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chapter 29
“It’s not true.”
It was an answer that instantly dispelled all her anxiety.
Dain let out a sigh of relief without realizing it, then froze a beat later as she became aware of it. She had thought she was maintaining her composure, but in reality, she had been seriously anxious.
“So, you said fiancée… I can guess who it is.”
“Are you close?”
“It’s a little complicated to explain…”
Where should he start to make it easy to understand? Dain’s eyes, eagerly awaiting his explanation, shone brightly. Taekyung pressed his lips together, almost smiling, and began calmly.
“Hanul’s dad… in other words, he’s an acquaintance of my younger brother.”
“Ah…”
“More precisely, he was my younger brother’s fiancée.”
Taekyung’s younger brother, Go Taejin, one year his junior, had an unusual disposition since childhood. He had always been quiet, growing up as if he barely existed, then suddenly appeared with a child. It happened when Taejin was twenty-two, and their parents collapsed at the sight of the baby.
“Your younger brother’s fiancée?”
“Yes, but that all ended when Hanul was born. It wasn’t a marriage based on love to begin with, so the other side didn’t hold any grudges.”
Thanks to the other side’s unexpected consideration, Taejin was able to raise the child safely. The real problem was losing track of the mother, but at least a major legal incident was avoided.
“They maintained their title as an important client, and interactions continued afterward.”
“I see…”
“Since it was a close relationship, we often ran into each other at parties. Since my brother wasn’t in the country, rumors spread strangely, but it’s not the kind of relationship Dain could misunderstand.”
The tension in her stiff shoulders melted away. Dain let out a relieved breath, happy that her worries were unfounded.
“I didn’t misunderstand… it’s just…”
“Just?”
“You’re so handsome and come from a fine family, of course you’d be popular. I was just worried, that’s all.”
Dain muttered in a small voice, almost making excuses. Taekyung rested his chin on the back of his hand, tilting his head slightly. The table’s light barely illuminated his sharp nose.
“So, you admit I’m handsome.”
“Well… you’re not exactly bad-looking.”
“I know, but hearing it from you makes me unexpectedly happy.”
It was a somewhat cheeky answer, but as he said, Go Taekyung was far too handsome to be called merely a businessman.
Dain became momentarily distracted by his handsome smile, then hurriedly looked away, realizing her own behavior. Her face had already turned red to the tips of her ears, though she didn’t notice.
“My parents were disappointed with my younger brother but decided to give him another chance. They told him to strengthen his position abroad.”
Taekyung continued speaking, deliberately ignoring Dain’s visible reaction, though he couldn’t take his eyes off her flushed cheeks.
“During that time, my brother had to live going back and forth between Korea and abroad.”
“And your parents…”
“They still had many responsibilities and couldn’t personally help with childcare.”
Dain nodded quietly. Indeed, Taekyung was the heir, but the formal succession hadn’t been completed.
Taewoong Trading was still his father, Chairman Go Taewoong’s, company, and his mother, Mrs. Woo Mihee, was actively helping in various ways.
“My younger brother had never been responsible for anything alone. My parents wanted him to gain that experience and gave him a chance to be independent again.”
“But Hanul… isn’t he too lonely?”
Dain’s voice trembled slightly as she hesitated. Hanul was always cheerful, but no one could know how he really felt inside. Last time they met, he had been surprisingly polite for his age; perhaps the complicated family situation shaped him that way.
“I try to be by his side as much as possible, but it’s hard to fill the place of a father. I think you know that too, Dain.”
“…”
“I’ve often worried about it myself.”
Dain remained silent. Was she truly filling the role of a mother for Summer? Or was the loneliness something that could never be replaced?
“Sometimes, Hanul cries, saying he wants to see his mom.”
Children grow fast. Last year, Hanul would sometimes cry while eating. If he saw a commercial featuring a whole family on TV, he would cry uncontrollably all day.
“Of course, he’d be frustrated because his mom is somewhere he can’t reach. Children can’t understand—or even want to understand—complicated adult circumstances.”
“That’s right. Children don’t need to understand those things.”
“I’ve accepted that the child’s fundamental frustration isn’t something I can resolve. I started from there.”
Whenever reports came in, Taekyung returned home as quickly as possible to be with Hanul. If he cried while eating, Taekyung would take him out and buy something delicious; if he cried while watching TV, they would go to the park or zoo.
“Fundamental frustration?”
“That I can’t be Hanul’s parent in his place.”
Instead, he had Hanul call him uncle and played with him willingly, trying to be someone the child could proudly have in place of a parent.
“Hanul wouldn’t want that either. Even without it…”
From then, Hanul cried less for his parents and confidently sought out his uncle, wanting to spend time together. This was the change Taekyung hoped for.
“I am still part of Hanul’s family, after all.”
It was as if Dain was realizing this for the first time. Her lips trembled.
“Family…”
Dain clenched her fists on the table, trying to maintain her composure.
“You’re… a good uncle, Taekyung.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, I envy it.”
Had she recognized this from the start, Summer might not have gone through such hardships. Dain smiled bitterly, recalling painful memories.
“I think you’re a good aunt too, Dain.”
His hand reached across the table and lightly tapped hers. Dain flinched and looked up. It felt like a tiny shock of static where their fingers touched.
“When my brother briefly returned to Korea… there was a day Hanul was very sick.”
“Hanul?”
“He had a mild cough since morning, but I didn’t think much of it. He often pretended to cough.”
That day, she thought he was just being clever, hoping his father would stay a little longer. But by evening, she realized it wasn’t a trick when she found him lethargic and sleeping all day.
“Rushing him to the ER, I even thought it would be better if I were the one sick… only then did I feel I had truly become part of the child’s family.”
“…”
“You’ve cared for him well even without that experience, so you’re far better than I am.”
Dain shook her head, conflicted.
“No, I…”
“You check on him all the time, don’t you?”
Dain never ignored even small changes in Summer. She measured his temperature at the slightest cough and always covered him with a blanket when cold.
Even at the aquarium, her gaze always returned to Summer. Taekyung had observed her carefully throughout.
“I’ve been to the ER myself. I told you before.”
Dain shook her head, saying it wasn’t praise-worthy. The memory was still embarrassing, which naturally made her monitor Summer closely. It wasn’t pure love—it was born from guilt. She realized that was the difference between her and Taekyung.
“Moreover, I’ve caused him serious emotional wounds before.”
“You?”
A ripple of emotion passed through her. Perhaps it was leftover intoxication from the office gathering, or perhaps she was weakened from his comfort. Either way, she felt a desire to reveal the truth.
“Do you want to hear it?”
“Of course.”
“It’s related to Seo Inhyuk too. Hearing it might make you uncomfortable.”
If Taekyung’s feelings for her were genuine, it would indeed be uncomfortable. This happened when she was dating Inhyuk.
“Even so, do you want to hear it?”
“Dain.”
Dain already knew from her own mouth that she had dated Inhyuk briefly for about a year. But this fact had never caused Taekyung hesitation or doubt.
“I’m more persistent than you think. If it’s about someone I like, I want to hear everything.”
“…”
“So my answer is, of course.”
The person who met her first, who liked her first, wasn’t Inhyuk—it was him. That was all that mattered to Taekyung.
“Please tell me.”
Taekyung’s stubborn answer was exactly what Dain had been hoping to hear. She blinked slowly, her eyes shimmering with tears, showing gratitude.
“This… is why I decided to break up with him.”
She took a deep breath, bracing for the heavy story.
