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Chapter 58
Today dawned no differently than yesterday.
The sunlight spilling through the gaps in the curtains, which didn’t fully cover the windows, spread widely as if annoyed at having to squeeze through the small opening, tormenting our faces.
“…Ugh.”
Of all things, she woke from a deep sleep right when the sun hit her eyes.
Squirming in protest at the unwanted awakening, she eventually lifted her eyelids.
It was a day fair and equal to everyone else.
A normal day, the kind when you’d be half-asleep, lazily linger in soft blankets for a while, then finally get up.
That is, if it weren’t for the face she saw immediately upon opening her eyes.
Burying one eye in her pillow, she whimpered unnecessarily.
“Don’t you think you’re a little too alert in the mornings for your age?”
Her eyes were unusually embarrassed.
Yoonjae, leisurely resting his cheek on his arm while watching her, didn’t ask but simply lowered his head toward her.
We gasped and hurriedly covered our mouths.
“No!”
He stopped as he came closer and looked at her, and she spoke honestly:
“You have bad breath.”
It might have been a bit too blunt, but it was an excuse we could understand. Yet Yoonjae leaned even closer.
“I’m curious about that too.”
Because of this, our eyes widened like coins.
“You’re a pervert! That’s a weird preference!”
“So sudden.”
“Uh, uh!”
Ignoring her protests, Yoonjae approached, and she turned her body while lying down. But he quickly climbed on top of her and pressed her wrist down.
He looked down at her as she tried to avoid him.
The intensity of his gaze made the tips of her ears start turning red.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Because I’m pretty?”
She felt embarrassed and awkward for no reason.
But the reply she received was a direct strike, leaving no room to breathe.
“You know me well.”
“Ah! Saying that outright!”
“Why?”
Leaning closer, he desperately pressed his lips near hers while whispering:
“Why should I beat around the bush?”
Each word was so close it made her heart race unnaturally, even this early in the morning.
She squeezed her eyes shut and flailed her legs under the blanket as Yoonjae’s lips brushed against hers.
“Did you forget about personal rights? I absolutely won’t kiss like this! I won’t!”
At the mention of the contract clause he used only when needed, he chuckled lightly. Then, holding her hands together, he gave her a faint smile.
“Is that the only thing that matters?”
“…Ugh!”
“The other things… are okay?”
A light breath and a low voice.
The slight teasing touch between her fingers.
How could every single word and movement be so stimulating?
Completely red-faced and beyond concealment, she pouted miserably.
“Is it natural?”
A plea spoken in extreme embarrassment. Yoonjae addressed her, looking almost pitifully adorable.
“Probably.”
Without further delay, he went straight toward his goal, advancing toward her.
It wasn’t until long after Yoonjae had gone to his study for pending work that we finally left the room.
Feeling slightly exhausted, half-dozing and wandering around, she was greeted by none other than Mrs. Kim.
Clack.
And she was caught coming out of Yoonjae’s room, looking disheveled as if she had just woken up, not even from her own room.
“….”
We faced Mrs. Kim head-on, momentarily opening our mouths in surprise.
Like a child caught doing something naughty, she nervously ran her fingers through her messy hair.
“So, this… I mean, this is…”
Stammering in embarrassment, we fumbled over our words, and Mrs. Kim calmly spoke:
“You’re awake. Judging by the shoes, the director must be in the study. I’ll get ready quickly too.”
Composed and natural.
Mrs. Kim removed her coat and headed straight to the kitchen, and we quickly followed her.
After putting away her bag and coat in the utility room, she bowed to us politely.
“Thank you so much for yesterday. If it weren’t for you, something might have happened while I was away. I’m truly grateful.”
We waved our hands quickly.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just did what needed to be done.”
“Still… thanks to you, my daughter and granddaughter are very healthy. Everyone appreciates it.”
“Yes… Um, but…”
“I’ll prepare breakfast so you can eat right away. Go wash up quickly.”
With that smooth, natural conversation, Mrs. Kim started preparing breakfast at the sink.
Hesitant, we called out to her carefully.
“Um, Mrs. Kim.”
She might wonder how we ended up coming out of Yoonjae’s room.
Frowning slightly, we froze. But Mrs. Kim smiled warmly.
“Oh, you’ll eat together, right?”
It was a kind smile, as if nothing unusual had happened.
Naturally.
As she once said, things that happen between two people are ordinary.
She let our anxious hands relax and nodded lightly.
