Episode 14

“You found my mom?” Yunseul asked, her eyes trembling.    

“Yeah, let’s go,”

he says, already ready to go out, even though she’s shivering in her clothes He walks over to her and helps her straighten her clothes.    

“…Where is my mom?” she says, her voice trembling.    

“In a hospital.”

“In a hospital?”

She should have asked him why her mother was in the hospital and what was wrong with her, but she was too afraid to speak up.    

She got into the car he was driving and drove to the hospital where her mother was being hospitalized.    

She entered the elevator to the waiting staff and walked on the floor with the VIP rooms. The heavy footsteps seemed to weigh down on her shoulders as she walked along the lengthy hallway.    

“This is it,”

The staff member came to a stop and pointed to a hospital room door. On the floor itself, there appeared to be only one hospital room.

Furthermore, others dressed as bodyguards in the black kept watch at the door. He winked at them, and they moved aside, blocking the door.    

He stepped inside after the door opened. Yunseul followed him into the room.

The door banged shut behind her. Yunseul stood there, unable to close her eyes or breathe properly, staring at her mother, who was lying in bed.    

Time seems to have stopped, as there is no sound. She is unable to see anything. Just her mother…

All she sees is her mother, who is pale and weary. She couldn’t believe it, so she closed her eyes tightly and opened them again.

But there she was, lying in the middle of all the apparatus. It had to be a dream, and she had to be mistaken.

“…Mom?”

It wasn’t a dream, and she wasn’t daydreaming.

“What’s wrong with you, huh?”

She looked too lifeless to be sleeping. Yunseul approached him, leaning back. Fear coursed throughout her body as she saw his mouth kept closed.   

Fear formed a lump in her throat.

“Tell me,”

She pressed her hand against his forearm, asking for an answer. Yunseul grimaced, irritated by how he always, always, always hesitated.    

“…We’re late for the treatment.”

Her legs gave way as her eyes flashed. To save her from collapsing, he grabbed her arm.    

“Mommy…. Where did he hide my mom?”

She asked, wondering where she was and why the treatment had been delayed. She was aware of her frailty. She was also aware that her bronchial tubes were particularly weakened as a result of her long imprisonment.    

But…. She asked as to where he had hidden it……    

“On an island of your stepmother.”    

Yunseul bit her lip so hard that it bled.

“That’s why it was so hard to find her.”

She should have found her earlier. She should’ve asked him before. No, it was all her fault for choosing to hide her mother from him.

What’s the problem with a murderous mother… She was only trying to protect herself… How could she possibly keep that from him…    

She shook her head as he wrapped his arm around her trembling shoulder. She pulled his arm from over her shoulders and moved closer to her mother, one step at a time.    

“Mommy…” Why no response?

“Open your eyes, okay?”

“Open your eyes, mom?”    

“Mommy… Please…….”

“Wake up and tell me you’re all right. Tell me you were only sleeping for a minute.”

She had been apart from her mother for a long time. She wished to live near her mother in the future…

She wanted to be silly and live happily ever after with her baby, the three of them……    

“Hm…ugh….”    

She couldn’t even tell her that about her pregnancy. Yunseul cried quietly. The physicians ran over to say something, but no one listened to him.

Yunseul’s shoulders began to shake more and more.    

“With proper treatment, she’ll going to be fine.”

“…Hm…ugh.”

“She’s going wake up.”

That night, it was an unusually comforting voice. Yunseul clenched her teeth; if it hadn’t been for him, her mother wouldn’t have made it to the hospital. She’d be waiting for help forever.    

“Don’t worry, we have the most experienced doctors.”

The man behind her grabbed her shoulder. Yunseul slowly nodded.    

“…My father was…….”    

She didn’t even want to call him a father. He’d given up on being human. Knowing she had only one mother.

How could he do this to his once love and his child’s mother? What if he knew the fact that she was here? 

What if he found she had taken her off the island? Maybe he knew now.  She would do anything to get his hands on her.

She’d do anything to get his hands on her so he’d surrender her will and take his money.

“What if my father will find her.”  

“I won’t let anyone see her, and that includes your father.”

She somehow trusted him. What if…… He could protect her mother from her father.

“I’m going to get more bodyguards, so don’t worry about that.”

“…Thank you.”

He seemed to understand what she was saying. What kind of person is her father?…. What about her mother?

Yunseul turns her head to examine his features. It was his usual expressionless expression as if he was unable to determine what he was thinking.

She’s not sure why she feels like crying at the sight of it.

The old lady next door, her father, her stepmother, and even Yun Ina when they they found out what had happened to her mother, all had the same reaction.  They will examine herself as if she were filthy as if she were about to develop an illness, but she didn’t.

The tears that had been kept in have come back stinging her eyes. She quickly turns her head to cover her face since she doesn’t want him to see her cry, but he’s quicker.    

