SIDE STORY 3

“Be careful.”

At Seojin’s worried words, Haji’s eyes curved into a smile. Watching this, Seonghee let out a hollow laugh.

It was ridiculous how Seojin, who had been nitpicking and doubting her words moments ago, quickly backed down like this.

“This is so frustrating. I need to leave quickly. I can’t stay in this house any longer. Haji, let’s go.”

Seonghee stretched out her arm to grab Haji’s wrist.

But Seojin’s actions were faster. His hand cupped Haji’s face, and he placed a brief kiss on her lips.

How embarrassing. So embarrassing.

Seonghee shook her head at the sight.

Even at the first family gathering after their marriage, Seojin hadn’t hidden his feelings. Back then, she’d been utterly shocked, but now, having seen it a few times, she was a bit more used to it. At least compared to the first time, when she’d screamed in surprise.

“Have a good time.”

“Okay, I’ll be back.”

Even though they weren’t going far away, the two were dripping with longing.

“Good grief…”

Seonghee let out a mocking laugh.

Well, they were still newlyweds, so this was understandable.

***

The scent of flowers carried by the breeze tickled the tip of her nose pleasantly. A gentle wind brushed against the fine hairs on her face, and the sensation naturally brought a smile to her lips.

“This is so nice.”

“Isn’t it?”

The two women, dressed perfectly for an outing and with their makeup done, sat on a picnic mat with their eyes closed. The area around the large lake was quiet, with only a few people scattered here and there.

Haji, who had been keeping her eyes closed, slowly opened them.

The green leaves of the fringe tree, which had been casting shadows over her, swayed gently in the breeze.

Breaking free from her thoughts, Haji turned her head. She saw Seonghee, who looked tired.

Recently, her friend had been traveling the world, showcasing her talent at fashion shows. Haji found her admirable but also pitied her for looking so worn out.

“How’s Geon doing?”

Seonghee, who had started dating Geon, a model, after much difficulty, had been in a relationship with him for several years now.

“He’s doing well. He’s probably in America right now. He has back-to-back fashion shows lined up.”

“What’s it like having a world-famous model as your boyfriend?”

Haji asked teasingly, and Seonghee laughed as if it was absurd.

“To be my boyfriend, that much is a given.”

“Right. To be Seonghee’s boyfriend, you’d need to…”

At that moment, the blanket covering Haji’s legs was tugged down. The sudden cool breeze brushing against her bare skin startled her.

Looking down in surprise, Haji’s lips curved into a smile. She let out a small laugh and slowly sat up to avoid startling anyone.

“Hello?”

A baby, who seemed to have just turned one, was tightly gripping the blanket that had been on Haji’s legs with their tiny hands.

Perhaps the baby was tired from toddling over, as they plopped down on the spot. Then, they began fiddling with the colorful blanket, squeezing and pulling it. Soon, the baby pulled the blanket towards their mouth, revealing their tiny front teeth.

Seeing this, Haji reached out and gently held the baby’s delicate hand.

“Sweetheart, no. This is full of germs.”

She whispered softly, and the baby’s clear eyes widened. Haji let out a quiet laugh at the sight.

“The ribbon suits you well.”

The baby had a small, adorable ribbon pin barely clinging to their sparse hair, and it was so cute that it made Haji chuckle lightly.

At that moment, the baby’s father came running over, apologizing profusely. Although it was a brief encounter, the baby’s presence left a lingering impression.

“So cute. Don’t you think?”

“Hmm…?”

Watching her, Seonghee slowly turned her body and stared intently at Haji’s face.

“Haji, do you have any plans for children?”

“Children?”

“You don’t?”

Haji’s face showed a flicker of surprise at the question, and Seonghee blinked as if she was even more startled.

“Are you saying I look… pregnant?”

Haji’s eyes darted around nervously.

Since they were still newlyweds, she had always thought of having children as something far off in the future. Moreover, since Seojin hadn’t brought it up first, she hadn’t given it much thought or made any plans.

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to have kids. It’s not an obligation.”

Seonghee spoke quickly, as if worried her question might have caused unnecessary pressure.

“There are so many couples these days who are happy without kids. Do you know how many DINK couples there are?”

