Side Story 1.16

“Shall I make braised short ribs for dinner? What do you think?”  

Mrs. Hong placed a lukewarm glass of barley tea on the table as she spoke. She had been helping with household chores since Leeseo’s college days in Songdo while living in Yeouido before her marriage, so she knew Leeseo’s taste in food very well.  

Leeseo glanced at the lunch spread laid out before her and smiled softly. The table was filled with such a feast that even tasting each side dish would leave her full, yet Mrs. Hong was already pondering what to prepare for dinner. It was so characteristic of her.  

Ever since Leeseo became pregnant, her husband and everyone around her seemed to treat feeding her as the greatest challenge of their lives. Perhaps it was because of the severe morning sickness she endured during the early stages of pregnancy, coupled with her husband’s unusually overprotective behavior, which created an odd atmosphere.  

Mrs. Hong, in particular, had an almost mission-like look in her eyes, as if she couldn’t bear to see Leeseo without food for even a moment. She constantly hovered around, seizing every opportunity to serve her something to eat. Leeseo often suspected that her husband had given her specific instructions, though they both denied it, leaving her feeling all the more suspicious.  

“I’m thinking of simmering it slowly in a pot with abalone for a few hours. The abalone we received as a gift is so large and fresh—it’s absolutely perfect. It’s best to eat it while it’s still fresh, but there’s so much of it. I’ll put half in the braised short ribs and lightly grill the other half with butter.”  

“Hmm… I’ll talk to my husband and let you know.”  

Taegyeom had gone to work early in the morning to handle some urgent business. He usually avoided scheduling anything on weekends to spend time with Leeseo, but his growing responsibilities inevitably led to exceptions.  

When they spoke briefly before lunch, he mentioned that he would be finishing up soon, so she expected to have dinner with him. Sometimes on weekends, they would go to a quiet restaurant for a dinner date, or Taegyeom would cook himself.  

“Alright then, let me know later. But first, eat your meal before it gets cold.”  

Mrs. Hong, who was quite familiar with the couple’s weekend routines, nodded quickly and disappeared into the kitchen.  

By the time Leeseo finished her leisurely meal, nearly an hour had passed. Now eight months pregnant, her belly had grown significantly, and the baby’s weight made digestion noticeably slower. If she wasn’t careful, she would feel nauseous, sometimes to the point of dry heaving.  

Though it was a natural and expected symptom as her due date approached, her husband didn’t seem to accept it as such. Even the slightest pallor on her face would send him into a frenzy, and if she tried to act as if nothing was wrong, he would see right through her, making it impossible to hide anything. 

To avoid the fuss caused by Taegyeom’s overprotectiveness, it was better to be cautious from the start. She had always been a slow eater, but these days, it took her at least an hour to finish a meal.  

After rinsing her mouth with barley tea, Leeseo stood up. She brushed her teeth and returned to the living room, where warm sunlight streamed through the windows, reaching her feet. Her belly felt heavy, and her eyelids drooped with drowsiness, making her want to lie down. It was another symptom of pregnancy—she had been sleeping more than usual lately.  

She hesitated between the stairs leading to the second floor and the balcony leading to the terrace before deciding on the latter. She feared the aftermath of taking a nap right after a meal, so she thought it would be better to walk for a bit. Pushing open the large glass door, she stepped outside.  

“Going for a walk?”  

Mrs. Hong noticed Leeseo heading toward the balcony and quickly approached her. Leeseo held the glass door and replied, 

“Yes, I’m going for a walk to help with digestion.”  

“That’s good. Even a small amount of food can press on your organs and make digestion difficult at this stage. It must be hard with your body feeling so heavy, but walking as much as possible is good for you. Here, take this with you. Even though it’s summer, it can feel chilly in the shade while walking.”  

With a warm smile, Mrs. Hong handed Leeseo a cardigan that had been draped over the sofa. Despite the early summer heat making headlines on the weather reports, the temperature here felt subdued. Leeseo accepted the cardigan with a faint smile, wondering if overprotectiveness could be contagious.  

Feeling Mrs. Hong’s watchful gaze on her back, Leeseo stepped out onto the terrace. The garden was in full summer bloom, having completely crossed the seasonal boundary from spring.  

It had been about a month since they moved into this two-story house with its expansive garden. Leeseo had grown attached to their newlywed home overlooking the Han River, but upon learning of her pregnancy, Taegyeom suggested moving to this larger house.  

His reasoning was that they would need a few extra rooms once the baby arrived. When Leeseo questioned why one additional family member would require several more rooms, he presented her with a well-organized set of documents instead of answering.  

The thick stack of papers resembled a large-scale recruitment plan. It was filled with resumes and recommendation letters from various professionals with diverse qualifications. The first document at the top pertained to hiring a childcare specialist for their unborn child.  

Leeseo had vaguely expected they might need some help, but she hadn’t thought concretely about life after giving birth. For her, it was overwhelming to realize that her husband had already made such thorough preparations.  

In addition to the childcare specialist, he seemed to be planning to hire a personal trainer to help with her long-term recovery after childbirth. While he had claimed they needed a few more rooms, the house they moved into turned out to include accommodations for live-in staff. The scale of the house itself was beyond anything she had imagined.  

He really has a knack for surprising people in so many ways.  

With a small laugh, Leeseo descended the stairs leading to the garden. The gardener, who had been mowing the lawn, quickly turned off the noisy machine upon spotting her. The loud buzzing sound abruptly ceased.  

The house was so large that it required a staff too numerous to count, each managing a specific area. In truth, Taegyeom wasn’t fond of having strangers in the house, and Leeseo wasn’t used to it either. However, their lives had long since surpassed the point where they could live quietly as just the two of them.  

Though Taegyeom often told her that she was enough for him just as she was, Leeseo was well aware that the responsibilities her husband carried were far from ordinary. Slowly but surely, she was adapting to her role as the wife of GK Group’s Kwon Taegyeom.

“Oh, Madam, I’m so sorry! Did the noise startle you? I didn’t notice you coming out because of the loud sound…”  

“No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about me. I was just heading toward the guesthouse.”  

Leeseo waved off the gardener’s apologies and turned toward the guesthouse.  

The decision to purchase a house with a guesthouse had been heavily influenced by Jinwoo. He had constantly complained about feeling lonely and miserable staying in hotels whenever he visited Korea. His insistence that a house must have a guesthouse initially seemed to fall on deaf ears, but in the end, a house with a guesthouse was chosen.  

‘You always end up listening to me, but you pretend otherwise and drive people crazy. Trust me, his temper is as bad as it gets despite his good looks. Isn’t that right, Leeseo?’ 

When Jinwoo flew in from the U.S. right after their move, claiming he couldn’t miss the housewarming, he grinned at the cozy guesthouse. He had brought so many gifts and baby items that the guesthouse was practically filled.  

Leeseo opened the door to the guesthouse and stepped inside. A strong floral scent filled the air. She took a deep breath and raised her eyes.  

Although the architecture, design, and even the color of the walls were entirely different, stepping into this space always reminded her of the house she once lived in. That house had been completely demolished and now belonged to someone else, never to be seen again. Yet its image played out like a faded film in her mind.  

It was a strange mixture of emotions, somewhere between nostalgia and resentment.  

The pool reflected a cloudless sky, its water a vivid blue. A faint smile spread across Leeseo’s lips, which had been subtly tense with unexplainable feelings. It was because the memory of meeting Taegyeom for the first time felt as vivid as if it had happened yesterday.