SIDE STORY 1.4

“She eats more than you’d think, doesn’t she?”

Standing beside him, the housekeeper made soft kissing noises toward Inyoung.

“Yes.”

“Babies are stronger than we think. She already knows. She wants to grow fast so she can talk to her mom and dad soon.”

“Yes. I didn’t know babies could eat this much… or be this beautiful.”

“Isn’t she so pretty because she takes after her mom?”

Seojun smiled, his eyes crinkling.

“Yes, that’s right. You should get some rest too. I’ll take care of Inyoung.”

“Inyoung is lucky to have such a kind dad. Alright, I’ll go rest for a bit.”

Once the housekeeper left, the living room was quiet, save for the sound of Inyoung gulping down her milk.

Seojun couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was like a precious gem, someone he’d give everything to without hesitation if she ever asked.

“Inyoung, are you sleepy?”

After eating vigorously for a while, Inyoung blinked her eyes sleepily.

She was so adorable that Seojun couldn’t help but smile. Even though it seemed like her stomach wasn’t full yet, she couldn’t fight off the drowsiness and kept nodding off.

Seojun gently tapped her cheek with his second finger.

“Just a little more, then you can sleep. If you eat a lot, you’ll sleep longer. Mommy told me to wake you if you fall asleep too soon.”

“……”

“Kim Inyoung. Inyoung, can you hear Daddy’s voice? Or are you too sleepy?”

His voice softened as he called her name.

Even as her eyes closed, Inyoung held onto Seojun’s finger tightly, refusing to let go. She tilted her head back and fell into a deep sleep.

Seojun, who was supporting her head with one hand as she passed out like she’d fainted, chuckled quietly.  

“Nope. I can’t let this go. Mommy said I have to make sure you burp.”  

He straightened Inyoung’s body and leaned her against his chest.  

To prevent her milk from coming back up, he patted her back gently, over and over again.  

Even though drowsiness crept into Seojun’s own eyes, he repeated the action countless times.  

That was love.  

A father’s affection, received wholly from Seo Moonkyeong and passed down just as purely.  

Could there be any greater happiness in the world than staying up all night just to watch one’s child?  

“See you in two hours. Sleep well, my daughter.”

He kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, and watched her for a long time.  

Carefully, Seojun placed Inyoung in her crib and returned to the first-floor bedroom where Moonkyeong was.  

Looking at her face, which was sleeping soundly and looked exactly like Inyoung’s, he couldn’t help but laugh softly.  

Just as he couldn’t resist kissing Inyoung several times, he also kissed Moonkyeong dozens of times.  

That, too, was love.  

It was Seojun’s sincerity, which he no longer tried to hide nor had any intention of hiding.  

***

“Grandmother Samshin, we’ve brought our Inyoung. Please make our baby’s feet grow big.”

(T/N: “Samshin” (삼신) is a Korean word that can refer to a goddess of pregnancy and childbirth, or to the three gods of childbirth.)

From early dawn, Moonkyeong had been bustling about, preparing food.  

She set up a Samshin table with soup, rice, and side dishes made entirely of vegetables, without any seasoning.  

Placing the sleeping Inyoung in front of the table, she made her wish.  

Seojun, watching her from behind, couldn’t suppress the smile that formed on his lips.  

It was because of Moonkyeong, who was smiling lovingly as she carefully placed Inyoung down, completely unaware of how adorable she looked.  

Scratching the corner of his lips with his hand, Seojun asked,  

“So, what do I do now?”  

Smiling wide enough to show her gums, she pressed Inyoung’s tiny feet a couple of times.  

“Come here and touch Inyoung’s feet with me.”  

“Okay. But what’s that?”  

“This? You have to read it. It’s the Samshin table blessing script. I printed it out last night.”  

“You’re so diligent. Grandmother Samshin will definitely take good care of our daughter.”  

“Right? Grow up healthy, our daughter.”  

As she read the blessing script, her eyes began to redden.  

Though Seojun knew she was prone to tears, he noticed that she had become even more emotional after giving birth.  

“Give it to me. I’ll read it.”  

In the end, Seojun took the script from her and read it on her behalf.  

“Now, we leave the door open and stay in the bedroom for ten minutes.”  

“Inyoung stays here? Alone?”  

“Yes. She’s sleeping, so it’ll be fine.”  

Leaving Inyoung alone in the living room, the two of them went into the bedroom for a while.  

Watching Moonkyeong replicate exactly what she’d seen online, Seojun couldn’t help but laugh again. But knowing her intentions better than anyone else, he stayed silent.  

