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“Take care.”
Jae-hee waved her hand in front of the entrance. She was seeing Kang-joo off to work. Hyojeong, who had been pouring cereal into milk at the table, also shouted loudly.
“Take care, brother-in-law!”
“Okay,” Kang-joo replied calmly, then kissed Jae-hee on the cheek.
“I’ll be back. Tell Mom I said hi.”
Kang-joo, who had kissed Jae-hee on her eyelids, which still hadn’t shaken off the sleepiness, left the house. As the door closed, Jae-hee stretched and let out a sigh. It was still early in the morning, and her body felt stiff. Now that Kang-joo had gone to work, it was time for her to get ready and go out with Hyojeong.
“Do you want me to make some cereal too?”
“No, I want to eat rice.”
As she turned on the stove, Jae-hee tapped Hyojeong on the shoulder. Her body felt stiff, but her mood was light. The scenery outside the window, which was tinged with a bluish hue, seemed refreshing.
It was probably because her heart felt so light.
Recently, Jae-hee and Hyojeong had become free spirits. Hyojeong had taken a semester off from school and moved into Jae-hee and Kang-joo’s house, and Jae-hee had temporarily taken a leave of absence from work.
The reason was quite grand.
For their mother.
Their mother, who had been bedridden for a long time, had started to show noticeable improvement recently.
A few months ago, the only signs of life had been her fingers twitching and her eyelids slightly moving. But for some time now, she had begun opening her eyes, and she was even doing rehabilitation exercises to improve.
As things started to improve, the two sisters decided to put their lives on hold. They committed to dedicating their time and energy to their mother’s recovery. It was the obvious course of action, as they both wished for her recovery more than anything.
They visited their mother every single day without fail. Even though nothing really changed when they visited, they continued to go.
At best, they would chat beside her and cheer her on.
But even just seeing their mother every day was enough to satisfy the sisters.
Jae-hee placed a perfectly cooked egg on a plate and sat down in front of Hyojeong. Hyojeong, who had finished her cereal, was pouring more milk into the empty bowl and mixing it with more cereal.
Jae-hee pushed the plate with the egg toward Hyojeong. The egg was steaming, fresh from the recent preparation.
“Eat this too. You need protein to grow strong, you know.”
Hyojeong, who had put the cereal box down, laughed as if in disbelief. “A kid, huh? Have you ever seen such a big kid?”
She was now about the same height as her older sister, but it seemed like Jae-hee still thought of her as the little child she used to be.
“I’m twenty-one, I’m an adult. I can’t grow any more.”
“You’re still a kid at twenty-one. You need to grow more.”
“You’re not Mom, stop nagging.”
Though Hyojeong grumbled, she obediently took the egg yolk first and popped it into her mouth. Despite her complaints, Hyojeong always followed her older sister’s advice.
She had never had a bad experience by listening to her.
Jae-hee, resting her chin on her hand, watched with satisfaction as Hyojeong ate. Even though Hyojeong wasn’t her own child, she was so pretty and sweet that the more she looked at her, the more her heart softened.
How did such a beautiful person end up being her sister? She couldn’t help but feel grateful.
If it weren’t for Hyojeong, she wouldn’t have been able to live so strong after their mother’s accident. She would have been lost, overwhelmed by sadness and struggling alone.
If Hyojeong hadn’t been there, holding her hand and calling her “older sister,” Jae-hee wouldn’t be who she was today.
“Hyojeong, do you know…?”
“Huh? What?”
“I think Mom’s nagging will be worse than mine. After Mom finishes her rehabilitation and comes home, Hyojeong will be in for a lot of nagging. What are we going to do?”
At Jae-hee’s joke, Hyojeong stuck her lips out in a pout.
“Yes, yes. I understand, sister.”
Jae-hee reached out and brushed aside the bangs that Hyojeong had puffed up. She wondered if there had ever been a day as happy as today. Jae-hee still couldn’t forget the joy of that day.
