Chapter 5 Side Story
“Suddenly… Bali?”
Sua blinked at his suggestion.
“Yeah. Do you dislike it?”
“I don’t dislike it.”
The only trips Sua had taken with Hyun-oh were their honeymoon to Namhae and their half-together, half-separate trip to Gangneung. They hadn’t traveled abroad together even after they grew closer.
She didn’t dislike it. She had wanted to see the scenery of Bali firsthand while preparing for this book. Moreover, going to that beautiful island with Hyun-oh made her heart flutter just thinking about it.
“I’m just surprised by the suddenness of it.”
Hyun-oh reached out and brushed Sua’s cheek with his hand. Her flushed face met his hand.
“We never had a proper honeymoon, did we?”
That was true. Both of their trips didn’t feel like real couple trips.
During their first trip, Sua thought Hyun-oh didn’t like her, and their second trip after their strategic marriage felt awkward. Except for the nights, their Gangneung trip hardly felt like time spent together. Besides, it was a solo trip for her in the first place, making it even more awkward.
How would it feel to travel with him?
“When you can take time off, let’s go.”
Sua’s schedule was relatively free for a while. She had worked on weekends while preparing for this book’s release, and she hadn’t taken her summer vacation yet.
Sua hesitated before asking, “I can take time off, but you’re busy, aren’t you? You have a lot of work these days.”
Sua knew well how late he worked. Would he have time for an overseas trip? Hyun-oh slowly shook his head.
“I can take a week off. Spending time with family is more important than work.”
Sua remembered her encounter with her brother Ji-heon earlier in the day as he said this.
“By the way, Hyun-oh… I met my brother today.”
“Ji-heon?”
Hyun-oh’s brows furrowed at the mention of Ji-heon’s name.
“Could it be… he said something unnecessary?”
“I’m not sure what’s considered unnecessary, but…”
Sua had heard about how Hyun-oh had helped Ji-heon when he closed his company. If Hyun-oh hadn’t mentioned it until now, it must have been intentional. Wondering if it was okay to talk about what he had hidden, Sua hesitated, then Hyun-oh gently cupped her face with his hands.
“Did he ask for anything else or bother you?”
Sua quickly shook her head.
“No, nothing like that. I just heard about how you helped him when he was closing his company. I was a bit surprised because you hadn’t told me about it before. That’s all.”
Hyun-oh nodded.
“I see.”
His expression brightened slightly, as if relieved that Ji-heon hadn’t caused any trouble to Sua.
“It was nothing. It wasn’t as complicated as you think.”
“I may not know much, but it must have been something. You must have been worried about this and that.”
“It really wasn’t much. Sua, you’re family to me, so I can handle that much.”
“But…”
As Sua’s words trailed off, Hyun-oh cut in.
“You’ve entrusted everything to me. Trust me.”
Sua fell silent. She had always felt guilty. She had grown up feeling constantly criticized between her father’s reproaches and her mother’s inaction. If she made even a small mistake, she would hear reprimands. So, she always had “I’m sorry” and “I apologize” on her lips. Even after becoming an adult, it hadn’t changed. How many things made Hyun-oh feel sorry because of her?
But that was all in the past.
Sua had decided to change.
She felt relieved at Hyun-oh’s words.
“Thank you for caring.”
Instead of saying, “I’m sorry for making you care,” she expressed her gratitude.
“But from now on, I hope you’ll let me know everything. I don’t want to be surprised.”
They weren’t just a show-window couple anymore. They were a real married couple now. Sua didn’t want to keep secrets from him, and she wanted to know everything about Hyun-oh.
Hyun-oh nodded firmly in response to Sua’s words.
“Okay. I’ll do that.”
As he replied, Sua smiled, and Hyun-oh put down the book and reached out to pull her into his arms. She stood there, leaning against his firm chest.
Resting her head against his chest, Sua thought about the events of the day and then spoke.
“I heard my nephew is on the way.”
“Yeah, I heard.”
“There was a risk of miscarriage… That’s why my brother’s grown so much stronger.”
“It seems like it. He’s changed a lot to the point where I can’t even picture the old Ji-heon. Even during the period of recovering his company, and now that he’s got a new job, he hasn’t complained once.”
Is that what having a child does?
Changing is such a difficult thing for people. Like a rock gaining momentum, it’s hard to change the direction and speed unless something significant happens. Ji-heon had lived his life recklessly, focused on his honor and appearances. But for the sake of his loved ones, he resolved to change.
“I was surprised to hear my brother speak like that.”
“Really?”
“He always seemed like someone who would never change. But seeing him change so much after having a child made me think.”
“….”
“I wonder if I’ll change when I have a child.”
Hyun-oh’s body, hugging Sua, twitched at the mention of a child.
Ah, I made a mistake.
It hadn’t been long since Sua and Hyun-oh had reconnected. They were just starting to adapt to married life, and it felt too soon to bring up the topic of children. She didn’t even know if he wanted children.
Come to think of it, he had never brought up the topic of children or pregnancy in front of Sua. Despite the opportunities, he had never mentioned such things. Seeing this, Sua didn’t know if he didn’t want children or if he was waiting for her to bring it up.
They had never spent a single night together without contraception. No matter where or when, he had always been prepared, no matter how passionate the night was.
Hyun-oh smiled at Sua’s question.
“It’s possible.”
“… I didn’t plan on talking about having children, but seeing you change made me blurt it out. You probably don’t have any thoughts on having a child yet.”
“Why would you think I don’t want a child?”
“Because you never… brought up such a topic.”
Hyun-oh chuckled softly at Sua’s words.
“Really? If I could hold a child who looks like you, wouldn’t that be the happiest thing in the world? That’s what I think.”
He closed his eyes slowly, as if pondering.
“Getting pregnant, giving birth… Those are burdensome tasks for women, so I was waiting for you to be ready. I didn’t want to burden you even more with waiting for a child at home.”
“Ah.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t want a child; he just hadn’t brought it up because he didn’t want to pressure Sua.
“Do you want one soon?”
“Hmm….”
Hyun-oh stretched out his answer, looking troubled, then shrugged his shoulders.
“I want to spend a little more time with just the two of us, and I also want to see a child who looks like you. What about you?”
“I… Well.”
She had wanted a child with him. How cute would a child with Hyun-oh’s face be?
“Is now okay?”
“Is now okay?” Sua repeated, her eyes widening in surprise.
Hyun-oh kissed her lips gently, his tongue slipping between her soft lips.
“Suck.”
They hadn’t even changed their clothes or washed up yet. Sua was startled by Hyun-oh’s kiss, which clearly had more than just a greeting behind it, and she gently pushed him away.
“Hyun-oh.”
“I want a child. ‘Now’ means right now.”
“‘Now’ doesn’t mean right this moment.”
With a mixture of laughter in her voice, Sua tried to push him away, but Hyun-oh, who was already on fire, didn’t let go of her. Instead, he messed up her neat shirt and whispered in her ear.
“I want you right now.”
“….”
“I want to hold you right now.”
He wanted to hold her, create a child that resembled her, and paint this night red.
Unable to resist his intense words, Sua finally couldn’t help but laugh.
Whenever she was with him, she found herself swept away by Hyun-oh’s flow. It was like being caught in a dizzying whirlpool.
But even so, it was good.
Because she loved this man.
Sua willingly surrendered herself to the tide named Hyun-oh.
