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Chapter: 6
From the moment Eunjae discovered her mother’s unforgivable mistake, every moment became hell for her.
Oh Hyeju, Ukyeong’s stepmother and Doyoung’s wife, was an incredibly kind and grateful person.
“Is it because Eunjae is the same age as our daughter? She’s so diligent and studies so well—it’s impressive. She’s lovely. I want to treat her well.”
Sometimes Oh Hyeju would bring her clothes or food. When Eunjae was a student, she even paid for her expensive school trips under the guise of a scholarship. She also made sure that Eunjae could receive the astronomical law school tuition fees through the Doyoung Welfare Foundation’s scholarship.
Even knowing about the deep relationship between Ukyeong and Eunjae, she let it slide.
It was a situation where anyone would rightly be angry—after all, the daughter of a mere employee had no right to get involved—but she didn’t act that way.
“I’m not that old-fashioned, right? I actually approve of the two of them.”
“Chairman…”
“You know, Ukyeong is like a son I gave birth to myself. As long as Ukyeong is happy, that’s all that matters.”
Instead, her words came with warm consolation. She told Eunjae she didn’t need to lower her head for something she hadn’t done wrong.
“I respected Ukyeong’s choice to give up succession and go to law school. And if this time his choice is you, Eunjae, I accept it.”
Oh Hyeju became a protective barrier for Eunjae. Thanks to her, even though Eunjae lived a poor life in a detached building, she never felt lacking. The kindness Oh Hyeju showed was something Eunjae would never be able to repay in a lifetime.
But then… her husband and her mother—so, the father and mother of the man she loved—were involved in an inappropriate relationship. Not just once, but over several years, deceiving everyone.
It was hard to believe, and despair washed over her.
Should she have suspected her mother when her spending suddenly increased? When her mother started buying earrings and necklaces and dressing up, she even cheered her on, foolishly.
After the shock came a painfully sharp despair.
On the day she dropped out of the law school she had longed for, Eunjae cried so hard she could hardly breathe. She blamed herself for not being shameless enough to accept the scholarship from the Doyoung Foundation without noticing what was going on.
Her dream and goal of becoming a prosecutor was naturally abandoned. So easily… it could be given up like that. She felt hollow and empty.
But no moment had ever been more painful than letting go of the most precious and valuable thing she had.
“Let’s just… end this here.”
Her sparkling first love. A crush she didn’t even realize she had, as natural as breathing. A man whose heart she miraculously shared and became her lover. The most beautiful and precious thing she owned. Her everything.
“I don’t love you anymore, oppa.”
She had to cut ties with Baek Ukyeong. Forcefully. Painfully. Desperately.
Her family had destroyed his family. Her mother had hurt him.
She couldn’t smile while holding his hand or cling to him. That couldn’t happen.
After unilaterally ending the relationship with Ukyeong and fleeing the Doyoung household with her mother, despair was all that remained.
Almost immediately after their fresh start, her mother was scammed. A friend coaxed her into opening a side-dish shop, and she co-signed a loan, taking on enormous debt borrowed by the friend from a loan company.
Her mother, overwhelmed and struggling, almost did something terrible—but Eunjae stopped her, and when she did, no tears came.
To repay the debt, Eunjae worked every odd job she could, and even attempted to become a prosecutor investigator with just one semester of law school knowledge.
One hardship piled on another, and Eunjae lost her vitality. Living through each day mechanically became exhausting.
“…Let’s stop talking about this, Mom. I’m tired.”
Eunjae finally let go of the painful recollections. Thinking about past events wouldn’t help—only hurt.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, Eunjae. I promise we won’t fight again.”
Her mother slouched with her disheveled frame. She looked so pitiful that Eunjae’s heart ached.
No matter how badly her mother had behaved, Eunjae couldn’t abandon her only family. Even though she was scorned as a child born of an unknown father, her mother had raised her with steadfast determination. She couldn’t leave her.
