<CHAPTER 3>

The clattering sound rang noisily.

Seo Hancheol had been yelling at the servant since morning, complaining that the soup wasn’t what he wanted.

Since this kind of tyranny wasn’t new, the servant kept repeating apologies with a blank face while serving the soup in front of him.

Everyone already knew.

That Seo Hancheol had come home drunk the night before and demanded spicy fish cake soup for breakfast.

There was no one who hadn’t heard it.

And yet, no one in this house dared to defy him or tell him he was wrong.

Even his wife, Yoon Inha, pretended not to see his behavior.

She only focused her attention on the lovely daughter sitting beside her.

“What the hell is this, fish cake soup? Who eats this kind of crap in the morning, damn it.”

At his harsh curses, a cold atmosphere settled over the breakfast table.

No one dared to speak.

There was no need to provoke him and have his anger redirected at them.

Hancheol stirred the soup with his spoon before tossing it aside with a sigh.

Yoon Inha, who had been watching him, spoke to calm him down.

“…I’ll talk to the staff. So at least eat a little. You said you’re going to the market today to try commoners’ food. You won’t be able to eat it anyway, so you should fill your stomach here.”

Seo Hancheol and Yoon Inha were known as good people in front of others.

A National Assembly member who always cared for others and prioritized the people, Seo Hancheol, and his wife, Yoon Inha.

But their true selves were different.

They despised kindness and charity and always put themselves first.

“Hmm. By the way, how did your blind date go yesterday?”

Hancheol’s sharp gaze landed on Yeoreum.

Yeoreum, who had been poking at her rice without appetite, hurriedly put down her chopsticks and lowered her head.

“…We decided to meet again.”

“What? Really? You’re meeting again?”

“Yes. I asked him to meet again, and he said he would contact me soon.”

Hancheol burst into loud laughter.

He looked extremely satisfied.

It was the first time Yeoreum had seen such an expression since she was adopted into this house.

Though it didn’t take long for him to look at her with disgust again, she felt relieved thinking that at least today he wouldn’t say anything harsh.

“Of course you should. Do you even know how much we’ve done for you? I picked you up from that orphanage where you had no one and were eating dirt. This is the least you can do in return. You understand that, right?”

“…Yes, Father.”

“Use any means necessary. The only way you can repay us is by making Kwon Sunjae my son-in-law.”

Hancheol insulted Yeoreum without hesitation.

With each sharp word, Yeoreum’s head lowered further.

Even as she endured such humiliation, no one helped her.

Instead, everyone listened as if it were only natural.

Even the servants whispered behind her back.

‘Did you hear that rumor?’

‘What rumor?’

‘Miss Yeoreum… they say she’ll be kicked out soon.’

‘Why?’

‘Who knows. They don’t even treat her limp properly and only care about their real daughter. It’s obvious she’ll be thrown out. Honestly, if I were them, once I had a real child, I wouldn’t care about an adopted daughter either.’

‘Still… I feel bad for her. They promoted raising her with love, but behind the scenes they treat her so coldly…’

‘That’s life. She should’ve thought about that before coming here. Or had proper parents. It’s all fate.’

Hearing those words, Yeoreum couldn’t say anything.

She turned back from the yard, where she had planned to look at the flowers, and limped back to her room.

‘Ugh… my stomach hurts…’

As expected, she had indigestion again today.

She pressed the acupressure points between her fingers.

As she stayed silent, she heard a mocking snicker from across the table.

Yeoreum turned her gaze toward the girl pointing at her.

Seo Haneul, the beloved daughter of Yoon Inha.

Did she know?

The seat she was sitting in used to belong to Yeoreum.

“Mom, look at her face. She’s about to cry.”

Haneul giggled.

Inha’s gaze turned toward Yeoreum.

That gaze wounded Yeoreum deeply once again.

Just moments ago, those eyes had been filled with affection for Haneul.

Now, there was nothing but cold indifference directed at Yeoreum.

After staring at her briefly, Inha’s gaze disappeared.

As if nothing had happened, she gently picked fish meat and placed it on Haneul’s rice.

“Haneul should only see good things. Why would you look at something unpleasant?”

Yeoreum’s lips twisted.

No matter how hard she tried to smile and stay strong, words like that still hurt.

After their marriage, Hancheol and Inha had no children for a long time.

So they visited orphanages and searched for a child they wanted.

That child was Yeoreum.

At the time, Yeoreum had been overjoyed.

She finally had parents.

Although it was difficult to follow their strict rules, she was still happy.

“Daughter, eat more.”

But that happiness didn’t last long.

Unsatisfied with Yeoreum, the couple continued trying and eventually conceived their own child.

From that moment, Yeoreum instantly became an outsider in the household.

Even so, she tried her best to be loved.

She studied hard and acted cute.

But all she received in return were cold stares.

‘Do we really have to keep her? We have distant relatives in the countryside. Why not send her there? I’m worried our child won’t receive enough love because of her.’

‘Are you crazy? What if rumors spread?’

‘I just don’t like it. If our Haneul loses anything because of her, I won’t stand it.’

‘Just wait. She’ll be useful someday. Who knows, she might bring us a lot of money.’

The day Yeoreum brought her top-ranking report card to their bedroom, she overheard that conversation.

She quietly returned to her room with the report card still in her hands.

What was her worth?

Since then, she constantly questioned her purpose.

At that time, though, they didn’t seem to hate her completely.

Since Haneul was their real daughter, it was understandable.

They still showed Yeoreum some attention.

Everything changed after that incident.

‘Hey, don’t go there. I said don’t!’