NOD - EPILOGUE

Lying on an outdoor rattan chair, Yiseo looked at the sunlight pouring through the gaps in her fingers covering her face. There was plenty of light but not enough heat, and the tops of her exposed feet were a little chilly. Just as she was about to shrink back into the cashmere blanket covering her.

“The madam said lunch is ready. The item you ordered was also just delivered.”

Choi Siljang, who had arrived at some point, politely delivered the message. Yiseo didn’t feel much like eating lunch or opening the delivered item, but she got up right away. The incident from a year ago was enough to cause trouble for the two of them. Both were fired that day, and Choi Siljang, in particular, was blacklisted from the industry. But after Yiseo found out and pleaded for them, Tae Mujin reinstated Choi Siljang. She obediently got up and followed her.

The trees that filled the garden were filled with the tension of early spring, just about to burst into buds. The rustling of the grass felt pleasant on the soles of Yiseo’s feet. The grass she was stepping on now was rooted in solid ground, not empty air.

Tae Mujin’s previous garden was beautiful, but not as much as this one. Located in Songdo, not Yeongjongdo, this house was surrounded by a garden that an elderly female painter had cultivated her entire life. The day after Yiseo returned, Tae Mujin immediately looked for a house on solid ground, and because he liked this one so much, he bought it from the owner, who didn’t want to sell, for several times the market price. Because the house and garden were too big for the two of them, Yiseo still had to walk on the stepping stones meticulously placed between the grass for a long time.

“It seemed like you weren’t touching the side dishes much, so I made some bibimbap for you.”

Placing a bowl of bibimbap with various colorful toppings in front of Yiseo, the madam urged her to eat just one more spoonful than yesterday. Yiseo’s cheeks turned red as she picked up her spoon. Every time they catered to her like a child, she felt both embarrassed and a little ashamed. So she busily moved the food into her mouth.

After finishing the meal, when Yiseo offered to do the dishes, both of them recoiled and stopped her. It seemed that whenever Yiseo tried to do any housework, it reminded them of the incident she had caused in the past. Pushing the bitter feeling aside, Yiseo headed to the dressing room. Clothes, shoes, and accessories that a personal shopper had chosen were stacked high in boxes. She let out a small sigh, shoved them all into a corner of the closet, and closed the door. It was too bothersome to open each one. She only took out some scarves she had bought as gifts for Choi Siljang and the madam, and for Mr. Son. This was just a shopping trip she did because Tae Mujin was only satisfied when she maxed out a bunch of credit cards.

Flipping through the tightly packed hangers, she pulled out a nude-toned silk dress. It wasn’t a revealing design that exposed her skin, but the fabric was as thin as a dragonfly’s wing, and it clung to her curves as she moved. She chose the most provocative dress among her clothes for her dinner date with Tae Mujin tonight.

After getting ready, she left the dressing room and her eyes briefly lingered on a small room at the end of the hallway. In that room was something Tae Mujin had brought to the house before Yiseo. On the first day they moved in, when she stepped into the brightly lit living room, she saw a grand piano made of crystal. Seeing the piano sparkle as the light reflected off its transparent body, Yiseo’s face stiffened for a moment, but she immediately said she liked everything about the house. And then she avoided the living room. Noticing this, Tae Mujin immediately moved the piano to a secluded room.

Yiseo tore her eyes away from the room she had never entered and left the house earlier than her appointment time.

________________________________________

“Mr. Tae is in a video conference right now. Would you mind waiting for a moment, madam?”

“Don’t do that, Kwon Giseon.”

Arriving early, Yiseo ran into Kwon Giseon in front of the office. She glared at him, and Kwon Giseon spoke in a tone that was polite in content but somehow sarcastic.

“Mr. Tae instructed me to treat you with the utmost respect. Would you like some tea while you wait, madam?”

After shooting a look at Kwon Giseon, who deliberately kept using the title “madam,” Yiseo walked past him with long strides. “Hey, hey, Yoon Yiseo!” She ignored Kwon Giseon, who hurried after her, and burst the office door open. Tae Mujin, who was sitting alone at the long conference table, frowned. But as soon as he realized it was Yiseo who had entered, the corners of his lips relaxed.

“Who? Oh… Is that a woman who kept canceling Tae’s business trip? You deserved it.”

The elderly woman on the screen, which filled an entire wall of the office, said with a smile.