It was the day she and Hyojeong visited their mother. They had chatted for a long time in front of her when suddenly, Hyojeong screamed.
Their mother’s finger had moved.
“What are you talking about?” Jae-hee turned around with a smile, and for the next hour, the sisters simply stared at their mother’s finger.
Then, at the same time, they saw it—her white finger twitching. After that, Jae-hee couldn’t quite remember what happened.
She thought she had collapsed on top of their mother and cried loudly, or maybe she had been holding Hyojeong, sobbing in her arms. Even though they had no religious beliefs, they found themselves praying and thanking God.
All that had happened was that their mother’s finger moved slightly, but it felt as though the world had changed. Her heart was so full, she couldn’t hold back her tears.
Once a sprout begins to grow, the spring follows. It was just a finger twitch for now, but Jae-hee knew it marked the beginning of her mother’s spring. She couldn’t stop crying, overwhelmed with emotion.
The hospital staff had been amazed, calling it a miracle.
As time passed, their mother gradually began to move a little. Eventually, she was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital.
Though Jae-hee wanted to bring her home, it was for the best that she stayed in the hospital for her rehabilitation. It was a choice she had to make.
Instead, she and Hyojeong visited every day. They went there and sat by their mother for hours, just watching her. Their mother lay quietly, making small movements—clenching her fists, slowly rotating her ankles.
Seeing her move in such a way made Jae-hee want to cry again, so she would look outside the window instead.
“Why am I crying so much? I’m grown, like a child…”
When their mother slowly patted her, Jae-hee couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into tears. Even as she cried, she felt as if she had everything—overflowing happiness.
As soon as they finished their meal, Jae-hee and Hyojeong headed to the hospital. The heavy gray sedan was a gift from their mother-in-law, Yeonghyeon.
At first, it wasn’t used much, but these days, it was quite useful for their trips to the hospital, and Jae-hee was especially thankful for it.
Jae-hee parked the car under a willow tree. The long branches gently swayed in the breeze.
As they entered the hospital, Jae-hee felt her mood lift. In the past, just stepping into the hospital entrance would feel heavy, as if her feet were dragging.
She would walk with her head down, feeling burdened and gloomy.
But today, the sisters practically ran inside from the entrance.
With bright faces, they rushed up to the second floor. Inside the private room, they saw their mother sitting by the window, combing her hair.
“Mom, we’re here!”
“Mom! Did you sleep well?”
Hyojeong ran over and immediately kissed Mi-ryeong on the thigh. Mi-ryeong slowly put down the comb and gently caressed Hyojeong’s ear.
“Are my daughters here?”
Her kind voice made Jae-hee’s eyes well up again. This was real. It was really our mom. It wasn’t a dream. Even though it was the same mother she had always known, it felt unbelievably precious now.
Before her mother got sick, their daily life had seemed so ordinary, but now every day felt like a miracle.
“Mom, you’re really good at combing your hair now.”
Jae-hee gently ran her fingers through Mi-ryeong’s hair. She wished she could comb it herself and tie it neatly, but she couldn’t do that yet.
Combing her hair was a part of the rehabilitation process. Putting on clothes, wearing socks, combing her hair—just like a three-year-old learning life skills for the first time, Mi-ryeong was relearning every aspect of life.
The fine-toothed comb clumsily brushed near her mother’s hair. A strand of hair caught at the end of the comb and fell, fluttering in the breeze.
Jae-hee quietly watched Mi-ryeong combing her hair. Our mom, still beautiful, my mom, my mom moving right in front of me.
There was something a chatty caregiver once said a long time ago.
“Your daughters are beautiful, but the most beautiful is your mom!”
That comment made Jae-hee feel so proud... “Our mom is really beautiful,” she had said, holding the caregiver’s hand and crying again.
“Was it that upsetting to hear that mom is the most beautiful?”
She had been jokingly comforting her, but Jae-hee broke down at her touch.
“Mom, were you this happy when I put on my socks all by myself?”
