Seol Yu-jin froze, his eyes widening in shock at the unexpected name. He hadn’t even dreamed of hearing that from the man’s mouth, and for a moment, he could only stare at him in stunned silence. Winston, without a word, simply observed him.
It felt like an eternity before Yu-jin finally managed to speak. Blinking slowly, still dazed, he caught sight of Winston narrowing his eyes. He didn’t even realize that Winston had crossed his legs at a leisurely pace until he finally found his voice.
“…Who?”
His voice came out hoarse and cracked, and he hurriedly cleared his throat to steady it. Winston, who had been watching him intently without a single movement, slowly parted his lips, his gaze fixed on the faintly flushed curve of Yu-jin’s cheeks and lips.
“Sam Brown. The officer assigned to your case.”
Ah.
With a short sigh, Yu-jin’s shoulders slumped. His sluggish thoughts were finally beginning to turn, but the realization left him with a mix of exhaustion and tangled emotions. Running a hand through his hair in frustration, he let out a dry laugh.
“So?”
“What do you mean?”
At Winston’s question, Yu-jin tilted his head, sneering at him.
“You must be disappointed. You probably assumed he was another guy I slept with.”
He expected irritation in response, but instead, Winston let out a short chuckle.
“Yeah. I was wrong about that.”
How was he supposed to take that?
Should he laugh or be angry? Yu-jin briefly debated before ultimately deciding to let it go.
“What exactly do you want to say? If you met with Sam, then you must already know everything.”
As he waited, watching Winston with clear reluctance, the man uncrossed his legs and finally spoke.
“I didn’t hear anything.”
Yu-jin frowned, and Winston continued, his voice measured and deliberate.
“I said, I didn’t hear anything about that incident.”
There was no mistaking his calm tone. Realizing that he hadn’t misheard, Yu-jin let out a disbelieving scoff.
“Then why the hell did you even go there? Just to see if I was rolling around with some loser?”
“Sam said you should be the one to tell me.”
Even in the face of Yu-jin’s sharp-edged tone, Winston remained composed.
“He thought it would be best to hear it directly from you, and I agreed. Sam didn’t tell me a thing.”
Such a pitiful child.
Winston recalled the middle-aged woman who had sighed as she spoke, her face filled with sympathy. She had asked if Yu-jin was doing well and had even checked on Angela. Then, with a bright smile, she had said, “That’s a relief.”
That child is happy now. How wonderful…
“I don’t have much to say.”
Yu-jin’s sharp voice snapped Winston out of his thoughts. When he refocused his gaze, he met Yu-jin’s eyes, filled with open hostility as he glared at him.
“It’s exactly what you think. I wanted to sleep with a guy, so I did. Then, while he was asleep, I stole his money and ran. Got caught. That’s it. Satisfied now? Since you’ve got what you wanted, I’ll be going to see Angie.”
“Wait.”
Winston’s command was firm, but Yu-jin ignored it. He sprang off the bed and moved quickly across the room, but before he could even reach the door, Winston grabbed his arm.
“Tell me the truth. That’s not all of it.”
His voice, which had remained composed until now, dropped to a menacing low. The grip on his arm tightened, sending a sharp pain through Yu-jin’s limb, making him wince.
“What the hell are you doing? Let go!”
He struggled with all his strength, but it was useless. Instead, Winston caught his other wrist as well, completely restraining him. Forced to stand face-to-face with him, Yu-jin resorted to the only act of defiance left—he glared at him with everything he had.
“Baby.”
Winston let out a sigh as he called him. His tone, which had been laced with sarcasm until now, softened slightly, sounding almost disheartened.
“I’m trying to talk to you right now.”
“It’s too late.”
Yu-jin spat the words, breathing heavily.
“I already tried to explain to you. But you wouldn’t listen, would you? And now, what? Are you planning to be merciful? Too bad. I don’t appreciate it one bit.”
Winston opened his mouth to speak, but Yu-jin cut him off.
