Lee Mansion…

“Good morning.”

Park Shin Hye almost chokes on the water she inhaled as she forced herself to swallow the tablet that was swimming in . A soft cough escaped her lips before she turned around and saw Jin Se Yeon standing behind her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” She said as her eyes shifted to the bottle Shin Hye were holding. She wondered what medicine she was taking so early in the morning?

“It’s okay.” Shin Hye took another sip of the water before she placed the glass into the sink. She turned back to Se Yeon and smiled. “Good morning.” She greeted her back. “Why did you wake up so early? You should sleep longer. I can wake you up when the breakfast is ready.”

“I don’t know.” Se Yeon shrugged her shoulders. “It was like… there is an alarm clock in my head and I just woke up. Maybe… I’m not used to the new bed.”

“Is the bed not comfortable or something?” Shin Hye asked as she washed the glass and put it back into the cabinet. “We can go to get a new one for you if you don’t like this one.”

Se Yeon shook her head. “It’s okay. The bed is fine. I just need some time to adjust.”

“You will slowly get used to it.” Shin Hye said.

There was a brief silence before Se Yeon spoke again. “What about you? You wake up so early too.”

Shin Hye smiled. “Yeah, I usually wake up before 7am to prepare breakfast with ahjuhma. Hyun Jun is very picky. I have to think of a lot of new recipe to attract him and make him eat more before he goes to school.”

A faint smile was forced on Se Yeon’s face, as she looked away with hidden envious. “You are very… thoughtful. No wonder Hyun Jun loves you so much.”

“He is a good boy. He deserved it. I’m sure anybody will fall in love with him.” Shin Hye carelessly muttered.

“Where is ahjuhma?” Se Yeon asked, trying to change to another topic. She doesn’t like to see the Shin Hye’s happy expression whenever she talks about her son.

“She went to the wet market. She will be back soon.” Shin Hye replied as she walked to the kitchen island and continued to cut the green beans on the cutting mat.

Se Yeon glanced at the medicine she put in a basket before looking back at Shin Hye again. “Is that… medicine you were taking just now?” She asked, pretends to be concern. “Are you not feeling well?”

Just when the question slipped out from Se Yeon’s mouth, Shin Hye’s hand immediately froze in place as her grip tightened around the body of the knife. “Eo… I-I’m fine. That… that is just some… supplement.” She stuttered. She hates to lie but she doesn’t want Se Yeon to know about it.

“I see.” Se Yeon said, looking at her suspiciously.

There was another stiff silence as Shin Hye tried to regain her composure and continued with her cutting work.

“Hmmm… I think I shouldn’t disturb you from working. I’ll just… go to wake Hyun Jun up.” Se Yeon was the first one who spoke again after a long awkward silence.

“Okay. It’s about time for Hyun Jun to wake up. The breakfast is almost ready.” Shin Hye replied, relieved that she didn’t ask further.

