“What?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Yu-jin scowled deeply and reflexively asked back. But Winston, undeterred by his reaction, repeated the same words, pressing him again.
“When is Angela’s birthday? Has it already passed?”
“A-Ah, no…”
Yu-jin blurted out his answer without thinking, but inside, he was uneasy. Why was he suddenly asking about this? Could he be suspicious about something?
“Why… why do you ask?”
His voice wavered slightly with anxiety as he asked, and Winston, arms crossed, loomed over him with an imposing stance, his face still contorted in irritation.
“If her birthday hasn’t passed yet, you should throw her a party. Isn’t that obvious?”
“A party?”
Yu-jin was utterly baffled by the unexpected topic. Blinking in confusion, he repeated the word as if to confirm what he had just heard. Winston smirked arrogantly.
“Yeah. Angela is my daughter too. Got a problem with that?”
Of course, I do. Because she really is your daughter.
Yu-jin thought to himself but could tell from Winston’s demeanor that he hadn’t figured it out. That meant he had another reason for asking, but Yu-jin had no clue what it could be. Feeling uneasy, he glared at Winston, who tilted his head slightly, as if challenging him to a staring contest.
Seconds ticked by as they silently locked eyes, but in the end, it was Yu-jin who surrendered first.
“…October.”
“When in October?”
The moment Yu-jin reluctantly gave an answer, Winston immediately pressed for more details.
He won’t be able to figure it out just from the date.
Yu-jin reassured himself. At least Winston still believed Angela was Harold’s child, which meant the birthdate lined up. That false assumption had solidified into certainty, making the misunderstanding all the more ridiculous.
Yu-jin sighed, overwhelmed by the mess of emotions swirling inside him. He had never been able to handle Winston’s relentless tactics. Once again, he found himself resigning to the inevitable defeat.
“Halloween.”
Winston fell silent for a moment.
“Halloween?”
He seemed genuinely taken aback by the unexpected date. After a brief pause, he nodded, albeit reluctantly, his expression unreadable. Seeing Winston lost in thought again, Yu-jin narrowed his eyes suspiciously at him. But no matter how hard he stared, there was no way to decipher what was going through the man’s head.
Frustrated by his own helplessness, Yu-jin fidgeted restlessly until Winston finally broke the silence.
“Got it.”
Like hell you do. You don’t know a damn thing.
Yu-jin sneered internally, but nothing would change, no matter how much he mocked him in his mind.
“Instead of keeping it all to yourself, why don’t you clue me in too?”
Unable to hold back, Yu-jin muttered sarcastically at Winston’s retreating figure as he turned to leave. Winston halted mid-step and glanced back at him, but his expression remained unchanged.
“I already told you—I’m throwing Angela a birthday party.”
He was serious?
Yu-jin blinked in surprise. That was it? That was the whole reason? But why all of a sudden?
“Wait—what about me?”
Desperately, Yu-jin hurried after him and asked, “If you’re throwing Angie a birthday party, then I have to be there too. You’re not seriously thinking of having it without me, are you?”
A sudden chill ran down his spine at the thought that Winston might be embarrassed by him. Of course, that would make sense. To Winston, he was—
“I’m still considering it.”
Yu-jin’s mind went blank at the unexpected response. When he stared in confusion, Winston turned back to him and continued.
“There will be a lot of people at the party, and things will be hectic. If you wanted to, you could easily take Angela and run. Not that it would matter—I’d find you within half a day.”
“Then there’s no problem, is there?”
Yu-jin asked anxiously, but Winston merely let out a cold scoff.
“There’s no reason to waste my time.”
As Yu-jin stood there speechless, Winston added in a slow, deliberate voice, “Don’t be too upset. I’ll make sure Angela has time to celebrate with you separately.”
That was the end of the conversation. This time, Yu-jin didn’t even try to stop him as Winston turned and walked away. He was certain now—Winston had no intention of letting him attend the party. He had acted too rashly and ruined everything. Left alone, Yu-jin clenched his teeth and barely restrained himself from screaming in frustration.
***
“Alright, be careful, Angie. Eat well, listen to the adults.”
Before he knew it, it was time to say goodbye. Yu-jin had to let his daughter go. Forcing himself to smile despite the overwhelming urge to cry, he watched as Angela blinked away her own tears and bravely nodded.
“Mm! I’ll come visit again, Daddy. You have to eat well too and stay healthy. And baby, you have to be good and listen to Daddy, okay?”
