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chapter 8
After finishing their lunchboxes, the three of them went downstairs.
The aquarium, which had been crowded earlier, was now a little less busy. Taekyung first wiped Hanul’s hands and let him rest on a chair, while Dain and Yeoreum went to the restroom.
As soon as Hanul spotted Dain coming out, he hopped down from the chair and ran straight toward her. Meanwhile, Yeoreum struggled and clambered up onto the chair.
“Uncle went to the restroom too.”
“I see.”
“Do you need a handkerchief? I can give you mine.”
Checking the moisture still on Dain’s hands, Hanul opened his yellow backpack and pulled out a handkerchief, holding it proudly—it was bigger than his palm.
“Thank you, Hanul. I’ll use it well.”
Dain smiled warmly and gratefully used the handkerchief. When she returned it after wiping her hands clean, Hanul’s face shone with pride. He was so cute it made her laugh.
‘He’s so young, but really mature.’
She thought he was unusually polite for his age. Maybe his neat appearance, similar to his uncle’s, made him look even more so.
‘As expected… could it be the influence of growing up under a big corporation like Taeung Trading?’
Once he was done, Hanul scampered back to his chair. Then Yeoreum glanced sideways at Dain, suddenly climbed down from her seat, and came over.
Something about Yeoreum’s hurried yet forced-casual stride made Dain frown. It was suspicious.
“Yeoreum, what’s wrong?”
“I have something to tell you, Auntie.”
Reaching her side, Yeoreum rose onto tiptoes and whispered.
“Something to tell me?”
“This is a secret… but I’ll tell you specially. You absolutely can’t tell Hanul I told you, okay?”
With a nervous face, Yeoreum waved her right hand, signaling Dain to lean closer. Curious, Dain tilted her ear toward her, and an earnest whisper reached her.
“The truth is… Hanul doesn’t seem to have a dad either.”
Dain’s heart dropped with a thud. No father? That was a confession she hadn’t expected at all.
“The other day he said he doesn’t live with his dad.”
“……”
“So I told him I don’t live with mine either. Then he laughed and said we’re the same.”
“I see…”
Dain felt a tangle of emotions. Even this bright, untroubled-looking child carried his own story. It also explained why he was so attached to his uncle.
She could now understand why Taekyung hadn’t told her beforehand. Someone in his position couldn’t casually share such family matters with an employee. If gossip spread around the company, it could cause all sorts of trouble.
‘I need to be careful not to make mistakes.’
Even a thoughtless remark could hurt someone deeply. She reminded herself not to be that kind of person.
After all, Dain herself had been wounded by those careless questions before. She knew most people only asked out of curiosity, not consideration.
As she carefully approached the children again, she spotted Taekyung returning from the restroom, studying his phone with a serious expression, probably about an important call.
His broad shoulders, the sharp line of his shirt, his long legs—he was flawless. People passing by even turned to look.
If he hadn’t been born an heir to a conglomerate, he could’ve been a model.
“Shall we go now?”
When Taekyung met her eyes, the corner of his lips curved into a gentle smile. It was a kind, pure smile—so unfamiliar to her.
“Uncle, where are we going next?”
Hanul jumped down from the chair and ran over. Taekyung glanced at the map on the wall and pointed to the bottom floor.
“There are sharks in the basement. You wanted to see them, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I want to see them!”
Hanul shouted with excitement and dashed toward the elevator. Yeoreum followed, hesitant but curious despite saying sharks were scary.
“They seem a little tired,” Taekyung remarked, watching the children. He moved closer and spoke to Dain. He must have noticed the dazed look on her face since Yeoreum’s confession earlier.
“Oh, I’m fine,” she quickly replied.
“If you’re tired, you can rest at the café. I’ll take the kids around and come back.”
“No, it’s not that…”
Flustered, Dain tried to compose herself. She thought it might be better to be honest now rather than risk awkwardness later if he discovered she already knew.
“I happened to hear something from Yeoreum earlier.”
“What kind of thing?”
“She said Hanul told her a secret… about his father.”
At the mention of father, one of Taekyung’s eyebrows arched. His expression wasn’t displeased, but it was enough to make Dain nervous. She lowered her gaze and continued.
“She said Hanul doesn’t live with his dad either. I only just found out.”
“……”
“I just wanted to tell you I know, so I won’t make a slip later. You don’t have to worry at all. I know how uncomfortable personal questions like that can be.”
Dain’s eyes darkened with a deep misunderstanding—that Taekyung’s younger brother had died. Her words were carefully chosen, clearly meant to console him.
‘Not exactly wrong, but a lot of room for misunderstanding.’
Taekyung recalled Hanul’s face and suppressed a laugh. Dain’s seriousness made even smiling feel inappropriate.
“She promised to keep it a secret. So I don’t think any strange rumors will spread at kindergarten.”
He raised his brows at that. Dain’s trust in Yeoreum’s word was transparent and sincere.
“Our Yeoreum is really good at keeping promises.”
“You sound very sure.”
“Yes… she’s kept every promise she’s made with me. As long as something unusual doesn’t happen, like last time.”
Her careful add-on made Taekyung chuckle. He was reminded of the first time he met Yeoreum. Dain seemed to think the same, and they both smiled.
Despite having a fever and being told not to go out, Yeoreum had struggled to leave the house just to bring her aunt a lunchbox.
Knowing the child’s heart, Dain couldn’t scold her harshly. Taekyung nodded, sensing her thoughts.
“It’d be good if Hanul learned from her. He already knows how to use promises to his advantage.”
Hanul, clever for his age, also had a sly streak. Sometimes Taekyung felt he was looking at his own childhood through Hanul. He couldn’t bring himself to be too strict.
“Really?”
“Yes, probably because he feels lonely.”
“Lonely…”
Loneliness—Dain knew that feeling well. In childhood and even now, it was always around her like the air she breathed—something ever-present, even if unnoticed.
“When I was young, I wasn’t good at keeping promises either.”
“You, Director?”
“I must not look the type?”
“I thought you’d keep even the smallest promises.”
Dain’s earnest face as she spoke made Taekyung smile—he liked that look. Her wide, attentive eyes, her slightly parted lips she didn’t notice herself.
“Thanks for the kind view, but no. I often broke promises with friends too.”
“Is that so?”
“I once promised not to cry, but ended up bawling uncontrollably. I remember my parents being very flustered.”
Dain tilted her head, baffled. Taekyung crying his heart out? It sounded like the most impossible thing in the world. It was already hard to picture this tall, handsome man as a child at all.
“What about your friend?”
“My friend kept the promise—didn’t shed a single tear. Even held my hand and laughed, telling me not to cry.”
He mimed shaking a hand in the air, but then his smile faded, replaced by a pained look. For a moment, Dain almost wanted to comfort him.
“She was a kind friend.”
“……”
“Cheerful and lively, everyone liked her.”
A girl in a yellow dress, short bobbed hair, a dandelion tucked behind her ear—running and laughing under a bright sky. That image was etched in his mind, preserved as an old memory, perhaps even as first love.
“Do you still keep in touch with that friend?”
Her innocent question stung a little. Unlike him, who remembered her name and face vividly all these years, she looked as if she had no recollection at all.
“No, we lost contact.”
“Oh…”
“But I still wish the best for her.”
Instead of sounding curt, Taekyung smiled gently. He didn’t resent Dain for forgetting. He was confident he could make her remember him, even if it took time.
“I hope she’s still a bright person, even as an adult.”
With that meaningful murmur, Taekyung looked down at Dain.
In his low, earnest voice, there was a quiet hope—that their old memories might resurface for her too.
