“I’m telling you this because you seem to keep forgetting, but I have a lot of money.”

It meant he could buy even a truckload to cover her collarbone if needed.

If he was going to be a jealous 6-year-old, why not act like a petty rich man?

Do Eum hurriedly put her foot back in its original position.

“I didn’t forget. Yes, Chairman, you have a lot of money.”

“So while you’re living with me, anything you want to have, buy, eat. Whatever else you want to do, don’t do it elsewhere, do it here.”

Do Eum quietly replied “Yes” to Ji Wan’s boasting that he would never usually do.

Still not feeling better, Ji Wan closed the documents he was looking at and even turned off the bedside lamp.

In an instant, the bedroom was plunged into darkness and silence.

The man lying facing forward and the woman lying on her side facing him remained that way for a while until their eyes adjusted to the darkness.

“…Are you going to sleep already?”

“Why, is there something else we should do?”

Something else.

Whatever it was, the ‘something else’ the man and woman were thinking of was surely different.

“Chairman, do you play games? Go-stop? Should we play 20 Questions?”

Ji Wan closed his eyes tightly, then opened them, with his right hand thrust under his head.

A man over 30, with a woman beside him, suggesting 20 Questions.

His unspoken worries were deep.

The sleepless night would be endlessly long.

“Ah, that person who came last time. You know, the middle-aged woman who used to live in this house and told us about the forest path in the backyard.”

“…”

“She came by again today. With perfect timing, we had lunch together. My goodness, she said it was her first time eating seaweed soup in decades. She praised it so much, saying it was one of the most delicious things she’s ever had.”

“…”

“I’m not lying, she really looked moved. She even finished all the seaweed soup.”

“Right, it’s probably not a lie.”

“Huh?”

“Your cooking skills, they’re good. I admit it.”

Do Eum’s eyes, now accustomed to the darkness, took in Ji Wan’s side profile as he lay with his eyes closed.

The long eyes beneath thick eyebrows.

Even the long eyelashes below.

Do Eum’s gaze traced from his straight nose bridge to his plump, soft lips, then she blushed and turned away.

“Good night.”

The man who casually kissed her like a greeting in broad daylight boldly skipped the goodnight greeting before sleep.

“…”

When there was no response, Do Eum was pouting and forcing her eyes closed.

That’s when Ji Wan’s large hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to his side.

It was a warm, even hot embrace.

Suddenly finding herself in Ji Wan’s arms, Do Eum could hear his breathing in her ear.

Though it wasn’t her own breath, Do Eum kept holding her breath, afraid her own breathing, hissing like steam from a boiling kettle, would reach Ji Wan’s ears.

Her toes curled unconsciously under the sheets.

Somewhere in her lower abdomen felt ticklish, like soap bubbles popping.

“Are you breathing?”

It was probably a question asked while half-suppressing laughter.

Clearly, he must be trying to tease her again.

Do Eum replied flatly to Ji Wan’s question.

“I’m breathing in small bits, so don’t worry.”

A small laugh escaped from Ji Wan as he buried his face in Do Eum’s shoulder.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“Yes.”

“Can’t stand it?”

“Yes.”

At Do Eum’s words that she couldn’t stand this when she could tolerate hand-holding, hugging, and even kissing, Ji Wan reluctantly moved away.

“Really?”

He couldn’t bring himself to tell her to endure even this when the woman, usually unmoved like a statue no matter what he did, said it was very uncomfortable rather than just “It’s okay”.

“Alright, I understand.”

Even after moving away to a certain distance, Ji Wan’s gaze kept going to her small back.

It seemed sleep was out of the question tonight.

*****

Early weekend morning, before the morning dew had even dried.

San Ha’s motorcycle quickly climbed the asphalt hill.

At the entrance of the alley, almost at his destination,

San Ha got off the motorcycle after turning off the engine and struggled to pull it in through the green gate.

Worried the light-sleeping child might wake at the motorcycle sound, despite his efforts, the child was already standing in front of the entrance.

“You broke your promise again!!”

Even while complaining, he kept his voice down so as not to wake his aunt inside.

Before even taking off his shoes, San Ha bent his knees and hugged Eun Woo with his messy hair.

From the child’s embrace came the cozy smell of having just gotten out of bed.

“Not ‘broke’, but ‘didn’t keep’.”

“Daddy is bad! Min Ji’s daddy always comes even when he drinks a lot!”

Hugging the worn blanket stretched from the room to the living room, the way he turned away with a huff seemed like it wouldn’t be a short-lived sulk.

“Daddy is so sorry that we’re going to take Eun Woo to the amusement park? We’ll see lions and giraffes?”

The body that had fully turned away half-turned back, eyes wide.

“All day long?”

Nod nod.

“Just daddy and Eun Woo, the two of us?”

Nod nod.

Only then did the child open his mouth wide and hug San Ha’s neck.

“Ah, but can we bring Kkojil too?”

Kkojil, the thin gauze blanket that was Eun Woo’s comfort object.

It was Su Jin who named that worn-out thing that Eun Woo carried everywhere, be it kindergarten or hospital.

“Ugh, that shabby thing. One of these days I should secretly throw it away. Now he won’t even let me wash it.”

Su Jin emerged from the room, grumbling as she woke up.

Her short hair clearly showed bed head.

“Kids from rich families have comfort dolls made of hypoallergenic fabric that’s even anti-static, but Eun Woo is like that even when given expensive things. Who does he take after to be like that?”

