Chapter 2

“Really?”

He looked taken aback, as if he hadn’t expected her to say that.

It was something Ayeon had never brought up before.

So Jooheon’s reaction was only natural.

“Yeah. What do you think?”

She asked carefully.

“My opinion doesn’t matter.”

He shook off his surprised expression and shrugged.

“It does matter.”

“Well, as for me.”

Jooheon gave a short laugh before continuing.

“If it’s what Seon Ayeon wants, then anything. Anything is fine. Because that’s what I want too.”

She smiled faintly at the tenderness in his voice.

From the first time they met to this day, Jooheon had always been that kind of person.

Someone who cherished Seon Ayeon more than Seon Ayeon cherished herself.

Someone who loved her more than she loved herself.

And tonight was no different.

“So does that mean we’re skipping this tonight?”

He narrowed his eyes playfully, pulled something from the pocket of his bathrobe, tossed it aside, then lifted her into his arms.

“Sunbae…”

The word slipped out of her mouth before she realized it.

Even after they got married, she had a habit of calling Jooheon Sunbae, and it took endless teasing from those around them for her to finally fix it not long ago.

“Haven’t heard that in a while. It makes my heart race, Seon Ayeon.”

She squinted at him and smiled.

He gently laid her on the bed and gazed down at her with a slow, intense look.

As she smiled faintly, he pressed a kiss on her forehead.

From her forehead, his lips traveled down to her eyes, the bridge of her nose, then finally her lips.

“You know I get nervous every time you go to school, right?”

He whispered softly as he pulled away for a moment.

“Why?”

“Because those students might shamelessly hit on you.”

He stroked her hair as he spoke.

“That makes no sense. The students these days are so smart and pretty, I could never keep up with them.”

She frowned and shook her head.

“No matter how you put it, do you really think there’s anyone who could compare to you, Ayeon?”

He brushed another light kiss on her lips before speaking again.

“You keep comparing yourself to kids more than ten years younger. I’m getting old now.”

She jutted out her lips, and he smiled at the sight.

“To me, you look exactly the same. Just like when I first saw you.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he whispered sweetly and began exploring her.

His lips left hers briefly, brushing against her ear.

“I love you, Ayeon.”

Her eyes fluttered at the rush of dizziness that washed over her.

He buried his face in her neck and pressed his lips against her skin.

It didn’t take long for his lazy movements to grow heated.

His lips and hands traveled across every part of her, not missing a single spot.

There was a deliberate, thorough intention in the way he touched her, as if he wanted to awaken every inch of her body.

Ayeon let out a low moan and dug her nails into his firm arms.

“Haahk, Sunbae…”

She hadn’t married him out of love, but they had spent five years together as husband and wife.

Just like people said, living together created a bond that hadn’t been there before.

She liked the fact that she was no longer alone, thanks to Jooheon, who loved her with unwavering devotion.

Especially on nights like this when she felt down.

When he said he loved her, she believed him.

She truly did.

* * *

She didn’t know when she had fallen asleep, but Ayeon woke up in the early dawn.

It was earlier than usual, and she didn’t feel like she could fall back asleep.

She got out of bed and went to the dining room.

As she drank a glass of water absentmindedly, her eyes landed on Jooheon’s jacket carelessly left on the living room sofa.

“Oh no. It must be all wrinkled.”

She frowned, picked it up to put it in the clothing styler, and felt something hard rattling inside the pocket.

“What’s this?”

She slipped her hand inside.

What she pulled out was a fairly large jewelry box.

When she opened it carefully, she found a beautiful bracelet that was exactly her style.

“Is it a special day?”

She murmured to herself, then glanced at the calendar on the living room side table. A small sound of realization escaped her lips.

Today was their fifth wedding anniversary.

Unlike Ayeon, who often forgot, Jooheon always remembered anniversaries. This year was no exception.

If he found out that she discovered the present first, he would throw a fit, saying she had ruined the surprise.

She quietly put the jewelry box back where it was and hung the jacket neatly on a hanger.

Then, as she headed back to the bedroom, she wondered what kind of present she should prepare for him.

“Aren’t you going swimming?”

She whispered into his ear as he slept.

“I’ll skip today. Just let me off this once.”

He mumbled without even opening his eyes.

After a moment’s thought, she brought her lips close to his ear again.

“Then I’ll go alone. Sleep more.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Ayeon.”

She let him sleep in and headed for the community center.

Normally, she would have woken him up even by force, but today was special, so she decided to let it slide.

There were fewer people than usual at the pool.

After a quick stretch, she walked into the water.

It felt colder than usual, but it didn’t take long for her to adjust.

Then she began swimming in earnest.

Gentle splashes trailed behind her.

After moving to Forest One, she had taken up swimming at Jooheon’s suggestion instead of tennis.

She didn’t love swimming as much as tennis, but it was the best exercise she could do alone.

Even so, sometimes she couldn’t help but miss the days when she played tennis regularly.

When she saw how Jooheon had lost interest in tennis, she even wondered if he ever truly liked it.

Jooheon, who had majored in Western painting, and Ayeon, a psychology student, had met during their undergraduate years at Korea University through the tennis club.

Back then, Jooheon was a returning student, and he persistently followed the freshman Ayeon around.

She didn’t remember it clearly, but one night they spent together led to an unexpected pregnancy.

And with that, he finally got what he had wanted all along.

Marriage to Seon Ayeon.

That one night was still a mystery, but she had decided to marry him because of his sincerity toward her, her trust in his father Yoon Sang-gi, and for the sake of the child she was carrying.

He had focused solely on fine arts until right before the wedding, when he launched an art sculpture investment platform called The Bridge of Art.

His well-off family had provided the capital for the business and all the wedding expenses, so both the company and their newlywed life began in abundance.

Her suggestion to start small had no effect on her in-laws.

She found it burdensome, but there was nothing she could do.

Even so, they had never flaunted their generosity. In fact, they even offered to help her continue her research in psychology after giving birth.

But not long after the wedding, she had a miscarriage.

Every morning, they swam together and then shared a simple breakfast.

It had been their unchanging routine for the past five years.

She liked this routine.

The pain of the miscarriage five years ago had been deep, but without a child she could focus on her studies, and she enjoyed having time for shared hobbies with Jooheon.

At first, she disliked hearing that they still seemed like newlyweds because they had no children. But now she could laugh and agree.

Still, after her professorship appointment fell through again, she had begun to wonder if it was a sign to let go and try for a child, which was why she had hinted about it to Jooheon yesterday.

“Haa…”

After swimming several laps, she took one last deep dive, then burst through the surface.

Just as she was about to take a deep breath, a sharp metallic crack pierced her ears.

“Ha.”

Startled, she instinctively dove back under.

The piercing sound vanished as if it were a lie, leaving only silence.

All she could hear was the pounding of her heartbeat.

She didn’t know how long she stayed like that.

“Excuse me!”

She surfaced when someone’s voice reached her faintly through the water.

Beeeep! Beeeep!

Loud whistles rang out outside the pool.

Even though she was breathing, a strange tightness lingered in her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut, then slowly opened them.

But against the backlight, she couldn’t make out the person standing in front of her, so she narrowed her eyes.