Se Yeon nodded before she walked to the door. But before she exit the kitchen, she turned back to look at Shin Hye before she stared at the supplement bottle in the basket with a sceptical gaze.

~~~~~

After about thirty minutes, Shin Hye finally finished cooking and put the last dish on the dining table.

“Eomma… good morning.”

She turned to the direction where the sweetest voice came from and a wide smile immediately spread across her face when she saw Hyun Jun running to her with Se Yeon followed from behind.

“Good morning, sweetheart.” Shin Hye kneeled down and let Hyun Jun threw himself into her arms. She kissed his chubby cheek before she pulled back and smiled at him again. “Come, the breakfast is ready.” She said as she stood up and pulled the chair for him. She then turned to Se Yeon and let out a kind smile. “Take a seat and eat with Hyun Jun first. I’ll go up to see oppa is awake or not.”

“I’m awake.”

Shin Hye and Se Yeon turned to Min Ho at the same time when his deep voice filled the room. A light smile was curled up on his lips as he walked to Shin Hye and held her hand.

“Good morning.” Shin Hye greeted him.

“Morning.” He smiled at her before turning to Se Yeon, who was sitting beside Hyun Jun. “Morning, Se Yeon.” He tried to hide his stiff expression. This must be the most awkward moment in his life. A wife and an ex-wife under the same roof.

“Good morning.” Se Yeon said with a soft voice, feeling uncomfortable seeing his close gesture with another woman.

“Appa, morning.” Hyun Jun winked at his father. He is very happy today. This is the first time he felt so… complete. He has appa, eomma and Se Yeon eomma together with him.

“Good boy.” Min Ho leaned over and pinched his cheek softly. And when his eyes moved to the food on the dining table, he was slightly surprised. “Wow, today’s breakfast is quite… exaggerated.” They don’t usually eat so much during breakfast.

Shin Hye smiled before she gently pulled away from Min Ho’s hand and took a seat in front of Hyun Jun. “Today is Se Yeon’s first day having breakfast with us. I want her to have a good impression.” She said, looking at Se Yeon. “I don’t know what you like and don’t like to eat. I make few types of side dishes so that you have more choices.” She paused as she grabbed her chopsticks and put some green beans into Se Yeon’s bowl. “Try this. Its pan-fried potatoes with green beans. I heard green beans are good in producing the feel-good hormones serotonin, which can improve good mood, good sleep and good appetite. I hope you like it.”

Min Ho grinned as he sat down together with them. “You have to listen to her. She is very good in this kind of thing.” He said as he looked at Se Yeon. “You know I have very bad headache whenever I didn’t have enough sleep, right? She found a recipe somewhere and almost cure my headache now. She is my personal nutritionist.”

“You still have headache?” Ignoring his praise on Shin Hye, she looked at him in a worried gaze. “Where is the scalp massager I bought for you last time? You need it whenever you have headache. It always makes you feel better.”

Hyun Jun stopped eating when he heard about the scalp massager. He stuck his tongue out and turned to Se Yeon. “I’m sorry, Se Yeon eomma. I accidentally broke it few years ago when I was playing in appa’s room.”

“Eo…” Se Yeon nodded.

“Scalp massager?” Shin Hye asked, looking at them. “What kind of scalp massager is that?”

“It’s a kind of massager that you put on your head and feel like someone is massaging for you. Se Yeon bought it for me last time. My headache was really bad at that time. But surprisingly that massager was quite useful.” Min Ho explained.

“It was quite some time already. I’m not sure the shop is still selling it or not. I’ll try to search online to see if I could get it back for you.” Se Yeon said with a smile.

“Don’t bother. Since Shin Hye gave me the lemon juice every night before I sleep, I feel so much better now.” Min Ho rejected her politely.

The smile on Se Yeon’s face slowly faded as she took her chopsticks and put the food into without even bother to taste what she was eating. She forced herself to eat and calmed her emotions. Taking a deep breath, she reminds herself to be patient. Today is just the second day. She still has plenty of time to win the war.

“Did you… go back to Light House orphanage recently?” She asked in a sudden, trying to create a topic of conversation that Shin Hye couldn’t join in.

Before Min Ho could reply, Hyun Jun turned to his mother and asked, “Se Yeon eomma… did you mean the place where appa lived last time?”

Se Yeon nodded, slightly surprised that Hyun Jun know about the orphanage too.

“Yes, we did. Appa brought Hyun Jun and eomma there last year.” Hyun Jun said.

She stole a glance at Shin Hye and inhaled silently. She never thought Min Ho would bring her there. Forcing a light smile on her face, she looked at Min Ho again. “I hope Sister Annie is well.”

“She is fine. Although she has aged a lot compared to the last time you saw her, but she is fine and healthy. She asked about you the last time we went there. She missed you.” He said.

“I missed her too.” Se Yeon said as her eyes started to water and turned red. “I’m a bad person. I always make her worried and sad because of me.”

Min Ho and Shin Hye stared at each other and sighed softly. The last time when they were there, Sister Annie was so sad thinking that Se Yeon was dead. If she knows Se Yeon’s death was just a lie, she must be very happy.

“She was very sad when I told her… you passed away. I’m sure she will be happy to know that you are still alive now.” Min Ho said, comforting her.

“Appa… we should bring Se Yeon eomma to go there again.” Hyun Jun cut in.

