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chapter 5
“Ye… Yeoreum! Let’s go home now.”
Startled, Dain instinctively turned to look for Yeoreum. Thank goodness she had an excuse.
Luckily, Yeoreum had just finished talking with Hanul and came over obediently to take her hand.
“Auntie bought hamburger steak. Let’s eat it together.”
“Wow! Really?”
Delighted, Yeoreum jumped up and down before suddenly turning back.
Standing there was Hanul, waving his hand up and down as if reluctant to say goodbye.
“See you Monday, Hanul!”
Yeoreum’s lips curved into a wide smile as he waved back.
Only then did Dain get a good look at Hanul’s face.
He was a little taller than Yeoreum and, perhaps because he resembled his uncle, his eyes were already sharp and well-defined for his age. He was surely popular at kindergarten.
“Director, then have a safe trip home.”
Dain quickly spoke first, afraid Taekyung might hold her back.
After bowing politely, she hurried away.
While walking farther, Yeoreum kept glancing back and even waved at Taekyung too.
Running away, huh.
Taekyung waved back but kept staring intently at Dain’s retreating figure.
Her pale neck peeked out from under her short hair, flushed red.
If he touched that spot with his hand, he felt like he could still sense her warmth.
“Uncle!”
He wanted to look at Dain a little longer, but Hanul, clueless to his thoughts, suddenly clung to his waist.
Taekyung gave up neatly and lifted Hanul into his arms.
The boy burst into laughter at the sudden rise in height.
“Uncle, isn’t Yeoreum pretty?”
“Yeah, she’s pretty.”
“This is a secret, but… I’m the closest friend to Yeoreum in our Star class!”
“Really? That’s amazing, Go Hanul.”
Carrying Hanul, Taekyung briskly headed toward the car.
His indifferent gaze changed the very next moment.
“We were supposed to go to the aquarium this week. I asked Yeoreum to come with me but…”
“But what?”
“She said she can’t.”
Hanul pouted, looking gloomy.
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. She said she really wanted to.”
“Hm…”
“Why would she say no? Yeoreum likes fish too.”
Taekyung thought for a moment.
Remembering last time, Yeoreum seemed like the type to be very mindful of Dain.
Perhaps she didn’t have the confidence to ask Dain’s permission, so she gave up on the aquarium.
“Who were you going to the aquarium with?”
“Teacher!”
That was what Hanul called his babysitter.
“But Teacher’s sick right now.”
“Oh, right! What do I do?”
Hanul’s face crumpled miserably. Taekyung’s eyes narrowed.
What if, instead of the babysitter, he himself went with Hanul to the aquarium?
“Hanul, are you sure Yeoreum really wanted to go?”
“Of course! Don’t you believe me, Uncle?”
“Then should I call Yeoreum and ask her again to come with us?”
Hanul tilted his head seriously, not realizing his sly uncle’s hidden intentions.
“But… she already said no…”
“I’ll try asking again. I’ve gotten close to Yeoreum too.”
“What? Really?”
“Really.”
Confidently, Taekyung adjusted Hanul in his arms.
The plan that flashed through his mind felt flawless, no matter how he thought about it.
Saturday morning, sudden showers poured down.
It was the kind of rain that fell just before spring fully warmed up.
To match the refreshing spring rain, Dain made scallion pancakes.
She tried to make them the way her mother had long ago, but as expected, she failed—burning all the edges.
Still, after trimming off the blackened parts with scissors, it looked decent enough.
“Auntie.”
Yeoreum, happily munching the pancake, lifted her head.
At some point, Dain had zoned out, staring blankly at the rainy window.
Her chopsticks had stilled, and her quietness made Yeoreum nervous.
“Auntie…?”
Yeoreum tapped her plate with chopsticks. Startled back to her senses, Dain quickly tore off a piece of pancake and placed it in front of her niece with a smile.
“Sorry, I nodded off for a moment. What is it, Yeoreum?”
“You’re not… mad at me, right?”
Yeoreum, still in her pink pajamas, bit her lip.
Seeing her so deflated, Dain hurriedly shook her head.
Children often misunderstood things—she had to clear it up quickly.
“Why would I be mad?”
“Because… I wanted to go to the aquarium, even though you’re busy…”
“No, it’s fine. It’s the weekend anyway.”
On Friday evening, Dain had received an unexpected call.
The unfamiliar number startled her, and she almost fainted when she realized it was Taekyung.
The story was this: the babysitter who had promised to take Hanul to the aquarium that weekend had a problem, so Taekyung would go instead.
