As the birthday quietly approached, Si-hyun arrived at the main family house with Ye-rin.

Well, more accurately, they were at the front door, unable to enter because Ye-rin kept holding him back.

"Si-hyun, doesn't it seem like my makeup went wrong? I looked in the mirror earlier and my hair seemed all messy too..."

Just yesterday, she was confidently talking about being the new daughter-in-law, but now that the moment of meeting had come, she seemed nervous.

Si-hyun sighed and told Ye-rin, who was fussing with her hair with her fingers:

"You're already beautiful as you are, so don't worry and let's go in."

"But... It's been a while since I've seen them, so I want to make a good impression."

"My parents don't care about things like that. They'd like you even if you came with no makeup on."

"Still..."

As Ye-rin kept expressing concerns, Si-hyun decided it wouldn't end at this rate. Without giving her a chance to protest, he opened the front door and said, "We're here."

Si-hyun's voice echoed, and soon a lively woman's voice responded.

"Ye-rin is here?"

It seemed like the son didn't matter at all. While Si-hyun chuckled wryly, a woman approached from the living room. With her black bob cut and elegant appearance, she didn't look like she was in her mid-forties.

Coming to greet them at the shoe cabinet, she opened her arms and exclaimed, "Our new daughter-in-law, let's have a hug!"

With her mother-in-law's warm welcome, Ye-rin's nervousness vanished completely. Once anxious, she immediately regained her natural cheerfulness.

"Yes, Mother!!"

With a hug-

Mother patted Ye-rin's back who was in her embrace, then playfully pinched her cheek and said,

"Our Ye-rin, since entering university, you've become so unrecognizably pretty. It's almost too good to send you to marry my son."

"No way. Si-hyun is so handsome, just like his mother."

"Oh my, listen to her, picking only pretty words."

"Hehe, I'm only speaking the truth."

Their friendly banter was heartwarming to watch, but as it continued endlessly, it could become a bit tedious for an observer.

"People might think this is a long-lost family reunion or something..."

In response to Si-hyun's tease, Mother patted Ye-rin's head and replied.

"Long-lost family? Ye-rin has always been my daughter, right?"

"Yes, Mother!"

Whether on family trips or birthday parties, Ye-rin had been with Si-hyun’s family since she was young. To her, his parents were practically her own.

As Ye-rin responded warmly, Mother smiled and spoke.

"But my dear daughter, since starting university, you haven't contacted me even once? I felt a bit disappointed."

"Oh..."

Ye-rin's expression gradually stiffened. She used to call Si-hyun’s parents frequently during high school, but the shock of Si-hyun dating Chae-yeon had left her too unsettled to keep in touch.

"Well, that is..."

While she fumbled for words, Mother's eyes darted to the side as she wiped away a tear with her right hand.

"They say raising kids is pointless... I expected my troublesome son not to keep in touch, but I didn't think my daughter would be the same."

As the words 'failed daughter-in-law' loomed in her mind, Ye-rin began to sweat. If this incident led to opposition against their marriage, she wouldn’t know how to handle it.

"I'm... I'm sorry. From now on, I'll call you three times a day!"

"No, you don't have to force yourself if you don't want to. It's not like there's anything fun about calling an old lady like me..."

Seeing Ye-rin turn pale, Si-hyun could barely hold back his laughter.

‘It's obviously a joke, but she’s falling for it…’

Si-hyun set the gift box he was holding down on the floor and looked at Ye-rin fidgeting, with playful eyes just like his mother's.

"N-no, that’s not true at all. I really enjoy talking to you, Mother!"

"Liar. While you were at university, you never contacted me even once, did you?"

"Th-that was..."

With nothing to say, Ye-rin clamped her mouth shut. Her anxious expression slowly turned into a teary-eyed one, and seeing this, Mother hurriedly embraced her.

"It was all a joke about feeling hurt. I’m just happy to know you've been doing well."

"I’m sorry... I'll keep in touch more often from now on..."

Watching Ye-rin sniffle, Mother scratched the back of her head.

"It really was just a joke..."

The mother who unintentionally made the new daughter-in-law cry the moment they met. But does she know? This playful gesture is going to cause a flood of frequent calls from Ye-rin in the future.

Since Ye-rin and Si-hyun hadn't eaten yet, Mother prepared fried rice for them. The nostalgic taste after such a long time. While Ye-rin devoured the meal happily, Mother watched her contentedly. Meanwhile, Si-hyun, having finished eating, asked.

"Come to think of it, where’s Dad? Why is it just you here?"

"A friend of his was in a serious car accident, so he left in a hurry. But he wanted to make sure you knew he’s sorry for not being here."

"Really? Oh well, it can't be helped then."

