Affectionate Obsession - Chapter 11

Yeonhee rushed into the hospital lobby.

Her legs moved as if to mock her resolution to lie in bed and rest all day.

“That’s the thing… about a week ago, her room was suddenly changed to a VIP ward.”

The moment she heard that, Yeonhee’s heart plummeted.

The first thing that came to mind was HN Group, and then Yoon Sera.

If HN Group was behind this sudden turn of events, it was likely to threaten her again, just like ten years ago, after discovering her identity. And if it was Yoon Sera’s doing, it was undoubtedly to use Yeonjeong as a hostage in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

It would be strange if she didn’t worry after her thoughts reached that point.

However, what Yeonjeong said next was so completely unexpected that it blew away the fear that had been rushing in.

“When I asked the doctor what was going on, they gave me a man’s contact number. So I called, and it turned out to be the CEO’s secretary’s office at HN Department Store.”

Even after Yeonjeong’s explanation, Yeonhee asked again. No matter how many times she asked, the answer was always the same: the CEO’s secretary’s office at HN Department Store.

Only then did her heart ease a little.

The secretary’s office of HN Department Store meant, in other words, that the measures were taken by Junhyeok’s secretary’s office.

“Yeonhee, you don’t know about this? He said they handled it as a welfare measure because you’ve achieved such valuable results for the department store. So I thought, since you were going on a business trip, you must have made some important contributions there.”

Yeonhee couldn’t say anything for a long time after hearing that.

Suddenly, she recalled the events at the villa after the wedding.

‘Did he perhaps want an apology from me? For not telling him I was HN Group’s son ten years ago? If not, then perhaps he wanted me to say sorry for searching for me for ten years after I suddenly disappeared?’

Junhyeok had definitely said that.

He had said he had people looking into her for ten years.

While it was likely done to find her whereabouts, it wouldn’t have been difficult in the process to find information not only about her but also about Yeonjeong.

If he had continued to investigate her until recently, he would have also learned that Yeonjeong had been hospitalized with cancer.

So, to summarize, Yeonjeong’s transfer to a VIP room was Junhyeok’s consideration for Yeonhee.

And he hadn’t forgotten to make up a plausible excuse, not expecting Yeonjeong to be the one marrying instead of Sera.

“Mom!”

Yeonhee flung open the door to Yeonjeong’s room, the location of which she had just learned from Yeonjeong, and called out for her mother.

How long had it been since she had uttered the word “Mom”?

It had only been less than a month, yet the title felt strangely awkward.

Yeonjeong was sitting up in bed. Yeonhee hurried to her side.

“Don’t get up. Just lie down, Mom.”

Yeonjeong, whom she saw for the first time in three weeks, looked a little thinner than before.

That made Yeonhee’s heart feel incredibly heavy.

“Oh, you. Mom’s fine. How can I lie down when I see my daughter’s face after so long?”

Yeonjeong, with her pale, bloodless face, still wore a warm smile.

Yeonhee sat on the edge of the bed and tightly clasped Yeonjeong’s hand.

“You’re right. It really feels like a long time, Mom. Have you been uncomfortable or anything in the meantime?”

Her voice, barely managed, trembled with anxiety. A surge of emotion welled up, threatening to spill tears.

She felt increasingly sorry.

She had accepted Sera’s proposal because she needed money, and the reason she had been so greedy for money was for Yeonjeong’s treatment.

She wanted Yeonjeong to receive treatment without worrying about money.

She thought that if their always-tight finances had even a little breathing room, Yeonjeong’s heart might also feel at ease.

“Mom’s really fine. Our daughter’s face looks much more worn than Mom’s. Was your business trip very difficult?”

But Yeonjeong didn’t look comfortable at all.

“Your skin is dull, and you seem to have lost weight.”

Her mother’s hand, stroking her cheek, felt rougher than before, and despite lying in a luxurious hospital room, she still wore an uneasy expression.

Yeonhee silently held onto her mother’s hand touching her cheek. Then, she did her best to suppress the emotions that felt on the verge of bursting.

She had more than enough reason for her emotions to be in turmoil, but she had to hold back for Yeonjeong’s sake.

She didn’t want to add her own worries to her mother’s already fragile state.

“Lost weight? I ate so well on my trip, I gained 3kg!”