So she decided to be the kind of foolish daughter who covers for her mother’s faults. Since leaving Ukyeong, her mother was the only ally left to her.
“Ah, tomorrow we’ll start looking for work. Mom has to pay off the debt quickly, and then get Eunjae married!”
Seeing Eunjae’s slightly softened expression, her mother quickly linked arms with her.
They walked deep into the alley and stopped at a small silver gate. Beyond the worn door, half a flight down, was their humble home.
“Ah, there’s nothing like home.”
Her mother collapsed onto the bed the moment they entered. She must have been tense at the police station.
“…Mom.”
Eunjae, lying beside her, looked at the yellowed ceiling and spoke.
“When we pay off the debt, shall we move abroad?”
“I’d love that! Where to? Which country shall we go?”
Hearing her mother’s cheerful voice full of hope, Eunjae covered her eyes with her arm. It had been an excessively exhausting day.
A week had passed since Eunjae requested a transfer within the organization, yet no news arrived.
She hadn’t had any personal contact with Ukyeong since the elevator incident. That was a relief. In truth, it was peace she had earned through immense effort.
She did her best to avoid him at work—during commutes, in hallways, in front of conference rooms. Inside the office, she worked silently to avoid disturbing him even slightly.
That day, she spent more than half of her ordinary day avoiding Ukyeong.
But for the last task, she had no choice but to work with him. It was the full investigative report meeting of the criminal team, conducted with the deputy prosecutor.
“Eunjae!”
A familiar voice called out as she moved toward the meeting room.
“Oh, my. You’re working. Investigator Jeong Eunjae, it’s been a while.”
Detective Ahn Jinhyuk approached with a bright smile from across the hall.
“Hello, sir. Did your business trip go well?”
“Don’t even mention it. A month-long trip is no life for a person.”
Jinhyuk, a university and law school senior of hers, added honorifics belatedly after noticing her presence.
“Just the two of us, so let’s be comfortable.”
He adjusted his silver-rimmed glasses and noticed the mobile cart Eunjae was pulling.
“Meeting materials? Give them here.”
“I-I’ll do it. It’s fine.”
He refused her refusal and took the cart handle from her.
“But why didn’t you answer my call? I even timed it to Korea.”
“Ah… I’m sorry. What was it about?”
“You heard Baek Ukyeong came to our prosecutor’s office, right? As your direct superior, no less.”
He lowered his voice and approached closely.
Hearing this, Eunjae remembered why Jinhyuk and Baek Ukyeong had never gotten along. Ukyeong had always taken the top spot, leaving Jinhyuk in second place.
“Are you okay? How are you handling that crazy guy?”
Jinhyuk had no idea of the depth of Eunjae and Ukyeong’s relationship, which made the conversation simple for her.
“I’m fine.”
“That bastard should have just stayed in the U.S. Why is he suddenly sneaking in? Do you know?”
Eunjae only knew he was supposed to go to law school in the U.S. after a stint as an exchange prosecutor. But why had he suddenly returned to Korea?
It was a question she had temporarily forgotten because of the sudden reunion and her mother’s incident.
“…I don’t really know.”
“True. What conversation would a stiff block of wood like him even have with you?”
After that, they talked about miscellaneous matters, mostly Jinhyuk speaking and Eunjae listening.
Exhausted from the continuous chatter, Eunjae rounded the corner…
“…!”
She ran into Ukyeong, standing like a massive wall.
“Oh? Perfect timing. Hey, Baek, you came to Criminal Division 1, right?”
Dressed impeccably in a dark gray suit with a vest, he looked between Eunjae and Jinhyuk. Normally calm with a hint of arrogance, today his black eyes were intimidating.
“You could at least greet your seniors—”
“What is it?”
Ignoring Jinhyuk’s complaint effortlessly, he gestured to the heavily loaded cart Eunjae was pushing. His narrowed eyes revealed clear displeasure.
