TEW 44

chapter 44

“Ha… Yeon-seo.”

Hearing her name from his lips felt strange and bittersweet.

Do-heon’s words seemed to hold something unspoken.
What was it he really wanted to say?
Yeon-seo swallowed his breath, suppressing the tears that threatened to spill.

I have to go back to where I belong.

Everything, in the end, returns to its place.

From now on, she would only see him on the news or in online articles.
Those shapeless, dreamlike memories—those fleeting moments that even yearning for would be a luxury—would become something she’d carry for life, loving him silently from afar.

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

Thankfully, the darkness of night would keep Do-heon from noticing.

He would never know what she felt in this beautiful place he had brought her to—
the tangle of emotions that only she could feel.

He always stood before countless people; how long could someone like him remember a person like her?
Even if he did remember, it wouldn’t be an important memory.
She was the only one who wanted to remember every small detail.

As soon as his lips left hers, Yeon-seo quickly wiped away her tears and smiled, pretending she had been nothing but happy.

A gentle breeze brushed away the trace of tears that remained.
Do-heon smiled softly as he patted her hair.

Then, he gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Together, they gazed at the night sky for a long, long time.

Before long, a falling star stretched its tail across the sky.

“Oh! A shooting star! Make a wish!”

Yeon-seo’s voice burst out, full of excitement before she even realized it.

“Did you make one? It passed so fast, I barely managed.”
“Yes, I did.”
“What was it?”
“…It’s a wish. It’s a secret.”
“Now I’m even more curious.”

Maybe her motherly instincts were already awakening.
She wished for her baby to be born safe, healthy, and without any trouble.

She found herself looking forward to seeing a child who would resemble Do-heon.
It would be wonderful if the baby looked just like him.

“What did you wish for, Do-heon?”
“For Woo Yeon-seo… to eat properly.”
“What? That’s all?”
“You haven’t been eating well since coming to Myungseon-jae. Do you know how worried that makes me? It’s hard to watch. So please, eat well.”
“…Alright.”

It was a promise she knew she couldn’t keep.
The nausea hadn’t gone away, and she knew she wouldn’t be eating well for quite some time—whether here or anywhere else.

“Let’s go. It’s getting cold.”

He reached for her hand casually, pretending not to make a big deal of it.

Wearing the jacket he’d put on her, walking hand in hand—it almost felt like they were lovers. The thought was both strange and soft, like something tender blooming inside her chest.

Can the baby feel this too? she wondered.
That once, even for a short while, there had been a father beside its mother.

She gently placed a hand on her belly, hoping one day her child would know.
Above them, another small star fell, trailing a faint light behind it.

In the car, on the way back to Myungseon-jae, Yeon-seo couldn’t fight off the wave of exhaustion.
Maybe it was because of the pregnancy, but her eyelids felt unbearably heavy, and she soon fell sound asleep beside Do-heon as he drove.

“We’re here.”

His whisper made her flutter her eyes open. Outside the window, Myungseon-jae stood in the dim night.

“You slept well.”
“Oh… I’m sorry. You must’ve been tired driving alone.”
“I almost dozed off at the wheel.”
“Oh no, I should’ve kept talking to you. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I’m sorry.”
“It’s a joke, you know. I drove fine while listening to music. You were even snoring.”
“I—I snored?”

Do-heon smiled meaningfully as he got out of the car. A moment later, she heard the passenger door open.

“Let’s get out.”
“Wait, did I really snore?”

Mortified at the thought of showing such a sight to him, Yeon-seo wanted to sink into the ground. He just chuckled and took her hand, leading her toward the house.

“You’re fun to tease. Your reactions are great.”

Yeon-seo shot him a glare.

“So you were lying. You really love to toy with people.”
“Isn’t that what you’re doing? Playing with me?”
“…What did I do?”
“You talk back more easily now.”

They opened the front door and stepped inside.

The living room was silent—everyone must’ve already gone to bed.
Still holding her hand, Do-heon guided her toward the bedroom.

His unusual gentleness tonight made her nervous.
Was he planning something?
Would he try to… do what they usually did after showering?

“Go wash up. I’ll use the bathroom in the other room.”

As he spoke, he lifted his shirt over his head, revealing the lean muscles of his chest and abdomen.
How could someone look like that without working out all day?

“You’re staring openly now.”

Yeon-seo quickly averted her gaze at the sound of his teasing voice.

“You’ve gotten bolder, Yeon-seo. You couldn’t even look straight before…”

He stepped closer, cupped her chin, and lifted her face.
His dark eyes seemed to look straight into the depths of her heart.

“Tell me what you want.”
“…”
“Go on.”

Yeon-seo clenched her fists tightly.
She wanted to throw herself into his arms.
To hold him through the night, tell him she loved him, and fall asleep on his shoulder.

But one thing held her back—the baby growing inside her.

Do-heon didn’t know, so he wouldn’t be careful.
Whenever they were together, he never stopped until she was completely exhausted.

“You have to be careful during intercourse—it can cause uterine contractions. And pressure on the abdomen is dangerous too,”
the obstetrician’s last words echoed in her head.

Yeon-seo stepped back.

“I’m sorry, but I’d like to rest tonight.”
“What?”

For the first time, Do-heon frowned in surprise at her refusal.

“I haven’t been feeling well lately. I think I need a full night’s sleep before work tomorrow.”

He let out a quiet, dismissive laugh and brushed a hand through her hair.

“Alright. Do that.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“I’m not the type to push when you’re unwell. Don’t apologize.”
“…Okay.”

The door closed with a heavy thunk.

Yeon-seo stared down at her stomach for a long while.

His face had looked calm, but there had been a faint trace of disappointment there.
She felt the same way.
She wanted to hold him a little longer, touch him a little more.

But until she left this house, she needed to keep her distance, with whatever excuse she could find.
Still, guilt crept into her chest.

Conflicting emotions tangled inside her head, leaving her dazed.

The next morning, she went to work with Do-heon in his car.
She had insisted she could take the subway, but he wouldn’t hear of it.

He convinced her that, as his secretary and wife, no one would think it odd for them to arrive together.

But it turned out to be far more attention-grabbing than she’d imagined.
From the moment they entered the lobby, people’s gazes split the air like the Red Sea.

Yeon-seo tried her best to act like any other secretary—
following close behind, keeping her presence small and quiet.

Does he live like this all the time?
She realized how exhausting it must be to be constantly watched.

For her, a life where she could walk down the street eating skewers without anyone staring sounded far happier.
That kind of simple life suited her.
This world she was in now didn’t fit—it was like wearing clothes that weren’t made for her.

And then, another thought crossed her mind.

I need to check the USB from the hotel soon.

It was in her skirt pocket.
At Myungseon-jae, she hadn’t found the right moment to use a computer.

If she could get a chance to be alone in the secretary’s office—or near one of the shared PCs—she planned to see what was on it.

But Do-heon shattered that plan immediately.

“Stay by my side today. You can learn while I work.”

It seemed he also planned for them to go home together afterward.
And it didn’t feel like he was doing it just for her training; there was something more personal in his tone.

Why is he acting like this?
He’d been gentle at times before, but at work he’d always been strict—so much so that she’d sometimes felt ignored.

Now, with their contract nearing its end, he was becoming kinder than ever.
She didn’t understand his change, but as his secretary, she had no choice but to follow.

“Sit there. I’ll call you when I need something.”

Do-heon pointed with his chin toward the sofa near his desk.

“Uh… You mean, just sit there the whole time?”