Jae-hee rested her chin on the table, watching Mi-ryeong slowly put on her socks. Surely, there had been a moment when her mother had looked at her with the same gaze.
When little Jae-hee struggled to put on her socks, Mi-ryeong must have smiled brightly at her.
She probably fixed the socks that had turned the wrong way and kissed her.
Did her heart race more than mine back then? Was she this happy?
Mi-ryeong straightened her back slowly and let out a long sigh.
She had just put on socks, but it felt like she had run a long race, with sweat beading on her forehead.
But things were changing little by little. In time, she would be able to take walks with her two daughters. Mi-ryeong’s lips curled into a soft smile.
“Well, when our Jae-hee put on her socks by herself, it felt like she had the whole world.”
“Mom, what about me? What was it like when I put on my socks by myself?”
Hyojeong, hanging by Mi-ryeong’s feet, asked next. Mi-ryeong gently swept Hyojeong’s hair back.
“When our Hyojeong put on her socks by herself, I drew stars on the calendar.”
The laughter of the three women filled the room. The sunlight falling through the window sparkled like stars.
Someday, just like the stars Mi-ryeong had drawn on the calendar for her daughters.
Six months later, after returning to work, Jae-hee, as usual, returned home after her shift. But instead of going to her own house, she pressed the doorbell of the house next door. After quite some time standing at the entrance, someone finally opened the door.
“Sweetheart, you’re here?”
It was Mi-ryeong. Jae-hee stepped inside through the open door, taking her mother’s hand. The warmth inside made her feel immediately happy.
“Yes, mom. The lady from before prepared dinner for us, right? I called earlier.”
“Yes, she left three sets of utensils ready for you.”
Mi-ryeong stroked Jae-hee’s hand gently as she replied. Following the two daughters, Kang-joo stepped in and closed the door behind them. As Mi-ryeong turned to ask if her son-in-law had arrived, Kang-joo bowed politely.
“Yes, I’m just here to have dinner and go.”
He smiled softly, his face kind. The three of them slowly entered the house. Mi-ryeong, walking slowly, nearly came to a halt. Jae-hee straightened the fallen pine branch from behind her mother and spoke.
“Why don’t you just press the button to open the door? It must be a hassle for you to come all the way to the door every time.”
Whenever Jae-hee visited and pressed the doorbell at her mom’s house, Mi-ryeong always came out to open the door.
At first, when there was no response after pressing the bell, Jae-hee had worried something was wrong, but later realized that it was because Mi-ryeong walked out herself, so now she just waited with ease.
“I just want to come out and open the door to see my beautiful daughter and son-in-law.”
“Tch.”
Jae-hee shrugged and linked her arm with Mi-ryeong’s. After her rehabilitation progressed successfully, Mi-ryeong had been discharged from the hospital.
Then, Mi-ryeong moved into a house right next door to Jae-hee and Kang-joo’s newlywed home. It was a house that Kang-joo had personally arranged, worried that Jae-hee might feel uneasy if her mother was too far away.
Hyojeong also planned to move into that house. She had decided to take another semester off to stay with her mother, and Jae-hee had also planned to take an extended leave from work. But Mi-ryeong had firmly refused.
“Mom can do everything by herself now. You two should live your own lives. Don’t be tied down to me.”
“But it would be nice if we could help you out, right?”
“When have you seen me not able to do something on my own? Don’t worry about it.”
Mi-ryeong, their mother, was always quiet but strong. She was gentle but had a core of steel. Knowing this about their mother’s character, the two daughters quietly returned to their own lives.
They quickly realized that they couldn’t convince her. Hyojeong went back to the dormitory, but since Jae-hee lived right next door, it wasn’t much of a difficulty.
“What did you do today, mom?”
“Eun-jin came by, and we chatted all day. Eun-jin’s daughter is getting married.”
“Aunt came by? Didn’t she ask you to stay for dinner?”
“She said she needs to have dinner with her husband.”
