Chapter 4
“I didn’t know Lee Yujin was your classmate. Do you know her too, Director?”
Office manager Heo Mingi, his voice as heavy as his build, asked about Yujin.
“As if Kim Chanyeong wouldn’t know.”
Sunwoo couldn’t take his eyes off Yujin as she walked away with her back turned to him.
That girl who used to care only about herself—when had she grown up enough to become a mother willing to do anything for her son?
When asked if she still had feelings for Jaehyun, Yujin hadn’t been able to answer right away.
Her wavering eyes.
Emotion shakes reason.
She acts strong, but when Jaehyun reveals his true nature, there’s no telling if she’ll be able to hold out.
[And she still wears her school uniform?]
Sunwoo, who had been reaching for a cigarette out of habit, let out a faint laugh at the sudden memory.
What kind of person had the past sixteen years made you into?
Just as his own fierce past had changed him, had Yujin changed as well?
He planned to appear as naturally as possible in front of her when she needed him.
The plan had worked in theory, but the result wasn’t to his liking.
Sunwoo, usually indifferent to others, found himself thinking about Yujin more than necessary after meeting her again.
Reflecting on how unusually excited he had seemed in front of a client, Sunwoo slowly stood up.
He straightened his wrinkled shirt and left the office, Mingi following behind him.
Gangnam, J Bar.
“The director is waiting for you.”
The bar’s interior was luxurious and grand, reminiscent of medieval Europe.
The lighting was soft, and it wasn’t noisy inside.
Even at this early hour, a few couples were seated in the lounge, enjoying cocktails.
Sunwoo and Mingi passed through the central hall and were guided into a private room.
“Sit.”
Chanyeong, who had arrived first, raised a glass of whiskey toward Sunwoo.
In front of him were bottles of Royal Salute 32-year and Ballantine’s 30-year.
Unlike Sunwoo, who disliked drinking on weekdays, Chanyeong enjoyed it.
He skillfully opened the whiskey and poured drinks into the lined-up empty glasses.
“I heard you met Lee Yujin?”
“You’re quick, as always.”
Sunwoo glanced at Mingi, who sat across from him.
Mingi awkwardly cleared his throat and avoided his gaze.
“So it’s finally starting.”
Chanyeong, unable to hide his excitement, placed a glass in front of Sunwoo.
Warm lighting fell across Sunwoo’s sharp nose and jaw, settling into his glass.
“I’m planning to submit a request to the court to investigate Jung Jaehyun’s assets.”
Sunwoo gently swirled his drink as he spoke.
“I’m already curious. How will that useless vice president, who can’t do anything alone, get through this cold winter without Lee Yujin?”
As soon as Chanyeong finished speaking, the three men clinked glasses.
Sunwoo drained his whiskey in one go.
As the strong liquor burned down his throat, his brow briefly furrowed.
“Five percent of KY stocks, plus a success fee… you know that, right?”
“I like how transparent you are. Once our plan moves forward, what will you do about Lee Yujin?”
“Well…”
“……”
Even while drinking strong alcohol, they didn’t let their guard down around each other.
Wary, yet trusting each other the most—
a strange but tightly bound relationship.
“Not my concern.”
“Do you think Ms. Lee Yujin will move according to our plan?”
Unlike Chanyeong, who laughed heartily at Sunwoo’s answer, Mingi, sensing something subtle, spoke cautiously.
It was rare for him to voice his thoughts in their gatherings.
Sharp as he was, Sunwoo immediately understood what Mingi meant.
Mingi was asking if Sunwoo harbored different feelings toward Yujin.
“I make the plans. Lee Yujin is just a good piece of bait to catch Jung Jaehyun.”
Mingi still looked at him with lingering suspicion.
“You two seemed closer than I expected…”
“Is that a problem?”
Sunwoo snapped back, sensitive to the comment.
Their gazes clashed in the air.
Seeing the warning in Sunwoo’s eyes, Mingi stepped back.
“No, sir.”
Mingi avoided his gaze, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation.
Though he worked as the office manager in Sunwoo’s firm, he was fundamentally Chanyeong’s man.
Compared to Chanyeong, who lacked sharp perception, Mingi was quick-witted and tight-lipped.
The fact that even Mingi had noticed Sunwoo letting his guard down around Yujin—
that was not a good sign.
