Epilogue.1

“Are you really not going to tell us what kind of person he is?”

“Just… you’ll see when he comes.”

Eunjae smiled softly, holding her water glass. Kyunghee found it amazing how her daughter smiled so often these days. She had sensed that something good was happening from Eunjae’s recent changes, but hadn’t expected things to move so quickly. Like any other day, Eunjae was eating breakfast when she suddenly announced she’d be bringing someone over that weekend.

Jiyeon choked on her bean sprout soup, and Kyunghee’s eyes widened. The only one who didn’t react much, as always, was Yooncheol. When Kyunghee asked if he’d known, he just told her to eat first and returned to his usual meal mode.

And so, until Saturday morning, Kyunghee was the only one who lost sleep. She asked her husband what she should wear, what food she should prepare, but he reacted with his usual indifference. She raised her voice, wondering how he could be so unconcerned when their youngest daughter might be getting married, but he didn’t respond, so it didn’t even turn into an argument.

‘Eunjae will take care of everything. She’s old enough. We just have to trust her.’

That was Yooncheol’s answer. He was always a father who respected his daughters’ choices. Kyunghee even jokingly checked his forehead to see if he was a Buddha.

In the end, Kyunghee ignored her husband, who went hiking at the mineral spring until Saturday morning, and clung to Eunjae. She was curious about the person Eunjae was meeting, but Yooncheol had strictly told her not to make things uncomfortable, so she had to hold back until the morning of the visit.

But Eunjae said she’d know when she saw him. Was it really the person Kyunghee was thinking of?

“Yes. The guy you’re thinking of, Mom. That person.”

Kyunghee wasn’t the only one itching to talk. Jiyeon struggled to hold back what she wanted to say. Their father seemed to have figured it out, but their mother hadn’t, which was frustrating. Who else would Shin Eunjae bring home? How could she not know, after raising her own daughter?

“Really? Is it him?”

Kyunghee asked, watching Eunjae head to her room with her water glass. But Eunjae just smiled mysteriously. The one pounding her chest in frustration at the table was the eldest daughter, Jiyeon. How could two sisters, born from the same womb, be so different? Sometimes Kyunghee seriously wondered about the Creator’s abilities.

“Is it really Wooseok?”

“If not him, then who?”

Jiyeon replied, munching on the sliced pear with a teasing tone. At that moment, Kyunghee’s glare came flying—she’d bought the best fruit on purpose, and Jiyeon was just eating it up.

“Ow, Mom.”

“I hit you because I wanted to. When are you going to stop that?”

“What? Isn’t my mouth a mouth too?”

Jiyeon pouted, talking back, and Kyunghee, heading to the kitchen, whipped her head around. Just then, the doorbell rang from the entrance. Jiyeon checked the wall clock—it was about thirty minutes earlier than the agreed time, and she shook her head. Such an impatient guy. Naturally, Jiyeon assumed it was Wooseok, and as Eunjae’s door opened, she stood up and moved toward the entrance.

“I’ll get it.”

“What, he’s here already?”

Kyunghee, surprised, quickly checked her appearance in the dining room mirror. Eunjae tilted her head, phone in hand. He’d said he’d leave early, but she didn’t expect him this soon. She was already dressed, but felt more nervous. It was just a regular meal, but the mood felt strangely special.

“Who is it? Are you looking for the second daughter of this house?”

Jiyeon joked as she opened the door, with Eunjae behind her, waiting for the guest. When the door opened, a neat pair of dress shoes appeared. As she looked up, she froze.

“You….”

Jiyeon was even more shocked than Eunjae.

“Welcome. The food isn’t quite….”

Kyunghee, clueless, walked toward the entrance and stopped in her tracks. The person who froze all three women wasn’t Wooseok, it was Kiwon. He stood there in a suit, holding a fruit basket.

“You… no, how did you….”

Kyunghee couldn’t figure out how to react. Eunjae had said she’d introduce the person she was seeing, but the one who showed up was her eldest daughter’s ex-husband. With a fruit basket and a suit—how was she supposed to process this?

“How have you been, Mother-in-law?”

Kiwon greeted Kyunghee politely.

“Are you crazy? How dare you come here….”

Jiyeon hurriedly grabbed Kiwon’s arm, trying to drag him out.

“Get out, now.”

“President…?”

Just then, a familiar face appeared at the perfect timing. Wooseok showed up, dressed in a suit and holding a fruit basket just like Kiwon. Seeing the two look like twins, Jiyeon had to shut her eyes tight. She couldn’t even greet Wooseok, just kept dragging Kiwon away from the entrance. Even as Jiyeon pulled him, Kiwon didn’t forget to greet his mother-in-law and Wooseok.

“What a mess… Anyway, Wooseok, welcome. Come in and let’s talk.”

Kyunghee massaged her head as she walked toward the living room, forgetting why Wooseok was even here. Eunjae quickly went to Wooseok’s side and took the fruit basket he brought. As Wooseok took off his shoes beside Eunjae, he quietly whispered in her ear.

“You didn’t invite Kiwon too, did you?”

“If only it were that simple.”

Eunjae just gave a short laugh.

“Don’t be so reckless.”

After dragging Kiwon out to the empty lot in front of the house, Jiyeon cut straight to the point, stabbing at his heart with her words. Kiwon, though prepared, was momentarily stunned. The quiet back road of the apartment was filled with silence. When he said nothing, Jiyeon calmed herself and sighed.

“Kiwon.”

“Why did you sleep with a guy like me?”

