TCE 29

Chapter 29

Before I could even speak properly, before I fully understood words, I already knew I was different from my younger sibling.

Like a soiled leaf drifting on the surface of a calm lake, I realized far too early that I would never blend in, always left floating on the water.

But no matter how clever or quick-witted, a child is still a child.

So I parted my little lips toward the smiling woman.

[Mom.]

It was the very first word I ever spoke, hoping that the beautiful “stepmother,” whose eyes had never once turned toward me, might finally look at me.

But the response was exactly as I expected—silence and disregard.

She glanced back for just a moment, thinking I was her son, then turned her head away again. It never came back.

[Dad.]

My father, Kyung-cheol, sitting in the same place, was no different.

That was the moment I understood clearly.

It wasn’t sadness that would protect me, but joy. And joy wasn’t something someone gave—it was something you had to seize for yourself.

[I am alone.]

If no one will comfort me when I cry, then I must smile.

That way, no one can ignore me.

The desires and hopes I crammed deep into my chest made me dazzling and radiant. Firm, unyielding, leaving no empty spaces.

“……”

But now… what should I do?

What expression am I supposed to make?

Why… why is Father here?

The middle-aged man in a black suit was already staring at me, his face as sullen and unchanged as ever.

The very face I had tried so hard not to acknowledge.

My father, Go Kyung-cheol.

“Ah.”

Caught off guard by his unexpected appearance, I froze, unsure of how to react.

Only then did I realize—I had unconsciously said “Father.” My voice had been soft, but loud enough for Yoon-jae to hear.

When I quickly turned my head, he was looking down at me with an unreadable expression.

…Damn.

A perfect poker face, betraying nothing.

What excuse could I make for such a fatal slip? As my mind raced, Kyung-cheol himself spared me the effort.

“I won’t bother asking why you’re here. We’re not exactly people who’d be glad to see each other.”

His voice, which had always sounded sharp and almost grating, was strangely subdued.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t strange for him to be here. The odd part was simply that we were never close enough to be father and daughter in any meaningful sense.

His clouded eyes quietly studied the two of us.

“You look well.”

Whether he meant it or not, I couldn’t tell.

Yoon-jae immediately moved to shield me with his body.

“There’s no need to hide her. I don’t have the intention—or the strength—to do anything.”

He saw through Yoon-jae’s instinct instantly and spoke in a mocking tone.

Then, stepping closer, he addressed me directly.

“My daughter treated you badly, didn’t she?”

“……”

“Foolish girl… making a scene like that in front of everyone. That temper of hers was always the problem.”

He was referring to the commotion I had caused on purpose, raising my voice in front of a crowd. It had been my plan—to make sure everyone knew, so things couldn’t quietly be swept under the rug.

Thanks to that, the engagement had been dissolved, and I was able to leave completely.

I stepped out from behind Yoon-jae, facing Kyung-cheol squarely.

Thump. Thump. My heart pounded with a messy swirl of emotions and memories.

[Do you have a brain or not? Do you think that’ll solve anything? Just shut up and wait outside. Don’t you dare come back in until I call you.]

[Get out right now!]

It wasn’t an unusually cruel conversation. Just our normal last exchange.

We were less than strangers—no affection, no tenderness. Even now, I felt no longing, no sadness. But that didn’t mean I was unaffected.

Clench.

My insides twisted and crumpled.

“……”

Silence hung heavy until Kyung-cheol reached into his jacket.

“There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

He stepped closer, pulling something from his pocket, and held it out to me.

“This—does it belong to you?”

In his hand was a ring. A familiar one.

The very ring I had unwillingly taken from Ae-jung.

“How did you…?”

I looked up at him, shaken, unable to hide my surprise.

“It was in my daughter’s hand. Seems she took it. Am I right?”

“……Yes.”

I nodded awkwardly. He clicked his tongue.

“I’ll try to understand. Given the situation… and given how things turned out.”

