Sun Woo’s car came to a smooth stop in front of the annex. Eun Jung, who had come out to greet them in advance, waved her hands enthusiastically to welcome the two even before the car door opened.

“Hello.”

“Come in, Eun Jae. You must be tired from the journey. Let’s go inside.”

Eun Jung took Eun Jae and entered the annex first. Sun Woo followed behind Eun Jung, gently rolling two large suitcases he had taken out of the trunk.

It was the first time visiting the annex, as the previous visit was spent entirely in the main house. Upon entering the annex foyer, a chandelier gleamed majestically on the high ceiling.

While momentarily lost in admiration, Eun Jae felt a gentle pressure on her shoulder and turned around. As their eyes met, Sun Woo, looking down at Eun Jae, smiled freshly.

With deep, intense eyes focused solely on her.

“Sit down, I’ll go up and put away the luggage.”

“Let’s go together.”

“It’s okay, I’ll be back soon.”

After seating Eun Jae on the sofa with a nod in response, Sun Woo headed towards the stairs with the suitcases. Eun Jung, who had been watching this scene together, took Eun Jae’s hand to help her up and asked:

“Eun Jae, it’s not dinnertime yet, right?”

“Ah… I’m fine, but I’m not sure about Sun Woo.”

Eun Jung smiled slightly and led Eun Jae by the hand towards the dining room. As she fiddled with Eun Jae’s delicate wrist, Eun Jung said:

“Seongsan has prepared lots of delicious food because you’re coming. Even if you’re full, just have a taste. Okay?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Would you like to wait here for a moment? I’ll be right back down.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Everything must feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable since it’s the first time. Eun Jung knew this feeling best, having experienced it herself when she first came to this house. She gently patted Eun Jae’s back to comfort her.

“Seongsan, please prepare dinner.”

“Yes, madam.”

Eun Jung seated Eun Jae in the dining room and briskly climbed the stairs where Sun Woo had disappeared.

Following closely behind Sun Woo as he ascended to the third floor, Eun Jung glanced at the first-floor dining room where Eun Jae was sitting and whispered to Sun Woo:

“How could you suddenly call in the morning saying you’re coming home? And on the same day, too.”

“That’s how it turned out.”

“It’s fortunate you called in the morning. I’ve stocked up on various things, but there might still be some shortages.”

“We brought all our luggage, so there’s no need.”

Sun Woo, who reached the third floor first, easily pushed the suitcases into the small living room.

“By the way, why are you suddenly in such a hurry? Won’t Eun Jae feel uncomfortable living together?”

Nothing has changed here. Sun Woo, momentarily lost in thought, scanned the small living room with its two-seater sofa and carpet before answering:

“Whether we move in then or now, it doesn’t make much difference.”

Eun Jung recalled the time when she first heard about the marriage plans in response to Sun Woo’s answer.

She couldn’t quite understand Sun Woo’s attitude that day. Even if they were madly in love with each other, it was noticeably apparent that they were rushing things.

When she suggested not to rush if it was because of the hospital, Sun Woo revealed his feelings about the hospital without reservation, along with saying it was a necessary marriage.

As if he could do anything, even marriage, for the sake of the hospital.

Although she had always known about his ambition for the hospital, she got the impression that it was more focused on the hospital than on marriage, as if it were a marriage to obtain the hospital.

While the words could clearly be interpreted that way, it was different when he started talking about Eun Jae rather than the marriage.

There was definitely a faint smile on Sun Woo’s lips. It seemed like a smile that was leaking out without him even realizing it.

Like a flower bud just about to bloom, holding the most beautiful pink hue in the world.

So it felt ironic. It was confusing to determine what Sun Woo’s true feelings were.

Whether it was a marriage to obtain the hospital, or a marriage to obtain Eun Jae.

“Did you discuss it? Is Eun Jae okay with it?”

Even though she knew Sun Woo wasn’t that kind of person, she was worried that he might have lost his composure because of the hospital.

So she thought about trying to dissuade him, maybe even pretending to oppose it without really meaning it, to see if that would help Sun Woo make a more accurate judgment.

She considered doing that. But on the day they came to greet her, she realized that Sun Woo’s smile towards Eun Jae at that time wasn’t fake.

“We registered our marriage this morning on the way here.”