Shin Hye chuckled and stared at Hyun Jun with a teasing grin. “Wae? If I remember correctly, you said you don’t really like that place. But now you are asking your appa to bring you there again.” She paused and narrowed her gaze. “Could it be… you miss the beautiful and cute Yu Ri?”

“O-Of course not. I… I just miss… miss… miss Sister Annie.” Hyun Jun denied defensively as his lips pouted.

“Really? But I saw Yu Ri sent a drawing to you few weeks ago. And you hide it in the drawer. I didn’t know both of you are still keeping in touch.” Shin Hye continued to .

Hyun Jun’s face turned red when his little secret has been found out. Looking at Shin Hye with an embarrass expression, he stuck his tongue out adorably before he continued to eat his breakfast, doesn’t want to talk anymore.

Shin Hye chuckled as she spooned more food into his bowl and stopped teasing him.

A strong wave of jealousy passed through Se Yeon, looking at how close Shin Hye and Hyun Jun was. All this laughter, happiness was supposed to be hers. She shouldn’t have let it slipped away and gave a chance to this woman to steal it away from her.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself down and ignored the burning rage surging inside of her. She turned to Min Ho and let out a light smile. “Oppa… did you go back to the riverside behind Light House orphanage and take a look at the tree that we planted together? I think it’s very big now.” She asked, bringing back the old memories that only belongs to two of them. No matter how much he loves Shin Hye now, there is always something that she couldn’t replace.

Min Ho stopped eating and looked at Se Yeon. “Oh yeah. I nearly forgot that we planted a tree at the riverside. I didn’t go there. It has been a very long time. How can you still remember about it?”

“Of course I remember. Have you forgotten what happened on the day we planted the tree? I’ll never forget about it.” Se Yeon chuckled meaningfully.

Shin Hye and Hyun Jun stopped eating and looked up at Se Yeon, both their attention were attracted by what she said.

“Se Yeon eomma, what happened that day?” Hyun Jun asked curiously.    

“Y-Yah! Quiet!” Min Ho warned her.

“Should I tell Hyun Jun about it?” She looked at Min Ho and smiled mischievously.

Shin Hye glanced at her and then at Min Ho, confused and have no idea with what they said.

“Yah! Don’t you dare to say a word.” Min Ho got nervous and pointed his finger at Se Yeon.

“Se Yeon eomma… tell me, tell me. Hyun Jun want to know.” Hyun Jun shook his mother’s arm; his curiosity was completely heightened by them.

“That day… hmmm… how old are we at that time?” Se Yeon tilted her head, still grinning. “I think we were just around 13 to 14 years old, right?” She paused and chuckled again before turning to Hyun Jun. “Appa and I loved to play at that riverside where he found your Si Wan seonsaeng-nim last time. You know what, appa and I loved to sit under a tree when we were staying in the orphanage. So we decided to plant a tree at the riverside, hoping when we go there the next time we can both sit under the tree. But on that day after we were done planting the tree…”

“Jin Se Yeon, shut up!” Min Ho wanted to cover but she was too far away from him. “Don’t embarrassed me in front of my son.”

“What happened then?” Hyun Jun ignored his father and waiting impatiently for his mother to continue.

“And then… it started to rain and the ground become very slippery. Your appa…” She paused and laughed loudly. “He slipped and fell into the river. Your father might be very smart and good in a lot of things but swimming… was his worst nightmare.” She continued to laugh as her eyes were stealing a sideway glance at Shin Hye.  The smile on her face immediately widened when she saw the awkwardness on her face. She was right. When she brought up her past with Min Ho, Shin Hye couldn’t find a chance to cut in at all. They have too much history together that an outsider like her will never be able to understand.

“Appa doesn’t know how to swim?” Hyun Jun asked again, shocked by the news.

Se Yeon shook her head and chuckled.

“Then what happened? Who save appa?”

“Who else?” She turned to Min Ho. “I’m the only one who was there with him.”

Min Ho heaved a deep sigh and looked away embarrassedly.

Hyun Jun held his stomach with one hand as he leaned his head on the table and laughed very loudly. “Appa need a girl to save you… hahaha…”

“Yah, Lee Hyun Jun. Stop laughing and eat your food.” Min Ho bit his bottom lips as he playfully stared at Se Yeon. “It’s all your fault. My hero image in my son’s heart is completely destroyed by you.”

“Mianhae…” Se Yeon apologized with a sweet smile.

Maybe Min Ho and Hyun Jun was too immersed into the joke Se Yeon brought up and neglected Shin Hye, who was sitting quietly there, feeling awkward at the same time. Those were some memories that belong to only both of them and no matter how hard she wanted to join into the conversation; she still couldn’t stop herself from feeling like an outsider.

Although Min Ho didn’t see the slight changes on Shin Hye’s face, but Kang Chun Hwa, who standing at the side all this while noticed it. She could imagine how hard it must be for Shin Hye to accept the fact that Se Yeon was still alive and now they have to stay under the same roof together. To be honest, she doesn’t have anything against Se Yeon but compared the two of them, Kang Chun Hwa will definitely choose Shin Hye for Min Ho. She is obviously a better wife for him.

Glancing at the wall clock in the dining room, Kang Chun Hwa stepped forward and interrupted them. “I’m sorry, doryeon-nim. It’s almost time for Hyun Jun to go to school. Ahjuhsi is waiting at the car porch.”

“Oh okay. We need to go now.” Min Ho quickly took a big sip of his coffee before turning to Shin Hye and smiled. “Are you done?”

Shin Hye looked at him and nodded her head softly.

“Okay. Hyun Jun, let’s go.” He said as he held Shin Hye’s hand and gently pulled her away with him.

