Chapter 4 Side Story
What Ji-heon handed to Sua was a black-and-white photograph.
“What’s this…?”
She couldn’t make out what was in the picture. As she looked up after a brief glance at the photo, she noticed a tender smile on Ji-heon’s face.
“…Oppa?”
“It’s my niece.”
“Niece?”
She lowered her head again to look at the picture. At first, she thought it was just a meaningless white shadow against a black background, but upon closer inspection, she could see the profile of a child.
Could it be… an ultrasound picture?
“My sister-in-law is pregnant?”
“Yeah.”
Ji-heon nodded.
It had been 8 years since they got married, and Ji-heon’s couple had been unable to have a child for a long time. Their marriage was a strategic one, and Sua had assumed they couldn’t have children for some reason. Honestly, there had been times when she thought they might divorce because of their situation at home.
But now they were having a baby.
“We tried so hard for a long time to have a child, and suddenly she got pregnant naturally this time.”
“Congratulations, Oppa. So… how many months now?”
“Seven months.”
“Seven months?”
Sua raised her voice in surprise at the thought of childbirth being just two months away.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Come to think of it, Ji-heon’s wife didn’t come even on their mother’s birthday two months ago. Sua had thought she might be busy or have some other reason.
“Does Mom know?”
“She still doesn’t know.”
“Mom doesn’t know either?”
“Yeah. We found out late too. It was around 10 weeks, and then she had some bleeding, so we went to the hospital and they said there was a risk of miscarriage. After barely getting through the crisis, when it got a little better, they said the cervix was shortening, so there was a risk of premature birth. We thought we should let our family know when we were sure, but it ended up being delayed like this.”
“…”
“Now we’re finally at a point where the baby could survive if born. Oh, Hyun-oh found out around the time I was wrapping up my business.”
“Is sister-in-law okay now? And the baby?”
“Yeah, she’s okay. The baby is growing well too. Fortunately, it’s a week or more ahead of schedule compared to the due date. It seems to take after me, even the length of the thighs.”
As Ji-heon said this, he smiled proudly.
“Congratulations, Oppa, even if it’s late.”
“Thank you.”
“You must have struggled if it was so risky for so long.”
“My wife struggled more.”
“Yeah. I imagine sister-in-law had a tough time.”
“She had a bleeding issue starting at 23 weeks, and she was hospitalized for a month. She went through a lot. After that… I think she was stressed out by my business, going around here and there, drinking, maybe it was all too much for my wife. I repented and prayed while holding on like that.”
“…”
“I prayed, ‘If you save this baby, I’ll live to serve my family.’ I even started looking for God and Buddha. There was nothing I could do when the baby was sick, and my wife was struggling.”
So why did he change?
Around that time, Ji-heon closed his company. And as he had decided, he did his best for his wife. After stabilizing a bit, he started looking for a job, and he tried to find the best way for his wife and child.
“Money, honor… They were all meaningless in front of that.”
“Oppa…”
“I’m sorry, to you too. I wanted to apologize for acting so selfishly.”
“…”
“I thought I had to do well, to make it big in business for my family. So I felt resentful towards you for not helping. But that wasn’t it. I felt it as I talked with my mother. After my father suddenly passed away, I realized that being by my mother’s side was more important than building my business again and being successful. My wife felt the same way too. She needed a husband by her side more than one who earned a lot of money and was successful…”
“…”
“I’m sorry.”
Ji-heon apologized to Sua.
“I’ve been insensitive to you, too.”
“…”
She couldn’t deny it. When Sua responded with an ambiguous smile, he continued.
“It’ll change now. Help me change. Tell me honestly. I’ll try to do better. Okay?”
Ji-heon was asking for Sua’s help. He was willing to change and become a better person.
Was it the shock of almost losing something so important to him, now that they were having a baby?
Sua had always believed that people don’t change. The Ji-heon who said such things wasn’t the brother she had known all her life. He wasn’t the Ji-heon who had tormented her and acted arrogantly since they were kids.
His dramatic change left Sua feeling bewildered.
* * *
Evening.
Sua left work feeling somewhat dazed. Today had been really hectic. The book she had planned was published for the first time and displayed in bookstores, she met Ji-heon during lunch, and she heard shocking news from him.
That they were having a baby and that Ji-heon had changed because of it. And also the fact that Hyun-oh had helped Ji-heon close his company.
So much information flooded Sua’s mind that she couldn’t remember how the afternoon had passed. She arrived home, opened the door, but the house was still quiet despite her presence.
“Where did Hyun-oh go?”
He had said he would stay home and rest all day today.
Thinking he might have gone out, Sua walked towards the couple’s bedroom. There, sitting on the edge of the bed with his back against the headboard, Hyun-oh was reading the book Sua had planned for today’s release, “Bali, One Month, Dreaming Time.” Recognizing the familiar cover, Sua called out his name in surprise.
“Hyun-oh.”
“Oh, you’re here?”
Hyun-oh replied, lifting his glasses slightly on the bridge of his nose. His eyes, slightly narrowed behind the lenses, were focused on Sua.
Sua liked seeing Hyun-oh like this. It felt like peering into a part of him that no one else knew.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
Hyun-oh smiled, lifting the corners of his lips.
“Because I’m happy you read the book for me.”
A complex feeling arose within Sua.
She didn’t know how to express it in words, but she was grateful and happy that he had read the book. Since Sua joined Yoon Dam Publishing, Hyun-oh had always been supportive of her work. Despite societal expectations for a chaebol daughter-in-law to manage the household, he had always supported her desire to work and participate in household company affairs.
She felt his genuine support, and that made her happy.
“…I’m happy.”
That was the best way to express it. As Sua spoke, Hyun-oh reached out and pulled her towards him. She was quickly trapped in his strong arms.
“Bali was fascinating. I didn’t know why the author chose Bali as a place to live for a month, but I feel like I understand now. It’s such an attractive place. I got so engrossed in the book that I forgot to stop reading.”
Sua’s face lit up with a relieved smile.
In fact, the book had received more pre-orders than expected from the first order. Large bookstores had also ordered a lot, and it had been a hot topic on social media even before its release.
So, although it was all good news and exciting, Sua was particularly pleased with Hyun-oh’s evaluation.
Especially because he was a man who didn’t mince his words.
“…I’m glad.”
There was no other way to express it. As Sua’s eyes widened slightly, Hyun-oh reached out and pulled her towards him. She was quickly trapped in his strong arms.
“Shall we go?”
“Go where?”
“To Bali.”
“…?”
“I want to walk on the Bali beach with the waves crashing, holding your hand.”
Whenever we have time, let’s go together.
No, let’s leave right now.
Just the two of us.