“I really hope she grows up healthy. I don’t wish for anything else.”  

Seojun embraced Moonkyeong, whose eyes were red, pulling her close to his chest.  

“She’ll grow up healthy.”  

“Mm.”  

When all the rituals were done, they sat down and shared the food together.  

Thanks to Moonkyeong’s generous hand in cooking, there was so much food that even though it was still early morning, most of it ended up being Seojun’s responsibility.  

Feeling apologetic, Moonkyeong bit her lip.  

“Sorry. I should’ve made less.”  

“It’s fine. Overeating from early morning is great—it feels like I might get indigestion.”  

“……”  

“Just kidding.”  

Seojun gently stroked the top of her head.  

After finishing the last spoonful of bland seaweed soup, Seojun began clearing the dishes when Inyoung, who had been lying on a blanket on the floor, woke up crying loudly.  

As Moonkyeong moved to pick her up, Seojun stopped her.  

“I’ll do it. Your wrist still isn’t fully healed. You go rest. I’ll clean up here too.”  

“But…”  

“It’s okay. I’ll put Inyoung back to sleep and come to you.”  

“Alright then.”  

At Seojun’s words, Moonkyeong rubbed her stiff neck and reluctantly went into the bedroom.  

When Moonkyeong opened her eyes again, the sun was already high in the sky.  

Seojun, who had been lying beside her the whole time, had gotten up a few minutes earlier and was now sipping a cup of coffee.  

Lifting her heavy eyelids, she murmured in a still-sleepy voice,  

“Where’s Inyoung?”  

“She’s sleeping well. It seems like she’s sleeping more now that she’s three months old.”  

“Wow. Three months already. When did you wake up?”  

“Not long ago.”  

Using the back of her hand as a pillow, she asked cheerfully,  

“Were you watching me the whole time?”  

“Yeah.”  

“Did I snore?”  

“A little.”  

“Embarrassing. It’s because I was tired.”  

Smiling faintly, he moved quickly to her bed.  

Seojun climbed onto the bed, pinning her down, a playful smirk on his lips.  

“Actually, I was debating whether or not to wake you up.”  

“Mmm.”  

“I might feel a bit guilty about this.”  

Having been cautious with her ever since she gave birth, Seojun now seemed to be reaching his limits.  

He unbuttoned her shirt, revealing her full, post-pregnancy figure.  

Seojun cupped her now fuller br*asts with his hands and teased her gently.  

“If our daughter finds out Daddy’s been stealing her milk every night, she’ll be upset.”  

“Stop stealing it then.”  

Looking up at him with a pout, her expression was so endearing that Seojun left a kiss mark on her cheek.  

“I feel like a teenage boy, sneaking around and only sucking on your br*asts while finishing by myself.”  

“Pfft.”  

Despite his impulsive actions, Moonkyeong continued speaking calmly.  

“The doctor said it’s okay to resume intimacy six weeks after delivery. You’ve just been overly considerate of me.”  

“But the doctor also said that hormonal changes might make you not want it for a while.”  

“That’s true, but not anymore. I want to.”  

Seojun loved this about her.  

Her ability to express her desires honestly was one of her greatest strengths.  

The waiting had been hard, but now he could tell her body was gradually returning to normal.  

Every night, as he touched her and kissed her, he could feel her readiness.  

Just thinking about it made him hard. Feeling the heat in his lower body, Seojun climbed on top of her.  

“Remember when we used to meet every Wednesday in Moscow? Do you know what I was thinking back then?”  

“What were you thinking?”  

“I was thinking about spending the entire day eating and having s*x with you, Seo Moonkyeong.”  

“……”  

“That’s how much I wanted you.”  

Seojun’s hand slid into Moonkyeong’s loose pants, caressing the smooth skin of her inner thighs. Every time he touched her there, it sent an electric thrill through him.  

His skilled fingers moved to explore beneath her underwear, and Moonkyeong tilted her head back.  

“But you never showed it. How could you want me that much and never once try to hold on to me?”  

“You think I didn’t show it?”  

“Did you?”  

Of course, he had. Even when he embraced her in Moscow, Seojun had always taken his time, cherishing every part of her.  

He left no place untouched, from her toes to the top of her head.  

Even when he knew her underwear was soaking wet, he didn’t want to stop. He loved teasing her, pushing her to the brink until she begged him to go further.  

Back then, that was what he enjoyed most.  

The sight of Seo Moonkyeong clinging to him, overwhelmed by desire, filled him with euphoria.  

After each encounter, he would lay her back down, unable to resist starting all over again.