Probably smiling while thinking of Eun Jae, just like now, anyone could see that their eyes were directed towards each other like fully bloomed flowers facing the sun.

“What?”

“I told you before that we would register our marriage first.”

Sun Woo just smiled at Eun Jung’s worried question, asking if he had really done something rash.

Sun Woo trudged towards the sofa. Eun Jung slowly followed behind him.

“Our Madam Song is too ahead of herself. Are you worried about hearing the word ‘grandmother’ already?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it. It just seems like you’re rushing things.”

Sun Woo let out a long sigh at Eun Jung’s words.

“I feel like I have to do this, or else it won’t work.”

Sitting down on the sofa with a thud, Sun Woo gently stroked the sofa surface with his palm and chuckled audibly.

“I’m afraid of losing her.”

It feels like she might run away from me at any moment.

[This is the timeline separator]

As Eun Jae entered the dining room, it noticeably became busy. Side dishes were placed one by one on the table, and finally, a hot pot of soup was set in front of Eun Jae. It was a hangover soup with bean sprouts topped with squid.

Pollock soup in the morning, yellow croaker soup in the afternoon, and bean sprouts hangover soup in the evening.

Today seems to be a hangover soup party…

“You haven’t had dinner yet, right?”

“No. I’ll enjoy the meal, aunt.”

As Eun Jae answered with a smile, Seongsan quietly asked her, as if whispering:

“Nothing’s wrong with the professor, is there?”

“Ah… you mean Sun Woo?”

“He’s never said such things before, so I was quite surprised. He called early this morning while I was preparing breakfast. Said he wanted to eat pollock soup.”

He asked to prepare everything good for hangovers, from soup to side dishes.

“I guess he drank a lot yesterday.”

Eun Jae’s face turned bright red at Seongsan’s continued words. If there had been anything in her mouth, she might have spit it out.

That person who drank a lot is me…

“This is also what the professor asked to prepare. He specifically requested Jeonju-style bean sprout hangover soup. I’m worried that he might still be feeling unwell.”

I wonder what happened yesterday for someone who never even touched alcohol. As Eun Jae watched Seongsan muttering to herself, she could only swallow hard, unable to give any response.

“He said to eat first. He’ll come down soon after organizing the luggage.”

“Ah, I’ll wait until Sun Woo comes down and eat together.”

“But it’s best eaten while hot… Then I’ll bring it back later, please give it here.”

“Ah, no, no! It’s okay.”

“Don’t feel uncomfortable about these things. This is always what we do, you should get used to it now.”

“I’m not good with hot food. I’ll let it cool down a bit before eating. Thank you for your consideration.”

Faced with Eun Jae’s firm attitude, Seongsan nodded and returned to her place. Eun Jae looked at the side dishes densely filling the table and recalled what had happened in the car before arriving here.

Fiddling with the necklace around her neck, Eun Jae pulled down the pendant to look at it. The man’s face was reflected in the diamond sparkling with various colors as it caught the light from the lamp.

“It’s pretty, Ji Eun Jae.”

Even though this is clearly reality and not a dream, I still feel like I’m floundering in a dream.

There’s no need to care for me this much, no need to treat me this well.

The more you do this, the harder it becomes for me.

While lost in thought for a moment, the sound of footsteps approaching the dining room could be heard. It was a familiar sound often heard at home.

Eun Jae silently captured every movement of Sun Woo as he entered the dining room without a word. Sun Woo, who didn’t avoid her gaze and met it directly, said as he pulled out the chair opposite Eun Jae and sat down:

“Why, aren’t you eating first?”

The gaze that met hers was exceptionally affectionate. This is why I can’t shake you off.

“I thought you’d come down soon, so I waited.”

Eun Jae’s eyes, blinking slowly, were filled with a strange light. His gaze softly moved to Eun Jae’s neck. Sun Woo chuckled, seemingly satisfied, and folded his arms on the table.

“It’ll taste bad if it gets cold.”

Eun Jae smiled in response to Sun Woo’s smile directed at her.

In the past, meals facing you were so uncomfortable that I couldn’t tell if the food was going into my mouth or my nose.

But at some point, even this moment of eating together with you facing each other has become precious to me.

“It tastes worse eating alone.”

Is that why?