Sunwoo ran a hand through his hair and loosened his collar with the other.
The alcohol on an empty stomach seemed to heat him up.
“If you make noise while I’m fishing and scare away the catch… Mingi, I’ll get angry.”
Though said playfully, there was a clear warning in his eyes.
Oblivious to Sunwoo’s tension under the influence of alcohol, Chanyeong casually entered a song number as if about to sing.
As familiar trot music began to play, Mingi leaned forward and refilled Sunwoo’s empty glass.
Just then, consecutive messages came from Yujin.
<I’m going to meet Jaehyun for a bit…>
<It’s about our child.>
She was going to meet Jung Jaehyun during an ongoing lawsuit—without consulting her lawyer?
Already on edge, Sunwoo felt his nerves snap.
He should call her immediately and make things clear.
She couldn’t keep making decisions on her own and simply notifying him afterward.
Sunwoo gestured to Chanyeong that he was stepping out to take a call and left the private room.
Mingi watched his back with concern.
“Yeah.”
“You’re going to meet Jung Jaehyun?”
Sunwoo barely suppressed his rising anger as he spoke.
“Yeonha is sick. Jaehyun said he’d come—it’s about our child. Right now.”
“That’s a problem…”
“If Jaehyun agrees, I can see my child.”
There was urgency in Yujin’s voice.
“Did you forget you’re in the middle of a lawsuit? You might never be able to see your child again.”
“Can’t I at least try talking to him? Maybe he’ll adjust the visitation schedule.”
“Life must be easy for Jung Jaehyun. Even after bringing in an illegitimate child, his mistress still does everything he says. He calls, and she comes. He asks to meet, and she agrees?”
Sunwoo’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
“Kim Sunwoo.”
“If you’re going to be shaken by him like this, why even file for divorce?”
“You don’t understand.”
“What don’t I understand?”
“You don’t have a child. If it weren’t for my child, this would’ve been easier for me too.”
“Listen carefully, Lee Yujin. From now on, during the lawsuit—”
“I’m getting a call from Jaehyun. I’ll hang up.”
Click.
Sunwoo froze, still holding the phone, unable to believe the call had ended so abruptly.
Maybe Mingi was right—Yujin might not follow his plan after all.
Staring at the disconnected call, Sunwoo considered what to do about her.
“You haven’t changed at all, Lee Yujin.”
Without hesitation, he headed toward the parking lot.
First, he needed to see Yujin—
before she met Jung Jaehyun.
“I’m on my way to your place. Wait.”
Jaehyun had hung up one-sidedly.
“Ha…”
Conversations with him always went wrong.
[Yeonha hasn’t been able to eat for days and keeps throwing up.]
It had already been almost a month since she last saw Yeonha.
She hadn’t forgotten Sunwoo’s warning to wait, but the urge to see her child with her own eyes wouldn’t subside.
In her anxiety, she paced back and forth, staring at her phone, until she finally couldn’t take it anymore and called Yeonha’s daycare.
She had only meant to check if her child was doing well—
but instead, she was told Yeonha was sick.
Tears that hadn’t fallen even when she left Jaehyun’s house now streamed uncontrollably at the news.
[You must never meet your child outside the dates set by the court.]
Sunwoo had emphasized that repeatedly.
It felt unfair, but if she wanted to see Yeonha right now, she needed Jaehyun’s consent.
The lawsuit was affecting her life more than she had expected.
Several times a day, she feared it might go wrong, and once those emotions collapsed, they didn’t recover easily.
Her body grew thinner and weaker.
Though alive, she spent most of her time lying down, as if life had drained out of her.
Who was checking Yeonha’s daycare notes?
Did her child cry a lot at night without her?
With the weather turning cold, had Yeonha caught a cold?
She realized she had never been apart from her child before—
not since the time she carried Yeonha in her womb.
If she could just raise her child herself, she wouldn’t care if she could never act again.
All she wanted was simple:
to be by her son’s side whenever he needed his mother.
That was all.
Soon, Jaehyun called to say he had arrived.
“Not inside the house. Let’s talk in the car.”
She didn’t want to let him into her home.
It was her first time seeing him since the trial.
Repeating what she needed to say in her mind, she put on her coat and stepped outside.
