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Chapter 1
My sister died.
Wearing mourning clothes, Dain stared for a long time at the smiling face of her sister in the portrait. While people quietly came and went, offering their condolences, she kept recalling that bright smile.
“Dain, I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry.”
Even while undergoing grueling hospital treatments, her sister had insisted on smiling. But in the end, her final moments had been drowned in tears.
“Take care of Yeoreum for me. I know I have no right to ask this of you, but please… please look after my poor Yeoreum…”
Even while drifting in and out of consciousness, teetering on the edge of death, Dayoung’s last concern had been her only daughter. Of course, mixed into that concern was guilt—guilt toward her younger sister. She was asking her to raise her child like a burden, even though Dain was only twenty-six, barely out of college and just starting her first job.
“Unni, don’t go.”
Dain regretted the desperate plea she had whispered in front of her dying sister that day.
“Don’t leave me behind too…”
That moment repeated in her mind like a fixed scene—whether she was sending off her sister’s cold body or greeting mourners at the funeral.
If only she had answered more maturely, with more composure. Then perhaps Dayoung could have left this world with fewer worries.
“Dain.”
When the funeral hall grew quieter, her aunt approached cautiously. Dain, who had been staring blankly at nothing, finally turned around.
“Did you eat something?”
Dain silently shook her head. Her aunt clicked her tongue at her pale, lifeless face.
“I’ll stay here. Go eat a little.”
“Auntie… what about Yeoreum?”
Her hesitant voice was full of worry, as if she had no time to care for herself while her sister’s child was left behind.
“She fell asleep, so I laid her down. She didn’t even cry, just stayed very quiet.”
Her aunt pointed toward the next room, suppressing the bitterness in her heart. The little girl, not knowing if her mother was gone or not, had only blinked her big eyes before curling up to sleep in a corner.
“She’s so pitiful…”
Her aunt’s eyes reddened. Before she could burst into tears, Dain quickly excused herself. She couldn’t hold back her own tears if her aunt started crying. She had thought she’d already cried enough for a lifetime just the night before.
In the next room, Yeoreum was indeed lying asleep on the floor. The soft breaths of the barely three-year-old child reached her.
Dain lay down beside her, forgetting even her hunger. Her aunt worried about food, but for her, sleep was more urgent—deep, dreamless sleep that would make her forget everything, maybe forever.
“Unni…”
Her lips, cracked and white, whispered up toward the ceiling. It hurt whenever she moved them, but she kept whispering anyway.
“I’ll protect Yeoreum. I promise.”
So please, don’t worry. Just wait.
I’ll raise her well and come to you soon.
I’ll come see you, and Mom and Dad too…
“Until then… I’ll keep going.”
As though repenting, Dain finished her silent prayer and pulled the fallen blanket back over Yeoreum. Curled up in her small frame, the child looked fragile, weak, unbearably pitiful.
Her tiny hand, warm with life, brought tears to Dain’s eyes. So different from her sister’s hand, which had grown cold.
“But still, the living must live, Dain.”
Recalling those words she once heard, she bit back her tears with all her strength.
Early spring, still chilly.
Yeoreum wandered aimlessly down the streets in a thin cardigan, clutching a small business card in her right hand and carrying a backpack with a lunchbox inside.
A few passersby looked at her curiously, but with no guardian in sight, none dared to approach.
“Auntie must be hungry…”
While enduring the stares, Yeoreum kept glancing around, searching for her way. She had tried hailing a taxi but failed again and again, and her confidence deflated like a balloon losing air.
It had been a day she stayed home from kindergarten with a mild fever. Coming out to the living room for water, she discovered that her beloved aunt, Dain, had accidentally left her lunchbox behind when she went to work.
Startled, Yeoreum had tried calling her, but Dain hadn’t answered—probably too busy at the office to even check her phone.
In the end, Yeoreum had relied on that one little business card and set out on her own. But finding her way wasn’t easy, and whether from the fever or exhaustion, her head spun and her legs ached as she walked.
