Ha Jun, who rushed into the house, gave a faint smile to Hyun Ju and Yeon A, who were looking at her with worried expressions, and then went straight to her room and collapsed.

Her heart was beating violently as if it would burst.

“Why are you so thin……”

Yi Hyun’s face, which she hadn’t seen in a long time, looked scruffy and his eyes seemed sunken.

Teardrops fell incessantly from Ha Jun’s eyes. Outside, the excited voices of Jae Kyung and Jae A continued to be heard.

“Aunt~! Aunt Ha Jun!! We need to go to the sea quickly! We’re going to Seoul in the evening, remember~!!”

At Jae Kyung’s high-pitched voice, as Ha Jun wiped away her tears and turned her head, Yeon A called out to the children loudly.

“Kids, your aunt has to feed Yoon Woo and she just gave birth recently, so it’s hard for her to go all the way to the sea. Let’s go by ourselves! I’ll find you some very pretty seashells!”

“Really?”

“Of course~! Your aunt is a master at finding seashells! Come on, let’s go quickly!!”

The sound of the children tumbling out of the house was heard, and a moment later, it became quiet outside. Ha Jun, who had quickly wiped her messy face, came out of the room.

Ha Jun went to the main bedroom and stared blankly at Yoon Woo, who was sleeping peacefully. Bok Seon, who had been lying diagonally next to Yoon Woo, patting his chest, got up from her seat when she saw Ha Jun’s tear-stained face.

“Did Yoon Woo’s mother cry? What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“No. It’s just……”

“Oh my, this little one is hungry. He caught his mother’s scent so well~ Hehe~ Look at how he’s already opening his eyes and moving his mouth. See?”

Bok Seon was right. Those jewel-like, black, and clear eyes were precisely focused on his mother, Ha Jun.

Ha Jun quickly loosened her top and picked up Yoon Woo. Amazingly, even while eagerly moving his mouth, the baby didn’t take his eyes off his mother.

“How beautiful…… They say babies can’t see well at this age, but can you see where mommy is?”

As if answering Ha Jun’s question, Yoon Woo’s eyes curved into a smile. Ha Jun smiled along with that fantastic smile.

“I love you, baby. I love you the most in this world. Thank you for coming to mommy.”

Once again, Yoon Woo answered with a smile.

Ha Jun looked at Yoon Woo in her arms and gathered her resolve. For this child’s sake, she had to be strong.

[This is the timeline separator]

Hyun Ju and Yeon A spent some time at the beach with the children and then headed back to Bok Seon’s house.

But Yi Hyun was standing in front of the house again.

The two women’s gazes quickly crossed. Each holding a child’s hand, they pretended not to see Yi Hyun and went straight into the house.

“Sigh……”

“What should we do, Director?”

“Well…… I don’t know. This is really troublesome……”

“We have to go to Seoul in the evening…… Will elder sister Ha Jun be okay alone?”

At Yeon A’s question, Hyun Ju let out a deep sigh. Though it was just a moment, Yi Hyun’s complexion didn’t look good.

Even that arrogant man, has he been suffering all this time……

“His handsome face has deteriorated a lot. Seeing the Director’s face…… I wonder if I did something unnecessary. Anyway, now that they’ve met again, what happens next is up to the two of them…… Sigh……”

In the end, Hyun Ju, unable to finish her sentence, shook her head with a long sigh. Given how things have turned out, from her perspective, it wouldn’t be bad if Yi Hyun pushed through like a bulldozer and took responsibility for Ha Jun and Yoon Woo. The problem was that it seemed unlikely to happen.

“Let’s just prepare to go to Seoul. There’s nothing more we can do for Ha Jun here now.”

“Yes……”

[This is the timeline separator]

Even after the sunset had burned red and turned to black ashes, Yi Hyun was still standing in front of Bok Seon’s house.

Even after Ha Jun had gone inside so coldly, Yi Hyun simply couldn’t leave this place.

No, to be precise, he didn’t want to believe that Ha Jun loved another man other than himself, and he wanted to confirm it with his own eyes. Until then, he couldn’t go anywhere.

So he watched as Hyun Ju and Yeon A left with the children, and only Bok Seon saw them off.

Bok Seon, who had been waving her hand at the door until the car they were in disappeared from the alley, slowly lowered her hand and turned around when the back of the car was no longer visible.

Yi Hyun, who had been watching this, carefully stood in front of Bok Seon.

If this old woman, who seemed to have been living in the same house with Ha Jun until now, might know about the man Ha Jun had mentioned?

Gulp, swallowing dry saliva, Yi Hyun bowed to Bok Seon.

“Hello, grandmother. You’re Choi Hyun Ju’s grandmother, right? And you’re living with Ha Jun now……”

Bok Seon looked up at the tall Yi Hyun. Her wrinkled eyes seemed to widen for a moment. But soon, she spoke to Yi Hyun as if nothing was wrong, in a natural manner.

“Who are you? Are you a tourist here? There’s nothing much around here?”

Yi Hyun hesitated for a moment at Bok Seon’s question, then carefully opened his mouth.

“I’m a friend of Ha Jun…… Lee Ha Jun, who lives in that house now.”

“There are no shops here? You’d better go down~ towards the beach area.”

“No, that’s not what I mean……”

Yi Hyun shook his head, confused by Bok Seon’s irrelevant talk, but she continued regardless.

