Taeseop asked Soyu.

“You’ll really contact us, right?”

“Yes. I will.”

“When? Tomorrow?”

Soyu laughed.

“Taeseop, have you become more persistent while I was away?”

“You made me this way.”

“Alright. I’ll contact you tomorrow.”

Hyunwook asked Jeongeun.

“Auntie, you said you live in Gwacheon. Where exactly? We live in Gwacheon too.”

“Us? Gwacheondong.”

Taeseop and Hyunwook’s eyes widened.

“We live in Gwacheondong too! Wow! You’ve been living in Gwacheondong?”

“You both live in Gwacheondong too. What a coincidence.”

Soyu frowned as if an annoying situation had arisen. Jinwook, holding Yeoul, extended his hand toward her. Seeing his hand, Soyu asked.

“What.”

“Give me your business card.”

“What?”

“I won’t let you slip away this time. Give me your card.”

“Are you going to be childish about this?”

“If you run away again, we’re the only ones who lose. Hand it over. Your card.”

Jinwook wouldn’t back down. Soyu sighed and took a card from her bag. He stared at it and muttered.

“The company name is your son’s name?”

“Yes. Contact me if you ever need security services.”

“Is that okay?”

“I’d be happy to help.”

As Soyu gathered her bag and started to leave with her mother, Taeseop followed and asked Jinwook for the business card. Looking at the card, Taeseop exclaimed, “Huh?” and shouted.

“It’s near our company!”

Hyunwook and Jinwook turned around.

“It’s nearby?”

“Yes. Wow. Their home and company are right next to ours, and we never knew?”

Soyu sighed.

“Aren’t you leaving?”

“We are, we are. Let’s go.”

While the two friends were bustling about, Jinwook held Yeoul tightly and seemed lost in thought.

Soyu’s car departed. The three men stood motionless with blank expressions until her car was out of sight. Hyunwook muttered.

“She’s the same, isn’t she?”

Taeseop said.

“Yes. She hasn’t changed at all.”

“Wow. Jang Soyu being a mother. I can’t believe it.”

“I know.”

“How could we not have known when both her home and company are right next door?”

“Right. I still can’t believe it.”

“Should I hit you? To check if this is a dream or reality?”

At Hyunwook’s words, Taeseop grimaced and unlocked his bicycle. He looked at the thoughtful Jinwook and asked.

“Hey. What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

“Were you shocked too?”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Jinwook seemed somewhat unhinged. Hyunwook muttered.

“That guy’s lost it.”

“Jinwook. Pull yourself together. You’ll have an accident like that.”

“Uh.”

When Jinwook wobbled as he got on his bicycle, Hyunwook shouted loudly.

“Hey! Kim Jinwook! Snap out of it, man!”

As Jinwook started off first, Taeseop followed with a worried expression, and Hyunwook set off as well.

⁕⁕⁕

Soyu’s car climbed the hill and turned left. After entering an alley, they stopped at the first house, and Soyu said to her mother.

“I’ll carry Yeoul. Mom, could you get the bags?”

“Sure.”

Soyu carried the sleeping child from the back seat and went through the front gate. Once inside, she went straight to the small room and laid the child on the bed. Her face was peaceful as she stroked her son’s face. After covering him with a blanket, Soyu left the room to find Jeongeun busy organizing their things.

“Mom.”

“Is Yeoul asleep? What about washing him?”

“I’ll wash him when he wakes up later. You should rest.”

“What about dinner?”

She didn’t feel like eating, but if she didn’t eat, her mother wouldn’t either.

“Should we order tteokbokki for a change?”

“That sounds good. When the food arrives, let’s wake Yeoul up to eat.”

“Please rest a bit.”

“Okay. Let’s rest.”

Soyu went to her room, changed clothes, went to the bathroom to wash her hands, and came out. She felt tired from walking after so long, but she didn’t want to sleep.

“What should I do……”

Perhaps because she was used to always being busy, this idle time felt unfamiliar.

“Maybe I’ll just sleep……”

She lay on the bed and tossed and turned. She had thought she would meet them eventually, living in Korea. It was just a bit unexpected, the place they met. Honestly, she was happy to see them earlier. Except for one person. Friends she couldn’t exclude from her teenage years. Back then, she pretended to be annoyed, but that wasn’t her true feeling. When her father passed away, they were the first people she thought of. In the end, she couldn’t contact them. No, she deliberately didn’t.

It wasn’t because of pride; it was because of just one person. Her gaze deepened. She had thought about how to face him if they met. But when they actually met, she wasn’t particularly moved. At this rate, would it be okay to live seeing his face?

She was satisfied with her current life. She had built it with her own strength, and she didn’t particularly need someone to lean on. Above all, she hated the idea of disturbing this stable feeling. Surely they wouldn’t contact her right away? Just then, her phone vibrated and kept buzzing continuously. Soyu checked her phone and frowned deeply.

[Did you get home safely?]

[Where in Gwacheondong is your house?]

