Side Story 4
“Mother, Father.”
“Ga-eun.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were here.”
As Ga-eun bowed her head, Han Yu-ae quickly approached, holding her shoulders and meeting her eyes.
“Si-heon let us in. Has Se-ryun fallen asleep?”
“Yes, just now.”
“It seems we came too early.”
Ga-eun shook her head.
“I’m glad you’re here. Please stay for some tea.”
With a faint smile, she headed into the dining room.
Watching her retreating figure, Han Yu-ae and Kwon Hee-sung realized the gravity of the situation.
Ga-eun hadn’t looked at Si-heon.
Not even once.
Even while talking to me, she would always glance at Si-heon, standing steadfast by her side, and smile warmly.
“I’ll go talk to Ga-eun.”
Han Yu-ae followed Ga-eun and disappeared into the dining room.
“Talk it out between yourselves. Don’t worry about Se-ryun.”
Kwon Hee-sung gave Si-heon’s shoulder a few firm pats.
“You’ll be fine. You might not admit it, but to my eyes, Ga-eun loves you very much. As much as you love her.”
It was true.
Ga-eun would never fully grasp the depths of his heart, no matter how long they lived.
But at his father’s encouragement, the turmoil inside Si-heon gradually settled.
Love.
Yes, Ga-eun had said she loved him.
“I love Kwon Si-heon. So very much. Nothing makes me happier than knowing this child is yours and mine.”
Those were words Si-heon recalled daily.
Taking a slow, deep breath, he steadied himself.
***
Han Yu-ae approached Ga-eun, who was boiling water.
“Ga-eun.”
“Mother.”
“Is something wrong? You look a little down.”
“Ah…”
Ga-eun cupped her cheeks and let out a small sigh.
“I don’t know why I’m like this. I had a dream—just a dream—but I don’t understand why I’m acting so foolish over it.”
With a slightly embarrassed expression, she recounted the nightmare she’d had the night before.
“…I must seem so silly.”
Seeing the resemblance between the couple, Han Yu-ae barely suppressed a smile that threatened to escape.
“How can anyone be happy all the time in life? Feeling anxious, restless, even fighting sometimes—that’s what marriage is.”
“You think so?”
“Of course. But you have to be honest with each other about your feelings. Otherwise, the other person won’t know.”
“But… I’m scared.”
“Why? Afraid Si-heon will get angry?”
Ga-eun quietly shook her head.
“I’m afraid Si-heon will get hurt.”
How kind-hearted can one be?
Han Yu-ae clasped Ga-eun’s hands tightly between her own.
“Mother?”
“Si-heon is waiting for you to speak honestly. He’s been ready to listen for a long time.”
Seeing Ga-eun’s lingering worry, Han Yu-ae whispered,
“If Si-heon won’t listen, come to our house. We’ll always be on your side, Ga-eun.”
“Mother…”
“So don’t worry, alright?”
After hesitating, Ga-eun reluctantly spoke.
“Actually… earlier, when I went out to meet Si-heon, I saw him talking with the Chairman.”
“The Chairman?”
“Yes. He was saying something to Si-heon at the front gate… I got scared and just came back inside.”
She couldn’t bring herself to say the words—What if he takes Se-ryun away?
It felt like speaking it aloud might make it real.
“One thing I can guarantee you,” Han Yu-ae said firmly. “Si-heon will always choose to protect you.”
At Han Yu-ae’s words, Ga-eun tightened her lips slightly.
Yes—she knew better than anyone that this was who Si-heon was.
Her anxiously trembling heart slowly began to settle.
“Thank you, Mother.”
“I’m the one who should be grateful. It must’ve been hard for you to say.”
Sweet girl. Han Yu-ae held Ga-eun’s hand and gently stroked it.
Ah.
Then, suddenly, it dawned on Ga-eun.
Now, I have a family.
A family to confide these fears in—one that would comfort her when she did.
It was the shelter Si-heon had built for her.
The broad, steady embrace that held her.
The large hands that always patted her back.
The tender gaze that softened whenever he looked at her.
