CHAPTER 04…………………………………………
At Ilju’s words—so full of the promise to do literally anything—Hana could only force an awkward smile and cautiously settle into her seat.
“Hana, what do you want to eat? Order whatever you like.”
“Ah… I’ll have this.”
She pointed to the top item on the menu. With the prices so steep overall, anything she chose would probably be delicious.
“Geonwoo, you haven’t been keeping in touch much lately, have you? You’re making Grandpa feel neglected.”
“That’s enough, isn’t it? I come by the office every time you go to work.”
“You say that because of work, huh?”
Since it had been a while since they’d last met, the conversation flowed easily and warmly. As always, Hana nodded along enthusiastically, chiming in at all the right moments.
“Oh, by the way. Any news from you two yet?”
“Pardon? News about what?”
“The baby.”
“…cough cough.”
Hana immediately began coughing, her face turning bright red. Geonwoo, sitting beside her, glanced at her briefly before casually offering water.
“Are you okay?”
Ilju’s concerned question followed.
“…Yes, I’m fine.”
Her face burned with embarrassment, so flustered that she wasn’t sure where the food had gone.
The only relief was that the question about the baby seemed to come from concern, not prying. Hana exhaled softly in relief and set down the glass.
“Two years have passed—wouldn’t it be about time for a child? Hana, any good news?”
At Ilju’s question, Hana closed her eyes tightly, then opened them again. So this is how it starts.
“Ah… well…”
“Grandpa, don’t suddenly throw these questions at me! You’re making her flustered.”
“Hey, I just want to see my great-grandchild. I heard Chairman Kim’s already seen three.”
Jealousy glimmered in his face. Feeling awkward, Hana sipped her water repeatedly, trying to calm herself.
“You want to see a great-grandchild?”
“Of course! Seeing a great-grandchild would be my only wish in life.”
At Ilju’s booming response, Geonwoo’s gaze naturally shifted to the side, and Hana’s followed him automatically.
The meaningful curl of his lips caught her eye. What could it mean? Her brows furrowed slightly under his relentless gaze.
“If Grandpa wants it so badly, we should start preparing, right?”
“….”
“Our child.”
After her shower, Hana sat down and dried her wet hair with a hairdryer, closing her eyes briefly.
“Two years have passed—wouldn’t it be about time for a child? Hana, any good news?”
Ilju’s question from the dinner table, so casually posed as if it were the most natural thing, flashed across her mind.
A child… something like that even belongs in our relationship?
She exhaled sharply and set down the hairdryer. As she rose, the door opened—Geonwoo, freshly showered, stepped inside.
For a moment, they locked eyes in surprise. Then Hana moved past him toward the bed. Well… she intended to.
Her wrist was grabbed, and before she could react, her lips were pulled to his.
Even at his sudden action, Hana opened her mouth instinctively, welcoming the kiss. Whoever might hear, it was embarrassingly intimate—their ragged breathing and the wet sound of their lips meeting dragged on for a long time.
When his hands lifted her top, Hana snapped out of it. She pushed him slightly off and sat up on the bed, keeping him on her chest at bay.
“…We already used that.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Why wouldn’t it matter? If she got pregnant… Hana frowned and shook her head slightly.
“I already ordered it. Just for today, hold back.”
“Do you have to?”
“…It’s only one day.”
Her words seemed to irritate him, and the gentleness in his eyes sharpened instantly.
With his arms blocking her, it was impossible to fully sit up. Hana lowered her head further to avoid his piercing gaze.
“…Then wait a bit. I’ll go get it quickly.”
He gave no reply, and Hana had to relent first. She stared at him, silently asking him to move his hands so she could go.
“Do we really need that, between us?”
“Pardon?”
“It’d just get in the way.”
Hana raised one eyebrow. What does that mean?
“You agreed to prepare.”
“For what?”
“Our child.”
He said it so casually, but the words from the dinner table seemed serious. Hana’s face immediately contorted.
“…Do you really think that’s reasonable?”
“Nothing’s impossible.”
“…….”
“Why, you don’t want it?”
“Yes, I don’t.”
Her firm answer made him chuckle softly. Her expression stiffened further.
“You said you’d never divorce me, and now you don’t want to have my child?”
“…….”
“Why? After all the roughhousing we do, wouldn’t it be good for you to have my child? You could even use it to hold me back. Isn’t that right?”
Geonwoo tilted his head, as if he couldn’t understand her logic at all.
“But you’re determined to use protection no matter what. Why? Because of that guy?”
Hana flinched noticeably. Her first love—the man who had brought their relationship to this point—flashed in her mind.
“You’re still thinking about him, huh?”
His low, cold voice brushed against her ear. Only then did she realize how her blank expression must have appeared to him.
Hana quickly looked away and spoke.
“…I’ll go get it quickly.”
She couldn’t stand facing him any longer. Pushing Geonwoo with all her strength, she got off the bed. As she tried to rise,
“Stop.”
“No, I’ll just… go right out…”
“Stop.”
Geonwoo ran his fingers through his hair roughly and got up. Hana’s eyes followed him automatically.
“Go to sleep first. I’ll make a quick call.”
Bang—
The door slammed shut, and Hana flinched. She exhaled slowly, her breath caught in her chest.
Even with eyes tightly shut to block out thought, her mind refused to clear of all the complicated feelings swirling inside her.
Later, Geonwoo sat on the sofa and watched Hana sleep.
In the dim light, her face, breathing quietly, was still the woman he loved.
And yet, in a corner of his heart, a wave of loneliness, anger, and frustration rose uncontrollably.
Since when had it been like this?
Was it that evening at the hotel, seeing her laughing with another man?
The shadow of the past overlapping with the present made Geonwoo’s jaw tighten.
His cold gaze lingered on Hana’s sleeping face for a long time, but the longer he looked, the more his heart thrashed inside.
Finally, he inhaled deeply, unable to hold back, and stormed out of the room.
The emotions he tried to suppress boiled over violently.
He missed her so painfully that his fingers trembled, yet he wanted to chastise her just as much.
And knowing that even his resentment stemmed from love made it all the more painful.
The next day.
“…I have a lunch appointment.”
Hana spoke cautiously while getting ready for work.
“With whom?”
“Nayeon. Today’s for real, so don’t make a wasted trip.”
Geonwoo, shaking his wet hair after a shower, nodded casually.
“Good. I won’t be able to go today either.”
