"Right? Since she didn't receive love from her parents, she was raised by the love of the villagers. I think it's a true blessing."

"...What?"

Si-hyun had suspected that there might be circumstances involving Ye-rin's parents, but hearing the story directly was quite shocking.

Grandmother looked at Si-hyun with a sympathetic expression as he opened his eyes wide in surprise.

"Judging by your reaction, I guess Ye-rin didn't talk about her parents?"

"No... even when I asked, she only said they were busy with work."

Grandmother clicked her tongue and shook her head.

"Saying they're busy with work isn't entirely wrong. After her husband passed away, her mother just holed herself up in the company."

Si-hyun was at a loss for words upon hearing that Ye-rin's father wasn't around, initially thinking they were simply busy with dual-income jobs.

'I didn't even know...'

Si-hyun suddenly felt embarrassed about his past self. Although he was innocent back then, he frequently asked Ye-rin about her parents during their childhood.

'How hurt must Ye-rin have been every time I brought up her parents.'

Si-hyun clenched his fists tightly enough that his palms ached. Reflecting on his self-reproach, he asked, "Grandma, can you tell me about Ye-rin's childhood?"

"I wish I could, but it's better if you ask Ye-rin directly."

"I'm afraid Ye-rin will get hurt if I ask her directly..."

"Hearing about a hidden truth from someone else is more hurtful."

Could he ask Ye-rin about her family matters?

Is it right to pry into something she might not want to discuss? If she wants to keep it hidden, shouldn't he pretend not to know?

While Si-hyun's mind was torn with various options and a heat rose on his forehead, Grandmother spoke with a gentle expression.

"If you truly love each other, you should be able to console one another's wounds. Do you want Ye-rin to constantly hide and feel anxious?"

"Absolutely not! If she experiences such hardships, I want to be there to comfort her..."

Grandmother nodded with a bright smile.

"Keeping things hidden doesn't solve everything. Since you two are together, it will eventually come out, so it's better to resolve it early, which is why I'm telling you."

"Yes..."

Grandmother's warm hands stroked Si-hyun's cheek. As her hand moved down to pat his hesitant shoulder, she spoke her heartfelt words.

"My poor granddaughter. Please take good care of her, will you?"

Si-hyun responded to Grandmother's request with a resolute look.

"Yes, Grandmother. I will definitely make her happy."

After finishing his walk with Grandmother, Si-hyun shut himself in his room with a heavy heart.

"To think Ye-rin didn't have a father..."

On top of that, with her remaining mother buried in work, it meant Ye-rin was left at home alone from morning until late at night when she was younger.

"Was that why the refrigerator at Ye-rin's house was covered with delivery menus?"

Thinking about how a child who found joy in eating couldn't even enjoy a regular home-cooked meal and had to rely on deliveries made Si-hyun's heart ache.

"Even when she came to our family’s restaurant alone as a child..."

Ye-rin had visited his parents' Chinese restaurant alone when she was just seven years old.

How she ordered as if she was used to it, and how the house lights were all off when he would see her home.

When he compared this with what Grandmother had mentioned, the puzzle pieces fit together.

Confronted with Ye-rin's dark past, Si-hyun felt his heart grow heavier and his eyes heated up, forcing him to dry-wash his face hurriedly. In a choky voice, he murmured,

"Why didn’t you tell me?"

Si-hyun knew how foolish his words sounded. Even he would have wanted to hide a sad family background if it were his own.

"But if she had told me..."

What could he have done if she had told him? The more deeply he thought about it, the more acutely Si-hyun felt his helplessness.

Ye-rin had always been there to comfort and uplift him when he was struggling, yet he had never done the same for her.

More than anyone else, she must have needed comfort.

"Sigh..."

Si-hyun grabbed his hair with one hand. It was the first time he had ever felt so pathetic about himself.

During dinner.

"So, you know, Grandmother Bok-soon..."

Ye-rin, who had been chattering about today's events, noticed that both Si-hyun and Grandmother were unusually quiet and began to look worriedly between them.

"Did something happen to both of you? Why aren't you saying anything..."

Ye-rin glanced back and forth at them with anxious eyes. Si-hyun silently continued eating, and Grandmother calmly replied.

"Nothing happened. But who taught you to talk with your mouth full while eating?"

"Oh. I learned it all from you, Grandmother! Always going on about what Mr. Kim next door did or some bachelor marrying a city girl—I had to listen to all that..."

