CHAPTER 3

‘Mom……?’

A mom is playing hide-and-seek with a two-year-old girl, who buries her face on the couch and covers it with a cushion as if she thinks hiding her face will make her invisible. She rolls around on her legs and laughs. Happiness washes over her as she watches, and the corners of her mouth keep turning up.

“Mama! Mama!”

Suddenly, a small girl turned and ran toward her, smiling brightly. Her fern-like hands grab her skirt fiercely. She looks up at her with eyes that seem to be about to burst. She’s not sure what it is about that expression that makes her heart skip a beat. Her loving eyes seeped into her chest.   

“You asked for a hug?”

As she got closer, her face relaxed. Yunseul smiled and reached for her. The scent of a child embracing her neck pricked her nostrils. 

She is so light and fluffy. Yunseul’s afraid of touching her because she’ll melt like cotton candy.

To keep her from falling, she strengthens her hold. Yunseul smiled as she watched her chuckle, her breath stopping in her throat.  

Yunseul’s eyes shined brightly.

‘So this is what happiness is like’.

She was immersed in happiness as she looked lovingly at the child and herself.  She wish time would stand still like this. 

She wished she could stay in this time forever when there was no heartbreak and only happiness.

She then picked her up and held her once again. 

Her phone rang loudly, and she jumped to her feet. She had been having a dream.

“…………….”   

She closed her eyes briefly, and before she realized it, she had fallen asleep.

Yunseul flushed, jumped up, and ran outside, not bothering to answer the phone.  Her ankle screamed in pain as she hurriedly traveled the garden. She walked toward her in-laws’ house, unable to run any longer.

With each step, her face crumbled.  She pushed open the front door, tying her sleep-disheveled hair into a tight ponytail. Her radiance hardened at the same time. She was standing in the doorway.  Her brow furrowed as she recognized herself she lowered her eyes, as she always did whenever she was upset.   

“I’m sorry.”

Her head was turned to the side.   

“Are you going to keep the older people waiting?”

The tone of her voice is so sharp it cuts like a knife. She wiggles her fingers, unable to meet her cold stare, they are still chapped, even though she had slept with a lot of moisturizer on them.   

“You’re in your house playing and eating, and you can’t keep these things?”

“…………..”

“Get to work on time.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll do better in the future.”

She could have apologized a hundred times. What’s the big deal about saying it? Yunseul raised her eyebrows, ignoring the way she was looking at her.   

“Ji-hyuk.. please eat.”   

Yunseul hated the words  ‘Mr. Seo’  so much. Why would Seobang-nim, her husband’s formal title, also be her married sister-in-law’s formal title? She couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard she tried.   

She seemed to have been thinking about something else, but when Yunseul saw her sister-in-law, her hard gaze softened.

She didn’t close her eyes as she glanced at her. For some reason, the pain that began in her ankle appeared to spread throughout her body.

Why was her heart beating so hard, this didn’t seem to be the first time she’d’ve seen her make such a comfortable look toward her sister-in-law.

 Yunseul enters the dining area with a bitter smile. The two people walking ahead of her look like a couple.  

She wasn’t sure why she was calling her sister in law’s husband by his first name at first, but she soon understood. Only when she and her nephew, Seo Jun-hyuk, are together does her face relax.

“Little Dad!”

Seo Jun-hyuk, who is closely behind her, jumps up and runs to him. He touches his hair while holding him around his waist.

Why does he care so much about him? He is not his child, but somebody else’s? Or is it because he loves his brother’s wife? She’s not too sure.   

What if he recognized that there was someone other than Seo Jun Hyuk in her belly? He’d drag me to the hospital right now as soon as he knew it.

The thought of it gave her goosebumps on her forearms.  

“I’m late, I’m sorry,” she said, she apologized.

Everyone was waiting for her. 

“I want you to be punctual,” her mother-in-law said.

“Yes, I understand, I’m sorry.”  She replied.

Yunseul responded to her mother-in-law’s authoritative tone. Her mother-in-law is normally pleasant, but when you do something wrong or make a mistake, she may become as harsh as she is right now.   

“I made sure she understood, and you’ll be careful from now on.”

The man across from her looked down at her and asked why she was late.   

“Yes, I won’t be late from now on,”

Yunseul responded, promising to be on time again. Her father-in-law began eating the food by picking up his spoon.   