“Sorry, but we’ll talk about the rest tomorrow, Mrs. Kwan.”

The elderly woman laughed, saying she wasn’t that clueless, and the screen immediately went black. Yiseo went straight to Tae Mujin and sat on his thigh. Kwon Giseon’s face was frozen in disbelief as he exited the office.

“Did you end it early because of me? Should I have just waited outside?”

When Yiseo squirmed as if to get off Tae Mujin’s thigh, his thick arm wrapped around her waist. Tae Mujin laughed softly at Yiseo’s question, knowing she was just messing with him.

“I was thinking of leaving work early, but this isn’t so bad either.”

Yiseo placed her hand on Tae Mujin’s tie and stroked it all the way from his Adam’s apple to his belly button. As she repeated this, she felt Tae Mujin’s center, which was touching her buttocks, harden and swell. Yiseo knew well that the more she acted like this, the faster Tae Mujin would react.

“I don’t think the office would be a bad place to have dinner...”

Saying that, Yiseo kissed Tae Mujin. His low laugh flowed into her throat. The cock she was sitting on became as hard as if she was sitting on a stone. As winter was ending, the days were getting longer, and the office was bright and light, like a street at noon. If Tae Mujin were to just grab her and hold her right here in a place like this... Yiseo ground her buttocks on Tae Mujin’s thigh.

Tae Mujin’s cock swelled as if to stab her buttocks. However, unlike his ominous lower body, there was no sexual nuance in the hand that stroked Yiseo’s cheeks and hair. Yiseo felt a little deflated and rested her forehead on Tae Mujin’s shoulder. Since her return to him, Tae Mujin had not touched Yiseo recklessly outside of the house. His attitude was as careful as if she would break, and strangely, every time he was like that, Yiseo felt like she was drowning and couldn’t breathe.

“We can eat dinner anywhere, but I have a reservation somewhere.”

At Tae Mujin’s coaxing voice, Yiseo nodded weakly.

The place Tae Mujin took her was a small store in the hotel’s underground arcade. The entrance wasn’t large, but after walking down a long corridor with the guidance of an employee, a spacious room appeared. The store owner smiled broadly, brought over a bag with a lock, and opened it.

“This is a Burmese Pigeon Blood Ruby. We set it with an FL-grade diamond to match the 20-carat size. The design you ordered, Mr. Tae, came out very well.”

The owner, wearing cotton gloves, carefully took a pair of earrings out of the bag and held them out. The light from the halogen lights on the ceiling hit the earrings, scattering and shimmering dazzlingly. Yiseo felt a strange numbness in her head as she looked at the small, intricate pieces of craftsmanship that were the epitome of precision and luxury.

“Don’t you like them?”

Tae Mujin’s question brought her back to her senses. The store owner looked flustered by Yiseo’s unexpected expression, and fortunately, Tae Mujin didn’t look displeased or puzzled. He just told her to pick something else if she didn’t like them.

“Oh... no. They’re so beautiful... I think I was just a little captivated.”

The owner then smiled with relief and suggested she try them on. Yiseo took the earrings and held them up to her earlobes. But no matter how long she fumbled with them, the earring post couldn’t find its place and kept pricking the wrong spot. She had never taken out the piercing she got when she first had her ears pierced, so she had never put on earrings herself. Tae Mujin took the earrings from Yiseo’s fumbling hands.

With Tae Mujin’s help, the earrings she was wearing sparkled on Yiseo’s earlobes.

“I was curious who the owner of such a luxurious design would be. Mr. Tae’s taste is impeccable.”

The owner exclaimed in admiration, and Tae Mujin also smiled with satisfaction. Reflected in the mirror, the white face, black eyelashes, and the vibrant red jewels that resembled her lips looked very good on Yiseo. Tae Mujin tucked Yiseo’s hair behind her ear and gently rubbed the earlobe with the new earring. A subtle electric warmth shot through her earlobe. And a deep part of her chest also tingled as if exposed to cold.

________________________________________

After dinner, Yiseo went home, immediately took off everything that was bothering her, and went into the bathroom. She got into the bathtub full of water, hugged her knees, and sat down. The pressure of the water on her body and the buoyancy that made her feel like she was floating in mid-air intertwined, and she was drawn into the sensation of sinking and drifting aimlessly in the water. With her eyes closed, she fumbled with the stopper in the bathtub drain.

