Translator: Nox

Chapter 1

1. After Service

2023.05.01.

Ten-year-old Kim Tae-joon's birthday was filled with white and black.

In the photo buried in white chrysanthemums, his parents were smiling, but no one else followed suit.

"Oh, poor thing. How could they close their eyes, leaving behind such a young son..."

Instead of wishing Tae-joon a happy birthday, people offered their condolences.

The day before Tae-joon's birthday, his parents passed away in a car accident while returning home after an annual event. There was a young life growing in his mother's womb, so three people lost their lives.

The driver crossed the central line and failed to avoid the truck coming from the opposite side. Or rather, the driver survived because he swerved the steering wheel urgently, but Tae-joon's parents, who were in the back seat, died instantly. It was a catastrophe caused by drowsy driving.

Kim Seok-woo, the eldest son of Chairman Kim Jae-pil of K Group and president of K Electronics, and Seol Jin-hee, a broadcaster from a beauty pageant. The sad news of their deaths became an issue in the world. Reporters camped out in front of the funeral hall, and some even took pictures inside the hall.

Despite the various commotions, Kim Tae-joon, the only son of the deceased, conducted the funeral with composure. He cried out in disbelief on the day his parents passed away, but he gradually became calm and composed in the midst of the busy situation. People were amazed at his mature appearance, which was not expected of a ten-year-old.

In fact, Tae-joon's emotions were trapped inside.

"Grandfather, what about the man who killed my mom and dad?"

After the funeral, Tae-joon asked Chairman Kim Jae-pil in the car on the way home.

"Is he going to be sentenced to death? Or will he live in prison for the rest of his life?"

Jaepil, who had pursed his lips into a straight line at the unexpected question, spoke after a moment.

"I don't know what will happen yet, but it won't be the death penalty, and it won't be life imprisonment either. I hear the sentence will be about one or two years."

"Why? My mom and dad are dead?"

Tae-joon questioned with anger-filled eyes. It was the first time that his grandfather, who had built a huge corporation and ruled the world, seemed so powerless.

"Aren't you sad about my mom and dad? You should make that man live in prison for the rest of his life. My dad was the president, what about my dad's company? You should make that man compensate us with a hundred billion!"

"We are those kinds of people, Tae-joon."

Jaepil, understanding the child's heart, gently told him. The truth of the world that the child should know. About the hardships that no one recognizes, of those who live as the ruling class.

"The more you have, the more unfairly you are treated. No one understands our grievances. No matter how much we hate the driver who caused the accident, we can't push him too hard. Even if we want to chase him to the end of hell and make him the same, we have to forgive him. That's what social status is."

"......"

"It may be difficult now, but someday you will understand."

"No. Then I'll give up social status."

At his grandfather's persuasion, young Tae-joon clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"I'm just going to live cursing that man forever."

When they arrived at the mansion and the gate opened, Tae-joon got out of the car first and ran.

"Tae-joon!"

"Just leave him."

Tae-joon's aunt, Seok-hwa, quickly called out, but Jaepil stopped Seok-hwa.

Tae-joon ran and ran in the mansion's large garden. That was the greatest rebellion that young Tae-joon could do.

Tae-joon also knew very well that he had more than others. But nothing the child had could be exchanged for his parents.

Now the child's life would be alone.

As he ran until he was out of breath, he reached the employee dormitory. In the tear-blurred scenery, a small girl of about six or seven years old was holding a lollipop in one hand and the hand of the mansion's cook in the other.

It was a girl he had occasionally seen in the mansion's garden.

Han So-eun. Tae-joon quickly realized that the child was the daughter of the driver who caused the accident.

"Auntie, when is my dad coming? Why isn't he here yet?"

The child asked with an innocent expression, tilting her head. The lollipop that went in and out of her lips shone like the child's pupils. Her white face, her cute braided short hair too.

She was a sparkling child that he couldn't forgive.

\\

Kim Seok-hwa, the head of the home appliance division at K Electronics, was waiting for her only nephew at a restaurant.

A few minutes after she took her seat, her nephew Tae-joon appeared.

Her nephew, now thirty years old.

Seok-hwa's eyes, which recognized Tae-joon from afar, were filled with affectionate feelings.

Before Tae-joon greeted his aunt after finding his seat, he first showed courtesy to the waiter.

"Thank you."

A polite attitude, a calm and low voice with a soft resonance.

He had a kind impression, and his broad shoulders and sturdy build gave him a reliable feeling.

Tae-joon greeted after sitting down.

"I'm sorry. Did you wait long?"

"No. I just got here too."

Seok-hwa couldn't stop smiling at the growth of her thirty-year-old nephew, from whom even a trace of boyhood could no longer be found.

