Sun Woo briefly loosened his stiff neck, which had become rigid from seeing patients without a break before the afternoon outpatient clinic began. Interlocking his fingers and stretching them high towards the sky, Sun Woo leaned back against the backrest and slowly closed his eyes.

Amidst the darkened view, the words he had spoken last night echoed.

“You don’t need to make such efforts.”

He had intended to say that since his work hours were early, there was no need to get up and see him off.

By adding unnecessary words like being comfortable alone and not needing such efforts, he ended up ruining what had been a rather pleasant atmosphere.

It was already too late to salvage the situation after the mood had shifted that way.

This morning, as he was about to leave for work, he suddenly recalled himself lingering in front of the woman’s door.

It felt unfamiliar. Himself being concerned even about the woman’s trivial moods.

After briefly organizing his thoughts, Sun Woo snorted as if he had found the answer.

“Of course, that’s why.”

In case the woman’s heart changes. That’s the reason.

He quickly concluded that it was because he had just managed to get her to change her mind and obtain the contract, and now he was worried she might say she couldn’t do it. Yet, an inexplicable uneasy feeling persisted, continuing his contemplation.

Sun Woo’s reverie was interrupted when his phone in his pocket rang. Feeling the vibration, he used his mouth to pull off the medical glove on his right hand. Then he took out his phone and checked the name displayed on the screen.

It was Sun Woo’s mother, Eun Jung.

Sun Woo pressed the call button and fixed the phone between his shoulder and face. He answered the call with the removed medical glove in his mouth.

“I’m about to start consultations soon.”

[What kind of greeting is that, son? Mom’s about to feel hurt.]

As Eun Jung spoke in a whimpering voice, Sun Woo chuckled and put down the glove he had been holding in his mouth onto the desk.

“It’s not like this is anything new, is it?”

[Who on earth do you take after?]

“Who else would it be?”

[Your dad’s not like that. Anyway, I heard there’s a young woman at your house. Who is she?]

Surprised by Eun Jung’s unexpected words, Sun Woo abruptly sat up from the chair he had been leisurely leaning back in.

“Pardon?”

[Seongsan-daek made some seasoned crab this morning. As I was looking at it, I thought of you. Seongsan-daek was so surprised, she nearly fainted, they say?]

It’s fortunate she didn’t hurt her back. Eun Jung’s self-mutter of relief continued.

Seongsan-daek was a person who had been taking care of the housework, going back and forth between the family home and Sun Woo’s house for nearly 10 years. She probably had never felt the presence of anyone other than Sun Woo in that house. After all, he never brought even the most common of friends home.

How surprised must she have been to enter the house off guard and encounter an unfamiliar woman?

Even without seeing it, the situation wasn’t hard to imagine, and Sun Woo grabbed his forehead.

“I told her not to come for a while.”

It was a self-mutter mixed with a sigh. Eun Jung quickly added:

[I asked her to. So don’t say anything to Seongsan-daek and keep your mouth shut.]

“I wasn’t going to say anything―”

[I’m telling you not to nag.]

“Do you think I’m some kind of nag?”

[By the way, she said it was a woman you’re seeing, is that true?]

Sensing that the conversation was likely to drag on, Sun Woo hurried to end it.

“I’ll explain that matter to you separately. For now, just keep it to yourself, Mother.”

Then, without a hint of hesitation, Sun Woo’s words continued.

“Yes, it’s a woman I’m seeing.”

[Even so, how long have you been seeing her to already bring her home?]

“Is the duration important? It’s the heart that matters.”

Sun Woo impassively lowered his gaze to look at the watch fastened on his left wrist.

“It’s almost time for my consultations. I’m hanging up.”

[Hey! Sun Woo, son!]

Sun Woo mercilessly pressed the end call button.

He had planned to tell everyone at the family dinner next week. He had intended to gradually prepare by setting a date and introducing the woman to his family.

He could hear the sound of Sun Woo’s carefully laid plans crumbling at Eun Jung’s words.

“As always, our Mrs. Song.”

It seemed it would be a challenging journey, so he wanted to let the woman rest a bit beforehand.

He had planned to proceed calmly by discussing a few things to caution her about, but now that Eun Jung knew, it seemed the gradual approach was out of the question.

