The parking area of the mansion. Inside the car we’d driven here.
“Exactly what happened?”
Yoo Sia looked at me as if she couldn’t understand a thing.
“Grandfather didn’t hit you, did he?”
“No. He didn’t. I’m fine.”
“Really?”
“I told you.”
I nodded to show I was unharmed.
“Then let’s go.”
I pressed the accelerator, but—
“No.”
Yoo Sia stared at me with a firm expression.
“If Grandfather did anything, I’m going back to confront him right now…”
“I told you he didn’t.”
“But I saw Butler Kim come out holding a baseball bat. Didn’t he use it on your butt? My cousins got spanked like that all the time. Let me check.”
She grabbed at the seat of my trousers.
“Whoa whoa whoa, Sia. Calm down.”
I quickly caught her wrist.
“I really wasn’t hit, I swear.”
“Then show me. If there’s no mark, you’re telling the truth.”
“No, why would—”
“Oh, hurry!”
She tugged my trousers halfway down. Underwear followed, resting at the top of my buttocks, baring my flesh.
freeze.
Only once she’d seen for herself did Yoo Sia let go.
“…There’s nothing?”
“Sia, I said it didn’t happen.”
“….”
She turned her head, embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. I thought you might be lying so I wouldn’t worry…”
“I’m not that kind of person.”
I really wasn’t. If Chairman Yoo had hit me with a bat, I’d have told Sia immediately.
“But earlier, his face looked so relieved.”
“I’ll explain everything.”
“Tell me now.”
“All right.”
I took my hand off the steering wheel and began.
“Here’s what happened…”
One hour earlier.
“The child will be well cared for by us.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Didn’t you hear? I’ll say it again.”
“That’s not—”
It felt like a bolt from the blue. I’d been dreaming of the three of us—or no, four of us—living happily as a little family. His words meant that he wanted me to leave quietly, leaving the child behind.
“Chairman, I have no intention of making Sia a single mother.”
“Who do you think you are calling me ‘Chairman’?”
“…Sir.”
Yoo Jin-gap still wore a resolute expression, as if to say, Don’t even think of marrying in merely by giving birth to twins. The look on his face said, “Don’t try it, it won’t work.”
“Sia is part of HR Group. She doesn’t have to be a single mother; whatever word you attach to her life, she’ll live more luxuriously and perfectly than anyone else.”
Hearing that, something welled up in my chest. I’d never been ashamed of growing up poor— it wasn’t my fault. It made sense that her family was distinguished and mine wasn’t. But I’d never felt dishonored.
What I lacked confidence in was one thing: being raised in a divorced household. Without my mother, I’d missed out on many things—in school, in the military, among friends. No matter how much money one had, I didn’t want my children to grow up missing a parent.
“No matter how luxuriously she lives, I won’t let my children grow up without a father.”
“A father is a father.”
“I’m confident I’ll be a good one.”
“By leaning on the Yoo family?”
“…”
But Chairman Yoo was no ordinary man; he was immovable as a fortress. Each time I spoke, the barrier only grew stronger.
Yet I couldn’t back down. If I couldn’t beat him with force…
‘There must be another way.’ Something to melt his heart and break this stiff atmosphere.
‘…There is!’ A passion he’d held his whole life. A part of the dream he still clung to.
“Baseball…”
“…?”
“I heard you like baseball.”
He furrowed his brow. “So what?” His eyes said, What do you want to do about my baseball background?
“So…” I exhaled calmly and looked him squarely in the eyes.
“Would you play catch with me?”
A moment of silence.
“You’re nuts.”
Yoo Jin-gap stared at me in disbelief. “I’ll turn eighty next week.” He gave a hollow laugh. “You planning to knock me out with the ball?”
“No. I mean it sincerely.”
He studied my face as if checking whether I was joking or serious. I was serious.
“My children would be great at baseball.”
“…?”
“They’d inherit my genes, without a doubt.”
“And?”
“Let’s test it. Who knows? My grandchild might suddenly take up baseball. You’d have to decide whether to support him or not, right?”
