It was the morning of the last day of the year, just before the new year that would soon arrive.

As if yielding to the seasons, the colorful autumn leaves that had beautifully dyed the garden had fallen, and now pure white snow was piled high on the grass.

So Yeon tightened the shawl around her shoulders up to her neck as she stepped on the snow. Crunch, crunch – as she inhaled the crisp winter scent, a fresh smile gently settled on her face with each step she took.

Was it a signal of the start of an ordinary day? So Yeon shifted her gaze because of the bickering sounds of Hyunwoo and Jessica coming out of the front door.

“But, playing at home is more fun!”

“We still have to do what we need to do!”

“Woof! Woof woof!”

Black barked loudly at the argument between the child and adult.

“Oh, it’s so noisy! Black, go back inside the house right now!”

Though he would have bared his sharp teeth at anyone who wasn’t family, Black wagged his tail at Jessica’s command and whimpered while looking up at Hyunwoo with moist eyes. He knew they had to part for a while now.

“Come here, Hyunwoo.”

“Mommy!”

When So Yeon called out with her arms wide open, Hyunwoo quickly pattered down the front steps and threw himself into his mother’s warm embrace.

“Jessica is right. You have to do your part diligently and bravely to become a great man.”

“Like Daddy?”

“That’s right.”

“I know. Hyunwoo will become like Daddy. Hee hee hee…”

When So Yeon gave him a loud kiss on his cheek as white and chewy as rice cake, Hyunwoo immediately folded one dimple adorably and giggled brightly.

Hide-and-seek was Hyunwoo’s favorite game. Especially in the mornings, he found it fascinating and fun that Jessica always found him even though he hid in a different place each time. Because of that, Jessica’s first task of the day was to participate in Hyunwoo’s game every morning.

Though kindergarten was on break, Hyunwoo was busy from the morning learning and practicing sports like basketball and rugby. As his mother said, he bravely got into the car with Jessica as if he had never quarreled with her.

Normally, So Yeon would have ridden along to drop Hyunwoo off at the sports center, but today, December 31st, was a busy day not just for So Yeon but for Seo Jun as well.

“We’ll be going now, young lady.”

“Have a safe trip.”

So Yeon responded to Jessica’s farewell and kept waving her hand at the car leaving through the gate from the front yard garden.

My child, my family.

Her smile shone even more beautifully in the morning sunlight as her heart beat warmly with the happiness that naturally seeped in.

At last, the Drama Awards ceremony decorating the final night of the year was held in the grand convention hall.

Chandeliers hung in clusters from the high ceiling. The people gathered under the brilliant lights moved to the party hall prepared to one side of the awards venue. And they unleashed their eloquent praise, from the works they had appeared in to the works nominated for the grand prize and the actors who had given passionate performances in them.

“Surely the Drama Grand Prize today will go to ‘Master of the Sun’, right? And the Rookie Award is already in the bag for Eom So Yeon.”

“Is that all? Of course she’ll win Best Supporting Actress, and with So Yeon’s popularity, she could even aim for the Best Couple Award.”

“No way. I’m still far from deserving such awards.”

This hall was the waiting area doubling as a year-end party for the awards ceremony. Among the glamorous actors befitting the occasion, So Yeon was blushing with embarrassment.

“You should know how to boast a little. These days, there’s no actor doing better than you, So Yeon, whether it’s commercials or anything else.”

“They say if you’re envious, you lose, but the truth is I am envious. Congratulations in advance, So Yeon!”

“You’re a supporting role this year, but can we expect a lead role award next year? You became a hot actor in just a year, so that should be possible too. So let’s not forget to treat us soon.”

“Oh my, there are so many excellent actors out there, how could such luck come to me? But I do really want an award. And I’d like to treat everyone for such a good occasion.”

Amidst the well-wishes, So Yeon responded with an embarrassed expression, wanting to hide in a mouse hole at the successive praise from her senior and junior actors.

Someone who didn’t know her might think she was putting on airs, but her fellow actors knew better. She was someone who not only humbled herself wherever she was, but also quietly did her best in whatever role she was given. But knowing that excessive modesty can become a poison, So Yeon subtly revealed her ambition as well.

