“Oh my goodness, what on earth happened!”
Sam, who had rushed to open the door, cried out in shock upon seeing Yu-jin and Angela standing there. Quickly ushering them inside, she hurriedly warmed up some coffee and milk, then busied herself turning up the heater and drawing a bath.
“How could your cheeks get this cold…”
Sam gently touched Yu-jin’s and Angela’s cheeks in turn, her voice filled with concern. When Yu-jin only managed a faint smile in response, she continued speaking warmly.
“Don’t worry and just rest for now. I’ll lend you some of my clothes. Is this really all the luggage you have?”
Her voice rose at the end, surprised. And understandably so—Yu-jin and Angela had nothing with them. Nothing but the large teddy bear Angela clutched in her arms. That too had only been brought because Yu-jin had told her in advance to grab just one toy she really wanted. Angela now hugged it tightly like it was the only thing protecting her.
With a pang of pity, Sam patted the child’s head and spoke gently.
“You’re cold, aren’t you? Go wash up now. Dinner’s nearly ready. Once you have some hot soup, you’ll feel much warmer.”
“Thank you, Sam.”
After expressing his gratitude, Yu-jin led Angela to the bathroom. It was their first time visiting Sam’s house, where she lived alone. As he looked around the cozily decorated home, Yu-jin made his way to the bathroom, undressed, and stepped into the bath with Angela. After a quick wash, they slid into the tub, and the moment their bodies hit the warm water, all the tension began to melt away.
Hoo… A sigh escaped him, and when he closed his eyes, Winston’s face came to mind as naturally as breathing.
He’s probably furious by now.
Yu-jin imagined him pacing the room in rage, shouting in a fit of fury—but there was no sense of satisfaction in the image. Instead, just the thought of that wrath eventually being directed at him sent a cold shiver crawling down his spine.
It’s okay.
Yu-jin tried to calm himself down, coaxing himself inwardly. There’s no way Winston can find me.
But Winston knew about Sam. It wouldn’t be long before he came storming in here, too. Of course, Yu-jin had no intention of staying long. He just needed a temporary place to catch his breath. He still had some of the money he received from the publishing company, so he planned to use it to stay at a cheap motel for a while. But the moment Sam heard that, she immediately objected.
“Staying in a place like that with a child? That’s far too dangerous.”
Looking deadly serious, she scolded him and promised to help find a cheap rental instead.
“Thank you, Sam.”
Going a step further, Sam even contacted a realtor she knew and arranged a meeting on the spot. They agreed to meet first thing in the morning, and with that, the topic was settled.
“I’ll do the cleaning up, Sam.”
Yu-jin stepped up to help, but Sam shook her head and gently stopped him.
“It’s fine, just sit down and relax. You could read Angela a storybook if you want.”
“A storybook?”
Sam only read romance novels.
Yu-jin, who knew this well, asked with a hint of disbelief, and Sam answered with a laugh.
“I stopped by the bookstore this morning since I knew Angie was coming over. The store owner recommended that book—said it was really fun.”
When Yu-jin followed the direction Sam pointed, his eyes landed on the bookshelf—and froze when he saw the title.
“The bookstore owner recommended that book?”
Unable to look away, he asked in a dazed voice. Sam replied with a cheerful nod.
“Apparently, it’s going to be a massive hit soon. That guy has great taste, so you can trust him. Angie will probably love it too.”
His heart, which had seemed to stop for a moment, began to pound again, harder and harder—so intensely it felt like it might burst through his ribcage. With a trembling hand, Yu-jin reached out and grasped the spine of the book.
The publisher had offered to send him a copy however he wanted, but Yu-jin had refused. He didn’t want the people at the mansion to find out what he’d done, and most of all, he didn’t want Winston to discover it. Which meant… this was the first time he’d ever seen the physical copy of his book.
My book.
The emotion hit him so hard, he could barely breathe. He never imagined he’d actually get to see it with his own eyes. There had been so many hurdles leading up to the contract and manuscript submission that it never quite felt real. He’d prepared himself to hear, “Actually, we’ve changed our minds.” His life had never flowed smoothly—not once. But now—
It’s really been published.
A stinging heat welled up behind his nose, and his vision blurred. Sniffling, he quickly tilted his head toward the ceiling, trying to hold back tears. Below, Angela tugged at his pant leg with a puzzled look.
