7.1

Unexpected cracks appeared in their otherwise joyous daily life one afternoon.  

While both of them had gone to work, she was at home alone with Chapssal, working on her tasks, when the doorbell suddenly rang.  

“Ding-dong—”  

“Woof, woof, woof!”  

“What could this be?”  

She felt puzzled since she wasn’t expecting anyone, nor had she ordered anything. Following Chapssal, who ran toward the front door, she stood up and checked the intercom. The moment she saw the screen, she was startled by the sight of a middle-aged woman she had never seen before.  

The woman had a refined and elegant aura and bore a resemblance to Hyunho. Instinctively, she felt that this woman must be either Hyunho’s mother or a close relative. Since this was the first time anyone like this had come to the house, she panicked and became flustered.  

What should I do? What do I do?  

It seemed the woman didn’t know the passcode to the house. Not wanting to leave her standing outside, she hurriedly changed out of her pajamas into casual clothes and went to the front door.  

“Just a moment, please.”  

When she opened the door, the other woman seemed equally surprised.  

“Oh my, oh my!”  

“Hello.”  

She greeted her as calmly as possible, trying to hide her own nervousness. Up close, the woman, who had a neat and beautiful appearance much like Hyunho, exuded a pleasant fragrance. She was holding a large box wrapped in cloth with one gloved hand. Instinctively, she stepped back and made way for her.  

“This is Hyunho’s house, right?”  

“Yes, it is. I’m… a friend of Hyunho’s.”  

“Oh, you startled me. This is my first time here, so I thought I might have gotten the address wrong. I’m Hyunho’s mother.”  

As she expected, this woman was indeed Hyunho’s mother.  

“It’s nice to meet you.”  

She greeted her with an awkward smile while hastily trying to recall what she knew about Hyunho’s family.  

She had met Juhan’s parents a few times during his school graduations, even though they were busy with work. However, this was her first time meeting Hyunho’s mother. She vaguely remembered hearing that she lived abroad, possibly in the United States. Since Hyunho rarely talked about his parents, her memory was hazy, but she thought he had mentioned that his mother worked as an architect in the U.S.  

“Are you Hyunho’s girlfriend? Oh, I’m not the type to visit my son’s house like this, but I had to come suddenly, so I must have startled you. I came to Korea briefly for work, and someone gave me this Korean beef. I couldn’t take it with me, nor could I throw it away… I tried calling Hyunho, but he didn’t answer, probably because he’s working. So I thought I’d just leave it at the door. I rang the bell just in case, and it turns out his girlfriend is here. That’s a relief. Just keep this in the fridge and grill it with him later.”  

Hyunho’s mother, looking relieved, handed her the box wrapped in cloth.  

“Thank you.”  

She accepted the box without thinking, but her mind raced as she pondered how to explain herself.  

The house was filled with signs that three people lived there. Even with a quick glance around, it would be obvious that this was a home shared by three people. There were three beds in the rooms, and many of the furniture pieces and household items came in sets of three.  

And she was certain that if Hyunho’s mother realized this, she wouldn’t be pleased. What parent would be happy to find out that their child’s girlfriend was living not only with their child but also with another man?  

She decided she needed to explain the situation first.  

“Um… I’ve been friends with Hyunho for a long time. I used to live on my own, but I had a stalker near my place. For safety reasons, I’ve been staying here at his house.”  

It wasn’t entirely a lie. The stalker was the reason they started living together. However, the arrangement of two men and one woman living together wasn’t exactly conventional, so she felt the need to explain it this way. If Hyunho’s mother found out about their living situation, she would undoubtedly think it was strange.  

“Oh my, a stalker? Yes, I’ve seen on the news that stalking crimes are a serious problem in Korea. That must have been terrifying. It was wise to move somewhere safer.”  

“Yes, thanks to Hyunho’s help, I think things are getting better.”  

“I hope it all gets resolved soon. Is this dog Hyunho’s?”  

Hyunho’s mother looked down at Chapssal, who was barking furiously from inside the gate near the entrance.  