"Why do you get better-looking every time I see you? You're so radiant, so radiant."

It was a natural reaction from the aunt who was impressed by her nephew's appearance. Tae-joon only stretched his lips long, as if he heard these words often.

Soon, appetizers were placed on the table.

Even with his only aunt in front of him, whom he had met in a year, Tae-joon was not fussy. It was a dining etiquette that had been ingrained in him through strict teachings. In the quiet gaps of the meal, without the sound of chewing food or the sound of cutlery and tableware clashing, Seok-hwa's gaze turned back to her nephew.

With the refined appearance inherited from his parents and the added elegance, her nephew had become a perfect young man who would be presentable anywhere.

"Who will take this guy? Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"If I did, would I have returned to Korea?"

"No girls chasing after you either?"

"Of course not."

"There should be? Why not?"

"I don't know. Is it because my personality is not good?"

"Right? There's no other reason."

Tae-joon chuckled at his aunt's joke.

"It's time for our Tae-joon to get married."

"I'm going to live like you, Aunt, without getting married?"

"Am I not getting married? I can't get married."

When Seok-hwa seemed upset, her nephew, who was eating politely, laughed louder. Tae-joon's lips stretched out and dimples appeared. Seeing that, Seok-hwa suddenly thought of her brother who had passed away 20 years ago, and her heart ached. Hiding that feeling, she continued to speak gently.

"Why didn't you stay a little longer? Then you would have been appointed to the electronics headquarters."

In fact, Tae-joon was scheduled to return to Korea at the age of thirty-one, a year later, and be appointed to K Electronics. She had heard that it was a firm promise he had made with his grandfather, so she was puzzled that her nephew had returned to Korea a year earlier.

The position Tae-joon was offered upon returning to Korea, after spending most of his adulthood abroad except for his military service, was the head of the central headquarters of K Electronic Service. Although he held the title of director, it might not have been a satisfactory position for a third-generation member of the group who had studied at an Ivy League school.

"Father was too much. What's a service center director to his precious grandson? He should have started with applause in the management strategy office of the holding company."

"No. I told my grandfather that I would go there."

When Seok-hwa defended her nephew and complained about Chairman Kim Jae-pil's decision, Tae-joon immediately denied it.

"You did? Why?"

"Because I also need After Service."

Tae-joon smiled and answered, then continued his meal calmly.

Seok-hwa became even more puzzled.

\

The basics of After Service are speed. Those who come to the center all have clear purposes, so you shouldn't waste their time in vain.

But the service center was always full. She hurriedly finished her work without even having time to go to the bathroom, but she couldn't keep up with the speed at which customers were flocking in. There was far more work piling up than being resolved.

Sweat kept gathering on the bridge of her glasses. So-eun pulled out a tissue, roughly wiped the bridge of her nose, and then concentrated on her work again.

She had taken unpaid leave and returned to the company after a month, and for the next month, she was only conscious of her colleagues. They must have been upset because she had suddenly left without explaining what was going on and then returned.

But she couldn't easily confide in them.

She felt tired and her body felt swollen from working busily, but she couldn't say that either. So-eun quickly lowered her arms and vigorously hit her legs between sending off one customer and receiving the next.

It's okay. You did well.

You saved someone's life.

She repeated to herself today as well.

Two months ago, So-eun had cut out 65% of her liver. It was to save her boyfriend Yang Hee-wook's mother, Madam Kim Mal-hee.

After eight months of dating, she learned that Kim Mal-hee was battling liver cancer. Her boyfriend, Yang Hee-wook, shed tears as he revealed the fact. It was the first time she had seen her boyfriend, who had always shown her a dignified and affectionate side, cry so sadly.

It was a big shock to So-eun as well. Kim Mal-hee had always treated So-eun kindly and cherished her like her own daughter. She didn't want to be treated specially just because she had a lawyer son.

To So-eun, who had been treated poorly for twenty-seven years, the warmth of Yang Hee-wook's family was like sunlight. Kim Mal-hee first brought up the topic of marriage to So-eun, who was hesitating to enter that sunlight. She welcomed So-eun, saying that she wouldn't envy anyone if she had a daughter-in-law like So-eun, and that she shouldn't worry about dowry or trousseau, just come with her body.

So they started preparing for the wedding and went to get a health checkup together. Without knowing what kind of checkup was being done, So-eun underwent several tests as Hee-wook recommended. And on the day the test results came out, Hee-wook burst into tears as soon as he received the results.

"So-eun, it's good that you're type O. I wish I was type O too..."

Only then did Hee-wook tell So-eun about his mother's health condition. Hee-wook cried sadly, saying that he wanted to give his mother his liver, but he couldn't because even their blood types didn't match, and that none of his family members matched his mother's blood type.

