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Chapter 06
Yu-eul Bakery Shop.
A scream burst out of Yu-eul, who had been baking bread since early dawn.
The bread was done, and she had to take the tray out of the oven—but she grabbed it with her bare hands.
She rushed to the sink and plunged her hands into cold water.
“Haah…”
Ever since her aunt visited yesterday, she had been like this.
They say if you’re hit with shocking news one after another, you become an idiot for a moment.
That was exactly what she was now.
Last night, she forgot the entry code to her officetel, so the security guard had to come running, and she left the stove on while making soup and completely burned the pot.
And on top of that, she stupidly touched a hot oven tray with her bare hands.
Biting her lip hard, Yu-eul closed her eyes tightly.
She hadn’t even known she had a niece or nephew, but after finding out, she felt like she would die from worrying about that child whose face she didn’t even know.
It was all because of what Ji-eun said yesterday.
“Sehan Group… aren’t they basically a gangster corporation? Remember? Taehun told us his dad died because of hired thugs when they lived in a redevelopment zone.”
“…Huh?”
“The idiots who did that grew up to form Sehan Group. And your nephew is in that house right now.”
Yu-eul and Ji-eun met Taehun when he transferred to their class in sixth grade.
They lived in the same neighborhood, went to and from school together, and somehow ended up attending the same middle and high school, becoming an inseparable trio.
Before Taehun enlisted, the three of them got drunk and poured out the pains they had been carrying.
Ji-eun talked about being from a single-parent family, Yu-eul about losing her parents in an accident and being forcibly separated from her sister, and Taehun about his father dying due to violence from redevelopment enforcers.
The other two felt the deepest pain for Taehun’s story.
From then on, they promised never to buy or eat anything with “Se” in the brand name.
But now—her beloved older sister’s precious baby…
Was living in the chairman’s house of Sehan Group.
Saying she wasn’t worried would be a lie.
Everyone in Korea knew how frighteningly fast Sehan Group grew, and that behind that growth were black hands and black money.
Could a child raised under such a “gangster chairman” possibly grow up safely and normally?
What if the baby was being abused?
“What do I do…”
Without realizing, the words escaped her lips.
She gave up keeping her hands in the water and collapsed to her knees, crouching.
The sun was already rising.
She needed to bake more bread quickly, but her heart was in turmoil—she couldn’t.
Even when she learned her sister had disappeared, she hadn’t been this unable to bake.
Anxiously, she gnawed at her thumbnail.
Even at this very moment, her sister’s baby might not be safe.
What if the diaper wasn’t being changed? What if the baby was being neglected? Was the formula being fed properly?
From what she’d seen on parenting shows, babies under one year old required a tremendous amount of care…
Thinking about a baby who lost both parents on the same day made tears rise.
She had cried so much worrying about a nephew she had never even seen.
The bell jingled outside, followed by footsteps approaching the kitchen.
The curtain was yanked open.
“Hey! Han Yu-eul! What are you doing?!”
It was Ji-eun, who clocked in at 8 a.m.
Her face was filled with worry.
Anyone would be, seeing Yu-eul squatting with red eyes and not baking a single loaf.
Ji-eun rushed over and helped her up.
Yu-eul winced as her legs tingled painfully.
“Ow—ugh… I’m dying.”
“Why are you sitting here like this? Oh my god, what happened to your hands?!”
Ji-eun grabbed her hands in shock.
Only then did Yu-eul glance down.
Both of her fingertips were blistered.
“You burned yourself?!”
“Yeah… I grabbed the tray barehanded earlier…”
“You’re insane. Seriously insane.”
Ji-eun smacked her on the back as she scolded her.
“A baker losing her mind like this!”
She quickly scanned the kitchen.
Seeing that not even half the usual amount of bread was made, she sighed.
“We can’t open the store today.”
Yu-eul bit her lower lip and nodded.
“I guess… yeah…”
“Honestly, Han Yu-eul. You’ve really gotten sloppy. You never rest when you’re supposed to!”
Feeling miserable, Yu-eul said nothing and went to the counter.
