MHFM 09

Chapter : 09

It was midsummer, and the scene was in the living room of Youngho’s house.

From one side of the living room, the cries of cicadas poured in through the wide-open windows.

Young Soyeul was sleeping peacefully with her head resting on Youngho’s father’s lap.

Her stomach was exposed just as it had been back then, and Youngho’s father gently covered it with a thin blanket.

It was such a warm, homely scene that it could have been painted.

Even though it had been someone else’s family, the moment had remained in Taehun’s memory like a faded photograph.

The child from that scene was now lying on his bed.

With her stomach exposed in exactly the same way.

The only difference was that there was no one left now to cover her with a blanket.

Perhaps looking at him no longer brought back painful memories of those days.

‘Even if that’s not the case, living like this can’t be easy for you.’

Taehun’s eyes darkened.

‘While you’re here, at least I’ll make sure you’re not uncomfortable.’

With his large hand, Taehun carefully stroked the head of the sleeping girl.

It was only a brief gesture.

He soon gathered what he needed and left the bedroom.

Soyeul had thought that life as Minchae, Taehun’s wife, would be filled with nothing but tension and fear.

But contrary to her worries, Soyeul’s daily life was peaceful and uneventful.

Taehun himself was so busy with work that, apart from breakfast, it was difficult to even see his face.

However, with the exception of Yejoon, who was wary of her, all of her in-laws were kind and affectionate toward Soyeul.

No one cursed at her or ordered her to do chores. There was always a sumptuous feast on the dining table. The rooms were comfortable and filled with sunlight, and the bedding was soft and cozy.

“Wow, is this a cloud? It feels so good. This is practically heaven….”

Lying alone on the bed, she sometimes found herself saying things like that without even realizing it.

“Come to think of it, I always catch a cold whenever the seasons change. But I haven’t this time.”

It was because of her habit of kicking off the blankets while sleeping, but still, it was strange. Perhaps she wasn’t getting sick because the environment was so good.

And that wasn’t all. Because of an unexpected incident, she even ended up sharing a hobby with her father-in-law, Kang Jeonggyun.

One day, Soyeul discovered a romance novel she liked lying on the table in the first-floor living room. As it turned out, it belonged to Kang Jeonggyun.

Soyeul liked that sort of thing too.

When she immersed herself in sweet stories, she could endure the time spent in the dark, stuffy basement room somewhat more easily.

“Minchae, do you like that kind of thing too?”

“Yes, Father! Especially this one. It’s the book of my life!”

“…Really? Perhaps our tastes are similar. Would you like to take a look at some of the others?”

From that moment on, the two began enjoying their hobby together.

“Boo-hoo, daughter-in-law. Could you give me some tissues too?”

“Sniff, yes. Here you go, Father.”

They would watch dramas together on the huge screen installed in Kang Jeonggyun’s study, shedding tears and blowing their noses.

“I don’t think the male lead should have simply left at that point! As the male lead of a romance, he was disqualified!”

“But, Father! If you consider the male lead’s character, I think leaving at that moment was actually the way to preserve his charm!”

They would also read new romance novels and have heated discussions about them.

“Seeing things like this while working is so healing. It’s even more fun watching them with my daughter-in-law! I never had anyone whose tastes matched mine. Especially your mother-in-law. She likes those stiff documentaries. As expected of the wife of a chaebol.”

Kang Jeonggyun was delighted to have his daughter-in-law become his hobby partner.

Then, one day.

It was Friday evening.

Taehun, who finally had some free time, had dinner with his family.

Thanks to his daughter-in-law’s hearty appetite, the family dinner was filled with a warm and cheerful atmosphere.

In the middle of it all, Taehun alone ate with an aloof air, as though he were royalty.

‘Good grief, that blunt son of mine. Wouldn’t it be nice if he put some side dishes on Minchae’s plate and acted a little more affectionate?’

Now that he had taken such a kind and pretty girl as his wife, it would be nice if he paid attention to her and grew closer to her.

Kang Jeonggyun glared at his son disapprovingly.

“I’ll step away for a moment to take a call.”

Taehun left the dining table.

Kang Jeonggyun thought perhaps he was going to pretend to be busy all by himself again, and sure enough—

“There’s an issue at the company, so I’ll be leaving first.”

