Side Story 3
Her body stiffened with tension.
Just like when she had faced Si-heon at Yeonjun.
The moment she tightly embraced Se-ryun to soothe both him and her own unease—
The door opened.
Without realizing it, Ga-eun flinched and turned her head with fearful eyes.
“…….”
The instant her gaze met her husband’s dark eyes,
Ga-eun quietly drew in a breath.
The past is just the past.
A dream is just a dream.
“……You’re here.”
She tried to speak as calmly as usual, but the edge of her voice trembled slightly.
Si-heon wasn’t one to miss such a thing.
“Se-ryun woke up. I’ll put him back to sleep and leave.”
Forcing a faint smile, Ga-eun turned away from him, pretending to soothe Se-ryun.
Yet she could still feel Si-heon’s gaze fixed on her back.
‘No way…….’
Was he waiting for the right moment to take Se-ryun away?
Just as that thought crossed her mind, she sensed Si-heon quietly turning to leave.
But her sigh of relief was short-lived.
Not long after, he returned.
With an uneasy expression, Ga-eun forced a smile and asked,
“What is it?”
“What do you mean, ‘what’?”
Si-heon, having removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, stared straight into her eyes as he spoke.
“I’ve always done it. Putting Se-ryun to sleep.”
“Ah… I’ll do it today. You must be tired.”
It was rare for Si-heon to show fatigue.
Even when he suffered from insomnia in her absence, he’d push through with sheer endurance, handling executives without a hitch.
She knew this well—so her words were a plea for him to leave.
“Ga-eun.”
She held Se-ryun tighter.
That tender voice of his always shook her to the core.
And now, it felt like he might suddenly snatch Se-ryun away.
I don’t even know why I’m acting like this.
But ever since I saw Si-heon’s profile as he faced Chairman Kwon Soon-yeol,
memories of the past kept resurfacing.
It felt like an illusion—as if I had returned to those days when I was nothing more than a sleeping pill to him.
Logically, I knew it couldn’t be true.
But the deeply ingrained wounds and despair still clung stubbornly, their roots entrenched inside me.
Am I being deceived again?
He was an exceptionally thorough man.
Deceiving his wife wouldn’t even be a challenge for him.
Especially now, when that wife had fully opened her heart and leaned on him.
“If you have nothing else to say, can I put Se-ryun to sleep now? He couldn’t nap earlier, and I want him well-rested before your parents arrive.”
It was a clear dismissal.
Si-heon’s brow furrowed slightly as he slowly unclenched his tightly balled fist.
“…Alright. Call me if you need me. Anytime.”
His wife gave no reply.
After staring at her retreating figure for a long moment, Si-heon quietly closed the door.
***
By the time Si-heon finished showering and got dressed, Ga-eun was still in Se-ryun’s room.
Should I go in again?
But instead of heading toward Se-ryun’s room, he sat down on the sofa.
The garden sprawling beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows came into view.
Among it all, Ga-eun loved sitting on the walnut-wood chair placed on the deck.
She would often sit there—sometimes holding Se-ryun, sometimes lost in her own time—and whenever she noticed him, she would smile, her eyes crinkling softly.
He liked that sight so much that sometimes, instead of approaching right away, he would stand at a distance just to watch.
“Why are you standing there like that?”
“Because you’re beautiful.”
Every time he saw Ga-eun blush shyly, a laugh would escape him before he could stop it.
Because he was happy.
Unbelievably so.
“Your mother mentioned something.”
“Hm?”
“She said we should start weaning Se-ryun off the bottle soon. That it’s time to introduce solid foods…”
Whenever she nestled into his arms and chatted about Se-ryun or their daily routine, like a little bird, she was unbearably endearing.
And when Ga-eun realized he was only half-listening and shot him a reproachful glance, Si-heon couldn’t help but press his lips to hers.
They seemed like an ordinary couple.
The kind that naturally shared their days, their emotions, their warmth—simple and happy.
But dreams shatter with nothing more than the lift of an eyelid.
“……”
His sharp eyes retraced the past.
Has he ever made a mistake with Ga-eun?
Had he, even unknowingly, threatened her or made her afraid?
At least not in any moment he was conscious of. That much he was certain of.
