Eun Hyeok had known all along that Do Eum was walking with him like that.

He was just waiting for his juniors to leave, sensing the situation.

Even amidst the numerous crowds, he keenly noticed Do Eum’s presence.

Even without wearing the perfume Jae Han bought him every birthday, when Do Eum came, the surrounding air clearly changed.

Do Eum’s full attention was elsewhere as she tapped the ground, checking if something was stuck to the toe of her shoe.

“I think I’m going to get proposed to today.”

Eun Hyeok’s lips curved into a faint smile, satisfied with the anklet he had put on her slender ankle.

“See you all later.”

Eun Hyeok strode across the street towards Do Eum, who was still staring at the ground on the other side.

Do Eum finally looked up at the familiar sneakers that suddenly appeared in front of her shoe.

“Did I interrupt?”

“What?”

“Your date with the junior girls.”

The smile lingering at the corners of his mouth was indifferent to the obvious jealousy he must have felt until just now.

“What date? If you came, why didn’t you call me? Why are you following like this?”

“If I live to 100 years without illness, it’ll be because of Choi Eun Hyeok. I get cursed at so much by the women who like you.”

Eun Hyeok naturally slung Do Eum’s bag over his shoulder as they walked side by side.

“Jae Han and Min Seung got married yesterday.”

Pfft.

Do Eum burst out laughing at the unfamiliar topic.

“What about the marriage vows and declaration? I heard they were supposed to include those too.”

“Jae Han asked his girlfriend. You know, Oh Sa Ra from the Korean Literature department. I heard she wrote it brilliantly. Very detailed about what to do and not do, quite elaborate.”

Jae Han’s girlfriend, Oh Sa Ra from the Korean Literature department, was extraordinarily jealous and envious.

She would be jealous of anyone who even made eye contact with Jae Han, let alone stray cats he petted, opposite-sex friends including Min Seung, and needless to say, Do Eum.

“Aren’t you going to do it?”

Eun Hyeok, who had been walking well, stopped and nodded at the flowers in Do Eum’s hand.

“…Huh?”

“That.”

Eun Hyeok glanced at the pale purple asters that Do Eum was holding gently with both hands.

The person holding them was as pure as the flowers.

“What did you think I was going to do?”

Do Eum trailed off, suddenly feeling shy.

“I don’t care what you do, but don’t kneel. If you do that, I won’t accept you.”

Eun Hyeok put on a false bravado in front of a heart that wouldn’t refuse him no matter what he did.

“Even if I wanted to kneel, I can’t. Can’t you see I’m wearing a skirt?”

Of course he could see.

His gaze had been tied to her legs revealed beneath the skirt hem, especially to the ankle with the anklet he had put on, all this time.

“You’re pretty.”

Do Eum turned to face Eun Hyeok.

“I’ll do it.”

Ahem, Do Eum cleared her throat. Her heart fluttered unnecessarily, even though it wasn’t real.

“I believe you’ll be a caring husband and good father, because you’ve been a good friend and lover.”

Eun Hyeok, who knew how to be generous and loyal, and was more dependable than anyone, was a good person and friend. Even as a lover, that evaluation wouldn’t have been much different.

After conveying her sincere thoughts, Do Eum hesitated before the most important final words.

“…So, with me…”

Let’s get married.

Leaving these words unsaid, Do Eum unconsciously looked around.

Oh my.

Why did she think of Seo Ji Wan at this moment?

The face of Ji Wan, who had kissed her forehead and left in the early morning, flickered in her mind, even though this was just a fake proposal for a general education assignment.

It felt like she had done something adulterous that shouldn’t be done, as if she had hit Ji Wan on the back of his head.

“You mean let’s get married, right? Okay. Yes, let’s do that.”

Eun Hyeok answered without a hint of hesitation, in place of the hesitating Do Eum.

“Well then, we should take a picture too.”

Eun Hyeok put his hand on Do Eum’s shoulder, holding the bouquet of asters she had given him.

“I’m taking it, smile!!”

Even though she had only done what was required for the assignment, Do Eum’s smile was awkward, as if she had committed a great wrong.

*****

Time passed slowly without Ji Wan.

3 days felt like a week, a month.

The busy morning routine of preparing breakfast at the usual time, the silent corridor ending at the man’s room, even the lone pair of shoes in the entryway – everything revealed Ji Wan’s absence with their whole being.

With a lonely heart, Do Eum took out a pair of Ji Wan’s shoes from the shoe cabinet and placed them next to her own.

Weekends without him were common, and even without him, the day passed busily with things to do, but it felt strange.

After diligently cleaning every corner of the house from morning and even changing the bedding that didn’t need changing, Do Eum went out to the garden, still unable to shake off the loneliness.

Under the beautiful sunset sky, just as she was recalling Ji Wan’s black sedan that usually came up that hill around this time.

The main entrance opened and a black sedan really did come up.

Even though Ji Wan, who had left promising to return in ten days, couldn’t be back after just five days, her feet automatically moved to the edge of the green lawn to greet the black sedan.

Clack.

The one who revealed their face from the unfamiliar sedan was Chairwoman Jang Ho Muk of Anseo-dong.

“Oh? Grandmother, what brings you here… Have you been well?”

The Chairwoman’s gaze became drowsy at the face that showed a hint of gladness.

“Did you know I was coming?”

It was a question asking why she was out in the yard if that wasn’t the case.

Her jade-colored skirt and pure white jacket shone nobly under the red sunset.

“Of course not. I thought he had come back.”

Naturally changing the way she referred to him, Do Eum supported the Chairwoman as they entered.

