IYRT 03

Episode 03

At the first hint of dawn, Huyeon pushed open the door to her youngest sister Seoeun’s room.

Just as she expected, the stench of disinfectant—so strong it made her head ache—hung thickly in the air. Huyeon frowned without meaning to.

“Are you asleep?”

She stepped closer to the bed and carefully reached out, pulling back the blanket.

Unkempt long hair. Skin so pale it looked translucent. And—

“Even a corpse would look healthier than you.”

The thin wrist protruding from beneath the sleeve was so slender it made Huyeon’s chest ache for no reason at all.

As the eldest, she had long pitied Hyuseok, who had spent years fighting illness.

But Seoeun…
Seoeun was different.

She was unbearably pitiful.

And Huyeon couldn’t stand the shame of having lived her life while turning away until things had come to this.

“S-Sister…?”

Startled by the presence, Seoeun woke with wide eyes.

“Sister! I’m… my surgery’s coming up soon, so you’re not supposed to come in.”

Seoeun’s room had always been strictly off-limits to outsiders. The closer a surgery drew, the stricter the rules became—so much so that even family members needed masks and gloves to cross the threshold.

“If Mom finds out, it’ll be really bad!”

Huyeon answered with a long sigh instead. Then, pointedly, she wrapped her hand around Seoeun’s wrist.

“Stop saying nonsense.”

“Sister…!”

“You’re giving your kidney to Hyuseok, aren’t you? Are you out of your mind? You could die.”

“…Sister, I’m really okay. I’ve already heard ‘this is too much’ and ‘you might die’ more times than I can count.”

Seoeun smiled faintly—an expression steeped in long-held resignation, as if trying to reassure her.

“But look. I’m still alive, right? So I’ll get through this one too.”

“If you give your kidney, what’s next? Your liver? Your lungs? Planning to donate every organ you have? Even Saint Mary would click her tongue at you, wondering how someone could be this stupid.”

Huyeon snapped the words out, then drew in a deep breath.

“How old are you this year?”

“…Twenty-three.”

“Hah. This is insane. Completely insane.”

The moment she heard it, Huyeon realized there was no longer any reason to hesitate.

“Seoeun. Stop. You’ve done more than enough.”

This child had devoted her entire life to prolonging Hyuseok’s survival. She’d switched to homeschooling to maintain peak physical condition around his surgery schedules. Having no real friends was only natural.

Even ballet—the one thing Seoeun truly loved—had been allowed only because it helped her manage her body.

Seoeun’s world consisted solely of Hyuseok, their mother, and a father who appeared only on rare occasions.

Because of that, her heart was far too young and fragile for her age.

Ignorance had granted her a fragile peace. But if Seoeun were ever to realize how deeply unfair all of this had been—

How completely she had been sacrificed—

How utterly would she collapse?

Biting down on her lip, Huyeon felt sick at how late this realization had come.

The family members who had already taken everything from her, yet still searched for more to tear away, filled Huyeon with disgust.

Now, she thought, this wretched child had to be given the freedom no one had ever allowed her.

“Get changed.”

“…Changed? Where are we going?”

Huyeon didn’t hesitate.

“We’re running away. Right now. Without anyone knowing.”

“Sister… I don’t think this really suits me.”

Standing before a full-length mirror, Seoeun hunched her shoulders awkwardly.

They were in a high-end showroom in Cheongdam-dong.

Under dazzling lights, a luxurious silk dress rested carefully against her frail frame.

“You’re very slim, so… I’ll raise the waist belt slightly,” the shopper said cautiously, adjusting the line so the fabric wouldn’t hang loose.

“If we add a shawl over the shoulders, the balance will look much better. Drawing attention upward helps offset a slender figure.”

“Good idea. And instead of a bracelet, a watch would be better.”

At Huyeon’s words, a diamond-studded watch was clasped around Seoeun’s wrist.

“Now you look like a person.”

Huyeon nodded in satisfaction as she studied her sister.

Long lashes. Clear, glasslike eyes. Even the veins faintly visible beneath her pale skin gave her a fragile, ethereal beauty. The woman who had looked as though she might die any day had transformed in an instant.

“But Sister… why all of a sudden? If Mom finds out, it’ll really be bad…”

“She’ll be staying at the hospital for a week. Dad’s on a business trip—he won’t be back until next month.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry. I paid the staff well. They’ll keep quiet.”

After gently patting Seoeun’s shoulder, Huyeon motioned for the shopper to leave. Once the door closed, silence briefly filled the room.

Then—

“You’re wearing this to go on a blind date, Seoeun.”

“What? A blind date? Sister, wait—what are you talking about?”

Instead of answering, Huyeon held out her phone.

On the screen was a man’s photograph. Sharp features, neatly styled hair, and eyes that carried a faintly delinquent edge. The type people said would break plenty of hearts.

Seoeun felt nothing.

“He looks flashy. What do you think?”

“Who is he?”

“My blind date. Or rather… I’m thinking of giving him to you.”

“I—I don’t want to! Why would I go on your blind date?”

Huyeon remained calm, as if she’d expected this reaction.

Breaking out of a shell was always the hardest part.

But once you did, the things you feared turned out to be nothing at all. She wanted her foolish sister to learn that too.

“Get a grip. How long are you going to let Hyuseok suck the marrow out of you? Do you even have a life? No school? No ballet?”

“That’s… once Oppa gets better—”

“When is that supposed to be?”

“….”

“Seoeun. Of course it hurts to watch Hyuseok suffer. But he’s him, and you’re you. ‘Savior sibling’? What a horrible thing to call someone.”

Seoeun’s already fragile shoulders shrank further.

Huyeon steadied her resolve.

“Listen. The man in that photo is Kwon Ido, the second son of the Dowon Group. He’s notorious in the blind-date market—dumps every woman he meets. And yet, he specifically chose me.”

“Well… maybe he liked you. If I go instead, won’t he be disappointed?”

Huyeon gave a small laugh and shook her head.

“No. These meetings are business. Marriage is a strategic alliance. People calculate first, feel later.”

“I… don’t really understand.”

“In simple terms? He doesn’t need me. He needs our family.”

Huyeon brushed Seoeun’s soft hair back gently.

“Don’t worry too much. I checked—there’s no solid evidence behind the bad rumors. And no matter how awful his personality is, he won’t mistreat you when family interests are involved.”

Too late, she thought—far too late—but she would finally act as an older sister.