Childhood Friend of the Youngest Daughter of a Conglomerate Family

21 – Bifurcation (3) Crossroads

That day, the head of the daycare center woke up the children, including Seung-a, an hour earlier than usual.

The head of the daycare center ordered the children to clean the daycare center so that there was not a single speck of dust, and after that to wash thoroughly so that not a single bit of soup came out of their bodies.

My body was tired from moving around in such a sleep-deprived state.

In the meantime, the children were lined up in front of the door while they were eating lunch, and they were completely distracted.

After waiting together in front of the door for about 10 minutes, a middle-aged man accompanied by men like bodyguards entered.

When he checked the children’s faces one by one, his feet stopped in front of Seung-ah.

“How old are you?”

“Yes, yes… ?”

“How old are you this year?”

“Lee, seven years old… “

The frightened Seung-ah answered the middle-aged man in front of him.

I was a little taken aback by the unexpected question in my drowsiness, but the man in front of me didn’t seem to care.

After hearing Seung-ah’s answer, he circled around her, looked around, and massaged her body.

“Ah… !”

“You look great, and you have a healthy body. Age is appropriate… Director, does this child have a disease?”

“Oh, no… doesn’t exist.”

“Then I will take this child.”

“… To?”

Seung-ah couldn’t figure out what had happened, but regardless of that, the whole procedure was done in an instant.

I ended up living in a house that was incomparably better than a daycare center.

There was a housekeeper who listened to everything he said instead of the head of the nursery school or teachers who rode him.

It was like a dream.

After her first year as a child actress hit her jackpot, her King Yoochul invited her to a meal with his own sons.

Eight-year-old Han Seung-ah met Yoo Jae-joon there.

And I fell in love with him at first sight… There was no work.

My first impression of Jaejun was not good.

“… Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Eat without chewing.”

“Yes… “

“Answer clearly so that the other person can understand. I mean don’t mumble.”

“… Old man.”

The naive Jae-joon criticized Seung-ah for not knowing table manners.

But as he met with him a few times, he realized that was the way this blunt man took care of him.

And seeing his awkward smile on his 17th birthday when he deliberately returned from studying abroad to celebrate his birthday, he realized his love and at the same time understood that this love was a betrayal of King Yoo Chul, who had taken him away.

Seungah forced herself to swallow her emotions.

Years later, he received his wedding invitation and spent days and days crying.

With the excuse that she was busy, she did not attend the wedding despite King Yoo-cheol’s reprimand.

She just wished him happiness from afar.

Seeing the pictures of his sons and daughters across the street made me happy as if I had seen Seung-a’s own children.

He’s doing well. He’s happy.

‘… That’s enough for me.’

However, when his daughter was less than a year old, Yoo Jae-joon came to Seung-ah’s house.

Jaejun, whom I haven’t seen in a while, looked a bit emaciated.

“… Han Seung-ah!”

“Why, why are you like this… ? Don’t let this go?!”

As soon as he opened the door, he hugged Seung-ah.

Even though it was something I had always wanted, the first thing I thought was that I shouldn’t be doing this with a married man.

The more Seung-ah struggled, the harder he hugged her.

Crying sounded in her ears.

“… I am not happy.”

“…… !!”

Speaking that the person she loved was not happy, Seung-ah could no longer push him away.

With that one word, his heart broke and tears flowed.

Especially after hearing his wife’s story.

He was furious that the person he loved had not been spared, that he had betrayed him.

“You ungrateful b*tch! It was a pity to rot in an orphan year, so it was harvested… How dare you stab me in the back!!”

“… Sorry.”

He knew it was a betrayal of King Yoo-chul.

I always felt sorry for him because I had repaid his kindness with my enemy.

So even after getting married, I always bowed my head whenever I met King Yoo.

He took it for granted even when he wasn’t accepted as his family.

“Uh, Mom… ?”

“Yes, Ji-tae. I am Ji-tae’s mother.”

When I first met young Ji-tae, I didn’t even know who her mother was.

It’s not that she doesn’t know what it means, but she knows what being a mother means to her children.

