Side Story Chapter 1:

The air was warm. A soft drowsiness cradled Yaein’s head like a pillow. 

She really should be getting up soon. That faint realization stirred her, and she sleepily rubbed her eyes.

It seemed she had dozed off while playing with the baby.

“Saejun,” she called gently.

But her brow furrowed as she looked around. The baby, who should’ve been right beside her, was nowhere in sight. She quickly sat up.

Then, her tension immediately melted away at the sight before her.

Not far away, Taeheon was holding the baby.

No—“holding” wasn’t quite the word. “Lifting” might’ve been more accurate. Yaein leaned back slightly, now fully watching him.

Taeheon was still in his work clothes, tie and all, sitting stiffly on the floor. His arms were awkwardly curved to support the baby, and even at a glance, they looked rigid and locked in place.

The sight of his frozen posture was so amusing that Yaein let out a small chuckle.

Taeheon turned toward her, as if only now noticing she was awake.

“You’re up?”

“Just now. But… what are you doing sitting there like that?”

“…I wasn’t sure what to do.”

His delayed, mechanical reply gave her a pretty good idea of his current state.

“You learned how to hold a baby, remember?”

Yaein smiled, recalling how he had seriously practiced holding a doll during their prenatal classes. The instructor had even praised him, calling him a model student for the others. But now, he looked like someone who had forgotten everything.

The memory of her husband seriously adjusting his grip around the practice doll made Yaein chuckle again. 

Back in class, he’d been praised by the instructor, even used as an example for others. And now, he looked like someone who had forgotten everything he’d learned.

Yaein moved closer and sat beside Taeheon. He remained completely still, frozen in place. His eyes were wide with tension, as if blinking might somehow harm the baby.

“If I hold him wrong, it feels like he’ll break,” Taeheon confessed, brows furrowed in distress. 

“What if I hurt him somehow?”

The quiet fear in her husband’s voice tugged at a tender place in Yaein’s chest.

She had noticed how awkward Taeheon was with the baby. Even when playing, he would sit nearby, hesitant, watching instead of engaging. If the baby crawled toward him, Taeheon would instinctively lean back, almost afraid.

And Yaein understood, at least in part, why. The trauma Taeheon carried from his own childhood, from his father, wasn’t something he could easily let go of.

She gently ran a hand across his back.

“Holding him won’t hurt him. And he doesn’t dislike it, either. Even the sitter says she’s never seen a baby this calm and healthy.”

Their son was indeed an exceptionally sweet and easy child. He slept well in anyone’s arms and rarely fussed. When Yaein had to hire a babysitter due to her health, the woman had been amazed, saying she’d never met a baby so undemanding. 

Even Taeheon’s mother had completely fallen for him.

Everyone said he was easy to raise—everyone except Taeheon, who seemed to be the only one struggling.

“He definitely takes after you more than me,” Taeheon murmured to himself.

As if in response, the baby squirmed.

“Saejun, are you awake?” Yaein asked affectionately.

The baby blinked slowly, his lips pouting in sleepy confusion. Still drowsy, he made no sound—just wriggled a little and blinked again.

Taeheon stiffened as if the baby might devour him at any second.

Yaein gently took Saejun’s tiny hand and wiggled it playfully. 

“Look, Daddy’s here. Say hi to Daddy.”

“…”

Taeheon’s cheek twitched. That lost, uncertain expression was becoming familiar.

Still drifting between sleep and wakefulness, the baby gave no response and simply shut his eyes again.

Taeheon hovered, unsure whether to hold him tighter or lay him down. His arms bent awkwardly, uncertain.

Seeing how uncomfortable he was, Yaein reached out and took Saejun into her own arms.

The moment she did, Taeheon visibly relaxed, his shoulders slumping like a man released from a heavy burden.

Yaein reached up to loosen the tie that looked like it was choking him and frowned softly.

She still worried about him.

***

“Is Taeheon still like that?” 

Gyeongju set down her coffee cup. 

“He just freezes when he’s holding the baby. Says he’s scared he might hurt him.” 

Yaein nodded as she pulled her own teacup closer. Today’s teatime topic was, once again, Taeheon.

Her mother-in-law often stopped by to help out and spend time with her grandson. On the sitter’s day off, she’d even take time off work just to look after Yaein. 

Yaein sometimes wondered if this is what it would’ve felt like to have her own mother around. She and Gyeongju had grown that close.

And Saejun played a big part in deepening that bond.

They always said people who love the same thing will never run out of things to talk about. Ever since Gyeongju had fallen completely for her grandson, their conversations never seemed to end—starting with Saejun and naturally flowing into topics like Taeheon, just like today.

“He’s fine when I’m with him, but the moment he’s left alone with Saejun, he’s visibly lost,” Yaein said.

“Your father’s a piece of work,” Gyeongju scoffed.

 “Freezes up even in front of such a sweet baby. Isn’t that right, my little prince?”

She tickled Saejun gently, and he let out a bubbly giggle. Gyeongju cooed over his chubby cheeks, completely enamored.

“Saejun’s the same around his dad—calm as ever. But Taeheon still seems scared.”

“Saejun’s not shy at all. It’s your husband who’s shy,” Gyeongju waved it off.

And it was true. The problem wasn’t Saejun, but Taeheon. 