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, though. There are days when you’re tired.”

“I think Dad was right, they say young people sleep a lot, so maybe it’s true,” Hyungsoo said.

She tightened her hold on the spoon, unable to believe that her sister-in-law had suddenly sided with her. Her fingers got white from holding it so tightly.   

“Thank you, Father,” she expressed gratitude.

“so our first daughter-in-law is an angel after all.”   

She bowed deeply, unwilling to look at her sister-in-law, who scoffed that she had made a fine marriage. She’s not sure if it’s her dishonest attitude or the smell of the food that’s making her sick to her stomach. 

She strains her teeth to keep from sighing. She was unable to try to eat since she was afraid of making herself nauseous by putting food in her stomach.

She had to be careful with her breathing. She’d almost finished her dinner and was wondering if she’d be okay now. She had worries about how She could survive in the days to come.   

“Ouch, that stings!”

screamed by her sister-in-law, holding her hand and groaning at her shoulder.   

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

Seo Junhyuk, who was sitting next to me, said. His sister-in-law’s face became serious and worried as she sat right next to him.  

“I hurt my hand while preparing dinner. I must have gotten something on it while picking up the side dishes.”   

She extended her hand to Ji Hyuk who smiled hesitantly.   

“Let me see, did you cut yourself with a knife?”

“Yes, but I’m fine.” 

“Leave that to the lady. You’re doing something bad using a knife.”   

She sat across from them, looking at them, wondering whether they felt sad because she had been hurt.   

“Okay. Don’t worry.”

Yunseul felt her stomach twist.

“By the way,”

“Our Junhyuk needs to be smeared with fish,” he said to him, implying that he wanted Seo Junhyuk to put on the fish.

“I’ll do it,”  Yunseul spoke up before he was able to reply.

She pressed her lips together, which had opened slightly at the start.   

“Thank you very much,”  Hyungsoo replied.

Her sister-in-law looked at her, her eyes warm as ever, as though overwhelmed.   

“You’re welcome”   

She kept smiling at her sister-in-law because she could see how devastated her heart was. Even if she did, it wouldn’t have made a difference. 

A cold chill ran down her spine at the realization that her hurting ankle seemed to be getting worse.

She lowered her eyes because she did not want to show it. It was as if She hadn’t seen them before.

She kept her attention firmly concentrated on the food on her plate. She was not sure if she was supposed to laugh at this.  Yunseul pressed the corners of her mouth together to keep from laughing.   

“So, any news yet?”

Yunseul shook her shoulders. When her mother-in-law asked about the news, she was referring to a baby. Her hand reached for her tummy, but she stopped herself.   

“…No. I apologized. ”  

In a calm voice, she added. She wasn’t sorry about anything, but she pretended that she was.  It had become a habit to apologize after every word.  Yunseul raised her head.

… Without a doubt. If she had a child, the position as Seo Junhyuk’s successor would be threatened. Of course, she would not want her to have a child. 

He and her sister-in-law do not want a child, but her in-laws and father do.

“We’re trying hard, just wait a little longer.”   

She knows that I’m on birth control, and she has permitted me to make use of it.

She felt sick to her stomach when she answered her harshly as if she had no idea what she was talking about.   

“If you don’t eat, the baby is going to run away every time he tries to come in.”   

Her mother-in-law’s serious voice caught everyone’s attention to her plate. Yunseul’s ears were burning.  

“I’ll make you some elixir, so drink it up.”

“Yes Mom, thank you.”    

She remembered all the meds in her fridge at home, but she didn’t forget to express her gratitude to thank her. It was one thing to throw the pills away without her knowing, but now she have even more.

She held back a sigh, smiled, and intertwined her fingers under the table. Although her eyes met her brow, she looked down, acting like she didn’t notice.

**********

After eating dinner, on the way to the newlyweds’ house,

She shifted her weight, keeping an eye on her back as she moved forward.

She felt relieved that her step hadn’t matched her stride. She couldn’t walk and was concerned that something was wrong with her ankle.

‘It’s okay, I’ll protect you.’

Of course, the secret had to be kept. She couldn’t and didn’t want to tell him the truth because he’d instructed her to get rid of it once she got pregnant.

Her ankles had swollen as she threw off her shoes and slipped into her slippers.  Over Yunseul’s lovely brow, a wrinkle developed and then disappeared.

