Chapter 43
Chirp, chirp.
A bright morning, where you could almost hear sparrows that weren’t really there, appeared outside the window.
The last memory had clearly been nighttime, but after closing and opening her eyes, it was morning.
“Ah.”
She had slept. Deeply, completely.
The fatigue from the previous day had immediately translated into physical exhaustion.
After a brief conversation with Mrs. Kim, who came in to get her clothes, she had intended to just rest a little—but without even waking, the night had slipped away.
“Ugh.”
Still groggy, she stretched and let out a sound, brushing away some of the drowsiness as she fumbled around her head.
It was now a routine she no longer thought twice about: finding her glasses.
“…Huh?”
But when she put them on, the world she saw wasn’t clear—it was dark.
Only then did she realize she had put on sunglasses.
Suddenly alert, she quickly removed the sunglasses. Looking into the mirror on the vanity directly across from the bed, she saw herself.
“…Wow.”
Just a single day. Not even a full twenty-four hours had passed, and her uncorrected eyes now captured the surroundings clearly.
Except for the blinding sunlight streaming through the wide window, there was almost no pain or discomfort.
She quickly got out of bed and walked straight up to the vanity.
“……”
She paused, unable to speak for a moment while staring at the mirror.
‘So this is my face.’
Fascinating.
It wasn’t the first time she had looked at her reflection without glasses, yet the face in the mirror seemed surprisingly new.
Her wish to see the world with “new eyes,” something she had told Juho, wasn’t just idle words. Smiling, she turned around, feeling a pleasant sense of fulfillment.
“Ah!”
But the sunlight streaming in through the large window was stronger than expected.
Quickly, she put her sunglasses back on and sighed.
“Nothing in this world is easy.”
She clicked her tongue at life’s bitterness and headed out of the room, brushing off the sleep from her eyes.
Her stomach growled. She had missed dinner, and the emptiness inside protested loudly.
‘Well, it’s all for survival.’
Feeling awkward at her newborn-like schedule, she stepped into the living room, which remained utterly quiet.
It was already close to noon, and it was natural that Yoonjae wasn’t around, regardless of weekday or weekend.
Planning to just throw together some cereal, she headed to the kitchen—but ran into Mrs. Kim coming out of the laundry room.
“Good morning. Up already?”
She lowered her hands from her stomach and gave an awkward smile in response to Mrs. Kim, who was carrying a laundry basket.
“Looks like I overslept.”
“Not at all. Sleep is the best medicine, they say. Ah, you should eat. Wait a moment, I’ll prepare it quickly.”
“No, please go ahead. I’ll just have something simple.”
As she opened the cabinet for cereal, Mrs. Kim set down the basket and hurried over.
“You can’t do that. You need to eat properly. If the Executive Director knew you were eating like this, he’d scold me.”
Startled, she watched Mrs. Kim push the cereal toward her.
“Huh? Eh?”
“Since I promised to make sure you have a proper meal, go wash up quickly. And today, the Executive Director specifically said to make sure you rest and not do other things.”
“…That person?”
She realized Mrs. Kim’s concern came from Yoonjae and asked. Mrs. Kim nodded knowingly.
“Yes. He insisted. He was so worried.”
Worry.
Through Mrs. Kim’s smile, she felt the care Yoonjae hadn’t expressed directly.
‘Wait, wait.’
The sudden pang of emotion startled her, and she waved her hands, denying the flutter of her heart like a hesitant girl.
“Ah, if he were that sensitive, we wouldn’t have bickered like yesterday. He was just joking.”
Truly insignificant, yet she panicked as though experiencing emotional instability.
But Mrs. Kim, seeing her flushed cheeks that couldn’t hide her embarrassment, smiled warmly. She awkwardly rubbed her own face in response.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Is something on my face?”
Once again, Mrs. Kim failed to control her facial muscles.
But this time, she wanted to be honest.
“You look nice.”
It was a sincere, warm remark, the kind she couldn’t say to Yoonjae.
Flustered, she covered her face.
“…This?”
She hadn’t expected to hear that her face, which she thought was awkward, looked good. Mrs. Kim’s words weren’t sweet talk; she genuinely meant it.
Seeing her confused expression, Mrs. Kim continued with a smile.
“At first, I thought you were very peculiar, but now, you two look very warm.”