Saejun, not even a year old yet, clearly adored his dad. But every time they were in the same room, Taeheon looked like he was walking on eggshells.

“Time will fix it. Living together, he’ll get used to it,” Gyeongju said.

“Maybe…” Yaein replied, though not entirely convinced. Taeheon was more awkward than most people realized.

She took a sip of her tea while glancing at Saejun nestled in Gyeongju’s arms. The tea had gone lukewarm, leaving a bitter aftertaste.

It felt like just yesterday they were watching Saejun through the glass of an incubator. Now, he was already trying to crawl and even stand. Each day was flying by so fast; it was almost frightening.

Kids grow quickly. Yaein didn’t want her husband to regret the time he missed because he was too afraid.

“Is it true Taeheon gets home on the dot these days?” Gyeongju asked.

“Yes, he always comes right on time.”

Even with his heavy workload, Taeheon did his best to be home more. He avoided late nights and overnight stays, even if it meant bringing extra work home.

Yaein hoped their son would one day understand how much his dad tried. 

Thinking about father-son relationships made that hope feel both comforting and sad.

“When he’s done with work, go meet him. Take a walk before heading home. I’ll look after Saejun today—just you and your husband, spend some time together.”

Noticing how Yaein’s expression had darkened, Gyeongju made the offer as if it were nothing.

“Oh no, you’re busy enough already…”

“Nonsense. If you stay home, you’ll just be fussing over Saejun again, and you two won’t get any real time together. Go on a little date. Talk, open up. It’ll do you good.”

Yaein reached across the table and gently took her mother-in-law’s hand, adorned with sparkling rings.

“Thank you, Mother.”

Gyeongju snorted in mock disdain. Yaein giggled and interlocked her fingers with Gyeongju’s.

“What’s gotten into you? Gross. Let go.” 

“But I like it,” Yaein said with a grin. 

“You’ve gotten way more affectionate lately, haven’t you? Did Taeheon teach you that?” 

“Actually, I’ve been teaching him.” 

“Him? Showing affection? I can’t even picture it.” 

“Taeheon’s actually pretty sweet, you know.”

Ugh. Gyeongju made a face, clearly horrified. 

Yaein laughed, and Saejun followed with a giggle of his own. 

It was just another peaceful moment in their usual routine.

***

It had been a while since Yaein had visited her husband’s company. 

Stepping out of the taxi, she looked up at the tall building. She had already called Taeheon earlier during lunch to tell him she’d come by after work. He’d said she could do as she liked—but even over the phone, she could hear the slight excitement in his voice.

It really had been a long time since they’d had a date, just the two of them. 

Since Saejun came home from the hospital, she hadn’t been able to take her eyes off him even for a second. 

Even if he was a calm baby, a newborn wasn’t someone you could just leave alone.

Life with Saejun was precious beyond comparison, but moments alone with her husband held another kind of significance. 

With a flutter of anticipation, Yaein stepped forward, looking forward to their quiet time together.

But just as she approached the entrance, she bumped shoulders with a man passing by. 

Her bag, slung around her wrist, dropped to the ground.

“I’m sorr—”

The man, bending to pick up her handbag, froze mid-motion. 

A thin stream of smoke rose from the cigarette between his lips. Yaein coughed softly, bothered by the smell, and gently reached out to take the bag back—but the man’s hand was still tightly gripping the strap.

“Excuse me, could you please let go of my bag?” 

The man, who had been studying Yaein’s face closely, suddenly went pale—as though all the blood had drained from his body.

“M-Ma’am…?”

Before Yaein could answer, the man quickly pulled the cigarette from his mouth.

“M-Ma’am, please… Please don’t tell the Director that I was smoking in front of you.”

From the way he spoke, it was clear he was one of her husband’s subordinates. 

Still, Yaein found the reaction oddly excessive. Was this a no-smoking area? She didn’t even have time to ask before the man bowed deeply.

“I’m begging you.”

Overwhelmed by the strangely desperate tone, Yaein nodded slightly. As soon as she gave her tacit agreement, the man bent at a perfect 90-degree angle.

“Thank you, Ma’am!”

Then he dashed off in a flurry, like he was running from an impending thunderbolt. 

Left standing there in confusion, Yaein blinked. That was… a lot. Still disoriented, she headed into the building.

After informing the front desk of her appointment, she made her way to the small waiting room in front of Taeheon’s office—only to find an unexpected guest already there.

Standing behind the heavy glass door, the visitor turned his head and met Yaein’s gaze. 

He was dressed in a sharply tailored suit with a high Mandarin-style collar that covered half his neck, and it suited him remarkably well.

He looked at her as if watching something curious, even fascinating. 

Under his intense gaze, Yaein hesitated slightly before reaching for the door handle. 

There’s been a lot of strange encounters today, she thought.

But before she could even touch the handle, the man reached out and opened the door for her.

“Thank you,” she said as she stepped inside.

Standing face to face now, she realized he was extremely tall. Taeheon was already a towering figure, so she rarely felt that others were tall—but this man was tall and lean, like a sharpened stick.

“Are you Director Kwon’s wife?” he asked.

His pronunciation was crisp, each syllable marked with a peculiar cadence that made it hard to pin down the regional accent.

“Yes. Have we… met before?”