(DINK = double income, no kids)

“Hmm…”

Haji nodded at Seonghee’s words, which seemed to be trying to retract the topic. She wasn’t wrong.

These days, there were plenty of couples who lived happily without having children.

Tilting her head slightly, Haji thought for a moment before slowly parting her lips.

“I want to have kids.”

It was a brief moment of contemplation, but she realized she wanted to have Seojin’s child.

Before getting married, she had never really thought about children. But now, she felt that having a child in their happy life would double that happiness. Remembering how lonely she was as an only child growing up, she thought she should at least have two.

“Have you two talked about it?”

“…Not yet.”

“Really? That’s surprising. I thought Ki Seojin would have brought it up first.”

Seonghee, looking genuinely puzzled, slowly sat up straight.

“Surely, he’d want to have a daughter who looks like you?”

What could he be thinking, staying silent like this?

Seonghee’s murmuring continued.

“Could it be that he doesn’t want children?”

“That’s impossible. Don’t worry. Ki Seojin’s the kind of person who’ll do anything you want.”

Haji smiled softly at Seonghee’s serious expression as she nodded while speaking.

That was true.

And what ‘Ahn Haji’ wanted was what ‘Ki Seojin’ wanted.

By now, it felt like a formula. What ‘Ahn Haji’ felt became what ‘Ki Seojin’ felt. At some point, it had become a basic principle.

Haji decided to bring up the topic of their plans for children with Seojin that evening. She believed that his thoughts would surely align with hers.

***

That evening.

“Haji?”

“…?”

Haji, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality. Her head tilted down at the voice coming from her lap.

“Oh? What… oh no…”

Haji flailed her hands awkwardly, clearly flustered. Something seemed off about Seojin, who was lying on her lap with a face mask on.

“You need to let me breathe.”

“R-right?”

That was true. She had left too small of an opening for him to breathe, covering his entire face with the mask.

It was another face mask gifted by Seonghee, who had once again arrived bearing gifts. As before, Seojin had volunteered to test it on himself, worried it might irritate Haji’s skin.

Haji, feeling sorry for turning his face into something resembling a plaster cast, quickly skimmed through the instructions.

“It says not to cover the lips…”

It’s written right there.

“It’s fine.”

“I’ll wipe it off quickly. Just a moment.”

She carefully peeled off the hardened green mask from his face. Concerned it might have hardened improperly and cause pain, her fingers moved with extra care.

Today’s mask was clearly a failure. The mask had stuck messily to his lips and was crumbling off in chunks.

“What’s wrong?”

Through a small gap, Seojin’s red lips moved cautiously, as if mumbling. Watching this, Haji gasped and shut her mouth.

“Well, I thought I’d let it dry completely and peel it off all at once.”

It wasn’t just the lips that were the problem. If she didn’t want to accidentally pull out his long eyelashes, that seemed like the best course of action.

“I’m sorry.”

Haji whispered softly.

At her apology, Seojin’s lips stiffened slightly. Ever since her short outing with Seonghee, he had felt that something was off.

He was curious about what had happened or what she was thinking, but he chose to wait for Haji to process her thoughts and bring them up herself.

Soon, a small sigh escaped Haji’s lips.

“Honey.”

Seojin focused on the sensation of her fingers brushing through his hair. Since she rarely used such affectionate terms, it seemed like she had something to say.

Even without this display of affection, he was ready to listen to anything she had to say, but her nervous demeanor amused him, so he didn’t say anything.

What could his adorable wife be so cautious about saying?

Haji’s fingers, which had been moving gently through his hair as if she had made up her mind, began to fidget slightly.

He regretted not being able to see her expression. It was probably adorable.

While Seojin’s patience was being tested, Haji finally began to speak slowly.

“I have something I’m curious about.”

Her cautious words made Seojin nod slightly, signaling her to continue.

In response, Haji hesitated, tugging lightly at the strands of his hair she had been twirling in her fingers, careful not to hurt him. She licked her lips nervously, as if trying to find the right words.

She was clearly more tense than usual. Seojin debated whether to just rip off the unnecessary mask covering his face with his hands.

Instead, he chose to resolve things with words and gently held Haji’s hand.

“Go ahead, Haji.”

At his urging tone, Haji’s hand froze.

“…Do you want to grow our family?”