This time, Kiwon stabbed at her heart with his words. Jiyeon stood there, mouth open, unable to respond. She’d expected this question and had prepared her reasons. But hearing it directly, no words came out. She knew better than anyone how difficult it was for Han Kiwon to come all the way here, so it wasn’t easy to make excuses. Now, it felt like she shouldn’t lie about anything.

“I drank, and… you… Yeah, I’m sorry. If I made you misunderstand….”

“What misunderstanding?”

Kiwon cut her off sharply.

“….”

“I didn’t do it impulsively because we were drunk.”

“Kiwon.”

“…I can’t do this anymore.”

Kiwon spoke as if surrendering and roughly ran his hand over his face. Jiyeon clenched her fists and bit her lip, knowing what his words meant. His eyes held everything, and she couldn’t pretend not to see it. The longing, regret, and the tenderness of still loving her pressed painfully on her heart.

“I pretended I was fine. But that day… when you looked at me with those eyes, how could I just stand by? I can see it’s not right. Is this really how we should live? Shin Jiyeon, answer me.”

He wasn’t planning to back down anymore. He’d decided not to. He’d only held onto one last hope, and now that he’d seen a spark, letting go would be foolish.

“So what if we don’t live like this?”

“Let’s start over.”

His immediate answer made Jiyeon let out a hollow laugh.

“Then why did we get divorced? People will laugh at us. Not even a year….”

“Who cares if they laugh.”

Kiwon moved a little closer to Jiyeon. The distance between them was now less than before. He held her arm tightly so she couldn’t back away. Now, he knew she wouldn’t push him away.

“Do you know why I agreed to the divorce? Because I thought you’d die if you kept seeing me. But I was wrong. I should never have let you go. I should’ve held on, tried anything, whatever effort….”

Jiyeon, not letting him finish, pushed his arm away. It was an action that overturned Kiwon’s expectations. She turned and walked away. Kiwon quickly grabbed her, hugging her from behind. At that moment, Jiyeon broke down in tears and collapsed. It was the same kind of crying as when she sent their child to heaven. Kiwon felt a sharp pain, as if his heart was being squeezed.

“I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

“You… hic… What… sob… did you do so wrong?”

Even as she cried, Jiyeon asked again.

“Everything, all of it. If you’re hurting, it’s all my fault.”

At Kiwon’s words, Jiyeon turned to look at him, her eyes already soaked. She couldn’t pretend anymore. She couldn’t avoid it. She realized it was time to let out her pain. She hated and resented the man who made her feel this way, but she still couldn’t ignore him.

“When we divorced, I told you, didn’t I? That someone like me should forget everything and live happily! …I said that, didn’t I? I let you go. But… why are we like this now? Why, why… why, so foolishly… sob.”

Kiwon knelt and hugged Jiyeon. She didn’t push him away, and he was grateful for that. He promised to wait, even for a lifetime. He was sorry for not keeping that promise. In the end, he needed her too. Life without Shin Jiyeon was like h*ll. He’d lost to his own resolve to wait alone. The year he spent waiting for her gave Kiwon another realization.

“I don’t regret divorcing you.”

Still in his arms, Jiyeon finally spoke.

“At that time, every time I saw you… I only thought of Yuini. The best way I could choose was to let you go. Even if people criticized me, it was right. But… after just a year… when I saw you in Jeju Island, I didn’t think of our Yuini.”

She confessed that accepting herself like that was painful.

“Strangely, all I saw was you, Han Kiwon. Your cheeks were thinner… you were still annoying. But even so… your face, the one that still makes my heart race, that irritating face, is all I could think of. So I’m really scared.”

Kiwon loosened his embrace and looked at her face, gently wiping away her tears.

“What’s there to be scared of when I’m here?”

“What if… I forget our Yuini? Then it’s just too….”

Unable to finish, Jiyeon burst into tears again, and Kiwon pulled her into his arms.

“If you live with me forever, you’ll never forget. I’ll make sure of it.”

He gave her the answer she needed. This man was always like that—like someone sent from heaven just for Shin Jiyeon. So she decided to stop making mistakes. Even her wrong choices were accepted and embraced by him.

“Was it… really hard for you?”

Jiyeon touched Kiwon’s cheeks, thinner than they’d been in Jeju Island, and asked.

“No.”

“Why are you lying?”

“I didn’t want you to feel bad.”

At his silly answer, Jiyeon tapped his chest. Then she hugged him first. The feeling of her heart being filled was something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She realized, after a year, that only this man could fill that space.

“I’m hungry.”

Jiyeon spoke as if nothing had happened.

“Let’s go. I’ll buy you anything.”

Kiwon promised, helping her up.

“I want that. The ramen you make with lots of water.”

At Jiyeon’s request, he let out a laugh.

“Sure. I can make ten bowls if you want.”

“Will you… eat with me?”

Walking side by side, Jiyeon asked.

“Then, will you get back together with me?”

Kiwon stopped and wanted a definite answer from her.

“…Well, after I try the ramen.”

It was such a Shin Jiyeon-like way of speaking. Kiwon didn’t press her further and just walked on. As they left the empty lot, Jiyeon quietly reached for his hand. Their fingers naturally intertwined.

Just then, a vibration came from Jiyeon’s pocket. She suddenly remembered—she’d forgotten what day it was. As she stopped and pulled out her phone, Eunjae’s name appeared on the screen. She could already guess what the atmosphere inside the house must be like. Jiyeon quickly pressed the call button.

“Yeah, Eunjae. …Uh-huh. …Huh?”

Listening to her sister, Jiyeon glanced at Kiwon ahead. She asked with her eyes. They’re calling for them to come now. What should they do? Without hesitation, Kiwon nodded.