In the dim living room where the early morning chill still lingered, Sungsan relied on the small orange light illuminating the dining table as she prepared sea urchins.

Thump thump.

She was alone in the quiet, vast space. The sound of footsteps gradually becoming clearer, cutting through the dark living room, caused Sungsan’s hands to abruptly stop working on the sea urchins.

She had always been a timid person. Sungsan’s hands, stained purple, trembled slightly.

With her frightened face bowed down, she tried to shake off her thoughts, but as the white figure drew closer, Sungsan’s face grew paler.

“Excuse me…”

“Oh my goodness!”

Startled by the sudden presence, Sungsan cried out, throwing what she was holding onto the dining table.

“I’m sorry. Did I startle you?”

Only after seeing Ji Eun Jae, who had entered the dining room in a white dress, did Sungsan sigh in relief, clutching her chest.

“Oh my, I nearly had a heart attack.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Feeling guilty, Eun Jae kept scratching her head. Her attempt to enter quietly to avoid disturbing seemed to have backfired.

Sungsan smiled brightly at Eun Jae, who was apologetic and flustered.

“No, it’s alright. Why aren’t you sleeping more? Can’t you sleep?”

“No…”

As Eun Jae answered quietly, Sungsan smiled and picked up the sea urchin again. With skilled hands, she split the sea urchin and separated its contents.

“Everyone’s like that. It’s normal when you’re in a new place.”

“You’re preparing breakfast, right? Why are you alone?”

Eun Jae asked with wide eyes as she pulled out the chair opposite Sungsan and sat down. She seemed curious about Sungsan being alone with just a small light in the vast dining room.

“I don’t sleep much at night.”

“Let me help you. What should I do first?”

Eun Jae rolled up her sleeves, looking as if she was about to pick up a sea urchin. Sungsan tried to stop her with her whole body.

“Oh my, don’t say such things. You’ll ruin your clothes. Go back to sleep.”

“Then I’ll just quietly watch.”

Seeing Eun Jae sitting across the table with a face full of curiosity, Sungsan decided to stop dissuading her. It was because Eun Jae’s eyes sparkled beautifully as she rested her chin on her hand, watching the sea urchins.

Eun Jae looked at the live sea urchins with wonder and asked.

“Those are sea urchins, right? They really look like hedgehogs. But are you handling them with bare hands? Doesn’t it hurt?”

Sungsan, who had just finished preparing the sea urchins, answered as she placed a large pot on the table.

“We’re used to it, so bare hands are more comfortable.”

Sungsan started to prepare the cooled and chewy boiled sea snails.

Eun Jae quietly watched over Sungsan’s shoulder as she worked, then picked up a sea snail and instantly separated the flesh from the shell.

“Is this how you do it?”

Sungsan laughed helplessly at the sea snail whose innards came out smoothly without breaking. It happened so quickly she didn’t have time to stop her.

“Oh my, I told you to just watch. But you did it so beautifully.”

“I wanted to try. It’s fun.”

Eun Jae, who had already separated the shell and contents of the next sea snail, smiled brightly at Sungsan.

“How is this fun?”

“It really is fun.”

Looking at Eun Jae, who seemed to be asking ‘I’m doing well, right?’, Sungsan thought that Eun Jae was a person with a very clear smile, just like when they first met at the officetel.

“Is this a sea snail?”

She seemed to have a smile that was so clear and refreshing that it even influenced those around her.

Wasn’t she the one who changed Sun Woo’s expression, which had been humorless and dry, overnight?

“Yes. It’s a sea snail called bomal. It’s so fresh, just brought from Jeju this morning. When you make seaweed soup with bomal and sea urchin, the taste is amazing. If there are any ingredients you can’t eat, please let me know in advance. I’ll make a separate soup with meat for you.”

“No, I want to try it!”

“Then taste it for me later. Your hands will smell fishy. Go wash your hands quickly.”