Since reuniting with Tae Mujin, every day of Yiseo’s life had been prepared and arranged for her. But it didn’t feel real. It felt like she was just watching it blankly, like a lucid dream. It felt like if she pulled out this stopper, everything would be sucked down the drain. This house she lived in with Tae Mujin, the kind madam, and Choi Siljang would all disappear. And then... she would wake up alone in a studio apartment, think, Oh, I had a dream again, and wait for dawn to break with swollen eyes.

“Yiseo... Yoon Yiseo... Yiseo!”

The strong shaking of her shoulder pulled Yiseo out of her fantasy. When she opened her eyes, Tae Mujin was looking down at her with a look of anxiety.

“...I must have fallen asleep while taking a bath. I’m sorry.”

“The water’s all cold. You’ll catch a cold.”

Tae Mujin sighed, put his arms under Yiseo’s back and knees, and lifted her up. His clothes were soaked, but he didn’t care and wrapped a large shower towel around Yiseo’s body, carrying her back to the bedroom. His careful touch was ticklish, and a laugh escaped Yiseo’s lips. Tae Mujin stopped, looked at Yiseo laughing for a moment, and then kissed her.

“Ah... mmm... Tae Mujin... stop now.”

After an hour of oral pleasure, her groin was so numb it was tingling.

At the peak of climax, which must have been the umpteenth, Yiseo’s body trembled slightly. It was a titillating pleasure, like a gentle tongue movement. Unable to bear it any longer, she pushed Tae Mujin’s shoulder with her foot, but the insertion of his tongue only went deeper. Just as she was about to be exhausted, Tae Mujin lifted his head. He came up to Yiseo’s face and met her eyes. Hmm, even though his tongue was covered with her own fluid, it tasted sweet.

“Haa, mm, ugh... Hh...”

Finally, the cock that had entered her body slowly moved in and out of her vaginal opening. The ripple-like movements messed up her intensely heated insides. The surging pleasure stirred her lower belly like an itch that couldn’t be relieved no matter how much she scratched. Yiseo wrapped her legs around Tae Mujin’s waist and ground her pelvis against him as if to tighten it. But Tae Mujin only gently sucked on her breasts and didn’t give her a strong thrust. It felt like her throat was being choked on the surface of pleasure that was about to surge but not quite there.

“Ugh... Not like this, a little more... a little more... harder.”

Only then did Tae Mujin’s thrusting pick up a little more speed. Her body, which had been heated by an hour of oral sex, quickly reached orgasm. Every single one of her cells trembled with joy. But her breathing still didn’t feel free, and Yiseo pushed Tae Mujin away and climbed on top.

“Ah, mm! Uh-huh, ha.”

After she returned to him, sex with Tae Mujin was always like this.

He held Yiseo’s body delicately, as if she were fragile glass. During sex, he would kiss her countless times, and before penetration, there was no part of her that he hadn’t licked. And even with the main penetration, instead of thrusting as if to split her body in half like before, he would press and rub her slowly, like a kiss, to bring her to climax. Yiseo felt like she was suffocating, slowly drowning in Tae Mujin’s warm and gentle sex.

Yiseo deeply inserted Tae Mujin’s cock and moved her hips. As if to shake and scatter the swamp of unfulfilled desire. It felt like this craving would only disappear if Tae Mujin’s cock was brought down on her genitals like a punishment, like violence.

“Hah, Yiseo.”

But Tae Mujin only lay there and gently thrust his pelvis upward. Yiseo brought his hand to her chest. She pressed down on the back of his hand as if to say burst my breasts, but Tae Mujin gently stroked the hand on Yiseo’s chest like he was touching soft clay. Physical pleasure was faithfully building up throughout her body, but something was still missing. She felt like her breathing would only be released if she had sex where he treated her like an animal, as if to completely crush her and break her body into pieces, and her whole body was contorted with pleasure. Like a shade plant placed in the sunlight, Tae Mujin’s gentleness made Yiseo thirsty. Out of self-reproach that she didn’t deserve it, Yiseo took Tae Mujin’s hand and put it on her neck.

“Haa, mm, ugh... Mujin... do it.”