As her hands clutch her cheeks together, he lets out a sigh.

Yunseul’s eyes fluttered frantically at the warmth in his eyes, which felt so different from before, and her breath was caught in her throat as he gently wiped away the tears flowing down her cheeks.    

She had to be mistaken because her heart was breaking for her mother right now.

Seo Ji-hyuk, are you wiping her tears away carefully? That could never happen.    

“Hmph. “Hmph…ugh.”

It wasn’t supposed to happen, but it did. When he touched her back, she burst into tears. She expected him to become irritated and urge her to stop crying but he kept rubbing her back.    

* * *

Her mother has been in the hospital for a week now.

Mom had opened her eyes a few days ago, but briefly, true to his promise that they’d have the best doctors and not to worry. ……

She hasn’t been able to open her eyes since then.

“Ha.”

She knows she shouldn’t sigh, even for her baby’s sake, but she’s worried about her mother, so she lets out an uncontrollable sigh.    

“Baby, I’m sorry.”    

She put on a happy song in an attempt to uplift her mood sat on the living room couch and looked out the window.

It’s only been a week and she hasn’t been a breath of fresh air.

Yunseul looked around the calm house while she nuzzled the steady limbs of the tree.  Mrs. Seo had taken a three-day vacation. 

She remembered her mother lying in the hospital when she informed her that her mother was alone in the countryside and that she needed to go visit her since she was sick.   

 She should be dutiful while she is still alive and well; it is too late if she later regrets it.     She only prayed she wouldn’t be as disappointed as she was.

He said he would be late today. Yunseul liked being alone since it enabled her to relax without being watched.

She felt satisfied after eating the strawberries Mrs. Seo insisted on eating. She must have been tired from her current concentration on her mother.

Her eyelids were heavy, and she was about to fall asleep on the couch when she heard the doorbell ring. The doorbell rang, which was unusual in their house where he and his wife lived on its own, so Yunseul stood up.

It was Hyungsoo, she looked at the intercom screen. She was rubbing her tummy that hadn’t come out even though she was pregnant.    

She swallowed dryly and smiled as if she had been happy with something.    

She couldn’t handle it any longer, so she opened the door.    

“sister-in-law, why are you here?”

“…I’m sorry.”  

“You must have been busy.”

She looked at her as she sat on the couch as if it were her own.

“Why are you standing there? Sit down.”

“…What’s wrong?” she asked, as to what had brought you here.

“I came here to talk to you.”

“Can I get you a drink….”

“No thanks, I don’t need it.”

She refused to listen to her for whatever reason.

“Is Junhyuk went to school,”

As a result, she asked a question that she didn’t intend to ask.    

“That’s none of your business, can you sit down?”

Seo Jun-hyuk has yet to apologize. Her sister-in-law had taken the knife back. She cleaned a hand through her tangled hair, bitter.    

“Yunseul, you’re a very scary person, aren’t you?”

As she realized what it was, her eyes widened. If she’s going to speak, she’ll speak such that she can be understood. Not with you, at least.    

“What if your mom finds out?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She just wanted him to go home and sleep. He’ll be home late as well. Should she visit her mother? She expects she’ll get up today, but the doctor told her it was up to her.    

“Your biological mother, they said she’s a murderer.” ……!!

Yunseul covered her mouth with her hands because she was afraid a scream would escape if she didn’t.    

“Uh, how…….”

Before they married, her father took off all evidence of her. Her sister-in-law had no idea she had a biological mother because she observed and recognized her.

And to think she was aware she’d murdered a man.

 Yunseul swallowed dryly, her hands trembling.    

“I’m a fast rumor spreader.”

“…….”    

She’s at a loss for words.    

“It won’t be long before your mother hears about it, and then you’ll get a divorce, right?”

“…Hyungsoo….”

“Is that it? You’ll have to throw out everything that was given?”

Yunseul’s voice sounded strange. She’d take everything away, including the child in her womb.

Yes. If you’re a mother, you’ll take the child. She is the one who allowed him to marry for her to bear his child.

The trembling became more intense.    

“I was fooled too, thanks to your sister….”  

“My sister?”

Her sister-in-law quickly shut her mouth, but she knew Yun Ina. She didn’t give her any money and refused to allow her to attend the chaebol conference, so she decided to exact her revenge in this way.    

Yunseul gritted her teeth. Yun Ina’s father was the same, as was her mother, they were identical. Also, he hadn’t mentioned anything about her mother and had kept it a secret, implying that she didn’t care.    

A bitter taste emerged in her throat at the memory of her mother’s life, her mother’s terrible and pathetic choice to kill to protect herself.

The day’s events flashed before her eyes in startling detail.   

“I thought you said you didn’t want to leave this house?”

She rose from her seat, with her eyes fixed on her sneering sister-in-law.    