As he was about to put the phone back in his pocket after ending the call, he suddenly thought of the woman’s appearance.

Last night. Those pink cheeks that were particularly visible even in the dark space.

“She must have been surprised.”

Sun Woo knows well the expression the woman makes when surprised.

“Why is she always so startled?”

Sun Woo chuckled as he recalled the expression the woman had made when they encountered each other in the kitchen last night.

“She said it was a woman I’m seeing.”

He remembered what Eun Jung had said during the call. Sun Woo felt somehow pleased by the image of the woman calmly fulfilling the contract terms despite likely being flustered.

“She’s diligent even in that situation.”

She was a woman he liked more and more as he experienced her.

Sun Woo hesitated as he was about to take out and put on a new glove. After seeming to contemplate for a moment, the hand that had been reaching for the glove moved towards the receiver of the internal phone.

“Head nurse, just five minutes please.”

As soon as he put down the receiver, Sun Woo picked up his mobile phone and called Eun Jae.

At the end of a short ring, the woman’s voice came through. It was a soft and sweet voice, as if the scent of flowers was dispersing through the tip of her nose.

He had felt heavy all morning, thinking he might have hurt the woman with unnecessary words, but he was relieved that her voice sounded quite alright.

[Yes, doctor.]

That “doctor” again.

Sun Woo snorted slightly and asked.

“Where are you?”

[I was about to go to my mother’s hospital. I just left.]

He heard a sound as if the cold wind at the threshold of spring was brushing past the woman.

Was it because he saw the cherry blossoms blooming at the entrance of the officetel this morning? Or was it because the cherry blossoms, which he had passed by for 10 years without much impression, looked especially beautiful today?

He could vividly picture the woman walking and talking on the phone under the blooming cherry blossom trees.

“I heard my aunt came to the house.”

[Ah. I was going to tell you about that, but I was worried you might be busy. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you in advance.]

The woman sighed as if she had forgotten about what happened in the morning.

She must have been flustered, and surprised.

[I didn’t know what to say…]

After hesitating for a moment, the woman trailed off and then answered.

[I did say that I was someone you were meeting with good feelings.]

It was clearly just a phone call, but it felt as if the woman was standing right in front of him.

Was she holding her hands to her cheeks that had turned pink like peaches, or was she shyly lowering her head? If she had been in front of him, he might have patted her head.

“You did well.”

[Pardon?]

“You did well, Ji Eun Jae.”

Sun Woo laughed again at her flustered, rising voice, only realizing he was smiling when he saw himself in the mirror placed diagonally.

The image of himself in the mirror felt unfamiliar, but he didn’t particularly dislike that appearance.

[This is the timeline separator]

After hanging up the phone, Eun Jae cooled her flushed face with a hand fan.

“Why am I really like this?”

This man is just doing this because he’s blinded by the hospital, right? What couldn’t he do, pleasing me shouldn’t be difficult for him.

Lost in her endless thoughts, she almost missed the bus heading to the hospital. Eun Jae hurriedly boarded the bus and leaned her head against the window, absently gazing at the scenery outside.

She thought the cherry blossom petals fluttering in the wind were just like herself.

The way they fell helplessly at the slightest breeze was similar to how her mood went up and down at the man’s small actions.

Recalling the man’s appearance that looked like he would fall for anything, Eun Jae thought it was unfair.

And she resolved to keep a proper distance before facing tragedy.

Don’t be fooled by the man’s light smile.

I absolutely won’t fall for your shallow tricks.

When she arrived at the hospital and tried to settle her mother’s hospital bill, she was told that it had already been paid. Moreover, her mother had been moved to a VIP ward today.

She couldn’t help but laugh.

The moment she heard this, one person’s face came to Eun Jae’s mind. There was only one person who would do such a thing,

Yoon Sun Woo. Only him.

Eun Jae took out her phone from her pocket to make a call, but realizing it was consultation hours, she hesitated and composed a text message instead.

While waiting for the man’s reply, Eun Jae headed to the VIP room where her mother was said to be hospitalized, as directed by the nurse.

Perhaps because it was a VIP ward, elegance exuded from the entrance. A card with her mother’s name was inserted next to the door.