When She walked into the living room, he was glaring at her coldly as he pulled his tie down.  

She applied pressure to her sore ankle. It didn’t matter if it was painful. As did his father and stepmother. It simply increased the bullying, which is why Yunseul refuses to admit that it hurts.  

 “Come into the bathroom.”

At first, she thought she had misheard it. His brows wiggled as he unbuttoned his shirt, causing Yunseul’s mouth to flame. His head tilted to one side.   

“Come in to wash with me.”

She stepped inside, not wanting to repeat his words as if he didn’t need an answer.   

“…Just.”   

As she turns to go into the bathroom, he shouts after her. She slowly turns to face him.   

“In bed…….”

She’d done it in the bathroom a few times before, and each time it was a struggle since her body couldn’t handle it. It was already hard because she was pregnant.

Yunseul stretched out her tongue to wet her lips in response to his penetrating stare.   

“Ha? Do you have a choice?”

He didn’t say something about going to the bathroom immediately, but Yunseul understood the meaning of his actions. He was telling her she had no choice but to go to the bathroom.  

Yunseul got into the bathroom and stared at the now-n*ked man. She should have been ashamed but she didn’t seem to mind that he was completely n*ked. 

She turned her head away as heat rose in her ears.   She sighed as she watched him n*ked into the bathroom.

The sigh she’d been holding in bursts out now that she’s free.  She began to strip after a few moments of hesitation, her skin flushed with a deadly white as every piece of clothing was gone from her body.  

She didn’t share her body with him every day, and she was always nervous thinking that it was an unloving act, so she entered the bathroom.

She could keep aside her ankle pain for as long as she needed to.  She’d been through a lot worse, but she didn’t know how or if she could cry over a sprained ankle.

She became envious of her sister-in-law, who had cut her finger and showed pain with everything on her body.

When she opened the bathroom door, she saw him standing in the shower, water streaming down on him. 

The sound of the door made him turn to look around.   

“You’re late.” 

Pushing his hand against her shoulder, as if to inquire as to why she was so late.  

 “I’m sorry” she replied coldly.

His dispassionate gaze scanned her body, she nearly curled into a ball when his stare moved from her chest to her tummy. Yunseul, on the other hand, met his stare directly.

She didn’t, but she pretended to. He would detect her pregnancy if she acted differently. Even if she wasn’t pregnant, he’d suspect something, and eventually, he’d know she was, so she decided to set off about her business as usual.

Divorce would be the best choice, but getting a divorce for failing to bear a child as her mother-in-law and father had promised would be enough, and she would need to hide the child for at least a few months.

He grabbed her arm and drew her close as she approached. It was a clumsy gesture that lacked any semblance of consideration.

Yunseul got soaked in a stream of water as a result of the unexpected tug.   

“Wait…. Slowly….”

Yunseul’s cheeks turned red with disbelief as he laughed. The hand on her chest felt cold.  

 “Uggggghhhhhhh!”

She squeezes her eyes shut in disgust at her body’s reaction to such a touch.   

“Turn around and put your as$ up against the wall.”  

She’d been in a similar situation before. She remembered it getting so strong that she couldn’t move.

“What are you doing?”

She turned to see him annoyed running his hand through his hair.   

“I’m not feeling well. Please be gentle”

“I’ll take care of everything.”

A big hand pressed on her back, causing her to fold at the waist. sleeves. True to his word, she grasped the wall and thrust her a$$ out.   

“Hmph!”

There was no caress because the act was affectionless cold, her shoulders shook as he was inserted. Since she’d been f*cked so many times, she should have gotten used to it, but she couldn’t get used to the p*nis entering her v*g*na through an unusual entrance.  

Yunseul bit her lower lip to avoid moaning. As he pushed in, her as$ tightened automatically. He pulled away and was impaled once and for all.   

“Ahhh!”

Yunseul’s world was turned completely upside down by the smooth bounce of her hips. Her grip on the wall fell, and just as she was about to fall forward, a hand grasped her pelvis and stopped her.   

“Straight up.”   

She gripped the wall in front of her, half-lidded at the instruction. She couldn’t breathe, her vision was blurry, and her feet lifted off the floor with each quick flick of his waist.   

“Mmmmm, so, so delicious.”    

We don’t usually talk during s*x. She didn’t say anything needless, so she figured that keeping her mouth quiet during s*x was only normal.

