CHAPTER 55

The housekeepers remembered Siyeon’s request well. No one woke her up until she came down to the first floor after waking up and washing around 10 a.m.

She thought Ijun must have gone to work early. Originally, he was supposed to have the day off until tomorrow, but if he wanted to go to work, it was probably better this way. After the argument with him yesterday, it was already awkward to see his face, so Siyeon thought it was rather fortunate.

“Hello.”

Siyeon greeted brightly as she entered the kitchen. The two people who were preparing side dishes at the dining table stood up as soon as they saw her.

One housekeeper said that they would clean the second floor while Siyeon had her meal. When the two tried to set the table, Siyeon waved to stop them.

“No, I’ll find something simple to eat.”

“Mr. Jeong hasn’t had his meal yet, too. He said he would eat together with you when you wake up.”

“Mr. Jeong…?”

Siyeon, who was waving her hand, had a surprised expression. The fact that Ijun didn’t go to work today was unexpected, but it was even more surprising that he had asked for a prepared breakfast to eat with her. However, the surprise didn’t last long; Siyeon became uneasy about Ijun acting differently from usual.

“Please sit. I’ll go and fetch the boss.”

One of them ran down the living room corridor with quick steps, while the other quickly started setting the table.

Ijun soon appeared at the dining table. He glanced at Siyeon sitting across from him and then took a seat.

He was dressed similarly to yesterday. He didn’t seem to have any intention of going to work today either. The fatigue on his face was so evident that even Siyeon, looking at him, thought it would be better for him to rest at home.

“You said you were going to start working today?”

“I decided to go to work as originally scheduled, starting the day after tomorrow.”

“What time is it now? You haven’t had breakfast yet?”

“If you’re worried about that, you can wake up early starting tomorrow.”

He said, lifting his spoon. Given that it was several hours later than his usual mealtime, he must have been very hungry. Siyeon repeated what she had told the housekeepers to Ijun.

“I work from late at night until dawn. I’m sorry, but it’s impossible for me to wake up at 6:30 a.m. to eat.”

“Then how about 7 a.m.? It can’t be later due to work.”

“Whether it’s 6:30 a.m. or 7 a.m., it’s still the same for me.”

“You can eat and then go back to sleep right after.”

Unfortunately, Ijun seemed unwilling to compromise any further. However, Siyeon couldn’t ask him to delay his work hours either.

“I don’t have to cook for you, do I? Does it have to be this way?”

“Don’t other couples live like this?”

“…”

Siyeon suddenly fell silent. She didn’t expect him to respond so actively to her suggestion of living like other couples. After a brief hesitation, he spoke.

“Besides… if it weren’t for me, you’d probably be tearing apart a piece of bread in some corner by now.”

His words seemed to imply that he deliberately waited because he was worried she wouldn’t have a proper breakfast.

“Was there something going on while I was asleep?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well… you seem to have become kinder.”

“Is this considered being kind?”

Ijun looked at her instead of continuing his meal. His expression was incredulous.

“…Of course, I didn’t think so. But just in case…”

“Just in case what?”

“If you’re thinking of sending me somewhere after I eat, please contact my parents first.”

He didn’t understand what Siyeon was saying. There was a look of confusion in his eyes.

“I’ll say it again, I’m not feeling unwell at all. I am in my right mind. And although we are married, we haven’t officially registered our marriage, so without my parents’ consent, under no circumstances…”

“You…”

“If you’re thinking of putting me in a mental hospital, you’re seriously mistaken…”

She rambled, but Ijun suddenly cut her off.

“Did you really think I waited to put you in a mental hospital?”

“…I’m really relieved that’s not the case.”

“How on earth could you even think that?”

Siyeon felt embarrassed. Ijun hadn’t actually thought that, but his expression made her wonder if he had really wanted to after hearing her words.

“You told me to see a doctor immediately because I seemed crazy for you yesterday. If I hadn’t stopped you, you would have definitely made a phone call. And you even said you weren’t going to work, waiting for me to wake up… There’s only one conclusion.”

After feeding breakfast, off to the hospital.

“Is seeing a psychiatrist and being admitted to a mental hospital the same thing?”

“Both involve some degree of compulsion.”

“If I had thought of using ‘compulsion’, you wouldn’t be sitting here.”

Well, if he had thought of forcibly removing her from the house, he would have already done so.

“Eat your meal and stay home. I have somewhere to go for a bit.”

“Okay.”

He added with an angry expression, and Siyeon nodded. For once, he informed her of his schedule. He didn’t say where he was going, but it was definitely a more proactive attitude than before.

“Ma’am, a furniture delivery has arrived. Shall I have them bring it up to the second floor?”

As the two were having their meal, one of the helpers approached and spoke. When Siyeon heard her words, her face turned pale. The desk and chair she had ordered had arrived.

“Yes, that’s what I ordered. Please have it brought up to my room.”

“You ordered furniture?”