―Jung Mi Ran F/58

The three characters of her mother’s name inexplicably stung her nose.

Just slipping her hand onto the doorknob and pushing slightly, the door opened smoothly as if sliding.

As she stepped into the room, Eun Jae’s mouth automatically opened at the luxurious sight before her. It felt more like entering a fancy hotel than a hospital room.

Her mother was lying on the bed with the head raised, facing the window while inhaling the mist from a humidifier.

Outside the window, fully bloomed cherry blossom petals were scattering in the wind.

It was like a painting.

“Mom.”

“Oh, Eun Jae!”

At Eun Jae’s voice, Mi Ran’s head turned towards her. Mi Ran’s face calling Eun Jae was filled with an indescribable joy.

Eun Jae swallowed the feeling welling up in her throat and quickly approached Mi Ran. The two, arms wrapped around each other, were preoccupied with examining each other’s complexions.

Mom suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This disease causes overall lung function to gradually deteriorate due to airway obstruction.

At first, we thought it was just a cold, and later we thought it was asthma. We tried treatment, but there was no improvement.

Finally, after moving to a big hospital, we received a proper diagnosis, but by then, much of her lung function had already been lost.

Eun Jae carefully examined Mi Ran’s face. It seemed better, but also not.

“I thought you were sleeping.”

“I wasn’t, come here. Let me hug my baby.”

Eun Jae immediately burrowed into Mi Ran’s arms. She could feel Mi Ran’s thin body clearly through the patient gown. As Eun Jae stroked the hard backbone, she pressed her fingertips against her nose bridge, which kept tingling.

“I’m short of breath, lie down now.”

“Eun Jae, I don’t understand what’s going on.”

This morning, a professor who said he wanted to research Mom’s disease visited. He said they moved her to this room for good research results and accurate treatment, and told her not to feel burdened and to stay comfortably.

And he was such a young and handsome professor.

Eun Jae felt she knew who it was without being told.

He really knows how to package things nicely. He’s good at persuading people, I tell you. Mom, do you believe what he said?

“So, are you happy?”

“Of course, they say I don’t have to pay for treatment anymore.”

Seeing Mi Ran’s face smiling like a young girl, Eun Jae thought that accepting his proposal wasn’t entirely meaningless.

Mi Ran’s face, which had been staring intently at Eun Jae, quickly clouded over.

“Eun Jae, are those guys still chasing you? Why do they keep bothering you instead of coming to me?”

“No, we agreed to pay back slowly. They need to let me work to pay back the money, what good does it do them to keep chasing me?”

“Those bastards agreed to that? They’re not the type, what wind blew their way?”

That was true. They knew of our existence but had only been watching from afar. As if waiting for Dad’s debt to pile up bit by bit.

Eun Jae slowly raised her eyes to look at Mi Ran’s face.

And she silently recited in her heart the words that she would probably never be able to utter aloud in her lifetime.

Mom, actually, I’m married.

I’m sorry for deciding on my own without consulting you.

That man paid off all our debts. If we can just endure for one year, just one year with our eyes tightly shut, I think we can go back to living happily like before.

He said he’d even set up that pretty café you’ve always dreamed of. So Mom, don’t worry about anything else and just focus on getting healthy.

Eating meals you cook together like before, chatting, laughing together, and falling asleep together.

That’s my wish.

Eun Jae, who had been facing Mi Ran, quickly averted her gaze when she felt her eyes swelling up.

“Did something happen?”

“What do you mean? Mom, just focus on your health.”

Eun Jae tucked the blanket that had slipped down to Mi Ran’s knees up to her chest and lowered the head of the bed to lay Mi Ran down. Mi Ran carefully held Eun Jae’s hand and said:

“Eun Jae, don’t hate your dad too much.”

“…”

“You know your dad isn’t the type to gamble and borrow such a large sum.”

That’s the problem, Mom. You trust people too much.

“If you want to hate someone, hate Mom. If only Mom wasn’t so sick.”

“We couldn’t have paid it back even if we kept selling that tteokbokki.”

“Why not? The business was doing quite well.”

Mi Ran silently squeezed Eun Jae’s hand, who had turned her head without answering.

Eun Jae kept tearing up because that hand was so warm.