Extra 2: Gwiyeon and Ra-yoon (1)

After Ijun and Siyeon’s second son, Chayoon, was born, there were many big and small changes around them. The most notable event among them was that Yoonsoo and Eun-kyung became a couple. After three dates, Eun-kyung started dating Yoonsoo. The shocked and astonished reactions from the factory people became added entertainment.

“Eun-kyung, you look so radiant today.”

“Me? I look the same every day.” 

Eun-kyung, who had come to visit Siyeon’s house for the first time in a while, looked as radiant as a fully bloomed flower. A person in love cannot hide their emotions. Even if they pretend to be indifferent, their warm feelings seep out. Eun-kyung’s current appearance was a testament to this.

“I heard Yoonsoo oppa is clocking in at the cafe every day?”

“How did you find that out?” 

“Director Yang told me. She said that Yoonsoo rushes to the café to see you every day after work. He leaves the factory so quickly that people barely see his back.” 

“Unnie sure talks about everything.” 

Eun-kyung replied gruffly, her cheeks reddening a little. A happy aura was emanating from her. It was not just an empty remark – her face was shining brightly like a full moon.

“You two were bound to end up like this, but you wasted so much time.”

“How would I have known we’d end up this way?” 

“I knew.”

“Yeah, right.” 

Eun-kyung puffed out her cheeks in response to Siyeon’s words. She playfully picked up Si-moon, who was playing nearby and sat him on her lap. 

“Si-moon, do you like being a big brother?” 

“Yes.” 

Eun-kyung bit Si-moon’s chubby hand lightly and asked with a big smile. When Si-moon nodded, she hugged him tightly, overjoyed at his cuteness. 

“If you two get married this year, the earliest you could have a baby would be next year… I wish we could talk about childcare sooner.” 

“I’ll do my best to match the age of my child with your third or fourth.” 

“Given your ages, haven’t your parents brought up marriage?” 

“Of course they have. Yoonsoo is already considered a son-in-law at our house. If we broke up, people would think I got divorced.” 

Eun-kyung giggled as she spoke. The day she introduced Yoonsoo to her parents under her mother’s insistence, it was a chaotic affair. Her parents couldn’t believe that such an impressive man would date their daughter and initially suspected that he might be a con artist after her money. However, they soon realized that Yoonsoo was a solid, upstanding young man, exceeding their ideal standards for a son-in-law. Her parents were overjoyed.

“Are you two planning the wedding already?”

“We want to date for at least a year. Being close friends and being in a romantic relationship are different. Marriage is even more so.” 

“Is Yoonsoo-oppa on the same page as you?”

“Yes, he does. Neither of us wants to rush into marriage due to external pressures.” 

While dating Yoonsoo, Eun-kyung had actually taken a step back in thinking about marriage.  She decided she would only consider marriage when she felt confident that the time they spent together would be happier than being apart.

“Are you staying for lunch?” 

“Yes, I asked the afternoon shift worker to come in a bit early so I could stay longer.”

“Good. I want to see Director Yang and the manager too.” 

“They’ve been going on and on about wanting to see you. The Vice President acts like something terrible will happen if you go outside, so they can’t invite you to the factory. They’ll come over once Cha-yoon is a bit older.”

Ijun’s overprotectiveness of Siyeon was well-known. Initially, people suspected he might have a delusional jealousy disorder. However, he welcomed Siyeon’s friends into their home, enjoying seeing her happy with them, which ruled out jealousy disorder. 

“Ijun really likes you, Director Yang, and the team leader. He appreciates you a lot, you know?”

“I know. That’s why I forgive his quirks.” 

Eun-kyung playfully pouted. She knew how grateful Ijun was to her. Despite feeling she hadn’t done much for Siyeon, he was incredibly generous to her and the factory staff, except for Yoonsoo. 

“Actually, my brother-in-law’s wife said she was going to come to our house to visit Chayoon today, but Ijun refused, so she couldn’t come.” 

“Who? Are you talking about your husband’s brother’s wife?” 

Siyeon nodded.

“Why can’t she come?” 

“In the past, when she was a little drunk, she almost dropped Si-moon while holding him. After that, he’s not allowed to even come near our house.” 

Though it was a bit embarrassing to share, Siyeon was honest with Eun-kyung, who knew all about her family’s situation. After the incident where a still-drunk Ra-yoon nearly dropped Si-moon, Ijun forbade Ra-yoon from coming near their house. 

