It was the next day, and though she had taken the day off from working, Yeo Ri could be seen preparing to go out after sending Gun off.
She was waiting for Kwon Tae Yang to come pick her up.
The DNA testing process was surprisingly swift; Yeo Ri received a message from Tae Yang first thing in the morning, asking if she would like to see the results in person. She had agreed to it, and immediately after, he called her to tell her that he was on the way to pick her up so that they could go to the lab together and fetch the hardcopy of the results.
In truth, he had already received the results the day before, merely a few hours after he had submitted the samples to the lab. He had gotten the task done immediately after he sent the girl home after her prison visit, but Kwon Tae Yang did not immediately reveal to Yeo Ri that the testing was finished; he first had to relay the results to the employer currently pay-rolling him: Heo Woo Seung. He had to make notifying Heo Woo Seung a priority as it was thanks to his effort and money that they had gotten the results back so quickly. In addition to that, on behalf of his boss, he had secretly asked the lab to run another test—with Yeo Ri's DNA and Heo Woo Seung's—to confrm her paternity. He originally did not want to do it, but it was a favour-for-a-favour type of deal.
It left a bitter taste in his mouth having to do things behind her back, but it was inevitable. While it would leave her disgruntled over the shadiness of it all, he knew she would begrudingly understand his actions... not that he would go and tell her the truth if he could help it.
And so, here he was, pretending that it was the first time he was going to pick up the results for the paternity tests from the lab.
Tae Yang stowed away the guilt in his heart and glanced at the girl's reflection in the rearview mirror.
Yeo Ri had her eyes closed, looking as though she was calmly resting her eyes, but the way she played with her fingers made it apparent that she was feeling rather nervous.
Once they arrived at the private laboratory he had commissioned the tests at, Tae Yang turned to Yeo Ri, "Miss, do you want to wait in the car or do you want to go in with me?"
Yeo Ri opened her eyes and bit her lower lip, taking the time to consider his question.
It would be a lie to say if she wasn't anxious about the results. Yeo Ri may have played it off as though she didn't care for it, but in reality, the whole situation felt like a massive burden to her. Regardless of what the results say, her life would never be the same again. Just hearing from that man's mouth that she wasn't related to her brothers was heartbreaking enough—now, she had to face the cold and harsh truth.
If... if the results was as they all had expected...
"..."
Yeo Ri did not know if she could survive such a soulcrushing revelation.
"Miss?" Tae Yang urged her once again after the silence stretched for a moment too long.
"...I'm going," she replied softly. She donned a black face mask and a cap to hide her identity.
"Alright..." Tae Yang's brows furrowed in worry. He hadn't expected her to be so nervous about it. After all, it was just a way to confirm what they already know.
"Let's go," Yeo Ri did not wait for him to open the car door as he always would, and stepped out on her own. Her legs wobbled slightly as she stepped on the tarmac surface of the outdoor carpark.
Yeo Ri took a deep breath, as though she was preparing herself for a battle.
Tae Yang hurried to close the door before she could do it herself, and gestured for her to follow him as he led her into the modern, sleek building of the private laboratory which specialised in DNA testing.
Yeo Ri's steps lagged behind Tae Yang's as they made their way inside. She barely paid attention as the man greeted the receptionist. Even as they were ushered to the waiting room, Yeo Ri could not contain her nervousness. She pulled, scratched, and twisted her fingers until her palms were red.
A few moments later, a woman in a lab coat arrived, a stack of brown envelopes in her hand. One was for Yeo Ri and Gun's samples, and another was for Yeo Ri and Hyuk's.
They hadn't needed both brothers' samples, but Yeo Ri had already dicreetly collected Gun's sample prior to her meeting with Hyuk, in case the didn't manage to see Hyuk in person. Not wanting her efforts to go to waste, they went ahead and used it as well. As an extra, they had even run a test with Gun and Hyuk's samples, though one did not need to run a paternity test to determine whether they were blood-related siblings or not—it was already obvious in their appearance.
"Thank you for the hard work," Tae Yang bowed slightly as he received the envelopes from the lab technician.
"No, it was our pleasure. Thank you for reaching out to us," the lady replied perfunctorily. "If you have any questions regarding the results, feel free to ask."
Tae Yang carefully handed the envelopes to Yeo Ri, his eyes tracking the most minute details of her reaction.
The girl slowly took the envelopes from the man, her arms shaking imperceptibly.
It was time to face the music.