Taehun abruptly left in the middle of the meal.

Kang Jeonggyun looked at his daughter-in-law.

The lively expression that had appeared on the girl’s face during mealtimes now carried a hint of disappointment.

Kang Jeonggyun felt sorry for her.

It seemed his daughter-in-law had feelings for his handsome son Taehun, who looked so much like him.

But if seeing her husband was as difficult as reaching for the stars, she must feel lonely.

‘That son of mine, Kang Taehun. At this rate, he’s practically begging to become one of those regretful men who realize everything too late.’

That was one of Kang Jeonggyun’s most hated tropes.

They were the kind of men who never realized how precious something was while they had it.

Whenever he reached the part where a regretful male lead begged for forgiveness too late, Kang Jeonggyun would even shout, “Apologize with your death, you piece of nuclear waste!”

Kang Jeonggyun absolutely could not stand the thought of his son becoming that pathetic.

In the end, Kang Jeonggyun made up his mind.

‘For the sake of our pretty daughter-in-law, I’ll have to step in myself. I’ll do my best, daughter-in-law.’

The love matchmaker operation for his adorable daughter-in-law was officially underway.

Early the next morning.

After waking up, Taehun headed to the third-floor fitness room as usual.

After finishing his strength training, he stepped onto the treadmill.

Sweat ran down his clearly defined body, which had become even more pumped up from exercise.

His daily life had returned to the routine he had followed before marriage, and it was peaceful.

No, it wasn’t exactly the same as before. There was one newly added part to his daily routine.

Covering Soyeul with a blanket in the morning and evening.

Taehun had never personally bothered with such small, repetitive household tasks. Those things were always handled by his secretary or subordinates.

So one might have expected covering Soyeul with a blanket to become an annoyance, but somehow, it had naturally blended into his daily life.

‘She kicks off the blanket every single day. I wonder if she’ll catch a cold because of it.’

Without realizing it, he was worrying about Soyeul’s health when—

“Clear your schedule this afternoon. It’s your grandfather’s order.”

Kang Jeonggyun’s voice suddenly came flying over.

When Taehun turned around, Kang Jeonggyun was already on the treadmill right beside him, pressing the buttons with little beeps.

“Grandfather said that?”

Taehun lowered his speed and asked.

“Yes. When I told him that it seemed you two could barely even see each other, he became worried. So he said you should go on a date with Minchae today.”

Kang Jeonggyun spoke casually as he slowly began walking.

In truth, he had made the plan himself and coordinated it with Chairman Kang beforehand.

After all, if it was something his sick grandfather had asked of him, Taehun would at least pretend to listen.

“I have work. And Minchae seems to be doing well. I’ll contact Grandfather and tell him not to waste his energy worrying.”

He could have simply said “yes,” so why was this guy talking so much?

Kang Jeonggyun’s insides boiled.

“No use! It’s true that you’re always clinging to the company! Your father is upset that Minchae can’t even properly see her husband’s face! He said he has no face to look at Minchae!”

…Ha.

Taehun let out a quiet sigh.

He had gotten married despite it never being part of his life plans for the sake of his grandfather. He had thought that once he got married, his grandfather wouldn’t ask for anything more.

Besides, Soyeul was deceiving him right now. Spending time with him might actually be uncomfortable for her.

“Take her out and feed her something delicious, then go to the department store and buy her some pretty clothes. Just do as you’re told! Unless you want to see your grandfather lying around sick with worry again!”

Under Kang Jeonggyun’s relentless pressure, Taehun eventually cleared his schedule that afternoon.

After quickly finishing a pile of work in the morning, he took Soyeul to a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant for lunch.

“Wow….”

Soyeul admired the cityscape visible at a glance from their window seat at the restaurant.

Then, when the appetizers were served, her eyes sparkled as she swallowed hard.

‘Only her height has changed. She’s exactly the same as she was when she was little, Seo Soyeul.’

Whenever he visited Youngho’s house, Taehun would sometimes bring cakes from the DH Hotel out of courtesy.

At those times, Soyeul’s eyes would always sparkle just like that.

She had remained unchanged despite all those years.

Unexpectedly, that gave Taehun a sense of comfort.

Just like those days when his friend and younger sister were still alive, and he himself could still live happily without a care in the world.

A silent smile spread across Taehun’s lips.