Chapter 1 - Chapter 1

Translator: Nox

Chapter 1

1. Sister's Baby

It was snowing heavily with large flakes. Naeun stood in front of the newborn nursery with her stepmother, Misuk. The newborn was so tiny, fragile, lovable, and miraculous.

As she gazed at the baby with such thoughts, Misuk, standing beside her, said to the nurse,

"We've seen enough. Please take the baby away."

The nurse then took the baby she had been showing them and left.

"Let's talk for a moment. Follow me."

"Mom, what do you want to talk about? We can talk here."

"It's something others can't hear, so come outside for a bit."

The place Naeun followed Misuk to was behind the hospital. The heavy snow pressed down even more on the uncomfortable feelings in Naeun's heart, as the two women without umbrellas got drenched.

Naeun shook the snow from her hair and cautiously asked,

"Mom, what is it?"

Misuk was silent for a moment before speaking. A subtle dissatisfaction and coldness crossed her face.

"You, put Hayoung's baby on your family registry under your name."

In that instant, Naeun's eyes widened in shock. She froze, unable to believe her ears.

"What? What are you saying?"

Naeun stared at Misuk with cold eyes, barely managing to speak.

Misuk dismissively waved her hand in the snow.

"Don't pretend you don't understand. It's unavoidable, isn't it? It's registered that you gave birth. So, from the birth notification onward..."

Naeun's lips trembled. Misuk's words pierced deeper than the cold snowy air.

"What... what does this mean..."

Naeun whispered in disbelief.

Misuk sighed deeply, looking at the snow-covered ground.

"Think about it. Who are we surviving thanks to? It's all thanks to the money Hayoung earns."

Misuk deliberately ignored the anger and sadness on Naeun's face. The cold snowflakes clung to Naeun's hair.

"Mom."

Naeun called out in a trembling voice, but Misuk cut her off firmly.

"Yes. You calling me Mom is only because I've been taking care of you."

"What a miserable fate I have. Remarried, but husband dies soon after, left raising my ex-husband's daughter."

Naeun stared at Misuk's indifferent face, speechless. In the biting snow, her heart felt colder and colder. Misuk's words were like ice thrown into the snow, embedding in Naeun's chest without melting.

It was absurd. Naeun was turning 22 soon, about to graduate from junior college. She had even gotten her level 1 childcare teacher certification before graduation, thinking everything was going well. How could this happen to her?

"How can you do this to me? How?"

Naeun's voice echoed through the cold air. Suppressed anger and hurt filled her eyes.

Misuk, uncomfortable meeting her gaze, brushed her hair back and muttered indifferently,

"Hayoung got the MC spot on a sports channel. First broadcast in two months. Think about your sister who has to go back to work before the baby is even 100 days old. She's doing this to feed you and me."

Misuk shook her head with a mocking smile.

"We're family now—can't you do this one thing? Besides, Hayoung is going to soar. Who knows how high she'll go."

Naeun took a deep breath, unable to hold back anymore, her eyes trembling. She clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white and asked softly,

"What about me? What about me?"

Her voice lowered, but the sadness deepened.

Misuk smirked bitterly, nodding as if she knew it all.

"You'll just be a kindergarten teacher, meet a decent guy, and get married, right? So what's wrong with raising Hayoung's kid? Your future husband will understand."

Misuk sighed again and added,

"And if you raise Hayoung's kid, she'll pay child support. If she succeeds, she'll give you a lot of money too."

Naeun's heart sank at Misuk's callous words. Her eyes turned icy.

"Is it about money? If you're so worried, put it on your registry."

Disappointment poured from Naeun's words.

Misuk snorted coldly.

"Yes, it's about money. Life costs money from start to finish—even breathing. Rent to pay..."

Misuk waved her hand in the air, as if it were obvious.

"And think about it. If I put it on my old registry, people will think I had a late child. No husband. These days with all the background checks, those people are relentless. Of course, they'd go after Hayoung. Family helps in times like this, right?"

