KISS THE SCUMBAG Chapter 17

Harold’s intentions were impossible to fathom. If he truly loved Yujin and wanted to apologize, he could have just given him some cash.

Instead, he had dropped this massive bombshell.

Only then did Mrs. Campbell’s suggestion cross his mind, and regret washed over him.

I should have just taken the money back then and left here forever.

But it was already too late. He had already heard the will, and there was no turning back. If he didn’t marry Winston, Yujin wouldn’t get a single penny. All the effort of coming here would be for nothing, and he and the child would end up out on the street.

I wasn’t expecting such a huge share, anyway.

It wasn’t even a truly massive sum. It would have been enough to pay for rent for just three months. Remembering the past when he had once relied on Harold like a father made him feel even more sorrowful and resentful.

Harold, how could you be so cruel to me until the very end?

He truly couldn’t believe that he had betrayed him yet again. He felt like asking him why he hated him so much.

‘Love me,’? Don’t make me laugh.

If he truly loved him, how could he do something like this? And to do it twice, no less.

“Daddy, Daddy.”

He had been on the verge of tears from indignation, but at the sound of Angela calling him, he hastily rubbed his eyes. When he looked back a beat late, his daughter’s anxious expression came into view. Only then did Yujin realize his mistake and hurriedly smiled as he bowed his body.

“Yes, Angie. I’m sorry, did Daddy scare you?”

When he asked while kneeling to meet her eyes, Angela hesitated for a moment before hugging his neck tightly. Hugging her small body in return, Yujin listened as Angela said:

“Daddy, what’s wrong? Was our name not in the will?”

Sometimes Yujin worried that his work made the child watch too much TV. Sighing to himself, he answered his daughter, who was once again revealing knowledge clearly learned from some drama:

“No, it was there. They say they’ll give us money, too.”

It wasn’t a lie. Though he hadn’t told her everything. His quick-witted daughter pulled away and asked curiously:

“Then why are you in a bad mood?”

How should he answer? After a moment of thought, Yujin carefully chose his words.

“There’s a condition attached to getting the money. I’m just worrying about how to resolve that.”

“Is it difficult?”

“Hmm… a little?”

It wasn’t just a little—it was flat-out impossible. Marrying Winston and having a child? Wouldn’t it have been better to just say he wouldn’t give them a single cent of inheritance?

To Yujin, who felt hopeless again, Angela said with shining eyes:

“Daddy, don’t worry. I’ll help you.”

Help me? How? This was something no one but himself could solve. But her heart was so beautiful that Yujin couldn’t help but hug her tightly.

“Thank you, Angie. That is such a relief.”

The child hugged Yujin’s neck and rested her head on his shoulder. It was just the two of them in this world. It had always been, and always would be.

Winston will think of something.

It was ridiculous that the only person he could rely on was that man, but it couldn’t be helped. Hadn’t he seen it clearly? The way he had poured out insults without hesitation and made no attempt to hide his contempt? Yujin reminded himself how much Winston hated him and placed his hope in that. Winston, too, would not quietly follow such an absurd will. All Yujin could do was wait for Winston’s proposal.

Two days later, after a light dinner, he had finished bathing with the child and returned to their room. He was reading to her as always when there was a sudden knock. Winston’s face flashed through his mind. He had seen Winston’s car return home through the window just 30 minutes ago. It was unexpected timing, but he couldn’t think of any other reason someone would knock on the door of the room where he and his daughter were staying. Trying to look as nonchalant as possible, he steeled his expression and opened the door; as expected, the maid was standing there.

“Mr. Campbell is asking for you.”

Finally. Yujin took a deep breath and looked back at Angela.

“I’ll be back, Angie.”

“Okay, Daddy. Good luck!”

Yujin, who had kissed his daughter’s cheek as she clenched her fist and shook it in the air, beamed a bright smile and stepped into the hallway. As soon as he closed the door and turned around, the maid immediately began to walk ahead. He followed in silence, struggling to calm his heart, which was pounding belatedly. He had expected this, but now that the moment had arrived, he couldn’t help but feel nervous. The fact that he hadn’t mentally prepared himself due to the suddenness of the situation was also a problem.

Wasn’t this bound to happen eventually?

He wasn’t particularly happy about it, but Yujin reluctantly admitted that he might never truly be “mentally prepared.” If he could, he would have grabbed Angela and fled this mansion right now. Of course, that was impossible.

This time, I must comply with the proposal as much as possible.

Refusing Mrs. Campbell’s envelope had been a truly stupid mistake. It’s okay, Yujin thought. By using his past mistake as a lesson, he just had to make sure he never made such a mistake again.

All’s well that ends well.

Repeating the words he always reminded himself of, he made a resolution. Follow whatever Winston says, unconditionally. I’m not stupid enough to repeat the same regretful mistakes, am I? Suddenly, past memories flashed through his mind, and he unconsciously unclenched his fist.

I’ve already made enough stupid mistakes to last a lifetime.

Walking in silence, he soon reached the study. It was the very place where the will had been revealed. The maid knocked mechanically, waited a moment, opened the door, and stepped aside. Yujin took a deep breath, exhaled, and stepped forward. The sound of his own shoe heels felt exceptionally loud. After taking three or four steps into the study, he stopped. The moment his gaze met the man in front of him, Yujin held his breath without realizing it.

The massive man, over two meters tall, was leaning his hips against the giant oak desk, watching Yujin. He was dressed in a suit, but he wasn’t wearing his jacket; instead, a vest struggled to contain his thick chest.

He was still immensely muscular and remained as massive as ever. The room, which had been large enough for nearly ten people to sit apart, suddenly felt incredibly cramped. As he momentarily remembered that the huge man who seemed to fill the study had been the captain of his high school football team, he heard the sound of the study door closing behind him.

And they were left alone in the study.

Thump… thump… thump….

Unlike the quiet room, his own heartbeat was so loud that Yujin had the illusion it was echoing thunderously throughout the study. He didn’t want to be found out that he was shaken, but he couldn’t tell what it looked like in reality. He did his best to feign a blank expression, only hoping he wouldn’t notice.

This was the third time he had run into Winston since returning to Delight, but it was the first time they had faced each other squarely under such bright light. The first time had been in the dark, and the next time, he had deliberately avoided his gaze to focus on the will. Because of this, Yujin could only now examine his face carefully, detail by detail.

His thick, lush hair was neatly combed back without a single strand out of place, and beneath his thick eyebrows lay deep-set eyes with long corners. Following the sharp bridge of his nose, his tightly closed, thick lips and strong jaw came into view. Ah, Yujin realized with a suppressed sigh. What stood there was a fully grown, mature man.

The boy who used to whisper affectionately to him was gone. The man with the unfamiliar face was staring at Yujin with an impossibly chilly expression, yet his eyes held that look unique to a wounded person.

Isn’t it funny? Even though it’s Yujin who was the one hurt.

Winston just watched him without a word. Yujin didn’t open his mouth either. It felt like the tense silence would never end, but unexpectedly, it was Winston who spoke first.

“Why don’t you sit down?”