Chapter 39

A week had passed since Jooyoung regained consciousness.

Her recovery was astonishingly rapid. Although the doctor had said it was still too early for her to be discharged, her condition had improved so much that, in just one week, she was able to sit up on her own and slowly walk around her hospital room.

Throughout that entire week, Seoyoung hadn’t visited the hospital even once. She had gone all the way to the hospital entrance several times, only to turn around and leave without going inside.

She didn’t have the courage to face her older sister.

From the moment Jooyoung opened her eyes, Seoyoung had known better than anyone that the moment she had feared most had finally begun.

Then, one day, her phone rang.

Sooae’s name appeared on the screen.

“Hello?”

[Seoyoung.]

Sooae’s voice was cautious. And now, she was calling her ‘Seoyoung’ rather than ‘Jooyoung.’

“Yes, Mom.”

After hesitating for a moment, Sooae finally managed to speak.

[Jooyoung… says she wants to see you.]

Seoyoung’s heart sank.

She gripped her phone tightly, unable to say a word.

[Could you come to the hospital when you have some time?]

“……”

[You two should meet at least once, shouldn’t you?]

Seoyoung slowly closed her eyes.

She had always known that this was a moment she would eventually have to face.

And…

That day had finally come.

Seoyoung’s heart felt heavy the entire drive to the hospital. Her hands kept tightening around the steering wheel. Every time she stopped at a traffic light, all that escaped her lips was a deep sigh.

What would her sister say to her?

Would she get angry? Would she resent her? Or would she simply stare at her without saying anything?

Seoyoung had imagined that moment countless times, but she couldn’t picture how it would actually unfold.

There was one thing she knew for certain.

Once today was over, everything might change.

At the thought, her chest tightened more and more. She gently stroked her stomach.

‘It’ll be okay.’

She couldn’t tell whether those words were meant to reassure her baby or comfort herself.

After letting out a long breath, she continued driving toward the hospital.

When Seoyoung arrived, she stood in front of the hospital room for a long time.

Her fingers tightened around the doorknob. After taking a deep breath, she slowly knocked.

“Come in.”

It was a familiar voice, yet one she hadn’t heard in a long time.

Seoyoung carefully opened the door.

Jooyoung was alone in the hospital room.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, softly illuminating the room. Jooyoung, who had been sitting against the headboard, slowly raised her eyes.

Their gazes met.

For a moment, it felt as though time had stopped inside the room.

Seoyoung couldn’t utter a word. The person standing before her felt almost like a dream.

This was the very same older sister who had been lying unconscious just a few weeks ago.

And now, she was looking straight at her.

Jooyoung didn’t say anything either. She simply looked Seoyoung over, her gaze slowly traveling across her.

From head to toe.

As though confirming the appearance of a younger sister she hadn’t seen in a long time.

Or perhaps… as though she were looking at a complete stranger.

The silence was even harder to bear.

Seoyoung was the first to speak.

“…Unni.”

At that single word, Jooyoung’s eyes wavered ever so slightly. But she soon regained her composure and spoke.

“It’s been a while. You’ve changed quite a bit. You really do look like me now.”

The sarcasm in her voice hurt Seoyoung more than she expected.

“How are you feeling…? Are you okay?”

“As you can see.”

After that brief reply, silence fell over the room once again.

Seoyoung stood with her hands clasped tightly together, while Jooyoung quietly watched her.

How much time passed like that?

Eventually, Jooyoung spoke.

“Sit down.”

Seoyoung couldn’t bring herself to move right away. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly took a seat in the chair across from the bed.

A heavy silence settled over the hospital room. The only sound was the faint rustling of the wind outside the window. Neither of them spoke.

Jooyoung gazed silently at Seoyoung.

The person who had lived in her place.

And the person who now had to return her life to her.

After a long silence, Jooyoung finally spoke.

“It must have been… difficult for you all this time.”

Seoyoung couldn’t raise her head. She had no idea what to say.

