“You two, when are you planning to have a child?”

In that moment, Tae Eun almost dropped the teacup she was holding. She gripped the cup tightly until her knuckles turned white to avoid dropping it.

“Oh my, elder sister. That’s going a bit too far. They just got married yesterday.”

“I’m not saying they should have a child right away. I’m asking about their plans. These days, many couples plan not to have children. Just in case.”

“Sigh… No way, our Woo Jin! He knows how precious our family’s bloodline is, he wouldn’t do that.”

Although Young Hee exclaimed in disbelief and tried to diffuse the situation, the more she did so, the more Tae Eun’s heart sank deep below the surface.

Unable to properly raise her gaze, Tae Eun blankly stared at the clear liquid in the teacup she was barely holding onto. Then, at Young Ja’s final poignant remark, she finally felt breathless.

“Or… these days, there are many cases of infertility or difficulty conceiving. Kids who want to have a baby but can’t.”

In that instant, Tae Eun finally lost her grip on the teacup she had been barely holding. Fortunately, the floor was carpeted so the cup didn’t break, but she felt dizzy at the dull sound of impact.

Thud!

“Dear, are you alright?”

Chairman Jung asked with concern, and only then did Tae Eun come to her senses and look down at her feet. The servants came in and cleaned up the floor. And when she raised her gaze, Tae Eun’s eyes met Young Ja’s, who was looking at her.

Young Ja’s inscrutable eyes seemed to pierce through her, glinting as if seeing through her. It was only a fleeting moment, but she felt a chill down her spine as if her secret had been exposed.

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

“No. I’m not hurt. The tea wasn’t hot.”

As the servants cleaned up, Tae Eun moved and sat slightly away from the wet spot to let it dry. It was a seat a bit closer to Chairman Jung. Chairman Jung reached out and patted Tae Eun’s arm to comfort her.

“You must be tired. Go and rest a bit.”

“Oh my, Mother. Tae Eun just arrived…”

“Exactly, you urgently called her over right after she finished her wedding ceremony. What’s so good about this gathering? Isn’t this why Woo Jin moved out?”

“No, but still, we’re the elders so of course she should come and greet us!”

“Woo Jin was busy so they skipped the honeymoon and decided to skip visiting both families too.”

“Ah, but still, how can you feel good about that? And if Woo Jin is busy, then of course Tae Eun should come alone at least!”

Although Young Sook whined, when Chairman Jung gave her a look, she closed her mouth. And Young Ja didn’t miss this opportunity to pressure Tae Eun again.

“I don’t think I got an answer yet.”

“What are you asking newlyweds something like that for?”

Chairman Jung took Tae Eun’s side, but Young Ja’s dark eyes were looking straight at Tae Eun, demanding an answer.

She knew that her infertility issue would become an issue at some point, but she didn’t expect that day to come so soon. So Tae Eun wasn’t yet mentally prepared for a moment like this.

What should she answer?

If she tries to avoid the situation with a lie, her conscience pricks at her. And lying was only a makeshift solution for now, not an accurate solution.

Young Ja’s silent eyes pressured her. The moment she felt she could no longer avoid answering, a deep, low voice echoed through the bleak space.

“I told you, didn’t I? Not to call her here without me.”

The person who entered, filling the large reception room, was none other than Woo Jin.

His calm, subdued eyes swept over his three aunts, his gaze quiet yet fierce. As if he really didn’t like this situation.

“Woo Jin! How can you say something so hurtful? Isn’t it natural to come and greet after getting married?”

“Even so, she should come with me. Since when do you call her alone like this?”

“You’re busy. You must be busy with the factory relocation, so why stick together? It’s fine if only she comes to greet since she’s free!”

“She’s not free. Auntie, you’re a woman too, you don’t think stay-at-home wives relax idly at home, do you?”

“What? Hey, and I’m a working woman! Do you know how busy I am!”

“I’m just saying, think about it from a woman’s perspective for once. You’re in a position to understand it better than me, a man.”

Young Hee raised her eyebrows, but Woo Jin paid no heed and sat next to Tae Eun. Then Chairman Jung opened his mouth as if to mediate this brutal situation.

“I was about to send Tae Eun back anyway. She must be tired since the wedding ceremony just ended. And she prepared for the wedding almost all by herself too.”

“That’s right, Grandmother. She really worked hard. I was so busy that I couldn’t pay any attention to the wedding.”

“Don’t take sides!”

“I’m not taking sides, it’s the truth. Auntie.”

At his words, Young Hee’s eyes welled up with tears as if she was really hurt.

“Are we going to eat Tae Eun alive? We really can’t even do this much? If you’re already taking your wife’s side, we’ll be really upset!”

“I’m sorry, Auntie. But honestly, you aunts aren’t easy to deal with. We didn’t date for long, and she and I are still getting to know each other and adapting, but if you aunts also gang up on her at the same time, how can she handle it? Who could fully handle this situation?”

“……”

“So please just give us some time. Time for Tae Eun to adapt to our family.”

Young Hee and Young Sook couldn’t say anything to Woo Jin’s reasonable words. Because what he said wasn’t wrong.

A gathering where four women from a family that’s hard to handle even alone are together. It definitely wasn’t an easy situation for anyone, no matter how thick-skinned they are. Seeing her enduring that with her frail body, the two aunts nodded their heads, acknowledging that Tae Eun was quite extraordinary.

But Young Ja was different. Young Ja, who had been closely observing Tae Eun’s condition, turned her inscrutable eyes to Woo Jin.