“But, perhaps that… Oh my, why am I like this. Such rumors always follow celebrities, I almost brought up an unnecessary topic. I’m sorry, So Yeon.”

What made the fellow actor swallow the question of whether that article was true was So Yeon’s awkward expression. However, both the curious side and the uncomfortable side were fully understandable, and it was an inevitable situation.

It was two weeks ago that rumors of a pink romance between Eom So Yeon and Tae Seo Jun had leaked out somewhere and been spread in financial news. And as they say, a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes – since the day before yesterday, articles with added marriage rumors had explosively increased on internet pages.

Because of this, the public was desperate to know the truth of those rumors.

Whether Tae Seo Jun was really dating Eom So Yeon. Even if their visuals matched, whether they were truly in love enough to get married.

On the other hand, there were also eyes that viewed the romance between a top actor no different from nobility and a newly rising rookie actress unfavorably. Moreover, even if they were really in a deep relationship, there were countless people who brutally disparaged Eom So Yeon for being a single mother, saying that if she had a conscience, she shouldn’t be greedy for marriage.

But Tae Seo Jun had been ignoring public interest until today without giving any answer to the waiting reporters. No, his relaxed attitude seemed to be leaning towards completely disregarding people’s responses and criticism.

Then Eom So Yeon should at least step up and immediately react to those rumors, but since she too remained silent, people could only continue to feel frustrated.

But So Yeon already knew. She was already resolved.

That Tae Seo Jun would wait until she expressed her intentions. That he would go along with Eom So Yeon’s way, whatever answer she gave.

If you carry an umbrella because it might rain tomorrow, isn’t that ridiculous? The weather forecast could be wrong, and what’s so scary about getting rained on without an umbrella? Now that she’s not alone. Even if it’s a little difficult, if she goes through the rain with him, there’s nothing to be afraid of.

No matter how grand the aspirations of a dream, they can’t be greater than the family I’ll spend my life with.

So what is there to hesitate about? I who can’t even see an inch ahead right now. I who am already happy and successful just with my man and my child. I who would fearlessly jump into a thousand-foot cliff or a raging fire if I’m with him.

So Yeon turned her gaze back and met eyes with the man talking with acquaintances in the center of the hall. Tae Seo Jun, who always looked only at Eom So Yeon wherever and whenever, was looking at her even now.

It was just as So Yeon took two or three steps towards where Seo Jun was. Zing – something in the clutch bag in her hand vibrated finely.

So Yeon took out her phone from her bag, changed direction to move in front of the hall entrance, and answered the incoming call first.

“Oh, what is it?”

-The awards ceremony hasn’t started yet, right?

It was Yeo Do Soon, who couldn’t come here due to worsened morning sickness. So Yeon answered, stretching her lips into a smirk.

“There’s 30 minutes left. Don’t worry about me and get some rest. You looked terrible earlier.”

-Okay, I feel relieved knowing that Manager Bong and Manager Park Sung Ho are there. But why do I throw up everything I eat? You weren’t this bad.

“Why wouldn’t I have been? I just endured it. If it’s too hard, take some medicine. Ask the CEO to get you some.”

-No. You endured it, so how could I not? By the way, you’re really going to win an award.

“Why are you like this too? I was already dying of embarrassment with everyone saying that. It’ll be even more embarrassing if I don’t win.”

-Don’t worry about that. I heard from an accurate source. Whatever it is, Eom So Yeon will win at least one. So don’t tremble while giving your acceptance speech into the microphone. And, oh! My mom said that the ladies at the social gathering were in an uproar.

“About what…?”

-When everyone asked if you were really marrying Tae Seo Jun, Lady Cha Yeo Jin just smiled and said she had no comment. Though she didn’t say anything, her smile was as good as confirmation. With the situation like this, what are you going to do now?

“What else? I’ll do as I’ve planned.”

-Oh my, you already have a plan?

“Hee hee. Maybe?”

-Alright, alright, you’d be a real fool if you couldn’t pickle kimchi for fear of maggots. Well then, I’ll watch the awards ceremony on TV and cheer for you, so do your best!

