By Zephyria The arduous hospitalization and postpartum care center life, where he focused solely on recovery, had finally come to an end. Seo Jeong-won was able to leave the hospital only after the season had changed from winter to spring.
Not as two, but as three.
No, as five.
“Hae-a is our responsibility, so don’t worry about him. Just carefully support Jeong-won so he doesn’t fall.”
Seo Jeong-won’s gaze turned toward the gentle voice. Kwon Tae-hee’s parents, who had been visiting Seo Jeong-won every other day since he moved to the postpartum care center, were carrying Kwon Hae-a’s car seat, where he was asleep, with the same affectionate expressions as always.
“Jeong-won is so quiet and well-behaved, so our Hae-a is so gentle too. It’s amazing how the baby sleeps so well without fussing.”
The smile never left Shin Mi-hee’s lips. She treated Seo Jeong-won with even more warmth and kindness than she had on the day they first met at the tea house. Because he was much younger than her son and his body was excessively weakened by childbirth, she scolded Kwon Tae-hee even if Seo Jeong-won’s expression turned slightly sour.
“We’re going to our house, right?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, you thought well. It’s inconvenient to stay in a hotel with a baby. Besides, Hae-a is a newborn, so we have to be more careful. I didn’t like the idea of going to a hotel from the start.”
“We’ll only be staying for a while.”
The construction schedule had been extended due to changes in the interior design of the new house where the three of them would live together. Kwon Tae-hee, who had planned to stay in a hotel until it was finished, changed his mind and decided to stay at his parents’ house after Shin Mi-hee persuaded him that it was not good to take a newborn to a crowded place. Of course, he also sought Seo Jeong-won’s consent.
His young spouse actually liked the idea of staying at his parents’ house. Unlike himself, who thought that Seo Jeong-won’s family consisted only of himself and Kwon Hae-a, Seo Jeong-won accepted his parents as family as well.
“We’ll be out in two weeks. We won’t stay longer.”
Shin Mi-hee was taken aback by the firm answer, and Seo Jeong-won pouted. She didn’t express her disappointment outwardly, but her expression was so full of it that it was obvious even without hearing it.
“We won’t make you uncomfortable. We won’t bother you. Jeong-won, make yourself comfortable while you’re here.”
“Yes, thank you. Um… Mother.”
“Goodness.”
Shin Mi-hee’s expression brightened as if she was moved by the title Seo Jeong-won had managed to utter with difficulty. She sparkled her eyes and rejoiced, then shook her head as if trying to come to her senses and started moving her feet. She wanted to take them home quickly and began to worry about the dinner menu early.
“Instead of standing here, let’s go quickly. We should have a fancy dinner, but what would be good? Oh, should we install Hae-a’s car seat in our car?”
“No, in my car.”
“Too bad.”
However, regardless of her disappointment, Shin Mi-hee did not insist further because it was right for the parents to take the baby.
“I was going to do it later, but would it be okay if I went to buy plants with Jeong-won? After you go to work, Jeong-won will be alone and bored. How about going out with me for a drive—”
“Haa… Mother. We’ll just go to the hotel.”
“No, no! I was just saying! I thought an outing for an hour or two would be okay. I understand, I understand. I misspoke.”
Only after a flustered Shin Mi-hee waved her hands and firmly promised not to bring up such a thing again did Kwon Tae-hee relax. He had made it clear from the beginning that if she bothered Seo Jeong-won in any way, he would leave the house immediately.
“Um… I’m okay with it.”
“Jeong-won.”
“I don’t know much about orchids, but if it’s okay with you, I’ll go with you.”
Shin Mi-hee’s expression was one of emotion at the quietly uttered answer. She didn’t even look at her son and reached out to Seo Jeong-won.
“Oh my… How can he be so kind?”
Shin Mi-hee held Seo Jeong-won’s hand tightly and patted his dry hand, muttering words of thanks. She didn’t know the details of what had happened between the two, but she knew well enough that he must have suffered a lot.
That’s why Shin Mi-hee and Kwon Hyun-seok felt guilty toward Seo Jeong-won as Kwon Tae-hee’s parents. They wanted to separate the two of them, but they didn’t think their son would leave if they did, so instead, they decided to embrace Seo Jeong-won as much as possible.
“You can rest for a few days and then go out. Eat delicious food, buy plants, and go shopping.”
