When Seol Ah returned home, she saw that the house was a mess.

“Yu Min said his drawings are missing. But no matter how much we look, we can’t find them.”

In Sook also had a troubled expression.

“Thank you, Ahjumma. I’ll have a good talk with Yu Min.”

Seol Ah gently spoke to In Sook to send her off, then turned to Yu Min.

Yu Min was sitting in a corner, his face flushed red.

“Yu Min.”

Seol Ah crouched down.

“You must have been very startled. Don’t worry. Mom will look for them. We’ll be able to find them.”

Others may have laughed at those drawings, but to Yu Min, they were treasures. Each one carefully drawn and collected.

Tears welled up again in his dried eyes. Yu Min raised his head and asked with desperate eyes,

“Who took them? Do you know, Mom? Who touched my things?”

“Yu Min.”

“Did you throw them away, Mom? You threw away my airplane before too.”

Seol Ah let out a small sigh.

It was obvious who did it. Seung Jun must have taken them. Why on earth did he do that? Did he think they were useless and intended to throw them away?

Seol Ah bit her lip before saying it wasn’t her but that man. It wasn’t a confirmed fact yet.

“It wasn’t Mom. I’ll look for them. Did you cry a lot? You’re not fully recovered yet. If you cry and get stressed like this, you might get sick again.”

As Seol Ah spoke while worriedly feeling Yu Min’s forehead, Yu Min lowered his head and said,

“I’m sorry.”

“Just rest for now. It’s okay. Nothing will happen. Trust Mom.”

After laying down the agitated Yu Min, Seol Ah took her cell phone and went outside.

Now it was her turn to get upset.

She hated having to keep contacting him. But there was no choice. She had promised Yu Min that she would resolve it somehow.

Seung Jun didn’t answer the phone.

‘Seriously, at a time like this.’

Seol Ah pondered for a moment and left a message.

– This is Yu Seol Ah. Did you touch Yu Min’s things? Yu Min is very angry right now. If you took them, it would be good if you return them quickly.

He wouldn’t have thrown them out, right? If he did… I won’t stay still either.

About five minutes passed like that. The phone rang. She quickly answered and a voice lower than usual resonated in her ear.

[I just took them to keep them safe for a while. Don’t worry. They’re in good condition.]

Is that something to say now?

Seol Ah shouted, feeling like the stress she had received from Yu Min earlier was exploding all at once.

“Why did you do that without a word? Do you know how startled Yu Min and I were?”

[I said I’m just keeping them. Isn’t my house better in many ways than that damp, moldy place?]

The sound of him clicking his tongue could be heard.

She really wanted to claw at his face if he was in front of her. Why is he like this? When he barged in drunk that day, she should have left him outside to say whatever he wanted.

“Return them quickly.”

[I’m in a meeting. I can’t talk long. If you really want to see that they’re kept properly, come and see for yourself.]

The call ended before Seol Ah could say anything.

Calling again, he didn’t pick up.

Suppressing her anger and returning to the room, Yu Min had collapsed and fallen asleep, tired.

Seol Ah suddenly recalled when she had thrown away his toy airplane. Yu Min had cried for days to find the toy airplane.

Seol Ah had rummaged through all the neighborhood garbage trucks, unable to hold back any longer, but the toy couldn’t be found.

After that, Yu Min couldn’t sleep properly for over a month. He said the toy airplane kept appearing in his dreams.

‘I think it will be the same this time.’

Having lost all the drawings and certificates he had cherished so much, it seemed it would be the same if not worse than before for Yu Min.

‘I think I really need to go find them.’

It seemed telling Seung Jun to bring them back wouldn’t work at all. Seol Ah contacted Jin Cheol. Fortunately, he was at home.

[Ah, of course. It’s no problem. Go quickly and come back. I’ll stay with Yu Min.]

“I’m sorry. For asking you like this again and again.”

[Please don’t say that. Yu Min suffered so much because of me, I should do anything for you.]

After hanging up, Seol Ah waited for Jin Cheol to come and then left the house.

She was worried about running into someone she knew if she went to his company.

– I’m at the way up to your house. If you don’t show up, I won’t go home either. Bring Yu Min’s things.

After sending the message, Seol Ah stood at the path where Seung Jun’s house on the hill was visible.

Seung Jun would know well where this place was. When they were in the midst of dating, Seol Ah used to leave the company and wait for him here.

Then Seung Jun would drive by and pick her up.

Standing there again, old memories slowly engulfed her.

– Should I leave something for you to sit and wait?

Seung Jun had blurted that out one day, always indifferently picking her up. It wasn’t a difficult thing for him to do.

Seol Ah stared intently at Seung Jun like that and answered.

– No. I want to wait standing.

– Why?

Seung Jun, who had been driving while looking ahead, finally glanced at Seol Ah.

– Just because.

Seol Ah lowered her head halfway, her cheeks reddening.

– I like waiting while standing. More than sitting and waiting. It feels like I can wait more eagerly.

