She had been staring out the window for a long time.

“…It’s beautiful.”

The world beyond the second-floor window was perfectly still. She could not take her eyes off the cherry blossoms hanging precariously from the tips of the branches.

Their shy blooms, as if announcing the arrival of spring, were lovely to behold.

Only one or two blossoms had opened so far, but soon the entire tree would burst into full bloom.

In truth, she preferred double cherry blossoms to ordinary ones. They were the same species, yet the double blossoms looked soft and fluffy, like cotton candy—so large and beautiful that it was hard to believe they were real flowers.

Around this time every year, she found herself waiting for them without even realizing it.

For the double cherry blossoms—far fuller and more beautiful than ordinary ones—to bloom as soon as possible.

Then suddenly, she remembered that day when the cherry blossoms had scattered like snow, blanketing the world.

She could not recall the man’s face, but she remembered the man who had been holding a puppy tightly in his arms while scolding her.

‘Why had that man been angry with me?’

Just thinking about it made her chest ache. She lifted her hand and pressed firmly against her heart.

She pushed down hard, but the throbbing pain refused to fade.

No—she had known from the beginning.

That it would never truly go away.

Biting her lower lip, she forced herself to tear her gaze away from the blossoms.

“……”

She liked cherry blossoms, yet every time she looked at them, it felt as though she had returned to that day she could barely even remember.

Whenever she saw them, her heart ached.

And yet she still waited for them.

‘How foolish can I be?’

She forced the corners of her lips upward. But while her mouth tried to smile toward the sky, tears threatened to spill from her eyes, so she blinked rapidly to hold them back.

Then—

“Have I gone crazy?”

She flinched.

The sudden noise from outside the room made her shoulders shrink instinctively.

Her eyes trembled uneasily as they fixed on the door.

…It was a habit.

Whenever loud noises echoed through the house, fear gripped her before she even realized it. It was a reaction ingrained in her since childhood.

When the door remained closed, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

The source of the noise was So-hee, her younger sister, two years her junior.

“Why should I go on a blind date? I said I don’t want to!”

Her relief lasted only a moment. Soon, So-hee’s sharp voice rang out again from outside.

Startled, she jumped to her feet and began pacing around the room.

Anxiety surged up instantly, as though choking her throat.

Judging by the way So-hee was shouting loud enough to shake the house, something must have gone wrong again.

It wasn’t the first time So-hee had cried and screamed like this, so she should have been used to it by now.

But she knew too well how it would end.

Sooner or later, that irritation and anger would be directed at her.

Even while trembling with fear, she found herself listening closely to the noise outside.

So-hee’s voice was growing louder and louder.

Which meant her anger was rising—and that anger would soon turn toward her.

Her back already felt as if it were beginning to ache, and she started biting her nails.

It was a habit that surfaced whenever she felt anxious. She had promised herself she would stop doing it—but how long had that resolve lasted?

Before she realized it, she had already sunk her teeth into her nails.

Still, she had no other way to suppress the anxiety.

No—that wasn’t true.

She knew very well that there was no way to suppress it at all.

…She simply told herself that if she didn’t at least do this, she wouldn’t even be able to breathe.

“A blind date with that b*stard? Dad seriously wants me to meet him? Has he lost his mind?”

It seemed their father had recently been trying to marry So-hee off and had arranged a blind date for her.

Perhaps she didn’t like the man she was supposed to meet.

“Mom, do you even know what kind of man he is?”

Their mother tried to calm So-hee down, but the more time passed, the more uncontrollable So-hee’s anger became.

“I looked him up, and he’s a bald, pot-bellied creep who’ll like any woman as long as she’s wearing a skirt!”

“Oh my, really? Are you sure? Your father wouldn’t tell you to marry a man like that, would he? You must be mistaken, So-hee.”

“I’m not mistaken! It’s true! What’s the point of him having money anyway? Mom, so I was thinking…”

So-hee’s furious voice suddenly cut off.

The sudden silence was even more unsettling.

She tilted her head, puzzled by the quiet. There was no way So-hee had calmed down so quickly. Just as she sat down on the edge of the bed—

“Hey! Lee Jae! Get out here!”

Her name spilled from So-hee’s mouth.

The way she called for her older sister was so rude and forceful that it was hard to believe she was addressing family. It was something she had heard countless times before.

