Side Story 2
Ga-eun, who had tightened her arms around the sleeping Se-ryun, flinched and stepped back.
As if…… just like that moment she had seen in her dream.
When he had told her that being by his side would only bring her unhappiness.
“…….”
Ga-eun quickly turned away from Si-heon’s silent gaze and gently patted Se-ryun’s small back.
“I’ll put Se-ryun back to sleep and come. You go ahead and rest.”
He wanted to ask.
Why did you step back? Why did you turn away? Why……
Why are you drawing a line between us again?
On the day of the first snow, they had confessed their feelings to each other, welcomed Se-ryun into the world, and had lived well ever since.
Just as Si-heon had once wished—truly, like a married couple.
So why was his wife trying to distance herself from him again?
A stifled voice barely escaped his lips.
“……Why are you here?”
“I thought Se-ryun woke up.”
“I didn’t hear the alarm go off.”
If Se-ryun tossed and turned or made noise, the app connected to the baby monitor would send an alert.
Since Ga-eun was usually a deep sleeper, it was mostly Si-heon who heard those sounds in the middle of the night.
“I just……”
Si-heon, staring blankly at Ga-eun’s fragile back, understood.
“You had a nightmare, didn’t you?”
She, too, had seen the hell of the past again.
***
“Oh my, you’re eating so well.”
At Ga-eun’s cooing words, Se-ryun let out a delighted squeal, “Kyyaaah!”
“Our Se-ryun, how can you drink your milk so vigorously?”
“Bwoop. Bwoop.”
“Finish this last bit and then go night-night, okay?”
Ga-eun fed him the remaining milk in the bottle and then cradled Se-ryun in her arms.
As she patted his small, delicate back, she recalled the early hours of this morning.
“I just…… had a nightmare.”
Si-heon had stared at her with an unreadable expression.
“……Call me if you need me.”
But in the end, that was all he said before heading back to the master bedroom.
It was unlike him—the man who usually couldn’t stand her being out of his sight.
Yet he had turned away so easily.
He must have been considerate of her.
Si-heon had an uncanny ability to detect even the faintest shifts in his wife’s emotions, and he would go to any lengths to ease her body and mind.
Perhaps he had sensed her fear.
No—he must have.
He was far too perceptive.
He must have thought she’d feel more at ease if he left her alone with Se-ryun.
“……Haah.”
Ga-eun let out a long sigh.
Si-heon was not one to show his emotions easily.
Even this morning, when seeing her off, his face had been impassive—but his heart couldn’t have been so indifferent.
It must have hurt him. Upset him.
The thought made her heart ache.
‘What was the point of that stupid dream?’
Last night, Ga-eun had dreamed.
The most painful moment of their shared past had played out before her.
“You know what this is. Just a sleeping aid.”
“I’m not so out of it that I’d lose myself to a pill. Don’t worry.”
Before leaving for his business trip, he had gently embraced her and promised to bring back some black tea bags—his affectionate words had made her happy, if only for a moment.
But not long after, through a conversation with his grandfather, Chairman Kwon Soon-yeol, she learned what he truly thought of her.
That moment had been the most despairing of Ga-eun’s life.
As much as when she lost her mother in the accident, when her aunt was injured, when she was sent to live in Gye Young-cheol’s household.
No—perhaps…… even more.
The moment she realized that the first man she had ever loved saw her as nothing more than a tool.
The despair of that moment was beyond words.
But that was all in the past.
There wasn’t a shred of doubt that Si-heon loved her.
He prioritized her over himself—even over Se-ryun—and cared for her above all else.
Since returning to Seoul and raising Se-ryun, she had never once dwelled in the past.
But last night, her body reacted on its own.
The sight of her husband approaching her had reminded her so much of the Si-heon from back then.
“……I should apologize.”
I’m sorry.
Last night, I had a strange dream, and without realizing it, I got overly sensitive.
Was it a blessing in disguise?
Today was the day Si-heon’s parents were taking Se-ryun for a visit.
From the moment Ga-eun gave birth to Se-ryun and through her postpartum recovery, Han Yu-ae and Kwon Hee-sung had treated her like their own daughter.
For Ga-eun, who was navigating motherhood for the first time with no one to turn to, their presence had been nothing short of a miracle.
