With a clang, the front gate opened. Ji-an froze in surprise, realizing he had pressed the button himself.

    ‘What should I do? How…’

    Ji-an knew very little about  Jeong Hee-young. She was merely a background character who occasionally appeared alongside the  Jeong family, nothing more or less than a chaebol woman with a somewhat complicated private life. She was the kind of person who would only chime in when Myung Hyun-sook expressed hatred for “Seo Ji-an.”

    In other words, she was just a typical background character in a makjang drama.

    [Hyung-nim. Your older sister is here]

    Ji-an quickly sent a message to  Jeong Hee-seo before stuffing his phone in his pocket and stepping outside.

    A car with a loud engine was slowly entering the flat area at the bottom of the stairs that wound around the garden. Ji-an anxiously looked down, not knowing how to open the garage door, and almost screamed when the car’s wheels nearly crushed the flower bed.

    As Ji-an watched with an unconsciously tense face, an unexpected guest got out of the car along with the woman.

    [The baby came too.]

    Jeong Hee-seo hadn’t checked the message yet. Ji-an added another comment below the unread message with its “1” still visible, then put on an awkward smile and started walking.

    As he descended the stairs leading to the lower garden, a female version of  Jeong Hee-seo looked at Ji-an and blushed.

    “Hello. Oh my… so…”

    Jeong Hee-young covered her mouth with her hand and smiled brightly, trailing off mid-greeting. She was stunningly beautiful, so much like  Jeong Hee-seo that Ji-an felt his guard crumbling helplessly.

    “Hello. I’m Seo Ji-an.”

    “Oh my goodness. I’m… Hee-seo’s older sister,  Jeong Hee-young. Nice to meet you.”

    “Let’s go inside. It’s hot out here… Yes, this way…”

    As Ji-an awkwardly guided them up the stairs to the house, Jeong Hee-young’s gaze felt piercing. Ji-an broke out in a cold sweat, feeling like holes might be burned into his face by the intensity of the stare.

    The little angel-like girl clutching  Jeong Hee-young’s pants was no less intimidating. The laser beams from her large eyes rivaled her mother’s.

    “Hyung went to buy jjajangmyeon. He’ll be back soon if you wait a moment.”

    “Where’s Uncle?”

    When the child tugged on  Jeong Hee-young’s clothes and asked, she crouched down to meet her eyes.

    “Ah, Ye-seo-ya, Uncle just went to buy something. Should we say hello to this oppa here? Say ‘hello.'”

    “Hello.”

    Ye-seo placed both hands on her stomach and bowed her head politely. She bowed so hard she nearly rolled forward, but  Jeong Hee-young caught her by the scruff of the neck and steadied her.

    “Oh, um… hello.”

    Oppa? Ji-an took a hesitant step back. Encountering this fatally cute experience for the first time, he retreated to the kitchen, not knowing how to react.

    After confirming that the two had sat down on the living room sofa, Ji-an brought out some ice water. Meeting  Jeong Hee-young was surprising enough, but the timing of her visit was mind-boggling.

    ‘Wow, it really is like a makjang drama…’

    For over ten days, whenever  Jeong Hee-seo wasn’t home, there had been a constant stream of visitors to the house – from staff to designers, delivery people, and movers. It meant Ji-an had rarely been alone. Even on the rare occasions he was by himself,  Jeong Hee-seo invariably filled the space beside him.

    And yet,  Jeong Hee-young had barged in during that brief moment when  Jeong Hee-seo was away. The concept of a makjang drama, its characters, and the forces of this world that move them were truly remarkable. Ji-an let out a shallow sigh at the thought.

    Had this spacious living room always felt so suffocating? Ji-an set the glasses on the table and sat on the sofa, pressing down firmly on both knees. He feared his legs might start shaking uncontrollably if he let her guard down.

    His wandering gaze suddenly met  Jeong Hee-young’s. Caught glancing,  Jeong Hee-young gave an embarrassed smile.

    “I’m sorry. I’ve been staring too much, haven’t I? It’s just that you’re so pretty… Oh, is it inappropriate to say that when we’ve just met?”

    “…Not at all. Thank you.”

    “Oppa pretty.”

    “No…”

    Ye-seo followed up by clapping her hands, which made  Jeong Hee-young burst into laughter.

    “See, I told you. Ji-an, right? Kids’ eyes are so accurate. Our Ye-seo has been clapping for pretty people since she was one year old.”

    Pretty… Ji-an scratched his cheek. 

    From their first meeting, she kept surprising Ji-an. The mother and daughter, who were so beautiful that they naturally drew the eye, blinked their large round eyes innocently. It was truly overwhelming.

    As Ji-an was mentally preparing various scenarios and countermeasures for what  Jeong Hee-young might say to him before  Jeong Hee-seo returned, he found himself unable to adapt when the conversation took an unexpected turn.

    Ji-an had expected the chaebol-like behavior typical of makjang dramas, like having a drink poured on him while being told, “How dare you wag your tail at our Hee-seo!” 

    “…”

    That’s why, in all this confusion, he had avoided fruit juices that might stain the sofa and brought out ice water instead. Seeing the child not even touch the water glass, he felt oddly guilty.