Quite some time had passed since then, and now that their second child was born, she wanted to visit, but Ijun still hadn’t lifted the ban. 

“Does your brother-in-law and his wife still have no news of a baby?”

“Yeah, not yet.”

Gwihyeon wanted to have a child right after getting married. However, for some reason, there was still no news. Since there were no health issues for either of them, the elders of the family were just waiting. Fortunately, Ijun had Si-moon and Cha-yoon, so there seemed to be less anxiety, but since Gwihyeon was the eldest son of the main family line, they were still waiting eagerly.

“See, you should always have a good heart. That’s why people should live kindly.” 

Eun-kyung scoffed. Given her deep knowledge of Siyeon’s family circumstances, Gwihyeon could never appear virtuous to her.

“Even though I want to get along well with my brother-in-law’s wife, there aren’t many opportunities. Normally, I’m busy with work, and the remaining time is spent with my family, so a day or a week is quickly filled up.” 

Gwihyeon and Ra-yoon’s house wasn’t far from Siyeon’s. Yet, there was almost no interaction between the two households. They only met during holidays, ancestral rites, and the elders’ birthdays at the house in Suwon. When it came to discussing Gwiihyeon’s household, even the elders avoided the topic. Talking about it only brought up frustrating and depressing stories.

* * *

It was late afternoon, and the sun, no longer scorching, had clearly tilted westward. Ra-yoon was lying on a sunbed on the wooden deck of the terrace, wearing sunglasses and a bikini. She had wireless earphones in. Humming softly, she rhythmically bobbed her head and toes. Then she reached out her right arm to pick up a glass of juice from the table. 

“Ah, it’s lukewarm.”

Frowning with disappointment, she shook her head and placed the glass back on the table. As she turned up the volume of the music she was listening to, the sound started leaking out of the earphones.

After an article about her secret meetings with actor K, her long-time lover, she was effectively confined to her home. 

“These people these days are so clever.” 

The public immediately knew it was her just from the initials. Ra-yoon neither wanted nor saw a reason to deny it. Her husband, Gwihyeon, who had been giving her cold looks, now treated her as if she were invisible. Feeling so bored, she thought about visiting her sister-in-law who recently had a second child, but Ijun firmly blocked her. He still hadn’t forgiven her past mistake.

“Brr, it’s cold. It gets chilly when the sun goes down.” 

Shivering, she wrapped a large towel around herself. No matter how much of a seaside villa atmosphere she tried to create, this was just a high-rise terrace. A huge, grand, and cold prison. 

Here, she and Gwihyeon lived each day, holding each other captive. Ra-yoon found it absurd that Gwihyeon still wanted to have children under these circumstances.

At that moment, she received a call. It was from actor K, rumored to be her long-time lover.

[Noona, are you okay?]

“What? This isn’t the first time that this has happened. I guess I’ll have to stay home and rest for a while.” 

[It’s my fault for wanting to see you… I’m sorry.]

“Why is it a sin for my brother to want to see his older sister? The reality where I can’t call you brother and you can’t call me sister is just so messed up.” 

Actor K was Ra-yoon’s stepbrother. Though not related by blood, they became family when her mother remarried. The issue was that K’s biological mother, despite his rich-kid image, had a background in the nightlife industry. She was notorious for her repeated incarcerations for fraud. To protect each other, K and Ra-yoon hid the fact that they were step-siblings. 

[What about talking to your husband about it?]

“He’d just get angrier. He’s so sensitive about losing face. He’d probably just pretend he doesn’t know even if he did.”

[When I get a chance, I’ll explain it to him properly. Let’s not cause any unnecessary misunderstandings.]

“Anyway, it’s not like he cares what I do. We’re just housemates living in the same place…”

Suddenly, Rayoon had her phone snatched from her hand. Turning to the side, she saw her Gwihyeon, who had come home early, standing over her with a stern expression.

“Huh? You’re back early? But that’s my phone, give it back.”

“Can’t you go a single day without living so pathetically? Is it so hard for you to just sit still and do nothing?” 

His voice, filled with anger, bore down on her. 

“Good Lord, was I pathetic again today? I was just lying here quietly!”

Ra-yoon pushed her sunglasses up and stared in disbelief as Gwihyeon turned off her phone.