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chapter 9
“Ah…”
But Dain couldn’t recall even a trace of her old memories. She only blinked blankly.
Where a bright, innocent smile had once been, there was now a fragile and sorrowful expression.
What on earth had changed Min Dain so much?
“Anyway, thank you for comforting me.”
Taekyung gave a faint smile, feeling both disappointment and curiosity at the same time. Their eyes met, and Dain tilted her head slightly.
“Pardon?”
“You just comforted me, didn’t you? Saying you’d take care of things so troublesome rumors wouldn’t spread in the company. That’s what you meant, wasn’t it?”
He was choosing to interpret her words in a positive light.
Perhaps because she leaned her head a little closer, Taekyung’s handsome smile seemed to fill her entire view. Dain stared at his face absentmindedly, as if admiring it, before realizing what she was doing and flushing red.
“I-I only meant… I’ll try my best, even if I’m not much help.”
Normally, she’d never make such mistakes, but around Taekyung she found herself flustered and clumsy.
Is it just because it’s been so long since I’ve gone somewhere with a man?
But Ko Taekyung wasn’t just any man. He was her superior at work—one sitting at the very top. Her heart pounding so wildly in front of such a man felt almost like a personal flaw.
“There’s one thing you’re misunderstanding, Manager Min.”
Just as Dain was trying to calm herself, Taekyung, who had been watching her expression carefully all along, spoke in a low voice.
“My nephew’s father—in other words, my younger brother…”
It was time to tell her the truth.
Leaning in deliberately close, Taekyung carefully chose his words, watching every flicker of change in her expression.
“He just doesn’t live with us because of frequent overseas business trips.”
“…What?”
“I was going to tell you earlier, but your face looked so serious I held back.”
His clear brown eyes glimmered softly, like rippling water. His long lashes fluttered gently with each blink.
Her confusion gave way to surprise, and soon disappointment followed. Dain’s cheeks—and even the tips of her ears—flushed crimson. She turned away sharply, unable to say anything with her burning face. Startled by her complete rejection of eye contact, Taekyung hurried after her.
“Manager Min?”
“…”
“Wait, Manager Min.”
Before she could even take two steps, he caught up. Dain halted with a frustrated sigh, and Taekyung lingered in front of her, looking troubled. Bowing his head slightly to meet her gaze, he received her sharp, indignant outburst.
“That’s too cruel! I was being sincere, I really thought you—”
“I know. That you said it for my sake.”
Taekyung cut in half a beat quicker than her words could finish.
Hearing the urgency in his tone, Dain slowly relaxed her frown. He hadn’t meant to tease her, not really.
“Thank you for comforting me.”
“….”
“No one has ever said anything like that to me before. That’s why I wanted to hear it so badly.”
His honesty was so disarming it left her with nothing to say. It didn’t sound like an excuse—because the weight of sincerity in his voice was undeniable.
Dain parted her lips hesitantly, but only a long sigh escaped. She no longer felt like scolding him. From the moment he said thank you, her heart had been shaken too strongly.
And Taekyung, as if reading her heart, took a step closer.
As a child, Dain had been soft and gentle, unable to treat anyone coldly.
“As an apology, I’d like to at least buy you a meal.”
And surely, even now, she would nod at such a suggestion.
“Since the kids are here today, how about just the two of us, another time?”
“M-me? With you?”
“Of course. Who else would I eat with, if not you, Manager Min—Yeoreum?”
He glanced toward Yeoreum, who was still happily bouncing around with Hanul, and smiled.
Seeing Dain’s flustered face slowly relax at his proposal reassured him. He didn’t want today’s meeting to leave behind any unpleasant feelings.
“If you don’t mind… then yes, I’d like that too.”
Thankfully, Dain accepted his invitation. Taekyung suggested a date, and she checked her calendar before nodding in agreement.
Blushing faintly, she excused herself, saying she’d check the mirror, and walked off in the other direction. Taekyung watched her retreating figure with a quiet longing. Why did happy moments always pass so quickly?
“Uncle Taekyung.”
He felt a tug at his sleeve. Pulling his hand from his pocket, he turned around.
Yeoreum was looking up at him, clutching his sleeve tightly.
“Hmm?”
“Did you get closer with my aunt?”
