By Zephyria The rain had lessened, but it continued to fall. Yu-jin couldn’t relax and continued to pace around the hall, staring at the front door. The family doctor had arrived about 30 minutes ago. Winston had been gone for over an hour. Angela had been missing for five hours already.
It feels like my blood is drying up…
It was the first time in his life that he had felt so tormented. Even when Winston abandoned him, when he was pregnant and kicked out of the mansion, or when he was wandering the streets and scavenging for food, his heart had never been this tight. He thought each time was the worst, but why did new and greater suffering keep coming?
Please, let this be the last time.
Yu-jin closed his eyes and clasped his hands together in prayer. Please, Angie, be safe. Please come back soon.
More time passed. Yu-jin couldn’t stand it any longer and tried to run out of the mansion.
“No, Mr. Yu-jin! Mr. Campbell told you not to!”
The Butler immediately blocked his path. Of course, he understood in his head. But he couldn’t bear the anxiety.
“But, but…”
The Butler softened his tone and comforted Yu-jin, who couldn’t speak.
“She will definitely come back if you wait. Mr. Campbell went himself, didn’t he? Nothing is impossible for him. Don’t you know that?”
Was that so?
Yu-jin blankly recalled. At one time, he had been Yu-jin’s god and absolute being. He had promised that he could do anything for Yu-jin and he actually did. Yu-jin could also give his life for Winston. Yu-jin had nothing to give but his life, but that was all he had.
But not anymore…
He recalled Winston harshly denying Yu-jin and pouring out all kinds of accusations, and when he closed his eyes tightly, someone suddenly opened the front door and ran in.
“Mr. Campbell is back!”
Yu-jin turned pale and looked at the door at the servant’s rain-soaked cry. Lightning struck again, and the dark world was momentarily illuminated. And in that light, he saw a soaked Winston enter.
Holding Angela.
“Ang, ie…!”Her voice caught in her throat, barely able to utter a sound. Gasping for breath, Yu-jin managed to whisper Angie’s name before belatedly rushing towards Winston. Winston handed him the child he had been holding.
“Angie, Angie… Good heavens, she’s so cold, what am I going to do?”
Winston silently watched Yu-jin, who was clutching Angie tightly and bursting into tears, then turned his head. At his brief glance, the family doctor, who had been waiting, quickly stepped forward.
“First, let’s get her on a bed and check her condition. Bring lots of dry towels. We need to warm her wet body, so bring plenty of blankets, turn on the fireplace in the room, and crank up the heater to the maximum, quickly!”
“Move it, quickly!”
At the Butler’s shout, the servants scattered in perfect order. Yu-jin, carrying Angie, hurried up the stairs, following the Butler and the doctor. Entering a nearby room that had been prepared in advance, Yu-jin tried to undress Angela before laying her on the bed.
It was then that Yu-jin realized what Angela was wearing. The large coat that covered her from head to toe was Winston’s. Carefully removing the coat that enveloped the child, he laid her on the bed, and the Butler immediately handed him dry towels and clothes to change into. Except for the brief moment when the doctor was checking her condition, he kept massaging Angie’s body.
“Her temperature is a bit low, but it will return to normal soon. When she wakes up, feed her warm soup and water. Her pulse is normal, and everything else is fine. Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any major problem.”
At the doctor’s words, Yu-jin was finally able to exhale the breath he had been holding.
“Really… really? She’s really okay, really?”
He asked repeatedly in a trembling voice, and the doctor nodded and continued.
“You don’t have to worry too much. She’ll be able to play as usual by tomorrow.”
With that, the doctor lightly poked Angie’s soft cheek with his finger and smiled.
“I wonder where this little troublemaker fell from, turning the adults upside down and sleeping so soundly. She’ll be impossible to handle when she grows up.”
At the doctor’s joke, Yu-jin briefly laughed, forgetting that he had been crying just moments before. As long as Angie grew up healthy, nothing else mattered. Behind Yu-jin, who was sighing in relief, the Butler gestured with his eyes.
“Doctor.”
“Yes, I know.”
Yu-jin was puzzled by the doctor’s words as he nodded, so he added with a smile.
“This is between Cain and me. It has nothing to do with Angie, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Ah… yes.”
Finally relieved, Yu-jin saw the doctor off at the door and remained alone with Angie. A faint flush had returned to Angie’s pale cheeks. Her breathing was steady, and she seemed to be in better condition. Yu-jin continued to massage Angie’s still-cold body over the blanket, waiting for his daughter to open her eyes.