In fact, liver transplant surgery is possible even if the blood types of the donor and recipient are different, but one could not help but worry about the possibility of an accident.

So-eun, who had the same blood type as Kim Mal-hee and was healthy enough to donate her liver, couldn't sleep that night. It was because So-eun was also someone who could donate her liver to her future mother-in-law. Liver donation is not allowed in the case of non-family members, but it was possible for those who were engaged to be married.

The mother who had told her to become her daughter, and herself who had said that she already regarded her as her own mother.

She wanted to have a real mother. She wanted to believe that they were a real family.

People who had given her the certainty that she was loved, to her who had never been loved. She wanted to repay them with even greater love. She also wanted to be loved forever.

Thus, she made the biggest decision of her life.

"Mother, my liver will be a perfect match for you. I'll get another detailed examination."

The tears that burst from the eyes of Hee-wook and Kim Mal-hee at the same time after So-eun announced her decision, So-eun would never forget that overwhelmed expression.

Afterwards, through a detailed examination, it was diagnosed that So-eun's organs would be a perfect match for Kim Mal-hee's body.

Hee-wook's family rejoiced, saying that this was fate. So-eun was also proud.

Organ donation from someone who is not a relative requires a very complicated procedure. It was necessary to prove the donor's pure will, the purity without any coercion, and obtain permission from the national institution.

So-eun had to prove her purity by having several interviews with social workers and prepare thick documents. Hee-wook took care of most of the headache-inducing paperwork, but So-eun followed him every time to pick up the documents.

Anyway, the surgery preparations were progressing smoothly, and So-eun finally lay down on the operating table. On the operating table, So-eun dreamed that her life's compass was turning sharply.

The surgery was successful.

And after the surgery, So-eun opened her eyes alone.

The extreme pain that conveyed exactly what she had lost in a day, what part had been cut off, made even breathing difficult.

The first person to rush to So-eun's side when she woke up was a nurse.

"Ms. Han So-eun, I heard the surgery went well. It's a laparoscopic surgery, so the scar isn't big."

"How is my mother? And my guardian..."

"I think they're probably in your mother's hospital room. It seems like everyone is there because the recipient's condition is more critical."

It was natural and unavoidable. While resigning herself to that fact, So-eun somehow felt empty inside.

Afterwards, So-eun's health was constantly pushed behind Kim Mal-hee's recovery. So-eun had to take care of Kim Mal-hee even though she was also hospitalized.

She lived a life of hospitalization, not hospitalization, and before she knew it, wedding preparations were put on the back burner. Hee-wook was always by Kim Mal-hee's side during his free time, and So-eun had to visit Kim Mal-hee instead of preparing for the wedding.

While thinking that everything was natural, So-eun couldn't help but feel upset on the other hand.

*

After diligently finishing work, So-eun headed straight to the hospital. There was a bus that went directly from Suwon to the hospital in Seoul, but it was quite far, so it took a long time.

On the bus, So-eun firmly resolved.

'Still, I should talk about the wedding today. It's better to book the wedding hall early.'

She had toured wedding halls a long time ago, but she hadn't actually made a reservation. After getting a health checkup and Kim Mal-hee's surgery schedule was set, everything was pushed back.

Now that her future mother-in-law's condition is gradually improving, she should start preparing for the wedding again.

I have to say it nicely so that my mother doesn't get upset.

If I set a wedding date, my mother will cheer up and recover faster.

So-eun filled her head with positive expectations and headed to the front of the hospital room.

She could hear voices coming from the crack in the hospital room door. It was the voices of Kim Mal-hee and Yang Hee-wook.

"Was it Choi Hyun-ji? I heard she works at the same law firm."

"Yes. She's a fellow lawyer."

"She's very sociable. She's busy, but she even comes to visit her colleague's mother in the hospital. Is she married?"

"She's single."

"Age."

"Twenty-seven."

"The same age as So-eun."

Kim Mal-hee's sigh could be heard loudly through the crack in the hospital room door.

"She's so pretty. I feel bad..."

At Kim Mal-hee's voice, which trailed off, So-eun tried to grab the doorknob but dropped it.

"You only have pretty and smart kids like that around you. Parents who are alive and well, and a good family too."

"Parents who are alive and well and have a good family wouldn't donate their liver to our mom."

So-eun raised her empty hand and quickly covered her mouth.

Kim Mal-hee's lament continued.

"I'm a sinner. I got a liver by gambling with the life of our son, who has a bright future..."

"Don't say that. It's not a sin to be sick, Mom."

"......"

"Just think good thoughts, Mom, and focus on recovering."

Hee-wook comforted Mal-hee, who was sad.