The hill road in Hwaan-dong.

Eun Hee’s steps unconsciously quickened.

At first, she was just curious.

She intended to get a glimpse from afar of what kind of woman her son had chosen.

Her mother-in-law, Chairwoman Jang Ho Muk, brought Eun Hee to Bando-ga and gave her a house of her own. Along with scolding that it wouldn’t do for a daughter-in-law of Bando-ga to have nothing to her name.

A household she entered to see the son she left behind right after giving birth.

She had no desires and no attachments, so the Hwaan-dong house given by Chairwoman Jang held little meaning for Eun Hee.

However, when Chairwoman Jang was away from Korea for two months on an overseas business trip.

The Hwaan-dong where Eun Hee and Ji Wan stayed for two months while renovating the main house in Anseo-dong was different.

It was the happiest two months of her entire life.

Separate from her time with Yi Seol, Eun Hee was happy preparing breakfast every morning and taking care of his clothes for her son who had grown up without even nursing once.

When Ji Wan said he set up his newlywed home in Hwaan-dong, she hoped the couple would see the backyard she had tended and be as happy as she was.

Unable to attend the wedding, without even a single news article, she was curious who the woman her son had chosen would be.

That was all it was.

But the moment she saw the woman who came out opening the door and asked “Is there a forest in the backyard?”, as if entranced, Eun Hee followed.

It was lovely how she listened intently with ears perked to her story, and kept asking questions incessantly like a squirrel storing acorns.

Ah, this is a woman my son can’t help but love.

This should have been enough.

She should have cut things off without regrets after seeing her once, but she made excuses again while in Seoul summoned to the main house.

“I got your number, madam. But what should I save it as? Your name is…”

Flustered by the question asking her name, she stumbled before giving the name of Yi Seol’s father who passed away 6 years ago, her only love and longing.

Yoon Yi Young.

Good heavens, to think she would call out this name she hadn’t uttered once since leaving him.

After blurting out those three syllables, even the longing she had been enduring brazenly surfaced.

Eun Hee needlessly averted her gaze.

Seeing the two coming up together, So Gyeong’s wife came out barefoot to greet them from a distance.

“What brings the two of you here together?”

“We met just ahead. Oh, but madam, have you eaten?”

“No, no. I’ll just have some tea.”

“I haven’t eaten yet either. That’s great, I didn’t want to eat alone. Let’s eat together!”

Despite Eun Hee’s strong protests, Do Eum grabbed one of her hands while So Gyeong’s wife took the other.

“Oh my, our madam needs to eat too so eat together. What’s the big deal about setting one more place? Come on in, hurry.”

Thus they sat facing each other at the table.

“We’ve already eaten, so take your time, you two.”

After So Gyeong’s wife left, Eun Hee slowly surveyed the space where only the two remained.

Even when she stayed here the furnishings weren’t much, but it’s excessively sparse for a newlywed home.

Considering Ji Wan’s personality of disliking clutter, it wasn’t unexpected.

“You’ve furnished it so prettily.”

With a gentle smile on her lips, Eun Hee’s gaze turned to the neatly set table.

It was seaweed soup with steam rising.

“…Is it someone’s birthday?”

Even though this woman who didn’t know she was Ji Wan’s mother surely wouldn’t have prepared her birthday meal, Eun Hee’s chest still ached at the thought it could be one of countless coincidences.

As if there was someone eavesdropping in the room with just the two of them, Do Eum leaned her upper body in close and whispered.

“The person who gave birth to my husband, it’s my mother-in-law’s birthday.”

Mother-in-law.

At that single word uttered quite secretly and privately, Eun Hee’s heart sank.

It was a word she had never dreamed of in her life.

For over a decade she had hovered around, wanting to properly be a mother to her son.

It seemed like the years she had endured so harshly were to see a day like this.

Chairwoman Jang’s anger, Ki Hyeok’s oppression, her daughter’s resentment – they all seemed like trials given to see a day like today.

“…Is there a reason you’re whispering like this?”

Feeling she should for some reason, Eun Hee whispered back.

“Oh, you’re right. It’s just the two of us!”

She was a bright and innocent woman.

As she had felt before, the woman wasn’t uncomfortable at all with the much older Eun Hee, when she well could have been.

“My husband and mother don’t know that I made seaweed soup for her.”

It would have been completely incomprehensible to someone who didn’t know the circumstances, but Eun Hee who understood it all silently picked up her spoon.

As the hot meat broth went down her throat, tears welled up.

The sound of her six-year-old daughter’s desperate cries rang vividly in her ears.

The wildflower bouquet she would have prepared for her birthday fell from her daughter’s hands and rolled across the concrete floor.

Every year on her birthday, from the moment she opened her eyes, she heard her child’s cries.

A day that should rightfully be celebrated by others was for Eun Hee just a day of pain and longing, ruminating all day on what she had done.

Seaweed soup was out of the question, and even wreaths or congratulatory gifts sent to the art museum or home were returned or piled up in storage.

It was always painful since she left, but this day was especially so.

“Is the saltiness alright?”

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

Eun Hee’s choked reply was sincere.