It was the same with Ahyeon, her newborn baby.

The poor children who had never received love from their mother, Seung-ah raised them as if they were her own children.

And soon after I got married, I gave birth to Ara, and a few years later I met Hansol.

With a loved one and four children, she was happy.

———-

“… This is a letter from Seung-ah to his father.”

“… Okay.”

Jaejun handed a white envelope to Yoochulwang.

In addition to a notarized will written through a lawyer, Seung-a wrote a letter to her family to give her last words.

The recipients of her letter were her husband, Jae-jun, and their three children, father-in-law, King Yoo-cheol, and Han-sol.

“…… “

“…… “

Standing in front of Han Seung-ah’s portrait, King Yoo Cheol said nothing.

She was successful as an actress, she rewarded herself, visited and delighted herself more than her children, but she betrayed herself.

No emotion was shown on King Yoo’s face when he saw her smiling brightly in the portrait.

I just stared at her motionless face.

Jaejun also looked at the same place next to his father.

His face resembled that of my father.

He had to hide his sadness.

Even on the day her wife disappeared forever, or rather, on such a day, the father shouldn’t be as weak in front of his children.

And Hansol was also unable to cry.

“Han Sol, stop going in and sleep. Then I will fall.”

“… I’m still fine bro.”

A voice like molten metal flowed from Ji-tae’s mouth as he said that.

His hair was disheveled and his eyes red.

“I’ll wash my face and come back.”

Hansol, who hadn’t slept since yesterday, just silently helped with the funeral.

He thought that he, who was not a real family member, did not deserve to be sad and comforted like them.

When I entered the family room, I saw Ahyeon and Ara sleeping.

Han-sol moved what they both collapsed from crying.

Hansol passed by quietly so as not to wake them up, and took out a white envelope from among the folded clothes.

It was a letter written by Seung-a addressed to him.

He had already read the letter several times, but there was one sentence that caught Han-sol’s eyes no matter how many times he read it.

‘Even if I didn’t give birth to you, you’re still my son.’

It was the same with Hansol.

Even if the mother who gave birth to her was different, Seung-a was her mother to Han-sol.

It was he who taught her mother’s love that she had not known her whole life.

“Eup… Whoa, whoa… “

I couldn’t hold my breath any longer.

The emotions I had endured for so long burst out.

Hansol buried her face in the blanket, afraid that the two people in her room would overhear it.

Only the last sentence in the letter came to mind as he sobbed quietly.

‘Will you promise to protect our Ara?’

To the person who can no longer listen, Hansol sobbed.

“… I will definitely protect it for the rest of my life.”

———-

“… Ah.”

Ara woke up and saw Hansol, who was soundly asleep.

Since he was lying face down and sleeping in an uncomfortable position, he must have fallen asleep without even realizing it.

Ara left the room without touching her, covering her with only the blanket.

“… Is there anyone?”

The door to the bathroom for the bereaved right in front of the room was closed.

After standing in a daze for a while, Ara moved her weak steps toward the public bathroom outside her.

As I passed by, some people asked me if I was okay and said that I would fall down, but I didn’t hear it.

I couldn’t think of anything yesterday and just cried.

Now that I woke up, I didn’t know what to do.

‘Mom… what should i do… ?’

“Oh f*ck… I don’t know! The f*cked cub came to the best, and the people were crushed and f*ck… “

“…… !!”

A rough voice awakened Ara’s thought, which was sitting in a daze.

Only then did Ara realize that she was sitting in her toilet cubicle.

‘When will I be here… But that was a male voice… ?’

Ara got a little goosebumps and checked her outside through the crack in her door.

I saw a male urinal.

She must have entered the men’s room because she was distraught.

She didn’t even lock the door, but she seemed to have a hard time locking it.

‘Such an idiot… If that person leaves, I’ll leave quietly.’

Ara held her breath so she wouldn’t be seen by the man outside.

He was on the phone with someone excitedly.

“Ah, but that Han Seung-ah, I should have eaten it once before that b*tch died. To me, it was nice to come back while doing sh*t, that b*tch… “

‘…… What?’