 “I bought a desk and a chair for my room. I’m usually on the rooftop during the day, but I have to come down to my room in the evening. I mentioned that I mostly work at night, right?”

“We have a study on the first floor. If it’s too much trouble to come down, make a study on the second floor.”

“That’s too grand. I just need a desk and chair for my personal use.”

Avoiding Ijun’s displeased gaze, Siyeon responded while focusing on her side dishes.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your meal, Madam, but the delivery people are asking if they should really bring the furniture into the room.”

“Yes, they can put it in the room.”

“Usually, they put it in the garden or on the rooftop. It seems like it should be placed there from my perspective as well.”

“Is that so?”

Tilting her head, Siyeon got up from her seat and went upstairs. However, as soon as she reached the second floor, she stopped abruptly, standing still in her place.

The delivered items weren’t the desk and chair she had ordered. Two adult men were holding an enormous wooden pallet.

At first glance, it seemed to be an incredibly heavy and bulky pallet. Siyeon widened her eyes in surprise.

“What is that?”

“It’s an outdoor table, but they kept asking if they should bring it into the room, so I asked you to confirm.”

“Is it the right delivery? I never ordered this…”

“Just a moment. The recipient is… Ms. Choi Siyeon. The lady earlier confirmed it.”

Hearing the man’s words, Siyeon felt a pang of shock inside.

“…Please take it up to the rooftop.”

She could barely force out those words, feeling her throat constricting.

She followed the men carrying the pallet up the stairs to the rooftop. After slowly placing the pallet where she wanted it, they began setting up a large parasol at the head. It was an upgraded version compared to the pallet in her family’s yard.

“If you don’t need this, we can take it away.”

“…Yes.”

Once the two men finished setting up the pallet with the large parasol on the rooftop, they disappeared.

As soon as they left, Siyeon sank down onto the pallet. Her legs felt weak, making it difficult to stand any longer.

An indescribable emotion surged in her chest. There was no need to find out who sent this to her. It was undoubtedly Yoonsoo.

Siyeon collapsed to the side as if she had fainted. Then, lying down, she gazed at the blue sky. Despite coming up in indoor clothes and feeling cold, she managed to endure it.

Yoonsoo had promised to let her take naps on the pallet for the rest of her life, but he had actually sent her a huge pallet. It felt like an ambush in her vulnerable state.

She had always been someone who appreciated warmth – warm sunlight, warm words, and smiles, or warm hearts.

And now, warmth was more desperately needed than ever before. Yoonsoo had accurately identified what Siyeon needed the most and sent it to her.

Thud thud thud. The sturdy footsteps made the wooden floor vibrate steadily. The footsteps stopped behind her.

“Why are you lying here instead of eating?”

“…”

Siyeon didn’t respond. No, she didn’t want to respond. The thought crossed her mind. Thinking about why Ijun wasn’t the one who understood her heart the best drained her of energy.

“Get up. Finish your meal downstairs.”

In response to his words, Siyeon turned her body away to the other side. When she met Ijun’s gaze, she quietly moved her lips.

“…We have a pallet in our yard at home. When I lay there taking a nap, people would call me to have lunch. ‘Siyeon, let’s eat,’ like that. So I think I liked lying there because if I got up from there, I could meet the people I love.”

It hadn’t been long, but she already missed those days. She abandoned that small, warm routine and came to this place where the cold wind blew fiercely.

“Is it okay if I put this here?”

“It’s already been placed.”

“I liked basking in the sun, but on rainy or snowy days, I couldn’t go out. But with this, I can lie down even if it rains or snows because there’s a roof.”

“You don’t have to explain the advantages of the pallet to me.”

“…Want to try lying down once?”

It was just a casual remark, but Ijun didn’t respond. He simply stared at her in silence. And Siyeon, she clearly realized that she couldn’t make Ijun move.

“Let’s go eat. If we dawdle, it might turn into lunch.”

Even when she got up and sat on the pallet, Ijun still didn’t say anything or move. He just looked at her as if wanting to confirm something.

The sunlight shone on his face, and Siyeon looked up at him from under the shade of the parasol.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

“…Have you ever regretted it?”

He had come up to tell her to finish breakfast, and now he asked her if she had ever regretted it. Although Ijun didn’t explain specifically, Siyeon knew he was talking about their long-past breakup.

“I haven’t regretted it. Even if I could go back to that time, I would still make the same choice.”

“I understand that, but at the very least, you should have told Gwihyun-hyung. You knew you couldn’t marry him anyway.”

She had known since she was seventeen that there was no fate between her and Gwihyun. Nevertheless, she had used him as an excuse to break up with Ijun. From his perspective, he could only see it as being thoroughly deceived.

“Gwihyun knew back then that I wasn’t sincere.”

“…”

Siyeon spoke calmly as she stood up from her seat. His gaze wavered. Whether he believed her or not was Ijun’s choice.