episode_0031

It was purely by accident that I discovered my nephew.

He spent a huge amount of money to eliminate the shadows, and even personally went around to check on the possibility that there might be remnants. He pushed ahead despite numerous objections and criticisms, so if he didn’t finish it off smoothly, he would lose trust.

Lee Ha-neul searched every corner of Stella without resting for even a moment, accompanied by his bodyguards. He thoroughly searched even areas where he would normally not have set foot.

Then one day, when the tension was starting to ease, Lee Ha-neul discovered a child who felt somehow familiar in the back area of Easty.

Two girls walking side by side, their long black hair fluttering. They looked like sisters with quite an age difference.

If my sister were alive, she would be raising a daughter like me.

Lee Ha-neul’s gaze was soon following them. The children had black hair like her sister. Above all, their solid appearance made Lee Ha-neul smile.

“Wait a minute… .”

But the smile that appeared after a long time didn’t last long.

A silver bracelet glittered on the child’s arm. It was hard to see clearly because of the distance. However, I could clearly see what was written on it, and the design of the bracelet was memorable.

‘Look at this, isn’t it pretty? It’s adjustable in length too? You don’t even have to change the strings!’

‘Yeah… it looks good.’

The bracelet that his pregnant sister had bragged about to the point of being sick of it. And Lee Ha-neul’s prediction was right on target.

“Mom, Mom! What the heck, guys, let go of Mom!! Mom!!”

My sister’s daughter who struggles and calls people other than her sister ‘mom’.

Lee Ha-neul checked the child’s arm. As expected, the name her sister had thought of was engraved on the bracelet. The date of birth engraved on the inside of the bracelet also matched.

I don’t even remember what I said after that.

I didn’t even have time to deal with the sudden chaos, and I felt disgusted at the woman who was raising my sister’s daughter as she pleased, so I wanted to get away from her as soon as possible.

Lee Ha-neul, who succeeded in bringing his sister’s daughter, received instructions from his bodyguards in advance.

Mirae was actually reported dead. So it’s only natural that she didn’t find out while she was abroad. And it’s also unimaginable that all of this was set up by the man who killed her sister for money.

The man killed Mirae and made her into another child. He registered her with a completely unknown fictitious person. Thanks to this, Mirae was able to be safe. If she had remained on the family register, the shadows would have been relentless in their pursuit.

I don’t know why he did such a thing. Maybe he wanted to save her because she was his daughter. Maybe he had some conscience left and showed mercy. Now, there’s no way to find out. There’s no man in the world who killed his sister.

“Sigh… .”

Lee Ha-neul faced the future while organizing his complicated thoughts little by little.

“Miss Mirae, that person is not your mother.”

First of all, he needed to change his perception of women. So that Mirae, who had been deceived by women, could realize the reality. However, Lee Ha-neul had no choice but to keep his mouth shut when he heard the answer that followed.

“I know… . The future is not stupid… .”

Mirae muttered while holding a bag full of bad mart pudding. Why did she call me mom and follow me to the end even though she knew? Even though she was the one who could call her family.

I couldn’t understand the child’s way of thinking.

“Then why… .”

“… … .”

Mirae collapsed on the bed and didn’t move at all. The conversation ended there. Lee Ha-neul didn’t bother to urge Mirae either.

It always takes time to accept change. If you wait, it will work out naturally.

“I’ll prepare a meal. If you need anything, just call me.”

Lee Ha-neul threw away all the food he had prepared that day without even touching it. Not only that, he slept without a blanket in the still chilly living room, and he had to cancel all of his plans for the next day.

“Future amount… .”

“… … .”

As time goes by, I become more and more impatient.

I think he slept for a while. I checked on him several times during the night. However, I couldn’t get him to eat anything.

All Lee Ha-neul could do was throw away the cold food and make it again.

“Sigh… Ugh… .”

Even because I couldn’t sleep at night, I ended up making a mistake I never would have made. I sighed and touched a hot pan. When I looked down in surprise, my hand was completely red.

Woof woof, woof woof─.

At that moment, my personal cell phone vibrated.

A woman who suddenly asked for my home address. At first, I refused, but since I had no other choice, I eventually gave her my address. I couldn’t just push her away because of my personal feelings, even though I might have problems with my future body.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me… .”

Lee Ha-neul was exhausted. He also seriously thought about whether he had misunderstood the woman. Mirae was suffering to the point of fasting despite her young age. It seemed like the depth of her affection was too much to simply dismiss her as a kidnapper.

And soon, the worry turned into certainty.

The woman put everything else aside and handed Mirae water. Mirae also ignored her thirst and prioritized the woman’s comfort.

Lee Ha-neul, who was watching them, was clearly an outsider. There was no space for Lee Ha-neul to interfere between the woman named Lee Haru who had been acting like a mother and the daughter of the older sister who had been belatedly retrieved.

Lee Ha-neul’s will rapidly weakened.

