Gyeo Wool came home after a long time.

As soon as she got out of the car, she ran into the noodle restaurant.

“Mom, I’m here!”

In the kitchen, her mother, Myung Sook, was putting noodles in a bowl for a customer.

“You’re here?”

“I’m going to the daycare.”

As soon as Gyeo Wool’s eyes met Myung Sook’s, she turned around and ran out.

“Gyeo Wool, hey!”

Myung Sook called out, but Gyeo Wool had already left the noodle shop.

She ran to the daycare center near the noodle restaurant.

“Huff… huff…”

She exhaled heavily, her breath rising up to her throat from running mindlessly.

In front of the daycare door, mothers who had come to pick up their children were standing.

Gyeo Wool calmed her breathing and exchanged eye greetings with the familiar mothers.

At that moment, the door opened and the director and childcare teachers came out holding the children’s hands.

“Hands on your belly!”

When the director gave the command, the children all put their small hands on their bellies at once.

As the teachers bowed first, the 3-year-old class children followed and bowed as well.

“Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, teachehs.”

The children said goodbye with their lisping pronunciation and turned around.

Gyeo Wool crouched down and spread her arms.

“Si Hoo!”

“Mommy!”

Si Hoo, with his large daycare backpack, waddled over and fell into Gyeo Wool’s embrace.

The two weeks apart must have felt torturously long.

Si Hoo hugged Gyeo Wool tightly, his body trembling with effort.

“Let’s see how heavy our Si Hoo has become, shall we?”

Gyeo Wool lifted Si Hoo up with a swoop.

“Is it heavy, mommy?”

Still with a lisp normal for a 3-year-old.

Si Hoo rolled his bright eyes, curious about Gyeo Wool’s reaction.

“Looks like you kept your promise with mommy well.”

“I ate lots~ of food.”

“Yes. Seems like you ate well when grandma gave you food. You’ve become much heavier than last time.”

“Are you going to buy me toys?”

Gyeo Wool nodded at Si Hoo’s question.

She had promised him three weeks ago when they parted.

If he ate a lot and became heavier, she would buy him the toy he wanted.

Si Hoo, who had recently become more assertive, had a specific toy in mind.

“Of course I have to buy it since you kept your promise.”

“Really?”

His large double-eyelid eyes, resembling Gyeo Wool’s, widened and his chubby cheeks rose in a cheer.

“I should tell the delivery person, ‘It’s Si Hoo’s gift, so please bring it quickly.'”

Hearing Gyeo Wool’s words, Si Hoo, who had been looking excited, kissed her cheek.

“What’s this kiss for?”

“Si Hoo’s gift.”

In that moment, Gyeo Wool’s lips spread into a bright smile like flowers blooming in spring.

Her heart felt ticklish and her body seemed to melt away.

This is happiness.

All the difficult times, worries, and painful memories disappeared with Si Hoo’s kiss.

.

.

.

Si Hoo played with the train running on the rail he received as a gift for several hours.

Tired from playing, he was now asleep with his head on Gyeo Wool’s lap.

Gyeo Wool looked down at Si Hoo fondly, stroking his hair.

“Si Hoo has grown again. They say you can see children growing, and it seems that’s true.”

Gyeo Wool turned her gaze to Myung Sook, who was folding Si Hoo’s clothes beside her.

Myung Sook had closed the noodle shop early and come up to the second-floor living quarters.

“It just seems that way because you haven’t seen him in a while.”

“Is that so?”

A shadow quickly fell over Gyeo Wool’s eyes.

It pained her heart that she couldn’t see her son growing every day.

Although they lived on the same Jeju Island, she had gotten a separate place to live.

It was an unavoidable choice as her company was over an hour’s drive away and she often had to work overtime.

Gyeo Wool lowered her head and kissed Si Hoo’s cheek.

Did he sense his mother even in his sleep?

Si Hoo’s closed eyes relaxed and the corners of his mouth curled up.

“Gyeo Wool, do you want to go on a blind date?”

Myung Sook suddenly asked.

“All of a sudden?”

“It’s not sudden. I couldn’t bring it up because you’re always so busy.”

Gyeo Wool reacted indifferently to Myung Sook’s words and carefully traced Si Hoo’s eyebrows with her finger, being cautious not to wake him.

He had thick, full eyebrows, taking after his father.

“If you get married while Si Hoo is young, he’ll naturally think of the man as his father.”

“I’m going to raise Si Hoo alone without getting married.”

“You’re young. Do you know how long you have to live?”

“I said I don’t want to. I only need Si Hoo.”

Myung Sook looked at the stubborn Gyeo Wool with a worried gaze.

“Are you afraid of hating Si Hoo?”

Myung Sook seemed to think that the reason Gyeo Wool didn’t want to get married was because of Si Hoo.

“Isn’t there a man who would accept Si Hoo like his own son?”

“Who said I’m not getting married because of Si Hoo?”

“Then what’s your reason for not wanting to get married?”

“Just. I don’t like marriage. I want to live like this.”

Annoyance seeped into Gyeo Wool’s voice.

It wasn’t just once or twice.

Every time she came to see Si Hoo, Myung Sook kept telling Gyeo Wool to go on blind dates like a broken record.

“How can you know if you like it or not without trying?”

Myung Sook muttered as if talking to herself.

She recalled the time when Gyeo Wool had quit her good job and came down to Jeju Island.

She came down suddenly pregnant, not saying a word about who the father was or what had happened in Seoul.

