CHAPTER 50

Siyeon’s newlywed home was a penthouse in a duplex villa. The house was too large for just the two of them, and it felt not only overwhelming but also eerily barren.

Siyeon pulled her suitcase along the long marble corridor leading to the living room. Walking past the famous paintings hung on the walls, she couldn’t help but feel like she had entered an art exhibition.

Wooden flooring separated the living room from the marble corridor, and on one side of the living room, a large canvas hung on the wall. Siyeon approached it and when standing in front, she realized that the canvas was much larger than her height.

“……”

There were three rooms and two bathrooms on each floor, the first and second. Normally, Siyeon should have used the master bedroom on the first floor, designated for the couple. However, she couldn’t bring herself to step into that room.

Siyeon pondered over which room to use, circling the first floor in frustration before ultimately giving up and heading upstairs. There, she unpacked her suitcase in one of the guest rooms. It felt like she had come camping in an unfamiliar place. Her belongings were scheduled to arrive a few days later.

She took her laptop from her bag and went up to the rooftop. The rooftop had a log cabin vibe, with a long wooden table, chairs, and even a fireplace. In front of the log cabin, a wide wooden deck stretched out, leading to a small garden.

The moment she saw this space for the first time, she fell in love with it. The sunlight pouring in through the large windows was delightful, and on rainy days, the faint scent of wood would surely intensify. There could be no better workspace than here.

“I wish I knew how to turn on the fireplace.”

Siyeon sighed and turned on her laptop, trying to focus on her work. She easily found the heating and electricity switches, but she didn’t know how to turn on the fireplace, so she had to leave it as it was.

Before she knew it, it was already past 2 p.m. Checking the clock at the bottom of the laptop screen, she turned off the power and stood up.

The refrigerator inside the untouched house still had nothing to eat. Siyeon dressed warmly and went outside with only her wallet and phone in hand.

“If I knew it would be like this, I would have brought the car beforehand.”

If she had known that her honeymoon trip would be canceled, she would have brought her car in advance. Originally, the plan was to greet her parents when she returned from the trip and then bring her car.

Although she wanted to bring it right away, she couldn’t tell her parents that she hadn’t gone on the trip. So, reluctantly, she had to spend the next five days as a pedestrian.

In this neighborhood, even finding a convenience store required a long walk downhill. While the lack of surrounding shops had the advantage of a comfortable and quiet environment, for Siyeon, it felt more like a disadvantage—loneliness rather than tranquility.

After a long walk, Siyeon’s face lit up when she finally spotted a convenience store. She rushed to it, and sitting by the convenience store window, she had lunch. The menu consisted of cup ramen and triangular kimbap.

“I wonder how it would be if we switched places. Imagine living independently and having cup ramen for dinner. Would you still be okay with that?”

Once, Ijun used to be upset at the thought of Siyeon eating udon alone. However, on the first day of their honeymoon, he showed her a different side by happily enjoying the moment with Eunhye. If he were to see his current self, he would probably mock himself.

[Did you arrive safely? How’s the place? A hot night, huh? Lol]

After taking a bite of ramen, Siyeon checked the text message sent to her phone. It was from Manager Yang.

“Yes, I arrived safely. It’s very clear and nice. I’ll contact you after going up.”

After sending the reply, Siyeon took a sip of strawberry milk. In her mind, she started listing the items she needed to buy for tonight’s dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast.

‘2 Cup ramen , 3 small bottles of water, 2 loaves of bread, 2 cartons of milk….’

[They say there’s a heavy snowfall over there.]

“…”

It seemed like her Manager Yang was with Yoonsoo. Siyeon confirmed this as she looked at the text that had just come in.

“That’s how the weather forecast is. I’ll contact you later.”

After replying to Yoonsoo, Siyeon focused on her meal again. She had already shown them enough of a pitiful sight. There was no need to add to it.

Leaving the convenience store, Siyeon began to look for a cafe. Since she had come this far, she thought she might as well have a cup of coffee before going back up.

After wandering for a while, she finally found a very small cafe. When Siyeon finished her cup of coffee and stepped outside, the sun was hanging on the western horizon, about to set.

Nightfall came quickly. The rooftop log cabin, which had felt like a cottage, turned into a mysterious space as darkness fell.

Siyeon felt as if she were trapped in the darkness. Yielding to fear, she descended with her laptop, looking forward to the next day.

She wandered from room to room, then eventually settled at the 1st-floor dining table for eight. The dining table was separated from the kitchen by a long wall, and she had to walk around it to reach the bottle of water she kept in the fridge.

“Oh, a call!”

She had been feeling like there was something important she needed to do since earlier, and now she finally realized the source of that uneasy feeling.

After taking a sip of water and clearing her throat, Siyeon made a voice test and then called her mother.

[Siyeon, did you arrive safely?]