Chairman Yoo clicked his tongue. “You’re truly insane.” His expression said he’d never heard anything more absurd.
But one thing was clear:
‘I got through.’
A spark lit in his eyes. I’d struck a chord in his baseball-loving heart.
“Catch, then?”
He stared at me for some time, then
“Huh.” He let out a short breath, then pulled out his phone.
“Butler Kim, do we have a baseball glove in the storage room?”
“So?”
Yoo Sia peered at me in astonishment.
“You really played catch with Grandfather?”
“Uh…” I scratched my head sheepishly.
“The bat you saw Butler Kim carrying was all the baseball gear he brought and then took away. That must have been what was left.”
Of course, we didn’t throw or catch with full strength. My shoulder couldn’t handle that, and even a fit Chairman Yoo wouldn’t have been able to catch a full-speed throw.
“So you two actually played catch? Really?”
“Yes. For a full hour.”
I worked up a good sweat for the first time in a while. By the end, Chairman Yoo tried to hide it, but I caught a glimpse of relief on his face.
“…What on earth?”
Yoo Sia blinked as if she couldn’t comprehend.
“Are all men like that?”
“Not all…”
There are people like this. Especially knowing Chairman Yoo was a sports fanatic, I’d taken a gamble—and, luckily, it paid off.
“And you told him about the twins, too?”
“Oh, right.”
Thanks to that—once the mood lightened—suggesting catch was a godsend. Without it, I might have been shown the door without even a glove.
“I didn’t know Grandfather had twins.”
“It was news to me, too, when I read his memoir. He said his twin sibling died young, so it became a painful memory he rarely mentioned.”
“I see…”
I gripped the wheel again.
“Can we go now?” I felt sorry for the staff standing guard at the gate, watching us wait.
Yoo Sia nodded, and I started the engine. The car left Naegok-dong and headed toward Hannam-dong. I planned to drop Sia off and then go home.
“After catch, you didn’t talk at all?”
“Not a word.”
Surprisingly, nothing. All I sensed was that her gaze toward me had softened somewhat. It didn’t feel entirely bad.
“That’s… sort of a relief.” She looked noticeably lighter.
“Oh, Assistant Manager.”
“Hm?”
“I joined a parenting café online.”
“Already?”
“Yes. There’s a section for expectant mothers, so I’ve been reading around.” She brightened.
“I found something interesting.”
“What?”
“Remember when we listened to the baby’s heartbeat the other day?”
“Yeah, of course.”
I still recall it vividly—how the tiny heart under five millimeters thumped so loudly it nearly brought tears to my eyes.
“They say girl fetuses have faster heartbeats, like horses’ hooves, and boy fetuses slower, like a train.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. It’s a folk belief but based on some scientific data.”
No wonder Chairman Yoo had asked about the heartbeat. I snapped awake. I pulled over to the shoulder.
“You have the recording file?”
“Of course.”
“Shall we listen again…?”
thump-thump-thump-scritch-thump
“…What do you think?”
“I’d say…”
“Truly mad.”
After his shower, Yoo Jin-gap sat in his study chair, revisiting the memory.
“Suggesting a game of catch to this old man…” Even now it seemed absurd. But more unbelievable was me, the one who agreed and ended up playing for a full hour.
“He’s bold—no wonder Sia fell for him.” Yet he still had no intention of granting permission so easily.
These days, childbearing alone doesn’t guarantee approval of marriage. Divorce isn’t a scandal among chaebol; five of his thirteen grandsons are divorced and happily raising children with full custody.
But…
He pulled out two fetal ultrasound photos he’d kept. “Twins are welcome, though.”
He laid the photos on his desk. ‘Come to think of it, I never heard their nicknames.’ At six weeks pregnant, she’d only just learned of her condition days ago.
‘Shall I name them…?’ Two tiny buds were visible. ‘“Sprout” might be nice…’
He stopped himself. “What am I thinking?” He tossed the photos into his drawer rather than the trash.