She pulled a water bottle from her bag, struggling with the cap. She meant to take just a sip—but not looking ahead turned out to be a mistake.
“Ah!”
She bumped into a stranger and fell hard on her bottom. Looking up in surprise, she saw her water bottle rolling away, leaving a dark stain on the man’s trousers.
“Sir! Are you all right?”
Another man rushed over with alarm. Frozen in place by his sudden approach, Yeoreum couldn’t move. But the man she had bumped into only shook his head at her pale, frightened face.
“Director Jung, you’ll scare the kid.”
It was strange. He had every reason to be angry, but his voice was gentle.
Feeling an odd sense of relief, Yeoreum slowly lifted her gaze. Now that he had crouched down, she could see his face clearly—handsome, like the actors she saw on TV.
“I-I’m sorry…”
The man smiled and offered his hand.
“It’s all right. You’re not hurt, are you?”
“No…”
Carefully, Yeoreum took his hand and stood. He brushed the dust from her skirt and glanced at the empty water bottle on the ground.
“What a shame. You spilled it all.”
The man—Go Taekyung—looked strangely guilty, though it wasn’t really his fault. She had run into him, but he hadn’t been paying much attention either.
“Are you really fine, sir? You need to head into the company soon.”
The other man, Director Jung Woo-hyun, interjected again, suspicious.
“What, should I snap at a child instead? You really are cold-blooded, Director Jung.”
“That’s not what I meant—”
Before he could argue further, Taekyung raised his hand to silence him, calm despite the urgent meeting waiting for him. Jung sighed and stepped back.
Meanwhile, Taekyung bent to meet Yeoreum’s eyes.
“Sweetheart, where’s your mom?”
Yeoreum flinched, blinking her big eyes. She wanted to protest—she wasn’t a baby—but her teacher’s warning rang in her ears: Don’t talk to strangers.
“I was just wondering if you’re lost.”
Seeing her frozen in fear, Taekyung gave a warm smile. She looked so helpless, wandering in circles.
“I’m… not lost.”
“Really?”
He asked again. After a serious moment of thought, Yeoreum confessed honestly—albeit a little late.
“…I just got lost.”
“Oh dear.”
Half out of kindness, half out of curiosity, Taekyung pressed on.
“Where are you trying to go?”
“My aunt’s company.”
“What company is that?”
Yeoreum almost pulled out Dain’s business card but, wary still, chose only to give the name.
“Tae-woong Trading.”
The instant he heard it, the playful gleam in Taekyung’s eyes wavered. He let out a faint sigh, then held out his hand.
“Come on, Uncle will take you.”
“Sir—!”
Director Jung, who had been listening closely, rushed forward in panic. His scolding was so forceful even Yeoreum flinched.
“What are you doing? If you don’t attend the meeting right now, the Chairman will be furious!”
“Director Jung, just because we were classmates doesn’t mean you can talk to your superior like that.”
Taekyung muttered lowly, shielding Yeoreum from his agitation.
“And it’s only because we’re classmates that I’ve endured this long. Anyone else wouldn’t last even a month—no, a week—under you.”
“You’re too harsh.”
“Anyway…”
Trying not to raise his voice in front of the child, Jung continued with restrained frustration.
“Why insist on this? If the girl’s lost, I’ll take her to the nearest police station.”
“No… she looks like someone I know.”
“Like who?”
After dragging it out so suspiciously, Taekyung whispered:
“My first love.”
His voice was calm, but the words were explosive. Jung’s face twisted in disbelief.
“…Did you hit your head just now?”
“Her destination is our company.”
Ignoring the jab, Taekyung took Yeoreum’s hand more firmly.
“Maybe my first love is there.”
“But you said she looks like your first love. Then surely—”
Married by now, Jung wanted to say, but bit his tongue. Still, Taekyung’s lips curled in a sly smile.
“So what if she’s married? Let’s just see.”
Jung’s heart sank at Taekyung’s reckless declaration—whether serious or not, he couldn’t tell.