She felt chilled from head to toe.

The man outside, Hanjun Yu, kept talking.

“So. That b*tch was going to pay for it everywhere anyway, but she acted like a f*cking expensive… If the f*cking orphan ate my father’s money, he’d pay for it. Jaejoon only gave it to that bastard… “

‘… Stop talking.’

“Uh, my aunt and all the adults in the family say that. What kind of disgrace is this to the family because they stick to something lowly? But i was good Because of that year, Jaejun’s baby is out of his father’s eyes, and thanks to that, I eat some congo. Anyway, everyone said that being a wife is holding back the husband’s ankles giggling… “

‘…… Shut up.’

“Jaejun is a bastard? I don’t know… My father always told that bastard he would forgive me if he got back together with Jang Mi-ri, he would forgive me… Are you sure you don’t? Anyway, Han Seung-ah, that year was all old, so even Jae-jun’s bastard must have been fed up. I think it’s good for this opportunity and I might get back together with the real Jangmi-ri… ”

“Shut up!!”

Ara could not stand it any longer and kicked out the door.

Hanjun dropped the phone he was holding at the sudden appearance of Ara.

“Uh… ? Oh no you… ? Why, no, since when… “

“…… “

I could feel the feeling of facing King Yoo-chul in Ara’s eyes as she stared at her like she was going to kill him.

Hanjun, who talked wildly without knowing that there would be someone in the bathroom, stuttered and started making excuses.

“Oh, no, that was… Uh, that you, your mother and… Same name? Ha ha ha… Ooh, what a coincidence… The woman I know is also Han Seung-ah… “

“… Shut up.”

“… What?”

“You can’t curse at my mother. An old-class bastard who can’t even be rubbed by my dad. You have no skills and a trash personality. All I have to offer is trash with nothing but grandpa’s children. You… You won’t get anything from Grandpa. I will make it… “

“What the f*ck is this b*tch… ? Are you crazy?”

Hanjun’s eyes went back after he had been properly stabbed with a complex about his younger brother.

He raised her fist and approached, but Ara didn’t blink an eye at her.

“Hanjun Yoo! What are you doing to my daughter now?!”

“… Yoo Jae-joon.”

“Get out now! Doing something crazy like this here today!? There’s no reason for a guy like you to be here, so get out of here!”

“Ugh… !”

As Jaejun grabbed his raised arm, Hanjun’s face twisted in pain.

Hanjun hurriedly removed his arm, as if he couldn’t stand up to Jaejun’s trained strength.

“… Let go f*ck! Your daughter didn’t even recognize her uncle and acted rudely, so I asked her to give her some education! How dare you f*ck with Ji hyung… “

“… Go away. A bastard like you has no reason to be here. If you came on your father’s orders anyway, leave now.”

“You bastard… “

Han Joon could not protest any longer and exited.

Jaejun hugged Ara and asked.

“Why are you here? Aren’t you all worried about the sudden disappearance… “

“… Dad, will you remarry? Because mom is gone… Are you going to join her again because you have to get a place with her grandfather?”

“… What?”

Unexpected words from the daughter’s mouth.

Jaejun put his hand on Ara’s shoulder and asked.

“What do you mean? Did he just say that?”

“… Do not do that. Don’t leave mom… I’ll help Dad… Do not do that… “

“… Araya.”

At the words of her begging daughter, Jaejun hugged her again and said.

“Never! No way… ! And you don’t have to worry about that! What are you helping… “

“… No. I can do it, Dad.”

In the letter Ara received from Seunga, there was a sentence stuck in Ara’s head.

‘Take care of Daddy, my daughter.’

Ara made up her mind.

‘Yes, Mom… i will help dad I’ll let everyone say that it’s good that Dad married her mom.’

And for that, there are things I need to prepare and work on myself.

“Yooara! Here it is?!”

… And there are things to give up.

Looking over Jaejun’s shoulder, he could see Hansol with his shoulders drooping as if he had been searching hard for himself.

‘… Even if it’s you who are precious to me.’