Seol Ah smiled.

Yeah, you knew everything. You knew and you were sneering at us as if you were looking down on us from a drone.

She felt more and more wretched in front of him.

“Did you enjoy it?”

Seol Ah slowly approached Seung Jun.

“Are you asking if I enjoyed seeing Yu Min choose your house as the birthday party venue? Did you come here to tell me that directly?”

Although she was not ungrateful, sharp words came out.

Seung Jun looked down at Seol Ah, who was holding her head up stiffly, with indifferent eyes and held out the cake.

“Is it such a blameworthy act to just try to deliver a birthday cake to my son?”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. It’s about what happened today.”

Seol Ah’s expression froze coldly. Seung Jun let out a small sigh.

“I admit I was cowardly. But Yu Min didn’t choose me knowing it was me. At that time, Jin Cheol lied that it was his friend’s house, and Yu Min asked for it thinking that. Not knowing that I was the owner of the house.”

Seung Jun lowered the cake he was holding and continued.

“That’s the proper context, and anyway, isn’t it rather good for Yu Min? He has something to brag about to his friends.”

“Don’t pretend to care about Yu Min!”

Seol Ah shouted. Her reddened eyes welled up with tears.

Saying that, in the end you’re going to take Yu Min away. You’ll make Yu Min choose you.

No, even if you don’t do that, Yu Min’s heart may already be wavering.

“Disgusting.”

Worries and misery attacked him again.

“Me? What disgusting thing have I done?”

Seung Jun’s face also hardened. Seol Ah closed her eyes and took a deep breath. In front of this man, she always loses her reason.

That made Seol Ah even more miserable. It felt like this man was controlling not only Yu Min but also her heart.

In front of that, Seung Jun also spoke in a more agitated voice than before.

“I brought you here when you were sick and gave you treatment, and I did my best to turn the newly bought house into a playground because Yu Min wanted to have a birthday party. Was that something disgusting enough to hear those words?”

“I don’t need that.”

Seol Ah said, opening her eyes.

“If I had known about Yu Min’s situation earlier, I would have found a suitable place and done it for him even if it wasn’t at home. I could have handled it well enough too!”

“I know. But I wanted to do it for him. Because I haven’t done anything for Yu Min so far.”

A crack appeared between Seung Jun’s eyebrows. Seol Ah bit her lip.

She couldn’t find the right words to say that he hadn’t done anything for him. Because it was she who had separated Seung Jun and Yu Min that way.

“And stop shouting so much that it hurts your throat. It hasn’t been long since you were sick before.”

Seung Jun’s eyes sparkled with blackness.

At that moment, Seol Ah felt like she saw him from that day again.

− Today. When you were my lover. Let’s think it’s that time.

Seol Ah blinked rapidly. Why did that memory suddenly come to mind?

“Don’t resent Yu Min either. He’s still a young child. One who likes bright things more than dark ones.”

Seung Jun held out the cake again.

“Don’t say I gave this. Say you bought it.”

“I was going to buy it.”

“Still, take it.”

Seung Jun forcibly put the cake in Seol Ah’s hand and turned around.

He thought he should probably tell the truth.

Because he was at the center of the truth. Anyway, it was something he did by deceiving her, so he had to be the one to explain it to her.

Seeing Seol Ah shouting, he wondered if he had come for nothing. Her wounded, distorted face kept making scratches on his heart as well.

When he took a few steps, it happened.

“Elder brother.”

Seung Jun stopped walking. It was Jin Cheol’s voice.

“I’m sorry. This is all because of me. Yu Min thought you were my friend and asked for a favor. If I had just stayed still, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Jin Cheol said, bowing deeply in front of Seol Ah.

Seung Jun, who had returned, frowned at Jin Cheol.

“Stop it.”

“Elder brother, you have no fault at all. I called you and asked for a favor.”

At Jin Cheol’s words, Seol Ah looked back and forth between Seung Jun and Jin Cheol.

Jin Cheol had a kind nature in the first place, but he was not the type to lie.

“I’m really sorry.”

Jin Cheol bowed his head in front of the silent Seol Ah.

Only then did Seol Ah open her mouth.

“No. Jin Cheol must have been perplexed by Yu Min’s immature request.”

“What?”

The one who was dumbfounded was Seung Jun.

Just a moment ago, she was shouting at the top of her lungs as if everything was all my fault. Why does she become a gentle lamb in front of this guy every time?

“No. Please scold me.”

Jin Cheol bowed deeply down to his waist again. Seol Ah shook her head with a serious expression.

“Scold you? With what right? Please go inside. Don’t do this here.”

Then Jin Cheol, who raised his head again, looked at Seung Jun.

“Elder brother, please come in too.”

Seung Jun was equally surprised. To Seol Ah who was glaring at him, he narrowed his brows and retorted.

“I didn’t ask him to do this.”

“I’m sorry. You’re the one who worked hardest for Yu Min’s birthday party. So let’s go in together, lady.”

That ‘lady’ thing.

Seung Jun wanted to point it out right away, but it wasn’t the situation to do so, so he just bit his lip and endured it.

Seol Ah let out a small sigh.

