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chapter 28
Whose voice was that?
Dain pressed her forehead with a confused expression. A strong dizziness washed over her, as if she were standing under the scorching sun. The voice from beyond the hazy memory quickly disappeared, but the question lingered clearly in her mind.
“Bright yellow lies aren’t really lies.”
“Then?”
“They’re meant to prevent getting hurt, so it’s a good thing.”
Hanul wiped Summer’s cheek with her tiny hands. Though the same age, her comfort felt surprisingly mature. As Summer nodded, having stopped crying, Dain took a step toward Hanul.
“Hanul.”
For some reason, even Hanul comforting Summer felt strangely familiar. It was an odd sense of déjà vu, as if she had experienced this scene long ago herself…
“Who… just said that?”
“Go Hanul.”
Dain asked in a trembling voice, but suddenly, Taekyung called out. Both Hanul and Dain turned toward the direction of the voice. Taekyung was leisurely waving a white handkerchief.
“Come over and take the handkerchief. Wipe Summer’s nose.”
“Okay!”
Hanul dashed to take Taekyung’s handkerchief. Summer hesitated, then muttered primly as she took it.
“I didn’t have a runny nose.”
“Really? Then it was tears. Uncle must’ve seen it wrong.”
Summer giggled at Taekyung’s gentle apology. Her relieved expression, as if she hadn’t been crying at all, was so cute that Taekyung took the handkerchief from Hanul and carefully wiped Summer’s cheeks.
“Uncle, I’ll wipe it.”
Hanul, seemingly displeased, clung to Taekyung’s neck with both hands, whining. As Taekyung lightly ignored her, Summer continued the earlier question.
“Really?”
“Huh?”
“Is there such a thing as a bright yellow lie?”
Hanul’s eyes sparkled as she nodded enthusiastically.
“Right? Uncle told me. Bright yellow lies aren’t really lies, and it’s okay.”
“Yes. Kind lies are okay.”
Though it was a fairly kind answer, it still lacked explanation, and Summer tilted her head repeatedly. Dain, listening quietly from behind, also tilted her head slightly.
“Why are kind lies bright yellow?”
“They’re usually told for someone you care about…”
Taekyung glanced at Dain while pretending to look at Summer and smirked.
“I like yellow. It’s the color of dandelions.”
“Oh! My aunt likes yellow too! The dandelion color.”
“Yeah, I know it best of all.”
The last words were whispered so softly that only Summer could hear them. Summer blinked in puzzlement, then stepped back when Taekyung said he was done wiping.
Taekyung stood up and walked over to Dain. Her awkward expression pleased him. Perhaps, just perhaps, her memories had returned after that conversation. With a small hope, he gently asked,
“Now that the kids are calm, shall we head out? I’ll take you home.”
“Yes, that would be good. The dinner party will be over soon anyway…”
Dain scratched her cheek awkwardly. Summer hopped over and into her arms. Holding Summer tightly, she murmured quietly,
“It wasn’t exactly a place I wanted to be.”
“I agree.”
Taekyung felt the same about the gathering, though for a different reason. He disliked how people constantly flattered him.
“But you didn’t drink, right? Are you sure it’s okay to drive…”
“I wanted to take you home myself, so I didn’t drink from the start.”
His answer was straightforward. Before Dain could react, Taekyung suddenly leaned in.
“Come to think of it… Dain, you seemed to have had quite a bit earlier.”
Dain flinched, raising her head as Taekyung’s hand briefly touched her cheek. Though he hadn’t drunk, his hand felt surprisingly warm.
“Now your face is back to normal.”
Perhaps from surprise, her flushed cheeks had returned to their pale state. Taekyung gently removed his hand and turned. Dain swallowed nervously, feeling a tingling static from where his hand had touched her cheek.
In the backseat of the car, Summer fell asleep holding Hanul’s hand.
