The place Seo Jun brought her to was a street food vendor with a clean and neat interior.

Each table had partitions installed to accommodate customers drinking alone.

While Seo Jun ordered some light snacks and drinks, So Yeon tightened the strings of her hoodie that engulfed her small face and looked up at the menu board hanging high on the wall.

She resembled a meerkat in that moment.

With a face that looked too young to be a child’s mother and sparkling clear eyes within her large eyes, she also seemed like a girl full of dreams.

However, the way she downed a glass filled with a mix of soju and beer showed she was a perfect drinker.

“Ah…this is the taste!”

“Do you want to drink more?”

“Just one more glass. Two glasses are just right for me.”

She also knew how to moderately control herself according to her alcohol tolerance.

Sometimes stubborn like a child, yet other times wise like an adult who grasped the ways of the world. Incredibly patient to the point of seeming foolish, yet fragile enough to cry over small things. The more one knew her, the more one wanted to know, and the more one saw her, the more one was drawn in – Eom So Yeon was that kind of fascinating woman.

Where on earth did a woman like her come from?

As Seo Jun crossed his long legs and folded his arms, immersed in thoughts about Eom So Yeon, So Yeon, who had been staring intently at him, asked.

“Director, you’re not drinking?”

“I have to drive. I’m the princess’s knight after all.”

Was it due to the slight buzz from the alcohol or Seo Jun’s affectionate tone? So Yeon asked again in a cute, slightly shortened manner.

“Am I really as pretty as a princess?”

“…”

Seo Jun simply nodded his head in a relaxed posture. The soft smile lingering on his flawless handsome lips clearly revealed it was a genuine truth, not a lie. At that, a bright smile began to spread across So Yeon’s lips as well.

“Then when do I look the prettiest to you?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“Because even if I do something you dislike, it will seem less unlikable if I do it when I’m at my prettiest.”

“Do it now then. The unlikable thing you want to do.”

“So… does that mean I’m the prettiest right now?”

So Yeon asked back in a dumbfounded manner, but this time, no answer was heard. He merely showed a soft laugh with a graceful expression, raising one corner of his mouth.

Was he just saying empty words all this time since he answered so easily?

As So Yeon pursed her lips in a disappointed expression, Seo Jun feigned ignorance with a glance.

She was pretty. Pretty enough to want to squeeze her tightly at that very moment, pretty enough to want to caress her all night long while whispering she was pretty. Of course, it was true that a lot of his subjective view was mixed in, but weren’t all sorts of media outlets acknowledging that she was beautiful?

In that sense, Seo Jun, who had been mischievous, laughed out loud for a moment.

“Haha… Do you still doubt my feelings?”

“What?”

“Are you worried that my feelings for you will change?”

“I used to be, but not anymore. I want to show you all my feelings now like you do. I’ve decided to leave the uncertain future to my future self.”

“That’s the most welcoming thing I’ve heard.”

So Yeon’s bold confession made Seo Jun’s heart swell.

Eom So Yeon, who had always been busy running away with this and that excuse, was finally clearly revealing her feelings, which felt unfamiliar yet very much to his liking. Because of that, Seo Jun, who naturally got fired up, found it painful to just sit still.

“Shall we take a little walk once you’re done drinking? The air outside is quite refreshing too.”

“Shall we? I don’t want to go home yet either.”

“Let’s go out.”

Seo Jun, who couldn’t help but chuckle, got up from his seat and held out his hand. So Yeon also readily took his hand and got up from her chair.

After leaving the food vendor, Seo Jun and So Yeon slowly walked along the long street lined with trees. The streetlights that were turned on here and there provided a dim light, just dark enough to not mind the gazes of other people passing by.

Due to their height difference, So Yeon’s low shoulders and Seo Jun’s arm lightly brushed against each other with each step they took.

And at some point, Seo Jun’s arm was naturally wrapped around So Yeon’s shoulders.

Anyone could see they were lovers.

The back view of the two walking affectionately together.