Thanks to Jin Cheol’s words, she realized that Seung Jun had heard harsh words from her even though he was not at fault. And he endured all those words.

Very different from his usual self.

“Come in if you want.”

Leaving those words behind, Seol Ah went into the house.

Jin Cheol looked at Seung Jun.

“She told you to come in, elder brother.”

“It sounded more like ‘come in if you want’.”

At Seung Jun’s words, Jin Cheol laughed.

“That means the same thing. She’s probably upset because we deceived her. Let’s go in quickly.”

Jin Cheol dragged Seung Jun along.

Oh well.

Seung Jun went into Seol Ah’s house, pretending to be unable to refuse.

As he entered the room, Seung Jun saw Yu Min running and hugging Seol Ah.

“Mom, I’m sorry.”

His face was already covered in tears.

He must have heard the argument between Seung Jun and Seol Ah outside the door. Seol Ah also sobbed and hugged Yu Min.

Jin Cheol and Seung Jun were standing stiffly watching the scene.

“Yu Min.”

Seol Ah said, patting the small body.

“Mom is sorry too.”

“No, mom, what are you sorry for?”

“I’m sorry for not letting our pretty Yu Min live in a nice house.”

Tears also burst out from Seol Ah’s eyes.

“I’m sorry for making our pretty Yu Min suffer.”

“No, mom, waaaaah.”

Watching Seol Ah and Yu Min hugging and crying together, Jin Cheol also seemed to have tears in his eyes as he sniffled and wiped away tears with his palm.

Next to him, Seung Jun was just clearing his throat.

After crying like that for a while, Seol Ah belatedly realized that there were two men beside her and quickly got her emotions under control. She felt embarrassed to show such an ugly sight. She belatedly thought it was an appearance she couldn’t show not only to Jin Cheol but also to Seung Jun.

“Yu Min, mom is okay. You don’t have to worry about mom. I fully understand your heart. But from now on, please tell mom in advance. Not after everything is over like this. Okay?”

Seol Ah said while wiping Yu Min’s tear-stained face. Yu Min nodded his head vigorously, even while hiccuping.

“Okay, mom. I love you.”

Yu Min hugged Seol Ah tightly once more.

Seung Jun turned his head in the other direction. It was hard to look at directly. In his line of sight, the ingredients Seol Ah had laid out came into view.

“What were you going to do with these left here?”

At Seung Jun’s words, Seol Ah turned her head to where his gaze was directed. Seol Ah, who quickly wiped away her tears, said to Yu Min.

“Wait here. Mom will make you something delicious. Mom is really okay, so forget everything, okay?”

“Okay, mom.”

Yu Min said brightly, smiling in an instant.

After watching Seol Ah go to the sink and start washing the seafood, Seung Jun said,

“If the portions are not enough, you don’t have to do mine. I have an appointment anyway, so I have to go.”

“The portions are sufficient.”

Seol Ah said with her eyes downcast.

Seung Jun looked around the house.

A space where the kitchen, room, and bedroom were all one. It felt stuffy with just four people.

“It doesn’t seem to have enough space to sit comfortably either.”

At Seung Jun’s words, Seol Ah lit the dual burner. Jin Cheol laughed awkwardly and Yu Min shouted with confidence.

“I still like my house though!”

“Really?”

“Yes. I like it much, much better than ajussi’s house. Next time, I’ll just have my birthday party here.”

Through the heartache of the past few days, Yu Min had also learned a lot. That there are things in the world that are better than what looks good.

Seung Jun looked at Yu Min as if he truly couldn’t understand.

It was a birthday party that I had even cleared my schedule to plan. Was it not good at all for Yu Min?

“Unexpected. I prepared everything that children are said to like. What on earth was lacking?”

While thinking like that, Seung Jun suddenly thought of his own case.

Like Yu Min, who had no shortage at his birthday party, he also grew up in perfect conditions with everything.

In a nice house, eating the best food, in a space where the temperature and humidity were always set to the optimum.

But was I happy in such a place?

“No matter how perfect, it was false.”

Seol Ah said as if answering that.

“Because it wasn’t truly Yu Min’s.”

“But.”

Seung Jun, who was about to say that it was all Yu Min’s, closed his mouth.

Now he seemed to understand Yu Min’s heart a little. The feeling he felt from his expression when he went there with the thought of taking a peek to see if he was having fun and opened the door.

“Apologize to mom, ajussi!”

As if to wake Seung Jun who was lost in thought, Yu Min said.

Seol Ah looked back at Yu Min in surprise.

“Yu Min, why are you doing this? What does ajussi have to apologize for?”

“He said our house doesn’t even have enough space to sit comfortably. You can’t say that to mom. Mom invited him.”

Seol Ah’s eyes widened.

She had never thought of Yu Min’s reaction. When did he grow up like this to understand my heart?

New tears swirled in Seol Ah’s eyes.

Yeah, I thought of Yu Min too much as a young child. I just thought he would like a spacious and comfortable house to live in.

Yu Min is always more grown up than I think, as always.

“Hurry and apologize, ajussi!”

Yu Min said firmly once more.