Chapter 5
“W-What are you doing?!”
“Why? Didn’t you expect this?”
“…W-What do you mean?”
Right in front of Yuri, he tore the written response to shreds.
For a brief moment, anger surged at the man who treated her desperation as something trivial—but then his cold gaze pierced straight through her.
“Didn’t that lawyer tell you? That doing something like this only ends up offending the other party?”
Yuri’s shoulders flinched.
He was right. It was a fight they were likely to lose anyway, and she had already been told to start looking for a suitable rental building as soon as possible.
“Oh, I suppose he didn’t at least promise you could protect Song Yuhan?”
“……”
“That’ll be difficult too.”
Yes. Just as he said—everything she had heard was nothing but despair.
It was only natural. Now that a legal guardian had appeared, there was no reason not to return the child to their family.
“…You’re right. No matter what we do, we can’t beat you.”
Against him, she wouldn’t be able to protect either Yuhan or the orphanage.
“Even so, I’ll handle this through the law.”
“……”
“I’ll follow proper legal procedures and take this child out as your younger brother.”
But Yuri trusted her instincts.
The fact that he kept urging her to consider overseas adoption meant there had to be some reason he couldn’t legally take Yuhan away from her.
Clinging to that thought, Yuri hugged Yuhan tightly.
“You’re sharper than you look.”
He had assumed she was just foolish, but she seemed capable of thinking things through after all.
Shinwoo found himself intrigued by the woman who refused to back down.
“As for the orphanage, as stated in the response—”
“Didn’t you just see me tear it up?”
“……”
“I’m no longer interested in doing this by the book with you.”
But that was all.
Perhaps he had been too lenient, thinking he was acting in goodwill. Watching her push further and further without restraint only irritated him.
He was looking down at her with growing displeasure when—
“Y-Yuri!”
Heeyoung rushed out into the front yard, panic written all over her face.
“The water—the water’s not running…!”
“What…?”
It made no sense. The water had been working just fine moments ago.
Then a thought struck her.
After sending Heeyoung back inside, Yuri turned her gaze toward Tae Shinwoo.
“…Was this your doing?”
“It may be petty, but it’s certainly effective.”
“How can you just cut off the water to a place where children live—!”
Overcome by the excessive pressure, Yuri set Yuhan down and strode toward him.
She was afraid—terrified, even. Just meeting his gaze was difficult. But for the sake of the children, she had to be strong.
“Ah!”
Perhaps she had been too hasty. Her wet slipper slipped, and her body lurched dangerously.
Of all times to fall, it had to be now. As the world seemed to flip upside down, Yuri squeezed her eyes shut.
She should have felt a sharp pain—but instead, something firm caught her by the waist.
“…!”
Startled by the unfamiliar warmth, Yuri opened her eyes and looked up at him, standing against the sunlight.
Tae Shinwoo. He was holding her.
The scent of his cologne stimulated her senses—slightly sharp, yet refreshing, filling her nose.
His sharp eyes gave off a cold impression, but the closer she looked, the more she felt his features were unexpectedly refined. No—“sculpted” would be the right word.
With his expressionless face, he exuded an unapproachable aura…
Yet even that oppressive presence carried a suffocating intensity that somehow felt justified.
“…Are you done admiring me?”
“Ah!”
Snapping back to her senses, Yuri hurriedly tried to pull away from him. But his thick arm wrapped around her waist didn’t let go easily.
“L-Let go… please!”
“That’s unfair. You’ve been staring at me all you want.”
His hand, still around her waist, subtly slid upward beneath her arm, toward her chest.
As his fingers brushed against a sensitive area, her face flushed bright red. But Shinwoo showed no mercy.
It had been bothering him for a while—the glimpse of skin through her soaked T-shirt, the way her flesh pressed against the edge of her bra.
“Hng…!”
Through the cold, wet fabric, she felt the heat of his hand. Startled, Yuri pushed him away and shouted,
“Please just leave. And turn the water back on…!”
“And if I refuse?”
“Attorney Tae Shinwoo…!”
“I’ve been quite gentlemanly. You’re the one acting arrogantly.”
“…But I can’t give up the orphanage. Or Yuhan. Not that…!”
Glancing back at Yuhan behind her, Yuri spoke desperately.
Her attachment to the child was deeper and more tenacious than he had expected.
“You seem to be under a misunderstanding.”
“……”
“That child is not your brother, Vice Director.”
In the end, he had to say it.
Clicking his tongue at her stunned expression, Shinwoo continued,
“Is it because you couldn’t forget the sibling who supposedly died from illness?”
At the mention of her long-buried past, Yuri stared at him in shock.
“…Did you investigate me?”
“I had my reasons.”
“Ha…!”
“So…”
He was about to advise her to let go of her lingering attachment and make a rational decision for the sake of the other children—
Smack!
“…Really…”
“……”
“You’re despicable.”
Yuri’s eyes burned red. She glared at him without hiding her resentment.
To her, it was a deeply painful past—not something to be brought up so coldly, as if it were nothing more than criticism.
It was true that she cared more for Yuhan than the other children.
Maybe, as he said, it was because his situation resembled that of her younger sibling.
But that wasn’t all.
The bond she had built with Yuhan… was no different from that between a mother and child.
So how could a man she had only met once trample on her feelings so easily?
“…So, you want to continue this fight?”
“……”
“In that state?”
Her clothes were completely soaked, her stretched-out round neckline looking shabby. The pale skin visible through it had been drawing his gaze all along.
Only then did Yuri seem to notice where he was looking. She quickly covered herself with her hands.
Of all people, it had to be Tae Shinwoo seeing her like this.
She didn’t want to show him even the slightest weakness. Shrinking her shoulders, she turned her back to him.
But only for a moment.
At his next words, she had no choice but to face him again.
“Vacate the orphanage by the end of this week. Otherwise, we’ll proceed with forced demolition.”
“W-What? How can you suddenly—!”
“I gave you a chance, Vice Director. And you just threw it away. Just now.”
His expression was so cold it seemed as though not a drop of blood would come out even if pricked.
For a moment, Yuri was at a loss for words—but she steadied her breathing and continued,
“Yuhan needs at least six months to adapt to a new environment. Do you really think a child like that can go overseas?”
Clinging to her last shred of hope, she went on,
“He can’t even get on a plane—no, he can’t even step into an airport. He’s never been to one.”
“……”
“If he were even a little more like the other children… no, if he at least had full mobility, I might have considered your offer.”
Pulling her clothes tighter around herself, she bowed her head.
“Please… reconsider just once more.”
“I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Shinwoo nodded as if he understood. Only then did relief flicker in Yuri’s eyes.
“…Thank you—”
“Then make sure that kid can get on a plane within a year.”
“…What did you say?”
But he hadn’t given up.
