By Zephyria Yu-jin was once again heavy-hearted as he tried to wash with his child and take out clothes to change into. Angela didn’t have many clothes, and even those were all old and had holes in them. After a moment of hesitation, he prepared the new clothes he had bought before coming to the mansion.
“No, I don’t want to wear this.”
Seeing this, Angela suddenly shook her head and snatched the clothes away, putting them back in the suitcase. Yu-jin was puzzled by his daughter’s behavior, who rarely complained, and asked.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like the clothes?”
It was even stranger considering that Angela had been more careful than usual to avoid getting her new clothes dirty or damaged while riding the train.
“I like the clothes. They’re so pretty.”
“Then why?”
When Yu-jin asked again at his daughter’s honest answer, the child opened her mouth in a clear tone.
“I have to save them, they’re new clothes. What if they get torn or something if I wear them anytime?”
Hearing his daughter’s confession, Yu-jin felt his heart sink. Even though she was only three years old, Angela understood the family’s difficult situation so well. Realizing that made his heart ache so much that he wanted to cry. But such weakness would not help at all and would only make the child anxious. Instead of bursting into tears, Yu-jin hugged Angela tightly.
“It’s okay, Angie. You can wear them. I’ll buy you new ones again.”
Angela retorted as if complaining at Yu-jin’s words, who barely suppressed his emotions.
“We don’t have any money.”
“We do.”
Yu-jin took the child out of his arms, looked into her face, and smiled.
“I told you, I’m going to receive an inheritance.”
He thought his daughter would be relieved now, but Angela didn’t give in easily.
“Then save that money and buy a house. We don’t have a house.”
It wasn’t a bad thing that the child was more articulate than others of her age, but Yu-jin felt even more burdened by the thought that he was the one who had made Angela that way.
“It’s a lot of money, enough to buy a house and buy your clothes, so you don’t have to worry.”
When he forced a smile and stroked his daughter’s cheek, the child’s eyes widened in an instant.
“Really? Do you get that much? Then are we going to be rich?”
“Yes, really.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. According to the will, living expenses would be guaranteed during the contract period, and he would receive a certain amount of money. This meant that he could raise his child more abundantly while staying here. Yu-jin was planning to save a little cash in preparation for running away later.
“Is that okay now? Let’s wear the new clothes.”
“Yes.”
When Yu-jin said, holding up the clothes from the suitcase, the daughter finally couldn’t hide her joy and nodded her head greatly. Seeing the child happily putting on the dress made him feel like he had shed some of the burden on his heart.
Yes, sleeping with Winston is nothing.
It’s not the first time, and there’s nothing new about it. He just has to lie still and wait for it to be over quickly.
Winston in his memory had been quite persistent, but he pretended not to know. It had already been about five years ago, and people change.
“All done.”
After tying the child’s waist string neatly and combing her long hair and braiding it neatly, she looked just like the main character in a fairy tale.
“Thank you, Daddy.”Angela hugged Yu-jin, kissed him on the cheek, and spun around, singing happily. Yu-jin hurriedly cleaned the room, changed his clothes, and went down to the kitchen. He took ingredients from the refrigerator himself, made sandwiches for lunch, and went outside with a basket containing the lunch in one hand,
and his daughter’s hand in the other. All the employees were busy and no one paid them any attention. Yu-jin confidently walked out of the mansion.
“Wow!”
The child was thrilled to be out in the fresh air for the first time in a while. Yu-jin responded to Angela’s constant chatter and walked on. The paths stretching in all directions led to buildings or facilities on the property. Some paths led to the tennis court, some to the greenhouse, and others to the sauna.
Where should we go first?
First, he needed to check the way out. Remembering how he had entered the mansion in the lawyer’s car, it was quite a distance to the main gate.
Walking out is impossible.
Yu-jin’s expression turned serious as he recalled the enormous size of the Delights estate. He couldn’t do it without a car.
Can I drive…?
As he felt anxious, the mansion’s driver pulled a car out of the garage. Yu-jin turned pale when he saw the black sedan approaching slowly. His heart raced and his hands were clammy. Suddenly, his whole body stiffened and he couldn’t move. The large, black monster that had attacked him was revived before his eyes.
“Daddy, Daddy!”
He suddenly came to his senses at the sound of his daughter’s voice. Looking down, Angela was urgently shaking his hand.
“Are you okay? Are you sick again?”
“Ah…”
Yu-jin belatedly blinked. His whole body was already soaked in cold sweat. If Angela hadn’t been there, he might have fainted.
“No, Angie.”
Yu-jin forced a smile to reassure his daughter.
“I’m okay.”
But he could only manage the expression, not his complexion. Angela became worried at Yu-jin’s face, which had turned as white as a sheet of paper.
“Daddy, let’s go inside. Lie down on the bed.”
Seeing his daughter shaking his hand, urging him to hurry, Yu-jin felt pathetic. She was so happy to be outside for the first time in a while, but now she was saying they should go back because of him.
Get a grip, Seol Yu-jin. Are you even a father acting like this?
Instead of slapping himself hard on the cheek, he severely scolded himself inwardly, and this time he smiled sincerely at his child.
“I’m okay, Angie. I was just a little dizzy. I’m all better now.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
As if to prove it, Yu-jin readily bent down and picked up his child. While Angela, who was right in front of him, scrutinized Yu-jin’s face, he strained to lift the corners of his mouth. Finally, as if he had passed the test, Angela smiled brightly and hugged Yu-jin’s neck. Only then did Yu-jin smile sincerely and open his mouth.
“Shall we walk to that garden over there?”
“Yeah, I like that.”
Receiving his daughter’s permission, Yu-jin readily started walking. He tried hard not to look back, as if he didn’t know about the black monster crouching behind him.
It was less than five minutes later that Winston came out of the mansion. He passed the car waiting for his mother and headed for the horse that the caretaker was guarding. Yu-jin and the child had already disappeared without a trace.
“Oh, Lancelot. You’ve been feeling cramped all this time, haven’t you?”
Winston’s lips softened at the sight of his beloved horse pawing the ground with its front hooves, as if unable to bear wanting to run. He gently stroked its nose, and when he readily climbed onto its back, the horse became excited as if it would run off immediately. Winston calmed the horse and pulled the reins to change direction. After running around the garden once and taking a shower, it would be about time for McCoy to arrive. Winston gently urged the horse to walk, then gradually increased its speed and began to run.
The clear weather and the wind brushing against his body were exceptionally refreshing. Horseback riding was the most effective way to clear his mind. He had started riding horses early on, and he usually rode when his head was complicated, but that wasn’t the only reason. If he hadn’t inherited the company, Winston would have become an equestrian. He loved riding horses that much, and his innate environment, where he could have any horse he wanted, was a blessing in many ways.
As he rode, the familiar scenery of Delight flashed past him. Only then did he begin to feel a little relieved. For a while, he ran at full speed through the vast Delights estate.
As expected, his complicated mind quickly emptied and Winston felt a sense of liberation. Before he knew it, he had ridden quite far from the mansion.
Coming to his senses, he turned the horse around to go back.
But being careless was a mistake. Winston accidentally took the wrong path. It was already too late when he realized he had led the horse in the wrong direction. A small detached house that he hadn’t visited for years came into view. Just like that day, which had completely changed his life.