A short while later, Yoonjae came out of the study, unaffected even by Mrs. Kim’s presence.
Thanks to the previous day’s conversation in which we detailed everything about her, he wasn’t surprised.
[There’s nothing for you to handle this week.]
Instead, he sent Mrs. Kim an unprecedented forced leave, which she had tried to refuse but ultimately could not resist.
[I’ll treat it as paid leave.]
A measure that left no regrets.
Sighing briefly at the somewhat one-sided leave, she busied herself in the kitchen.
Sizzle, bubble, bubble.
She prepared breakfast at lightning speed, and warned us to contact her if anything was uncomfortable or needed.
Seeing her skilled hands in action right in front of us, we couldn’t help but give her a thumbs-up.
Finally, the two of them sat at the table.
Facing the lavish spread, she couldn’t help but comment:
“Do you know this is the first time we’re eating together?”
Even after living under the same roof for so long, this was their first shared meal.
“We really haven’t been on good terms, have we?”
Acknowledging the lingering awkwardness, we picked up our spoons.
Among the many dishes, today’s soup was seaweed soup.
She ladled some of the savory broth.
“It’s my first seaweed soup. Do you like it?”
“Not really.”
A rare and firm dislike.
Mrs. Kim must have noticed, as she likely prepared it because it’s a shared meal.
“She makes it about once a year.”
“Once a year? Then why today…”
A jolt of realization hit us. She asked, startled:
“Is it… a birthday?”
Could it really be?
Yoonjae chuckled at our flustered faces.
“Not today.”
“When then? Has it already passed?”
“Three days from now.”
Her eyes quickly scanned the calendar.
Three days later, it’s the weekend. Likely, since he couldn’t get a sudden two-week leave, she prepared the soup in advance.
With her intuition, Mrs. Kim knew it was his birthday, and she said firmly:
“Keep that time free. Unless something catastrophic happens at work, you give me that time.”
If he didn’t, she would probably take it by force. Yoonjae simply nodded and picked up his spoon.
Watching him closely, we noticed a vacant finger—his left ring finger.
“Aren’t you wearing a ring?”
“Oh.”
“Or is it just a single, not a set?”
Showing the ring on his hand subtly hinted, and Yoonjae casually replied:
“It’s at the office. I’ll bring it.”
“You keep your wedding ring at work?”
“I wasn’t planning to wear it anyway.”
“Really? What’s that about…”
She paused, puzzled by the conversation skimming around the topic.
Ah, that’s right.
It all began with Joo Aejeong. We paused, moved our spoons a few times, then spoke:
“…You know.”
He looked up at her.
We hesitated whether to tell Yoonjae what we knew—that Aejeong liked him.
But we reconsidered. It would be overstepping. We couldn’t reveal what the person hadn’t said.
She swallowed the words that had risen to her throat.
“Do you remember how Joo Aejeong was on the wedding day?”
This was another question she wanted to ask.
Yoonjae thought for a moment and answered:
“She probably stayed alone until I arrived. When I got there, it was already you.”
His cynical tone left no trace of feeling toward Aejeong.
“The one family member didn’t even know about the wedding.”
“She didn’t want to inform them.”
“You know it was because of money.”
“Roughly, yes.”
So when Joo Seongkyun contacted her, she left it to handle on her own.
“When I went to Aejeong’s house earlier, I met her brother. I also got her diary, and that’s what it said.”
“….”
“She apologized to me.”
Our lips dried from the bitter feeling.
We took a sip of water, and Yoonjae silently watched her.
Recalling the airport incident, Yoonjae’s attention remained there, though he felt sorry for Aejeong.
It had been shocking enough to induce PTSD. We didn’t ask for details, as now wasn’t the time.
“To you too.”
We were still talking about Joo Aejeong.
“To me?”
When she questioned the sudden apology, she stood.
“It’s not named, but I definitely felt that way. I’ll show you.”
“No, I don’t want to see the diary.”
“Please. She probably wanted to say it.”
Ignoring Yoonjae’s protest, we retrieved the diary from the drawer.
She opened the diary, already unlocked, as she approached.
“She definitely wanted to convey this part at least.”
As she turned the pages to the apology section, something slipped out from the diary.
“Huh?”
It lightly fluttered and landed at Yoonjae’s feet.
“….”
He picked it up, and we examined it together.
“…This is…”
It was a photo we hadn’t noticed while looking at the diary on the desk.
A family photo.
Taken in front of the orphanage.
