Chapter 157
Eun Seon-mi approached from the backyard, holding a sketchbook where she had been drawing.
“I-I finished the d-drawing! G-Grandfather, I’ll give you the f-flower I drew. And for G-Ga-eun, I’ll draw a tiny b-bird.” The page fluttered in the breeze, displaying flowers painted in pink and yellow hues.
“Aunt… Seon-mi?” At Juhan’s words, Seon-mi stopped beside Ga-eun, blinking her large eyes.
“W-Who are you? G-Ga-eun, who is this?”
Juhan found himself at a loss for words, struck by how dramatically different she was from the Aunt Seon-mi he remembered.
“Juhan, were you scared when Aunt Won-mi scolded you today? I’ll apologize on her behalf. But promise me you won’t stay out late without letting us know next time?”
“Yes!”
“Shall we make a promise?”
“Yes! Pinky swear! Stamp! Copy! Ta-da!”
“My, aren’t you brave? Tomorrow, I’ll teach you programming language. But remember, it’s our secret from grandfather, okay?”
“Really? Oh yes! I love the programs you make! They’re so helpful for recording game scores!”
Aunt Seon-mi had been the most intelligent, gentle, and cheerful person he knew. There seemed to be nothing she didn’t understand, and her exceptional way with children made her incredibly popular. For young Juhan, being her closest confidant had been a source of immense pride.
But now…
“You l-look a bit like G-Grandfather. W-Who are you?”
“…Aunt. Do you remember Juhan oppa? We talked about him before. Little Juhan.”
“J-Juhan? But J-Juhan is very t-tiny! This p-person is so b-big.”
“Back then, Juhan oppa was just a child, but now he’s grown up. A lot of time has passed.”
“G-Grown up? J-Juhan is grown up?”
Seon-mi, who had regressed to a child-like state, looked at the now-adult Juhan with disbelief. The feeling was mutual.
He had known about the major accident, that she was in the hospital, that she had suffered a head injury. But this condition… he never imagined it would be like this.
‘Pull yourself together,’ he thought to himself.
Juhan cleared his throat, realizing that standing there stunned would be discourteous to both Ga-eun and Seon-mi.
“Hello, Aunt Seon-mi. I’m Juhan. You used to play with me when I was little. Do you remember?”
“J-Juhan. The one who s-said he’d m-marry Ga-eun.”
Juhan sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck at her words. “Of all things to remember… How embarrassing. Yes, that’s me. I must look strange being so grown up now?”
“S-strange. But h-handsome.”
Her comment made Juhan laugh out loud, and Grandfather Hak-sun joined in with a hearty chuckle. Seeing their reaction, Seon-mi’s eyes crinkled as she giggled brightly.
The sight made Ga-eun’s heart ache. Who could have imagined reuniting with old acquaintances in such circumstances?
Then came Seon-mi’s unexpected declaration: “T-then will the b-baby in Ga-eun’s t-tummy grow this b-big too?”
Silence fell.
Grandfather Hak-sun’s face froze in an ‘oh no’ expression as he looked at the paralyzed Ga-eun.
“…Baby?”
As Juhan’s eyes widened, Seon-mi nodded enthusiastically. “W-we have our b-baby. A new f-family member. It’s w-wonderful. H-hooray!”
Only Seon-mi remained cheerful. Yet no one could blame her.
“R-right, Ga-eun?”
“…Seon-mi. Ga-eun told us not to mention the baby outside.”
“B-but this is where we d-draw pictures. Outside is where we n-need to take the c-car.”
Seon-mi seemed to consider any space beyond her comfort zone as ‘outside.’ Anticipating such a situation, Grandfather Hak-sun had suggested not telling Seon-mi at all, worried about exactly this scenario.
But Ga-eun had thought differently. Whenever she suffered from morning sickness or headaches, her aunt would become visibly anxious, unable to hide her concern.
“Ga-eun, are you g-going to heaven first, l-like big sister? No, I d-don’t want to be left a-alone.”
Seon-mi’s anxiety had grown so severe that one night she wet her bed. This prompted Ga-eun to explain everything carefully over their favorite mushroom hot pot. She assured her aunt that she wasn’t ill – rather, she was carrying a new family member. She promised they would live together forever – the three of them: aunt, baby, and herself. Only after multiple explanations did Seon-mi finally find peace and rest easily at night.
Ga-eun had wanted to share the joy of preparing for the baby’s arrival with her aunt. After all, they were family.
“G-Ga-eun,” Seon-mi now watched Ga-eun’s rigid posture with concern. “D-did I do s-something wrong?”
“No, aunt. You didn’t do anything wrong. You only spoke the truth.” Ga-eun’s smile brightened Seon-mi’s face immediately.
“I’ll d-draw lots of p-pictures.”
“Thank you, aunt. The baby will love them.”
“R-really? I must p-practice a lot then.”
Seon-mi hurried back to the yard, announcing she needed to draw the tree she had spotted. Once Ga-eun confirmed her aunt was within sight, she turned to Juhan with an awkward smile.
“You must be quite shocked.”
“Yes… honestly, I am.”
“Thanks to the elderly gentleman’s care, we’re managing comfortably.”
Juhan released a long sigh. “If I had known, I could have helped somehow.”
“Your concern alone means a lot.”
“Don’t feel too disappointed,” Grandfather interjected. “The more people who know a secret, the higher the chance it will leak. Just continue living as you have been.”
Taking a deep breath, Juhan carefully asked, “Ga-eun… does your husband know?”
Husband.
The word sent a wave of hot emotion flooding through her chest.
Striving to maintain her composure, Ga-eun responded quietly, “No. He doesn’t know.”
“Ah…”
“I’m in the process of getting divorced. I’d appreciate it if you could keep this confidential as well. We haven’t agreed on when to announce it yet.”
Divorce proceedings.
Speaking those words made her separation from Si-heon feel suddenly real.
Soon, many people would know.
She fervently hoped everything would pass without incident.
Above all, she prayed that no ill winds would blow toward her aunt and the baby.
“Oh, yes. Of course. I’ll keep quiet about it.”
“Come now, let’s head inside. You’ve been standing long enough and should rest,” Grandfather Hak-sun said.
Ga-eun nodded, bowed politely, and turned toward the house.
As Juhan naturally moved to follow, Grandfather Hak-sun blocked his path.
“Juhan, you should return home.”
“What? But I wanted to…”
“A mother-to-be needs peace of mind for the baby’s sake. Your presence here might make Ga-eun uncomfortable.”
He wasn’t wrong. Juhan watched Ga-eun’s retreating figure with regret.
“I’ll call if needed. Until then, don’t acknowledge knowing anything, and don’t visit. Understood?”
“…Yes.”
“When are you returning to Seoul?”
Though he had planned to stay until tomorrow, Saturday, his mind had changed.
“Sunday evening. I came here to clear my head.”
“I see. I’ll stay and watch over the children a bit longer.”
His grandfather’s steps toward Seon-mi, who was still drawing, seemed deeply familiar.
Why did it make him feel envious?
Why… did his heart flutter?
Juhan shook his head to clear his thoughts.
Yet he couldn’t stop thinking about Ga-eun’s impending divorce.
‘Does she plan to raise the child alone? Like Aunt Won-mi?’
No, not alone.
She had Aunt Seon-mi, grandfather, and… me.
He would buy baby supplies when he returned to Seoul Sunday evening. The options would be limited here.
As Juhan walked toward Gayun-dang while searching for baby items on his phone, a watchful gaze glinted in the shadows.
“…….”
The window of a black sedan, parked at a distance, silently glided upward.
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