“…Your mother doesn’t know yet, does she?”

Her greatest concern right now is that if she ever finds out she had a child, the daughter of a murderer, they would take her baby away from her, saying she cannot let her raise a child. That was her worst nightmare.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

“…I see.”    

Her stomach, which had been fine a moment ago, flipped.   

“I need to go to the bathroom. I understand what you’re saying, so you can go.”

She turned away without looking at her. Yunseul rushed into the bathroom, locked the door, and turned on the water.

“Woof!”

She grabbed the toilet seat and flushed out everything she had eaten that day. She was shivering.

Her stomach was churning, but her mind was racing. She has enough money to live on. No, there is more than enough. So did not worry about money.    

Somewhere to hide… Yeah…. A safe place to run away and stay…Where he doesn’t know… Isn’t that the only place?

But…. What about Mom, who is still lying in the hospital…?

Yunseul staggered to her feet, rinsing her mouth and muttering.

“Let’s just not show it… Let’s act like nothing happened,” the woman in the mirror said, her face pale as if she was about to collapse.    

* * *

Yunseul tried to open her eyes as she lay powerless on the bed. She’ll have to leave if he doesn’t divorce her.

It’s obvious, yet she can’t face the thought of him being alone.

She doesn’t understand, no matter how hard she tries. She expected to be relieved to leave, but she felt nervous.    

She needs to get away from him if she wants to save her baby moon and find happiness.

What’s going on with this sting?  Her head explodes from seeing her mother in bed, but she’s the one she didn’t even think about.

She’s eaten everything she’s ever eaten, but she’s out of energy. She desperately wanted to see her mother, but in the situation she was in, she had no choice but to go first thing tomorrow morning.

She also stated that a crisis is an opportunity. It was an opportunity for her to get a divorce. A clean separation from her father and her current house.

So she decided to be strong no matter what happened. Yunseul felt a stirring and looked up at the visitor as she lay helpless in bed.

He arrived late and had just returned home. She got up when she heard footsteps that were louder than normal. She froze when she opened the door.

He’s drunk and out of control, and his female secretary is supporting him. She bows when she sees her.    

“…Let me take you to your room.”  

“No, no. Just put me on the couch.”  

“Yes, sir.”    

She can count the number of times that he had a secretary come into her house on one hand. She dug through her memories. Previously, a male assistant had brought him in, but today a female assistant had brought him in.

She looked at the assistant who was assisting him, thinking that she recognized her from somewhere.

She watched as he staggered to the couch and leaned against her.    

“I’m going to go, then.”  

“Thank you for your help,” Yunseul said, cheerfully smiling.

Yunseul remembered where she’d seen her before as the secretary bowed and turned away.    

*”She’s a new assistant, and you don’t recognize her?”*

*”That’s the guy who cheated on you by dating her.”*  She seems to be familiar.

*”I’m sure my friend saw him coming out of the hotel,”* she says, not believing her. *”I’m sure.”*

She also doesn’t trust him; she’d never tried, and she wasn’t going to trust him for the rest of her life.

She couldn’t and didn’t want to tell him about the child, so she looked coldly at him as he flopped on the couch, then turned and walked into her room.

It wasn’t the master bedroom, but a room in the far corner of the house, and she slumped to the floor, leaning against the door, her face buried beneath her upraised knees, after closing the door.

She said she was going to act normally as if nothing had happened. …Why is she so upset?

She has no idea why she feels that way, knowing completely that Yun Ina only said the things he did to irritate her, and that rumors are overblown and unreliable.    

Yunseul pushed a strand of her hair away from her face. I was by his side for three years, knowing how inflated and ludicrous stories about him were.

Her heart starts to break.    

She hasn’t ever felt this way before, and she feels ashamed. She wants to sleep right now hoping her emotions will be gone when she wakes up.  

Her legs became unstable and she swayed many times as she walked to the bed. Yunseul pulled the blankets up to her head when she was in bed.  

She thought she could fall asleep if she just closed her eyes, but she couldn’t.    

* * *

Yunseul woke and went into the living room after turning and tossing all night. As he left for work, the house was quiet. She walked out to the living room, took a glass of water from the kitchen, stretched, and ran into him.  

“You didn’t go to work?”

She asked, surprised that he hadn’t left work after working constantly like a workaholic.  

“Yeah, I decided to run a little late.”

“Oh…….”

His face scrunched as if he were sick to his stomach. Of course, he’d had so much to drink that he could barely contain himself, so it would be strange if he felt well.    

He had his back towards the couch. He could see himself yesterday lying on the couch, supported by his secretary. Yunseul’s face became cold.

“You said you went on vacation, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

He seemed to be looking for something to cheer her up, but she didn’t want to feed him, so she pretended not to notice.

She tried to persuade him to go to his in-laws, where he would be given a proper meal.    

“Where did you sleep last night? You weren’t here?”

