head to avoid his touch.

“Don’t touch me so casually.”

“Sorry.”

He’s saying sorry? Was Taeheon weakened by the sadness of Mrs. Kang’s passing?

But, as he welcomed the mourners, Taeheon seemed solid as a mountain. He stood tall and steady, not the slightest bit shaky or sad, a testament to the strength of the Sewon group.

So, Yeonseo thought Taeheon would be okay. Drunk with her grief, she hadn’t thought about his situation.

It was only now that she realized the deep sense of loss that hung over Taeheon. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he spoke to Yeonseo bluntly.

“I’m sending you a meal, so don’t skip it.”

“I’ll manage it myself.”

“Stop turning away and listen. Do you realize you haven’t eaten a meal?”

“I ate…”

“A meal with just two spoonfuls is considered eating? You’re supposed to be protecting your child, so you should eat with some spirit.”

For the sake of the child.

Yes, she had to quickly overcome her emotions for the child. If that was difficult, she should at least take care of her meals.

Considering Taeheon, it seemed like he would ask her to go back in Hyunyoung’s car, so she looked around.

“Secretary Kim is here, right?”

“This way.”

Taeheon took her wrist and paused for a moment before intertwining his fingers with hers.

Yeonseo, seeing the large hand that restrained her, contemplated a moment of resistance but found it seemingly pointless, so she remained still. She casually dismissed the notion that his steps ahead, previously leading, were gradually slowing to match her pace as a mere illusion.

“Go and rest. I’ll send a car tomorrow.”