episode_0020

She blinked her eyes wide at Minho’s question, her face showing surprise.

Mira, who had been feeling Minho’s indifference recently, always felt like she was the only one speaking in their conversations.

No matter what she chattered about, Minho didn’t seem to pay much attention, letting it go in one ear and out the other.

It was hard to believe that Minho, who usually answered so casually, was actually asking a question this time.

For some reason, it felt like he was paying attention and listening carefully to her words. That small act of kindness alone made Mira’s heart swell with emotion.

Minho asked, urging her for an answer.

Mira, feeling bewildered, nodded her head at Minho, who was asking sharply as if cross-examining her. She replayed the conversation, wondering if she had made a slip of the tongue and provoked Minho, but it didn’t seem like it.

Just then, Minho’s phone began to ring loudly. Minho answered the call, responded a few times to the person on the other end, and then, as if something had come up, headed towards the entrance.

From behind him, Mira asked with a regretful voice.

Minho mentioned the food Mira was cooking in the kitchen. Mira’s eyes widened, her face disbelieving. After blinking a few times, she answered brightly.

A deep smile bloomed on Mira’s face. It seemed her recent impression that he lacked affection for her was a premature misunderstanding.

To her, who had been worrying alone whether he had grown tired of her or if his feelings had cooled, Minho’s words about coming back after work sounded incredibly precious.

After leaving the house, Minho went to work and then returned to her place after 10 PM. Afterward, they ate the late dinner Mira had made and slept together.

The meal and sleep with her lover, after a long time, were incredibly sweet and gentle moments for Mira, like honey.

-1-

In the still dim dawn, Minho slowly opened his eyes. Beside him, Mira was sleeping soundly.

Minho carefully got out of bed so as not to wake her. As he put on the clothes he had taken off to sleep, he glanced at Mira on the bed.

She stirred under the covers and breathed softly. A moment later, Mira mumbled in a drowsy voice.

At first, Minho flinched, thinking she had woken up. But he soon realized it was just sleep talk and let out a small sigh of relief.

Mira seemed to be deeply asleep, dreaming of her beloved. Minho averted his gaze from her, took something out of his pocket, and placed it on a conspicuous table.

It was a letter and a bankbook.

The bankbook was opened under Mira’s name, and Minho had currently deposited several million won into it.

Afterward, as if he had finished everything he needed to do there, Minho opened the entrance door and went outside.

The sky was gloomy, and light rain was falling.

Minho, knowing Mira’s entrance password, could have gone back inside to get an umbrella but didn’t.

This was because he had resolved not to go to that place anymore. Minho took out his phone, checked his reserved flight time, and got into the car, getting wet in the rain.

He then headed straight to the international airport. Upon arrival, he returned the car to a nearby rental car company. It wasn’t his own car; it was a rental.

The only luggage Minho had was a single suitcase he had placed in the trunk beforehand.

Minho pulled his suitcase into the airport, went to the airline counter to complete the remaining procedures, and headed to the departure lounge. When it was time, he boarded the plane and sat in his seat.

Minho’s face, as he looked out the window into the distance, appeared complicated yet somewhat relieved.

It was Minho’s final farewell to Korea.

-2-

Mira woke up around noon. Although she had been getting more tired and sleepy as her pregnancy entered its late stages, it was the first time she had woken up so late.

Even if she lay in bed for a long time, she often couldn’t get a proper deep sleep and would wake up constantly.

As her pregnancy progressed into the final stage, her body became increasingly uncomfortable.

The baby in her womb often pressed on her heart or lungs, preventing proper blood circulation, which led to frequent swelling. Her bladder was also stimulated, making her need to urinate often, which was difficult.

For these reasons, she hadn’t been able to sleep deeply recently, often waking up several times, but surprisingly, that hadn’t happened today.

Yunyoung, who had been difficult to see for several months due to being busy, had been with her last night.

For others, a daily routine with a lover might be normal, but for Mira, who had rarely experienced such things, the mere fact that Yunyoung had done so made her incredibly happy and reassured.

Thanks to that, unlike usual, she was able to sleep deeply and peacefully without anxiety.

Still not entirely free from sleepiness, she yawned widely with drowsy eyes. She felt the emptiness beside her and saw an empty spot.

Yunyoung, who had been there until last night, seemed to have gotten up first.

The place she was currently living in was a studio apartment, where the kitchen, living room, and bedroom were all in one room.

If he wasn’t visible from the bed, he must have gone into the bathroom.

Being full-term, it was hard to even get up on her own. With difficulty, she got up, approached the bathroom, and knocked on the door.

No answer came, so she carefully opened the door. The darkened bathroom was empty.

She could have checked if the bathroom light switch was on or off to determine if someone was inside, but Mira naturally assumed he was in the bathroom and hadn’t thought that far.

Today was the weekend, and even if it seemed a bit childish, she wanted to ask Yunyoung to stay by her side all day.

Moreover, there was the issue of the baby she carried in her womb.

Mira, who always went to the obstetrics and gynecology clinic alone, would fall into despair several times a day with anxiety and worry about the child.

She had asked Yunyoung to go to the hospital with her a few times, but he had repeatedly refused, citing a lack of time.

As such incidents repeated, Mira couldn’t even bring herself to ask Yunyoung to go with her, fearing she would be a burden.

She had planned to bravely bring up that issue carefully today, but with him suddenly leaving like this, she had no choice but to postpone it.

Although she felt a little disappointed with Yunyoung for leaving first without a word, Mira shook her head and cast away such resentment. She thought he had deliberately left quietly so as not to disturb her while she was sleeping soundly.

Mira stroked her belly, envisioning the happy days that would soon arrive in the near future. Yunyoung hadn’t brought up marriage yet, but since she was pregnant, she was hoping he would propose soon.

Mira, wanting to quench her thirst, headed to the refrigerator. She took out water and gulped it down. In the process, her eyes suddenly fell upon some things on the table: a white envelope and a bankbook.

Puzzled, Mira carefully reached for the bankbook. Unable to contain her curiosity, she checked the transaction history.

A few months ago, Yunyoung had taken Mira to open a bank account. This was the one they had made then.

Mira, who trusted him, hadn’t paid much attention to why Yunyoung had opened it under her name instead of his own.

Mira, who had casually opened the bankbook to check the recent transaction history, flinched, her eyes widening. The bankbook, which she had thought would only contain a few hundred thousand won at most, held a large sum amounting to several million won.

Mira, who was about to quickly call Yunyoung to tell him he’d left his bankbook, reached for her phone, but her gaze stopped at the envelope placed next to it.

She became curious about what was written inside.

Yunyoung’s attitude had been cold recently, and if it was an envelope together with a bankbook, she had a hunch it might contain something important.

Mira wanted to be a source of strength for Yunyoung.

If she could find any clues about his worries in this letter, she wanted to help him in any way she could.

Mira took out the letter from the envelope and read it.

At first, she thought it was a letter written to someone else, but she was startled to see the phrase “To Mira” written at the very top.

It looked as if he had deliberately left it like this for her to read.

Mira, with a fluttering heart, continued to read the text.