Seung Jun glanced again as Seol Ah’s face turned red up to her ears.

– Okay, then I’ll leave it.

After saying that, Seung Jun raised the corner of his mouth and focused only on driving without saying anything else. But just by looking at Seung Jun’s expression, Seol Ah knew he was in a very good mood right now.

Back then, she thought Seung Jun was her whole world. Like the dark sky covering everything, she thought he was the only person shining like a star in her bleak life.

Seven years later, she never imagined she would come to this place again to get a child’s belongings.

‘Happiness is fleeting, and misery is like the night.’

Seol Ah looked up at the sky covered with clouds, with no stars or moon visible. Still, while raising Yu Min, she had tried to have some hope.

Even if it was fleeting, she wanted to remember that it wasn’t a bad life because he was there. Because he is Yu Min’s dad. If it weren’t for him, there would be no Yu Min.

If only he hadn’t suddenly appeared. Then everything would have been good.

Seol Ah sat down on the spot. There was no contact from Seung Jun. Either he didn’t see the message, or he was ignoring it even if he saw it.

Back then, I really liked waiting for you. Even if I waited a long time, I was full of hope that you would come someday.

Now, I’m only afraid of you coming.

When we actually meet, what should I say, can I really bring Yu Min’s things back from you?

Lost in thought, something fell on top of Seol Ah’s head with a plop.

Raising her head, Seol Ah felt a few drops of rain falling on her hair and shoulders.

‘Did they say it would rain?’

The raindrops soon poured down one after another on her open hand.

*

It rained heavily.

Seung Jun was having a drinking gathering with executives of the Business Association.

Originally, the chairman was supposed to attend, but these days Seung Jun often had these gatherings on behalf of the chairman.

“So, the government regulations are too tight, that’s always the problem. People doing national affairs should know that they need to hold the lifeline of large corporations. They should know that we are responsible for the national economy.”

The main speaker was Chairman Park Eun Tae of YJ Group, a conglomerate rival to JK in market cap.

The elderly man poured a drink for Seung Jun, who was young enough to be his son, and then quietly looked at him.

“Young people like our Vice Chairman Han Seung Jun should quickly become the head and negotiate well with the country. Only then can we make a living too.”

“Chairman Park is already doing a great job. Thanks to you, we have no worries.”

After making a plausible flattering remark, Seung Jun turned his eyes to the window where it was raining.

There was no mention of rain, it seemed.

The weather forecast is really inaccurate these days.

Casually turning his head, Seung Jun saw that the whiskey he had ordered earlier was already running low.

“We’ve drunk enough, let’s call some now.”

Chairman Park said, leaning his body comfortably on the sofa. Seung Jun narrowed his brows. He wasn’t unaware of who Chairman Park was calling.

“I’ll get up and leave now.”

“Ha, Vice Chairman Han, you’re always like this. A man shouldn’t avoid these situations. You can’t do business then.”

Chairman Park snapped his fingers, gesturing for him to sit down, but Seung Jun finally stood up.

“Then, have a good time.”

After taking a quick glance at the waiting girls, Seung Jun walked out of the room with big strides. Outside, the rain was pouring down even more fiercely.

An employee approached him with a black umbrella. He got into the waiting car while being escorted.

“Let’s go home.”

After saying that, Seung Jun closed his eyes, then suddenly opened his cell phone.

If it was an urgent contact, the secretary would have naturally taken care of it. Despite knowing that, Seung Jun found himself checking messages more often these days. As if waiting for someone.

He casually scrolled through the recent messages. Most were work-related contacts from Manager Nam. Skimming through them, Seul Ah’s message from a while ago finally came into Seung Jun’s eyes.

– I’m at the way up to your house. If you don’t show up, I won’t go home either. Bring Yu Min’s things.

What time is it now?

Seung Jun straightened his back. His lips were bitten by his teeth. His gaze turned again to the rain pouring down like a torrent.

“Speed up a bit.”

“Pardon?”

“I said speed up. Go fast, hurry!”

The driver raised the speed, startled, breaking through the rain. Seung Jun mumbled a low curse and closed his eyes tightly.

No matter how much the speed was raised, there was a limit in the rain. It took another thirty minutes to arrive at the path leading up to the house. Seung Jun saw a figure standing there like a totem pole.

“Are you crazy!”

Seung Jun got out of the car and ran to Seol Ah.

How long had she been standing here?

“What are you doing? If there’s no contact, you should have left.”

“Give it back… Our Yu Min’s things, give them back…”

Her blue lips were trembling. Seung Jun approached her. Grabbing her cold hand, he could feel it trembling too.

“Follow me.”

“What are you doing now…”

“I said I’ll give them to you, so just follow me first!”

Seung Jun pulled the hand he was holding and headed for the car.

The driver was running over with a startled face, holding an umbrella.

“Vice Chairman.”

“Never mind the umbrella and open the car door, quickly!”

As the driver opened the car door, Seung Jun swiftly seated Seol Ah in the back seat.