She looked down at Mujin with a face that asked him to tighten his hand. His eyes, which had been burning with heat, became cool. And his black pupils seemed to waver for a moment. Tae Mujin slowly pulled the hand that was wrapped around Yiseo’s neck. Their upper bodies were pressed tightly together, and Tae Mujin gently hugged her back, pressing their hips together.

The cock pressed deep inside her vagina, bringing her to a climax at once, but it still wasn’t the way Yiseo wanted. Tears gushed out with the surging pleasure.

“Ugh... Why, why don’t you do it. Ugh...”

“Yiseo.”

Tae Mujin hugged her as if to comfort her and thrust gently. Hating him for not doing what she wanted until the very end, Yiseo burst into tears.

“Haa, Tae Mujin, you... you still hate me, don’t you? Hh.”

Tae Mujin laughed softly. He said he wished he had for even a moment and kissed her.

________________________________________

Yiseo sat in the passenger seat of the car Tae Mujin was driving, and as they drove along the coastal road, she rolled down the window. The wind hitting her face wasn’t that cold. On his days off, Tae Mujin would drive Yiseo to the suburbs. She didn’t think much of it, assuming they were going to a new cafe or restaurant, but she was flustered when Tae Mujin’s car entered a memorial park.

“Why here?” she asked, but Tae Mujin just told her to get out first.

Tae Mujin put a cigarette in his mouth, lit it, took a puff, and then held it out to Yiseo. Yiseo’s face flushed because she had never smoked in front of Tae Mujin before. While living at Tae Mujin’s house a year ago, she would sometimes search his study for a cigarette on days when his business trips were particularly long... When Tae Mujin offered her the cigarette again, Yiseo parted her lips and bit on the filter. The smoke she inhaled after a long time spread deep into her lungs. Tae Mujin took the cigarette from Yiseo’s lips, took a puff again, and then put it back in her mouth. After sharing the smoke three or four times, Tae Mujin put out the cigarette and took Yiseo’s hand.

“Come on. Let’s go pay our respects together.”

He held Yiseo’s hand and walked into the park. The rows of tombstones passed them by. After walking for a while, Tae Mujin’s steps stopped. In front of a certain tombstone was a bouquet of rich carnations.

At the familiar name written on the tombstone, Yiseo’s throat tightened. Her knees gave way, and she collapsed in front of the tombstone.

“Oh... Oh, D-Dad... Daaaaad...”

Tae Mujin hugged Yiseo, who was crying like a child.

Knowing that Yiseo had asked Han Jonghun to track down her father’s last whereabouts, Tae Mujin had moved quickly. Yiseo’s brain-dead father was arbitrarily discharged from the hospital by the gangsters who had failed in their conspiracy, and after he died, his ashes were haphazardly mixed with others at the bottom of a mobile crematorium. It took a full year to compare those ashes with Yiseo’s DNA. Before Yiseo returned, Tae Mujin had gathered the ashes and enshrined them in this memorial park, and he had planned to inform Yoon Ihwan through Kwon Giseon when he got off the ship.

Yiseo, in his arms, flapped and struggled like a fish pulled out of the water. Thinking of how Yiseo would have sat alone and cried in front of the tombstone, Tae Mujin was genuinely grateful that Yiseo had returned so he could hold her like this.

________________________________________

On the way back home, Tae Mujin briefly pulled over by the Yeongjongdo beach.

He made Yiseo, who was distraught from hours of crying, get out of the car. Yiseo stared blankly at the horizon, where the boundary between the sky and the sea was so blurred they looked like one single mass.

“I met your father once.”

Yiseo’s face slowly turned in a semicircle toward Tae Mujin.

“It was very brief, but I could tell. How much he adored you.”

“...When?”

“When I was working at the ski resort, I rode the gondola with your family once. I’m glad I got to see him even just once like that.”

Since when had he been entangled with her? Tae Mujin’s eyes seemed to drift back in time as he looked at Yiseo.

Suddenly, the sunlight that Tae Mujin was standing in front of burst like a flash over his shoulder. The light was so bright that Yiseo closed her eyes for a moment. And when she lifted her eyelids again, a wave had just swept over her right foot.

Looking down at her suddenly wet foot in dismay, Tae Mujin tutted and laughed.

“Let me.”

Tae Mujin knelt down and placed Yiseo’s foot in his hand. He took off her shoes and rubbed her bare feet with his sweater. Once the water and sand were removed, he put Yiseo’s arm around his shoulder and immediately carried her on his back.