“Daddy, Daddy? What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
Forcing a smile, Yu-jin held the book in his hands. After glancing at the first page, he took a deep breath and turned toward her.
“Do you want me to read it to you, Angie?”
“Yeah! I’d love that!”
Beaming, the child nodded enthusiastically. Yu-jin pulled Angela close with one arm as they sat together on the couch and opened the book.
“Once upon a time, a sweet little girl with long brown hair was walking down a path…”
***
BANG!
The deafening noise startled the secretary, who instinctively flinched and stepped back. The hand that had slammed the desk was trembling, the knuckles pale from the force of the blow. Gritting his teeth as if trying to contain his rage, Winston glared at a fixed point with bloodshot eyes, while the secretary stood frozen, unsure of what to do.
Silence fell over the office.
Winston didn’t say a word. He just kept staring into the void.
Where the hell did he go?
Naturally, Yu-jin had gone to Sam. After confirming the day before that he had boarded a train, Winston had immediately guessed where he’d gone. Sam was the only person Yu-jin could rely on.
It was fortunate for him that Yu-jin had gone to Sam—but the problem was, if it wasn’t Sam, there would have been no way to track him at all. And soon enough, the pursuit hit a wall.
“They left.”
Sam, greeting the bodyguards Winston had sent, said it calmly, her expression composed.
“I don’t know where they went. I told him I’d help find a cheap place to rent, but he left at dawn with the child.”
Folding her arms, she added with a smirk that bordered on mocking.
“I guess he figured you’d come barging in like this.”
When Winston received the report, he couldn’t hold back and cursed aloud. I have to find him, no matter what. He would definitely try to contact Sam again. Winston ordered that Sam be placed under surveillance and continued to track any clues about where Yu-jin might’ve gone. But there was no sign of him buying or renting a car anywhere.
Daddy can’t drive.
Winston suddenly remembered something Angela had said once. That meant Yu-jin couldn’t have gone far. He must still be somewhere near where Sam lived.
But where the hell is he?
To make matters worse, a blizzard had started early that morning. Just imagining Yu-jin wandering the streets with a child in that weather was enough to drive him insane. He couldn’t take it anymore and shot up from his chair.
“Mr. Campbell? You have a meeting soon…”
His secretary called out urgently, but Winston didn’t even respond as he headed straight for the door. Just as he grabbed the handle, a jolt of pain ripped through his entire body, and he gasped as he collapsed forward.
“Mr. Campbell!”
The secretary rushed over, panicked, checking his face. Haa… haa… Harsh breaths escaped Winston’s lips. The pain radiating from the wound on his back spread like wildfire through his entire body, tormenting him like he was being wrung out from the inside. With trembling hands, he pulled out the emergency vial of medication he always kept on him and dumped the pills into his mouth. The secretary, quick on the uptake, dashed off and returned with a glass filled with whiskey.
Winston shoved a handful of pills down his throat with the liquor.
“Are you alright, Mr. Campbell? Should I call your physician?”
The secretary had seen him take medication before—but never had she seen him suffering like this, as if he were having a full-on seizure. Distressed, she asked, but Winston rasped between labored breaths,
“I’m fine.”
His voice trembled, just like his breath, thrown into disarray. He stayed where he was, struggling to compose himself, before slowly forcing himself back to his feet. The secretary watched anxiously as he staggered back toward his desk.
“…The meeting.”
“Yes, Mr. Campbell.”
At his hoarse, strained voice, she answered immediately. Winston, with his voice scraped raw, added,
“Delay it an hour. And send me updates on the search every thirty minutes.”
“Understood.”
She gave a prompt reply and hurried out of the office. Left alone, Winston slumped into his chair, eyes closed, waiting for the medication to kick in. The painkillers were powerful—but so were the hallucinations they brought with them.
And once again, they returned.
Winnie.
Yu-jin’s image appeared vividly on his retinas—rushing into his arms, clinging to him.
But unfortunately, hallucinations never held the same weight as reason. Winston knew all too well that this was nothing more than a mirage, a cruel illusion born from his own desperate longing.
Why…
Unable to hide the crushing sense of misery, he covered his eyes with one hand.
Why did he leave me?
He just couldn’t understand. He truly believed… things were going well.