Recently, Eun-jin, Mi-ryeong’s friend, had been visiting often. During the trial, she had been a great help in testifying about Chairman Cha’s past actions, and as soon as she heard the news about Mi-ryeong’s recovery, she rushed to the hospital.
“I thought our Mi-ryeong’s life was completely ruined, but she’s awake! She’s alive, alive!”
Eun-jin’s tactless words scratched at their nerves, but both Mi-ryeong and Jae-hee just smiled quietly. They knew that Eun-jin meant no harm with her words.
Though she sometimes spoke thoughtlessly, her heartfelt congratulations for Mi-ryeong’s recovery were sincere.
And since Mi-ryeong had come here, she had been taking walks around the mansion every day. Sometimes, holding hands, they would stroll around the grounds, or sit on the terrace and do simple drawing activities under the guise of “rehabilitation.”
It was delightful to have an old childhood friend become a neighborhood friend, and she visited so often that her feet would sweat. Mi-ryeong never had a moment of loneliness.
“Jae-hee, bring your mother over.”
Kang-joo called them from the dining table. The mother and daughter, chatting softly on the sofa, walked toward the kitchen.
When they entered the kitchen, Kang-joo was setting down a plate of seafood stew. It seemed like the helper had prepared it earlier and Kang-joo was just reheating it.
The delicious smell filled the air.
Soon, the clinking of dishes began to echo around the dining table. Mi-ryeong paused while serving the stew and looked at Kang-joo with a sudden, unfamiliar gaze. She saw the man eating elegantly with his eyes lowered.
Looking at him now, it felt like he was someone difficult to approach. How did it come to be that they had become this close?
When she opened her eyes after skipping a few years, the most surprising thing was the existence of Cha Kang-joo.
Her daughters were the same as always. They were still her lovely, adorable children. Jae-hee, who had once been so young, was now a working adult, and Hyojeong, who had seemed so much younger, had grown into a university student, but they were still Jae-hee and Hyojeong.
They were the same daughters Mi-ryeong had always known.
But Cha Kang-joo was different. Kang-joo, as she remembered him, was a difficult person to handle.
He wasn’t arrogant or overly proud, but he was subtly hard to deal with. He didn’t speak much, yet his presence was always strong, and even at a young age, his gaze had a depth that was striking.
More than his good-looking face, it was his calm and composed aura that first caught her attention. There were times when she even imagined, quite foolishly, what it would be like to be his wife.
“I bet being Kang-joo’s wife would be quite tough...”
He had a solid core, stubborn in his ways, and a character like a piece of steel, which made her think that his spouse might have a difficult time.
So, how shocked was she when she learned that her daughter was now his wife?
The person she had worried about was now sitting right there in front of her... It was something she never even imagined in her dreams. Moreover...
“Jae-hee, are you not feeling well?”
She heard Kang-joo’s soft voice asking, concerned about Jae-hee. Mi-ryeong had never imagined that Kang-joo could speak in such a gentle tone.
To think that he would respond so attentively to Jae-hee’s every small word or action, treating her with such care. Mi-ryeong snapped out of her thoughts and, also worried, turned to Jae-hee.
“Yeah, Jae-hee, you hardly ate anything.”
Only then did Jae-hee put down her spoon. She had been forcing herself to eat, but her plate still had a lot of rice left.
“Strangely, I don’t have an appetite... The smell of the food doesn’t sit well with me either.”
Mi-ryeong picked up her own plate and sniffed it.
“Does the smell seem off? It shouldn’t be spoiled.”
Her experience as a helper for over ten years told her that it was definitely fresh seafood that was used to make the dish.
“It’s not that it’s spoiled. It’s just... I’m not able to stomach it.”
Jae-hee’s explanation was met with Kang-joo, who quickly stood up from his seat.
“Then why don’t you try some of the other dishes?”
It seemed like he was about to check the fridge for other food options. It was clear that he couldn’t bear the thought of Jae-hee missing a meal. Jae-hee grabbed his hand and gently pushed him back down.