Her tone was hushed, as though she were sharing some grand secret. Amused, Taekyung lowered his voice to match her seriousness.
“Hmm… probably?”
“Phew! Thank goodness!”
Yeoreum beamed. Her cheeks were flushed, like ripe apples, from all her running around with Hanul.
“Thank goodness?”
“I wanted my aunt to have a friend.”
He didn’t know exactly what she had misunderstood about their interaction, but her proud little smile left him with a strange feeling.
“Is that so?”
Taekyung glanced toward Dain, who was fixing her sleeves in the distance. Surely, if she had been so busy raising Yeoreum, she hadn’t had much time to meet friends like others her age.
Yeoreum blinked up at his slightly pensive profile.
It had been such a long time since her aunt’s tired face bloomed with smiles so freely. Yeoreum believed it was thanks to Taekyung—and Hanul too.
“Please keep being close with my aunt.”
Rising on tiptoes, Yeoreum whispered earnestly. Taekyung leaned his head toward her and answered softly.
“Of course.”
It was more than a reply—it was a vow he was making to himself.
As soon as they left the aquarium, Yeoreum and Hanul both fell fast asleep. The ride back to their neighborhood was filled with nothing but silence.
Dain, exhausted, kept nodding off too, but fought to stay awake. Falling asleep and even snoring beside her boss, who was driving her home, would be unforgivably embarrassing.
By the time they reached the entrance of her neighborhood, the sky was already dark.
“Looks like they had a great time.”
Glancing in the rearview mirror, Taekyung chuckled softly. Hanul was completely out cold, not even noticing when Yeoreum slumped against him.
“They were running around holding hands all day. They must be exhausted.”
Dain nodded, adjusting the sleeping Yeoreum in her arms. The warmth of her soft cheek against Dain’s shoulder was comforting. Catching sight of her, Taekyung smiled faintly.
“You look pretty tired yourself, Manager Min.”
Apparently, he’d noticed her dozing earlier. Embarrassed, Dain ducked her head.
“I’m sorry, you must be more tired than me. I really should have been the one driving…”
“That’s not why I brought it up.”
Leaning his arm casually on the wheel, Taekyung rested his chin in his hand. The streetlight outside cast a mysterious glow over his angled face.
“When you come to work tomorrow, there should be some good news.”
Only then did Dain notice the orange light glowing from the streetlamp above them.
“Good news?”
“Though for someone who values efficiency as much as you, maybe it won’t sound so good…”
Letting his words trail off vaguely, Taekyung shrugged.
“Anyway, it’ll be interesting news.”
Which only made it harder to guess. Instead of puzzling over it, Dain shifted Yeoreum in her arms again and simply smiled along with him.
Seeing her smile back at him, Taekyung returned it warmly.
“Thank you for today. See you at work tomorrow.”
“N-no, thank you, Director. Please get home safely.”
With a smile, Taekyung rolled up the window and drove off slowly. Dain stood watching until his sedan disappeared, then finally turned toward her apartment entrance.
In the elevator, she gazed blankly into the mirror, where Yeoreum’s small head rested on her shoulder. The child’s steady breathing filled her ears, and with each breath her heart beat happily in rhythm.
It feels like we went on a field trip…
She had rarely gone anywhere alone with Yeoreum, and never before had she spent time out like this with someone else. That was why Yeoreum had been so excited today—but honestly, Dain’s feelings weren’t much different.
The whole day had felt like a dream.
When she took a photo by Taekyung’s side, when he slid a cake in front of her himself, when he suggested they have dinner together… Every moment had seemed unreal. Like a dream that might vanish at any moment.
The day her parents passed away, the day her sister died—those too still felt like dreams. The warmth of her family had collapsed in an instant, without warning, and there had been nothing she could do.
Disaster struck like a natural calamity, leaving her no time even for fear, tearing her life apart and taking everything she cherished. And there was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen again.
That was why she had grown used to giving up hope, to lowering her expectations. She believed only then could she stand firm in the face of sudden misfortune.
“….”
But today, she didn’t want to dismiss it as just a dream.
She wanted to savor it all—the pleasant exhaustion pressing down on her body, the happiness filling her chest. She wanted to simply walk aimlessly with others, enjoying the moment for what it was.
“This feels nice.”
Moments like this… it had been far too long.
