Side Story 5
It wasn’t meant to comfort her.
Si-heon truly was prepared to let go of everything.
Ga-eun bit her lip.
She couldn’t believe she had doubted him, even for a moment—had feared him.
She tried to hold it in, but a sob escaped.
Si-heon pulled his wife into his arms and stroked her hair.
“Father once told me,” he murmured. “That we dream of unhappiness precisely because we’re happy now. So happy it feels fragile—like it might vanish when we wake.”
At those words, Ga-eun clutched his waist tighter.
The arms wrapped around her tightened in response.
“You’re allowed to be afraid,” he said. “You can doubt me, even curse me. You’re allowed that much, Ga-eun.”
Just don’t leave me.
That’s all I ask.
As he whispered those words, soothing her in his embrace, Ga-eun broke into full, unrestrained tears.
Si-heon held her silently as she wept, her body trusting him completely.
Their shared warmth slowly melted the frost that had gripped their hearts.
***
“Hng…”
Si-heon pressed his lips to Ga-eun’s bare shoulder before burying his face in the nape of her neck.
Only when he inhaled deeply—filling his lungs with her familiar, gentle warmth—did he finally feel alive.
His fingers slid between hers, intertwining tightly before he leaned into her, his weight pressing down.
“Ah—hk…!”
As he nipped at the exposed, pale column of her throat and began to move, intermittent whimpers spilled from Ga-eun’s lips.
Drowning in the sensation of being swept away by the rising tide, she clung to him harder.
His scorching breath, his searing warmth, the overwhelming pleasure—it stole her mind away.
“Si-heon—ah, ngh—I can’t…!”
Overwhelmed, Ga-eun twisted beneath him, her body tensing.
A low, strained groan rumbled from Si-heon’s throat.
He gripped her jaw, tilting her face up as his tongue pushed past her lips, his movements growing rougher.
The lewd, wet sounds of their entanglement filled the air, sticky and obscene.
“Ah—!”
Ga-eun’s body shuddered violently.
Si-heon kissed the corner of her eye as he spilled into her one last time.
Sweat—indistinguishable as whose—slicked their tangled bodies.
“Nngh…”
With tender kisses, he soothed her, his touch gentle until the tremors wracking her delicate frame gradually stilled.
Then, holding her close, he rolled them over.
Ga-eun ended up draped atop his larger frame, their bodies still joined.
Si-heon pressed a kiss to her forehead, his large hand rubbing slow circles over her heaving back.
With a faint smile, Ga-eun whispered.
“This is the first time we’ve ever fought.”
Si-heon’s hand stilled for a moment—then resumed its soothing motions.
“A fight is when opinions clash. This was just me getting scolded. Because I was the one who messed up.”
Si-heon, in his usual indifferent tone, unwaveringly took her side.
As always.
Touched, Ga-eun teased him playfully.
“Hmm, for being scolded, you seemed to enjoy it a lot.”
“Then scold me until I cry.”
His dead-serious tone made her laugh, eyes crinkling.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
She lightly thumped his firm chest with a small fist.
Si-heon chuckled too, pressing a kiss to her hair.
“Do you think Se-ryun’s doing alright?”
“She adores your grandparents.”
Ga-eun nodded, resting her head against his chest.
“We shouldn’t trouble Mother and Father too much. Last time, Father stayed up playing with her until dawn.”
“They love it. They once said they were a little sad that I wasn’t the type to pester them like that.”
“I wonder… what you were like as a child, Si-heon.”
He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger and smirked.
“You see it every day now.”
“Ah… Right. The photos really showed how much Se-ryun looks like you.”
Once, Han Yu-ae and Kwon Hee-sung had brought over an album of Si-heon’s childhood pictures.
They loved them so much they had them printed—and the moment Ga-eun saw the baby photos, she was stunned.
She thought they were Se-ryun’s.
Jet-black hair, thick brows, a straight nose, and tightly pressed lips—
Every single feature was unmistakably Si-heon’s.
“I hope Se-ryun grows up just like you.”
“Hm.”
“What?”
“The thought of my rival growing stronger makes me nervous.”
In one swift motion, Si-heon flipped them over.
The world tilted in an instant.
He caressed her face—her wide eyes blinking in surprise—and whispered.
“I’m afraid she’ll take you away from me.”
“What kind of… ngh!”
Ga-eun jolted.
She could feel him swelling inside her again, still buried deep.
“Si—Si-heon…”
“They say making up after a fight should always be physical.”
“You just said… we didn’t fight… hng…”
“Then let’s just say it’s you devouring me instead.”
Any protest was swallowed by his mouth.
Ga-eun arched beneath him, another fevered moan escaping as she took him in fully.
“I love you.”
Si-heon held her gaze, unwavering.
“Even if you don’t love me back.”
“Ngh… I… too…”
I love you.
The whisper, tangled with pleasure, darkened his eyes.
