Seo Ha wandered through a very long dream and suddenly came to her senses. However, she could not open her eyes. As if receiving a death sentence, the connection between body and will had been completely severed.

-Creeak.

The sound of a door opening was heard. Then, the footsteps of a couple of people approached softly.

“Young lady, we’re here.”

The woman greeting cheerfully was Lee Ji Soo.

“Honey, you don’t have to greet her so diligently every time.”

The man giggling as if he found it adorable was Lee Seung Oh.

Anger bubbled up in the pit of her stomach. But there was nothing she could do. Just lying here like a corpse, listening to the sound of those two smooching.

“Ah, stop it. What if the caretaker auntie comes in?”

“She went to eat. It’ll be an hour before she returns.”

“Still… Kyaa!”

The sound of skinship grew more intense. Seo Ha fell into terrible self-loathing beyond anger. To think she had loved such an incredible trash until death, who was rolling around with another woman in the hospital room where his comatose wife lay.

-Knock knock.

Should it be called fortunate? When someone knocked lightly, that damned skinship sound abruptly stopped.

“Oh, there’s a guardian here.”

It was the doctor. Seo Ha tried hard to move her eyeballs, thinking he might realize her consciousness had returned, but it was in vain.

“How is she doing?”

Lee Seung Oh asked in a seemingly worried tone.

“Physically, she’s rather healthy. But we can’t predict at all when she’ll wake up. In fact, I’m not sure if she’ll be able to wake up at all.”

The doctor made an erroneous diagnosis right in front of Seo Ha, who was already conscious. Though she knew it wasn’t the doctor’s fault, she felt resentful.

“What about that thing I asked about last time?”

Lee Seung Oh asked. He tried to ask secretively, but the doctor bluntly expressed his words directly.

“If you mean discontinuing life support, that’s not possible.”

“But you said you’re not sure if she’ll wake up or not.”

“It’s only been three months. And whether it’s been three months or three years, discontinuing life support is essentially only allowed for patients who have fallen into a state of brain death, you know?”

Seo Ha learned two things from the doctor’s words. That she had been lying like this for three months already. That Lee Seung Oh had wanted to discontinue life support, in other words, Seo Ha’s death, even before those three months had passed.

“I understand. I just thought my wife looked too painful…”

It wasn’t a line befitting someone who had been fooling around with his mistress in the hospital room of his suffering wife.

The brief examination ended and the doctor left. Only three people remained in the room. Yoon Seo Ha, Lee Seung Oh, Lee Ji Soo.

“Nothing’s going right.”

Ji Soo whined to Seung Oh who was grumbling.

“Don’t say that. It’s scary.”

“What’s scary? You know what’s really scary…”

Seung Oh stood up and used two fingers to pry open Seo Ha’s tightly closed eyelids. The sight of his face reflected in her doll-like, unfocused eyes wasn’t particularly pleasant.

“It’s Yoon Seo Ha opening her eyes like this and suddenly sitting up.”

He withdrew his fingers and gently smoothed down Seo Ha’s slightly parted eyelids to close them completely.

“And then she’d say, ‘What happened to the divorce papers? Is the alimony ready? Get out of the company now. The house, car, and watch my mother gave you. Leave it all behind!'”

Lee Ji Soo smiled broadly and pulled on his arm to lean against him.

“So what? I only need you, oppa.”

“I need those things to make you happy, my princess.”

She’s a woman who’s only known hardship all her life. Seung Oh didn’t want to make Ji Soo suffer any more. Of course, he had even less intention of suffering himself.

“That car was too sturdy. How could it be fine after being hit by a truck? If I’d known, I should’ve asked for a dump truck instead of a porter.”

Seung Oh grumbled in a regretful voice.

A chill ran down Seo Ha’s spine.

Should’ve ‘asked’ for a dump truck? You mean the truck accident that put me in this state wasn’t an accident?

“It’s not fine. She can’t open her eyes.”

“That’s why. Wouldn’t it be so much better if it just ended? She’d die comfortably, and I’d inherit comfortably.”

“St-stop talking like that. I-I’m really scared.”

“You’re stuttering again.”

“Wh-when I get ne-nervous, I can’t help it…”

Seung Oh chuckled.

“Let’s go. We’ll be tight on time to visit my ‘ex’-mother-in-law’s room before going to the company. Won’t even have time for a cup of coffee before going in.”

“You always say you’re tight on time. Is being a company representative always that busy?”

“You tell me. Aren’t you busy just managing the design team?”

“I am busy, but…”

“You’re so cute.”

“No, I’m not.”

Ji Soo naturally stretched out her arms and wrapped them around Seung Oh’s neck. As their lips drew close again and the atmosphere was about to turn amorous…

-Bang!

The hospital room door burst open noisily. Seung Oh and Ji Soo jumped apart as if burned, then sighed in relief after seeing who had entered.

“Mom, how can you come in so suddenly?”

“What’s with you? I’ve spent twenty years tiptoeing around my princess. Now I have to tiptoe around my new daughter-in-law too?”

Ok Soon smacked Seung Oh’s back without even glancing at Seo Ha.

“I came looking for you since you weren’t coming and weren’t answering your phone. There’s a reporter in front of Seo Ha’s mother’s room right now, so go meet them quickly. If you’re not going to meet the reporter, why bother coming in and out of the hospital when you’re so busy?”

Mom’s in a hospital room? Why? What on earth has happened all this time?

