“You woke up early today?”

As soon as she came down to the living room, Sun Woo greeted her.

Se Eun nodded lightly to this repeated morning greeting.

Ki Sun Woo had always been up before her and downstairs, except for the first day.

Moreover, today he was even wearing an apron in a stylish manner.

Somehow that sight strangely stimulated Se Eun.

He had only tied the black apron slightly above his navel, but his legs stretching out below were unbelievably long.

Se Eun needlessly looked down at her two legs under her long skirt.

Today she felt even shorter than usual.

“What are you doing? Don’t just stand there, come sit here. Someone might think Yeon Se Eun’s hobby is standing and ogling her husband.”

“Wh-when did I ever…”

“If not, then sit down quickly.”

Tap tap, Sun Woo gestured towards the bar-style dining table.

It was where her dad and mom used to sit side by side drinking tea when she was young.

Though memories of childhood had become sparse after the accident, was it thanks to returning to this house?

That scene came back vividly as if it were yesterday.

Suddenly her eyes grew hot, so Se Eun quickly sat down and looked out the window to avoid being caught.

Beyond the window, snow was falling, decorating the late winter.

“Oh, snow…”

“They said it would snow all day. Hmm. You’re wearing clothes that match today’s weather well.”

Sun Woo pointed at the white fur jumper Se Eun was wearing and let out a faint smile.

Feeling guilty about yesterday’s incident, she had chosen to wear one that was less worn out.

“Here. Eat this first.”

“…?”

What he pushed in front of Se Eun was a warm corn soup.

It was very simple, but it smelled incredibly delicious and appetizing.

It looked so tasty that even she, who didn’t eat much for breakfast, felt her appetite stirring.

“…Did you make this yourself too?”

“Yeah. I noticed you don’t seem to eat much in the mornings.”

That wasn’t why she had asked, but Se Eun looked down at the soup, clearly different from instant, with fresh eyes.

It felt so strange to have someone prepare meals for her morning and evening.

“You’re not eating? Don’t like corn soup? Should I have made mushroom or pumpkin instead?”

“No. I like it. I’ll… eat well.”

Se Eun carefully picked up her spoon.

It felt like the snowflakes falling outside were warmly melting in her mouth.

After watching Se Eun eat properly for a moment, Sun Woo also picked up his spoon.

Fortunately, meal times were no longer uncomfortable now.

Though she hadn’t completely let her guard down, at least it was peaceful during meals.

As she was sipping the soup, he casually asked a question.

“Yeon Se Eun. Do you have any foods you particularly like?”

“Foods I like…?”

“Yeah. Since I’m cooking anyway, it’d be nice to make things you like.”

“…”

Se Eun stared blankly at the man called Ki Sun Woo.

The curiosity that had accumulated over time was now welling up.

Unable to hold back any longer, she voiced it out.

“Ki Sun Woo… why are you being so nice to me?”

For a moment, silence fell over the dining table.

The silence settled thickly between them, enough to hear the sound of falling snow.

Thinking she had asked an unnecessary question, Se Eun quickly tried to change the subject.

But breaking the silence, Sun Woo’s answer suddenly came back.

“Because you’re pretty.”

“…Pardon?”

Se Eun was dumbfounded by the answer that sounded so strange it was absurd.

Then as her arm holding the spoon dropped down, the fur on her sleeve ended up dunking into the soup.

“Oh no, you got soup on it.”

Sun Woo quickly grabbed Se Eun’s arm and pulled it out as he stood up.

Se Eun looked up at him with still-dazed eyes.

This unfamiliar man firmly holding her arm, this strange man who just called her pretty.

Se Eun silently waited for his explanation. Or clarification.

But no further reason was added.

Soon Sun Woo picked up a napkin as if nothing had happened.

“…Hold still. Let me wipe off what got on you.”

Se Eun nodded silently.

For some reason, his hand holding her arm didn’t feel as unpleasant as before.

*

It really snowed all day that day.

Se Eun didn’t even come out of her room that day, so Sun Woo waited rather boredly for night to come.

It was to attempt what he had failed at last time.

Originally he had planned to wait until Se Eun’s hospital day, but he changed his plans.

It was because of his mistake earlier.

The question “Why are you being nice to me?” was sudden, but no matter what, he shouldn’t have given such a foolish answer.

Of course he couldn’t tell her the real reason of “I’m trying to deceive and use you,” but even so, to say “Because you’re pretty”…

Even he found it absurd, and Sun Woo shook his head vigorously.

Firmly reminding himself of his purpose for infiltrating this house.

“Hmm. Shall we begin?”