He suddenly appeared and separated those who could not live without each other, and even starved Mirae, whom he had forcibly brought, all day long. Even if he was called a villain like this, he had nothing to say in return.

But Iharu didn’t hate himself for that. Without letting out a single word of resentment, he first worried about his injured hand and treated it delicately.

“I’ll figure it out… .”

“You didn’t do it on your own. Patient, stay still.”

Was it his nature? Lee Ha-neul couldn’t understand why he was treating her directly.

“A wound that can be called a patient is… .”

“Use it.”

Of all the people Lee Ha-neul had met, there was only one person who helped others for no reason.

‘It’s okay to leave a wound like this alone. It’s just a scratch…’

‘What if the girl gets a scar?’

Sister.

My older sister, who had a kinder heart than anyone else, was the kind of person who could only be satisfied if she personally looked after even the smallest of wounds.

It was the same for everyone, not just himself. That’s why he became a hero despite his family’s opposition, and was able to rise to a high position through his tireless efforts.

“How is it? Is it delicious?”

‘How is it? Is it delicious? My sister prepared it ambitiously!’

Ever since Iharu came, my heart kept fluttering. It’s ridiculous, but Iharu and my older sister kept overlapping.

‘Yeah… it’s delicious. It’s really delicious.’

‘Mr. Lee Ha-neul, can you speak with some sincerity? Are you going to get hurt?’

Of course, the taste was completely different. My sister’s omelet rice had fruits like apples and mangoes in it. The idea was that adding something delicious to a delicious dish would make it twice as delicious.

To be honest, it didn’t taste good and the taste was subtle, but I couldn’t tell my sister. If I said it wasn’t tasty, she’d be sick for at least two days.

Compared to that, Iharu’s seemingly ordinary omelet rice was a dish so good that you would believe it was made by a first-class chef.

That’s why Lee Ha-neul couldn’t help but be surprised.

Since her sister’s funeral, Lee Ha-neul has not tasted food even once. The hospital diagnosed her with a mental illness, but even after receiving psychological treatment, nothing really changed.

Lee Ha-neul quickly gave up. Taste wasn’t that important in his life. Food was enough to keep him from starving.

But Iharu’s food was unusual. It was definitely different from the omelet rice that my sister used to make, but it smelled something similar.

Lee Ha-neul knew very well what that smell was. He had smelled it countless times before.

It was warmth. A loving warmth. A warm smell was rising from the omelet rice that had just been made.

“Let’s stop the discussion here.”

The moment he realized that, Lee Ha-neul made up his mind.

What you need to raise a child is not bloodlines, money, a nice house, or a stable job.

It was something that she didn’t have, but her sister and Iharu had. It was only natural that Mirae wouldn’t open her heart. As of now, there was no way to handle it.

“Then let me get straight to the point. Is it because of the money?”

Lee Ha-neul started to look at Lee Ha-ru. And he was a little disappointed.

The determination was good. The mindset was right, and I could feel that they were cherishing the future.

However, Lee Ha-ru was only spouting out empty words. Like a balloon that would fly away irreversibly if he let go of his strength even a little. To Lee Ha-neul, all of those words sounded like nothing more than excuses from a child.

“… You can do it!”

Mirae, who had been listening quietly, shouted.

Taang─!

That is, until Iharu reacts to the gunshot and embraces the future.

“Mom… .”

Mirae keeps caressing Iharu’s hand as she lies on the bed. Ihaneul looks at them quietly and soon swallows a bitter smile.

Could he have acted like Iharu if he had been in the same situation? Could he have thrown himself in front of the gun without even thinking about it?

“Future amount.”

He had already made a mistake. He should never have had such doubts in the first place. There would not have been any choice in Iharu’s mind to worry.

“What are your dreams for the future?”

That’s why Lee Ha-neul decided to invest in the two children.

Anyway, what’s left is money.

If one investment in them is successful, we will be able to see the same sights as them in the distant future.

You will be so satisfied that you won’t even think about the money you invested.

“Dream… ?”

Mirae stared blankly at Lee Ha-neul at the sudden question. Her cheeks were somehow flushed. Her perky lips twitched and then slowly opened.

“I’m marrying your mom… . Because I promised… I even wrote a memorandum… .”

Lee Ha-neul was dumbfounded. He had no intention of investing money in marriage… .

“Marriage… .”

The very thought of it made my mouth tingle with the words, and they were the perfect words to define their relationship.

Marriage is a ceremony that brings love to fruition.

It’s embarrassing, but there was a time when I decided to marry my older sister. Of course, I was so young that I don’t even remember, and my mother was busy with work, so I spent a lot of days alone with my older sister, but at the time, it was something I really thought about seriously.

Maybe it was because of that, but the size of their affection was completely conveyed in the word marriage.

“… It seems there was no chance of winning from the start.”

That’s why Lee Ha-neul could admit it with relief.

The fact that I couldn’t replace my sister, let alone Iharu.

What can I do to break up a relationship that is close enough to marriage?