    Ji-an cautiously glanced towards Ye-seo.

    “Um, baby… would you like some ice cream?”

    “Ye-seo is not baby. Ye-seo is four years old. I’m in the big kids’ class now.”

    “Oh, really?”

    The doll-like child nodded vigorously while hiding behind her mother. She peeked out, showing only two-thirds of her face, her glass bead-like eyes with long eyelashes fixed on Ji-an.

    She’s so pretty… And she talks so well, too.

    Ji-an clenched his hands to resist the urge to reach out.

    Jeong Hee-seo must have looked just like this as a baby. From the slightly stubborn-looking eyebrows, the upper lip poking out cutely, and the adorable nose perched above a well-defined philtrum—she was a little angel.

    …He wished he could have just one photo.

    “I like ice cream,” Ye-seo said, enchanting Ji-an with her round eyes. It made Ji-an want to fetch not just ice cream, but an entire ice cream truck if he could.

    “T-then oppa will give you ice cream.”

    As Ji-an awkwardly stood up,  Jeong Hee-young’s sparkling gaze followed his every move. Ji-an pressed the back of his hand to his reddening face as he quickly headed to the kitchen. Ye-seo trotted along behind him.

    As Ji-an opened the refrigerator, pondering which flavor to take out, he heard a small voice behind him whisper, “Chocolate flavor looks yummy.” Turning around, he saw Ye-seo had already climbed onto a dining chair.

    Following the child’s wish, he scooped chocolate ice cream into a pretty bowl. When he handed it over with a teaspoon, the child’s big black eyes widened, and her cheeks puffed up. Her pale, translucent cheeks, through which you could almost see veins, turned a rosy color. The child was so cute that Ji-an felt he would give her anything just to keep seeing her smile.

    “Wow. How did you know? Chocolate is my favorite.”

    “Really? I guess I guessed right. I’m glad it’s one you like.”

    “Thank you for the food!”

    At this moment, Ji-an didn’t even notice  Jeong Hee-young walking around the house. He was too busy admiring how adorable Ye-seo was. It was fascinating to watch her grip the teaspoon firmly with her small maple leaf-like hand and bring it to her mouth.

    She resembled her mother much more than just  Jeong Hee-seo, with features from her unseen father mixed in as well. Nevertheless, Ye-seo had the distinctive aura of the  Jeong siblings, looking like a small fairy.

    Just then, as if a real fairy had appeared, something small yet profound stirred deep within Ji-an.

    “…!”

    Ji-in instinctively placed his hand over his stomach and froze.

    Hiccups? Or was it a sneeze? The sensation of bubbles popping seemed to tickle beneath the thin skin of Ji-an’s stomach.

    “…”

    As he stood there stunned, Ji-an met Jeong Hee-young’s eyes as she returned from exploring the house. Mistaking Ji-an’s surprise for a reaction to her presence,  Jeong Hee-young approached with a warm smile.

    “We must have startled you by showing up so suddenly, right? Ah… I feel embarrassed for being so rude. Should we call Hee-seo to see where he is? He doesn’t usually answer my calls. If I had known there were guests at home, I wouldn’t have barged in like this. I’m not usually so tactless, it’s not an excuse, but if only Hee-seo had answered the phone—”

    “Mom, Uncle said not to come.”

    “What? No, sweetie. Uncle didn’t say that. He invited us over.”

    “No, he didn’t. Uncle said Ye-seo should wait at home. He clearly said not to come and to wait. He said he’d buy a rabbit doll if I waited.”

    “Come on, Ye-seo must have misunderstood. Uncle said to come visit.”

    “No, it’s true! Uncle said to wait nicely for three sleeps and then he’d come!”

    Jeong Hee-young laughed awkwardly. Instead of correcting the child’s words, she chose to silence her, pulling out a tissue from the table to wipe her mouth, removing the chocolate mustache from her small lips.

    Until then, Ji-an had been frozen, unable to say anything. Startled by  Jeong Hee-young’s puzzled look, he jerked into motion, creakily heading towards the sofa to find his phone.  Jeong Hee-young, noticing Ji-an’s right arm and leg moving simultaneously, thought he must be quite nervous.

    Ji-an’s awkwardness was actually due to the bubbles bursting inside him— if they were even bubbles at all.

    Every time Ji-an felt the popping sensation, his brain seemed to shut down, his thoughts stuttering to a halt.

    ‘Hyung. I need to tell hyung about this—’

    There were still two pairs of pretty eyes intently watching him in the house, and his phone was nowhere to be seen.

    It’s amazing how people can feel like they have no joints when they’re extremely flustered.

    Ji-an finally spotted his phone wedged between the sofa cushions. As he moved his stiff legs to approach and bent down, another pop occurred.

    “Ah.”

    This time, an exclamation escaped his lips involuntarily.

    It felt like something was bursting in his chest. His cheeks quickly flushed red. His heart pounded, and a surge of excitement welled up. Not wanting to miss this faint touch, Ji-an remained bent over, frozen in place.

    ‘Hyung…!’

    Just as he desperately thought of him, the front door opened, and  Jeong Hee-seo rushed in urgently.

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