“Okay, thanks.”

After ending the call, So Yeon stared at internet articles on her phone screen for a long time.

“East Sea villa where Tae Seo Jun and Eom So Yeon stayed becomes new holy site for couples, difficult to make reservations…”

“Eom So Yeon and Tae Seo Jun, watching a movie holding hands tightly.”

“Affectionate scenes of Tae Seo Jun and Eom So Yeon frequently spotted on the streets…”

“Caught red-handed! Tae-Eom couple, late night date.”

So Yeon let out a deep sigh after taking her eyes off the portal news plastered with such articles. She felt very pathetic for thinking that their secret had been well kept until now, even though she had gone around so defenseless with him while such clear evidence photos of their romance were plastered all over various portals.

Also, while flipping through the articles, So Yeon noticed a familiar name and wore a serious expression.

“Tae Seo Jun’s past lover Yoo Jung Hwa, series of lawsuits from prison. Unavoidable due to pressure from Sung An Group’s new CEO…”

For years, she who had put herself in danger disappeared into the backstreets of twisted desire. However, the big waves thrown by Yoo Jung Hwa are still ongoing, continuously shaking up the media and society by exposing figures in the business world.

But what made her smile even more bitterly was that with the disappearance of top actress Yoo Jung Hwa, the underwater struggles of the swans trying to take that position have become even fiercer than before.

So Yeon let out a deep sigh as soon as she realized that she was no different from them. And there was something that naturally dawned on her as well.

That she must not lose her way blinded by cheers and applause. That if one is swept up in that glamorous shell, a mirage that will soon disappear, it takes only a moment for a person to change into something inhuman.

So Yeon put her phone back in her clutch bag and raised her gaze to look again.

At him who makes me cry and laugh.

At Tae Seo Jun, the only man who always makes me breathe and live.

Tall with a slender yet sturdy build. It wasn’t difficult to spot him at once, standing out like a crane among chickens even among the handsome men dressed in similar tuxedos.

Seo Jun was still watching So Yeon. Moreover, he even smiled with blatant eyes and charming lips. A relaxed and playful, arrogant yet elegant smile that was unmistakably Tae Seo Jun.

Ah, really, I can’t live… Why does that man look even more handsome today, making my heart pound like this?

So Yeon closed her eyes and opened them again, trying to calm her thumping heart. But in that brief moment, Tae Seo Jun had disappeared from her sight.

Huh? Where did he go?

Instead, Jo In Ha came into So Yeon’s view.

So Yeon slightly tilted her head and greeted him first, and In Ha raised the champagne glass in his hand towards So Yeon with a gentle expression.

After exchanging appropriate greetings with Jo In Ha at a distance neither too far nor too close, So Yeon briefly lowered herself onto a chair right next to the entrance.

It was partly because the relationships between people with invisible order felt a bit burdensome, but more because the pain her toes were complaining about in high heels bothered her more.

So Yeon wiggled her feet and ankles slightly, which shared the weight pressure with the chair, to loosen up the stiff leg muscles. As she did so, her thoughts were already retracing this year that had been completely colored by Tae Seo Jun.

Spring when she met her first love again.

Summer when even the terrible pain in her heart was love.

Autumn when she was granted complete love with the desperate Tae Seo Jun.

And winter again…

“Ow, it’s cold! This is too much even for winter… Oh, it’s So Yeon!”

Oh Min Jung, wearing a glamorous dress, entered the party hall with a fuss.

So Yeon, whose eyes met Oh Min Jung’s as she was muttering, quickly stood up from the chair and folded her upper body like a folder, as if her body remembered.

“You’ve arrived, senior.”

Looking at So Yeon greeting her politely, Min Jung shrugged her shoulders once and said:

“I think I stood at the photo zone for too long. My body is frozen stiff.”

“Ah… yes.”

It must have been cold. With a dress that was open not only at the neck and shoulders but also down to below the waist, leaving the back exposed.

“Tsk…”

But what was this ominous sign again?

A sharp sound escaped Oh Min Jung’s mouth as she looked over So Yeon’s elegant dress with disapproving eyes.