Yunseul’s eyes darkened as she realized where she was.    

“I slept in another room.”  

“Why?”

She thought that resting would let her angry feelings go away, but it only made her angrier.

“Because I don’t like the smell of alcohol.”    

She shouted out, her voice as venomous as ever.    

“…Oh, I drank a little too much last night….”

“I hate the smell of alcohol, I hate it.”

She raised her eyebrows and asked a question. She bites her lip, astonished by the coldness in her voice, and feels at a loss for words when he asks her why she’s being so dramatic.    

“Okay,”

She says, but he doesn’t respond. He went into his room to get ready for work after going to the kitchen to get some water.

Yunseul, who had been standing still up to that point, moved her feet and made her way to the master bedroom. She heard the sound of running water in the bathroom.

She stood in the middle of the room, waiting for him to come out of the bathroom.

Yesterday, not long ago… She had a strange feeling to herself. She had no reason to be angry with him, and it was confusing and annoying that she was.

Divorcing him was supposed to make her feel as light as a feather, but instead, it broke her heart. Her entire body sinks. Her breathing was heavy, heavy, heavy as if she’d been drinking water.    

When the door opens, he wears just a shower robe. He paused a few seconds to figure out she was standing in the center of the room, then toweled off his hair as if nothing had occurred.

Yunseul fists were clenched. She inhaled deeply.    

“I’m getting a divorce,”

He snorts, the sound of which digs into her chest.

He appears surprised as if he expected her to bring up divorce, but he’s at peace with it, which is why her throat is burning.    

The towel he was using to dry his wet hair falls to the floor, and she has no idea why her heart has sunk, even though it is simply a towel.

In her grip, she could feel her palms sweating.

His head gradually shifted to the side.    

“Did you forget because I’m nice to you?”

His eyes, which he believed had gotten warmer lately were cold.

Yunseul swallowed dryly. She grumbled as she examined the lump in her throat.    

“When I found your mom, you and I renewed our contract.”

“…….”

“Don’t you dare think of walking away from me?”

She moved closer to him as he walked away, not wanting to hear anything else. She spoke quickly.

“Just let me go,” she said, his brow furrowed in disapproval.    

“No, I won’t. Stay by my side for the rest of my life,” he said as he watched her lips twitch upward.    

“What, why? You’ve got plenty of women around you, you could live with them.” His face goes silent.    

“It’s never going to work out for us, so give it up.”

So she should run and then fight. They weren’t even in love, and a clean breakup would be nice. She fixed her eyes on him as he struggled further.  

“I’m not backing down.” He raised his head, refusing to back down.    

“I want to live my life to the fullest too, I know it’s shameless.”    

After all, he’d not only kept her safe but also found and cared for her mother, so she realized she was being rash.    

“But…. I want to be happy.”  

“……Happy?”

“How long will you stay if your mom lives?” he wonders, knowing he’s been separated from her.    

“Then you’ll just have to live next to me and be happy.”

He looked at her, his lips clenched in a harsh line, unable to close his eyes.   

“What are you going to do if I hide her?”

“Mr. Ji-hyuk!”

“Why, do you think I can’t?”

“You found her on the island, and you can’t hide it again.”

“I can hide it in an even worse place than your father,” he said.

Her prior warmth and tenderness were gone and her former coldness had taken its place.    

“If you stay by my side, you’ll never have to worry about anything, so why are you doing this?”

He doesn’t understand why she keeps asking for a divorce when she can get over it.    

“Did you have anything to hide, do you?”

Yunseul moved her hand to her stomach, speechless.  As he asks if she has anything to hide, she almost wraps her arms around her belly.    

His jet-black eyes are fixed on her motionless hand.    

“If your father divorces me, do you think he’s going to leave you alone? Have you forgotten that I made him draw a line in the sand?”

He pushes her to clarify why she continues to try to leave when the safest place is right next to him.    

“Do you have any idea what kind of as$hole you were dealing with?”

He approaches her like an evil reaper, and she shrinks back. His robe had fallen on the ground.   

Her heart sank.

He approached her with half-open eyes, reaching out without hesitation, and she could only describe it as a spin.    

Yunseul tightened her hands as she saw him tear the clothes from her body.* * *

“Mommy…….”    

She held her mother’s shrunken hands in a hospital room filled with the sound of machines. Despite her frequent use of lotion, the backs of her hands were dry.

It broke her heart, and she felt she was going to cry. She leaned down and rested her forehead on the back of her mother’s hand.

She made a fool of herself by rubbing her cheeks against her mother’s palm.    

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry.”    

Yunseul shook her head. Tears fell in a steady stream.    

“Only me… Just me, wondering….”    

She is truly sorry. To protect her, her mother became a murderer. But……. But…….

“I…. no longer……. Hmm…ugh.”    