“Ugh.”
As if his prayers had been answered, a small sound came from Angie’s lips. At the moment he had been desperately waiting for, Yu-jin’s eyes widened, and he hurriedly called Angie’s name.
“Angie, are you awake? It’s Daddy, Angie!”
He tried not to rush her, but he couldn’t help but feel impatient. He called her name several times in a rapid tone, and Angie’s eyelids fluttered before she slowly opened her eyes. Yu-jin held his breath as he watched Angie, her eyes still hazy, turn towards him and blink. Finally, her lips parted, and Angie made a sound.
“…Daddy?”
“Yes, Angie!”
Yu-jin couldn’t suppress the overwhelming emotion and hugged Angie tightly. Tears welled up again, and his voice trembled involuntarily.
“You scared me so much, why did you go out without telling me? It was raining so hard, where did you go? Do you know how worried Daddy was?”
“I’m, I’m sorry, Daddy…”
Angie snuggled into Yu-jin’s arms and mumbled an apology. Yu-jin shook his head and quickly said.
“No, it’s okay. It’s enough for Daddy that Angie is safe. Are you feeling unwell anywhere? Oh, let’s have some warm soup. It’ll help you feel better quickly.”
Yu-jin carefully put Angie down and quickly found the phone and dialed a number. After asking for warm soup in the voice that soon answered, he returned to his seat and stroked his beautiful daughter’s cheek.
“Where did you go? Everyone was searching for you for hours.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy.”
Angie lowered her head with a dejected expression. Seeing Angie so dispirited, Yu-jin decided not to ask any further.
“Next time, make sure to only play around the mansion and tell Daddy before you go out, okay?”
“Okay.”
Yu-jin hugged his daughter, who nodded obediently, once more, then accepted the soup that a servant had brought and returned to his seat.
“Let’s eat some, it’ll warm you up. Are you still cold?”
Angie nodded and sat up. Yu-jin spooned some soup into her mouth, and Angie blew on it before carefully taking it.
“Um, Daddy.”
“Yes?”
Angie opened her mouth when she had finished about half of the soup.
“I, I didn’t go out to play.”
Taken aback by the unexpected confession, Yu-jin stopped spooning the soup.
“What do you mean by that?”
Angie hesitated before continuing.
“Daddy looked so tired… I wanted to give you a present. To cheer you up.”
At the unimaginable words, the hand holding the plate slowly lowered. Angie mumbled softly to Yu-jin, who had placed the plate on his lap and was looking at her.
“There was a bell at that house we went to before, Daddy. I thought Daddy would feel better if you heard that pretty bell sound…”
“Angie!”
She was talking about the scenery of the Separate Residence/Annex. Yu-jin raised his voice without realizing it. Seeing Angie startled, he quickly lowered his voice and continued, as if trying to reason with her.
“How far is it to get there… you were going to go there alone? What if you got lost!”
“It seemed close when I went with Daddy…”
Angie lowered her head, looking very tearful. Now that he thought about it, they had arrived while walking and playing together, so it was understandable that she felt that way. But when he realized that Angie had tried to go that far alone, Yu-jin felt his vision blur.
“You must never go there alone again, understood?”
Having experienced this, she would never do the same thing again. But Yu-jin had no choice but to get a promise from Angie. Seeing his daughter, who was still dejected, he immediately felt sorry for her.
“I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“No, Angie. Daddy’s sorry. For making Angie worry.”
Yu-jin put the soup bowl on the side table and hugged Angie tightly, and Angie also hugged Yu-jin’s neck. Yu-jin felt a prickling sensation in his nose as he looked at his daughter’s face.
“I’m so glad you came back safely, Angie. It seems you were sheltering from the rain well.”
“I found a rabbit hole.”
Angie’s eyes sparkled, and her voice became louder.
“Suddenly, it started raining and the thunder was so loud that I was scared, but I saw it. I quickly went inside and hid. Like a hamster.”
“Good job, Angie, really good job.”
Angie smiled happily at Yu-jin’s praise. Yu-jin stroked Angie’s cheek and continued.
“Still, it must have been hard with all the rain, right? Weren’t you cold?”
“I was cold, very cold.”
Angie continued.
“I felt so sleepy that I tried to stay awake, but it didn’t work. So I was so scared that I wouldn’t be able to see Daddy again…”
“And then?”
Yu-jin asked anxiously, and Angie replied.
“Suddenly, there was a very sweet scent.”