“Yes, this is Chapssal, the dog Hyunho adopted.”  

It was surprising that she didn’t know about Chapssal, considering how long the dog had been a part of their family. It seemed that Hyunho wasn’t very close to his mother. Perhaps it was because she lived abroad.  

“Chapssal? What a cute name.”  

“Please come in.”  

Even though she stepped aside to invite her in, Hyunho’s mother remained standing at the entrance. She felt awkward, as if she were playing the role of the homeowner despite being just a guest herself. Still, it felt impolite not to invite her in. However, Hyunho’s mother smiled gently and declined.  

“No, it’s fine. I have a car waiting outside, so I need to leave right away. My schedule is packed since I’m here for work. It was nice meeting you, and I hope the stalking issue gets resolved soon.”  

“Thank you. Oh, goodbye. Please take care on your way…”  

She waved her hand as the woman quickly turned and left.  

Click—  

After the front door closed, only the sound of Chapssal barking broke the silence. She stood frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do.  

Contrary to her expectation that she would come inside, Hyunho’s mother left without even taking off her shoes. Her sudden visit and equally swift departure left her feeling dazed, as if a whirlwind had passed through. She eventually put the Korean beef gift set in the refrigerator.  

“My phone.”  

She reached for her phone to call Hyunho but hesitated. Since he hadn’t answered his mother’s call, he was probably busy with work. Instead, she left a message in the group chat shared by the three of them.  

Yebom

Hyunho’s mom stopped by the house briefly! She said she came to Korea for work and left a Korean beef gift set. She seemed surprised to see me. I told her I was staying here because of a stalker issue.

She deliberately kept her explanation vague. While it was true that the stalker was the reason they started living together, the truth about their relationship—that the three of them were romantically involved—was something she couldn’t reveal.  

After some time, Juhan replied first.  

Juhan

She’s in Korea now? 

Juhan

Let’s grill the beef for dinner.  

“…What kind of carefree response is that?”  

She sent a facepalm emoji, baffled by his nonchalant reaction.  

Not long after, Hyunho called her.  

“Hello?”  

– Yebom, you must have been startled. I couldn’t answer my mom’s call because I was in the middle of a consultation.  

“I’m fine, but your mom seemed surprised. I think she thought no one would be home.”  

It seemed that Hyunho’s mother didn’t know that Juhan also lived there, let alone her.  

– I’ll explain everything to her. She didn’t cause any trouble, did she?  

“Huh? No, no. She just gave me the beef and left quickly. I asked her to come in, but she said she was busy and left right away.”  

– Alright. Make sure to lock the door when you’re alone. Don’t open it for just anyone, Yebom.  

She felt exasperated by his unnecessary warning.  

“I didn’t! I only opened it because I saw it was your mom on the screen. She’s really beautiful.”  

– Ha ha, is that so? Did you eat lunch?  

“Yes, I did.”  

After chatting briefly about mundane topics, they ended the call.  

“……”  

Unlike her, the two of them seemed unbothered. Perhaps it was because they hadn’t met his mother in person and were only hearing about it from her.  

While they remained calm, she couldn’t help but feel shaken. Sitting on the sofa, she fell into deep thought.  

Their relationship was something that couldn’t be discovered by others.  

Earlier, she had been so nervous about Hyunho’s mother finding out that three people lived in the house that she had blurted out an explanation before she could even ask. She also remembered the incident at the supermarket not long ago.  

‘And your boyfriend is so handsome. You two make such a lovely couple.’  

‘Thank you.’  

‘Oh my, such handsome people! Is this your older brother?’  

‘No, boyfriend.’  

‘…….’  

The tasting corner staff had initially assumed Hyunho was her boyfriend, but when Juhan arrived and declared himself as her boyfriend too, the staff member was left with a dumbfounded expression.  

Their relationship was one that most people would find highly unusual. While they were fully aware of this, they hadn’t really thought deeply about it—until the sudden visit from Hyunho’s mother made the reality sink in.  

Just how far removed their relationship was from the mainstream, from what was considered normal….