“What are you talking about? If anything, you’re the miracle, Ga-eun. Thanks to you, we not only got Si-heon back but also a grandson. We’re so grateful to you, Ga-eun. You’re truly a gift to us.”
Just like Si-heon, his parents were always considerate, ensuring she never felt uncomfortable.
Since they adored spending time with Se-ryun, she occasionally left him with them on weekends.
Thanks to that, she and Si-heon could enjoy time alone together—something he secretly seemed to welcome.
‘Right. Maybe talking things through when we’re alone will help.’
Not long after Se-ryun let out an adorable burp, he drifted off to sleep.
Ga-eun carefully laid her son in his crib, watched over him for a while longer, then quietly closed the door.
Si-heon will be home soon.
Unlike before, he now came back a little earlier than his usual work hours.
The reason was simple—he wanted to see her and Se-ryun.
“Should I go out to meet him?”
As an apology.
On days like today when Se-ryun fell asleep early, she sometimes waited for him in the garden.
Whenever he saw her there, he would scold her for standing out in the cold—but the corners of his eyes would soften more than usual.
‘A dream is just a dream. The past is already gone.’
Those painful days had been buried along with “Gye Ga-eun.”
Now, as “Eun Ga-eun,” she needed to focus on the life she had today.
The three-story detached house they had moved into upon returning from Yeonjun to Seoul was situated at the highest elevation in the area.
From inside the house—and even from the garden—the view overlooked the affluent neighborhood below, dotted with luxurious homes.
Just as Ga-eun was about to sit on the garden bench, the sound of an engine reached her ears, and a black sedan came into view, climbing the hill.
It was Si-heon’s car.
Her heart began to race.
It always did this before seeing her husband.
But now, the added tension of needing to apologize made her heartbeat even more frantic than usual.
Then, she noticed another sedan following closely behind him.
‘Who…?’
Thud.
Noh Mansu, the chauffeur, stepped out from the driver’s seat and opened the rear door.
At the same time, the driver of the trailing car also opened the door for its passenger.
Si-heon—and… Chairman Kwon Soon-yeol.
The moment she saw the two of them,
Ga-eun’s heart plummeted.
The voice from her dream—the one she had tried so hard to forget—echoed violently in her mind.
“Steel your heart. Men who crumble over women are a dime a dozen.”
“You know what this is. Just a sleeping aid.”
“Don’t let your guard down.”
“I’m not so out of it that I’d lose myself to a pill. Don’t worry.”
Since returning to Seoul, Ga-eun had never once seen Chairman Kwon Soon-yeol.
Si-heon had made sure of it, insisting her peace of mind came first.
“Still, I should at least greet him properly.”
“Don’t bother reading the room. The one who should be making amends isn’t you—it’s Grandfather.”
“But…”
“Stay at ease. That’s what he’d want too.”
She had relied on those words, postponing the meeting until now.
Could it be that today was the day?
But like this? So suddenly, without any warning?
That wasn’t like Si-heon.
Chairman Kwon Soon-yeol approached Si-heon and began speaking.
Unlike the chairman’s fervent demeanor, Si-heon’s face remained impassive, simply listening.
She couldn’t hear their conversation.
But unease crept through Ga-eun’s chest.
What if…
What if they were having the same kind of conversation as back then?
Suddenly, the image of Se-ryun sleeping in his room flashed in her mind.
Since she hadn’t yet greeted the chairman, he had never once laid eyes on Se-ryun.
Surely not. It couldn’t be.
But if—if—her fears were right…
If he was here to take Se-ryun, claiming him as the rightful heir of the Kwon family…
If that was why Si-heon had treated her so well all this time…
The anxiety born from last night’s dream swelled until it consumed her.
No, that can’t be. Yet her feet were already moving toward Se-ryun.
Behind her, the sound of a door slamming shut echoed loudly.
Ga-eun rushed to Se-ryun’s room, her trembling hands scooping the baby into her arms.
Startled awake from his light sleep, Se-ryun burst into tears.
“Waaah—!”
“Shhh. It’s okay, Se-ryun. It’s Mommy, see? My baby…”
Mommy will protect you.
No one will take you away. No matter what.
She pressed a kiss to Se-ryun’s head, her body stiff with tension.
At the same time, the sound of the front door opening reached her ears.
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