Jooyoung averted her gaze and spoke quietly.

“Mom and Dad told me everything.”

A brief silence followed.

“That you married into the Taesan family in my place.”

“…Unni.”

“Thank you.”

It was an unexpected response.

Seoyoung looked up at her in surprise. Jooyoung continued in an even tone.

“For protecting my place while I was gone.”

There was no insincerity in her words. She was genuinely grateful.

But that alone couldn’t settle everything.

After all, that place had always belonged to her.

Jooyoung slowly exhaled before speaking again.

“But things are different now.”

At those words, Seoyoung’s fingertips trembled.

Jooyoung looked directly at her.

“I’m awake now, aren’t I?”

The atmosphere in the hospital room grew heavy.

“So now…”

Jooyoung paused for a moment before speaking in a quiet but firm voice.

“We should each return to where we originally belonged.”

Seoyoung couldn’t say anything.

The words pierced deep into her chest.

Jooyoung wasn’t letting her emotions get the better of her. If anything, her calm demeanor made her words all the more painful.

“That marriage was originally mine.”

After taking a brief breath, she continued.

“And my place as the daughter-in-law of the Taesan family… belonged to me too.”

Seoyoung’s lips trembled.

Jooyoung quietly studied her younger sister’s face before adding,

“Isn’t that right?”

In the end, Seoyoung couldn’t bring herself to answer.

Her lips parted several times, but no sound came out.

Watching her in silence, Jooyoung spoke again.

“My health has improved quite a bit now.”

There was no hesitation in her voice as she leaned against the headboard.

“They said I should be able to leave the hospital soon.”

She paused, studying Seoyoung’s reaction before continuing.

“From what I’ve heard, Chairman Baek and Madam Jo are away from home on an overseas schedule, right?”

Seoyoung slowly nodded.

“…Yes.”

“Then that’s actually for the best.”

Jooyoung continued calmly.

“We can put everything back the way it was before they return.”

For a moment, Seoyoung felt as though her breath had caught in her throat.

“Unni…”

“That’s the cleanest way to handle things.”

Jooyoung’s expression remained unchanged.

“There’s no need to make this more complicated than it has to be. When the two of them return, I’ll be the daughter-in-law of the Taesan family again. Then there won’t be any problems, will there?”

The atmosphere in the hospital room grew heavy.

Seoyoung lowered her head, unable to say anything.

Looking at her younger sister, Jooyoung quietly added,

“Because that place was mine from the beginning.”

Her words sank heavily into the depths of Seoyoung’s heart.

Behind Seoyoung, who sat with her head bowed, the hospital room door opened as Hyungjin and Sooae entered.

“Seoyoung.”

Seoyoung slowly turned around.

Hyungjin stared at her silently for a moment before finally speaking with difficulty.

“Now, it’s time for you to give your sister back the place you’ve been occupying in her stead.”

His words weighed heavily on Seoyoung’s heart.

With a bitter expression, Hyungjin continued.

“That was what we agreed on from the very beginning, wasn’t it?”

Sooae, who was standing beside him, nodded as well.

“You’ve really worked hard all this time. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have made it this far. Thank you.”

They were undoubtedly words of gratitude.

But they did nothing to warm Seoyoung’s heart.

It felt as though they were telling her that her role was finally over.

Seoyoung looked at her parents without saying a word.

Ever since Jooyoung had awakened, her parents’ gazes had changed.

They no longer looked at her with the same concern as before, nor did they call her name in the same affectionate voices.

Now, their eyes held only Han Jooyoung once again.

And Seoyoung was returning to being nothing more than the person who had temporarily taken her sister’s place—the child they had reluctantly kept by their side like an unwanted burden.

Seoyoung forced herself to smile.

“…Yes.”

With that single word, she left the hospital room.

From beyond the closing door, she could faintly hear her parents laughing.

But Seoyoung didn’t stop walking.

Because, at that moment, she felt as though she had become the person farthest removed from that family.