She posted a notice on the shop’s SNS saying the store would be closed today due to personal circumstances.
Then she printed the same message and taped it to the door.
As she tried to head back to the counter, Ji-eun came out of the kitchen and pulled her to one of the few tables by the window.
“Sit. Let me disinfect your hands.”
Vacantly, Yu-eul extended her hands.
“My god… this must hurt so much. With blisters like these, how could you even wash your hands?”
“I don’t even know if it hurts… But, Ji-eun.”
“What?”
“You have a younger sister, so you get it, right?”
“Get what?”
“Just suppose—this is a horrible example, but just imagine. Your sister Jiseon had a baby. Then she and her husband died overnight. The baby isn’t even one year old. And your brother-in-law’s family says they’ll raise the baby. What would you do?”
“Ugh. Just imagining it stresses me out. I’d take the baby, obviously. Either I’d raise them or Mom would.”
“But what if the brother-in-law is a good person?”
“He still has his own family. So my niece or nephew would live feeling like an outsider.”
“Yeah…”
“In that case, the aunt should take the baby. No question.”
Those words clenched Yu-eul’s heart.
She tightened her fists.
“Right? Even in normal circumstances, the aunt wanting to raise the baby is natural, right? But me, Ji-eun… I…”
“…Yeah.”
“What if the baby’s grandfather is a terrifying man? What if that family isn’t even prepared to raise a baby? What if he chain-smokes, or drinks heavily…? I’m so scared I could die.”
Her voice trembled.
Ji-eun nodded.
“Well… it is a crazy situation. And I know how much you cherished your sister, Suyeong. I get why you can’t stop thinking about the baby you’ve never even seen.”
With her mind made up, Yu-eul shot to her feet.
She needed to bring her nephew home.
Repay her sister with the affection she never got to give.
“Hey! What are you planning?!”
“I’m going to Sehan Group headquarters and meeting the chairman!”
“Hey! Don’t be reckless! Let’s think about this!”
“No. I thought about it all night. There’s no other way. I don’t have any direct contact with the chairman, and if I call the company, it’ll get blocked by someone before it reaches him.”
“…Yeah, that’s true.”
As Ji-eun bit her lip, thinking, Yu-eul headed for the entrance.
“Han Yu-eul! Where are you going?!”
“Strike while the iron is hot! I’m going!”
“What?! Oh my god—then I’m going with you!”
Yu-eul stopped and turned around sharply.
She warned her sternly.
“No. Don’t come. Bringing a friend might make me look less sincere.”
“What?! You expect me to let you go alone to that terrifying company?!”
“It’s broad daylight. What could happen? And there’ll be tons of eyes around. Even if the founder used to be a thug, the employees aren’t.”
Trying to reassure her friend, Yu-eul smiled and waved.
She stepped outside, raised her hand, and hailed a taxi.
She was scared—but thinking about bringing her nephew home gave her courage.
Sehan Group Headquarters.
Standing in front of the enormous building, Yu-eul realized she had no idea where to go or how to meet the chairman.
She stood a distance away from the main entrance and took out her phone to search online.
Was the chairman’s last name the same as the man who had been her sister’s lover?
Was her sister’s lover really the eldest son of Sehan Group’s chairman?
She found the answers within seconds.
Everything was true.
“Whew… Okay. You can do this, Han Yu-eul.”
She took a step—then stopped.
“Wait…”
What should she even say when they ask who she is?
Should she say she’s Han Suyeong’s sister?
But more than that—another thought hit her.
What if they absolutely refuse to hand over the baby?
As much as she felt growing responsibility and affection toward the nephew she’d never seen, the chairman might also desperately want to keep the baby because it was his son’s child.
Even if he was a frightening man… he could still love his grandchild.
Right. Talking it out would give her answers.
If he was raising the baby with love, then maybe… But if not—there would be war.
She would latch on to them like a leech until they returned her nephew.
Because she would raise her sister’s baby better than anyone.
Clenching her fists, Yu-eul stepped into the headquarters building.