Gazing at Yu-jin’s stomach, Angela spoke in a mature, scolding tone before throwing her arms around his neck. Yu-jin, kneeling on one knee to match her height, embraced her tightly as if he had been waiting for this moment. He rubbed his cheek against hers, taking in the warm scent of her skin, when suddenly, Angela whispered in his ear.
“Daddy, Mr. Campbell keeps bribing me.”
“What?”
Yu-jin almost pulled away in shock, but Angela clung to him with all her strength and continued talking.
“He wants to be friends with me. But don’t worry, I won’t be swayed. Trying to win my heart with money—does he take me for a fool?”
She let out a proud little scoff, as if personally offended by the thought. Then, pulling back to look at Yu-jin’s stunned expression, she confidently added, “A princess never surrenders.”
With that, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and spun around, walking away with graceful little steps. Chin lifted high, Angela headed for the door, where the waiting pilot extended a hand to her. She tried to take it elegantly and step onto the helicopter like an adult, but things didn’t go quite as planned. She was still too small to climb aboard in one smooth motion.
The pilot, realizing that Angela was still too small to climb in on her own, effortlessly lifted her up and placed her inside the helicopter. Seeing his daughter puff out her cheeks in a sulky pout over how things hadn’t gone according to the grand scenario she had imagined, Yu-jin nearly burst into laughter.
Just then, Winston, who had silently approached from behind, spoke.
“Don’t worry about the child.”
Yu-jin slowly straightened up and looked up at him. Winston, as always, wore an unreadable expression as he continued.
“I’ll arrange another date soon. If you want, Angela can stay here for a day.”
Winston.
Yu-jin whispered his name inside his mouth.
It’s a lie. I’m not pregnant.
He wanted to say it. He had to. If he didn’t, Angela would only suffer more in the long run. The consequences of this deception should be his burden to bear. He had to tell him. Now.
Despite the desperation surging inside him, the words refused to come out. All he could do was stare at Winston, struggling against the silence choking him. Winston, leaving a short pause between them as if hesitating, finally spoke.
“…If you want to go out and buy a birthday present, I’ll allow it.”
What?
Yu-jin’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected offer. But before he could respond, Winston turned and walked toward the helicopter. He would return after dropping Angela off. He had been doing this nearly every day.
Soon, the helicopter took off, soaring into the sky. Left alone on the island, Yu-jin could do nothing but watch as it disappeared from view.
***
The streets were filled with pumpkin decorations and all sorts of ghostly figures. It was the one time of the year when the world embraced the festival of spirits. Winston, watching the scene unfold through the car window, frowned deeply.
A Halloween birthday.
He hadn’t anticipated the overlap of events. It was an unfortunate coincidence. To him, it meant that one less opportunity remained to win over Angela’s heart.
That just means I’ll have to make an even stronger impression.
He had already prepared the costumes. Invitations had been sent out—not just to company executives but also to business partners he had maintained connections with. Anyone with children around Angela’s age had been invited. She would have plenty of playmates at the party.
If she made friends, she would naturally grow attached to this place.
Winston found the idea rather promising. He might as well start looking for a preschool too—somewhere she could enroll as soon as possible.
Once Angela’s life was properly settled, he would bring Yu-jin here as well…
By then, his bond with Angela would have deepened even further. Winston fully expected things to develop in that direction.
“Welcome, Mr. Campbell.”
Standing at the entrance, the familiar face of the butler greeted him. Winston, his tone indifferent, asked,
“The preparations for the party—are they going well?”
“Of course. Angela is all ready as well.”
“Good.”
Because of an unexpected meeting, Winston had been forced to step out earlier, but now he walked toward his room at a brisker pace than usual. He needed to finish getting ready on time. Without delay, he took a quick shower and changed into fresh clothes. Guests were already beginning to arrive.
“Is Angela waiting in her room?”
After giving himself one last glance in the mirror, Winston asked.
“Yes,” the butler replied. “She’ll be the cutest little witch at the party tonight.”
An unusual smile crossed Winston’s lips. To think he had managed to soften even this work-obsessed butler. He found it rather fascinating.
Stepping out of his room, he strode purposefully down the hall. He had barely taken a few steps before stopping in front of Angela’s door. He knocked twice and waited, recalling the butler’s earlier advice.
“Yes, come in!”
A tiny, eager voice called out from inside. Just as the butler had mentioned, she was putting on airs of importance.
Only after receiving permission did Winston finally open the door.
And the moment he saw the little witch standing perfectly still in the center of the room, he froze in place, unable to take another step.
