Tae-jin stared at the bowl of pumpkin porridge in his hand as though his grandmother had just handed him an impossible assignment.
Then he looked at Hana.
She sat quietly against the pillows, her right arm secured in the sling.
Her face was still pale, and there was an unmistakable embarrassment in her eyes.
Old Madam Kang looked delighted.
“Well?” she asked.
Tae-jin didn’t answer.
He simply picked up the spoon.
Hana’s eyes widened slightly.
Old Madam Kang smiled.
“Good.
Now feed her.”
Tae-jin scooped a small amount of pumpkin porridge and brought the spoon toward Hana.
She hesitated for a moment before slowly opening her mouth.
The spoon reached her lips.
Then—
Too hard.
“Ouch!”
Hana immediately pulled her head back.
Old Madam Kang’s eyes widened.
Without hesitation, she reached over and lightly smacked Tae-jin’s leg.
“Are you crazy?”
Tae-jin looked at her.
“I barely touched her.”
“That was barely?”
Old Madam Kang pointed at Hana.
“Look at her!”
Hana quickly shook her head.
“I’m okay, Grandma.”
Old Madam Kang turned back to Tae-jin.
“Be gentle.”
Tae-jin’s jaw tightened slightly.
He didn’t argue.
He simply looked back at Hana.
Then he picked up another spoonful.
This time, he moved more slowly.
The spoon stopped in front of her mouth.
Hana stared at it.
She didn’t know whether to open her mouth or tell him she was fine.
Then she looked into Tae-jin’s eyes.
His expression was cold.
Completely unreadable.
For a second, she thought—
If I don’t open my mouth, he might as well kill me with that look.
She quietly opened her mouth.
Tae-jin fed her.
This time, carefully.
Hana swallowed.
Another spoonful followed.
Neither of them spoke.
Old Madam Kang watched with satisfaction.
Hana lowered her eyes.
Unbelievable.
I risked my life trying to help him.
My arm is broken, my head hurts, and now I’m sitting here being fed like a child.
She secretly glanced at Tae-jin.
He remained expressionless, holding the spoon as though this were simply another unpleasant responsibility on his schedule.
And this is how he repays me.
She almost sighed.
Then another thought crossed her mind.
At least I can save face when I tell Seo-ma.
The CEO of Golden Horizon Jewelry was ordered by his grandmother to feed me.
The ridiculousness of the situation made the corners of her lips lift.
Tae-jin noticed.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Hana immediately lowered her gaze.
Old Madam Kang saw the tiny smile and smiled herself.
“That’s better.”
Tae-jin continued feeding Hana.
The second spoonful was gentle.
So was the third.
Hana gradually relaxed.
Still, every time the spoon came toward her mouth, she couldn’t help feeling embarrassed.
The situation was simply too strange.
Kang Tae-jin.
The cold CEO of Golden Horizon.
Sitting beside her bed.
Feeding her pumpkin porridge because his grandmother ordered him to.
She almost laughed again.
Tae-jin’s expression remained completely unchanged.
After several more spoonfuls, he placed the bowl down.
“She’s full.”
Old Madam Kang looked at Hana.
“Are you?”
Hana nodded.
“Yes, Grandma.”
Tae-jin stood.
Old Madam Kang immediately noticed the medicine sitting untouched nearby.
“Tae-jin.”
He stopped.
“Your medicine.”
His eyes moved toward it.
“I’ll take it later.”
Old Madam Kang narrowed her eyes.
“Don’t make me come after you.”
He said nothing.
He simply walked toward the door.
Hana watched him leave.
The door closed behind him.
Old Madam Kang shook her head.
“That boy…”
She picked up the bowl again.
“Come, Hannie.
I’ll finish feeding you.”
Hana smiled.
“Okay.”
Unlike Tae-jin, Old Madam Kang was gentle and patient.
Hana took another bite.
Her eyes brightened.
She had expected the healthy breakfast to be boring, but the warm porridge and steamed vegetables were surprisingly good.
Old Madam Kang smiled when she noticed Hana enjoying the food.
“See?
Healthy food isn’t so bad.”
Hana nodded obediently.
“Yes, Grandma.”
Meanwhile, at the Lee Family Mansion
Seo-ma woke up with a terrible headache.
She groaned and immediately covered her face with the blanket.
“My head…”
She slowly opened her eyes.
The room was quiet.
She turned toward the other side of the bed.
Empty.
Her brows furrowed.
“Hana?”
No answer.
Seo-ma slowly sat up.
The movement made her headache worse.
“Ah…”
She pressed her fingers against her temples.
Then fragments of the previous night began returning to her.
“Why did I drink.”
Hana.
Her eyes widened.
“Where is she?”
Seo-ma grabbed her phone from the bedside table.
She checked her messages.
Nothing.
She checked her missed calls.
Nothing.
A worried feeling settled in her chest.
What if the Kim family did something
She immediately called Hana.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
No answer.
Seo-ma frowned.
“Come on, Hana…”
She tried again.
Still nothing.
She stared at the phone.
Something wasn’t right.
Hana would never disappear without telling her.