And yet, for some reason, chills still crawled down her spine.

“Are you coming out or not? Do you want to die?”

A bad feeling crept over her.

She sprang to her feet, wiping the sweat that had pooled in her palms against her thighs.

Walking as quickly as she could, she stopped in front of the door. With trembling hands, she grasped the handle and turned it.

“You idiot! What’s taking you so long?”

The moment she saw the two people sitting on the second-floor living room sofa, glaring at her with obvious displeasure, she shrank instinctively.

Her mouth felt parched, and she swallowed dryly.

“It’s not like I absolutely have to go on that blind date.”

“……”

“She’s Dad’s daughter too, isn’t she? So why should it have to be me?”

So-hee lazily pointed at her with the tip of her chin, as if she were an annoyance.

Then their mother’s cold gaze followed, landing directly on her.

She blinked foolishly, and only after a moment did she finally understand what So-hee meant.

Her breath caught.

‘So… they’re telling me to go on the blind date instead?’

She had only just begun to believe she might finally become a little happier.

“Hm. That wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

Perhaps happiness would slip through her fingers again this time as well.

A chill ran through her as it felt as though happiness were once again fleeing far away.

“Yes. Jae, you’re the older sister. So-hee can’t get married first.”

“I—I… Mother…”

Before she could even finish speaking, her mother’s eyes filled with contempt, and she immediately shrank back.

“I told you not to stutter when you speak!”

“M-Mother… I—I’m sorry…”

Terrified, she hunched her shoulders and apologized first.

The stutter had begun after she came to live in this house.

She had even gone to the hospital, but it never improved.

They had said it was caused by the stress of suddenly losing her mother and then living with a new family.

“Your mother died ages ago. And what kind of stress could you possibly have living with us that makes you stutter like some idiot?”

“I’m telling you, she does it on purpose. Just to piss us off.”

More than anyone else, she wanted to fix the stutter.

She was the one who hated it the most. But no matter how much she wished otherwise, things never went the way she wanted.

She knew she should apologize. But if she tried to speak, she would only stutter again—and that would only make her mother angrier.

So instead, she simply bit down on her lower lip.

Just then—

“Why are you all gathered upstairs? You didn’t even notice someone came home?”

The voice from the top of the staircase made her body freeze.

“Dear, you’re home?”

“Dad, you’re back?”

Unlike the harsh voices from earlier, both her mother and So-hee suddenly spoke gently.

The difference between the way they treated him and the way they treated her was so stark that a bitter taste filled the tip of her tongue.

“You must be hungry. Go wash your hands first. I’ve already prepared dinner.”

Her mother clung to her father’s arm, speaking sweetly.

The three of them went downstairs together.

Everyone except her.

“……”

She had definitely seen it.

Her father had glanced briefly at her legs before turning away with clear displeasure.

She wiggled her toes for a moment, then let out a small, hollow laugh.

The smile looked as though it might crumble at any moment.

“I put a little extra effort into tonight’s meal. How is it?”

“Mm. It’s good.”

“I’m glad.”

To an outsider, it might have looked like a perfectly happy family dinner. But for her, mealtime was always the most unbearable part of the day.

As she always did, she ate quietly, trying to make herself as small as possible.

She made no sound—not even the faintest noise—and tried not to reveal that she was even there.

She simply chewed her food in silence.

“Dear, about So-hee’s blind date.”

She almost made a sound.

Barely in time, she bit the tip of her tongue and forced the rising noise back down her throat.

It seemed her mother truly intended to send her in So-hee’s place.

Even though they already knew the man was bald, pot-bellied, and the kind who didn’t care which woman he was with as long as she wore a skirt.

“Why?”

The fortunate thing was that her father was someone who would never send her to a blind date.

He was the father who felt ashamed of her—who considered her an embarrassment. The father who made sure she never mentioned who he was, no matter where she went.

A man like that would never send her to such a place.

Only then did she loosen her grip on the spoon she had been clutching so tightly.

“How about sending Jae instead?”

“What?”

It was the expected outcome.

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about!”

Exactly the reaction she had anticipated.

Then why did it still feel so bitter?

She lowered her gaze and pressed her lips together.

“I heard that man has a terrible reputation with women—and that he even hits them. How could we possibly send So-hee to a place like that?”

