Reunion with Aunt
We left the café with Seo Hye-su and made our way back home.
It wasn’t something I wanted others to hear about.
Hye-su kept glancing around nervously as we walked together, even though we were heading to her apartment. This neighborhood was quite far from where she usually lived. She must have endured a lot of hassle from people back there.
The more anxious Hye-su grew, the higher the chance my plan would succeed.
I deliberately chose a busy street to return home. As expected, Hye-su became even more uneasy the more people we passed, and by the time we reached the apartment, she was completely subdued.
“Come in, Auntie.”
“R-really? Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Of course. It’s my house.”
Hye-su followed me all the way to the door but hesitated to step inside.
“That’s not it… I was worried I’d bother Woo-jin too…”
Hye-su was kindhearted by nature. Even in this desperate situation, she was still thinking about my well-being.
The investors who were swindled by her ex-husband were probably burning with rage, searching for her everywhere. Since the husband had fled overseas, catching him was nearly impossible. So they had to keep chasing an easy target like Hye-su. Even if there was no legal responsibility to her husband.
If those investors learned that her relative Lee Woo-jin had taken her in, they might swarm here. Hye-su’s only real worry was that.
“You don’t have to worry. This apartment is very secure. A lot of celebrities live here too. Outsiders can’t just come in.”
Of course, that wasn’t enough.
One of the apartment residents might be an investor. And even an outsider could cause trouble if they snapped.
But I knew from **Future Sight**. At least in the near future, there would be no problems.
And if I managed things carefully afterward, it would be fine.
“Still…”
“Stop it. It’s fine, really.”
“Ah.”
I gently took Hye-su’s hesitant hand and pulled her inside.
Hye-su, being led by my hand, rushed into the house in a fluster.
“Just sit down for a moment. I’ll change my clothes real quick and be right back.”
“O-okay…”
In the spacious living room, only the robot vacuum cleaner was spinning alone.
I sat Hye-su on the sofa in the living room and went into the walk-in closet.
“Ha.”
Now alone, I let out a light sigh.
The first stage of my plan, “bringing Aunt inside,” was cleared.
But that was only the beginning.
The second stage, “pulling the two daughters into this house,” came right after.
---
Seo Hye-su stared blankly around the house.
It wasn’t flashy, but it was clean and orderly. Every piece of furniture, no matter how basic, looked expensive.
Hye-su had lived in nice places before, so she immediately understood. Her nephew Woo-jin was neither a millionaire nor a poor guy.
“Woo-jin really succeeded…”
Half her heart was filled with joy for her nephew’s success, while the other half was heavy with guilt.
Woo-jin’s situation wasn’t ordinary. Both parents had passed away early, and he had been thrown out of her house and had to live alone.
Yet here he was, succeeding in such a grand way.
How much suffering had her young nephew endured after being kicked out of her house and rising up on his own? Hye-su couldn’t even imagine it.
“That’s it… I can’t stay…”
Her husband had found out that Woo-jin had kissed her eldest daughter, Cha Ji-yeon, and kicked him out. Hye-su hadn’t actively helped, but by not stopping him, she was complicit.
How shameless she must seem, relying on her own nephew now.
Angry investors might come here. Then Woo-jin would get dragged into strange rumors, and he might ruin the life he’d struggled so hard to build.
“Even if our family falls, that’s enough.”
As she witnessed Woo-jin’s success, Hye-su’s conscience tilted more and more toward her nephew.
That was when—
“Ugh!”
—thump!
A loud noise came from inside the house.
It was the room where Woo-jin had gone to change clothes.
Startled, Hye-su hurried over.
She peeked through the slightly open door.
“Woo-jin?”
There he was, sitting on the floor, struggling to breathe.
He was shirtless, having taken off his clothes to change.
“Woo-jin! Are you okay?”
Hye-su rushed over in shock.
“Haha… Yeah. I’m fine, Auntie… ugh!”
Woo-jin laughed it off.
But his expression didn’t look fine at all. He was clenching his teeth, enduring pain.
“Woo-jin! What’s wrong? Are you in pain somewhere?”
“My… left arm…”
“The left arm?”
“Press my left arm hard.”
Woo-jin’s body bore old surgical scars. When Hye-su touched his left arm, it felt as hard as stone.
Hye-su pressed it firmly, her heart pounding.
