The Relationship That Can Never Be
In the dim light of dawn, I had already been tossing and turning in bed for hours, unable to sleep.
It was because of Cheon Seo-hui.
Why did it have to be Nakyeong of all people….
If the two of them had simply been casual acquaintances, it might not have been such a big problem. No—honestly, even then it probably wouldn't have changed much. Still, if Nakyeong and Cheon Seo-hui had been nothing more than faces they vaguely recognized… maybe I could have clung to a sliver of hope. The faint possibility that, by some heaven-sent twist of fate, I might still end up with Cheon Seo-hui.
But now even that hope felt like it had vanished completely. No matter how I looked at it, I simply couldn't fall for my only daughter's one and only friend.
…I'm going crazy….
I let out a heavy sigh—I'd lost count of how many that made—and dragged a troubled hand down my face. I really had to sort out my feelings now. Clinging to the problem forever wouldn't solve a single thing. Having once wandered for so long, unable to let go of my late wife, I knew that truth down to my bones.
…Let her go….
Han Dohyeon could not be with Cheon Seo-hui. Not as long as I refused to give up on Nakyeong. And of course I could never abandon Nakyeong. We were a relationship that could never be.
Past lives are nothing more than past lives, I guess.
Forcing myself to accept reality with as much calm as I could muster, I closed my eyes tightly.
"……."
Maybe it was the early hour, but my eyes kept stinging, and I had to wipe them more than once.
The next day.
"Nakyeong! Come out and eat breakfast!"
I had slipped out of bed earlier than usual and prepared breakfast before she even woke. I hadn't slept much, yet my condition was the best it had been in days. Maybe emptying my heart had left me feeling strangely lighter.
"Uung…?"
Nakyeong padded into the living room in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes and letting out an adorable yawn.
"Why'd you get up so early…?"
"Just felt like making breakfast with my own hands for once."
"…?"
"Sit down. I already washed up earlier, so take your time eating and then go clean up."
"Nyeeng…."
We ate side by side, finished getting ready, and then I drove us toward work. At a red light I glanced over at Nakyeong in the passenger seat.
"……."
She was fiddling with her phone with the same focused intensity as always.
"Nakyeong."
"Yes?"
"You don't need more allowance, do you?"
She turned her head, looking puzzled.
"Why the sudden talk about allowance?"
"You said you might hang out this weekend."
"Ah…. I might go, or I might not. She's kind of a picky friend."
Cheon Seo-hui did have that side to her. I quietly agreed in my head and eased off the accelerator as I continued.
"Whether you go or not, I'll send you some money later. Use it."
"Really? You don't have to…."
"You said you'd hit cafés for lunch with your friend and everything. Thinking about it, I haven't raised your allowance in a while. I'll bump it up a little this time. Okay?"
"……."
She studied me with a faintly strange expression, then simply nodded and offered a quiet word of thanks. Of course I wasn't raising her allowance out of pure generosity. If something goes out, something ought to come back in. Smoothly shifting the topic, I casually brought up the matter with Choi Yeonjeong.
"Oh, right—that company of Yeonjeong's."
"Yes."
"The CEO asked if I'd appear regularly on their YouTube channel."
"…In Auntie's videos?"
"Yeah."
I flicked a glance her way, silently asking what she thought. Sure enough, her face scrunched up in clear displeasure.
"Do you have to…?"
I still didn't understand why she hated the idea so much when I hadn't done anything wrong.
"My Academy contract ends next year and I'm going to work with Yeonjeong after that. She suggested building some recognition ahead of time. If ads start coming into the channel, we could split the money."
Nakyeong might be stubborn about everything else, but when it came to practical matters she always tried to be understanding. She respected my role as the sole breadwinner. Aiming squarely at that soft spot, I framed the whole thing as "work to earn money" and pressed on.
"Ads go for five or six thousand a pop, you know? Not bad, right?"
She had crossed her arms at some point and was tapping her foot, face still sour, lost in thought.
"Hmmm…."
Before long she let out a long sigh and answered in a tone of reluctant surrender.
"Do whatever you want."
It seemed I had somehow cleared the biggest hurdle.
After morning classes ended, I was sitting in the office fiddling with my phone when the door suddenly burst open and a playful voice called out.
"Delivery's here."
Choi Yeonjeong had come into work for the first time in a while.
"Why's the delivery so late? Food's probably ice-cold by now."
"I switched to a heat-retention magic container, so it's still piping hot."
"What? Those exist…?"
As usual, she had prepared a homemade lunchbox for us to share. I had actually planned to treat her and eat outside this time, but—
People will recognize us. Can you handle that?
With every eye already on us, I had no desire to pour oil on the fire, so I quietly settled for the lunchbox.
"…Nakyeong said it was okay?"
"Yeah."
Sitting across from each other and eating, I told her I would take part in CEO Kang's plan.
"Business couple or whatever—work is work. Nakyeong didn't really have a choice."
"Did you actually explain it properly…?"
Yeonjeong looked more worried than pleased that I had gotten permission so easily.
"You know I don't do things halfway. I'm going all in."
In other words, since we were doing this, I intended to play it so convincingly that everyone would genuinely believe we were dating.
"Please do exactly that."