Seeing how she disliked marriage talk so much, Myung Sook could only guess that she must have been terribly hurt by a man.

When would she ever explain it clearly?

“You know that big pension complex at the entrance of the village by the beach? The owner there is single…”

Unable to give up, Myung Sook tried to bring up the blind date topic again.

“Mom, stop it!”

This time, Gyeo Wool raised her voice, even though Si Hoo might wake up.

“How many times do I have to say I don’t want to get married?”

“Alright, alright. I won’t say anything if that’s what you want.”

Myung Sook, seeming upset too, stood up abruptly.

She then took Si Hoo’s folded clothes in her arms and went into the room.

Gyeo Wool followed Myung Sook’s back with her eyes and let out a rough sigh.

It felt suffocating, as if a huge rock was placed on her chest.

Why couldn’t she understand Myung Sook’s heart in wanting her to go on blind dates?

But.

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

Gyeo Wool looked down at Si Hoo’s face with a pained gaze.

Thick eyebrows.

Sharp nose bridge.

Even the stubborn-looking lip line.

How could they look so alike?

Gyeo Wool was seeing that man’s face in her son’s face.

“You know… I don’t have the confidence to love anyone other than him.”

[This is the timeline separator]

On Saturday, Gimpo Airport was bustling more with people going down to Jeju than those coming up.

An ivory chiffon blouse and a short lemon-colored tweed jacket that fit perfectly at the waistline.

An H-line skirt in the same color and pattern as the jacket.

Gyeo Wool, dressed suitably for meeting Chairman Kang, exited the airport terminal.

Was it because of her beautiful figure beneath the short jacket and her sculpturesque face?

People’s gazes were drawn to her.

But as always, she was insensitive to the attention and gazes directed at her.

Gyeo Wool called Myung Sook.

“I’ve just arrived in Seoul. How’s Si Hoo?”

[He was whining earlier but now he’s playing with his toys.]

Gyeo Wool’s heart ached at hearing that Si Hoo had been whining.

How angry and sad must he have been when his mother, whom he met after a long time, left while he was sleeping after playing with him for just one day.

“I’ll take a day off in a few days and come back, so explain it well to Si Hoo.”

[Don’t worry about Si Hoo, just make sure you eat well while you’re out. Finding a place to stay, that’s not an easy task.]

Myung Sook thought Gyeo Wool had come to Seoul to look for a place to stay for a while.

Yesterday, Gyeo Wool had told Myung Sook that she would be staying in Seoul due to a construction project assigned by the company.

“Alright. I’m hanging up.”

Gyeo Wool hung up and let out a long breath.

“Everyone believes it without suspicion…”

Not just Myung Sook, but Eun Young also accepted the resort’s dispatch request without suspicion.

Having to lie to everyone in this situation.

Gyeo Wool looked up at the sky with an uncomfortable feeling.

The sky in Seoul was clear without a single cloud.

“I had vowed not to come back.”

Who would have thought she’d set foot in Seoul again after just 3 years?

The tip of her nose stung and her eyes felt hot.

Why do tears try to come out at the most inappropriate times?

After meeting Tae Wook.

After hearing about Tae Wook from Manager Sung, it got worse.

Gyeo Wool sniffled once and blinked several times to hold back her tears.

“I’ll be late for the appointment.”

Gyeo Wool hurried her steps to catch a taxi.

“Secretary Han!”

A familiar male voice called from behind her.

Turning around, she saw Tae Wook just getting out of a black car.

“CEO…”

Gyeo Wool looked at Tae Wook with a puzzled expression.

Had she missed a message about the meeting place changing?

Last time, Tae Wook had said to meet at Jisung General Hospital where Chairman Kang was hospitalized.

This isn’t the time.

Gyeo Wool hurried her steps towards Tae Wook.

“I thought we were meeting at the hospital.”

“That’s right, the hospital.”

Tae Wook said, furrowing his brows.

Is he angry?

Gyeo Wool thought he might be upset with her for some reason.

However, his gaze was directed over her shoulder.

She turned her head curiously, following his line of sight.

At the end of his gaze, two men were standing askew against the airport terminal wall.

“Do you know them?”

“No.”

Tae Wook answered curtly, sending a sharp glare towards the men.

The moment he spotted Gyeo Wool and got out of the car, he noticed the men eyeing her with a leering gaze.

When he quickly called out to Gyeo Wool, one of the men even let out an unpleasant whistle.

But it seemed Gyeo Wool hadn’t heard the whistle as it overlapped with his call.

Here we go again.

He had forgotten. How often he had been bothered and upset by men’s gazes on Gyeo Wool.

Tae Wook moved his body.

He blocked the men’s view with his broad back and opened the rear door.

“Get in quickly.”

He urged Gyeo Wool to move.

But she, unaware of his intentions, didn’t move as he wanted.

She was alternately looking at him and his hand on the door handle with a strange gaze.

“What are you doing? Get in.”

At his repeated urging, Gyeo Wool sprang into the car.

Then, with wide eyes, she followed Tae Wook’s movements as he walked around the car and opened the opposite door.

“Why are you staring like that?”

Had she been staring too obviously?

Tae Wook asked with an uncomfortable look.

“It’s nothing.”

“You need to fasten your seatbelt.”

The moment she turned her gaze away, Tae Wook’s voice was heard, as if saying, ‘Why did you forget that?’

She reached for the seatbelt.

“Secretary Han always forgets this.”

Tae Wook’s body moved before Gyeo Wool’s.

His upper body leaned towards her, and his hand was already pulling the seatbelt.