Side Story 6

Ijun had changed. He used to say that he preferred living with Siyeon alone without children, but suddenly, he began to focus on having a child. He maximized his time spent with Siyeon and stopped using contraception altogether.

As his routine of commuting at regular times shifted to more work-from-home tasks including receiving home reports and doing electronic approvals, his grandfather, Chairman Jeong, called him, feeling uncomfortable, asking what exactly he was doing at home. 

“I’m focusing on making a grandchild.”

“…I see. You’ve thought well, especially on such cold days.”

However, as soon as Chairman Jeong heard Ijun’s answer, his scolding turned into praise. He even went as far as to support Ijun’s decision, saying that the company wouldn’t fall apart overnight just because one or two executives were missing.

Upon hearing the news from Ijun, his grandfather went further, repeatedly telling the couple to focus only on having a child and not to worry about anything related to the Suwon mansion. He added that they should feel free to report when they wanted to, eat what they wanted to eat and meet only when good news arose.

“Do you know how burdensome it is when adults say things like that?”

“I enjoy being with you for a long time.”

In fact, the person who caused the most burden on Siyeon was Ijun. Whenever she had to go out, he canceled his schedule and accompanied her. Since she mostly worked from home and didn’t go out much, whenever she had to go out, Ijun would stop his work and come to accompany her, making Siyeon feel uncomfortable.

“Why are you doing this? Do you have OCD or something?”

“It’s not OCD, it’s anxiety. I worry quite seriously about you getting hurt or having an accident outside.”

Eventually, Siyeon started inviting people to their house at some point. It was better than having Ijun wait nearby until she finished her errands outside, she found it better for them to join her at home. As long as Siyeon was inside, he let her do whatever she wanted.

Ultimately, it worked out well for everyone. Siyeon could meet people without worrying about Ijun, and people loved coming to Siyeon’s house. They enjoyed delicious meals and relaxed conversations without the hassle of parking, making it a pleasant experience for all.

Thanks to that, the log house on the rooftop often buzzed with people. Today, Siyeon invited the publishing company officials to her house, and after chatting with Ijun, who had finished work at the company, they returned home.

Ijun wrapped his arm around her waist and headed toward the master bedroom.

“If it’s uncomfortable for you because of me following you everywhere and you’re not going out because of me, you don’t have to do that.”

“How can I not be uncomfortable when you always accompany me whenever I go out?”

“Then how about a female bodyguard? It would be less uncomfortable than me, right?”

“You keep acting like this, Ijun, so I’m starting to get a little scared.”

As soon as they entered the dressing room, Siyeon untied his tie with a displeased look on her face. At some point, it had become her job to tie and untie his tie, simply because Ijun enjoyed it so much. 

Bending his head slightly to allow her to move her hands freely, he turned his head to the side and kissed her lips.

“I’m off tomorrow, should we go see your parents?”

“You’re taking another day off?” 

Siyeon’s eyes widened. It had only been a few days since she had pushed him off to work, and he was already taking another day off. 

“Don’t you want to be with me?” 

“Of course, I do. I really do, but…” 

“Let’s go have dinner. It’s been a while since we saw them.” 

It had been over a month since they visited Siyeon’s parents the last time during the holiday season. Most of the time, she worked from morning till night, with the remaining time spent with Ijun. Sometimes, when she snapped back to reality and checked the calendar, a week had already passed by. 

It was nice to go see her parents after a long time, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was hastily pulled into Ijun’s plans. 

“So, you go to work tomorrow and join us for dinner in the evening. I’ll go early and have lunch with the team manager and Director Yang and then go to my parent’s house after. The veteran driver will safely take me there.”

“…..”

Ijun narrowed his eyes, seeming displeased with Siyeon’s plan.

“Did you understand what I said?”

“…Yeah. Let’s do it that way.”

Siyeon had thought there was a high possibility he would object, but Ijun surprisingly accepted her plan without resistance. And the next day, Siyeon found out that he had visited somewhere other than the company.

***

The next day, Siyeon went to Yeongjin Factory at lunchtime. With all three factory buildings running, the employees were busy, and Siyeon couldn’t casually chat in the office as before.

After lunch, she went home with her father. Her father didn’t leave her alone, saying that Ijun had given strict instructions to make sure she got home safely. After safely handing her over to her wife, her father returned to the factory.

Siyeon sat at the table with her mother, drinking tea and chatting. 

“It’s much better to be careful than to be indifferent.” 

Her mother beautifully wrapped up Ijun’s excessive obsession and anxiety. 

“He doesn’t even let me go to the neighborhood convenience store alone. Plus, he doesn’t let me do anything in the kitchen.”

“Why the kitchen?” 

“Because there are knives in the kitchen, so it’s dangerous. So I can only eat at the restaurant. If I need something, I have to ask Ijun or the helpers, but at least I can get water from the water purifier. We barely agreed on me getting directly from the water purifier and refrigerator.”