Even if she was a bitch, there were no words to describe her. Her heart fell at the thought of leaving her mother.

She was crying and couldn’t raise her head like a sinner.

In the morning, she finished her phone call with Mrs. Seo. She now has a place to go and has prepared all of her belongings.

She only needs to get away with Mrs. Seo’s help after her gynecological appointment in three days.

As she was trying to decide where to run away, she remembered something Mrs. Seo had said to her in passing.

She told her that her mother’s house was in the mountains and that guilty people could flee and live.

She was sure that was the place, so she called her right away this morning. She told her everything, and she said she understood all about the situation she was in and was willing to help her.

“I’ve always wanted to be nice to you, but I couldn’t help you because they looked at me.”

“I’m glad I was able to help you in this way.

Yunseul cried for a long time as she said she couldn’t leave her pregnant daughter behind.

She stumbled to her feet and patted her mother’s cheek after roughly wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.

She applied lotion after wiping her face and every inch of her body with a damp towel.    

Despite having a caregiver, Yunseul made sure to clean and massage her mother once a day.    

In her eyes, she saw her mother’s lifeless face. She realized she could pay for her stay in the hospital with the money she had saved.

She planned to send someone to pay for the hospital after she hid in the mountains of Gangwon Province.    

“Mom……. I’ll come back.”    

She wanted to spend more time with her mother before running away, so she came to see her first thing in the morning and sat on a hard chair, her legs swelling.

“I’m going to go. Take care of her.”  

“Okay, don’t worry.”

She handed the envelope to the caregiver and told her to look after her mother.    

“What, you keep giving me things like this, the boss is giving me a lot….”

“But please take it,” Yunseul said, forcing her smile to cover her sorry expression.    

“If your mom wakes up or… If anything happens….”

“I’ll call you right away.”  

“……Thank you.”    

If only she could be this nice to her mother even after she was gone.

“Then you should go. Even the healthiest people break down from taking care of patients, and by how you look, your hands and legs are swollen, so go get some rest.”    

She tried not to show it, but the caretaker noticed it in her eyes. She massaged her swelling hands together and turned her attention to her mother. She needs to leave, but she can’t stop herself.

Her feet, like watered-down cotton, weighed her down with each step. What will it be like when she leaves her mother behind if it’s this difficult now?

Her chest is heavy with guilt, and she can’t breathe properly.

Yunseul went to the restroom before leaving the hospital and getting in a taxi. She dried her eyes with her handkerchief. The woman in the mirror looked sad.    

She ran her fingers through the scarf that was wrapped around her neck. She slid it down, revealing a smear.

Yunseul drew the scarf up again to cover the marks. Her ears perked up as she remembered turning like an animal and growling.  

Her body’s reaction to his violent gestures. Yunseul turned away, laughing bitterly. When she went outside, the sky was cloudy with a possibility of rain.

She scowled as she inhaled, her pores clogged by the humidity.    

“Ms. Yunseul?”  a whisper behind her, and she turned around to answer.

“Yes?”

A man in a black suit approached, probably a bodyguard.

“…Who are you?”

“We need you to come with us.”  

“Who are you…….”  

What she thought was one man turned out to be three. Two more men exited the black sedan in front of her, bringing the total to five.

Yunseul’s eyes flew around in a frenzy. She looked around, but there was no one nearby.    

“Get in.”    

Yunseul lifted the tip of her chin lazily. Her face was tight for a minute, then relaxed.    

“No. Why would I?”

She wasn’t afraid. Not.

“Who hired you?”

“That’s none of your business, and I don’t want to exert myself, so you’ll have to get in.”    

Yunseul laughed, making the other men nervous. They tried to force her into getting on. Even the sight of her was absurd, but not frightening, because…    

“Ew! Who are you guys, who are you guys!”    

She wasn’t surprised because she expected it. She was expecting it, and a bitter taste emerged in her throat.    

“Get off me! Get off me!”

In an instant, the five massive men smashed him to the ground. Yunseul looked down coldly at the men struggling on the ground and bowed slightly in thanks to the men who had easily detained them.

It was clear to her that her father would be able to get away with kidnapping her, so she hired a tougher bodyguard than usual.

She was wealthy, so she didn’t mind the money; she simply needed people to protect her and her child.    

“Tell my father not to mess with me in the future. I’ll let it pass today, but if he does it again, tell him he won’t stand for it.”    

Yunseul turned to praise himself when she saw a familiar face in the distance and stopped in amazement.

“Senior…….”    

It was Han Ki-hyuk, once again in an unexpected location.

“…This is…….”    

She was at a loss for words. She was unable to say that her father had sent someone to kidnap his daughter and that she knew about his actions and hired someone to protect herself.

Yunseul scratched the back of her neck and smiled awkwardly. He’d completely forgotten she was wearing a scarf. The scarf loosened and flew away in the wind.