“Let’s eat together.”

I don’t want to eat alone anymore.

[This is the timeline separator]

After finishing their meal, Sun Woo and Eun Jae moved to the main building to greet Grandfather.

On the sofa table were three cups of fragrant steaming herbal tea and a green grape tart. Seok Hee picked up a teacup first and said to Eun Jae:

“Have some.”

“Yes, I’ll enjoy it. Grandfather, please speak casually to me.”

As Seok Hee nodded, Eun Jae also smiled brightly and picked up her teacup. Before even touching his tea, Sun Woo held out the marriage registration receipt he had been holding to Seok Hee.

“We registered our marriage today, Grandfather.”

At Sun Woo’s words, Seok Hee responded impassively as usual and sipped his tea. As if uninterested in the paper Sun Woo had presented, without even glancing at it, Seok Hee asked Eun Jae:

“Now that you’ve really become family, think of this as your home and stay comfortably.”

“Thank you, Grandfather.”

Eun Jae responded to Seok Hee’s words with a low laugh. It seemed like it would take a little more time for him to speak casually.

“Sun Woo probably rushed a bit because of me. My two grown grandsons were fighting over the hospital director position, so I said I’d give it to the one who marries first.”

Ah… So that’s what happened.

It was a story I had never heard from the man. And it was a story I hadn’t particularly asked about. At that time, just his proposal itself was a big shock.

Even after accepting the man’s proposal, I didn’t pay much attention to it, thinking it was someone else’s family matter, but now that I know the clear reason, Eun Jae nodded as if she finally understood.

I could also guess that one of those grandsons was Tae Gyu.

By the way, didn’t he talk as if the hospital would be his as soon as he got married, but it’s not the hospital but the hospital director position?

Just as she was tilting her head slightly puzzled, that moment came.

“I said I’d hand over not just the hospital, but all my assets to the one who shows me a chubby grandchild.”

“Ack.”

At Seok Hee’s words, Eun Jae, who was sipping her herbal tea, choked.

There was no talk of this…?

Eun Jae looked at Sun Woo with round eyes, but Sun Woo just sipped his tea as if nothing was wrong.

“As you can see, I’m an old man with not many days left to live, and what joy does such an old man have? My dream is to pass away peacefully while watching my great-grandchild’s antics.”

[This is the timeline separator]

After finishing the somewhat awkward greetings, as Seok Hee was wrapping up the meeting, he called for Sun Woo.

“Sun Woo, come see me for a moment.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

Will you be okay going alone? To Sun Woo’s worried question, Eun Jae nodded and then moved close to Sun Woo’s side.

“Go quickly.”

We need to talk later. Eun Jae said in a voice only Sun Woo could hear, with gritted teeth. At this sight, Sun Woo almost burst out laughing, but he quickly composed his expression.

Just then, Eun Jung, who had been waiting for them in the dining room, came out to the living room.

“Yes, don’t worry and go. I’ll stay with Eun Jae in the annex.”

On the way to the annex, Eun Jung tipped Eun Jae off about various things that happen in the house, like meal times, but in the end, it all came down to one thing.

“There are no set rules. Just do as you like, Eun Jae.”

Upon arriving at the annex, Eun Jung gently stroked both of Eun Jae’s shoulders and said:

“Eun Jae, stay comfortable. We mostly live on the first floor, so we rarely go to the second floor, and even less to the third floor.”

Eun Jae was very grateful for Eun Jung’s consideration.

“Thank you.”

“No need for thanks between family.”

Between family…

Come to think of it, it wasn’t just my mother who was being deceived.

Even if he loves the hospital that much…

It felt like committing another sin and telling another lie.

“Oh, right. Eun Jae, can you come here for a moment?”

As if something had just occurred to her, Eun Jung took Eun Jae to the sofa and sat her down.

“I also suddenly got the call this morning… No, I just went to the department store today and thought of you, so I bought this.”

“Ah, I…”

Eun Jung pushed a white box that was on the table towards Eun Jae.

“Don’t feel burdened and accept it. I bought it in a hurry, so there weren’t many options.”

“Thank you…”

After placing the box in Eun Jae’s arms, Eun Jung whispered secretly into Eun Jae’s ear.

“By the way, your mother-in-law and father-in-law. They’re not home today.”