At this rate, he would roll up his sleeves and start frying eggs.
“Kang-joo, please go ahead and finish your meal. I really don’t have an appetite. I feel like I’ll choke if I try to eat more.”
Kang-joo didn’t pick up his spoon again. After checking Jae-hee’s forehead to see if she had a fever, he asked again, still concerned.
“Are you really okay?”
“I’m fine, really.”
“Should we call Dr. Jeong?”
His expression grew stern again. His insistence on calling her doctor made Jae-hee laugh out loud.
“Who needs a doctor just for skipping one meal?”
There was no end to his concern. Kang-joo hovered around her like a child, trying to protect her.
But, honestly, Jae-hee didn’t mind it. She just laughed.
Meanwhile, Mi-ryeong’s expression, watching the two of them, was strange. Her daughter, who had always had a good appetite after work, suddenly saying she wasn’t hungry, pushing away her food, saying it didn’t smell right—this was unexpected.
“Jae-hee.”
“Yes, Mom?”
“Are you...?”
“Yes?”
Jae-hee answered innocently, looking as if she were waiting for Mi-ryeong’s next words.
Kang-joo, too, watched Mi-ryeong with the same expression, curious about what his mother-in-law was going to say.
Mi-ryeong, after a long pause, finally spoke toward the two young people, who seemed so pure and innocent.
“Are you... perhaps pregnant?”
A heavy silence enveloped them.
Then, about three seconds later,
“Pregnant?”
Kang-joo suddenly jumped up from his seat. The man, who usually didn’t show much emotion, was now visibly startled, his face filled with excitement.
Mi-ryeong was even more surprised by Kang-joo’s reaction. Clink! The spoon Mi-ryeong had been holding dropped to the floor.
Jae-hee, her face frozen in surprise, blinked without saying a word. Her mother’s question had registered, but without any sense of reality, she simply tilted her head slightly.
“Doesn’t it look good?”
Mi-ryeong asked Yeonghyeon, who was sitting across from her.
“Well, yes. My son seems a bit excessive sometimes... but they do look lovely together.”
Yeonghyeon smiled gently and nodded toward Mi-ryeong. They were sitting on the second-floor terrace of the art museum, sipping tea.
Down below, Jae-hee and Kang-joo were walking hand-in-hand through the garden. They certainly looked like a happy couple.
Even though they had been married for quite some time, did they still look that good together? Yeonghyeon smiled warmly as she watched Kang-joo, who seemed to pamper Jae-hee.
Jae-hee and Kang-joo, Yeonghyeon and Mi-ryeong. It was a peaceful weekend where the two families spent time together at the art museum.
Since Mi-ryeong had fully recovered her health, they often had these kinds of gatherings.
Yeonghyeon appreciated Mi-ryeong’s quiet, thoughtful personality, and Mi-ryeong was equally fond of Yeonghyeon’s forthright nature.
Although they had lived in the same house before, they never really crossed paths. It was only after Jae-hee and Kang-joo’s marriage that they truly got to know each other.
It had turned out to be a rather fortunate connection.
Recently, Yeonghyeon had completely settled her overseas life.
In the past, she spent most of the year abroad, but after Kang-joo’s marriage, she ended everything and returned to Korea.
For her, living overseas had been an escape. An escape from her own shortcomings, from the past. She thought that closing her eyes and blocking out the world would make everything go away.
She thought if she ignored everything, it would eventually be buried. But as she consciously turned away, Korea had become an even harder place to live in.
But now, things were different. She had opened her heart to Kang-joo and her daughter. She had a new family, a daughter-in-law. Life had become peaceful, and there was nothing more she could ask for.
Now that she had a place to put her heart, she didn’t feel the need to wander outside anymore.
Even more so now, with the news that her son Kang-joo and his wife were expecting a child.
The grandchild she had always hoped and waited for would soon be born. She eagerly marked the days on her calendar, counting down the days to the birth.