“Okay. I understand Tae Eun’s situation, but we also called her because we have something to say. She rushed into marriage without knowing anything about our family. Now that she’s part of our family, she should at least learn the basics so she doesn’t make mistakes out there.”

“Is she the type of person to make mistakes out there?”

“I’m not talking about those kinds of mistakes, and you should know that. Anyway, all the things she needs to roughly know are written in that file, so make sure she thoroughly understands it and keeps the file strictly locked away. So it doesn’t get exposed elsewhere.”

“Yes, I understand. Auntie.”

Tae Eun nodded and gathered the file again as if not to lose it. Still, Young Ja’s dissatisfied gaze didn’t leave her.

“I was just asking Tae Eun, but since you’re here, let me ask you.”

“……”

“You two, what are your plans for having a child?”

As if determined to hear the answer she couldn’t get from Tae Eun, Young Ja asked, turning her gaze to Woo Jin. At this, his thick eyebrows rose in an instant.

“A child? Auntie, did you just say a child?”

“Yes. A child.”

“We got married yesterday.”

“Yes. Elder sister. Even I said that’s not it.”

Young Hee took Woo Jin’s side, mindful of the situation, but Young Ja’s cold gaze showed no signs of backing down.

No, if she had given a valid answer to that question in the first place, she might not have been so persistent. But Tae Eun’s flustered reaction at being unable to answer only left even more doubts in the mind of the sharp Young Ja.

“Since Tae Eun can’t answer, I need to know more. I’m not saying you should have a child right now. I’m asking about your plans.”

“We just got married, so we haven’t thought about such plans yet. We rushed into marriage without even dating, so we plan to live with the feeling of dating for a few years without a child.”

Fortunately, Woo Jin didn’t get flustered and made a good excuse. It seemed convincing enough that Chairman Jung and the other two aunts nodded their heads.

“Yes. Woo Jin has a point too. Enjoy your newlywed life. Tae Eun is still young, so you can take your time having a child.”

“Yes. Grandmother. That’s what we’re thinking. I need to have time to have a child, but in this situation where work is busy without even having time for a honeymoon, we don’t have the leisure to think about a child yet.”

When Chairman Jung took their side, Young Ja couldn’t probe further and closed her mouth. But her dark eyes were still alternating between Woo Jin and Tae Eun, growing even more suspicious.

“Then we’ll get going now.”

“Okay. Go on.”

“And Aunties. Don’t call her alone from now on. When we come to the main house, I’ll always be with her.”

“What, what? Hey!”

Young Sook shouted indignantly, but Woo Jin grabbed Tae Eun’s wrist regardless and left the reception room. Tae Eun, who was practically dragged out, only spoke after getting in the car.

“What do we do, leaving like this?”

“Then should I have carried you out?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Right. I know what you mean. But Woo Jin didn’t want to let Tae Eun stay in that spot even a minute longer. Because he knows how much of a burden the topic of children is for her.

“From now on, don’t go to the main house alone. If you get a call from my aunts, let me know first.”

“But I’m part of this family now, how can I always come with you?”

“Do that, for the time being. That would be best.”

Understanding why he was doing this, Tae Eun’s heart grew heavy again. But she knows. The child issue isn’t the end, it’s only the beginning.

“Woo Jin, what if… we tell Grandmother and your aunts?”

“Tell them what?”

“That I’m… that I’m… infertile. We can’t lie forever.”

“That’s our privacy. We don’t need to let others know. And I don’t want to have children either. This isn’t your problem, it’s my problem. Okay?”

Not her problem but his problem.

He had boasted that he would defend her to the end from the beginning, and in the end, he embraced all these issues as if they were his fault. But Tae Eun knows. There are no secrets in this world that can be hidden forever.

“Let’s go now. You must be tired from having your energy drained.”

“Oh, I left my scarf behind. I’ll go get it.”

“Come back quickly. If you’re not back in 5 minutes, I’m barging in again.”

At his serious words, she smiled slightly and got out of the car to go inside. Perhaps because Woo Jin was standing guard outside, her steps entering the building were incomparably light and brisk compared to before. As if she was dancing.

However, the moment she arrived near the reception room with those light steps, they suddenly stopped.

“No, Mom! How can Woo Jin act like that? It’s not like we’re going to eat his wife alive!”

“Sigh. Really! He has such a classy face but… isn’t she an even bigger fox than Park Seo Woo?”

At the mention of that name, Tae Eun was startled and took a step back before entering the reception room.

“Be quiet! That’s why I said not to call Tae Eun, why did you call her and create this mess! And watch your mouths. From now on, don’t even utter the name Park Seo Woo in front of me. Got it?”

Only after Chairman Jung’s stern order did the aunts shut their mouths. But Tae Eun couldn’t go in to get the scarf.

In the end, seeing her return empty-handed, Woo Jin asked.

“The scarf?”

“Ah, I… must have been mistaken. I didn’t wear a scarf today…”

But she couldn’t fool Woo Jin.

“What mistake. You couldn’t get it because of my aunts, right? Wait. I’ll go get it for you.”

Woo Jin, who immediately grasped the situation, got out of the car. Tae Eun had a strange feeling as she watched his long shadow stride into the main entrance.

Her heart, which had been swaying precariously like a lantern in the wind until just a moment ago, quickly regained its peace. Just because he was by her side.

But then, she heard the sound of a cell phone message notification in her ear. Looking down, she realized Woo Jin had left his phone behind. Tae Eun instinctively reached for his phone to check the message, and froze.

– Oppa, I’ve been discharged from the hospital.

It was from that woman, Park Seo Woo.