“Yes, that’s great.”
While Shin Mi-hee and Seo Jeong-won were holding hands and chatting, Kwon Tae-hee installed the luggage and Kwon Hae-a’s car seat in the car.
“Jeong-won, get in. Mother, stop it too.”
“Okay. Drive carefully. Oh, I didn’t put this on, did I? These days, everyone puts these on when they leave the postpartum care center. Put it on your car quickly.”
“What on earth have you been watching?”
Seo Jeong-won’s gaze was fixed on the car sticker that Shin Mi-hee had taken out. On a white background, black letters stated that they were driving with a newborn and asked for understanding regarding yielding and slow driving.
“It’s never bad to be careful. You never know.”
“It’s only a 15-minute drive from the hospital to the house.”
Kwon Tae-hee shook his head, refusing it as tacky, but Seo Jeong-won was not.
“Wouldn’t it be better to put it on? Other cars wouldn’t know that a baby is in the car.”
“Well, I guess so. If the other car knows that a baby is in the car in advance, they will drive more carefully.”
Shin Mi-hee glared at Kwon Tae-hee with a dumbfounded look at his instantly changed attitude. He scoffed when she said it. Even as she clicked her tongue, she felt relieved that he seemed to be living under the thumb of his young spouse.
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Kwon Tae-hee’s parents’ house was much larger and grander than expected. In particular, the yard was large, and the landscaping surrounding the house, like these days, created a luxurious atmosphere rather than a stuffy one.
Seo Jeong-won’s eyes widened. His black eyes moved busily as he looked around. As he began to regret saying he would stay here, his excited mood quickly subsided. He felt intimidated by the thought that he didn’t belong here.
“What’s wrong?”
Kwon Tae-hee, who was keenly aware of Seo Jeong-won’s feelings, stopped walking. When he saw the discomfort on his gentle face, Kwon Tae-hee also looked anxious. He briefly suspected that his parents had given him a look without him knowing as they entered the house, but he was soon filled with the conviction that he was hurting somewhere.
“Are you in pain? Your leg? Or are you dizzy? Should we go back to the hospital?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing…”
Although he shook his head and smiled awkwardly, Kwon Tae-hee knew that Seo Jeong-won was hiding his feelings. He straightened the muffler around Seo Jeong-won’s neck and then quietly held his hand.
“Are you uncomfortable at my parents’ house?”
“…”
“Actually, I don’t like it here either. It’s unnecessarily large and old.”
Kwon Tae-hee patted his hand, then pulled it into his pocket and continued slowly.
“My parents have lived a life where being seen by others is natural, so they think their prestige will be diminished if the house is even one pyeong smaller. It’s old-fashioned.”
“…It seems like a precious place.”
“It must look that way because a precious person has come.”
Kwon Tae-hee lowered his upper body and finally made eye contact with Seo Jeong-won, who was busy avoiding his gaze.
“Two precious guests have come. Of course, if Jeong-won is uncomfortable staying here, we can go somewhere else. Your opinion is the most important to me.”
“It’s not… it’s not that bad.”
“I don’t like living in the same house as my parents either. This situation is really absurd. I want to take Jeong-won and Hae-a out of here right now.”
Kwon Tae-hee expressed his thoughts honestly and directly, lest Seo Jeong-won feel guilty about bothering others. He openly revealed that he hated it from the beginning and urged him to change his mind.
Seo Jeong-won hesitated for a while and then shook his head. Leaving like this without even going inside the house felt like a rude thing to do, no matter how he thought about it. He had seen how much his parents had been looking forward to this day since the postpartum care center, so he felt sorry for them. Besides, the intimidated feeling had subsided after hearing Kwon Tae-hee say that he could do whatever he wanted or that it felt like a precious place because a precious guest had come.
“Your nose is red.”
“It’s because I’m cold.”
“The car should still be warm, should we go out?”
Seo Jeong-won shook his head at the gentle question.
“…I want to go in.”
“Tell me if you feel even a little bit strange. You don’t have to endure it at all. It’s not difficult to get out of here, and it’s not something we can’t do.”
Kwon Tae-hee carefully watched Seo Jeong-won’s expression and held his hand as he slowly walked through the garden. He happened to make eye contact with his mother, who was opening the front door, but he only raised his eyebrows slightly and said nothing.