“Alright, alright! Honey, take Mom down to the car first. I love you.”

The three people Seo Ha wanted to chew up and kill left the hospital room. Finally left alone, Seo Ha mulled over the conversations she had just heard with a chilled mind.

-That car was too sturdy. How could it be fine after being hit by a truck? If I’d known, I should’ve asked for a dump truck instead of a porter.

-That’s why. Wouldn’t it be so much better if it just ended? She’d die comfortably, and I’d inherit comfortably.

-Is being a company representative always that busy?

-You tell me. Aren’t you busy just managing the design team?

-There’s a reporter in front of Seo Ha’s mother’s room right now, so go meet them quickly. If you’re not going to meet the reporter, why bother coming in and out of the hospital when you’re so busy?

There was nothing to infer. Everything was too obvious.

That Lee Seung Oh had tried to kill her for her wealth and company. That even her mother was in the hospital from the shock of that time, and meanwhile Lee Seung Oh had seized the position of CEO of Kang Yoon Company and handed over the design team to Lee Ji Soo.

That the man she had chosen, that man’s woman, that man’s mother had not only betrayed her but also taken everything from her and even caused her mother to collapse.

She wanted to wail. She wanted to find Lee Seung Oh and spew every curse she knew at him while beating him to a pulp, biting him, sobbing.

But she couldn’t do anything. Even though her heart was being torn apart like this, even though she was so furious, she couldn’t even shed a single tear at will. Seo Ha writhed alone in agony with only her consciousness trapped in her body.

Let me get up. Let me open my eyes and move. Even if I’m trapped forever after tearing that bastard Lee Seung Oh to shreds and killing him. Please, please!

The day Seo Ha first met Lee Ji Soo was a damp evening with a light drizzle. Seo Ha later thought that Lee Seung Oh and Lee Ji Soo’s love probably began that day too.

Seo Ha stood arm in arm with Seung Oh in front of the gate, passing by the long wall. It was the house where Seo Ha was born and raised, and where the two of them had lived together since childhood.

“Mom will be surprised, right?”

She’ll be doubly happy since we came without notice.

Seo Ha was excited imagining Hae Sun’s surprised yet joyful reaction. Seung Oh was just nonchalant, but he was always like that so it wasn’t anything new.

The phrase ‘always like that’ encompassed a very long time and much more beyond that.

Yoon Seo Ha and Lee Seung Oh knew each other better than anyone else in the world. They always shared and did everything together. From their kindergarten days when they met as the housekeeper’s son and the employer’s daughter, until now, continuously.

As the thin rain became a bit heavier, Lee Seung Oh carelessly tilted the umbrella he was holding more towards Seo Ha’s side. Not minding at all that one side of his expensive suit was getting soaked because of it.

Seo Ha smiled and lightly rested her head on Seung Oh’s shoulder.

She loved his left shoulder that quietly got wet on rainy days. She loved the long shadow that naturally took her schoolbag and strode ahead after school ended. She loved the scarred fingers that brought birthday presents bought with money earned from part-time jobs at meat restaurants, the side profile of him making a mess of the kitchen saying he’d make Seo Ha’s college entrance exam lunchbox himself and getting scolded by Ok Soon.

She had never once imagined loving or marrying someone other than Lee Seung Oh.

“Honey.”

When she called out softly, Seung Oh looked down at Seo Ha.

“I love you.”

“Me too.”

She also loved the voice that always answered a bit gruffly.

-Ding dong, ding dong.

Seung Oh rang the doorbell. Before the sound even stopped, the door swung open and Ok Soon ran out as if she had been waiting.

“Did you come for dinner? You should have called ahead!”

“We didn’t want you to break your legs preparing too much.”

As Seo Ha entered the garden while joking, Seung Oh closed the gate behind her.

“We came because we wanted home-cooked food. Our princess never cooks for me.”

“This kid. How could Seo Ha do such a thing?”

Ok Soon glared and firmly grasped Seo Ha’s hand. Ok Soon, who had lived for a long time with her son Seung Oh in the small house converted from the employee lounge, was still living in this house with Hae Sun even after Seo Ha and Seung Oh got married.

But many things had changed. From employee to in-law, she had moved her belongings from the small house in the garden to a second-floor room with its own bathroom and living room. Seo Ha’s way of addressing Ok Soon also changed from ‘auntie’ to ‘mother’.

“You came at a good time. I was feeling lonely eating dinner alone, but I’m so glad you two are here.”

“Are you eating alone, mother? Where’s mom?”

“She called to say she had a separate dinner meeting.”

“What about Auntie Nanju? Is it her day off?”

Seo Ha looked for Park Nan Ju, who had newly taken charge of the household after her marriage to Seung Oh.

“She said she’s taking today and tomorrow off.”

“Our mother must have been lonely. We should have come earlier.”

“Oh my, I still feel awkward being called ‘mother’ by you. I’m not used to being called madam either. It’s been three months since you two got married.”

Seo Ha laughed along with Ok Soon who was cackling.

“Me too. I keep blurting out ‘auntie, auntie’ suddenly.”

“Right? Can’t I just call you auntie like before?”

“I got scolded by mom last time for doing that. Let’s try to adjust well, mother!”

“Oh my, let’s do that. My precious daughter-in-law!”

Seo Ha and Ok Soon strolled through the garden arm in arm affectionately. They passed by the pine tree that dad supposedly planted the day Seo Ha was born, the pond where colorful fish swam, and oddly shaped garden stones.