“Why did you go see Sam in the first place? Was it to confirm that you were right all along? But then, when you found out Sam was a woman, your thoughts changed a little, huh? If Sam had been a man, you would’ve been so damn sure of yourself, wouldn’t you? Keep thinking that way if it makes you feel better. It doesn’t change a damn thing. I’ve already hit rock bottom! I’ve sunk so low I can’t even see the fucking surface anymore, and it’s all because of you!”
“Let go,” he growled, thrashing violently against Winston’s hold. But when that didn’t work, frustration boiled over, and in a blind fit of rage—he bit him.
“Ah, fuck!”
Winston hadn’t expected it. His grip instinctively loosened just enough for Yu-jin to rip himself free and bolt out of the room. Winston moved to chase after him, but at that exact moment, his phone rang loudly. He hesitated for a split second before swiping it up with an annoyed sigh—then froze. It was his secretary.
“…This afternoon, got it.”
As expected, she was efficient. She had already gathered the information. Winston made a mental note to give her a bonus before hanging up. Then, slipping his phone into his pocket, he strode toward Angela’s room.
Pausing in the hallway, he took a moment to steady himself before knocking briefly and pushing the door open.
Angela was still asleep. Yu-jin, who had been sitting by the bed, watching over her, flinched violently at Winston’s presence. His entire body tensed in alarm, and his gaze turned wary.
Winston stopped in his tracks, meeting Yu-jin’s guarded stare as he finally spoke.
“I’m heading to work now.”
Winston spoke in an indifferent tone, his voice quiet yet firm.
“We’ll continue this conversation after I get off. I’ll be home as early as possible.”
“I have nothing to say.”
Yu-jin’s voice was barely above a whisper, careful not to wake the child. Winston, who had been about to leave and close the door behind him, paused and glanced back at him.
“You will.”
With an inexplicable confidence, he left.
Yu-jin stared at the closed door in disbelief before letting out a long, exasperated sigh, shaking his head. What an unbelievably arrogant man. The fact that he had once loved that man more than life itself was utterly beyond him.
Hoo…
Only after watching Winston’s car pull out of the estate from the window did Yu-jin finally let out a deep breath. At last, peace.
That peace, however, was short-lived.
Just after lunch, while walking through the garden with Angela, Yu-jin was informed of an unexpected visitor. Holding the child’s hand, he turned back the way he had come, perplexed.
Could it be Georgina or Charlotte? They were the only ones who might seek him out.
Surely, not Madam Campbell…
The mere thought of that ominous possibility sent a chill through his spine. But he quickly dismissed it. If it were her, the servant would have mentioned it outright. So who could it be?
When he asked for the visitor’s identity, the servant only responded, “You’ll know when you see them.”
Yu-jin’s curiosity only grew as he headed toward the drawing room.
He hesitated at the door, knocking lightly before pushing it open. The moment his gaze swept across the room, he instinctively stopped in his tracks.
This was the very place where, on his first day back in the mansion, Madam Campbell and Gordon had coldly dismissed him. Back then, he had acted as though their scornful words and insults hadn’t affected him, but evidently, they had left a mark deep in his heart.
Taking a shaky breath, he forced himself to blink and refocus.
It wasn’t them.
Instead, standing before him was someone completely unexpected—one of the very few people in his life who had ever extended a warm hand to him.
The woman rose from the sofa, and the moment Yu-jin recognized her, his eyes widened in shock, words failing him.
With a radiant smile, she spread her arms wide.
“Yu-jin, you’ve grown even more beautiful. And Angie, my goodness, look how much you’ve grown!”
Even after hearing her voice, it still didn’t feel real.
Frozen in place, Yu-jin could only stand there stiffly. But the woman stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him with a careful embrace.
The warmth of her body, the weight of her arms encircling him—it was real.
And just like that, the reality of it all crashed down on him, making his nose sting with overwhelming emotion. His vision blurred as tears welled up, and before he could stop himself, he broke down completely, clinging to her.
“Sam…!”