[This is the timeline separator]

It was around dawn when the eastern sky turned a faint white.

So Yeon, who had been tiptoeing and sneaking into the dark entrance, jumped in surprise.

“Mom!”

The sensor light turned on, revealing a dark figure standing in front of her. She had been caught red-handed by Do Soon while entering the house on her heels like a stray cat.

“Did you stay out all night? Where have you been, getting drenched in the morning dew?”

“Ex, exercise! I went exercising. Why are you out here in the entrance?”

Perhaps her hoodie and leggings were persuasive enough. Do Soon, who scanned So Yeon’s outfit, soon let go of her suspicion and put on her shoes.

“I’m going home.”

“Why? Sleep some more before you go.”

“I don’t know. I woke up from a rough dream and can’t go back to sleep.”

“Did you have a nightmare?”

“Oh gosh, don’t even mention it. A ghost in a white burial shroud kept chasing only me. Telling me to marry her son. I kept screaming no, no and running away, but the ghost kept throwing something at me.”

“What was it throwing?”

“I don’t know. Just blue dots kept sticking to my body. No matter how much I struggled, they wouldn’t come off or get erased. It felt eerie.”

“What a strange dream.”

“Anyway, I’m going.”

At some point, the positions of So Yeon and Do Soon, who had been standing inside and outside the middle door respectively, were reversed. Do Soon, who was about to open the front door and leave, paused for a moment and asked.

“What are you going to do later after you wake up?”

“I’m thinking of going to the bookstore and picking out some picture books that Hyun Woo might like.”

“Want me to take you?”

“Ah, no, it’s okay. I can walk.”

“It’ll be inconvenient without a car. Where did you leave it for repairs? Let’s go together to pick it up.”

So Yeon’s car was under repair. But Do Soon didn’t know that the car had been taken to the car center by Tae Seo Jun. So Yeon hadn’t heard when the car would be back either, so she had to make something up.

“They said it would take some time.”

“Is that so? Anyway, call me if you need a car.”

“Alright. Go and get some rest.”

After Do Soon left, the house felt unusually silent, but that was just her mood.

Hyun Woo and her mother wouldn’t return from Jeju Island until next week, and since she had time in between, she thought about going to visit her sister. It was when she was seriously contemplating that part while lying on the bed.

[I’m going to sleep now. Call me when you wake up.]

It was a message from Seo Jun.

[Okay.]

As soon as So Yeon replied, another message came from Seo Jun.

[You’re not sleeping?] [I just went to bed now.] [I thought you were sleeping.] [Do Soon suddenly said she was going to her house, so I was seeing her off… I should sleep now.] [Then you’ll be alone?] [Yes.]

As So Yeon was blankly staring at the messages exchanged so far, she unknowingly pressed the call button.

“Oh my, what do I do!”

So Yeon quickly canceled the call and patted her pounding heart, startled by what she had unintentionally done. It was less than 10 seconds after that.

Ring ring…

Seo Jun’s phone number popped up on the cell phone screen. He must have called to check after seeing the missed call.

“I’m sorry. I accidentally…”

-It’s okay. Actually, I wanted to talk too.

“Then that’s a relief.”

-It feels empty when someone was there and then isn’t, right?

“It does feel that way.”

-I feel the same… Shall I be with you?

“R, right now?”

-Yeah. I’ll come to you.

“You want to meet again right after we just saw each other?”

-What’s the big deal? If you miss someone, you see them. Can I come? To see Eom So Yeon.

“You have to drive carefully, okay?”

-Of course. Actually, I already left.

“…!”

Thump thump, So Yeon’s heart began to race uncontrollably.

Because she could clearly feel that Tae Seo Jun liked her very much.

Moreover, now that he said he was coming, she desperately missed Tae Seo Jun even more.

[This is the timeline separator]

What’s the big deal?

They were dating now, and they liked each other, so how could she possibly push him away saying she didn’t want to?

Moment by moment, the beastly instinct pouncing on him fiercely shook his reason. But the more it happened, Seo Jun squeezed his eyes shut, chasing away all thoughts.