I snorted at her threat. From everything I knew, Choi Yeonjeong was still a lifelong single who had never dated anyone. Frankly, it wasn't for lack of men around her. Her standards were sky-high and she simply had almost no interest in romance—an extreme case if there ever was one. She spent every free moment cooped up at home hanging out with either me or the Jeong Cheol–Im Semi couple; how was she supposed to meet anyone?
"Anyway. Free this evening?"
"I have time, but… why all of a sudden?"
"Let me use your kitchen later."
"Our place?"
Yeonjeong's eyes went round with confusion. I picked up a piece of side dish and answered casually.
"I want to make some side dishes."
Once every class was finished, I used a meeting with CEO Kang as an excuse to send Nakyeong home, then put Yeonjeong in the passenger seat and drove to her house. The real reason was to cook side dishes for Cheon Seo-hui.
They should be running low by now.
Someone might ask why I was still making food for her after deciding to let her go. Looking at it the other way, that was exactly why I needed to take care of her even more. Before I was her husband in a past life, I was her teacher—someone who had even received a direct mission from the Goddess of Prosperity to raise her. Failing to look after her first would have been the stranger position of the two. In that sense, I felt I had finally set a clear direction between past-life husband and mentor.
Well… if Cheon Seo-hui eventually fell for someone else, I would probably cry a few quiet tears alone. But knowing how to send her off gracefully even while crying was the proper way. At least, that was what I told myself.
"Wow. You've already made this much?"
"Perfect timing. While you're here, taste this a bit— What are you doing?"
I had ordered groceries for delivery and was cooking in Yeonjeong's kitchen when she suddenly appeared and thrust a camera at me.
"Filming."
Apparently this was also "good content" or whatever.
"Put the camera down and try the food."
"Yes, sir."
I took out fresh chopsticks and fed her a few of the finished dishes.
"Mmm…. Mmm…!?"
She gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up, looking thoroughly satisfied. Thankfully the taste seemed decent.
"Done. Cleanup finished!"
"Heading out now?"
"Have to."
Having successfully prepared the side dishes, I quickly cleaned up and got ready to leave. Part of me wanted to stay and eat a proper meal with Yeonjeong, but—
Any later and the timing will be off.
There was travel time both ways; I needed to leave right away if I wanted to arrive at a reasonable hour.
"Thanks for the kitchen. I'll ask again next time."
"…Sure. Whenever you need it."
Surprisingly, Yeonjeong said nothing about me looking after Cheon Seo-hui. She used to react with a certain sensitivity; now she seemed almost uninterested. At a glance she even looked overflowing with composure—like someone who already had everything.
"Message me when you get home. Drive safe."
I raced down the roads and finally reached Cheon Seo-hui's place. Parking in the usual spot, I pulled out my phone and sent her a few messages.
Thankfully my plea not to leave me on read seemed to have worked; she opened the messages almost immediately. That was as far as it went. Whether she was pleased or annoyed, she simply read them and never replied. I was getting used to being left on read by now.
Whose disciple is she supposed to be? She really listens so well.
I reached the front of her building.
Looks like she's home.
I peered at the brightly lit semi-transparent window, then reached toward the door. Then—
"…Ah."
The memory of being mistaken for a stalker last time suddenly surfaced.
Better to call.
I quietly withdrew my hand, pulled out my phone again, and dialed Cheon Seo-hui.
Ring… ring…
Around the third ring the front door suddenly flew open.
"!"
Cheon Seo-hui had opened it herself.
"……."
Standing in the entryway in her usual comfortable clothes, she glared at me with an expression that looked thoroughly displeased.
Maybe I shouldn't have come.
The thought that I might have mistimed everything flickered through my mind, but I decided to stand my ground. Today I had come not as her husband from a past life, but as her teacher.
"You were home. Sorry for interrupting your rest."
"……."
"Mind if we close the door and talk for a second? It's late—I don't want to bother the neighbors."
"…Come in."
Using the noise as an excuse, I stepped inside. I didn't take off my shoes; I simply stood in the entryway and held out the shopping bag.
"These are the side dishes I made today."
She took the bag, brows furrowed, and stared hard at it.
"Eating the same things every day gets boring, so I tried some different ones. Just tell me later which ones you liked and which ones you didn't. No need to send pictures."
"……."
Then she shifted her gaze and looked straight at me. Whether it was my imagination or not, her expression seemed a fraction softer than when she first opened the door.
"I'll bring side dishes more often from now on…. So try to eat real meals instead of just snacks and ramen whenever you can. You need to eat well now if you want strength later. Okay?"
Cheon Seo-hui gave a vague little nod that could have meant anything.
"Uh…. Well…. I should get going."
I glanced around, wondering if there was anything else to say, then decided the errand was finished and prepared to leave. Just as I was about to say goodbye—
"…Why…."
She carefully opened her mouth.
"Why do you keep being so nice to me?"
Her dark eyes met mine directly, filled with complicated emotions I couldn't quite name. It felt like she was demanding some kind of certainty from me.
So I answered with quiet honesty.
"Because I like you."
"Just…. Because I want to."
"……."
Cheon Seo-hui stared at me with faintly trembling eyes, then abruptly looked away.
…Apparently it hadn't been a particularly good answer.