"JIYEON!!" he shouted, his voice heavy with rage.
"No, brother. You don't get to be angry. None of you do," Jiyeon snapped, her eyes flashing with fury. "None of you here deserve to scold me—not after everything. And Gyuri, you? You're the last person who should speak. This is between Hana and my family. You're nothing more than an outsider, and you're not qualified to speak to her—hell, you're not even qualified to look in her direction. So shut your little trap."
"JIYEON! That is not how you speak to your elders!" her mother yelled, grabbing her arm. "That's not how I raised you!"
"She and Jungwoo are not my elders," Jiyeon spat. "And I don't have a heartless scumbag for a brother."
She yanked her arm away.
"Starting today, I sever all ties with the Park family. My only family is Father, Hana, and Haejun. The rest of you? You're dead to me. And don't even try using Haejun to manipulate me—it won't work."
She reached for my hand and tugged me toward the car. "Come on, Hana. Let's not waste our breath on trash."
[Damn. Mood swings already?] I thought as I slid into the car beside her. This is the first time I've seen her this angry. Yeesh—chills. I better stay on her good side, or she might actually eat me for dinner.
Three days later, we stood outside the courthouse—me, Jiyeon, and my lawyer—waiting to be called in.
The courtroom doors opened. We were in.
The hearing began. My lawyer made our case to the judge.
The judge turned to the defense.
"Defense attorney, your response?"
The man adjusted his glasses and stood. "Your Honor, my client does not contest the divorce itself. However, we reject the custody terms. We believe the twins deserve to be raised with both parents. We request shared custody, as this is in the best interest of the children. We ask that the plaintiff make decisions based on reason—not personal resentment."
He smirked, then turned to look at me directly.
The judge turned my way. "So, is that true, Mrs. Park? Did you make this decision out of personal grudge?"
[Ugh. I hate this job,] the judge thought bitterly. [Do they even know who they're dealing with? She's a damn diplomat—she could end anyone who gets in her way. And she chose to bring this to court? She could've done it quietly... Something doesn't add up.]
I stood, calm and sharp.
"First of all, Your Honor," I said coolly, "I would appreciate it if you referred to me as Ms. Kim. That surname disgusts me."
I let that settle before continuing.
"Second—Mr. Park was never around during my pregnancy. He chose to hide out in his love nest with his ex-wife, rather than support the woman carrying his children. He didn't care before they were born—so why does his lawyer think he'll care now?
And third," I paused, locking eyes with the judge, "I risked my life giving birth to those twins. I fell into a coma for three months. So you're telling me I did all that... just to hold a grudge? Really?"
A dry laugh escaped my lips.
"My net worth is ten times his. He's a twice-divorced man whose value depreciates every time he opens his mouth. Do you honestly believe someone of my status would use custody as a petty weapon against a low-value man like him?"
I leaned forward slightly.
"And if I truly wanted revenge... do you really think he'd still be standing there? Breathing?"