“Gotcha.”    

Han, who was taller, caught the scarf as it fluttered away. She took a step back as Han Ki-hyuk neared her rapidly.    

She noticed Han Ki-hyuk’s sparkling smile as he smiled at her. Yunseul felt envious of his smile, which was as warm as the spring sun.

She, too, wants to be able to smile like that. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to smile that brightly and cheerfully?    

“Here.”

“…Thank you.”    

Han Ki-hyuk’s eyes rested on the back of her neck. His eyes then widen.    

Yunseul wrapped the scarf over her neck.    

“Who’s sick?”

Han Ki-hyuk asked something, his face widening. Yunseul fixed her eyes on him as if trying to break the ice.    

“No, I just had to take care of something.”    

She didn’t mention her mother being in the hospital, and now when she thinks about it, she wonders if the people her father had sent to kidnap her were aware that she was there as well.

“Don’t worry,”

He remembered the voice that had stroked her sobbing shoulder the day he discovered her and told him not to worry.

He wasn’t normally a trustworthy person, but he sounded so.  Even now, in the presence of those whom her father had sent, she trusted him.    

She thought she had been given a VIP room on one of the floors, but he ordered them to vacate all of the rooms upstairs and downstairs. Bodyguards are stationed outside the room 24 hours a day.

He couldn’t bring her along. He was concerned about it.    

“Let’s go for tea.”

“What?” Yunseul’s attention turned to Han Ki-hyuk’s voice.    

We agreed to have tea the next time we met.

“Oh……. That’s just….”

“You said that in passing?” Han Ki-hyuk exclaims, his lips closing tightly.  

“I didn’t say it in passing, so you can buy me coffee.”

Who is it that says that? She was about to go ahead of Han Ki-hyuk, but she decided to buy him coffee as a thank you for driving her home previously.    

That’s right. She even handed her an umbrella.

She folded his dry umbrella and placed it in a shoe box. She planned to give it to him afterward, but she didn’t expect to see him again.

The air conditioning in the coffee shop made her feel at ease. She took a seat across from Han Ki-hyuk at a table near the window.    

“What will you have?”

“I’ll have an iced Americano. What about you?”

As she rose from her seat, she glanced at him with wide eyes.    

“I’ll get you one, I am supposed to buy you one.”  

“No, I….”

“Sit down.”    

Yunseul quickly got up and walked up to the counter, where she ordered a cup of coffee. Yunseul returned to her seat a few moments later with his coffee and soda.    

“Thank you. I’ll drink it well.”

“Thank you for driving me home that day. Please eat quickly.”  

“I think you mean eat and go.”

Yunseul closed her mouth and whispered, “It’s true.” Han Ki-hyuk laughed and shook his shoulders.    

“…Why do you keep laughing?” Yunseul asked, her face serious.    

“Because it’s funny.”

This time she looked angry.    

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m not making fun of you.”

“…….”

“You’ve always been kind of…. funny.” This man is real.    

“Senior,” she said coldly, and he returned her smile.    

“I don’t mean it in a bad way, don’t get me wrong.”

“I want you to be alive and say everything you want to say.”

Her words escaped her mouth. In a surprise, she covered her mouth with her palm. It may have been insulting, but Han Ki-hyuk’s expression stayed unchanged.    

“Oh, sorry….”

“It’s fine, and take this,” he said.

She was blinking at the paper on the table.    

“A business card? What do you want this for?”

“To call me if something happens.”

“I don’t need it….”

“You never know what’s going to happen in your life, so just take it.”    

He hung up, his visage solemn as ever. That was the end of it. She chose to keep the business card.    

“I’m a nicer guy than you think, so if anything happens to you, call me, I’m sure there’s quite a few things I can help you with.”

Yunseul’s eyes twitched slightly as he seemed he know what he was talking about.

She was suspicious, but Han Ki-hyuk was a good man. When she thought about it, he’d also helped her in college.

“I’ll take you home.”

“Never mind.”  

“Oh, just in case,” He explained.

“I saw you almost get kidnapped earlier……., so I can’t help but be worried.”

“You don’t have to worry.”    

He’d hired bodyguards, so they would be around anyway.  Yunseul’s eyes twitched slightly as he seemed he know what he was talking

“I’ll go then.”  

“Be careful.”

“Yeah.”

“See you later,” Yunseul said as he turned and walked out the door, frowning.

Her lower tummy ached slightly. Even though she was at an air-conditioned coffee shop, sweat came down her back.    

“Why does it hurt? Should I go to the hospital?”

She rubbed her stomach and shook her head, but the pain disappeared as if it hadn’t been there for a while.    

Even if it wasn’t, she was almost taken… It seems likely due to stress.    

She should just head home and get some rest. Yunseul paced, rubbing her swelling hands.   