“You say you didn’t, but to me, it seems like you knew I was coming.”

Knowing that Ji Wan had gone on a business trip and that there was no housekeeper as she had been sent away, if you didn’t know I was coming, why is the house of someone living alone so neat, was what she meant.

Pfft.

Do Eum unconsciously laughed out loud while habitually arranging the shoes the Chairwoman had taken off.

It wasn’t just the Chairwoman who was surprised by Do Eum’s laughter.

The tea room attendant following behind looked not just surprised, but shocked, and for good reason – no one had ever dared to laugh out loud in front of the old lady.

In front of a person so stern that even breathing seemed difficult, laughter?

“Why, do you find me funny?”

The Chairwoman asked, narrowing her wrinkled eyes as she slowly walked to sit on the sofa.

“I have a ‘sense’ for cleaning, Grandmother.”

A ‘sense’ for cleaning, she says.

“When I was young, my classmates used to say that whenever Kang Do Eum cleaned, the teacher would always come to inspect. During cleaning time, they would tie me up tightly so I couldn’t clean.”

The Chairwoman’s words weren’t entirely untrue, as she had come to inspect like a teacher.

At this point, it couldn’t be anything but an animal-like ‘sense’ for cleaning.

“If you knew that, shouldn’t you have cleaned even more diligently, knowing the teacher would inspect, instead of letting them tie you up?”

She meant, why tie you up when everyone could just clean diligently together?

It was typical thinking of an elder who had lived an upright life.

“Ah, but kids will be kids. They hate cleaning more than anything, but still want to pass the inspection somehow. Don’t you think they thought it was easier to stop just one person from cleaning than to clean diligently themselves?”

Sitting on the sofa and adjusting the collar of her jacket, the old lady scanned the house once more.

“Then, were you just tied up and stayed still as they told you to?”

“And risk getting scolded for not cleaning when the teacher suddenly comes to inspect? I told them, I won’t clean, so you clean my area too.”

“Clever.”

Starting with Do Eum’s anecdote of how she was once exempted from cleaning duty using a trick, the solemn atmosphere softened somewhat.

Instead of the tea Do Eum had naturally expected to serve, she brought out a glass of barley water and some soft peaches.

Clearly imperfect fruit that wasn’t neat or pretty.

“These are peaches grown by the baker’s wife downstairs. They may look like this, but they’re incredibly sweet.”

Ahem.

The attendant standing behind came closer and whispered in Do Eum’s ear.

“She enjoys tea.”

The woman loudly acknowledged the words that were whispered softly for only her to hear.

“I know, do you think I wouldn’t know that? I know, but do you know how much caffeine is in pu-erh tea? It’s better not to drink it at this hour for a good night’s sleep.”

Swish swish, Do Eum peeled the soft peaches and cut them into bite-sized pieces, moving the plate in front of the Chairwoman.

“Yes, do you remember what I said before?”

[Even a gentleman would have trouble resisting a woman who acts according to his tastes and flirts in front of him. If it goes only that far, I’ll overlook the rest.]

How could she forget those words that essentially said your role ends right there?

Hiding her wounded feelings like the blemished peaches, Do Eum raised her eyes dolefully.

“The man whose principles were so firm that he wouldn’t be swayed no matter what was offered, I hear he’s now going on dates and even hurrying home from work.”

The old lady’s cloudy eyes followed Do Eum languidly, knowing every move Ji Wan made.

While treating the women the old lady introduced with courtesy, her grandson Ji Wan absolutely did not let them cross the line he had drawn.

[Since you’ve made time to go, look around at a few pieces. I’ve arranged for someone to be waiting at the art gallery.]

Making excuses unlike herself, arranging two or three days for a schedule that could be done in one day, even setting up a place on the opposite side of the earth so he had nowhere to escape to – it was all useless.

[He declined the after-meeting request. He said his schedule is busy and he’s coming right back up. I’m sorry, Chairwoman.]

After going to the trouble of putting him on a plane, a man with no eye for art let alone profitable paintings, just like his father, Ji Wan treated the women she had carefully selected like curators or borrowed sacks of barley.

And that’s not all.

Saying glamorous women were too glamorous and plain women were too plain, Ji Wan belittled the Chairwoman’s judgement with all sorts of trivial reasons.

How on earth did a grandson who used to detest women become so fixated on such an immature girl?

The Chairwoman’s wrinkled eyes coldly scanned Do Eum.

“For the younger one, I’ve already decided on a lifelong partner.”

It was the first time she had heard this.

It was a different kind of attack than before.

The thick silence is confined by the old lady’s calm voice.

“Although I say I won’t bring in anyone better than my own bloodline, a terrible family is out of the question. A daughter from a family that’s lived decently, learned enough to at least be able to shave her husband’s face occasionally.”

Yoon Yi Seol.

Suddenly, Do Eum thought of that woman.

The woman Seo Ji Wan loved until just before marriage.

Yi Seol, whose name was mentioned more than the actual marriage partner in news articles about their wedding.

When she let go of the man she loved enough to send flowers to the newlywed home, there must have been a good reason, she had guessed.

That woman too, must have been intimidated by this formidable old lady’s aura and retreated inevitably at such cutting words.

“I’ll arrange a meeting for the two of them at an appropriate time, so you just need to know that and quietly step aside.”

She imagined another woman standing beside Ji Wan instead of herself.

She knew well that since it was a position she had taken arbitrarily, she should step aside anytime.

Even knowing all this, the words to quietly step aside when the time comes made a corner of her heart ache for no reason.