“No way. Your cheeks look so hollow right now.”

“Really. It’s just how it looks to you, Mom. To you, I’m your precious daughter.”

Yeonhee, with uncharacteristic playfulness, forced a smile. But it seemed a mother is still a mother, even if the child is adopted in her heart.

“My daughter has suffered so much because of me.”

Yeonjeong said that, having instantly recognized Yeonhee’s forced smile.

Yeonhee lowered her head and tightly shut her eyes. The tears filling her eyes felt like they would spill out any moment.

She had to hold back.

Even if the tender flesh inside her bitten lip tore and bled, she must not cry in front of Yeonjeong.

“Oh, right. I meant to buy you something to drink on the way, but I came empty-handed. Mom, I’ll go buy some juice!”

Yeonhee hastily stood up and turned away.

She could clearly feel Yeonjeong’s gaze fixed on her back, but she walked towards the hospital room door nonetheless.

Her mother’s heart, unable to hold back her daughter despite knowing her voice was thick with unshed tears, could be felt even outside the room.

Yeonhee leaned against the wall of the long corridor. The breath she had been holding back, lest a sob escape, rushed out in a hurry. The tears that had been precariously hanging also fell with a plop.

Suppressing her emotions was not easy.

She shouldn’t be crying like this.

If she cried this much, she would have to show her swollen face when she went back into the room.

Yeonhee took a deep breath. Praying that at least the crying would be under her control.

After composing herself for a while, just as she was about to take a step to buy the juice she had used as an excuse for Yeonjeong, she heard it.

“Are you done crying?”

A voice far too familiar pierced her ears.

Yeonhee forgot to breathe and looked at the person standing a few steps away.

“Your face is a mess.”

It was Junhyeok.

Had she seen wrong?

She blinked her eyelids a couple of times, unable to believe it. But Junhyeok was still there.

“Why are you just standing there? If you’re done crying, come and hug me right now.”

He wasn’t just there; he was speaking to her again. Standing in the same spot as before, with a smile playing on his lips.

“You said you wanted me to appear, like ‘ta-da!’ after you cried.”

The words that came from his beautifully curved lips struck Yeonhee’s heart deeply.

Yeonhee stopped breathing.

Over Junhyeok’s appearance before her eyes, a certain day from ten years ago overlapped.

‘After crying like this, I feel like all the accumulated emotions are washed away. So I feel so good, so relieved, but then I get so lonely.’

‘……’

‘Still, I endured it back then because I had spent far more time alone than with someone. So, it didn’t matter.’

‘……’

‘But it’s not okay anymore. After I cry like this, I want you to appear, like ‘ta-da!’. I want you to hold me tight, just like this.’

It was a moment she didn’t even remember when it happened. Yet, it replayed in her mind with a clarity greater than any other time.

There was a time like that.

A time when it was so natural for Jung Junhyeok to be next to Shin Yeonhee.

Back then, she thought she would be with Junhyeok forever. She couldn’t even imagine Shin Yeonhee without Jung Junhyeok, or Jung Junhyeok without Shin Yeonhee.

At that time, there wasn’t a single moment, not even a minute or a second, that wasn’t happy.

Any moment spent with Junhyeok, even a fraction of a second, felt like it would last forever.

But now, to feel this numb shock, as if she’d been hit from behind, she must have truly forgotten it all.

That such a time existed, and the fact that she had loved Junhyeok so much.

But it seemed Junhyeok felt differently.

“The person to hug you has appeared.”

Yeonhee stared intently at Junhyeok.

Shin Yeonhee was clearly reflected in his deeply settled eyes.

She couldn’t tell if the Shin Yeonhee reflected in his eyes was the 33-year-old Shin Yeonhee or the 23-year-old Shin Yeonhee.

But one thing was certain: he seemed to remember all the time he had spent with Shin Yeonhee.

Otherwise, he couldn’t have sent such a confident gaze and accurately relayed the words she had spoken at a moment she couldn’t even recall.

“Are you going to keep standing there?”

Yeonhee’s lips trembled. Her feet, which had been frozen in place, slowly began to move.

Just as the tears that seemed to have subsided surged up again and were about to fall like a plunge.

“Junhyeok-ah…”

Yeonhee, running as if she were sprinting, threw herself into Junhyeok’s arms.

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