Seo-ma reached for the hangover medicine on the bedside table, swallowed a dose with some water, and immediately called again.
Still no answer.
Her worry grew.
She quickly got out of bed.
“I have to find her.”
She had no idea that, several kilometers away, Hana was safely resting at Silver Pine Estate.
And she certainly had no idea that Hana had just been fed breakfast by the one man Seo-ma would never have expected to be anywhere near her.
She pushed herself upright, immediately regretting the decision when a sharp throb spread across her forehead.
“Ugh…”
She pressed both hands against her temples.
“Never drinking again.”
The promise lasted approximately three seconds.
Her eyes moved toward the bedside table.
Her phone was there.
She reached for it and checked the screen.
Still no messages.
Her eyebrows drew together.
That was strange.
Seo-ma unlocked the phone and opened their conversation.
The last message was from the previous night.
Nothing after it.
She stared at the screen for a moment.
Seo-ma lowered the phone.
“Come on…”
She tried again.
Still nothing.
A small knot formed in her stomach.
Maybe Hana was asleep.
Maybe her phone had died.
Maybe—
Seo-ma stopped herself.
Hana’s phone didn’t simply die.
Not when she knew Seo-ma would worry.
She threw the blanket aside and carefully stood.
The room tilted slightly.
She grabbed the edge of the nightstand.
“Okay…”
She closed her eyes until the dizziness passed.
Then she walked toward the wardrobe.
A few minutes later, she was dressed in a simple cream sweater and dark trousers, her hair pulled loosely behind her head.
She grabbed her bag and headed downstairs.
One of the servants looked surprised when she saw her.
“Miss Seo-ma, you’re awake.”
“Unfortunately.”
The servant almost smiled.
Seo-ma stopped near the entrance.
“Did Hana come back?”
The servant’s smile disappeared.
“No, Miss.”
Seo-ma’s expression changed.
“She didn’t?”
“No.”
“Did anyone say where she went?”
The servant shook her head.
Seo-ma slowly tightened her grip around her phone.
Something was wrong.
She looked toward the large entrance doors.
For the first time that morning, the headache seemed unimportant.
“I need to find her.”
She stepped outside.
Across the City
The abandoned storage building smelled of damp concrete and old metal.
A single ceiling light flickered above the room, casting uneven shadows across the walls.
A man sat on the floor with his back against a concrete pillar.
But every time he moved, pain pulled sharply through his ribs.
He pressed his palm against his side.
“Dammit…”
His fingers came away clean.
No fresh blood.
Good.
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
The image of Kang Tae-jin flashed through his mind.
The cold expression.
The precise movements.
The way the young CEO had fought as though he had been trained for years.
The attacker opened his eyes again.
He had expected resistance.
He hadn’t expected that.
His hand slipped into the pocket of his jacket.
He pulled out a small black phone.
There was only one number saved.
He stared at it.
Then pressed call.
The line connected after two rings.
A man’s voice came through.
Calm.
Controlled.
“Speak.”
The attacker straightened.
“The operation failed.”
Silence.
Not even a sigh.
That somehow made the silence worse.
“Explain.”
The attacker swallowed.
“Kang Tae-jin fought back.”
“And?”
“We couldn’t finish him.”
Another pause.
“Is he alive?”
“Yes.”
The voice on the other end remained quiet.
The attacker could almost feel the disappointment through the phone.
“He was stronger than expected,” he added.
“I didn’t ask for an excuse.”
The attacker lowered his gaze.
“Understood.”
“How many escaped?”
“Two.”
“And the others?”
“One was injured.
The rest scattered.”
The man on the other end remained silent for several seconds.
Then he asked,
“Did anyone interfere?”
The attacker hesitated.
“There was a girl.”
Silence.
“A girl?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
The answer came immediately.
“We weren’t expecting her.”
“Was she with Tae-jin?”
“I don’t know.”
The attacker rubbed his bruised ribs.
“She appeared during the fight.”
“And?”
“She got in the way.”
The voice on the other end remained completely emotionless.
“Was she the target?”
“No.”
The attacker frowned.
“No.
The target was Tae-jin.”
“Then forget her.”
The attacker nodded.
“Understood.”
He was about to end the call when the voice stopped him.
“One thing.”
The attacker waited.
“Did Tae-jin see your face?”
“No.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
A quiet breath came through the phone.
“Good.”
The attacker relaxed slightly.
Then the voice spoke again.
“Disappear for a while.”
“Yes.”
“Do not contact the others.”
“Understood.”
The call ended.
The attacker lowered the phone slowly.
He stared at the blank screen.
The girl.
He remembered her briefly.
A young woman who had appeared where she shouldn’t have been.
Someone who had clearly not been part of the plan.
He shook his head.
It wasn’t his concern.
The order had been simple.
Kang Tae-jin.
Nothing more.
He pushed himself to his feet.
Pain shot through his ribs.
He clenched his jaw and waited for it to pass.
Then he disappeared through the rusted metal door.
Leaving behind only the flickering light…
And one unanswered question.
Why had Kang Tae-jin been targeted in the first place?