Exhausted from crying, Summer quickly dozed off. Hanul, meanwhile, observed her face, covered her with a blanket, and seemed to nap alongside her.
Dain was tired too, but sleep wouldn’t come. Unlike before, Taekyung’s presence in the seat next to her felt different—perhaps because he had helped her earlier, or maybe because of her lingering curiosity since morning.
‘If Dain had given permission, it wouldn’t have been a lie. What a shame.’
Taekyung’s words after hearing people gossip swirled in her mind. If he had a fiancée, he wouldn’t have shown his feelings so directly.
‘They say he hurried back to Korea because of this woman, and Taewoong Trading is pushing for a quick marriage.’
‘I… don’t know about that.’
‘Just because you don’t know doesn’t mean it’s not true. You know that, right?’
She recalled Inhyuk’s confident expression and words. Dain’s heart struggled to make sense of her emotions, realizing she couldn’t know the answer without asking herself.
She wanted to say something but the timing felt awkward. Dain stole glances at Taekyung, sighing quietly.
Before she knew it, they arrived at her home. Taekyung parked calmly and looked at her. Dain bowed slightly, taking Summer out of the backseat.
“Then, come inside.”
Checking his watch, Taekyung turned to leave. Dain, uneasy about him leaving, spoke.
“Um… Taekyung!”
Her voice, a burst of courage after some hesitation, made him stop and turn quickly, as if he had been waiting for her.
“Would you like to come inside for a moment?”
“……”
“You’ve been driving a long time, so rest… or have some water… um…”
Seeing his hesitation, Dain smiled awkwardly. Her shrinking, timid posture reminded him of Summer.
“Do you need to tremble so much just because I offer water?”
Ah, he was teasing her. Dain returned to a prim expression and pursed her lips.
“…It’s because you just stare without saying anything.”
“Oh, my fault, then?”
“If it’s okay, I can just go…”
“No, you didn’t refuse. Then we’ll just have some water before you go.”
Taekyung stopped teasing and hurriedly pretended to drink water. Dain chuckled softly and headed to the apartment entrance, holding Summer.
Taekyung returned to the car, carrying Hanul in one arm, following her. Hanul, deep in sleep, breathed quietly without moving. Judging by her state, she wouldn’t wake up all night.
They rode the elevator in silence. Dain’s heart pounded with tension. She had invited a man into a house where only she and the girls lived. Not the wisest choice.
‘No, Hanul is with me, so it’s fine.’
Hanul, oblivious and asleep, was some comfort.
“Come in.”
Taekyung entered the house calmly. Dain first laid Summer in her room, then handed him slippers. Wearing them, he carefully laid Hanul down.
“Hanul, it’s okay for Summer to sleep in the same bed?”
“Yes, Summer’s bed is quite big.”
The bed was larger than expected for a child, just as Dain had explained. Taekyung laid Hanul down carefully, turned off the light, and went to the living room.
“Thirsty? Juice or water?”
Dain handed him a cup, adorned with cute characters. Too childish for an adult, but normal for her.
“Juice, please.”
Dain poured orange juice from the fridge. The house was unusually quiet, likely because the children were asleep.
Though it was Dain’s house, he straightened his shoulders without showing it, hiding his unusual thirst that juice couldn’t quench.
“I saw… the photos.”
Breaking the silence, Dain spoke, unable to avoid confronting the truth.
“Photos?”
“Photos of you walking with another woman. Seoinhyuk showed them to me.”
She hadn’t expected that. She felt Inhyuk was keeping an eye on her, but hadn’t imagined he’d approach this way. A faint scorn passed Taekyung’s lips.
‘Pointless actions.’
No wonder Dain had avoided his gaze all day.
“Is that so?”
“They said she was your fiancée.”
Dain couldn’t meet his eyes, staring at the floor. Taekyung, resting his chin on his hand, studied her serious expression.
“Is that true?”
Dain’s eyelashes trembled with tension.