Naeun had no more words. Misuk's response chilled her to the soul. After a long silence, her lips turned pale.

Misuk crossed her arms leisurely and stepped back.

"Then it's settled. I'll handle the rest, so just stay quiet. If you can't raise it, send it to an orphanage."

Misuk's firm voice echoed in the cold snow. Her stepmother's words crushed Naeun's heart mercilessly.

The snow fell heavily. Naeun slowly walked back to the newborn nursery. Snow melted on her forehead and hair, but she lacked the strength to wipe the cold droplets running down her face. Her shoulders sagged as if bearing a heavy burden.

Through the nursery glass, the babies appeared blurry through her tears. A smiling nurse approached her.

Naeun forced an awkward smile and nodded.

"Yes... let me see the baby one more time."

The nurse pointed through the glass.

"That one from earlier?"

Naeun nodded, her gaze following. The nurse held the baby up to the glass. The tiny, fragile life slept peacefully like an angel. White as snowflakes, with a delicate nose and lips—pure innocence untouched by the world's filth. Naeun pressed her fingers to the glass, peering closely.

She reached out toward the baby. Her fingers touched the cold, hard glass, grasping at empty air beyond.

"No orphanage. You..."

In that moment of hard resolve, she whispered softly to the baby.

"We'll take you now."

At the nurse's words, Naeun nodded. She glanced once more at the receding baby, then turned heavily. Snow fell silently behind her steps, the unaware infant sleeping angelically.

One month passed. With Hayoung uninterested in childcare, Naeun handled all the feedings, burping, and more for baby Jiho. After burping, she held the now-smiling Jiho and went to Hayoung.

"Unnie!"

"What?"

Hayoung, doing stretches while watching videos, looked blankly. Naeun said,

"Jiho is so pretty. He smiles at me now."

But Hayoung didn't look.

"No. I don't want to get attached. If you don't register him under your name, I'll send him to an orphanage."

Shocked, Naeun cried out,

"How can you say that? You're his mom."

"Yes, I'm the mom, so I'll do what I want. If you're not taking responsibility, don't interfere!"

Absurd, but Naeun had no retort. Sending Jiho, whom she'd cared for day and night, to an orphanage would mean abandoning him too.

Naeun silently carried Jiho to her room. As she looked at him with teary eyes, he smiled innocently—the purest angelic smile in the world.

"Okay..."

A trembling whisper escaped her lips.

"You're my baby now."

Jiho's tiny chest rose and fell rhythmically, soft as flower petals in the breeze. Naeun tried to swallow her hot, bitter tears, but the pain stabbed deeper.

She just wiped her tears, head bowed. Reality bound her feet like cold snow; she knew she couldn't escape this heavy pain.

Five years later.

Heavy rain poured relentlessly from the sky. What kind of autumn rain is this? Kangwoo asked his driver from inside the car,

"Not yet?"

"No, sir. Arriving soon, CEO."

"Okay."

He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them. As CEO of Myeongseong Media, he'd stopped by a filming location in Pocheon, and now headed to pick up his nephew Minho from the kindergarten. It was the Myeongseong University Affiliated Kindergarten, run by Myeongseong Group.

His 5-year-old nephew had a tough life despite his young age. Mom left due to in-law conflicts, divorce; dad sent the child to grandparents and went to the European branch. Thanks to irresponsible parents, the child waited at the kindergarten late into the night for his uncle.

### Notes on Translation:

- Corrected OCR/copy-paste errors (e.g., "신성" → newborn, garbled sentences restructured for coherence).

- Used glossary for consistent names: Naeun, Misuk, Hayoung, Jiho, Kangwoo, Minho, Myeongseong University Affiliated Kindergarten.

- Maintained narrative tone, emotional depth, and structure.

- Ready for continuation in Chapter 2 (e.g., Kangwoo arrives, meets Teacher Naeun). Let me know if you'd like the next chapter!