The broad back she was clinging to was as warm and cozy as noon sand. Yiseo bit the inside of her cheek and said,

“Mujin, I’m sorry... I’m sorry.”

With every step he took while carrying Yiseo on his back, he felt the spot where Yiseo’s face was pressed get damp. Since their reunion, Yiseo always said “I’m sorry.” No matter what she said, the end was always “I’m sorry,” and no matter what he did for her—and now he could do anything for her—her guilt seemed to be greater than her joy. Even during sex, she wanted it to be forceful and violent.

Who was it that broke you like this? Every time Yiseo was like that, Tae Mujin laughed at himself, who was overwhelmed with endless torment. “Yoon Yiseo,” he called out, and he felt Yiseo cling to him as if to hang on to his back. But there was nothing he could do about it now. He couldn’t let go of her anymore.

“I’m going to put coral sand here. I’m going to create a beach covered in white sand. So that people can come and enjoy it whenever they want.”

“...It’s cold in the winter.”

Tae Mujin’s back shook slightly with laughter.

“I’m going to put a giant dome over it. I’ll make it warm all year round so you can’t even tell what season it is.”

It doesn’t matter if it’s fake. Tae Mujin muttered, looking at the blue horizon. Now that he thought about it, she had only seen the winter version of Tae Mujin. The shoes she had given to him dangled with every step.

“What happened to that slipper?”

Tae Mujin pondered Yiseo’s words for a moment and then remembered the broken slipper Yiseo had left behind in Seoryeong. He couldn’t bring himself to throw it away because it was so precious. It probably disappeared one day, perhaps worn by the woman who ran the shop.

The small body on his back stirred, and his back started to get damp again. The gears that were misaligned from the beginning might just grind each other down until the end. And maybe he would never be able to look Yiseo in the eye. Still, thinking it didn’t matter, Tae Mujin held Yiseo more securely on his back.

________________________________________

It was an afternoon that Yiseo spent alone for the first time in a long time. Tae Mujin had gone on a business trip to Hong Kong, and the madam and Choi Siljang were on a short vacation. The excessively large house was silent all day, and Yiseo dozed on and off all day like a newborn kitten. It was raining outside the window.

Yiseo, who had finished reading a book she had randomly picked from Tae Mujin’s study, stood in front of the bookshelf for a long time to choose a new one. The laptop on the desk caught her eye. Tae Mujin always carried it with him, but he must have left it behind because his business trip was scheduled so suddenly.

After staring at the laptop for a long time, she impulsively turned it on. When she pressed any key on the keypad, a password window popped up. She let out a laugh of disappointment and was about to close it, but she casually entered a number.

Flash, the laptop screen lit up, and her shoulder twitched.

He said they were just pennies. A smile formed on Yiseo’s lips, but her heart ached. It was the number engraved on the coin Yiseo had given him for the first and last time.

Inside, there were folders of files and reports that she didn’t understand. She was about to turn it off after opening various things for a while. A strange icon caught her eye on the taskbar at the bottom, and she moved the cursor over it. And Yiseo’s cheeks froze as the screen was filled with the image.

It was a real-time feed from CCTV cameras installed throughout the house. Dozens of windows were open, showing how meticulously they had been installed. Beyond the house, the scenery of the garden was also shown on the screen. Yiseo leaned back into the chair, hugged her knees, and stared at the screen.

Strangely, she didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. After the fall incident, Tae Mujin had become extremely sensitive about Yiseo’s safety and didn’t want to leave her alone. She had intentionally persuaded Tae Mujin to give Choi Siljang and the madam a vacation today because she didn’t like it. He had reluctantly agreed but in the end, he gave in to everything Yiseo wanted.

Yiseo stared at the still screen for hours. Tae Mujin’s anxiety, worry, and sympathy were quietly contained in the dead-still images. Just as she was about to get lost in the feeling of being with him even though they were apart, Tae Mujin appeared on the screen showing the first-floor entrance.

He said he was coming back tomorrow, so he must have finished his business trip early. Yiseo was about to close the laptop in a hurry but hesitated for a moment. Tae Mujin’s appearance as he entered the house was a little strange. He stood frozen at the entrance where the sensor light had turned on, and then suddenly ran inside with his shoes still on. He moved frantically, turning on lights everywhere as if he were looking for something. “Yoon Yiseo, Yiseo!” His desperate voice came from beyond the door.