Seeming as if she had been eagerly waiting for her call, her mother answered the phone even before it rang.

“Yep. I arrived earlier, but I was tired, so I slept a bit, and Ijun is still sleeping. I’m going to go upstairs and rest a bit more. I’ll call you again when I wake up.”

Siyeon spoke with a bright voice as if she were the happiest bride. After conveying her regards to her father, she ended the call.

She also sent a message to Ijun’s  grandfather and parents, expressing that she would rest well during the trip and visit them soon.

Ijun’s father and grandfather probably knew that Siyeon and Ijun didn’t go to Namhae. Even if they didn’t, the elders in Suwon, who knew that Ijun had been caught trying to leave the country secretly, would likely not believe Siyeon’s cheerful voice over the phone, even if she tried to convey happiness.

After working for another two hours, Siyeon tore open the plastic of the cup ramen, found a small kettle, and boiled water. While waiting for the ramen to cook, she opened a bag of bread.

[Eat lots of delicious things before coming upstairs and rest well.]

“I will.”

Siyeon replied to her friend Eunkyeong’s text message and took a sip of strawberry milk with a straw. When she was halfway through the bread, she opened the lid of the cup ramen. The noodles were perfectly cooked. Siyeon lifted them with disposable wooden chopsticks and blew on them with a sigh.

‘How does it feel to forcibly take Eunhye’s place? Are you happy?’

“Eating the same thing twice in a row isn’t great, after all.”

Siyeon muttered to herself, pretending not to hear the voice in her mind.

‘You’ve seen them together, right? You’re pretending not to be jealous, but deep-down you feel like you might die from it. Honestly, tell me, aren’t you scared that Ijun might like Eunhye? Haven’t you wondered what the two of them did in the early morning?’

“…”

She paused, putting down her chopsticks. Somewhere, she could almost hear a mocking laughter. In that moment, whatever appetite remained in her vanished completely.

As she sat there in a daze, faint electronic sound echoed from the direction of the entrance. Soon, heavy footsteps grew louder and closer. It was only then that Siyeon snapped back to reality, realizing she should clean up the uneaten food. However, the owner of the footsteps was already right in front of her.

“…Is that dinner?”

“No.”

Siyeon replied briefly, avoiding eye contact. She didn’t want to lift her head and meet a gaze that would likely be filled with disdain.

“…The luggage is coming up, and I don’t mind if you keep doing that, but it’s up to you.”

“…”

Ijun lingered in front of her for a moment longer before leaving. Unlike Siyeon, he didn’t wander aimlessly around the house but headed straight to the master bedroom.

Then, Siyeon got up from her seat and began to clean up the traces of what she had eaten.

After a few minutes, someone rang the doorbell, and two men entered carrying large suitcases. One of them was the driver from earlier, likely bringing Ijun’s personal belongings from his stay in Hannam-dong.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Siyeon briefly bowed towards the two men as they lined up the suitcases in the living room. After they left, she took her laptop and went upstairs. She knew that Ijun couldn’t see her helping him organize his things, so she went upstairs.

Naturally, a pattern emerged where he used the first floor, and she used the second floor. Siyeon was relieved that she got to use the second floor, especially because it was connected to the rooftop, which she liked.

“Let’s get a desk.”

Coincidentally, there was a room on the first floor that resembled a library. Since the time on the rooftop was limited, she needed a space indoors where she could work comfortably.

Siyeon thought about turning one of the vacant rooms on the second floor into a study. She didn’t need extravagant furniture—just a desk and a chair would be enough.

After washing up and lying down on the bed, she realized it was already late at night. She wondered if Ijun might not come back, but fortunately, he did. If she had been alone in this spacious house, she might have been scared.

“Oh! The first-floor refrigerator!”

Siyeon thought about the food she had stored in the refrigerator for tomorrow’s breakfast and got up from bed.

Although not as large as the first floor, there was also a kitchen on the second floor. Siyeon quietly descended the stairs, thinking that she should bring the items she had stored from the first-floor refrigerator to the second floor. Every time she went down the stairs, sensors detected her movement and lights turned on.

Upon reaching the first-floor kitchen, Siyeon discovered Ijun sitting at the dining table and stopped in her tracks. He was sipping wine. In front of him were canapés with cheese and fruit on crackers, along with a long plate of various fruits.

When Siyeon had checked the refrigerator earlier, there was nothing in it. It seemed someone had run an errand for him. She felt a pang of hunger but decided to act like she hadn’t noticed.

“…”

Avoiding eye contact, Siyeon went to the refrigerator, took out strawberry milk and water, and retraced her steps back to the second floor, holding them close to her chest.

“Wanna have a drink?”

“…”

Siyeon abruptly stopped in her tracks.

“Come, sit. There’s something I want to talk about.”

Ijun added as if sensing her hesitancy.