‘Would it be okay if Yeoreum came along too?’
‘What? But…’
‘Hanul said Yeoreum seemed like she wanted to go, but she refused. He was disappointed.’
So apparently Hanul had begged Taekyung to call.
That explained how Taekyung knew her home phone number.
‘In exchange for the laundry bill, what do you say?’
‘In exchange…?’
‘We’ll tour the aquarium, then have a meal together.’
Dain had already been wavering, hearing that Yeoreum wanted to go. Taekyung’s suggestion made it even harder to refuse.
It was better to settle last time’s matter quickly. If coworkers spotted them elsewhere, needless rumors would multiply.
And with her boss suggesting it so kindly, refusing was almost impossible.
‘I’ll come to your place Sunday morning. Text me the address.’
In the end, Dain accepted.
Yeoreum, pretending not to eavesdrop, had been grinning as she listened.
But the next day, when Dain zoned out again, Yeoreum looked worried.
“Auntie’s never been to an aquarium either.”
“Really?”
“Mm. So I’m glad I get to go with you.”
“I’m glad I get to go with you too, Auntie!”
Reassured, Yeoreum broke into a smile, crumbs clinging to her lips.
Dain smiled back and brushed them off with her fingertip.
“Auntie’s pancake is delicious!”
“Really?”
“Yeah! It’s good plain, but even better with soy sauce.”
It was just an ordinary pancake, yet Yeoreum ate it so joyfully that Dain almost felt guilty.
When Dain smiled faintly, Yeoreum lowered her voice, whispering:
“This is a secret, but… actually, I like everything Auntie makes.”
“What do you mean, secret? Who are you keeping it from?”
“Oh, right!”
Yeoreum burst out laughing again. Every time she laughed, the dimples in her cheeks made her look exactly like her mother.
Though her face resembled Dain’s childhood, those dimples were surely from her birth mother.
“Yeoreum, are you close with Hanul?”
Dain quickly asked another question before she could sink into sadness over her sister Dayoung again.
“He’s my second-closest friend at kindergarten.”
“Then do you know what food Hanul likes?”
Maybe she should try making a lunchbox for the kids.
Feeling a rare spark of enthusiasm, Dain began searching for cute bento box ideas on her phone.
Thankfully, Sunday’s weather cleared up.
Taekyung checked the sunny skies, then strapped Hanul into the car seat in the back.
Wearing overalls and carrying his favorite bag, Hanul looked adorable.
“Uncle, you look cool today!”
Hanul, too, checked out his uncle’s outfit and spoke with pure admiration.
Even as a child, he knew well—his uncle was handsome.
But because Taekyung teased him often, Hanul rarely praised him honestly.
“Uncle knows.”
Taekyung smirked, adjusting his watch.
The beige suit softened his usual cold impression.
It was a kind of safety measure—so Dain, who always seemed wary of him, wouldn’t feel as uncomfortable.
“I want to wear a tie too!”
“If you wear it now, it’ll drag on the ground.”
“No, it won’t!”
Taekyung soothed Hanul, who desperately wanted a tie, as he began driving.
When they arrived in front of Dain’s apartment—
“Hanul!”
At the sound of Yeoreum’s voice, Hanul quickly rolled down the window and grinned.
With her hair in pigtails and a yellow dress, Yeoreum laughed and waved.
Even in her kindergarten uniform, she looked good, but yellow suited her especially well.
Watching her chatter felt like watching a little chick.
“Uncle! Hurry, hurry!”
“Wait.”
At Hanul’s urging, Taekyung slowly stopped the car.
Yeoreum ran up first, and Dain followed carefully, approaching the driver’s side.
Through the rolled-down window, she offered a polite greeting.
“Ah, hello, Director.”
“…”
“Thank you for coming all the way here. We could’ve just met at the aquarium…”
When Taekyung turned his head and met her eyes, he froze.
Dain wasn’t in her usual neutral-toned work clothes.
She was wearing a yellow skirt, matching Yeoreum.
The bright, cheerful outfit alone felt like a spring breeze.
Strands of hair swayed, revealing and hiding her pale neck again.
His eyes were glued to that spot, so much so that he barely heard half of what she was saying.
“Director?”
Sensing something off, Dain tilted her head curiously.
Her light brown hair fell softly with the motion.
A sweet fragrance seemed to drift in, filling his chest.
Enchanted, Taekyung finally spoke:
“Assistant Manager Min, today…”
Beautiful.
Pure admiration bubbled up inside him like foam.