“I’m glad. Please eat a lot. I made all these side dishes too.”

Excited by the praise that it was delicious, Do Eum pushed the side dishes in front of Eun Hee.

Though she didn’t know for sure, Eun Hee wanted to smile right now.

Even if it would be hell again the moment she left here,

She wanted to savor this feeling, if only for right now.

*****

After Eun Hee left, Do Eum put on a flare dress with small flower patterns and flat shoes.

The ankle bracelet Eun Hyeok bought her dangled above her flat shoes.

Is the skirt too short?

What if he tells me to change because it’s too short?

Should I just tie my hair up?

No, he might say the neckline is too low. Let’s leave it down.

10 minutes before the time Ji Wan was supposed to come,

Do Eum stood on the garden terrace, repeatedly checking her reflection in the window.

With no deviation from the set time, a black sedan passed the main entrance and came up the hill.

The ground she stood on wouldn’t sway from the car’s weight, so the trembling must be from her own heartbeat.

Whoo, whoo.

Do Eum took several deep breaths again.

“Wow, our madam. You look truly beautiful.”

“Thank you, Director Han.”

Do Eum blushed at Woo Seok’s compliment as he got out of the passenger seat.

Since Woo Seok would carelessly forget to open the door where his superior sat whenever he saw Do Eum, Ji Wan seemed used to it and opened the back door himself to get out.

“CEO, doesn’t the madam look truly beautiful?”

Despite Woo Seok’s fuss, Ji Wan just glanced briefly at the woman after getting out of the car, without saying anything.

“That’s enough, go now.”

Shooing away.

Ji Wan’s hand waving in the air turned Woo Seok around, as if telling him to stop talking nonsense and get lost.

“Have an enjoyable time, CEO.”

The nod of his chin was hurried and perfunctory to boot.

“This weekend’s schedule is completely cleared, CEO. So rest fully, very fully at home.”

Instead of answering Woo Seok’s endless words, Ji Wan briefly closed and opened his eyes, finally opening the passenger door himself and practically shoving Woo Seok in at his addition of “I absolutely won’t call.”

On top of that, he even patted the hood of the black sedan.

Driver Park quickly understood the meaning to leave right away and departed.

Only when they were alone did Ji Wan turn to face Do Eum behind him.

“…That, on your lips.”

Following Ji Wan’s fingertip, Do Eum brought her hand to her lips.

“What, what is it?”

Though it seemed the man had only glanced at her once, she wondered if the tint color on her lips was too bright to be noticeable.

Do Eum was quite flustered, having considered the skirt length and low neckline but not thinking about the tint color.

“Is the color not good?”

“No. Do you have to wear that?”

“Wait a moment, I’ll change to a different one and come back out.”

As Do Eum turned to go inside, Ji Wan’s large hand pulled her waist.

Spinning around, thump.

Do Eum’s waist landed against his firm chest, the man’s touch transmitted clearly.

“Whatever you put on, I won’t like it. My taste is quite particular.”

Taste?

What on earth did tint color have to do with taste…!

Without hesitation, Ji Wan’s lips covered Do Eum’s red ones.

Gently biting, then lightly brushing several times.

“This is a bit better. At least compared to the berry flavor last time.”

Do Eum’s heart began racing uncontrollably.

If she kept falling for the man’s provocations that kept trying to worm their way in, her heart wouldn’t survive.

“Oh, really.”

With reddened cheeks, Do Eum stepped a couple paces away from Ji Wan’s embrace.

She needed to stay alert.

She couldn’t lose her senses from one kiss before the date had even started.

“Shall we go?”

The two walked hand in hand, crossing the backyard through the forest path connecting to the village forest all the way to the garage.

Do Eum’s long hair fluttered in the wind blowing above their heads.

The clear forest scent and the large hand enveloping hers felt so good that Do Eum looked down at her hand several times.

“Why, uncomfortable?”

Stopping as they walked, Ji Wan asked, thinking she found it uncomfortable.

“No!”

“I told you not to waver, but I’m not saying to endure if it’s uncomfortable.”

Even while speaking, his touch gently removing Do Eum’s hair stuck to her cheek was excessively tender.

“So if it’s uncomfortable, don’t endure it, okay?”

How could it be.

How could it be uncomfortable.

I love it so much I could die.

My heart feels like it will burst trying to hide that.

Swallowing countless words, Do Eum nodded her head.

“Let’s go, quickly.”

Do Eum needlessly hurried her steps, afraid her heart fluttering in the gently blowing breeze would be discovered.

*****

Do Eum came out of the theater with a pale face.

“Are you okay?”

Do Eum rubbed her hand that had been clenched tightly, sweating, against her skirt.

“Is this your taste?”

Not just one but dozens of zombies suddenly appearing, legs and necks being chopped off was nothing.

For Do Eum who never watches horror movies including thrillers, it was the worst.

“No, it’s my taste.”

“Then?”

“Han Woo Seok’s.”

It was a problem to ask Woo Seok for advice, since while he was optimized for writing and implementing reports, dating was another matter.

He had overlooked that Woo Seok’s last relationship was 4 years ago and that his partner was a huge horror maniac.