The message came in the afternoon.
It was brief.
Formal.
Almost impersonal.
But Daehyun understood its meaning immediately.
Han Mira had asked him to meet.
Not at the Han residence.
Not at the Kang estate.
Not at either company's headquarters.
Somewhere neutral.
Private.
That alone told him the conversation would not be simple.
Leaving Minjun
That evening he left the house quietly.
Sooah had taken her medication earlier than usual. She had seemed calm, even affectionate for a while, asking small questions about the day she couldn't quite remember living.
Moments like that still felt like fragments of the old Sooah.
Moments that made everything else harder.
When she finally drifted into sleep, Daehyun sat beside her bed for a long time.
Watching.
Waiting for the familiar rhythm of her breathing to settle.
Only then did he leave the room.
Minjun was downstairs watching a cartoon with the caretaker.
The boy looked up immediately when he saw him.
"Daddy?"
"I'll be back soon," Daehyun said softly.
Minjun nodded easily.
Children trusted time differently than adults did.
"Okay."
The caretaker smiled politely as Daehyun left the house.
The night air outside felt cold against his skin.
But he barely noticed it.
Something about the meeting request had already settled into his chest like a quiet premonition.
The Meeting Place
The restaurant they chose sat on the top floor of a quiet hotel overlooking the river.
Private rooms.
Soundproof walls.
A place where powerful families often held conversations that could never appear in newspapers.
When Daehyun arrived, all four parents were already seated.
Kang Jinseok.
His wife.
Han Mira.
Her husband.
Four figures who had shaped industries.
Four people who rarely met outside of official events.
Tonight none of them looked like corporate leaders.
They looked like parents.
Concerned.
Tired.
Carrying something heavy.
Daehyun greeted them politely.
"Chairman."
"Mother."
"Mama."
He sat down.
No one spoke for several seconds.
Even the quiet hum of the city below seemed distant.
Finally Jinseok began.
"We appreciate you coming."
Daehyun nodded.
"Of course."
He looked around the table calmly.
"You wanted to discuss Sooah."
It wasn't a question.
The Proposal
Han Mira spoke first.
Her voice was gentle.
But steady.
"We've been observing the situation carefully."
Daehyun's expression remained neutral.
"We understand how much you've been handling alone."
Still calm.
Still listening.
Then Mira said the words they had all come to discuss.
"We believe it may be time to consider placing Sooah in a specialized care facility."
For a moment the room went completely silent.
Daehyun did not react immediately.
He simply looked at her.
Then slowly turned his gaze toward Sooah's father.
Then toward his own parents.
As if confirming he had heard correctly.
Finally he spoke.
Quietly.
"…A facility?"
Mira nodded slowly.
"It would be a medical center designed for long-term neurological care."
"They would have specialists."
"Twenty-four hour monitoring."
"Treatment programs."
Daehyun listened without interrupting.
Then he leaned back slightly in his chair.
And asked a question so simple it made everyone pause.
"…She's your daughter."
He looked directly at Sooah's parents.
"Why would you do that to her?"
The words were not angry.
They were not accusatory.
They were genuinely confused.
Because in Daehyun's mind, the idea felt almost unthinkable.
Sending Sooah away.
Separating her from home.
From Minjun.
From the life she built.
Han Mira's eyes lowered slightly.
Because the question hurt more than any accusation could have.
Her husband answered instead.
"Because we love her."
Daehyun's brow furrowed faintly.
"That doesn't sound like love."
The Reality They Raise
Jinseok spoke then.
His voice carried the calm authority of someone used to confronting difficult truths.
"Let's say things continue as they are now."
Daehyun said nothing.
"Let's say you keep managing her episodes."
"Keep running both companies."
"Keep hiding the truth from the world."
The older man leaned forward slightly.
"What happens in ten years?"
Daehyun's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
But he didn't answer.
Sooah's father continued quietly.
"What happens when Minjun is old enough to understand?"
That question settled into the center of the table like something alive.
No one spoke for a moment.
Then Mira added softly,
"He won't always believe it's a game."
Daehyun looked down at the table.
His fingers had curled slightly together.
The memory of Minjun laughing at breakfast flashed briefly through his mind.
Daddy says they're playing.
Mira continued carefully.
"What happens when he realizes his mother is hurting you?"
"What happens when he sees the bruises?"
"What happens when he hears her screaming that you kidnapped her?"
Each question landed slowly.
Relentlessly.
Because these were not hypothetical concerns.
They were inevitable realities.
His Silence
For the first time since entering the room, Daehyun had no immediate answer.
Because everything they were saying was true.
He had built his life around protecting three things.
Sooah.
Minjun.
And the fragile illusion of normalcy inside their home.
But illusions didn't last forever.
Children grew up.
They asked questions.
They understood things adults tried to hide.
Jinseok spoke again.
"You are strong enough to endure this."
It was not praise.
It was a statement.
"But Minjun should not have to."
That sentence cut deeper than any of the others.
Because it shifted the conversation away from Daehyun entirely.
This was no longer about what he could tolerate.
It was about what a child should witness.
The Man Who Still Refuses
Daehyun finally exhaled slowly.
His voice remained quiet.
"She's sick."
No one disagreed.
"She doesn't know what she's doing during episodes."
Still no disagreement.
"So how am I supposed to send her away for something she can't control?"
The question echoed softly in the room.
Because that was the core of his resistance.
To him, the idea felt like punishment.
And punishing Sooah for her illness felt unforgivable.
Mira leaned forward slightly.
Her voice gentle.
"We're not asking you to abandon her."
"You could visit."
"Minjun could visit."
"She would receive treatment."
"But she wouldn't be hurting you."
Daehyun shook his head slowly.
"…That house is her home."
His voice grew softer.
"Taking her away from it…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Because the image felt unbearable even to imagine.
The Question That Stays
No one pushed him further.
Not yet.
The room returned to silence.
But the truth lingered between them now.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Because everyone sitting at that table understood something clearly.
Kang Daehyun could endure almost anything.
He would sacrifice his body.
His sleep.
His peace of mind.
Even his future.
If it meant protecting Sooah.
But there was one question he still hadn't answered.
And it hung quietly in the air as the meeting continued.
What happens when Minjun grows up and realizes the truth?