Special Side Story 2
Si-heon couldn’t take his eyes off his wife.
Ga-eun’s smile, the way she said she was happy, was like a mirage—something that would vanish at the slightest movement.
It was a scene so beautiful it felt unreal.
“Thank you.”
Ga-eun gently cupped his cheek.
“Thanks to you, Si-heon, I’m happy. So very happy.”
Si-heon, who had been quietly gazing at her, softly took hold of her wrist and pressed his lips deeply against the back of her hand.
Like a knight making a vow, his expression was not just reverent but almost sacred.
“Me more.”
Si-heon carefully placed her hand over his left chest.
Thump. Thump.
Beneath her palm, she could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
“I’m happy. Because you’re my wife, Ga-eun.”
Because you’re the mother of my children.
His words were simple, but the sincerity behind them was unmistakable, and tears welled up in Ga-eun’s eyes.
Through Si-heon, she had learned that sometimes, when joy is too overwhelming, it doesn’t bring laughter—it brings tears.
“I love you.”
His eyes widened for a moment, then slowly softened, as if melting into something radiant.
“I love you.”
Even if the day comes when you no longer love me.
At the whispered confession, Ga-eun finally shed tears and pulled him into an embrace.
Their legs tangled softly together.
That afternoon, their lovemaking was tender and warm throughout.
***
“Come in, come in.”
Han Yu-ae welcomed them warmly.
“The roads must have been quite crowded since it’s the weekend.”
At her mother-in-law’s words, Ga-eun’s cheeks flushed a deep red.
Truthfully, the roads hadn’t been congested.
They had arrived even earlier than expected.
It was just… the time they spent wrapped in each other’s arms, whispering words of love, had stretched on too long, delaying their departure.
“Oh dear, Ga-eun. Were you too hot? Your face looks a little flushed.”
“N-no, Mother. I’m fine.”
The way her mother-in-law kept studying her with concern only made Ga-eun’s insides burn hotter.
But it wasn’t just today—her mother-in-law’s gaze was always fixed on her, the daughter-in-law, rather than her own son, Si-heon.
“Here.”
At Si-heon’s voice, Han Yu-ae startled and turned her head.
“Ga-eun brought this for you.”
When Si-heon handed over the bouquet of roses, Han Yu-ae let out a soft oh and accepted it with admiration.
Yet even as she did, she couldn’t bring herself to meet Si-heon’s eyes.
“You went out of your way to buy this, hm? You must have been busy. It’s so beautiful. Thank you, Ga-eun.”
“Si-heon picked it. He said the elegant and dignified ones reminded him of you.”
Han Yu-ae bit her lip at those words.
The tips of her fingers, clutching the bouquet, trembled slightly before her eyes reddened.
Whenever it came to matters involving Si-heon, her mother-in-law either acted like a sinner or, like now, became so overwhelmed with emotion she didn’t know what to do.
She loved and cherished her son deeply, yet at the same time, she struggled in his presence.
“I’m not a mother to Si-heon. I’m nothing but a sinner who abandoned her young child alone in that vast, desolate Jungshimwon because I couldn’t endure my own pain.”
Ga-eun remembered vividly the deep regret that had filled her mother-in-law’s eyes when she had once brushed over the topic.
A mother who still saw herself as a criminal. A father who silently stood by her side.
And a husband who treated his parents with detached calm.
But Ga-eun didn’t recklessly ask for the reason.
“Ga-eun. Everything flows as it should. There are moments meant for speaking and moments meant for listening. So you must wait. Until the right moment comes. Until you’re ready. In time, everything will find its place.”
Her mother’s words had never been wrong before.
And so, Ga-eun decided to wait once again.
For the person who needed to speak, and for the person who needed to listen.
Just then, from outside, bright laughter and playful shrieks of “Kyaa!” rang out.
Turning her head toward the wide-open panoramic window, she saw Se-ryun and Se-ori chasing after their grandfather, Kwon Hee-sung, spraying him with water guns.
Since they had come straight up from the underground garage, the children, playing in the garden pool with their grandfather, hadn’t yet noticed their parents’ arrival—too busy laughing and splashing around.
