Ch#42
42. When Did You Arrive?
Ha-young's words made Mi-suk's expression turn uncomfortable. Seeing Na-eun didn't sit well with her. She had recently refused a request from Na-eun to borrow 3 million won, and she worried that facing her might lead to another ask for money. It just felt awkward to come face-to-face.
"Why are you telling me to do it? You do it."
Mi-suk said curtly, avoiding eye contact as if it were a hassle.
Ha-young pouted in protest.
"Mom. Na-eun doesn't pick up my calls."
Mi-suk nodded with a sigh, looking exasperated.
"Hey, she doesn't pick up mine either."
Ha-young scoffed mockingly at her mother's response.
"Acting all superior just because you're raising kids."
Mi-suk bristled at the words and glared at Ha-young.
"Hey, what do you mean 'just raising kids'? Do you have any idea how tough it is? Do you know how hard it was raising you?"
Ha-young rolled her eyes, snapping back angrily.
"Cut it out. Mom, are you on my side or Na-eun's?"
Mi-suk irritably shook her head.
"I'm not taking sides. I'm just saying raising kids isn't easy."
Ha-young bit her lip with a frustrated expression, grumbling.
"So what? Even if it's not easy, can't she at least introduce her sister to a CEO? We've lived together all these years."
Mi-suk replied softly, as if she had no choice.
"Fine. I'll try contacting her."
Ha-young shot a side-eye at her half-hearted mother and muttered under her breath.
"If she doesn't pick up, I have my own ideas."
Mi-suk flinched at the words but turned away, pretending not to care, too drained to argue.
Na-eun had been deliberately ignoring calls from her sister and mother since the afternoon. After running into Ha-young at the amusement park, she had resolved not to answer anymore. It was obvious Ha-young wanted something related to Kang-woo.
Ha-young loved asking favors from people, and that's how she'd sustained her acting career so far. Knowing that better than anyone, Na-eun had no interest in hearing it. Sighs kept escaping her lips. She couldn't avoid it forever, but it felt all sticky-sweet again.
"Min-ho, Ji-ho. Did you brush your teeth?"
"Yes! We brushed them squeaky clean."
"Min-ho too?"
"Yes."
Min-ho rarely initiated conversations, but he responded well to questions. And occasionally, he'd even share stories he wanted to tell Na-eun. That was why she accompanied him to counseling sessions. She was relieved they were growing closer bit by bit.
At the main residence, Kyung-hye gripped her phone with an irritated expression. The winter scenery beyond the window was beautiful, but her nerves were entirely focused on the call.
"Everyone knows you're back in Korea. If you're here, why stay at a hotel instead of coming home?"
Kyung-hye's voice rose slightly, tinged with hurt.
"Do I have to hear about you only through your father?"
Kang-hyeok's calm voice came through from the other end.
-I asked people not to tell the family I'd arrived in Seoul so I wouldn't have to come to the main house.
Kyung-hye frowned and shook her head in frustration.
"Why would you do that? They'd find out eventually. Have I done anything wrong to you? And you're getting along with your father, right?"
A brief silence followed before Kang-hyeok spoke heavily.
-What could go wrong between you and me?
Kyung-hye sighed in response.
"Then are you avoiding your son?"
She pressed with a weighty tone in her voice, a flicker of real anxiety beneath it.
Kang-hyeok's voice continued lowly.
-It's not that I don't want to see him. I'm afraid.
Kyung-hye let out a frustrated sigh, muttering.
"Such a weakling. What's there to fear from a five-year-old kid?"
But Kang-hyeok didn't answer. Kyung-hye sensed a heavy weight in his silence. The wordless quiet was nothing but torment.
"Remember what I told you before? Min-ho's getting better. He greets people now, talks a lot with the tutor, plays blocks with his friend. He even went to a kids' amusement park recently."
-Really?
"Yes. They even bought a huge balloon. It's still in the living room. So don't be so scared—come see him first. He might be happy to see his dad."
But Kang-hyeok fell silent again.
"What on earth happened? What happened that left the child with selective mutism and you so terrified of your own son? You have to tell me. Whatever it was, go see a counselor too."
Kang-hyeok finally spoke cautiously.
-I'll come once. If he's improved that much, I want to see him too.
Kyung-hye beamed at his words.
"Good. That's my boy. I'll tell Kang-woo to come home early that day. He's been leaving work on time lately. Seems like he's getting over his workaholic phase."
-That's great. I'll visit soon.
"Don't say 'soon.' You know your own schedule better than anyone. You're so meticulous—I know it well. Check it now and free up an evening. When can you come?"
-...The day after tomorrow. I'll come then.
Kyung-hye finally smiled and acknowledged it before hanging up. What on earth had happened to make Min-ho like that? No, even stranger was her son's reaction. A father afraid to see his five-year-old son—it was truly bizarre.
It was late at night. Kang-woo quietly opened the front door and stepped inside. The house was silent. The two rascals were probably asleep, and Na-eun, exhausted from the day with the kids, would be too.
He'd come home this late because of the mess Director Son Young-guk had caused. Do-wan had brought endless evidence of the director's corruption, discussing with Kang-woo how to handle the aftermath. Though Do-wan grumbled about the headache of executing Kang-woo's detailed instructions, they wrapped it up together.
By the time he returned, it was 1 a.m. Kang-woo went up to the second floor first, washed up, then came down for water. He drank quietly to avoid noise and gently opened Na-eun's door. Moonlight filtered in softly, illuminating her sleeping face clearly without needing a lamp.
Kang-woo approached the bed and crouched down. Just gazing at her peaceful sleeping face melted away the day's fatigue. How people seep into each other—usually unnoticed, but wielding such immense power. Returning from the battlefield-like company to the kids' laughter and Na-eun's smile felt like entering a whole new world of recovery.
Kang-woo raised a hand to stroke Na-eun's hair, then clenched it into a fist and lowered it.
Better not wake her. He knew better than anyone how grueling her schedule was. Even home was her workplace. Come to think of it, Na-eun had incredibly strong mental fortitude. She worked mornings at the kindergarten all day, then came here—another job. Getting paid to live and care for the house. That thought suddenly scared him: to her, wasn't he just another person at her workplace?
As he carefully withdrew his hand, a soft one suddenly rested atop it.
"When did you arrive?"
Na-eun, spotting him, smiled with her eyes crinkling into half-moons. Someone who smiles even when woken from sleep. The existence of such a person felt miraculous. Instead of words, Kang-woo gently pressed his lips to hers. Warm lips carried passion, delving deeper.
Na-eun wrapped her arms around his neck. The kiss deepened, and before she knew it, Kang-woo was on the bed. Their bodies overlapped in an instant. As warm skin met, Kang-woo embraced her fiercely, igniting like fire. Na-eun clung to him, breathless, swaying with him. Time blurred in the haze.
Na-eun lightly stroked his forehead.
"Sorry for waking you when you're so late."
"Feels like I'm still dreaming. This isn't a dream, is it?"
Kang-woo chuckled.
"To me, the fact that a woman named Han Na-eun exists is all a dream."
"You know that's super cheesy, right?"
"That cheesy, huh?"
Kang-woo smirked, then pulled her tightly into his firm arms.
"There was a personnel shuffle today. Demoted the employee who committed corruption."
Na-eun murmured softly at his words.
"Must be upsetting in all sorts of ways. Especially two things."
