The Woman Who Embraced Her Brother

The sudden, chaotic shouting of Oh Jin-hee, who had burst in like a storm, was what finally snapped her back to her senses. “Mom! Waaaaah!” The child’s wail pierced the air, and Oh Jin-hee paused for a split second. Then she turned to Icheon-daek. “Icheon-daek, take Yun-woo and leave.” The situation was too dangerous, however, so Icheon-daek hesitated. She glanced at Tae-yeon, torn between duty and loyalty. “Small mother-in-law…” Tae-yeon nodded firmly, the word “small mother-in-law” hitting her like a gentle reminder of her place. “Just a moment. I’ll take Yun-woo out. He loves the playground, so I’ll put him in the stroller.” “Will you be all right, small mother-in-law?” The question came from beside her. Oh Jin-hee’s voice suddenly rose. “Would I kill that child?” Watching the hysterical woman, Icheon-daek quickly strapped Yun-woo into the stroller. The boy, who had seen his mother being grabbed, was now sobbing uncontrollably. He knew everything. Tae-yeon lowered herself to Yun-woo’s eye level. “Yun-woo-ya, did you get scared? Mom’s okay. Let’s go play with the auntie.” She forced a smile, even though her cheeks were swollen. Yun-woo, however, only sniffled louder and reached out to her. Tae-yeon pressed a kiss to his forehead, then ushered Icheon-daek and the child out of the room. The moment Yun-woo vanished, Oh Jin-hee exploded again. “You crazy woman! Are you even sane? How could you wrap your brother up in your skirt like that? What kind of dirty game is this?” Even Oh Jin-hee’s words had reached their limit. Tae-yeon couldn’t make sense of them. “Your words are excessive.” “Excessive? Of course they are. I know everything, yet you’re still pretending not to? Yun-woo is yours.” Tae-yeon’s heart lurched. Was this about Yun-woo’s birth? How much did she really know? “Yes. You know it. Yun-woo is my child.” Her voice was steady. The two years she had raised him as her own—dead or alive, Yun-woo was hers. “So you dared to marry Hyun-seo while carrying Myung-seo’s child?” The words tore through Tae-yeon like a blade. She couldn’t speak. “Mother, what are you saying…?” “What am I saying? You know better than anyone. Get out right now! Don’t even show your face to Hyun-seo when he comes back from his business trip.” Tae-yeon struggled to stay calm. “Please give me a moment. I’ll sort everything out.” “Enough. Sort it out if you must, but first get out.” Tae-yeon asked, voice trembling. “So… so… our Yun-woo…” “I already checked everything. Both of you are exposed. Hyun-seo’s son? No, he’s the son of the dead Choi Myung-seo.” Tae-yeon felt her blood turn to ice. Her mind went blank. Nothing made sense. She could only stare at Oh Jin-hee’s malicious expression.

Hyun-seo sat at the table by the hotel window, staring at the laptop screen. The photo of two eight- and ten-year-old boys—Myung-seo and himself—holding soccer balls side by side. The same picture he had found in the box in the dressing room.

He gazed at the two smiling children in the image. More precisely, he was looking at the face of his dead older brother.

After that day, all affection for his mother vanished. It was the day he overheard the words that Myung-seo had to leave for the United States.

In the dead of night, eight-year-old Hyun-seo went to the kitchen for water when he heard his mother’s voice. “As promised, Myung-seo will be sent to study abroad. You said you’d let him live with us, right? What are you going to do with Hyun-seo’s future?” He learned that his brother’s study abroad was because of him. He rebelled. He swore he would never let Myung-seo leave. In exchange, he was locked in the basement with his brother.

The nights when the door stayed locked. His brother groaning in pain.

It was hell. Myung-seo’s suffering was all his fault. “Mom! Hyung hurts! I won’t tell you not to go to America! Hyung needs to go to the hospital!” He screamed and cried. Myung-seo had always been weak. Was it because he was the son of the legal wife’s prince? Or was he the opposite—born from a cruel mistress and therefore strong?