And so, through the night, they reaffirmed their love—word by word, touch by touch.
By dawn, the lingering unease had melted away, replaced by something firmer, deeper.
And when Se-ryun grew a little older, they would see the proof of that trust blossom before their eyes.
***
“Kwon Se-ryun.”
At the low, deep voice calling her name, Se-ryun—who had been playing in the playground—turned her head.
“Daddy?”
Her surprise lasted only a moment before she dropped the small silicone shovel she’d been holding and sprinted toward him in a flurry of tiny steps.
Si-heon scooped up his son with one arm.
“Where’s the nanny auntie?”
“She’s on vacation.”
“But when nanny auntie goes on vacation, Uncle Nomang-su comes! Where’s Uncle Nomang-su?”*
Though her pronunciation was relatively clear for her age, she was still just a child.
The way she stubbornly pronounced “Noh Man-su” as “Nomang-su” made Si-heon smirk as he tapped her plush, milky cheek with a finger.
“Uncle Noh Man-su is on vacation too. This week, Daddy’s picking you up.”
“Waaah!”
Se-ryun wrapped her arms around Si-heon’s neck, kicking her legs excitedly.
The thought of seeing her usually busy father every day this week made her beam uncontrollably.
Just then, a swarm of children gathered around the towering figure of Si-heon.
“Mister, are you Se-ryun’s daddy?”
Before Si-heon could answer, Se-ryun puffed out her chest proudly.
“Yep! This is my daddy!”
“Whoaaa! Se-ryun’s daddy is suuuper handsome!”
“And sooo tall!”
“But kinda scary…”
“Still handsome though!”
“Yeah! Even Teacher Sun and Teacher Star said so! They said Se-ryun’s daddy is amaaazing!”
Clearly, they’d been eavesdropping.
Si-heon chuckled at the chattering kids, while Se-ryun looked downright triumphant.
The sight finally made him laugh out loud.
“See you next time. Kwon Se-ryun, say goodbye to your friends.”
“Okay! Bye, see you tomorrow!”
He carried Se-ryun toward the parking lot.
The kindergarten Se-ryun attended was mostly populated by the children of high-profile figures. Parents and nannies waiting nearby buzzed with murmurs when they noticed him—no one had expected the heir of Hwanhee Group to personally pick up his son at this hour.
Since he wasn’t someone they could easily approach, a few tried to strike up conversation.
“Excuse me… Are you perhaps Kwon Si-heon, the executive director?”
“I am.”
“Hello, my father is the CEO of Daeil Industries. My son is in the same class as Se-ryun—”*
Si-heon, still holding Se-ryun, stopped and fixed the woman with a direct stare.
“As you can see, I’m spending some private time with my family.”
“Ah, well—”
“Daeil Industries.”
His cold tone as he repeated the name made the woman instinctively swallow hard.
“I’ll remember that.”
It was anything but a friendly remark. Under his cold gaze—which clearly asked if she intended to further disrupt his time with his son—she stammered out an awkward farewell and retreated.
Se-ryun, nestled in Si-heon’s arms, glanced briefly at the woman’s fleeing figure before looking away. It was a familiar sight.
Whenever he was out with his dad, people swarmed from all directions. But the moment his dad so much as glanced at them, their faces would pale, and they’d scramble away.
‘Dad really loves me. He just wants to talk to me, and that’s why he scares them off.’
The thought filled his small chest with a strange, swelling pride.
“Daddy.”
“Mm.”
“Kiss.”
Mwah. Tiny lips pressed firmly against Si-heon’s cheek.
Eyes crinkling with a smile, Si-heon returned the kiss on Se-ryun’s head before buckling him into the backseat car seat and heading to the driver’s seat.
The massive SUV began to move slowly.
“Daddy. Where’s Mommy and Lily?”
“Mommy’s resting at home.”
“After a hundred sleeps, can I see Lily?”
“Mm. Just wait a little longer.”
At his father’s words, Se-ryun giggled excitedly.
“Lily” was the temporary name for the little sister currently growing in Mommy’s belly. The day Se-ryun learned in kindergarten that the English word for fairy was “fairy,” he’d just found out about the new sibling.
“Then I’ll call her Lily! Because Daddy says Mommy is as pretty as a fairy!”
Mommy had been overjoyed at his words, and Daddy had smiled, ruffling his hair. Grandma and Grandpa had hugged him tight, covering him in kisses, gushing about how clever and lovable he was. Even his great-grandfather—who always praised him endlessly, saying he was destined to lead Hwanhee Group—had spared no compliments.
Kwon Se-ryun’s first naming attempt at five years old had been a resounding success.
Just thinking about it made him grin with pride.
In the rearview mirror, Si-heon caught sight of his son’s dimpled cheeks and felt the corners of his own mouth lift. While Se-ryun looked unmistakably like him, his smile was all Ga-eun.
And that made him even more endearing.
“Daddy.”
“Mm.”
“What does Lily look like?”
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