But then, she changed her mind afterward. Her baby’s life could be endangered.

Yunseul slid her hand from the wall and pushed against his thigh.    

“Why?”

“Just a little… Slowly, please.” 

“…………..”

“It’s hard.” 

She was certain he wasn’t going to listen to her, but she tried anyway. He broke out laughing, as she expected.   

“Why are you talking so much today?”

He didn’t like it when she talked, despite the fact she had always followed his every action and word.

He began to raise his hips again, furious. Yunseul’s legs buckled as her waist bounced back harder and quicker than before as if to urge her to shut up.   

When it looked like she was going to fall, he grabbed her hips and thrust his c*ck in and out rapidly. 

Her sculpted v*g*na gaped open, imprisoning herself entirely. She tightened her v*g*nal folds as if he were going to eat them up and swallow them.   

“Ah!. ah!…ah!…ah!”

She bit the tips of her finger and let out a faint moan. It could slip through her fingers if she tried to stop it.  Her bite was so hot that she feared She’d melt.

“Hmph! Hmph!”

She wanted to ask him how he could be so hot she couldn’t breathe and yet so cold to her, how he couldn’t offer her the same kind of stare he showed to Hyungsoo his sister-in-law.

But, as usual, she remained silent. Nothing would change if they talked.

Her eyes widened as she watched his increasingly unpredictable movements. Her legs trembled. He hurriedly stroked his c*ck, holding her body as it collapsed in pleasure. His arms wrapped around her stomach, radiating warmth.

Yunseul’s eyes flooded up with tears. The good news was that the water was still pouring, making him confused whether it was tears or water. 

It was incredible how her body responded to him. Pleasure broke her determination to be the owner of her body.   

Yunseul climaxed and shivered in an instant.  He let go of her waist once he finished ejaculating, and she dropped to the floor in a heap.   

“You’re not asking for a divorce like this morning, are you?”

As he passed by her on the floor and washed himself off in the shower, he asked.

Yunseul quickly raised and lowered her head. When she looked up, her expression was so emotionless that it was difficult to believe she had requested a divorce earlier that day.

“…Will you do it?”

There was a moment of silence. All She could hear was the sound of rushing water. The restroom was filled with his laughter.

She avoided his penetrating stare, convinced that her mind already knew what he was going to say even if she didn’t have to hear it.   

“Answer, do I have to?”

She bit the bottom of her lip because of the way he laughed, her shoulders shaking, giving a feeling that he didn’t care if she divorced him.   

“Wash up and get out. Let’s do it again.”   

Yunsuel’s eyes fluttered open.   

“We’ve just finished” 

“Would does it matter?”

He looked around to see if she was done. As he proceeded towards the door, he looked at her without saying anything.

“That’s right.”

He paused to see if she had anything further to say if she wanted to back out. Yunseul blushed red.

“You’re going alone for your father’s birthday tomorrow.”

 She paused.   

“You said you’d come with me.”

She had already informed her father. He’d been waiting for him for a long time, and she was already nervous about what he might say.  

“There’s something happened.”

“What happened?”

“Do I have to explain it to you?”

“No. No way… no need”

“…My dad said….”

“What? Say it out loud.”

Yunseul took a deep breath and stared him in the eyes.   

“My father asked me to come with you.” 

“Honestly, why would I go?”

Yunseul’s eyes turned black.   

“Do you want me to listen to your father’s stories about how he used to be rich, or do you want me to listen to his half-blackmail, half-babble about how he sent his favorite daughter to give you a lot of money? Do you think I have time to spare?”

“No, not at all”

She would not have done this if he had told her from the start that he was unable to go. Though she felt startled and worried, she asked him to go with her instead of the usual.  

“I gave them a generous amount of money instead.”  

How much will he give him this time? if “generous” is a word that comes out of his mouth.

She wanted to ask him, but she closed her mouth tight because she felt like tears. were coming.  

 “I don’t think he’ll be upset. Your father loves money more than I do.”

“……………”

“No, he doesn’t. He likes me, the heir to the Seoju Group, to be exact.”   

She doesn’t cry because she’s managed to keep it together.

look at him as he turns coldly and goes out, tears falling down her eyes.

Yunseul covered her mouth and cried quietly. Hormones are to blame. She wouldn’t normally cry when she heard the words that turned into swords and stabbed into her heart.