His gaze drifted toward the enshrinement cabinet where he had been standing earlier.

Only then did I finally turn to face it.

Inside, I saw a simple white urn.

No photos, no keepsakes—just an urn with a name and dates engraved.

〈Late Go Woo-ri〉

Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heartbeat wasn’t fast, but each beat felt like a heavy hammer blow.

I worried my body might collapse, or my mind might break. No one could have predicted this.

But strangely, I was calm.

Not because it felt unreal. Not because it felt like a dream.

No.

It was simply a strange sensation—like my body had no choice but to accept it.

“For just a stolen ring… this punishment seems far too harsh.”

Kyung-cheol followed my gaze, speaking as he looked at the urn.

I inhaled silently and glanced at him.

Why are you here?

It was the strangest question a dead daughter could ask her father.

Because truly—I didn’t know why he had come.

He had lived his life never sparing me a thought. He had brought another woman into the house so quickly that, if not for the whispers of the servants, I might have mistaken her for my birth mother.

Our relationship was purely superficial. I had expected never to see him again once I left Korea.

I had no longing for him whatsoever.

“Take it.”

His voice broke my thoughts. I bit my dry lips and reached out.

The very ring I had slipped on in a moment of desperation before that madman attacked… had somehow made its way back here.

“……”

As if noticing the faint tremble in my fingertips, Kyung-cheol parted his lips as though to say something—but stopped.

And then, without another word, he walked past us and disappeared.

It was the natural end; we were never meant to exchange farewells.

The air inside felt chilling despite the lack of wind. The liveliness that had recently returned to my face drained away.

“Joo Ae-jung.”

Yoon-jae called me gently.

I snapped out of my daze and looked up at him.

Then, after a long moment, I squeezed the ring in my hand and said:

“I want to be alone.”

I knew it was selfish, but I needed it.

He didn’t press further. Instead, he glanced once more at the urn of “Go Woo-ri,” then silently turned and walked away.

Step. Step.

As his footsteps faded, I exhaled a long, pent-up breath.

When the sound of him was gone, leaving only silence, I slowly approached the urn.

“……”

My reflection appeared faintly in the glass of the cabinet—superimposed over the urn.

I steadied my breath, fiddling with the ring in my hand, then whispered softly.

“Say… could it be… you’re here?”

Of course, that couldn’t be true. But I wanted to say it anyway.

Words no one else could ever hear. A truth buried in my chest.

“I don’t know how this happened. It’s not what I wanted. It’s not something I did. How something like this came to be—no one can explain.”

And if someone did try, they’d probably be dragged away.

I inhaled deeply again, forcing my emotions under control, and lifted my gaze.

“Go Woo-ri.”

I placed my hand on the engraved name.

“I’m alive. And I’m going to live.”

Once I had decided that, nothing had changed.

I set the flowers I had brought before the urn and stepped back.

Then, looking down at the ring in my hand, I let out a small laugh.

“You really must be destined to be mine.”

The ring that had been taken from my hand had circled back to me. Or maybe… it had found its way back on its own.

With a wry smile, I slid it onto my left ring finger.

“…Huh?”

To my surprise, the ring that used to slip right off now fit perfectly.

How?

Startled at how snugly it fit, I remembered how much I had been eating lately.

“Unbelievable.”

Should I call this the reward for my gluttony? Even when I tugged at it again, it clung as if glued in place.

Ugh, seriously.

“God…”

Even in this grave, sorrowful moment, facing my own ashes, I couldn’t be serious. I let out a rough sigh.

Then I tapped the glass of the cabinet and murmured:

“I’m going, Go Woo-ri.”

It was a short, light farewell for such a final goodbye.

But there’s no rule saying it has to be any other way, right?

My eyes felt a little clearer as I turned without regret.

Leaving myself behind forever, I strode out in large, confident steps.

Let’s go, let’s go!

Toward a new life. A new routine. A new future.

And waiting for me at the end of the corridor was an unexpected sight.

Slap!