Epilogue 4 Newlywed Life
Translator: RaidenTL
Epilogue 4
Newlywed Life
For their first destination, Eun-seong chose Maui, the second-largest island in Hawaii. It was less bustling than Oahu, making it the perfect place for a family of three to rest quietly, and the island’s climate was wonderfully mild.
Of all the vacation spots in the world, Maui was Eun-seong’s favorite. The reason was simple: whenever he came here to rest, he felt an inexplicable sense of peace. During his stays, no problems ever arose, no friction ever occurred, and he never had to deal with the needless fatigue of being jostled by crowds of tourists.
Three years ago, on his sixth visit, he remembered watching a happy family playing in the water and thinking how nice it would be to come here with a family of his own. The thought that it was an impossible dream had quickly followed, making him chuckle dryly and brush the notion aside.
Now that his wish had come true, he wanted to give his wife and son nothing but warmth and comfort during their stay.
*
…Early morning. Eun-seong slowly opened his eyes.
He picked up his phone, which wasn’t connected to the internet, and checked the time. 7:40 AM.
Realizing he had slept for quite a while, he slowly blinked his eyes open and shut. Since Han-byeol went to bed by ten, a regular routine had naturally formed during the trip. For Eun-seong, who used to struggle to fall asleep before dawn, his recent life was the very picture of discipline.
It was unfamiliar, but not bad. His body felt lighter, and his physical rhythm had become predictable. For someone who had maintained an unavoidably irregular lifestyle as an actor, this new routine was nothing short of a revelation. It even occasionally reminded him of his time in the military.
Eun-seong took a deep breath and exhaled completely. After a few more deep breaths, he stared up at the ceiling again, blinking slowly.
Im Eun-seong was married.
It was a life-altering change, one he couldn’t have imagined even six months ago. Becoming a woman’s husband, becoming a child’s father—he had never dreamed such things would happen to him so suddenly.
It wasn’t a matter of liking or disliking it. It was just that when he opened his eyes in the morning like this, the “me” from six months ago still felt far more familiar than the “me” of yesterday. As he slowly adapted to the dizzying, sudden changes and the occasional shocks they brought, his thoughts began to drift to the ten years Yeon-ju had spent alone.
Change could be overwhelming even for a full-grown adult. He couldn’t help but wonder how she, at the tender age of twenty-three, had endured such a massive upheaval.
“If you can, please pick only the prettiest colors and mix them. While raising her child, she lived without ever knowing anything good or fun. Only pretty things. Only the absolute prettiest things.”
Her mother’s words echoed in his heart several times a day. With each passing moment, the weight of her plea grew heavier. Having lived a life completely detached—extremely detached—from child-rearing, he couldn’t fully comprehend it all, but…
Looking back, twenty-three was an age where you still needed your parents’ help. Financial matters aside, it was an age of still growing into a mature person, caught somewhere between adolescence and adulthood. An age with far more left undone than done, with far more people left to meet than already met.
At that age, she had chosen childbirth—and with it, isolation. The loneliness and suffering that inevitably followed.
For a parent who must pour out endless, blind love and attention to help a newborn walk, talk, and eventually grow into an adult, “getting tired” was an unaffordable luxury. If there was one thing in life that could never be abandoned, no matter how difficult, it was raising a child.
Though her mother had surely done her best to help, Yeon-ju probably couldn’t bring herself to lean on her with a clear conscience. Every time her mother held her grandson, washed him, fed him, and put him to sleep, Yeon-ju must have been plagued by an indelible sense of guilt.
Enduring a change that upended her entire life—not just moving to a new city, changing jobs, or finding a new partner, but a total transformation of her very existence—required a parent to become not just an adult, but a saint.
“While raising her child, she lived without ever knowing anything good or fun.”
Her eyes must have been fixed so entirely on her child that she neglected herself. She probably rushed to the hospital at the baby’s slightest cough but swallowed a single pill for her own body aches before going right back to making baby food. She must have overcome overwhelming sleepiness with superhuman strength, guarding her child’s bedside like a soldier on night watch.
While she dressed her child in pretty clothes, she probably wore outfits that were long out of style. With her unkempt hair tied back in a messy ponytail, she wouldn't have had time for a single face mask, spending those moments applying moisturizing cream all over her child's body and drying his hair instead.
Even though her own time had stopped at twenty-three, she must have sought out every piece of advice to ensure her child never fell behind, dedicating the absolute best of everything she could provide.
Eun-seong turned his head slightly to look at Yeon-ju sleeping beside him. A faint smile touched his lips as he gazed at her for a long time, deeply grateful for the peaceful sleep that had settled over her smooth face.
In his memories, Yeon-ju had been an ordinary college student. Aside from her pretty features and remarkably fair skin, her clothes and shoes were plain, with nothing that stood out. He didn’t remember every single moment they had spent together, but she was someone who always seemed to be smiling.
You were so beautiful when you smiled. Every time you laughed, it was hard to look away.
“What time is it?”
Just as he was gazing at her, lost in thought, Yeon-ju’s eyes snapped open. She sat straight up without a hint of grogginess, causing Eun-seong to look up at her in bewilderment.
“It’s not even eight yet.”
“Ah, thank goodness. I thought I overslept.”
