Chapter 4
‘Ha… what should I do…’
It was rather late at night.
Holding her phone tightly in her hand, Ina paced restlessly in the same spot. She came to a sudden halt and murmured under her breath.
Earlier at dinner, she had stormed out of the restaurant without even saying goodbye because she was angry. That moment still nagged at her, prompting her to come near Dohyun’s house, though she didn’t have the courage to call him.
As she thought about it, it wasn’t Dohyun who had been rude—it was his mother. After all, Dohyun had taken her side. Perhaps she had overreacted. With another deep sigh, Ina tried to calm herself.
‘Alright, let’s meet and talk this over.’
She raised her phone and called Dohyun. Normally, he would have answered immediately, but this time, the dial tone lingered. Ina walked slowly toward his house, listening for his voice.
‘Oppa! Mother!’
At that moment, a cheerful female voice rang out from somewhere, and Ina instinctively turned her gaze toward the sound.
She lowered her phone, which had been pressed to her ear, as she took in the people standing there.
The dial tone still hummed from her phone.
“Oh, are you coming back from filming?”
“Yes. Are you on your way somewhere too? You look so beautiful.”
“Just having dinner with my son. By the way, you’re getting prettier by the day.”
Their light conversation was filled with laughter.
Ina couldn’t believe it was the same woman who had been so curt toward her at the restaurant just moments ago. Dohyun’s mother stood smiling at the woman before her the entire time.
Ina’s gaze shifted to Dohyun.
Seeing the woman link arms naturally with him, her face hardened without her even realizing it. Had there really been someone that close to him?
She had always thought she knew everything about him, that he would never behave differently with her. Yet, watching the three of them together, she didn’t feel anger—she felt small.
If anyone asked her the most miserable moment of her life, she would probably say it was today.
Clenching her fists tightly, Ina turned away and left. This was the first time she had ever run away from him.
“…Ma, Mom!!”
“Huh? Huh??”
Startled by the sudden call, Ina’s shoulder twitched. The egg roll she had been holding but not yet eaten dropped onto the table with a soft thud. Sitting across from her, I-hye narrowed her eyes and glared at her.
“What are you doing? Daydreaming in the middle of your meal?”
“Oh, no. Just… thinking about old memories.”
As Ina picked up the fallen egg roll and casually ate it, I-hye frowned slightly. She had thought Ina had steeled her mind to come to Korea. Who could she have met to make her look so dazed? I-hye shook her head in disapproval.
Ina deliberately ignored I-hye’s gaze and brightly asked Chan, who was sitting beside her,
“By the way, Chan, how was daycare today?”
“It was fun!”
“Really? I was worried, but our son did great!”
Ina gave Chan a thumbs-up, and he beamed in response. Seeing that smile, which reminded her of someone, made her chest ache.
“And you, Mom? How was your day?”
“Huh?”
“You had your first day at work today, right? Nobody gave you a hard time?”
Ina hesitated and remained silent for a moment. Seeing this, I-hye intervened.
“Alright, Chan, enough talking. Eat your food. Let Mom eat too.”
“Yes!”
Ina awkwardly smiled at I-hye. After the meal, so engrossed in thought that she barely noticed, Ina spent the evening quietly with Chan. Perhaps worn out by the day, Chan fell asleep before they could even finish a single storybook. Ina gently stroked his hair and quietly slipped out of the room.
“If you rest like that, the ground won’t cave in. Take an even bigger sigh.”
Perhaps she had let out a sigh without realizing it, but I-hye clicked her tongue as she watched Ina leave the room from the living room sofa.
Ina, exhausted, rubbed her shoulders and sat beside I-hye.
“Tell me honestly.”
“About what?”
“Who did you meet today?”
She thought she had hidden it well, but perhaps her expression had given her away. I-hye didn’t ask if something had happened—she just asked directly. Ina let out a small, wry laugh.
“Seriously… I can’t hide anything from you, can I…”
“I observe people for a living. So who is it?”
Ina parted her lips as if to speak, then pressed them shut again.
Seeing this, I-hye narrowed her eyes in exasperation.
“Th-the… father of Chan…”
“What?!”
I-hye jumped up in shock at Ina’s words. Concerned that Chan might wake up, Ina peeked into the room and gestured for I-hye to be quiet with a finger to her lips.
I-hye sat back down on the sofa, whispering,
“Are you performing together in this show?”
“Not cast yet, but probably.”
“You’re crazy…!!! What did he say? Did he apologize?”
Ina shook her head silently. I-hye exclaimed again, startled.
“What? That woman went crazy at you and he didn’t apologize??”
“Ah, I-hye, come on!”
Ina gently tapped I-hye on the shoulder, signaling her to quiet down. I-hye rubbed the spot and squinted at her.
“Se-ina, get your head straight. Remember what that woman said to you?”
“Yes… I remember everything…”
“The woman who suddenly showed up, insisting her son already had someone to marry and told you to break up. Think carefully. Don’t stammer like an idiot. If you’re drawing a line with that person, make it clear. And if you don’t want to get hurt, don’t get too close.”
I-hye spoke with firm clarity, as if she knew exactly how Ina felt and what she was thinking about meeting Dohyun again. Ina, aware of why I-hye was being so blunt, simply pressed her lips together in silence.
In the end, Ina had no choice but to cast Dohyun as the lead.
In a musical, while the music, script, stage, and direction are all important, who performs the role is the most crucial factor.
She had considered several candidates, but there was no reason not to choose him. He was the most skilled of all who auditioned, and on top of that, he was handsome. Star quality was perhaps the single most important factor in a musical.
“Director, you’re here?”
“Good morning.”
After casting, the actors gathered for a script reading. As Ina entered, a few actors and staff greeted her warmly.
She responded with a faint smile, then instinctively checked the seat with Dohyun’s name on it.
As the lead, his name was placed right next to hers. She sighed quietly to herself.
“Let’s have coffee while we start!”
As always, Hwi entered the rehearsal room cheerfully, carrying coffee in both hands.
Dohyun followed behind her, greeting everyone with a warm, smiling glance.
Ina, wary of making eye contact with him, only gave Hwi a small greeting before opening her script.
At that moment, a cup of coffee suddenly appeared in front of her.
“Director, here’s your coffee.”
Ina blinked in surprise as Dohyun placed the cup in front of her and walked away casually.
A sweet vanilla scent wafted from the cup. Ina stared at it in disbelief.
Everyone else had Americano, yet he had brought her a vanilla latte. Even now, remembering her coffee preference, he had gone out of his way for her. A strange sensation stirred within her.
She watched silently as he sat next to her.
Noticing her gaze, Dohyun met her eyes and whispered softly,
“You don’t drink Americano.”
Previously, he had scolded her angrily for running away. Today, he kindly made sure her coffee was exactly how she liked it. Ina looked at him as if she could not understand him.
The sweet vanilla aroma lingered in her mouth for a long time.