This was completely unlike Tae Mujin. He rushed to the veranda door and looked around, and he also ran into the dressing room and opened every single closet door. When he still couldn’t find Yiseo, the expression of bewilderment on his face as he ran his hands through his hair was palpable even on the screen.

You’re so silly, Tae Mujin.

At the sight, Yiseo let out a small laugh, but then she bit her lips to hold back her tears. She closed the laptop and ran out of the study.

At the sound of Yiseo’s footsteps, Tae Mujin turned around. She immediately jumped into his arms.

“Hah, Yoon Yiseo. Why are all the lights off?”

“I’m sorry, I was sleeping all day, so I didn’t even notice it got dark.”

Tae Mujin laughed with relief and lifted Yiseo up. As she clung to him, Yiseo put her ear to his chest. Thump, thump. His heart was beating so loudly it sounded like it was about to jump out. Tae Mujin’s expression and tone of voice quickly calmed down, but his heart was still calling out loudly to Yiseo. She thought of him frantically looking for her on the laptop screen she had just seen. The way he desperately searched for her, forgetting even to take off his shoes.

The heartbeats thumping like they were hitting her ear were also calling out to Yiseo. The sound was so loud and clear that it didn’t feel distant like a dream. It was calling out loudly to Yiseo, as if to wake her up. Yiseo pressed her forehead against his chest and finally opened her lips.

“Mujin, I want to play the piano again.”

At that moment, the footsteps of the man carrying Yiseo stopped. Tae Mujin’s heart also seemed to beat irregularly for a moment, as if it had missed a beat. Yiseo smiled slightly. Tae Mujin told her she could do whatever she wanted and that he would support her in everything, his voice a little higher.

“Can I go study abroad?”

When there was no answer, she looked up and saw Tae Mujin frowning, but he soon straightened his face and said yes. He just told her not to be gone for too long. She thought it was a lie. His heart was saying something else. So she asked again.

“Can I be happy?”

A red heat rose around Tae Mujin’s eyes. His deep, dark pupils seemed to ripple as if a black wave had hit them.

“Yiseo, if you can be happy, I’ll accept anything now. Even if what you need... is my absence, even then, I’ll accept it.”

Yiseo hugged Tae Mujin’s chest tightly. There was one last question she had to ask him.

“Mujin, can I make you happy?”

Tae Mujin’s chest swelled and then stopped as if he was holding his breath. And then, as if he had let out his breath, a smile spread across his face, and he hugged Yiseo tightly, saying that he had never been anything but happy since the moment they first met. Yiseo kissed the deep dimple on Tae Mujin’s cheek.

________________________________________

Summer had arrived in the garden. It was a season of blooming flowers. Yiseo was also spending her days busy. The piano she had started playing again was no longer for studying abroad or becoming a professional musician. She wanted to build up the education and career to be able to teach young children. However, the piano teacher Tae Mujin had found for her had a career that was a little too impressive for her goals, so it felt a bit burdensome.

Still, the days she spent concentrating on the piano after a very long time were not bad. Even without performing in front of others, Yiseo knew through the subtle sense of feeling she was developing that she was purely enjoying the piano. And most of all, she was happy that it seemed to be helping with her prenatal care, which was now in its third month.

The time passed steadily, and it would have been perfect if Tae Mujin didn’t interfere by saying, “Aren’t you overdoing it?”

“Look, the space between the brows is already so distinct, it looks just like you.”

“What are you talking about? Looking at the mouth, it’s completely your face.”

They had to argue for a long time about the ultrasound photo, which was just barely showing a shape, with each claiming it looked like the other. Tae Mujin, who usually gave in to everything, was strangely uncompromising on this point.

Tae Mujin leaned on the sofa, resting his face on Yiseo’s belly. Even though it wasn’t the right number of weeks for the baby to be kicking yet, he insisted that he had definitely felt it.

“I think I heard the sound of waves.”

Tae Mujin muttered softly, with his ear pressed to Yiseo’s belly. And he closed his eyes for a moment. As if he was sleeping, as if he was dreaming.

At the sight of a Tae Mujin she had never seen before, a faint redness appeared around Yiseo’s eyes. She held the tranquility that had appeared on Tae Mujin’s face for the first time in her hands and cherished it as she stroked it.

<The End>