“By the way, young man, are you on vacation from Seoul? You’re so tall and handsome~, and you look a bit like someone I know well, hehe~ Even at my age, it’s good just to see handsome men~ hehe~”

Yi Hyun paused for a moment at Bok Seon’s words full of laughter.

“I look like someone? Who do you say I resemble?”

“Oh my~ No matter how I look at it, you look just like my grandson who I love so much~ hehe~ These days, Ha Jun and that boy get along so well~ They’re just crazy about each other~”

“Ha……!”

Yi Hyun staggered for a moment and barely managed to steady himself by leaning against the wall.

Did Ha Jun really fall in love with another man? And this old woman’s grandson at that? Does that mean he’s Choi Hyun Ju’s brother or cousin?

He felt dizzy. His mind was filled with confusion.

Bok Seon’s eyes curved like a crescent moon as she watched Yi Hyun visibly flustered and suddenly stiffening. And as if she wanted him to hear, she started talking in a louder voice.

“Our Yoon Woo~ is so handsome that I thought he was the most handsome man in this world~! Hehe~ But you’re handsome too. You look just like our Yoon Woo. Hehe~”

Every time she mentioned Yoon Woo, Yoon Woo, the name of the man Ha Jun supposedly loved, Yi Hyun’s body flinched. Heat rushed to his eyelids and his head buzzed. And anger surged.

“She really forgot me…… and loves someone else? Ha Jun……”

“By the way, where is this handsome young man staying? The only good place around here would be Seocheon Sori House? Are you staying there now?”

Yi Hyun, half out of his mind, didn’t answer, but Bok Seon nodded as if she knew everything. There was only one accommodation for outsiders in this village, opposite to where the beach and pensions were gathered.

“Oh my! My mind! I need to cook for our Ha Jun! I have to take good care of Ha Jun because of that Yoon Woo~”

Bok Seon, mentioning Yoon Woo till the end, hurriedly opened the gate and went inside.

Yi Hyun’s face, still standing in front of the closed blue gate, became terrifyingly distorted.

[This is the timeline separator]

Bok Seon’s face was beaming with a bright smile as she entered the house. Ha Jun, who had been sitting next to Yoon Woo feeding him, gently got up from her seat as Bok Seon entered the main room.

“Grandmother, I’m going to the bathroom.”

As Ha Jun left and the door closed, Bok Seon spoke to Yoon Woo lying quietly.

“Yoon Woo~ Do you want grandma to hold you?”

Yoon Woo, who had been blinking his eyes while lying down, smiled brightly when he heard Bok Seon’s voice. Bok Seon smiled and picked up Yoon Woo.

“How can a newborn smile so prettily, then they’ll say grandma is lying. Hehe~ Who does our Yoon Woo take after to be so handsome~ I wondered. Does he take after his pretty mother and handsome father?”

Yoon Woo smiled again at Bok Seon’s question.

“If he was going to stand there with that face, he should have come a little earlier. How frustrating that he couldn’t see this pretty thing being born? Huh?”

Bok Seon kept smiling. Although Ha Jun had never talked about Yoon Woo’s father, the moment Bok Seon saw Yi Hyun standing in front of the house, she recognized him at once. And the desperate feelings in his eyes too.

“These pretty eyes take after the mother, and this straight forehead and well-shaped nose are exactly like the father’s. Let’s see~ Are these lovely lips a mix of both? Hehe~”

Yoon Woo laughed again, silently.

[This is the timeline separator]

Ha Jun’s gaze, who had come out of the room, turned towards outside the house, beyond the fence. As she stood quietly by the window and slightly lifted the curtain to look outside, she could see the shadow of a person still standing in the darkness beyond the low fence.

“Why are you still standing there and not leaving……”

Although he had found this place, it seemed Yi Hyun still didn’t know about Yoon Woo’s existence.

How fortunate it was that he was such a gentle baby who didn’t cry loudly but only whimpered softly.

Anxious footsteps paced back and forth in the living room. Trembling eyes kept turning towards the outside.

Her lost hands swept through the air several times, trying to grasp the handle of the door leading outside.

However, despite all this, Ha Jun ultimately couldn’t go outside.

[This is the timeline separator]

After Bok Seon went inside, Yi Hyun stood there as if nailed to the spot, in great shock.

Yi Hyun, with a completely stiff face, called Ji Won, whom he had almost forcibly sent back to Seoul a few hours ago.

“Find a man named Yoon Woo among Choi Hyun Ju’s family or relatives. He’s the grandson of the house owner here. Find out how old he is and what he does, every detail.”

− Who is that again?

“You don’t need to know. And I’ll be staying here for a while, so keep that in mind. You work in Seoul instead of me and handle things yourself unless it’s urgent.”

Yi Hyun hung up before Ji Won could say anything. His bloodshot eyes remained fixed on the house with the blue gate.

“Do you think I’ll let you go just like that? I absolutely won’t give up like this.”

You’re mine. I’ll get you back no matter what it takes.

His longing and love for Ha Jun had turned into maddening jealousy, enveloping his entire body and numbing his reason.

“Yoon Woo, you said his name was Yoon Woo, right? Ha……! Just you dare to appear before me.”

Yi Hyun gritted his teeth so hard it made a sound as he thought of the man who had stolen Ha Jun’s love, of whom he knew nothing but the name.