Every time the kids darted around him, shooting their water guns, her father-in-law—usually so cold and reserved—let his face soften into a smile.
He looked exactly like Si-heon at that moment.
Ga-eun found herself smiling without realizing it.
“The kids adore their grandfather. He plays with them so well.”
“I never knew I could be like that with children. I knew he was kind, but honestly, Si—”
Han Yu-ae abruptly cut herself off.
It seemed she had been about to say something about Si-heon without meaning to.
“I’ll go check on the kids.”
Si-heon, who had been holding Ga-eun’s shoulder, pressed a light kiss to the top of her head before heading out to the garden.
The whole motion was effortless.
Of course it was—for them, such affection was just part of everyday life.
But this was his parents’ house.
Ga-eun, now flushed all the way to the tips of her ears, couldn’t bring herself to lift her head out of embarrassment.
“I suppose it’s become a habit. I should be more careful in public…”
“No, it’s lovely to see.”
The teardrops clinging to Han Yu-ae’s lashes finally spilled over, rolling down her cheeks.
“If it weren’t for you, Ga-eun, our Si-heon would still be trapped behind those cold, rigid walls—never smiling like he does now.”
Ga-eun carefully wrapped an arm around Han Yu-ae’s shoulders and guided her to the sofa.
Even after sitting down, Han Yu-ae continued to cry silently, still clutching the bouquet Si-heon had given her.
“Thank you, Ga-eun. Truly, thank you.”
“Mother…”
“If only I hadn’t been his mother. If only I had been stronger—in body and heart—I could have stayed by Si-heon’s side.”
Han Yu-ae’s self-reproach painted her face with the unmistakable look of a mother who loved her child deeply.
“Si-heon once told me something while watching Se-ryun and Se-ori sleep,” Ga-eun said softly, plucking a tissue from the table and gently dabbing her mother-in-law’s tear-streaked cheeks.
“I think… I finally understand a parent’s heart now.”
“Si-heon said that…?”
“Parents who choose to leave their child’s side—for that child’s sake—are the strongest and saddest people in the world.”
At those words, Han Yu-ae finally broke down into open sobs.
Ga-eun pulled her into an embrace.
If Mom saw someone crying like this in front of her, she’d hug them too—no matter who they were.
“I may not know everything, but back then… I’m sure you both made the best choice you could—for Si-heon’s sake.”
“Sob… I should have stayed… I should have been there for him…”
***
When she was young, Han Yu-ae had been kidnapped.
It was retaliation—a group of enraged gangsters, resentful over a judge’s ruling, had snatched the judge’s daughter to get back at him.
On her way home, men suddenly appeared, forced her into a van, and bound her eyes and mouth with cloth.
Large men in black suits surrounded her, hurling vicious curses at her with cold, intimidating glares and voices.
Han Yu-ae was only fifteen at the time.
Thankfully, the police stormed in before anything worse could happen, rescuing her just in time.
But she had always been frail, and the psychological shock was severe. For a long time afterward, the mere sight of a large man or someone in a black suit would make her faint or vomit everything she had eaten.
I can’t live like this forever.
Half the world was made up of men—was she supposed to spend the rest of her life fainting and throwing up?
So Han Yu-ae made a decision.
She deliberately chose a co-ed university over a women’s college. And on her first day of class, she resolved to greet the boy sitting next to her first—no matter what.
“Uh… h-hello?”
She didn’t even look at his face. Just because he was male, she squeezed her eyes shut and forced out the greeting.
“…Are you talking to me?”
At the deep, low voice, Han Yu-ae slowly lifted her eyelids.
She sucked in a breath without realizing it.
A cold-eyed, handsome man was staring at her with slightly narrowed eyes.
That was her first meeting with Kwon Hee-sung.
She thought he was just a senior—athletic like a pro sports player, as handsome as an actor.
Amused by the trembling freshman who stubbornly greeted him despite knowing nothing about him, Hee-sung gave a faint smile.
And Han Yu-ae fell for him at first sight.
It didn’t take long for the two to fall in love.
And that love only grew deeper with time.
Even after Han Yu-ae learned the truth—that the man she loved was the son of the leader of the Hwanhee faction.
It was the beginning of their misfortune.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.