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Chapter 5
Without a word, Ahan calmly set upright the cup that had tipped over toward Yeoreul.
His gaze rose from the cup once more.
Even as everyone in the room simultaneously turned to look at him, his eyes remained fixed on Yeoreul’s pale, bloodless face.
“I’m fine.”
Startled by his words, Yeoreul quickly shook her head.
“I just wasn’t paying attention.”
Taeha clicked his tongue at his daughter as though it were her fault for being so absent-minded that she couldn’t even avoid a spilled drink.
“You’re an adult now…”
Although Ahan had been the one to knock over the cup, Taeha scolded Yeoreul instead.
Unable to completely hide the fear she felt, Yeoreul instinctively shrank into herself.
Everything happened exactly as Ahan had expected.
“You’ll feel uncomfortable if you stay like that. Go clean yourself up.”
Seook smoothly defused the situation.
“Ah… yes.”
Leaning lazily against the back of his chair, Ahan simply watched as Yeoreul stood up.
She quietly closed the door behind her and left the room.
For a long moment, Ahan remained motionless, staring at the closed door.
Only after the sound of her small footsteps disappeared down the hallway did he finally look forward again.
The sliding door opened once more as a staff member entered to clear away the spilled water and refill the glasses.
When the door closed again, conversation resumed as though nothing had happened.
One of Ahan’s eyebrows twitched.
He took a sip of water before setting the glass down.
His hand, however, continued gripping the cup tightly.
The veins on the back of his hand bulged beneath his skin, becoming more pronounced along with his knuckles.
He couldn’t define exactly what he was feeling.
But hot blood coursed through his body.
He reconsidered the source of the irritation gnawing at him—an unquenchable thirst—and searched for what exactly he had missed.
He touched her.
Ahan smiled without expression.
Something that’s mine.
The moment he reached that conclusion…
His emotions suddenly became very easy to understand.
As if he truly understood them now, he finally loosened his grip and released the glass.
His gaze remained fixed ahead.
Seizing the opportunity, Taeha casually began talking about his business.
He enthusiastically explained how excellent the new machinery he’d recently imported from overseas was.
“So now I’m considering building another factory and purchasing even more equipment.”
Taeha subtly glanced at Ahan, as though letting valuable information slip on purpose.
Ahan neither agreed nor disagreed.
Instead, he merely curled the corner of his lips into a faint smile.
A smile that seemed to say he had complete faith in President Taejung Textile’s outstanding judgment.
That tiny gesture alone…
Was enough for Taeha to convince himself they shared the same ambitions.
His heart swelled with greed.
That’s it.
This is the perfect opportunity.
Even if I have to overextend myself, I need to expand the company.
Today’s debt would become tomorrow’s investment.
* * *
As Yeoreul dabbed the moisture from her clothes, she let out a sigh of relief.
The memories of the past had resurfaced, and instinctive fear had overtaken her.
Simply sitting beside her father was emotionally exhausting.
She had desperately wanted to escape.
In that sense, the accident had actually been fortunate.
Even now, as an adult…
The fact that she still couldn’t escape the trauma her father had left her with felt pathetic.
And even more suffocating was the realization that, because they shared the same blood, she would remain tied to him forever.
More than that…
“My real family is Grandma…”
The thought that she’d left her grandmother behind weighed heavily on her heart.
She couldn’t say those words aloud.
She couldn’t even speak up for herself.
She only shrank back in silence.
It made her feel miserable…
Weak…
And unbearably frustrated with herself.
She wanted to stay in the restroom a little longer.
As the emptiness inside her grew, hunger suddenly followed.
“…I want to eat Grandma’s cooking.”
Resting both hands on the sink while waiting for her emotions to settle, Yeoreul suddenly widened her eyes.
Have I been in here too long?
She quickly took a deep breath and exhaled.
Realizing she’d probably been gone for quite a while, she hurried out of the restroom.
Looking down as she walked…
A pair of polished black dress shoes entered the edge of her vision.
She immediately looked up.
Standing against the wall…
Was Ahan.
As though he’d been waiting for her.
Why is he here…?
Ahan simply stood there.
Nothing about him suggested he was in any particular hurry.
At that moment…
He turned toward her.
Before Yeoreul’s dazed mind could catch up, Ahan crossed the distance with his long strides.
Within seconds, he was standing in front of her.
“It dried quickly, so it’s fine.”
Thinking he’d come to apologize, Yeoreul hurriedly explained.
“Um… it didn’t leave a stain.”
She awkwardly added another explanation.
But Ahan remained silent.
He simply looked at her.
His expressionless face seemed strangely mysterious in her eyes.
“I know.”
His deep, restrained voice was low and steady.
“It was only water.”
His calm gaze never changed.
His quiet face remained perfectly composed.
Unable to understand those simple words, Yeoreul stared blankly.
Ahan seemed as though he was about to say something more…
But instead, he simply turned and walked back toward the dining room.
It felt as though he’d come only to confirm something.
What that something was…
She couldn’t tell.
If she had to guess…
Even Ahan himself didn’t seem to know.
After standing frozen for a moment, Yeoreul finally came to her senses and followed after him.
The door opened.
After taking one deep breath, Yeoreul returned to her seat.
The moment she sat down, Taeha quietly complained.
“What took you so long?”
Under her father’s criticism, she shrank into herself again.
She looked exactly like a mouse trapped helplessly before a cat.
Hiding her discomfort behind an uncertain smile, Yeoreul tried to join the conversation naturally.
But inside…
When will this end?
I can’t breathe.
If I go back to the restroom again, that’ll seem strange…
I want to go home.