[We’re home now, should we meet?]

[Is Yeoul asleep?]

[Jang Soyu. Let’s see your face.]

[Let’s have dinner.]

[Why aren’t you answering? Aren’t you home?]

Soyu sighed. The three seemed determined, sending messages in turns. As the messages kept coming without a break, Soyu turned off her phone in disgust and threw it on the bed.

“They haven’t changed at all.”

The random text messages reminded her of memories she had forgotten. She shuddered, pulled the blanket over her head, and tried to sleep. Her peaceful time was now over. It was over.

⁕⁕⁕

The three returned home and frantically texted Soyu while clutching their phones. But when no one received a reply, Hyunwook called her. Hearing the voicemail saying the power was off, Hyunwook said in disbelief.

“She turned off her phone?”

“She turned it off?”

“Yes. It’s off.”

“Maybe she was tired. Should we have contacted her later?”

“What if she runs away again? We should at least know where she lives.”

“Didn’t Soyu seem not at all surprised to see us today?”

“She hasn’t changed at all. But what’s really going on with Yeoul?”

“I know. It’s quite shocking. She always acted like she had nothing to do with dating.”

“Right. She’s the one who did all this behind our backs.”

Jinwook, who had been listening to Taeseop and Hyunwook’s conversation, just stared at the phone in his hand and started to move toward his room. Hyunwook said.

“Make sure you shower.”

When Jinwook entered his room without saying anything, Hyunwook tilted his head.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“I guess Jinwook was shocked too.”

“He’s not the type to stay quiet even when shocked.”

“Maybe the shock was that great. Jinwook had been truly serious about Soyu.”

“Weren’t we all?”

“Huh?”

“I was always sincere with Soyu. Weren’t you?”

“I was… too.”

“All three of us were the same. But that whimpering appearance of his is suspicious.”

Hyunwook’s eyes narrowed.

Jinwook entered his room and flopped down on the bed. He kept seeing Yeoul’s face. His heart was also churning.

‘Saebom Kindergarten, Sun Class, four-year-old Jang Yeoul.’

He blinked his eyes and suddenly sat up, grabbing his phone to search. He searched for “Gwacheondong Saebom Kindergarten” and his eyes widened.

“Huh?”

It was close. Very close. Was Gwacheondong that big? If the child’s kindergarten was here, there was a high chance their house was nearby too. His heart pounded.

“Four years old… four years old…”

Unless she slept with another man right after meeting him… His breath caught.

“Gasp!”

Jinwook exhaled deeply and got up to pace around the room. What if the child was really his? He clenched his fist and trembled.

“D*mn it. I won’t let this go.”

Then he grabbed his head again in distress.

“If Yeoul is really my child, I’m really terrible……”

Jinwook curled up and then stretched out his body, screaming.

“Arghhhh! Ahhh!”

Jinwook thrashing his arms and legs looked like a madman.

When evening came, Yeoul woke up. After bathing him, Soyu wrapped her son in a large towel and left the bathroom. Yeoul, now in a good mood, sang loudly.

“I like wolves, I like bears. I like birds. Pretty, pretty.”

The song was off-key and made up, but both Soyu and Jeongeun burst into laughter. Jeongeun asked.

“Yeoul, what’s the name of that song?”

“It’s the zoo song. Am I good?”

“Yes. Our Yeoul must want to be a singer when he grows up.”

“I want to be a singer!”

Soyu asked.

“What about being a dinosaur expert?”

“Huh?”

“Last time you said you wanted to be a dinosaur expert.”

The child furrowed his small brow and thought deeply.

“Hmm… hmm… I’ll be a singing dinosaur expert!”

Soyu laughed at the answer he gave after much deliberation.

“I think Yeoul can do it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. A singing dinosaur expert. That’s wonderful.”

Excited by his mother’s praise, the child giggled and ran around the living room n*ked.

“Put your clothes on, Yeoul.”

“I’m a singing dinosaur expert. Dinosaur expert.”

The child was very cheerful and honest about his feelings. Thanks to him, the house was always filled with laughter. If Yeoul hadn’t been there, she and her mother probably wouldn’t have recovered from depression.

“Let’s put on clothes and order tteokbokki.”

The child spun around and his eyes sparkled.

“Tteokbokki?”

“Yes. Can you eat it?”

“Yes! Tteokbokki is delicious! I’m okay with spicy. I’ll go put on clothes!”

Yeoul was very assertive only when it came to clothes. The little one always decided what to wear.

“Mom. Can I wear the red one?”

“Not pajamas?”

“We’re eating tteokbokki. I should match.”

“Okay.”

“When I come out after dressing, tie my hair.”

“You’re going to sleep soon, though?”

“No, no. When eating, I need to tie my hair. It’s annoying.”

“Should we cut your hair a bit?”

“I don’t want that.”

“Alright.”

Yeoul’s hair was long, reaching his shoulders, and he wouldn’t let them cut it. Tying it was the alternative since his hair kept getting in his eyes.