Yunseul staggered to her feet and stood in the stream of water.  She raised her face to wash away the tears.

She has to stay awake. She needs to stay up to protect her baby.

She shouldn’t be sad. Why can’t she calm down? they were going to be together anyway. With her pregnancy as a cover, she continued to use it as an excuse.  Yunseul’s face was firm after a long period.  

******

“What’s the point of coming if you’re going to come alone?”

He kept his word and wasn’t angry enough.

“Go and tell him thank you for the money he sent this time.”

“…Okay.”

“I’ll take the call and tell him.”

Yunseul was breathing weakly in front of the table with his father’s favorite food for his birthday, trying not to smell too much.   

It’s not like she has to hide her pregnancy from her in-laws and or her parents.

“That’s why your husband goes out because you don’t have kids”

Yunseul watched her stepmother delivering side dishes to her father.   

“I can’t imagine having a baby and making a big issue out of it.”  

If her father discovered she was pregnant, he would be the one to bully her, not just for herself, but also for the baby.

Being the quick thinker she is,  she’s already using a calculator to calculate what he’ll get when the baby is born.

“How come we haven’t heard good news from you?”

“…………”

“You’ve been married for three years!”

There was no one to stop him from getting more and more excited.   

“Dad, don’t you know yet?”

Yun Ina, her step-sister sitting next to him, smiled bitterly and lowered her voice as if she were telling her father a secret.

His father’s eyes light up. His eyes are warm as he looks at her, completely different from the way he looks at herself. She sighed, unable to contain her emotions even though it hadn’t been a day or two.

“You mean you’re not the only woman to him? I would rather divorce you from him quickly and I’m going to find another man you are going to marry.”  

Had she heard anything about my husband?  Yunseul’s expression was filled with worry.  

“There are rumors that your husband has a lover.”   

Yun Ina grinned to herself. Yunseul slumped on her shoulders. What’s happening?

She was aware that she had a problematic relationship with a man long before they married. It would hurt her mouth to repeat the stories about him, but she had chosen him, so it didn’t matter.   

‘Why are you so good at spreading rumors like that?’

Knowing full well that the rumors had been circulating about him since before they were married, her father came to her defense.  

“Why can’t you have a baby? just because your husband doesn’t like you?”

… This is why She hesitated to come. She slowly took in the people who were being driven away, as if she were the reason for their bad mood.

She licked the tip of her tongue, embarrassed knowing she didn’t fit in there.  

 She had married him to protect her mother, but why should her entire life remain this way?

Except for the times she lived alone with her mother, she had never been happy.

Her middle school memories are now hazy, and she has no idea what it’s like to be happy, she feels like she has an unknown future ahead of her.   

Yunseul placed her hand under the table and fisted.  She used to be afraid that anything would go wrong with her sick mother, so when she grew older, her mother went to prison and she moved in with her father.

My father and stepmother, who used force to get what they wanted, scared her. 

She compared herself to Yun Ina, ignored her bullying, and ignored her stepmother’s abuse.

Her father’s threats were tolerated. She grew to be a quiet and submissive child as time went by.   

“Why don’t you just pierce the end of the condom and….”

“Dad!”

Yunseul’s voice rose in anxiety, as this was not her first transgression, but the idea of putting a torn condom for her to get pregnant was terrifying.

My stepmother, Yun-ina, and father’s eyes widened in amazement as they had never seen anything like this before.  

“I’ll take care of that.”

“Really!”

Yunseul slumped when her father threw a spoon across the table. Yunseul has a phobia of loud noises, possibly because of what happened to her mother and her lover before.   

“You said you’d take care of it, but it’s been three years! Three years!”

Her father exceeded my highest expectations.

“How can you possibly consider remarrying me so soon?”

Yunseul’s father was staring at her with sick eyes.  

“If you don’t like that, you can get yourself  pregnant somehow!”

Her ankle, which she had sprained the day before, was beginning to hurt once more. She knew she should go to the doctor, but she was afraid that they’d want her to take medication or have an X-ray.  

Plus, they’d ask whether she was pregnant, which would be uncomfortable, so she hadn’t been to a doctor yet.

‘But what happened to Ji Hyuk that he suddenly canceled his appointment?’

she asked herself. He was a man of his word, so it was puzzling that he suddenly canceled his appointment.

‘Well, something urgent must have happened.’

Too much introspection would be emotionally draining, so she thought it was a good thing.