While Sungsan was momentarily distracted, Eun Jae had all the sea snails and toothpicks taken away from her hands. With a regretful heart, Eun Jae had to head to the sink under Sungsan’s guidance.

Bubble bubble. The seaweed soup with fresh ingredients just gathered from the seaside started to boil. The savory scent of sesame oil mixed with the sea aroma stimulated Eun Jae’s appetite from the morning.

The rice cooker let out hot steam right on time.

Sungsan, who had been watching Eun Jae glancing sideways while boiling the seaweed soup, finally couldn’t hold back her laughter and laughed out loud.

“It seems about done. Would you like to taste it?”

“Yes!”

Sungsan handed Eun Jae a bowl full of sea urchin roe and sea snails, along with a spoon.

“Thank you.”

Eun Jae received the bowl with both hands. Sungsan smiled contentedly as she watched Eun Jae, who always added a word of thanks even for small things.

Eun Jae’s pupils dilated as she took a spoonful of the seaweed soup. Sungsan, who had been watching this as if it were expected, chuckled.

“Is it delicious? Look at your furrowed brow. You seem to eat anything well.”

“Wow, wow…”

As if at a loss for words, Eun Jae put another spoonful of seaweed and sea snails in her mouth and gave Sungsan a thumbs up.

“It’s really, really delicious. This is the most delicious seaweed soup I’ve ever had in my life. How can you cook so well, auntie?”

Just then, another kitchen helper entered the dining room. Having overheard the conversation from near the kitchen, she put on her apron and added to Eun Jae’s words.

“Sungsan used to run a big restaurant in Jeju. She even has first-class chef certifications in Korean, Western, and Japanese cuisine. No matter how much we follow the same recipe, no one can match Sungsan’s cooking skills.”

Eun Jae listened to Sungsan’s illustrious past while finishing the seaweed soup in the small bowl.

“Hey. Sun Woo, did you sleep here?”

“No.”

Sun Woo opened his eyes groggily at Eun Jung’s unexpected fuss, pretending to be nonchalant. He slowly got up, making the excuse that he had just dozed off while lying down for a moment.

His whole body felt stiff, probably from sleeping crumpled up on the small sofa.

He hadn’t slept well, perhaps because he had started dreaming again when he thought the dreams had stopped. Not sleeping properly for two days in a row left him feeling awful.

Sun Woo looked around and picked up his phone that had fallen to the floor to check the time.

It was just before 6 o’clock, but he hurriedly got up despite his heavy body. Unlike the officetel, there was quite a distance from the main house to the hospital, so he had to leave early.

Sun Woo was about to enter the room with the shower robe he had hung on the sofa when he hesitated.

She’ll probably still be sleeping.

As Sun Woo hesitated for a moment in front of the door, Eun Jung, as if suddenly remembering why she had come up here, slapped her knee.

“Ah, Eun Jae is downstairs. I came up to tell you that, in case you were looking for her.”

“Downstairs?”

“I stopped by the main house on my way, and Eun Jae was there. It seems she was helping Sungsan prepare breakfast.”

“Why is she there again…”

Eun Jung laughed as she looked at Sun Woo, who was grabbing his forehead as if perplexed.

I wonder if Yoon Gang had the same expression back then.

Eun Jae’s appearance kept reminding her of her own when she first came to this house 30 years ago.

“Mom did the same thing on her first day here. Feeling like she should do something, unable to sleep.”

“Haa…”

“Eun Jae said she’s eating at the main house. You should wash up quickly and come down too, have some food.”

Eun Jae, who had said she would only help set the table, was eventually chased away by Sungsan. As she came out of the dining room, smacking her lips regretfully and shaking her wet hands on her skirt, she stepped into the entrance of the living room.

“Hello, Ji Eun Jae.”

Eun Jae stopped in her tracks, turning pale as she encountered someone standing in front of her.

“You, why are you here?”

“Is this somewhere I’m not allowed to be? Unlike you, perhaps.”

Unlike Eun Jae, who almost lost her breath upon encountering Tae Gyu, he calmly greeted her.