“What’s wrong with sleeping in? It’s not like the world will end.”
“Han-byeol needs breakfast.”
After checking the time, Yeon-ju quickly tied her hair back and threw off the blanket. Watching her move with such purpose, Eun-seong let out a dry laugh and sat up in a daze.
So much for a sweet morning greeting between newlyweds…
“Han-byeol is still asleep, so let him be. Don’t go wake him up.”
“His skin got so red from the sun yesterday. I’m worried it might have started peeling. I should have put more sunscreen on him.”
Listening to Yeon-ju worry, Eun-seong stealthily glanced down at his own arm. He began to rub the skin with his fingers, silently chanting, Peel, peel…
“……Ah.”
When Yeon-ju let out a soft gasp, Eun-seong’s head snapped up, wondering if he’d been caught.
“What? What is it?”
“Good morning.”
Yeon-ju offered him a sleepy smile. Eun-seong raised an eyebrow. Just a moment ago, she had bolted out of bed, looking ready to sprint straight to their son’s room.
“So you can see me. I was starting to think I was invisible.”
“How could you be? I see you perfectly. Did you sleep well?”
“Forget it. It’s miserable being second place all the time. I’m going back to sleep.”
As Eun-seong turned his back and pulled the blanket over himself, Yeon-ju’s eyes widened. She tilted her head, watching him curl up and hunch his shoulders like a bear preparing for hibernation.
We’re already awake. What else is there to do?
Having temporarily lost her romantic instincts, Yeon-ju pondered for a moment before walking back to the bed. Hearing her footsteps, Eun-seong hunched his shoulders even tighter.
“Want to go for a short walk before Han-byeol wakes up?”
“No.”
Hmph. Yeon-ju stared at the back of his head, her eyebrows raised.
“Then how about a cup of coffee?”
“No.”
“Hmm… some fruit juice?”
“No.”
“Okay, then.”
Straightening up, Yeon-ju pouted. She stood there silently, just breathing and staring at the back of his head. After a moment, Eun-seong glanced over his shoulder.
When their eyes met, he gave her a disgruntled look.
“It’s fine, don’t mind me. It’s just hard adjusting to second place after a lifetime of being number one.”
“……Ah.”
Ah. Only then did Yeon-ju let out a gasp of understanding and burst into laughter. As her clear laugh rang out, Eun-seong threw off the blanket, pushed himself up, and narrowed his eyes at her.
“Yeon-ju, I was looking at you with so much affection, but the moment you opened your eyes, all you cared about was Han-byeol.”
“I’m sorry. It’s a habit. My routine is to head straight to Han-byeol’s room the second I wake up.”
Yeon-ju slid closer and sat beside him. He was a man in his thirties, and she wondered if the word still applied, but Eun-seong was definitely sulking. It wasn’t anger or a childish tantrum; it was pure petulance, his eyes brimming with disappointment.
“Ah, so cute.”
When Yeon-ju patted his hip and called him cute, his eyebrows twitched. He snatched her wrist.
“It seems you’re starting to see me as your eldest son, Ms. Go Yeon-ju.”
“……”
“I’m older than you, you know.”
His deliberately low voice was incredibly attractive, especially first thing in the morning. Yeon-ju stared blankly at his face.
“Yes. And?”
“Just saying. A reminder. Not that being older is much to brag about.”
Realizing his words had no effect, Eun-seong let go of her wrist, pulled the blanket back over his head, and lay down again. Smiling, Yeon-ju lay down beside him.
“I’m really fine. This second-place guy is just going to sleep a little longer. Go on, go to Han-byeol.”
Yeon-ju reached out, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“You know, I think this place is wonderful. Every single day feels like a dream.”
The weather was like something from another world—a gentle breeze, high-floating clouds, and a deep, emerald-blue sea.
“Usually, when things felt like a dream, it was because I was sad. Reality was so hard that I’d wonder if it was all a dream. It felt unreal because of how painful it was. But now… now it feels like a dream because I’m so happy.”
Eun-seong slowly closed and opened his eyes. Yeon-ju clung to his back, resting her cheek against it.
“Back then, I’d think, ‘This has to be a dream. I need to wake up.’ But now, I don’t want to wake up. Even if this is a dream, I want to keep dreaming it.”
“……”
“And you’re not in second place.”
Eun-seong turned to face her. He brushed her hair back as she looked at him with pure, unclouded eyes.
“It’s not a dream.”
This place they had arrived at together—it felt like a dream, but it was real.
“It’s not a dream; it’s reality. There’s no waking up from this. Today will be like yesterday, and tomorrow will be like today. For the rest of our lives.”
…As if she loved his answer, Yeon-ju smiled brightly. The resort’s famously comfortable bed and goose-down duvet only added to the morning’s cozy freshness.
“I wonder if this is what heaven is like.”
At her words, Eun-seong’s eyebrows twitched.
“I feel like I’ve explained at every opportunity that heaven isn’t like this. Was I not clear enough?”
“Ah. Ah!”
As Eun-seong suddenly leaned over, pressing his body against hers, Yeon-ju’s eyes widened in surprise.
It was a morning when Han-byeol, exhausted from days of playing in the water, was sleeping in.