Stealthily, like a cat climbing a night wall, Sun Woo stepped out into the hallway.

Having failed last time by running into Se Eun, he planned to be especially thorough today.

The hallway was very quiet.

There was a big difference between daytime silence and nighttime silence.

Especially when one needed to hide like this.

With just the two of them in this large mansion, this silence became a particularly cautious factor.

So Sun Woo decided to do a preliminary check.

The newlywed room he solely occupied and Se Eun’s room were both on the second floor.

And the second floor was in a ‘ㄷ’ shape, with her father’s former room past Se Eun’s room.

It wasn’t a safe route, but Sun Woo decided to use that point to his advantage.

Namely, to make sure Se Eun was asleep before going.

Fortunately, she didn’t go so far as to lock her door when sleeping.

Sun Woo quite liked Se Eun’s character of being innocent at critical moments despite putting up walls.

Carefully, so as not to make a sound, he opened Se Eun’s door.

It was actually a room he had never entered even during the day, so the situation was quite amusing.

‘It’s bright.’

That was his first impression.

The room he thought would be pitch dark was excessively bright.

The large window open above the bed looked chilly without even curtains despite it being winter.

It gave the impression of deliberately avoiding darkness.

Suddenly Sun Woo recalled the contents of Sang Hyun’s report.

The traffic accident 20 years ago happened on a pitch-black night, and she was found in a dark forest.

Crying while being the only one conscious.

‘Is that why.’

Sun Woo lowered his gaze to below the window where streetlight was pouring in.

There, Se Eun was sleeping soundly, tightly wrapped in blankets.

Her innocent face looked just like a rabbit buried in snow.

Seeing her overly fragile appearance, he felt like he might feel guilty for a task he hadn’t even started yet.

Saying he’d confirmed she was asleep, Sun Woo quickly closed the door.

Whatever trauma she was suffering from wasn’t his business anyway.

Regaining his composure, the next steps proceeded smoothly.

Quickly opening the door with a thin wire, Sun Woo finally entered Se Eun’s father’s room.

If the Queen’s Tears were somewhere in this large house, this was currently the most likely location.

No matter how thoroughly Ko San had searched, there must be places he missed.

In contrast to Se Eun’s room, complete darkness had settled in this room.

He had to be cautious in case light leaked out.

With even more careful movements than before, Sun Woo half-covered his phone’s flashlight and turned it on.

As light entered, the room’s scale became roughly visible.

The room wasn’t large. A small bookshelf and desk. And…

“…A piano?”

Though he meant not to open his mouth, a weak voice flowed out over his lips.

In the center of the small room sat an old grand piano.

Only then did Sun Woo recall that Se Eun’s father had been an unknown composer.

To think he would encounter this instrument here.

His heart began to pound as if by a lie.

As if entranced, Sun Woo sat on the piano bench.

Somehow the air density seemed to have increased, so he first took a deep breath.

Then he very carefully placed his fingers on the keys.

A familiar yet painful sensation seemed to spread from his fingertips.

His late mother had been a fairly well-known pianist.

Until he went to the military, his mother often taught him piano.

He wasn’t particularly interested in playing, nor was he good at it, but he just liked that time.

Unlike his father who was a thorough businessman, his mother was devoted to the family.

That point allowed Sun Woo to grow up straight and proper.

If happiness had background music, for him it was his mother’s piano.

But strangely, nothing came to mind now.

His fingers that used to move naturally when placed on the keys.

The melody he used to play with his mother had disappeared as if someone had erased it.

Like the piano that Im Ryu Ryeong immediately removed from the house after his mother passed away.

“…Ha.”

A rough sigh finally escaped his lips at the surging emotions.

That’s when he suddenly noticed sheet music placed on the keys.

Shining the light closer, the yellowed corners showed considerable traces of time.

These sheet music seemed to be what Se Eun had called “things that shouldn’t be shown to outsiders.”

Strangely, the notes written inside oddly drew Sun Woo’s heart.

Without realizing it, he began to play the notes written on the sheet music one by one.

The melody was unexpectedly simple and not difficult.

Thanks to that, Sun Woo momentarily forgot his purpose for infiltrating this room.

That it was the middle of the night, that Se Eun was asleep.

What made him recall that fact again was the suddenly wide open door.

“…!”

Sun Woo whirled around at the abrupt presence.

Se Eun was standing at the door with trembling shoulders, having come at some point.

Moreover, what surprised him even more wasn’t just her sudden appearance.

“…What are you doing right now?”

Clear, large eyes brimming with tears.

Surprisingly, Yeon Se Eun was crying.