“Does it hurt like this?”
“Ugh!”
“Are you okay? Woo-jin?”
“Yeah… press it like that… haaack!”
Hye-su massaged Woo-jin’s stiff left arm.
The pain eased a little.
Woo-jin’s furrowed expression gradually relaxed, and the tension in his arm slowly faded.
“Ha… ha…”
Woo-jin breathed heavily.
Sweat poured down his forehead from the agony.
“Now it’s better. Thank you, Auntie.”
Did he not want to show weakness in front of Hye-su?
Calm again, Woo-jin pushed her away and hurriedly put his clothes back on.
“Auntie, what happened? Are you in pain somewhere?”
Hye-su asked worriedly.
Woo-jin hesitated as if he didn’t want to speak, then opened his mouth.
“Sometimes when I’m stressed, I have these spasms in my left arm or leg.”
“In the left arm or leg…”
Hye-su felt a chill.
Ten years ago, Woo-jin’s parents died in an accident. Little Woo-jin had been badly injured, especially his left arm and leg.
“Could it be… from that accident back then?”
Hye-su’s heart sank.
She thought he had fully recovered.
But looking at his current state, it was obvious he hadn’t.
*Did I really throw out this hurting nephew?*
That fact stabbed into her chest like a knife.
“It wasn’t this bad when he was little. It probably got worse when he grew and got taller.”
Woo-jin answered casually.
Hye-su felt her heart tearing apart.
That meant even when he was young, he had felt some of these symptoms. And he had hidden them, pretending to be fine.
Why didn’t he tell Auntie?
She could easily guess. He didn’t want to trouble her and the other relatives more.
Moreover, the symptoms had worsened after he was kicked out of her house—during his first year of middle school, the exact time he grew taller and his condition deteriorated.
“Treatment? Are you getting proper care? Can you get better?”
Hye-su’s eyes filled with tears from guilt.
But Woo-jin still looked unbothered, as if this was a normal part of his life.
“The hospital says there’s no sharp solution. Physical therapy helps for a while, but then the spasms come back. I can’t go to the hospital every day either.”
“You should go to the hospital even if you’re busy. Health comes first.”
Hye-su worried.
Woo-jin gave a bitter smile and replied.
“My job makes it hard to take time off. And I can’t stop. How did I even get here.”
There was an unbreakable will in Woo-jin’s words.
It was obsession with success.
Woo-jin had no shaky ground to stand on. Succeeding this much at such a young age had to be incredibly difficult.
Success bought by sacrificing health—Hye-su could easily see how much he had given up.
But that couldn’t be allowed.
In Hye-su’s eyes, she saw Woo-jin’s future of chasing success at the cost of his health.
“Woo-jin…”
What could she even say?
She was a sinner. She had kicked out her hurting nephew and never contacted him.
Now she needed him, so she had come shamelessly. As an aunt, she had no right to scold him now.
Hye-su fell silent.
Woo-jin took it as acceptance and brought up the story he had been planning.
“Auntie, our house is nice, right? There are plenty of empty rooms. It’s big too.”
“…”
“Security is excellent, so outsiders won’t cause trouble. Stay here for now until Ji-yeon and Se-yeon are ready. If you need anything, let me know. You can use the big room on this side, Ji-yeon can have that room, and Se-yeon can take the small one over there. And—”
This was the sweetest story to Hye-su.
A brand-new beginning in Woo-jin’s house. No more debt collectors chasing her, and no more fear of someone visiting at night.
Her daughters wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. She could just forget everything and hide in this safe house.
It was like a dream for her family.
But it couldn’t happen.
“Woo-jin, wait…”
Hye-su cut him off with difficulty.
If she heard that sweet story a little longer, her hard-won resolve would crumble.
“Thank you for thinking of me. But… I don’t think I can stay here with you.”
“Huh? Why not, Auntie?”
Woo-jin was shocked by Hye-su’s words. Worry filled his face.
To him, an aunt was just an extra burden with no benefit. Her sincere worry touched Hye-su deeply.
How could she possibly resent this kind-hearted nephew who had been so cruel to her when they were young?
And Hye-su, looking at him, felt her heart grow even harder.
She couldn’t stop such a kind nephew’s path.
“Auntie is fine. Actually, Auntie has money hidden away. We can use that to start over somewhere else.”