 * * *

Her stomach felt significantly better yesterday, but her sadness showed no signs of changing. She’d planned on leaving her mother to live on her own, but that would be weird if she felt okay about it.

It had rained all day, exactly like her mind had. As the windows are slightly open, the sound of rain penetrates the house.

She sat in front of the front window and watched the rain. Yunseul wrapped her arms around her legs.    

She tries not to sigh, but she does. She stretched, brushing her hair back from her face.

Her back hurt and her legs were heavy from sitting on the chair since she visited her mother in the hospital.    

Yunseul’s eyesight spun as she stretched, and she fell to the floor. She had been sitting for far too long and abruptly got up. She inhaled slowly and opened her firmly tightened eyes.

Fortunately, the dizziness was gone. She sat back in her chair and closed the window. The rain hammered against the window, and everything fell silent.

She felt like she was in a cave because of the rain. Even the simplest sounds seem like they echo loudly.    

Yunseul went on to change in the locker room. Her father-in-law’s birthday was today. She purposefully avoided her in-laws’ home, knowing that they had been busy preparing dinner since the morning.

She knew she was leaving the next day and didn’t want to make a terrible impression.

Plus, when she gets excited about capturing the pods, her sister-in-law is often laughing to herself.

She made a decision not to visit her in-laws’ home since she did not want to see them. She couldn’t think of an excuse not to attend her father-in-law’s birthday party.

She wanted to lie and say she was sick, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him since he would immediately call a doctor.    

He’s been acting so kind since she brought up the divorce that she feared he’d explode. He brought home a bunch of ice cream as a gift yesterday.    

Yunseul was unhappy. She knew right away that it was a lie. He had never brought her anything in three years of living together, and this was the second time he had unexpectedly brought her ice cream.    

She was startled at first and believed him when he said he had a gift, but when he brought her ice cream yesterday, she realized he was lying.    

She shook her head, puzzled by how he had changed.

Yunseul changed out of her comfortable clothes into a black dress.    

“…….”    

She felt cold, probably because she’d been sitting in front of the window with the window open the whole time.

She had dressed too thinly for the occasion. She rubbed her chicken-fleshed forearms and tied her hair up into a high ponytail.    

When she looked in the mirror, she saw a woman who was unhappy and lifeless. Yunseul left the dressing room, opened the lipstick on her vanity, and put it on her lips.    

She looked in the mirror once again. Red lipstick struck out like a sore thumb against her flawless white skin. She chose not to take off her lipstick because it would conceal her dead face.    

He moved around, cold and feeling a tiny discomfort in her stomach, as her phone vibrated. What’s the matter with me?

Yunseul grimaced and tightened the hold on her stomach. She hadn’t done anything out today, and she was scared.    

She took a long breath in, wondering if she should go to the hospital. The pain disappeared like an illusion.

Her gynecologist visit was tomorrow, so she assumed she’d go in and ask.

“Hello?”

She couldn’t ignore her phone’s constant ringing, so she took it out of her bag and answered it.    

“Yes, yes. Tomorrow.”    

It wasn’t her usual cell phone, but a cannonball phone given to her by the man she was talking with.

Some people hide data from those who are looking for it. Some people nowadays delete evidence. If she ran away all CCTV and her paths would be erased.    

“Yeah, I sent my luggage to the guy who left when I went to the hospital this morning.”    

Today, in the underground parking lot of her mother’s hospital, she handed the man her previously packed luggage.

He told her that the first thing she’d do after she disappeared would be look over her cell phone call history.    

“Then tomorrow… Yes, sir.”    

Yunseul bowed her head and focused her eyes on her wiggling toes.  

She’ll finally get out of here tomorrow. We’re not going directly to Mrs. Seo’s mother’s house, but we’re going around the block in case, he said.    

She came to a halt as she listened to the mango over the precautions one more time.    

“…Okay, bye.”    

Yunseul looked up and made eye contact with the man in the reflection after abruptly disconnecting the call.    

Yunseul’s face became pallid. She leaped to her feet and turned around.    

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Yeah.”

Her phone was hidden behind her back. She swallowed dryly for some reason, his eyes fixed on her back. As he approached closer, she dropped her head, reluctant to look him in the eyes.    

“Were you on the phone?”

“No, I hung up.”    

His eye turned to the nape of her neck, then to her lips. She squeezed her shiny lips together, unable to think of anything else to say.    

Because it was his birthday, he had to leave work earlier than normal, and she put a mask on her face so he wouldn’t suspect anything.    

“I thought you were going straight to your parent’s house”

he said, which was why she’d made the call. She didn’t expect him to come home, as he hated being bothered.

“I thought I’d go with you.”

Yunseul’s eyes widened in response to the unexpected answer, but she quickly cleared her expression and lowered her eyes.    

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go.”

As she turned away, she smelled a faint odor of rain. He brings me ice cream, something he hasn’t bought me in our entire marriage, and then he goes with her to her in-laws’ house.

