Side Story 7

Siyeon smiled as she felt the soft mane in her hands. She gently pulled on the white mane and even tried wrapping her fingers around it. 

Despite its somewhat fierce appearance, the horse obediently responded to her touch. Finding it fascinating and beautiful, Siyeon hugged the horse’s head with both arms and laughed heartily. Then, just as the horse was gazing at her with affection, it leaned in to kiss her lips…? 

Feeling the vivid sensation on her lips, Siyeon’s eyes snap open.

“…Did you sleep well?” 

Looking at Ijun, who was smiling in front of her, Siyeon’s eyes widened. She realized she was hugging Ijun’s neck and quickly withdrew her hands. 

“Why were you laughing so happily in your sleep? You were laughing so hard and hugging my head as if you were going crazy, pulling at my hair and all.”

“When did you come…?”

“Just now. I was fascinated, so I kept watching, but you woke up too early.” 

Siyeon sat up in bed and looked down at her hands with a disappointed expression. The sensation of touching the soft mane seemed to linger on her fingertips. 

“What’s wrong?”

Looking at her like that, Ijun asked with a puzzled expression. 

“…I had a dream, it felt so vivid. A very elegant horse appeared in my dream. It came very close to me.” 

“A horse? It’s still too cold to ride a horse yet.”

“I didn’t mean I wanted to ride it, I saw it in my dream. It was the first time I saw such a big and white horse. Its gaze was very bold, but still very beautiful.” 

Siyeon smiled, recalling the image of the black eyes with the raised corners. 

“You said you felt sick after lunch. Are you feeling better now?”

“I think so. What about mom?”

“She’s preparing food downstairs.” 

Thinking about food made her stomach feel queasy again, as if she was about to vomit. Siyeon still felt uncomfortable, but she decided to pretend everything was fine, fearing that Ijun might hospitalize her if she were honest about it. 

“Why are you back from work early?”

“Actually, I didn’t go to work today. I went to see a monk.” 

“A monk?  Do you mean the one we know, Jeongseon Monk?”

“Yeah.”

“Why did you suddenly go to see the monk?”

Ijun had visited the monk before because he was curious about something. Siyeon wondered what reason he could have now for meeting him again.

“I’ve been having strange dreams lately.”

“What kind of dreams?”

“Very unpleasant ones.” 

As he spoke, Ijun slipped his right hand through Siyeon’s hair. Her hair slipped smoothly between his fingers. This time, he wrapped her hair around his fingers to prevent it from slipping out, holding it firmly in his hand. He looked silently into Siyeon’s eyes in that state. 

“It’s not… unpleasant for me, is it?”

His expression was cold, so Siyeon jokingly asked him. After a long silence, he finally spoke. 

“…It’s from the past.” 

“When you say the past, what past are you talking about?”

“The past life you lived once and left behind.” 

“Ah….”

`”Were we really nothing back then?” 

Ijun recalled a scene from his recent dreams. In the dream, he was holding Siyeon’s cold hair in his hand and kissing her forehead. 

Wearing a black suit, his tear-streaked face resembled his current self. Every time he recalled that scene, he felt as if his chest were being pierced with a spear, and tears welled up to the brim.

“There wasn’t anything special. I heard that you asked my Ichon-dong father for my contact information… If there hadn’t been an accident, I might have met you. Would you have confessed to me back then?” 

“Of course I would have. And I would have taken you home.” 

“It’s a shame. If I had known, I would have tried harder to live a little longer back then.” 

“….”

Siyeon’s funeral, where no one else’s presence was visible except for Eunkyung’s, was just lonely. He speculated that it must be her past life, as there was no future where that would not happen.

Even thinking of that past brought a dismal feeling. Perhaps his past self had been greatly tormented by not being able to confess to Siyeon and keeping those feelings to himself. 

The past Siyeon had passed away without even knowing his heart. Even though it was just a vague imagination, it was heart-wrenching every time he thought about it. It seemed like the past her had lived too lonely of a life. 

“Why did you meet the monk today?” 

“I wanted to confirm that the dreams I’ve been having are about the past.”

“So, did you confirm it well?” 

“Yeah. You, Choi Siyeon, would stick by my side until your hair turned white and your back bent with age.”

“That doesn’t sound like a complaint, does it?”

“Your tired look right now is the complaint.” 

Saying so, Ijun furrowed his brows and brushed his thumb under Siyeon’s eyes where dark circles had formed. Even during the struggles of serializing her work, her dark circles weren’t this noticeable, but today, they seemed especially pronounced. 

As he sent a tender gaze towards Siyeon, someone knocked on the door and entered. It was Siyeon’s mother. 

“Come downstairs and let’s have dinner.” 

“Yes.” 

Siyeon still felt stifled and queasy inside, but she nodded with a smile on her face.

