“I really messed up. I won’t do that again, so don’t leave. Okay?”

Taeha’s voice was noticeably trembling, surprising Sihyun.

“Where would I go?”

“You’re trying to leave, right now.”

“No, I just came out for a moment to go to the department store nearby… But what did you do wrong?”

Hugging the bewildered Sihyun even tighter, Taeha mumbled.

“I thought I made things too difficult for you, and you hated it, so you were going to leave.”

His uneasiness vividly conveyed to her, and Sihyun felt sorry for him.

Despite having repeatedly said that she loved him, and spending the whole day embracing each other until they were exhausted, why was he still seeking alone, as if yearning for unrequited love?

Perhaps it was a long-standing habit for him.

Sihyun faced him. No matter how wide she opened her arms to hug him, the tall man didn’t entirely fit into her embrace.

“I’ll never abandon you. Why would I throw away something so beautiful that I picked up?”

How surprised must she have been to have rushed out like that? Feeling her body still trembling, she felt her heart swell with affection.

Oh, how did I breathe and live without loving you until now?

“Don’t leave me, you… I’ll be…”

She would break up with this man. Tears welled up as soon as she imagined it, and Sihyun buried her face in Taeha’s chest.

“…I don’t know how to live.”

Mixing a sob into her voice, she sounded foolish even to herself. However, rather unexpectedly, Taeha whispered as if he were pleased.

“I wanted to hear you say that.”

Only then did Sihyun understand the meaning she had longed for, begging Taeha to keep talking. Ah, so that’s what it was.

After a while, Taeha let go of Sihyun. After looking at her tearful eyes for a while, he suddenly murmured.

“…Sorry. I can’t stand it.”

As Taeha walked toward the hotel room, hugging her as if to make her stay, Sihyun thought.

In any case, it’s a life to live only once. If I die in Yun Taeha’s arms, it wouldn’t be so bad.

Due to Taeha extending his stay again, they ended up staying at the hotel until Sunday.

And on Sunday evening, Sihyun dragged Taeha out.

“I’m tired of room service. Let’s go out for dinner, okay?”

Actually, it was an excuse. Yesterday and today, they had all their meals with room service, but every time, it was delicious without any complaints. If I had enough money, I would want to eat three meals a day like this for the rest of my life.

The problem was that if they stayed locked in the room all day long, their bodies wouldn’t hold up. Although their feelings were the same, due to the age difference, Sihyun keenly felt the limitations of her body.

As they got off the elevator, Taeha asked.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Aunty Su-yeon’s curry.”

Su-yeon’s restaurant was perfect for passing the time. It took time to go back and forth, they could sit and chat for a long time, and she could use helping as an excuse to do the dishes.

Barely leaving the hotel, Taeha asked as they walked.

“Where do you want to go?”

“To buy something.”

Holding Sihyun’s hand, Taeha entered the department store. He headed to the underground food section.

He shopped around the food section, buying various things. A box of gift-worthy Hanwoo beef, a box of large-sized flounders, a box of Jeju apples.

“For Aunty. Thanks for taking care of me, Imo.”

“Thank you for thinking of Aunt Su-yeon.”

However, Taeha shook his head.

“It’s not just because of you. I want to do it well.”

“Why all of a sudden?”
“He said I resemble the young master.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. The young master is also said to be mixed like me. So, when he sees me, he probably thinks of his son.”

“I heard before that Aunt Su-yeon’s son is in the United States. We’re about the same age, they said. But I didn’t know his father was American.”

“They took me from that house not long after I was born.”

“Goodness!”

Sihyun felt helpless. She had only thought that Aunt Su-yeon hadn’t seen her son for a long time, unaware that they were separated right after birth.

“When Aunt sees me, there’s a certain look in her eyes… I wonder if our mother, if she were alive, would have looked at me with that kind of gaze. So, I want to treat her well.”

Sihyun was very pleased. If you were to name the two most precious people in the world, it would be Taeha and Su-yeon, and she couldn’t be happier that the two of them had become closer.

After a ride of just over 30 minutes, they arrived at Su-yeon’s curry restaurant. The door already had a closed sign, and Su-yeon was busy with the final cleanup.

“Aunt!”

As they entered the store, Su-yeon greeted them with surprise.

“Sihyun is here?”

Su-yeon squinted her eyes and looked at the two of them.

“It looks so good to see you two side by side!”

Come to think of it, it was the first time Taeha had come with her.

Seeing Taeha placing large boxes on the table, Su-yeon frowned.

“What’s all this?”

“Tae-ha bought it for Aunt to enjoy. It’s really good, so don’t give it to customers; Aunt, please enjoy it by yourself.”

Su-yeon made a playful face.