“Auntie…”
Hye-su shook off the hand Woo-jin offered, tears welling in her eyes.
She forced a smile in front of her nephew, but tears came anyway. She had always been bad at acting.
“It’s too late. The kids are going to worry. I’m leaving now, Auntie.”
“Auntie, just a moment…”
Woo-jin tried to hold her back, but Hye-su turned away, unwilling to show tears.
“Thank you. Take care, Woo-jin.”
“Auntie… ugh!”
As Hye-su left the house hurriedly, Woo-jin suddenly clutched his left arm and collapsed.
“W-Woo-jin?!”
Hye-su, who had been about to leave, turned back in surprise.
“Woo-jin! What’s wrong? Again the left arm? Should I press it?”
Hye-su rushed over and started massaging Woo-jin’s left arm.
“Haha… Sorry, Auntie. It only happens when I’m really stressed… Today’s spasms are frequent… ugh!”
“Auntie.”
Woo-jin smiled through gritted teeth, sweat dripping.
Was coming here really pointless?
Hye-su felt it was her fault Woo-jin was in pain. She regretted giving unnecessary stress to her hurting nephew.
“Woo-jin, let’s go to the hospital instead. You need proper treatment to get better.”
“No, Auntie. I’ll be fine. It passes after a while.”
How could this child be so careless with his own body?
Woo-jin breathed a small sigh, but Hye-su’s heart still wasn’t at ease.
“By the way, it’s strange. Usually one spasm lasts longer, but thanks to Auntie’s massage, it settled so quickly.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Even the hospital can’t fix it this fast. Maybe my body remembers how Auntie cared for me when I was little.”
Woo-jin’s words held no deep meaning, but they left a huge ripple in Hye-su’s heart.
Woo-jin had succeeded young.
But behind that success lay a fatal emptiness.
The absence of a family to embrace him.
His wounds came from losing his parents. The after-effects were like proof he had lost his family.
These wounds were triggered by stress, and the symptoms healed thanks to Hye-su.
The longing for family triggered the spasms, and Hye-su’s massage eased them.
Was it that little Woo-jin’s body, having lost his parents early, was briefly forgetting the pain through Hye-su?
Hye-su interpreted it that way.
“…Woo-jin.”
“Huh?”
Could she really help ease her nephew’s pain?
Hye-su thought deeply, but briefly.
Was it just an excuse to find her own way? Or was she just trying to survive by parasitizing him?
The thought swirled in her mind.
Hye-su closed her eyes tightly.
And when she took her hand back from Woo-jin, she had decided to be ruthless.
“You said you don’t have time to go to the hospital, right? Then instead of the hospital, how about staying with Auntie and getting massaged every day?”
“Huh? Auntie?”
“Yeah. I don’t know how effective it will be, but since you won’t go to the hospital anyway…”
Using Woo-jin’s spasms as an excuse to seek her own salvation.
Hye-su had already realized that.
But this small excuse was enough to completely shatter the fragile balance of her heart at the brink of ruin.
“Auntie will become Woo-jin’s personal masseuse.”
Daily massages from Hye-su. In exchange, Woo-jin would bear the loss and risk.
It was a completely unbalanced deal.
“Really? Then I’m grateful, Auntie!”
But her naive nephew smiled brightly, genuinely happy.
“But Ji-yeon and Se-yeon will be living here too… is that okay?”
“Of course. They’re family to me too.”
Hye-su bit her lip, guilt eating her for using such an innocent child.
Woo-jin, unaware of Hye-su’s inner conflict, smiled innocently.
“When I was little, Auntie took care of me for free, right?”
“Woo-jin…”
The last remnants of Hye-su’s conscience were shredded by that word.
It hadn’t been for free.
The insurance money and life insurance payout from the accident—4.55 billion won—had been completely squandered by her ex-husband as business funds.
“I’m the same. I’ll just do exactly what Auntie did back then. So you don’t have to worry at all. We’re family, aren’t we?”
Woo-jin smiled slyly.
Pretending to be a naive nephew while stealing his fortune.
And still planning to use him.
That alone made Hye-su feel sick.
But Hye-su didn’t know that every single word, even that innocent smile, was all part of Woo-jin’s design.
She had no idea that the price of her parents’ lives had been calculated into Woo-jin’s plans all along.