"Enough with the noise. Just eat quietly."

"Tsk..."

Ye-rin chewed on her chopsticks and glanced over at Si-hyun. His appearance as he ate was both serious and handsome.

However, there was something off about him compared to his usual serious self, creating an uncomfortable feeling.

Tap, tap.

Ye-rin tapped Si-hyun's thigh with her toes and whispered in his ear.

"Si-hyun, why do you look so down? Did Grandma scold you for not doing your work well?"

"No."

"'No' you say? Really? Just by looking at you..."

Ye-rin stopped speaking midway. Si-hyun was staring at her with a complex expression, causing her to pause.

'If not, then what's going on...'

As Si-hyun's demeanor had noticeably changed from the morning, a sense of unease spread through her chest. Her pupils trembled, and just as she was about to lower her gaze, she lost the courage to meet Si-hyun's eyes.

Clack.

Si-hyun placed his chopsticks on the table. Then, holding Ye-rin's wrist, he spoke.

"Let's talk for a moment."

"What? Why all of a sudden..."

Without any response, Si-hyun led Ye-rin out of the house.

Meanwhile, Grandmother watched the young pair's retreating figures with a gentle gaze.

Having cared for Ye-rin like a daughter all this time, Grandmother only hoped that this event would lead her granddaughter to a better life.

In the countryside, the stars were beautifully visible in the night sky.

Si-hyun took Ye-rin to a nearby beach.

"Si-hyun, how far are we going!"

Even as he pulled her along, Si-hyun was careful not to hurt her. Despite this consideration, Ye-rin found his current self frightening.

Her legs trembled at his unusual behavior, and to dispel the tense atmosphere, she gently attempted a joke.

"Oh, I get it. You're going to confess to me here, right? Bringing me all the way to the beach, you're indeed..."

Si-hyun's movements halted, and at the same time, Ye-rin's breath caught. She couldn't think of any likely topics of conversation, and all she recalled were situations related to confessions.

However, if the upcoming conversation was about a confession, judging by the atmosphere, the chances of being rejected seemed high.

'I don't like that...'

Ye-rin stepped back slowly from the silent Si-hyun. But with her wrist held, she couldn't get far and ended up stepping back in place.

With her escape route blocked, Ye-rin asked in a trembling voice.

"Ah, why have you been acting like this since earlier? Do you know you feel really unfamiliar right now?"

Si-hyun looked at the frightened Ye-rin with compassionate eyes. He then released her wrist and spoke to her in a calm voice.

"Ye-rin."

"...Yes?"

"I don't care what it is. Tell me everything you know about me."

"What? What do you mean by that?"

"Please."

‘What kind of request is this?’

Si-hyun's absurd demand made Ye-rin's tension ease just a little.

'He's asking about the thing I'm most confident in...'

Ye-rin smiled softly, cleared her throat, and began to speak slowly.

"Kim Si-hyun. You're 182cm tall and recently put on 3kg, so you weigh 75kg now. Your favorite color is sky blue, and your favorite football team is Barcelona. You haven't decided on a career yet, so you're considering taking over your parent's business.

Your hobbies are working out and computer games, and since you searched for 'PlayStation' last time, it seems like you're interested in those games too.

When you lie, you blink frequently, and when you eat, you often shake your legs, which is one of those habits you can't fix even after your parents nag you. And also..."

"Stop... That's enough."

"Already? I have so much more to say."

Ye-rin cheerfully continued to recount most of the details she knew about Si-hyun. She started with family-related specifics, then his favorite clothing style and ideal type of woman, even the exact position of moles that Si-hyun himself didn't know about.

The more she cheerfully talked, the more Si-hyun felt as if he were completely exposed outdoors.

And soon enough, he began to despise himself.

'What have I been doing?'

Apart from family details, Si-hyun thought he knew almost everything about Ye-rin.

If it's Ye-rin, she'd act like this. Since it's Ye-rin, she'd react like that. Si-hyun always predicted, and his predictions were often correct.

However, that was only a skill derived from 15 years of experience.

In truth, when it came to Ye-rin's future plans or her ideal type, he realized he knew nothing if he probed even a little deeper.

"......."

"Si-hyun?"

Ye-rin noticed tears forming in Si-hyun's eyes.

Despite the numerous times he had relied on Ye-rin, he realized he knew nothing about her.

That realization filled Si-hyun with deep embarrassment and immense regret.