Grandma…
Then—
Something lightly tapped the tips of her shoes beneath the table.
Startled, Yeoreul looked at Ahan.
His unwavering gaze met hers directly.
Beneath his long eyelashes, his olive-brown eyes looked impossibly deep.
Without breaking eye contact…
Ahan slowly moved one polished shoe against each side of hers.
His shoes gently enclosed both of her feet.
She could feel the firm leather surrounding them from either side.
For a fleeting second, she wondered if he was teasing her.
But no.
That wasn’t it.
Rather…
It felt as though he’d noticed how tense she was…
And was trying, in his own quiet way, to ease her anxiety.
As ordinary conversation continued around the table like distant background noise…
The quiet contact between their shoes brought her an unexpected sense of security.
As her attention focused entirely on that tiny point of contact…
The fear inside her gradually subsided.
Somewhere near her heart…
A strange ticklish warmth spread.
Even so…
Yeoreul kept both feet exactly where they were.
She didn’t move outside the small enclosure Ahan had made around them.
It was…
A prison she chose to remain inside.
A voluntary captivity.
* * *
Silence filled the car.
It was a silence created by the two of them.
Yeoreul’s face was pale, like that of an unhappy child.
Her neatly cut hair partially hid her small face.
Ahan lowered the car window.
A cool breeze drifted inside.
The gloomy haze clouding her thoughts gradually cleared.
Only then did Yeoreul come back to herself.
As though drawn by something, she looked at him.
Ahan looked back.
A few strands of his neatly combed hair had fallen across his forehead.
Unable to endure the quiet length of their eye contact…
Yeoreul shyly looked away.
She turned toward the window.
Then looked outside once more.
Her eyes suddenly widened.
Wait…
This is…
The scenery beyond the window was familiar.
It was her neighborhood.
She turned to Ahan in surprise.
As far as he knew…
Her father’s house should have been considered her family home.
Ahan calmly met her gaze.
“We should greet her.”
Emotion welled up in Yeoreul’s eyes.
He knew.
She nearly burst into tears.
She’d felt left out.
Guilty.
Heartbroken whenever she thought about her grandmother.
Even though this was the kind of marriage where it wouldn’t have been strange to skip the formal family greeting altogether…
Ahan hadn’t forgotten her grandmother.
“I’m… grateful.”
Her emotions were far too complicated.
Gratitude was the only one she could manage to express.
Ahan, however, looked puzzled.
Why are you thanking me?
That was his honest thought.
He hadn’t given it much consideration.
Greeting the family of the woman who would become his wife…
Simply seemed like the obvious thing to do.
Then…
Yeoreul smiled at him.
Her walnut-colored eyes curved gently beneath her long eyelashes.
Ahan silently watched her.
They were…
The kind of eyes he liked.
The engine stopped in front of a familiar house.
The black sedan carrying the two of them came to a halt before an old home.
Ahan stepped out first.
Yeoreul quickly followed.
Beside the aging house stood a healthy walnut tree.
Small green leaves surrounded clusters of round green walnuts hanging from its branches.
When Yeoreul rang the bell…
A tiny elderly woman, even smaller than Yeoreul herself, opened the gate with a warm smile.
“Grandma.”
“Oh, my precious girl! You’re here.”
Although Yeoreul had always given her grandmother all the money she’d received from her father, her grandmother usually wore old, worn-out clothes.
But today…
She was wearing what she clearly considered her nicest new outfit.
You didn’t even tell me…
Ahan politely greeted her grandmother.
Smiling brightly, the elderly woman welcomed him inside.
Following her slightly unsteady steps, Ahan entered through the sturdy iron gate.
It felt…
Different.
Meeting Yeoreul’s grandmother felt nothing like meeting her parents.
His calm eyes quietly wandered around the modest one-story house with its small yard.
The feeling was entirely different.
“Have you eaten? Tell me if you’re hungry.”
“No, Grandma. I ate a lot.”
“If you’re hungry, just tell me. It won’t take long to make something.”
Ahan turned toward her.
This…
This feels like a real family.
A soft smile naturally appeared on his face.
“Thank you. We’ve already eaten.”
“Then at least have some tea.”
Ahan removed his shoes and stepped inside.
The small house was spotless.
Vinyl flooring covered the entire floor.
He handed over the gifts and flower basket he’d brought.
The old woman smiled warmly in thanks.
A little later, she served rice cakes and walnuts as snacks.
Holding his teacup, Ahan quietly sipped his tea.
When he gently set the cup down…
The tea leaves slowly settled to the bottom.
Yeoreul secretly glanced at him.
She had wondered whether Ahan, who wasn’t particularly talkative, would get along with her equally quiet grandmother.
Instead…
He effortlessly guided the conversation with a relaxed, gentle warmth.
He’s… completely different.
Was he always this good at talking in private?
He brought up the walnut tree in the front yard, naturally encouraging her grandmother to tell its story.
He was the kind of person who could erase awkwardness without effort.
When Yeoreul was little, her grandmother had planted the walnut sapling herself with help from the neighbors.
Many years later…
After enduring countless seasons…
The tree had finally begun bearing walnuts.
When the green outer husk was removed, a hard walnut shell appeared inside.
Breaking that shell open with a small hammer revealed the nut within.
Her childhood friends had always found it fascinating.
To Yeoreul…
It had simply been an ordinary part of life.
Her grandmother smiled as she looked at the walnuts.
“These were harvested last autumn. They’re the last walnuts we have this year.”
Ahan quietly held one walnut in his hand for a long time.
“…Don’t you like walnuts?”
With a serious expression, Yeoreul secretly whispered the question to him while making sure her grandmother couldn’t hear.