When they sat down, the table was filled with dishes. As everyone picked up their utensils, Siyeon reluctantly picked up her chopsticks. When she caught sight of the nicely grilled, plump hairtail, she unconsciously frowned. A lump rose in her throat. 

Ijun, unaware of her discomfort, used his chopsticks to place a thick piece of hairtail onto her plate. Her parents looked pleased at his gesture, but Siyeon felt like dying. It took all her strength to hold back the rising nausea, and cold sweat trickled down her back. 

“Are you feeling unwell?” 

Seeing her pale face, Ijun put down the chopsticks he was holding and asked seriously. 

“…I, I’ll go to the bathroom. Excuse me for a moment.” 

After blurting out these words, Siyeon quickly got up from her seat and rushed to the bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she went straight to the sink, she turned the faucet all the way up and vomited at the same time. She tried pounding her chest with her fist, but the discomfort remained. Nausea kept rising from her stomach. 

Suddenly, her vision blurred. Feeling dizzy, Siyeon sat down on the edge of the bathtub. Breathing heavily in that state, Ijun knocked on the bathroom door.

“Siyeon, are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.” 

Siyeon replied after locking the bathroom door and turning off the faucet. 

“Open the door, please.” 

“I’ll be out soon, so Ijun, go ahead and eat.” 

Ijun didn’t speak to her anymore. Confirming that it was quiet outside, Siyeon lifted the lever of the sink faucet again and retched. Her stomach felt bitter, her throat hurt, and tears welled up in her eyes. She regretted not accepting her mother’s offer to buy antacids earlier.

She locked the sink faucet again and sat back on the edge of the bathtub. Sitting there for a while, her stomach calmed down a bit. Although she still felt dizzy, it was a much more bearable condition than earlier. Siyeon got up from her seat to leave the bathroom. She was sure her family would find it strange if she stayed too long. 

When she opened the bathroom door, she found Ijun standing in front of her with a stern expression. She had thought he had gone back to sit at the dining table but instead, had been standing in front of the door all this time. 

“…What are you doing here?” 

“Let’s go to the hospital. There’s a university hospital nearby.” 

“I just have indigestion.” 

“Go look in the mirror and then say that again.” 

With Ijun’s cold tone, Siyeon went back to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Her dark, puffy eyes and pale face stared back at her. It was eerie enough to feel frightening if she were alone. 

“Siyeon, let me see you for a moment.” 

Siyeon’s mother appeared behind Ijun and entered the bathroom, placing her palm on Siyeon’s cheek and forehead, asking with a worried voice.

“How are you feeling in your stomach?” 

“I feel like I might throw up just by looking at food because the lunch I had is still sitting heavy.”

At Siyeon’s response, her mother widened her eyes for a moment, then quickly composed herself and whispered something to Siyeon with a calm face. After exchanging a few words with Siyeon, she turned back with a composed expression and spoke softly. 

“Ijun, today, it would be best for her to rest at home first and visit the hospital tomorrow morning.” 

“We can admit her to the nearby hospital first for examination, and then we can see if we need to transfer her to another hospital.”

“It’s not an illness that requires hospitalization. I just want her to rest comfortably at home. It’s okay for her to stay here, but I think she’ll be more comfortable at your place.” 

As she spoke, Ijun’s gaze turned to Siyeon. Siyeon, looking a bit dazed, nodded in agreement with her mother’s words. She was still in a foggy state of mind due to what her mother had whispered in her ear just now. 

“Siyeon, I think it might be pregnancy, so go to the hospital with Ijun tomorrow.” 

Not indigestion, but possibly pregnancy…

Her heart raced. 

“I can’t believe it just because Siyeon says she’s okay.” 

“Ijun, I want to go home.”

“….” 

Although Ijun seemed displeased with the conclusion of the two, when Siyeon expressed her desire to go home again, he could no longer oppose it. He looked resigned. 

“Alright. Mom will pack some food for you to warm up at home. Make sure to eat something. And eat well.” 

After finishing her words, her mother hurriedly moved towards the kitchen, and Siyeon, who came out of the bathroom following her, hugged Ijun, who was standing in front of the door, with both arms. . Her heart raced with anticipation, and her chest swelled with emotions, almost bringing tears to her eyes.

“…All I ask is for you to live healthy. Is that so difficult?” 

Ijun said with an irritated voice, but he hugged Siyeon tightly. He didn’t forget to press her forehead with his chin, fixing her in his arms so she couldn’t move. 

“Ijun, you nag too much. I hope it’s not hereditary.” 

“Don’t joke. I’m really not in a good mood.” 

“Having a personality that complains too much isn’t great either, but I’ll accept it.” 

Siyeon smiled broadly while hugging Ijun. She couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of a child resembling Ijun.