Yunseul would have been in far more pain if Ji Hyuk were here. Sending the money seemed like an appropriate idea at the time.   

“Where’s your husband? I’m sure he went to meet a girl.”   

She kept her eyes on Yun Ina. as she spoke.   

“Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?” Yun Ina said.

“Are you sure he went to meet a girl?” Yunseul replied

She was going to hold back. No, she had to, but she kept making it sound like she was going to meet a girl, which made my stomach turn.

“Don’t say things like that unless you’re sure.”

There were times when she wondered, “Maybe Yun Ina is starting rumors about him and her?” The rumors had previously been written about, so she was cautious.

But by this point, She could tell Yun Ina was making up or spreading stories. Yun Ina leaped up and down as if she was being stabbed.  

“Why are you angry with me?”

She looked to face her stepmother. It was a call for help.  

“What are you talking about? What did I do?” Yun Ina response.

She shakes her head as if about to be eaten.   

“Stop it, you’re ruining the mood on my birthday! Go away!”

Standing up, her father responded sharply. Yunseul’s face burned under the penetrating glances of her father, stepmother, and Yun Ina.

Her stepmother curled her lips as she looked at her father, who had left the kitchen.

“Where the f*ck is this bitch coming from! b*tch?”

A wooden spoon flew by, hit her in the shoulder, and knocked her to the floor.   

“Crazy b*tch.”   

Yun Ina spat, revealing her true self. She stood up and pressed her finger into Yunseul’s shoulder, forcing her to say it again.   

“Get off my face, it’s disgusting.” 

She follows him out into the living room, running her fingers through her hair.   

“Dad, we’re cutting the cake!” What do you think?”   

Yun Ina’s father replied in his usual aloof tone.   

“Forget the pregnancy. You’re such an as$hole that heaven won’t give you a child.”

An as$hole.   

He used to refer to herself as such. He said your mother was a murderer and an adulteress, and that you were going to pay the price for her crimes.

The three of them laughed happily in the kitchen not long after she left the living room.

They say you get celebrated when you get pregnant, but she was too worried about the baby that she didn’t get to celebrate.  In addition to avoiding disclosing her pregnancy, she was determined to go after a divorce.   

* * * * * * * * * *

On the way home, Yunseul opened the car window. The day had been hot, but the air had been refreshing.  She considered contacting her mother but changed her mind.

She’s crying just thinking about her, but she’s sure hearing her voice would make her feel better.

Yunseul practiced what his father had done, but without threats and with the knowledge that if you give, you must get.

That’s how she got his mother away from his father, who wouldn’t let her see her in the first place. She was now at the nursing facility of her choice.   

They say money can’t buy happiness.

She needs power and money to keep him from blackmailing her. He wasn’t blackmailing her anymore now that she had him behind her, but if she divorced him, that would be a different thing.

She’d have to save up a lot of money and find a way to get away with him and the baby before the divorce. 

“We are here.”   

The driver’s voice brought Yunseul to her senses.

“Thank you.”   

As she gets out of the car, a cool breeze sweeps through her body.

The air catches in her throat as she sees a gate as tall and wide as a castle.

She’s ready to walk inside when a car drives up behind her.   

“Thank you for today,”  Hyungsoo said

“Thanks, and be careful.”    Ji Hyuk’s response.

Yunseul turned slowly, her eyes widening to tears.  He and his sister-in-law were the ones that got out of the car.

‘He canceled the appointment with my Dad because of her.’

Yunseul’s eyes filled with pain for a short period. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and when she opened them, they were blank again.   

She focused her attention on her sister-in-law’s stumbling arm. She smiles a bitter smile, and then stops, recognizing herself.

“Ah Yunseul”  

Yunseul’s eyes remained fixed on the hand that was holding her sister-in-law’s wrist.    

“I’m going  to meet her, and she needs some of my assistance today”

“Yeah.”

Hyungsoo’s eyes were puffy.   

“Come on in.” 

“…It’s about to rain.”   

The two people who had passed through her entered the gate. She bit her lower lip as if they hadn’t been there.   

“Does it hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.”  

 YunSeul’s ankle was too weak to keep up with them. They came to an end in the garden, and Yunseul stood there watching them walk side by side.

She was missing her mother. She should have called her number.

Yunseul walked toward their house, her lips curled up in a fake smile.