It wasn’t long ago that she heard him poke her in the chest for sleeping through dinner and being late. She bites her lower lip, confused by his sudden change.    

She turned off her phone as she watched him leave the room. She put it into her bag and followed him out.    

He doesn’t usually wait for her. Even though she was a bit late getting out of the house to hide her phone, he was waiting for her in the living room without a word of haste.    

Yunseul’s eyes turned black.

She hates her new look. She decided to put up with it since she was only going to see him tomorrow.  Yunseul stopped her in her tracks as she put on her shoes and went on outside.

He was holding an umbrella and waiting for her.    

“You go first.”    

Ji Hyuk’s voice spilled out, unable to hide his impatience.    

“It’s raining.”    

What is the connection between rain and waiting? She swallowed the unspoken words and walked to his side as he put the umbrella over her.

She’d previously slipped in the garden in the rain, so her feet were hindered by her care.    

Since it’s a golf umbrella, it’s larger than normal umbrellas, but her shoulder continues touching up against his. Yunseul pulled away from him, looking uneasy, but as she moved away, he moved closer.

Yunseul sighs and starts to walk away, but gets grabbed by the shoulder.    

“It’s raining,”

He urged her to stay put. His voice is just over her ear, and the back of her neck hairs rise.    

She wanted he’d become angry. She wanted he’d simply go back to the way things were so she wouldn’t have to feel uncomfortable.

She gets to her in-laws’ house before she can chase him away as he puts an umbrella over her head to protect her from the rain, and thanks to him, she doesn’t get a drop.    

“For the weekend.”    

As she kicked off her shoes, he whispered from behind her. Yunseul turned to face him as she put on her slippers.    

“Weekend?”

“Yeah. Do you have plans?”

“No, I don’t.”

No plans slid from his lips like a thief taking her foot. She pinched her eyes tight and then opened them again.    

“I was thinking of going to the nearest ocean.”

“Ah……. The ocean?”

She lifted her other hand to rub her neck, uncomfortable with his eyes clinging to the nape of her neck.    

“Yeah, it’s our wedding anniversary.”

When was her wedding anniversary? Of course, she was going to say no, but she’d be out of here the next day. Yunseul nodded and smiled softly.    

“Okay.”    

A smile grows over his face as he is taken aback by her answer.    

“Yunseul, I know you’re busy today, but why don’t you come and help?”

She leaned in closer, mumbling something about not answering her phone. Was it because she was leaving the next day? Her actions did not bother her.

“I’m sorry,” she said, but she didn’t bother to explain.    

“Wow, you’re so good at saying sorry. Are you sure you’re sorry?”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

She didn’t say anything else and backed away for some reason. She just stared at him while they walked side by side and talked. She is no longer required to look at him.    

“That’s right, sister-in-law.”

“What?”

Hyungsoo, who was walking ahead of her, turned around and called out to her as if she had something to say to her.    

“Jun-hyuk wants to apologize and wants to meet you in his room.”

“In his room?”

“Yes, the first floor is crowded, so he wants to talk to you in his room.”    

Seo Jun-hyuk, who hadn’t apologized in a while, suddenly wanted to apologize.

“My Jun-hyuk, he’s a little naughty, but he’s not a bad kid, he just wants to be close to Ji Hyuk and to you, so he played a little prank on them, and you took his favorite toy.”

“…….”

“So please understand. He’s the one who apologizes first.”

They won’t even see each other again tomorrow.

“Okay, I’ll go up to the second floor then.”

She walked up the stairs, past him and his brother. As she went up the stairs, her tummy felt unnaturally heavy.

She planned to visit her mother tomorrow and then visit her gynecologist, but she’ll have to reschedule her appointment.    

‘…. Just get through today. Okay? Just hold on for the moment.’

 She apologizes.

She apologized to her baby and walked up the stairs. A thunderclap rang out as he reached the top of the stairs. Yunseul, who was walking while looking down the steps to avoid collapsing, was taken aback by the thunder.    

“…….” 

Seo Junhyuk stood at the bottom of the stairs. His expression seems to recognize him from somewhere.    

“Junhyuk……?”

Yunseul remembers exactly where he had seen him. It was the same expression he’d seen as he jumped down the garden’s stone stairs.

She abruptly stopped breathing after getting goosebumps all over her body. Seo Jun-hyuk gave him a sly smile. He was about to throw himself down.

“…Junhyuk!”

Yunseul jumped to her feet and grabbed him. She was relieved that he hadn’t jumped because he was merely mimicking the jump.

Yunseul reached out to him as he stood on the stairwell’s edge. She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him hard.    

Yunseul’s eyes widened and she started to cry.    

“Ah…….”

……No.    Baby…….  Yunseul squeezed her eyes shut and felt her body slide backward.