It wasn’t that he regretted that one time long ago, but after going through Eom So Yeon for a few months, he realized what she wanted. Perhaps belief could be stronger than love. It wasn’t because she disliked him that she left Spain in that moment.

He belatedly realized it turned out that way because of a lack of trust.

Seo Jun kept ignoring the rising heat to the end, turning away from the strong temptation again and again. Instead, he didn’t let go of her hand the entire time he slept. He couldn’t give up the pleasant sensation of her fingers softly filling the spaces between his.

And so, Seo Jun really slept holding only So Yeon’s hand.

Until the sun rose high in the sky.

Around lunchtime, the two people who left the Dogok-dong apartment complex headed to a bookstore located in a shopping center. So Yeon diligently picked out picture books to give to the child, and Seo Jun recommended several must-read books for young children to So Yeon who was carefully considering them.

Afterwards, the two watched a movie together.

Their eyes were fixed on the large screen in front, but their heads and bodies gradually leaned closer to each other. Their hearts pounded as if they would burst at the brief touches of their hands while reaching for popcorn, and sharing a glass of cola together also made the two feel strange and thrilling.

Seo Jun and So Yeon, who agreed to have dinner at home, came to Nonhyeon-dong.

The two people sitting facing each other with side dishes taken out of the fridge and grilled fish cooked until golden brown, began to eat deliciously without having to say who would go first in front of the table set as full as any Korean table d’hote.

It was around the time when they were having tea after the meal was over.

So Yeon said she would go back to her house soon, and Seo Jun was silent for a while after hearing that. But it was also him who broke the silence after some time.

“I don’t want to let you go.”

“We can meet again tomorrow.”

“No. Not like that.”

Longing, waiting, and running to see each other was nice too, but what about missing someone even while being together? The little everyday life with this woman. The happiness that swelled up every moment was something that couldn’t be replaced by anything else. That was the meaning behind what he said.

“I… would like to be with Eom So Yeon. Every day like this, like today.”

“Cough!”

At his sudden words, So Yeon choked. Her heart was pounding so hard that she couldn’t even ask what he meant.

It was at the same time that So Yeon threw her surprised gaze at Seo Jun’s face that she heard his low voice in her ears again.

“Let’s live together.”

“…!”

With eyes fluttering violently as if swept by a gust of wind and visibly trembling lips, So Yeon asked.

“So… are you talking about… co, cohabitation…”

“For now.”

“If it’s for now…”

As So Yeon asked with difficulty, sensing there was something more after that, Seo Jun answered with a calm expression. However, his serious voice was a sincerity welling up from deep inside.

“I want to live with Eom So Yeon. That’s what I think. So introduce Hyun Woo to me soon too.”

“Hyun… Woo?”

“You can’t live without your son, Eom So Yeon. I want to get close with Hyun Woo too. Aren’t I good enough? I think I’d be quite useful as your man and your child’s guardian.”

Like grains of sand slipping through the fingers the moment one feels at ease holding it in the hand – to Tae Seo Jun, Eom So Yeon was still that kind of existence. To relieve that anxiety, one must borrow the power of the marriage system, and that’s what Seo Jun had in mind while saying this.

Thinking carefully and judging accurately was as familiar as breathing to Tae Seo Jun at every moment. This conclusion was also reached after much thought.

He thought marriage wouldn’t be in his life, but that wasn’t the case. If it was Eom So Yeon who made him want her endlessly, even that ordinary life seemed like it would be fulfilling and interesting.

“Why go that far… I mean, are you saying you want to share my life together?”

“Correct.”

Seo Jun’s answer was clear.

His attitude without a hint of playfulness, his sudden confession made her startled heart even more pressured. So Yeon’s heart, which instantly filled with hope that the three of them could be together, pounded so fiercely as if it would burst at any moment.

A heart beating hotly.

However, the guilt of having deceived everyone so far welled up and So Yeon couldn’t say a single word out loud.