The unexpected comment left her a bit uneasy, and Mrs. Kim drove the point home.
Warm.
A word that had never been part of her life before—and probably never part of his either.
“Do you really think so?”
“Of course. I see it every day. The biggest change is the Executive Director.”
“…?”
“Of course, in a good way.”
This was something only Mrs. Kim, who had been closest to his private life for so long, could say.
Her unexaggerated words reached her heart gently, spreading naturally.
‘He’s changed.’
Warmly.
Those who had always existed in extraordinary circumstances now seemed ordinary.
‘He has changed too.’
The occasional smiles she remembered from Yoonjae appeared vividly in her mind, making her heart respond involuntarily.
Thump-thump.
Her pulse raced pleasantly without any reason, and she recalled sensations she couldn’t forget, brushing her lips.
Looking at the ring on her ring finger, she paused, slightly dazed.
[Still wearing it.]
The indifferent voice seemed to echo clearly in her ears.
Swallowing, she gripped her rapidly beating heart.
“By the way, it seems the Executive Director has been busy lately. I think he left before I came this morning. He always seems to have many events around this time.”
Still staring at the ring, she spoke.
“The higher-ups are always busy. They need to show off their accomplishments, attend events when the weather is nice, and go to meetings. Busy is normal if you want to keep your position.”
“…Yes?”
Oops.
Lost in thought about the ring, the words slipped out without processing. She quickly lowered her hand and laughed.
“The managers, the supervisors—they have to stay busy, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Having experienced it herself, she could speak confidently.
Mrs. Kim, slightly surprised, accepted the words graciously.
“Every year around this time, he loses so much weight. Thankfully he has a sturdy frame, otherwise he’d be too thin to look at.”
The gesture of pressing her fingers against his cheek didn’t seem exaggerated.
“Well, he’s naturally busy, so it must be tough for him.”
“How busy is he?”
“From what I know, he sometimes can’t even eat properly or sleep, and he might be gone for several days… That’s why it’s concerning.”
Seeing Mrs. Kim a bit down, she patted her arm.
“Don’t be too upset. He’s not going far, and he comes back early when he can.”
“Eh? Even if I’m fine, the lady…?”
“Me? Why me?”
“Well, because you’re newlyweds.”
Caught off guard by the sudden, unbeatable newlywed comment, her pupils flickered. Her brows furrowed.
“…Should I feel upset?”
“Huh? You don’t?”
“Well…”
After a brief pause, she spoke honestly.
“I don’t really know what being upset feels like.”
For her, life was a routine of giving up and getting through things. Expecting nothing meant avoiding awkward, ambiguous emotions. That was how she protected herself.
“What is that, anyway?”
Seeing her lonely expression, even with sunglasses on, Mrs. Kim grabbed her hand.
Cheerful and lively, yet there was a subtle estrangement, this cynical edge in her demeanor.
Though their bond was still new and they didn’t know much, the emptiness was undeniable.
Mrs. Kim spoke gently, as if soothing both visible and invisible wounds.
“Wanting to be together, wanting to talk, wanting to eat, thinking of them for no reason.”
“……”
“That’s enough.”
An adult’s advice she had never received before.
At the same time, she thought of Yoonjae.
Something warm, soft, yet vivid grew in her chest. She looked at the ring on her hand, picturing his face.
What is this? No, do I really not know?
Twinkle.
She clasped her hands, as if holding the glowing feeling, and lifted her head.
“Mrs. Kim, I—”
She was about to ask a question as if the answer was just within reach.
Ding-dong.
But as if the timing wasn’t right, the feeling slipped away.
The sudden doorbell made them exchange glances.
“Who could it be at this hour?”
It couldn’t be a delivery or mail. Mrs. Kim hurried to the intercom.
Beep.
Pressing the intercom button, she saw someone familiar on the screen and called them urgently.
“Oh! Madam… madam!”
Getting up with Mrs. Kim, they approached the intercom, seeing a very familiar face.
“Huh?”
The unexpected visitor’s voice on the screen sounded sharp, as if she already knew she was being seen.
- If you saw my face, why not just open the door?
The scolding tone and expression made them chuckle as they pointed at the intercom screen.
“Wow, Mrs. Kim, look at these family members.”
Seeming to find the situation funny, she pressed the door-open button while continuing,
“They’re only half-related, yet so proper.”
“……”
“The siblings look just alike.”