Si-heon had always been watching over her.
He noticed even the smallest changes with sharp awareness, and if she showed even a hint of unease, he would hold her all night, soothing her back.
That kind of man would never hurt her or Se-ryun.
Seeing Ga-eun calm down, Han Yu-ae smiled.
Grateful to witness this love—so obvious to others, yet unnoticed by the lovers themselves.
***
“Don’t worry about Se-ryun, get some proper rest.”
After sharing tea time, Han Yu-ae and Kwon Hee-sung left the house with Se-ryun.
Left alone together, an uncharacteristically awkward silence settled between Si-heon and Ga-eun.
“…Si-heon.”
“Yeah.”
The way her husband responded—meeting her eyes as if he’d been waiting—made warmth spread through her chest for some reason.
“I had a dream last night.”
Si-heon nodded slightly, showing he was listening.
“It was about the past… Suddenly, I felt so anxious.”
The past.
At those words, Si-heon’s gaze darkened.
So, it was him who had appeared in her nightmare.
“The Chairman came. I think you saw him.”
“Ah…”
Ga-eun trailed off.
But Si-heon immediately understood what she was thinking.
Did I betray her again?
Did I lure her in with sweet words while hiding a knife behind my back?
Her entire body seemed to tremble with that fear.
“I love you, Si-heon. I’m happier than I’ve ever been with Se-ryun. But sometimes… I get so anxious. Once it starts, it won’t go away.”
Ga-eun covered her face with her hands, her voice breaking like a sob.
“I don’t even know why I’m like this…”
Occasionally, Ga-eun would feel this unease.
Especially in moments of peak happiness—when she held Se-ryun in her arms, leaning into Si-heon’s broad embrace.
What if this is the highest point?
What if all that’s left is the downhill from here?
What if happiness is followed by equal misfortune?
“What if… this time, they take Se-ryun away? That thought won’t leave me…”
Tears pooled at the corners of Ga-eun’s eyes as she finished her painful confession, finally spilling down her cheeks.
“Ga-eun.”
“…Hng…”
“I want to come closer. Can I?”
His request for permission shattered what little composure she had left.
Her slender shoulders trembled violently.
Si-heon’s face twisted briefly before he seemed to make up his mind. He stepped toward her.
Carefully, he wrapped his arms around her.
Gently, he stroked the nape of her neck.
Hesitantly, he wiped the tears from her face.
“That won’t happen. You, me, Se-ryun—nothing will tear us apart. Never.”
“…Hic… Sob…”
“Don’t dismiss the pain you went through because of me just because you pity what I suffered in the past.”
“Si-heon…”
She’s too soft. Too kind to stand beside someone like me.
That night when he had laid bare the grief of his past losses, she had pushed aside her own pain and rushed to comfort him instead.
Maybe that was where the disconnect began.
Yes—Ga-eun had forgiven him too easily. She had opened her arms to him without hesitation.
And he had greedily burrowed into that space.
He was too selfish to deserve her.
And yet, knowing that, he still couldn’t let her go.
Even if time rewound, he would make the same choice again.
“It might be hard to believe, but I had a nightmare too. Early this morning.”
“…What? How could that—”
“It was from when we were at Yeonjun.”
Yeonjun.
That single word was enough for Ga-eun to understand the dream’s contents.
The time when she had refused to trust him.
“You’re the one making me miserable, Kwon Si-heon. So don’t come near me again.”
Ga-eun drew a shaky breath.
She couldn’t explain the feeling.
Why had that time—when they had clawed at each other, leaving wounds—resurfaced for both of them at once?
“Ga-eun.”
Her chest ached strangely at the low timbre of her husband’s voice calling her name.
“I won’t ask you to forgive me. I don’t have the right. Just… let me stay by your side. That’s enough.”
Tears welled anew in Ga-eun’s eyes.
Even like this—especially like this—she was unbearably precious to him.
“I can remove anything that troubles your heart.”
Si-heon added, as if it were the most natural thing in the world:
“Even if it’s my own family.”
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