Siyeon’s additional explanation made her mother look slightly worried. She, too, realized that Ijun’s behavior was beyond normal. 

“Was Ijun always like that?” 

“He wasn’t like this before.” 

“But why did he suddenly become like that?” 

“Well… because of some accident, he’s worried about what might happen to me….”

“Huh?”

Her mother’s eyes widened. She didn’t understand Siyeon’s vague explanations.

“Actually… he’s worried I might die.” 

Her expression changed completely. Seeing her mother’s face darken in an instant, Siyeon felt guilty. She had to think about how to naturally convey the fact that Ijun was concerned about her dying again and that he was worried it might happen again, without revealing her past accident. 

“I think Ijun believes that because I lived on borrowed time for 25 years, he thinks it’s like I’ve extended my life beyond when I was born. So maybe… as much as I’ve been granted a second chance, I might leave this world earlier….”

“Siyeon.”

Although she felt a bit hesitant as she spoke, this wasn’t the right approach after all. Before her mother could hear the full explanation, her face turned deathly pale as if Siyeon’s fate was being sealed right now.

“Oh, of course, he said we’ll have children and live a long, healthy life. But Ijun seems unnecessarily concerned about that.” 

“Siyeon. I understand why Ijun is worried. And although it will never happen, if by some chance something like that does happen, I couldn’t go on living either. If I could give you all the remaining years of my life, I would… But if that’s not possible, then I wouldn’t want to live any longer either.”

Her words made Siyeon’s nose sting. While talking about Ijun’s excessive anxiety, the mood suddenly became heavy.

In the past, her mother had ended her own life following her father. Knowing this, Siyeon didn’t take her words lightly at all.

“It’s all because of Ijun’s anxiety. I’ll try to fix it as soon as possible.”

Siyeon comforted her still gloomy-faced mother with a mixture of joking and serious words.

“And besides, an eminent monk teller told him we’ll have three children. Just having three would take several years.”

“Children?”

Her mother, who had been wearing a somber expression until then, suddenly brightened. Her face lit up instantly. A child who hadn’t even been born yet was already showing filial piety to their parents.

“Yes. We’re preparing to have a child. We were thinking of waiting longer, but both Ijun and I decided to have a child while we were still young.” 

“You’ve thought it through! I’ve been so worried silently all this time. Oh, I can’t wait to see the baby who will look like both you and Ijun! It’s been a year since you got married, so the Suwon adults must be eagerly waiting too.”

Siyeon and Ijun’s child would be the first grandchild on both sides of the family. Whether a daughter or a son, the child would grow up under the great attention and love of both families from the day they were born. Among them, everyone knew that Chairman Jeong’s love would be the greatest. 

“Both of you need to take good care of your health. Parents need to be healthy for the child to come soon.” 

“Yes. We will.” 

“Is there any special you want to eat? You must be eating well, but since you’re home, I want to make something for you.”

“I ate too much for lunch earlier, so I feel a bit bloated. I guess my stomach hasn’t digested yet.”

Siyeon slightly furrowed her eyebrows and gently rubbed her upper abdomen with her right hand. Despite having a pleasant meal with the factory workers, laughing and chatting, she felt a lingering discomfort. 

“Why did you eat so much? Should I buy you some digestive medicine?” 

“No, it’s okay. I didn’t eat more than usual, but I think I ate too quickly. I’ll be fine soon.” 

“Just eat slowly. What’s the rush?” 

“The food there was just so delicious.” 

Siyeon flashed a sheepish smile. Thinking about the food she had for lunch made her stomach churn. It felt like she was breaking out in a cold sweat. 

Did I really need some digestive medicine?

Suddenly feeling unwell, her mood turned gloomy. 

“Ijun said he’d come here after work, right? I should go buy some side dishes for dinner. You look tired… Do you want to lie down and rest while Mom’s out?”

“I’ll do that.”

Normally, she would have accompanied her mother, but today she just couldn’t. Siyeon nodded and went upstairs to her room on the second floor. She lay down on her bed, feeling a bit relieved as she adjusted her posture. As soon as she rested her head on the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep.

“…..” 

A white horse with a glossy mane galloped across the field, its mane fluttering in the wind. The sight was so beautiful that she was mesmerized, but the horse turned its direction and began running towards her. However, she didn’t feel scared at all. Instead, Siyeon eagerly awaited for the horse to come closer. 

The horse slowly came to a stop in front of her, standing tall with the sun shining behind it. Its shining black eyes stared directly at her. The slightly raised corners of its eyes made it look somewhat fierce, so she cautiously spoke up.

“Can I touch you?”

The arrogant gaze of the horse softened as if understanding her words, and after a proud prance, it lowered its head toward her.

T/N: Seeing a horse in your dream could be a sign that you are about to embark on a new and exciting chapter in your life. The horse is also a symbol of the human soul. When a horse with a black color appears in a dream of a pregnant woman, this indicates, and God knows best, that the newborn will be a boy, but if it appears white, this indicates that her child will be a female.