She hated it. Hated being caught off guard by him, who acted as if he knew something. Hated giving him such bait and playing into his hands.

“I was just surprised because you suddenly appeared in front of me. I’m easily startled.”

“Is that so?”

Tae Gyu smiled meaningfully as he watched Eun Jae trying to avoid the situation with a quite plausible excuse. He approached Eun Jae’s side leisurely and whispered.

“Then listen carefully this time, without being surprised.”

“…”

“I’m staying here from today too.”

“What?”

You did quite well until just now. But this time, it seems it was difficult to hide that expression, right?

It was as expected. Eun Jae stared at Tae Gyu with a startled face. Tae Gyu felt amused seeing Eun Jae unable to say anything with her eyes wide open, but then he felt inexplicably annoyed.

“Why? Is there any reason for you to be uncomfortable?”

“No? There isn’t?”

Her surprised look was cute, but something hidden in those eyes kept rubbing Tae Gyu the wrong way.

“If there isn’t, why are you looking at me like you’ve seen a ghost? It makes me want to be suspicious.”

Ji Eun Jae. You know what?

Those shaky eyes, those busy actions, pretending not to be affected – they keep making me endlessly suspicious about you and Yoon Sun Woo.

“Are you still on about that?”

“Yeah. I told you I won’t believe it.”

Eun Jae stuck out her tongue at Tae Gyu’s attitude, which went beyond firm. Even the way she whispered with clenched teeth seemed quite cute to Tae Gyu.

“Yoon Tae Gyu, are you really going to be like this?”

“What did I do? Oh, feel free to misunderstand. It’s true that I came here because of you.”

Don’t clench your teeth so hard, your jaw will hurt. As he spoke these kind words with a grin, Eun Jae found him annoying.

His intention to tease her was clear. Eun Jae, at a loss for words looking at such a Tae Gyu, let out a short breath.

“Fine, let’s say what you’re thinking is right. What can you do with me, who’s already registered marriage with your cousin?”

“I don’t care about that kind of thing? If you’re concerned, we can leave Korea. As long as I have you, I don’t care where we go.”

Good heavens. What is he talking about now?

She never dreamed his free-spiritedness would apply to moral concepts as well.

Tae Gyu, who had been casually listing things that could appear in a makjang drama, suddenly chuckled and came closer to Eun Jae, whispering.

“Why are you suddenly talking like that? Why, have you had a change of heart?”

“I’m not like you―”

“Was Yoon Sun Woo worse than you expected? Well, I guess there’s no fun in dating such a cold person. He’s just decent-looking but has a pathological obsession with cleanliness and lives off his own conceit.”

“Let’s… stop talking.”

Feeling no need to continue the conversation, Eun Jae bit her lips tightly and swallowed her words.

No matter what I say, he hears what he wants to hear and says what he wants to say. What kind of conversation is this?

When you see things like this, you two are exactly alike. No wonder you’re cousins.

As Eun Jae sighed and tried to leave, Tae Gyu quickly grabbed her wrist.

“If you change your mind, tell me anytime. I have the ability to take responsibility for you.”

“That won’t happen, and you won’t have to take responsibility for me.”

Tae Gyu pulled Eun Jae back in front of him with force and looked straight into her eyes.

“You heard roughly from grandfather, right? Why Yoon Sun Woo was in a hurry to get married.”

Eun Jae looked at Tae Gyu with pity.

Sorry, but I already knew and got married, so it’s not very surprising. It was a marriage that had a different purpose from the start.

Yes, it’s a fake marriage!

Annoyed by his constant pestering about this matter, Eun Jae wanted to just spill everything out clearly.

Pushing out what must have been the umpteenth sigh, Eun Jae answered in a soft, soothing tone.

“Tae Gyu, I want to get along well with you in this house. As family.”

At that moment, Tae Gyu’s hand holding Eun Jae’s wrist was suddenly separated by a strong external force.

“The more I watch, the angrier I get.”