‘…Then it’s fine to send me?’

She wanted to ask.

But she didn’t have the courage.

“Absolutely not! So instead you want to send that defective thing? Have you lost your mind?”

Her father’s voice was thick with anger.

The anger wasn’t even directed at her. Yet the mere rise in his voice made her hands tremble uncontrollably.

That wasn’t all.

Her chest tightened painfully.

Her breath caught in her throat.

“Do you even know what kind of family that is? Do you have any idea how much money they promised to give me?”

Her father was a three-term member of the National Assembly.

“So-hee will go, so that’s final—”

“G-Gangho Group!”

At the word Gangho Group that her mother blurted out urgently, her father suddenly paused.

“What about Gangho Group?”

“The Gangho Group said they’d like So-hee to meet someone.”

“What? Is that true?”

Gangho Group was the number one conglomerate in South Korea.

“The second son of that family has never even shown his face publicly. He went abroad when he was young and lived very privately, hiding everything about his life. But it seems he’s come back to Korea this time.”

“How do you know that?”

“You know I’ve been going to volunteer activities regularly. I heard it there. They’re planning to get him married this time.”

In truth, she had no interest in the conversation between her father and mother.

After all, what her father had called her—a defective thing—was undeniably true.

It was ironic that her flawed body could be of use, but at least it meant she probably wouldn’t have to attend a blind date she didn’t even want.

For that alone, she felt relieved.

“I heard he’s been hiding the fact that he’s from the Gangho Group while living abroad. So he’s finally come back to Korea?”

“Yes. The lady of that house wants to see So-hee.”

“Is that true?”

Her father was a suspicious man.

Even their mother was no exception.

As expected, he looked at her with clear doubt.

“Why would I lie? Especially about something that would be exposed eventually?”

“Hm… that’s true, but still.”

“So for this blind date, just send Jae. She’s grown up now… and if you look at her face, she is pretty.”

Her brows furrowed.

She had thought she wouldn’t have to go on a blind date after all, yet it felt as though the wheel of fate was turning relentlessly toward misfortune.

‘Please…’

She prayed desperately that her father would reject the idea again, just as he had moments ago—using her “defect” as the reason.

“What if the Gangho Group’s lady hears that So-hee went on a blind date with someone else first? Do you think she’d like that?”

“Hm…”

Her father’s sharp gaze shot toward her.

She wanted to say no. But the memories of everything she had endured until now were so terrifying that her lips refused to part.

She simply clasped her trembling hands together.

‘Please.’

‘Please…’

“Fine. Jae, you’ll go on the blind date. We can’t afford to lose the Hyunwoo Group either.”

It made no sense.

“F-Father… I… I d-don’t—”

“Quiet!”

The spoon he threw struck her squarely on the head before clattering to the floor.

She could not react to the violence at all.

Of course she couldn’t.

Even a raised voice was enough to make her heart shrink in terror—how could she possibly resist?

“I-I’m s-sorry…”

The more frightened she became, the worse her stutter grew.

She quickly stood up, intending to pick up the spoon.

She had taken only a few steps.

“Who would even accept a cripple like that?”

Her trembling eyes slowly lifted.

Her father was glaring directly at her limping leg.

She bit down hard on her lip until the taste of blood spread across her tongue.

And yet, she felt no pain at all.

“Who would ever like a woman who limps like that?”

Tears threatened to fall, but she forced them back with all her strength.

By now she should have grown numb enough not to cry anymore.

‘So why am I still like this? Why do tears come so easily?’

“It’ll be fine if we’re careful. She has shoes, doesn’t she? If she wears custom-made shoes, no one will notice the limp most of the time.”

She looked at her mother, whose eyes were gleaming with calculation, then lowered her head like a sinner.

“…Fine. Then you take care of it.”

As soon as her father gave his permission, So-hee burst into laughter.

“Jae, don’t even think about messing this up.”

The warning in her voice was harsh and commanding.

Because their father cared only about profit.

Anxiety rose inside her chest.

He had told her not to make a mistake—but even if she didn’t, she already knew how the man on the other side would react.

Her fingers clenched around the spoon so tightly that her nails turned as pale as her face.

The image of a bleak future formed in her mind.

Her leg began to throb for no reason.

She squeezed her eyes shut.