The only time he wasn’t fully conscious was when he was asleep—yet even then, the slightest stir from Ga-eun in his arms would jolt him awake, his hand instinctively moving to soothe her back.
Until she fell into deep sleep again.
No matter how much he thought about it, there was only one possibility.
At dawn, my wife had the same nightmare as me.
Which meant… the past she most wanted to forget had unfolded in her dreams.
Vividly.
As if it had happened just yesterday.
Si-heon’s face twisted.
It’s fine if it’s me—but not Ga-eun.
He was enough. Enough to drown in that deep swamp of pain alone.
Every time he truly felt they were husband and wife, his chest swelled with almost unbearable joy—but he had never wanted her to share this kind of suffering too.
The hurt, the sorrow, the loneliness—those were his alone to bear.
His wife, who must have already shed countless tears because of him, should never have to go through it again.
Si-heon waited for Ga-eun to come out of Se-ryun’s room.
It took longer than expected, but to him, it was nothing.
He could wait for Ga-eun forever if he had to.
As long as she eventually came back to him.
But before Ga-eun could open the door and step out, his parents arrived first.
“You’re here.”
Kwon Hee-sung and Han Yu-ae, who had expected Ga-eun to greet them as usual, blinked in surprise.
“Where’s Ga-eun?”
“Putting Se-ryun to sleep.”
“That’s unusual.”
Wasn’t that always your job?
At his father’s silent gaze, Si-heon merely stepped aside without a word.
The three of them moved to the sofa.
Though the awkwardness had lessened compared to before, the difference between when Ga-eun was present and when she wasn’t was like night and day.
The one who broke the silence—which might have lasted until Ga-eun returned—was Si-heon.
“My wife.”
It was rare for their son to speak first.
So Han Yu-ae and Kwon Hee-sung turned toward him, listening intently.
“She’s avoiding me.”
“Wha—!”
Han Yu-ae let out an involuntary exclamation before hurriedly covering her mouth with both hands. In her stead, Kwon Hee-sung asked,
“Did something happen?”
Instead of answering immediately, Si-heon fell silent for a moment, as if carefully considering his words. Then he spoke.
“Early this morning, I had a nightmare. One where Ga-eun left me again.”
Si-heon’s brow furrowed.
“I think… Ga-eun had a similar dream. About me and Grandfather…”
He trailed off there. Not because he couldn’t continue, but because something seemed to weigh on his mind.
“When we were expecting you,” Kwon Hee-sung said in his low, rough voice, “your mother and I also had the same nightmare at the same time.”
Si-heon lifted his head at that.
“A bad one. I couldn’t understand it. Everything was stable, and I thought we were at the peak of happiness—yet there it was, that nightmare.”
For a brief moment, Kwon Hee-sung’s eyes grew distant, lost in memory.
“When two lives sync in rhythm, experiences and thoughts start to mirror each other. Back then, your mother and I were thinking the same thing.”
His voice dropped even lower.
“What if this happiness shatters?”
“……”
“The happier you are, the greater the fear becomes. That’s how it seems.”
Si-heon exhaled sharply, as if doused in cold water.
Seeing his son not refute his words, Kwon Hee-sung offered a faint smile.
“Don’t worry. It just means you’re growing more alike—and that you’re happy enough for it to matter.”
“…Is that so?”
His face was as expressionless as usual, but his parents knew.
They could see the torment shadowed in their son’s dark eyes.
And yet…
How strange.
Why did such overwhelming joy surge uncontrollably in the middle of this serious moment?
Before leaving Jungshimwon, Si-heon had always been deep but never warm. He was never the kind of son to lay bare the worries festering inside him.
But now, here they were—talking like an ordinary family.
Han Yu-ae was unbearably happy.
My husband must feel the same.
That’s why he was looking at Si-heon with such gentle eyes.
All of this… was because of Ga-eun.
Had it not been for that girl—precious as a gift, rare as treasure—they would never have known such a priceless moment.
The thought made Ga-eun feel even more cherished and beloved.
Just then—
Click.
The sound of Se-ryun’s door opening echoed softly.
“Ah…”
The moment Ga-eun saw the three of them sitting on the sofa, her face froze in flustered surprise.
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