Si-hyun let it go without much concern, but his parents' hearts were troubled. So, looking around and feeling a bit uneasy, they handed over the birthday gift they had planned to give later.

"Son, happy birthday."

"I'm all grown up, so you don't really have to give me something like this..."

What Mother handed over was none other than a money envelope. As you get older, it's a truth universally acknowledged that cash is more valuable than awkward gifts.

Swish.

Upon checking the contents, Si-hyun's jaw dropped at the sight of the generous amount of yellow bills.

"Why did you put so much in here..."

"Now that you've started dating, you'll have plenty of expenses. Don't worry about lacking money later; use this to spend some good time with Ye-rin."

"Mother..."

When Ye-rin looked touched, Mother nodded kindly and continued with a gesture, forming a circle with her fingers.

"But make sure to use protection, even if you stay out overnight, okay?"

"Oh, Mother, really! You say the most unmentionable things in front of kids!"

While Si-hyun scolded her, Ye-rin blushed and fidgeted with her knees on the floor.

"Yes, I'll definitely keep that in mind..."

Ye-rin's embarrassed reaction made Si-hyun flush with heat. As he gulped down cold water and fanned himself, Mother watched with satisfaction.

And then...

"So, since he's started dating Ye-rin, that means he broke up with the one he was seeing before..."

Mother recalled Chae-yeon, who had appeared in Si-hyun's profile picture last time.

She wondered how things ended with that girl.

Though Mother was curious about the girl he had been seeing, she held back since Ye-rin was present.

"She was so pretty, too. It's a shame I never got to meet her in person."

Ding dong~ Ding dong~

"Si-hyun, it's Chae-yeon. Are you home by any chance?"

Ding dong~ Ding dong~

Chae-yeon repeatedly pressed the doorbell, hoping for Si-hyun to come out.

‘Pretending not to be home?‘ She wondered as she pressed her ear to the front door, but heard nothing.

“Did he go with Ye-rin to see his parents?”

She pondered what they might be doing at the main house at this hour. The thought of another woman, not herself, happily mingling with Si-hyun’s family made her heart ache.

“I want to formally greet Si-hyun’s parents too…”

She wanted to visit them, bring gifts, cook delicious food, and give them a good impression by massaging their shoulders.

But perhaps Ye-rin was already doing all those things she longed to do. With that thought, Chae-yeon felt as if the strength drained from her legs.

Thud.

As she slumped down in front of the front door, the sun-heated ground warmed her jeans. If she had bare skin, she might worry about burns, but at that moment, nothing like that mattered to Chae-yeon.

Sitting quietly for a while, she looked down at the shopping bag she held.

“All I can do is ask for forgiveness with something like this…”

The more time passed, the more the gap between her and Ye-rin widened, just like with the couple ring and meeting the parents.

“What should I do… At this rate, it’ll be beyond repair.”

She saw herself as closer to a criminal than a lover. She had aimed for this birthday as a chance to beg for forgiveness, but honestly, she doubted a simple gift would be enough to forgive her.

“Really… What am I supposed to do…”

The more objectively she assessed her situation, the greater her despair grew. Even as she sat out there, Ye-rin was probably expanding the gap between them, and there seemed to be no way to change it.

“Sigh…”

She thought, if only they hadn’t gone to the main family house, and if Si-hyun was just pretending not to be home, how happy she would be. With faint hope, Chae-yeon stared at the front door.

And then...

"Huh?"

Looking at the red door lock above the door handle, her eyes widened.

'That code...'

Chae-yeon reached out as if possessed. She couldn’t remember exactly when, but she was sure she had seen this password before.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Deep down, she knew what she was doing was wrong, but the instinct to connect somehow with Si-hyun made her ignore it.

Beep beep!

"That's not it..."

Chae-yeon recalled a past memory. It was when she was drunk. Si-hyun had let her sleep over at his place when she was half-unconscious.

At that time, when she managed to somewhat gather her senses, she had watched Si-hyun enter the door lock code.

'1527...'

Beep beep!

It was wrong again, but Chae-yeon was convinced she had the beginning '152' correct.

'1528...'

Beep beep!

She began to feel a growing sense of shame about her actions. This wasn't much different from a crime. Si-hyun would surely disdain her if he found out.

Feeling anxious and breaking into a cold sweat, Chae-yeon decided to try entering the code just one last time.

'1529...'

What kind of twist of fate was this?

Beep!

A different sound played compared to when she failed previously, and as she pulled the handle, the door slowly opened.

'Si-hyun's house... It's been so long...'

Chae-yeon gazed into the apartment as if she was enchanted.

Tap. Tap.

She slowly approached the place filled with traces of Si-hyun.