She paid more attention to Jae-hee’s due date than Jae-hee did herself. Yeonghyeon looked down from the terrace, watching as Kang-joo and Jae-hee spoke quietly to each other.
Jae-hee, smiling brightly, held her large belly. Even though she was watching from afar, Yeonghyeon couldn’t help but feel a warmth in her heart.
Kang-joo gently helped Jae-hee sit down in a chair.
“Be careful. The chair might wobble.”
It seemed he was worried because the ground was covered with pebbles. Jae-hee, sitting in the chair and stretching her legs out, laughed softly.
“Am I a child? You’re worried the chair might wobble?”
“The baby is in your belly, so you’re a child too, Jae-hee.”
Kang-joo answered firmly. His affectionate words were infused with strong resolve. Jae-hee smiled again, slowly moving her ankle.
Her legs had started swelling recently, and when she walked and then sat down, she felt a discomfort as blood pooled in her legs. Kang-joo, sitting beside her, gently placed his hand on Jae-hee’s belly.
A round, lovingly swollen belly, where a life was growing. The thought that this contained the fruit of their love filled his heart with an overwhelming emotion.
And so, it had become a habit of his lately to gently caress her belly, as if in reverence.
Jae-hee placed her hand over his, covering his large hand, even though she couldn’t completely cover it. Just the act of their hands touching made her feel happy.
“Isn’t it amazing? That our baby is here.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a light kick inside. Since she was nearing full term, the baby’s movements were quite active, shifting at all hours of the day and night.
The baby kicked at that very moment, and Kang-joo must have felt it too. Without a word, he slowly stroked her belly, as though handling something incredibly precious, with great care.
“I still can’t believe it.”
Kang-joo muttered to himself, caressing the swollen belly as if communicating with the baby inside.
He couldn’t believe it. It felt like he was walking in a dream. The fact that a life that connected him and Jae-hee was under his hand felt like a miracle.
Now, a bond had been formed between him and Jae-hee, one that could never be broken. The baby’s existence alone was a source of happiness, but the fact that Jae-hee was going to be the mother of his child made him feel even more in awe.
In the past, he had tried to get her pregnant. He had schemed in deceitful ways, thinking that if they had a child, maybe he could keep her by his side, that maybe she would come back to him.
He thought that if they had a child, perhaps she would return to him, maybe even see him differently. Holding on to that fragile hope, he had once taken her forcefully.
He was a despicable man. Unable to have her, he had greedily tried to take her for himself.
But Jae-hee, pure and upright as she was...
Kang-joo lowered his hand from her belly and firmly grasped Jae-hee’s hand.
But Jae-hee had said, without any conditions, that she would be by his side. She loved him, accepted his flawed, foolish self, and embraced him.
She would warmly hug him and smile. Every time she laughed or cried, his world bloomed and wilted with hers. Her tears, her smiles, her sadness, and her joy were always by his side.
The fact that he could share everything with her made him so incredibly happy that it felt like he was walking in a dream.
Now that they were going to have a child, he would become a father. He had never received love like this from anyone, but he felt that he could pour all his love into this child.
The love he received from Jae-hee was so immense that there would be more than enough to share with their baby.
“Mm. If you hold too tightly, it hurts, Kang-joo.”
Jae-hee lightly tapped the back of his hand with a smile. Only then did Kang-joo loosen his grip. He always wanted to draw her closer, to pull her into his arms and never let go.
Fighting those impulses, whenever he came to his senses, Jae-hee was right there beside him. Her presence was so lovable that Kang-joo couldn’t bring himself to let her go.
He slowly pulled her into an embrace, feeling her small shoulder in his arms, and kissed her soft cheek. The scent of warm grass and Jae-hee’s fragrance filled the air.
“I love you, Jae-hee.”
He confessed his rising feelings, closing his eyes quietly, pulling her warmth tightly into his embrace.
“I love you too.”
With that brief response, he felt as though he had the entire world.
[The End]
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