“Eun Woo, go in quickly, get dressed and pack your bag. Put Kkojil in too. Daddy will wait.”

Eun Woo, who had been peeking out from behind the door, disappeared with a bright smile.

“You, didn’t I tell you to watch your words in front of the kid? Do it one more time, and I won’t leave Eun Woo with you again.”

Su Jin, a fellow orphanage alumnus and neighbor, often looked after Eun Woo when San Ha was late.

Though her words were a bit rough, she adored Eun Woo dearly and Eun Woo followed her well too.

“Don’t you think there’s something off about that statement? It doesn’t seem right for the person leaving the child to make threats to the person watching the child. I’m terrified, absolutely terrified.”

Seemingly not quite done, Su Jin put her car keys on the table as she went into the room.

“I filled it up with gas. Don’t forget kimchi dumplings and tteokbokki on the way back.”

Eun Woo came running out, stuffing Kkojil into his elephant kindergarten bag.

“Let’s go, Daddy. Hurry, let’s go, buy Eun Woo gimbap on the way. Please buy gimbap.”

Holding Eun Woo with one arm and the bag with the other hand, San Ha finally straightened his knees and stood up.

“We’re off.”

San Ha laughed out loud at what the child whispered in his ear as they turned to leave.

Through the closed door,

“You, Ko Eun Woo!! Didn’t I tell you whispering in front of people is very bad!”

At the booming shout, lest Su Jin come running out, San Ha started running while holding Eun Woo.

*****

She didn’t hear the alarm.

Not only did she not hear the alarm, she didn’t even realize Yesan, who came from the main house, had opened the front door and come in.

When she opened her eyes, the time was well past 7 o’clock and one of her legs was perched right on top of Ji Wan’s stomach.

Oh my, I knew this would happen.

It’s supposed to be the first night, but what on earth are you doing, Kang Do Eum!!

Just as she urgently tried to lower her leg after assessing the situation.

Thunk, Ji Wan’s large hand grabbed Do Eum’s ankle.

“Now that I look at it, this is an elephant.”

He was talking about the small pendant on the anklet.

Ji Wan brought up again at the crack of dawn the story that had already been concluded last night.

“So that’s why I felt heavy all night. Because of this baby elephant.”

She remembered Eun Hyeok’s words that he had put an elephant on her ankle, which was so thin it might break, to keep her from flying away.

Someone had put it there so she wouldn’t fly away, but someone else was mocking it first thing in the morning saying it made him heavy.

Do Eum pretended not to hear and got up.

“We overslept. What should we do?”

“I guess they’ll think that’s what happened.”

The most leisurely man in the world got up and put on his slippers.

“What do you mean they’ll think that? What will the housekeeper think, oversleeping on her first morning here?”

“She’ll probably think, the newlyweds must be getting along well.”

Ji Wan’s answers were getting more outrageous.

Do Eum, who was fixing the bed sheets, glared at Ji Wan with bird-like eyes.

“Chairman, did you turn off the alarm on purpose? Someone who never oversleeps, why today of all days!!”

“I wonder. I slept deeply for once.”

Slept deeply, he says,

He must have turned off the alarm without realizing it because he had barely fallen asleep when it was almost dawn.

“What should we do?”

“What do you mean what should we do. Just go out naturally and greet her naturally, ‘Oh, you’re here?'”

Seeing Do Eum lifting her nightgown, thinking she needed to change clothes quickly without considering anything else, Ji Wan hurriedly turned away.

“Are you going to take that off here, now?”

Just before the 60-count cotton panties were revealed under the lifted skirt.

“Why? What’s wrong with taking it off here? It’s not like I’m stripping naked. Geez.”

Flustered, her voice came out louder instead.

“No, if that’s your plan, I was thinking maybe I should go wash up a bit later.”

What is wrong with this man, so early in the morning.

Do Eum sharply lowered her skirt and rolled her eyes.

“Do you want to wash first, or should I go first. To save time, we could go together……”

“Me! I’ll go wash first!!”

As if no longer willing to play along with his frivolous jokes, Do Eum pushed past Ji Wan and headed for the inner bathroom.

It was a pleasant morning, hearing the sound of the woman’s feet busily brushing against the bare floor.

*****

“Hello!”

The greeting, given as naturally as possible, came out as urgently as a child called before the teacher without finishing their homework.

“Oh my, you’re up? I was worried I came too early. I should have timed it to let you sleep a bit more.”

Yesan, who had been at the main house since Ji Wan was young, smiled with a kind expression.

“Is this all your luggage?”

Yesan’s bag placed next to the living room sofa seemed far too little for staying here for several days.

“I’ll be here for a week, so this amount of luggage is enough.”

“A week? I thought you’d be staying together for at least a month or so.”

“If I did that, the Chairman in Anseo-dong would throw a fit.”

A hint of disappointment flashed across Do Eum’s face at the words that she couldn’t stay as long as expected.

It meant the period they had to share a room wouldn’t be very long.

“You look quite disappointed that Yesan is leaving early.”

Ji Wan came out of the bedroom, ruffling his still-damp black hair with his hand.

His gray cotton pants and pure white t-shirt were a stark contrast to the man who usually wore a wrinkle-free suit with neatly styled hair.

He looked like a handsome older neighbor or a good-looking senior who just returned to college after military service.