Hyun-seo could never undo what he had done. Myung-seo’s death might be the harshest punishment of all—a punishment where happiness was forbidden. Only through Yun-woo might everything be made right…

Yet at the very end of that painful thought, another face surfaced. The bright smile of a woman with a kind face looking at him.

Tae-yeon-ah.

If only Tae-yeon were the one—perhaps she could change his misfortune. Raise Yun-woo as their true child and become his true wife.

Closing the laptop, Hyun-seo recalled the warm spring sunlight that melted winter snow.

The moment of confusion passed. Tae-yeon finally spoke. “Mother, that’s impossible.” “Impossible? Look at this. You dare say that after seeing it?” Oh Jin-hee pulled a document from an envelope and flung it at her. Several sheets fluttered to the floor. Tae-yeon slowly picked them up.

[Parentage Verification Result] The report stated that the parentage between Yun-woo and Choi Hyun-seo did not match.

She read it again and again. There was no mistake. He was not Myung-seo’s son. He had lied to her. The words “Yun-woo is my child” still echoed in her ears, yet they were false. The situation was too overwhelming. She could not speak.

In the face of her silence, Oh Jin-hee’s voice grew louder. “Look at the one beside it. It’s the chairman’s grandson. What does that mean? For him to be the chairman’s grandson, he must be the son of either Myung-seo or Hyun-seo. But he’s not Hyun-seo’s son. And look at the test next to it. Even in death, chaebols keep the DNA on file.” She picked up the nearby document.

[Parentage relationship between Choi Myung-seo and Choi Yun-woo is established.] Yun-woo was the son of the dead Choi Myung-seo.

“You still try to deceive me?” Tae-yeon had no answer. The questions inside her head were louder than Oh Jin-hee’s words. Was Yun-woo really the son of a man he had never even seen? Then why had Hyun-seo… “You brought Myung-seo’s child into our house and how do you plan to live with Hyun-seo? Are you even human? How could you embrace a brother like that? I raised Hyun-seo. What are you…?” Her words cut off as Oh Jin-hee lunged forward and grabbed her hair. Tae-yeon grabbed Oh Jin-hee’s wrist in return. “Please don’t do this, Mother.” “Shall I tear your mouth apart?” Tae-yeon surrendered. The test results spoke for themselves. Every word Oh Jin-hee said was true. Even though she had never seen Myung-seo’s face, if she had given birth to Yun-woo, then she was a woman who had raised the son of the man she loved together with Choi Hyun-seo.

Choi Hyun-seo had thrown her into this hell without a single word. He had only left her to live as Yun-woo’s mother until the end.

Tae-yeon understood the situation and now had to decide how to solve it. “What do you want?” Her heart, as if cut by a knife, was thrashing. It was not only betrayal of love. He had never loved her, so that was expected. But this was betrayal of trust. The contract should have been clear.

He had clearly said Yun-woo was his son. She had believed him without a doubt. Raising someone who wasn’t his own child defied common sense.

Then the woman who gave birth to and died for Yun-woo must have been Myung-seo’s lover.

“Get out right now. That’s what I want.” Even as Oh Jin-hee’s words fell, Tae-yeon’s inner questions only grew louder. She kept her mouth shut.

Why? Why had he lied? Would he eventually lie to Yun-woo as well? Would he use her like she was being used?

Her head spun. Yet she still had words. “Mother, this matter was accepted by Choi Hyun-seo.” At least she had to involve him to resolve it. But Oh Jin-hee laughed coldly. “You’re clueless. Do you think Hyun-seo would have accepted it for nothing? Without Myung-seo, everything would go to Hyun-seo anyway. But to keep the assets separate in case of any future claim, he took it on as a deal.” “…as his son… not mine…” “Of course it is. Even so, how could he bring Myung-seo’s child into our home? Do you think that’s possible? Get out immediately! Take Yun-woo and leave right now!”