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Chapter 26
“I went through hell looking for you. I kept thinking—what if I lost you forever because of me? If only I had paid more attention. I regretted it so much. Getting scolded by adults didn’t scare me at all compared to that.”
“……”
“You were crouched all alone in some desolate place with no streetlights. I heard you calling my name, whispering to yourself, asking when I would come. I can’t even tell you how choked up I felt seeing that. That’s when I made a promise. I told you I was sorry, that from then on, I would come find you first before you had to look for me. That I’d protect you anytime.”
“You’re practically like a real brother.”
“I was…….”
The way he trailed off gave her the sense there was something more than just that.
“Did you keep staying together after that?”
“We parted when your mother passed away and you moved into your grandfather’s house.”
There was regret in Tae-geon’s voice, and Hyun-jung too couldn’t help feeling a pang of sorrow.
Listening to that tender childhood memory, she felt her heart toward him already wide open.
Can I trust Tae-geon? she asked herself. Even if she didn’t want to, she kept finding herself wanting to believe in him. She tried to think coldly that maybe she was only bewitched by his handsome face, but the truth was, she couldn’t stay objective—her heart leaned toward him too strongly.
Whenever she was with Tae-geon, she felt a warm flutter and a sense of positivity, as though she might even recover her memories soon.
“Mr. Kang Tae-geon, just……”
Please take me away from here. I’ll repay this debt to you.
She was about to say that when, from a distance, a voice called her name sharply.
“Seo Hyun-jung?”
She froze. Somehow, she instinctively knew she shouldn’t be seen with Tae-geon by anyone. But of all people, it had to be her parents’ voices.
How did they know? She had herself bundled tightly in a blanket from head to toe.
“Honey, isn’t that our Hyun-jung in the wheelchair over there?”
“It does look like her. But who’s that man with her?”
Tae-geon, who had been sitting with a relaxed, graceful posture on the bench, rose when he heard the voices behind her. Unlike her flustered reaction, he didn’t look the least bit surprised.
She was about to whisper for him to push her away and hide when Young-wook’s booming voice rang across the garden.
“Hey! Seo Hyun-jung!”
“Oh my, Chairman. I’ll bring the young lady back right away.”
That was the caretaker, stepping in. She’d been nearby with Secretary Kim, like yesterday. She looked mortified as she tried to block Young-wook, who came charging toward Hyun-jung, but she couldn’t hold him back. Following right behind him, Myung-hee shoved the caretaker aside by the shoulder.
The caretaker fell backwards with a yelp, startling Hyun-jung, who instinctively tried to rush to her aid. Thankfully, Secretary Kim caught the woman before she hit the ground. Hyun-jung let out a shaky breath of relief.
She had known her father could be violent, but she had never imagined Myung-hee would also be so high-handed and overbearing.
“You there! Who are you? Who called our sick daughter out in the middle of the night like this? Have you no manners?!”
Pointing a finger at Tae-geon, Young-wook’s glare was bloodshot with fury, like a madman. Yet despite such rudeness, Tae-geon didn’t even blink.
He straightened his coat neatly and bowed slightly.
“Good evening. My name is Kang Tae-geon.”
Even at his polite greeting, Young-wook didn’t acknowledge him, instead yanking on Hyun-jung’s wheelchair to turn it.
“You must be Hyun-jung’s father. I’d like a word with you.”
Still ignored, Tae-geon calmly held out his business card. Young-wook snatched it as though it offended him, then read aloud.
“TOP Capital?”
He turned the gold-trimmed card over in his hands but did little else.
“My mood is foul right now. I don’t appreciate my daughter, a patient under ‘family-only visitation,’ being brought outside like this.”
“I apologize.”
Young-wook gave a sharp, disdainful cough, glaring at Tae-geon as if daring him to continue. His expression was so openly disrespectful that Hyun-jung felt ashamed on his behalf.
“I have nothing to say to you. My son-in-law will be here soon. Do you think any man would like to see his fiancée out here at night, alone with another man?”
That odd hostility toward Tae-geon clearly had its reasons.
“Father!”
“Shh, stay quiet.”
Hearing her father call Jae-seok “son-in-law” again made her want to scream. He was making it sound like she was cheating on her husband-to-be, and she was furious. Did he really have to demean his own daughter like this?
Uncontainable anger welled up inside her, bringing tears to her eyes.
But Young-wook seemed to care for nothing but tearing her away from Tae-geon.
“What the—? Why won’t this move?”
He pushed the wheelchair roughly, but it didn’t budge. He hadn’t even realized the wheels were locked. No matter how much he forced, it wouldn’t move.
The caretaker hurriedly unlocked the brakes, only for Young-wook to snap at her.
“You call yourself a caretaker? With visitation limited to family, how could you let her meet anyone she pleases? You’ll answer for letting her leave the hospital like this! Not only are you dismissed—you’re responsible!”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Father, it was me. I wanted some fresh air in the park. She did nothing wrong.”
She felt awful that the caretaker was being scolded because of her. But Young-wook ignored her words completely.
“Don’t interrupt when adults are speaking! Take her back to her room immediately, and change her caretaker!”
“Father! Please, wait—Father!”
At his order, Myung-hee began pushing the chair. But Hyun-jung couldn’t just leave. She wanted to tell her parents the truth about Jae-seok’s lies, and she wanted Tae-geon there to back her up.
“Be quiet. Do as your father says.”
“Mother…… just a moment.”
“I said quiet! Thank heavens Deputy Director Cho didn’t come with us. What man would be happy to see his fiancée secretly meeting another man at night?”
“Wait, please.”
Because of her father’s hostility toward Tae-geon, she couldn’t let herself be dragged away. Jae-seok was coming here anyway—then, with everyone present, she could reveal the truth about the accident.
She was certain Jae-seok was lying. His version of events already betrayed itself. Even if her parents favored him as a son-in-law, once they knew the truth, surely they would see things differently.
Myung-hee pushed her toward the hospital entrance, but Hyun-jung ripped off the blanket wrapped around her and grabbed the wheelchair’s handrim, struggling against it. In the scuffle, the chair tipped and toppled over.
“Ow!”
She crashed sideways, pain shooting through her fingers caught in the wheel and through her injured leg. She curled up, wincing. As she pulled her hand free, her palm scraped against the asphalt, stinging.
“Hyun-jung!”
“Oh dear, what do we do?!”
The first to reach her were Tae-geon and the caretaker. Myung-hee stared, shocked, while Young-wook only looked down at his daughter with exasperation, as if she were pathetic.
“Are you okay?”
The caretaker righted the wheelchair while Tae-geon carefully examined her.
His eyes darkened as he took in the scraped skin beading with blood and the leg still wrapped in bandages. His expression hardened, growing cold. Hyun-jung instinctively held her breath. He wasn’t angry with her, but the shift in his aura alone was intimidating.
“I’m fine. I just hurt a little when I fell. I think it’s okay.”
Without a word, Tae-geon scooped her up and settled her gently back into the chair. It was clear he was restraining himself in front of her parents. The veins standing out in his clenched jaw made anyone watching uneasy.
“You! How dare you lay hands on her!”
The moment Tae-geon set her in the chair, Young-wook smacked his hand away as if it were filthy.
“Father!”