~~~~~

Before they go, Min Ho looked at Se Yeon and checked on her. “Are you okay to be at home alone? Shin Hye and Hyun Jun usually come back from the school around 2pm. Si Wan will come over for Hyun Jun’s private class before Shin Hye go back to her mother’s house after that. You will just need to be alone for half a day.”

“I’m okay.” Se Yeon nodded, assured him with a soft smile.

“Se Yeon eomma don’t worry. Hyun Jun and eomma will come back right after our class ended.” Hyun Jun said.

Se Yeon smiled at her son and nodded her head again.

“If you need anything, just tell ahjuhma. She will take care of you.” Shin Hye smiled at her.

“Okay.” She replied softly.

“Goodbye, Se Yeon eomma.” Hyun Jun waved his tiny hand at her and ran to the car.

“See you tonight.” Min Ho said before he turned to Shin Hye and grasped her hand. “Let’s go.”

After they entered the car and out of sight, the smile on Se Yeon’s face immediately disappeared. Taking a sharp intake of breath, she turned around and went back into the house. When she walked into the kitchen, Kang Chun Hwa was busy washing the dishes there.

“Do you need any help?” She asked, trying to be polite. She wasn’t sure Kang Chun Hwa still remember or not but during the time when she lived in this house, they were not in good term. She hates her for being annoyingly naggy and Kang Chun Hwa thinks she was very irresponsible. But since she is back into this house now, and her main reason is to win back the heart that was supposed to be hers, she doesn’t want to make any enemy in this house.

Kang Chun Hwa quickly turned of the water tab and dried her hand using her apron. She looked at Se Yeon and shook her head. “I can manage. Samo… I mean agasshi should take a rest. Doryeon-nim and Shin Hye agasshi said you are not feeling well.”

Without replying her, Se Yeon just let out a tiny smirk as she walked closer to the kitchen cabinet where she saw Shin Hye taking her supplement just now. She pulled the basket to her and played with the bottles in her hand.

Clomiphene… 

Supplement? But looking at Shin Hye’s startle expression and how she stuttered just now, it doesn’t seem it was just a supplement.

“Are you… looking for anything? Your medicine is in the first drawer at your left side. The one you are holding is Shin Hye agasshi’s supplement.” Kang Chun Hwa asked when she saw her looking into the basket.

“Do you know what kind of supplement is this?” Se Yeon asked, holding the bottle up.

“I don’t know. Agasshi started to take not too long ago. But she doesn’t take it every day. She only took few times in a month.” Kang Chun Hwa said casually without being suspicious about her question.

“I see…” Se Yeon took a sceptical look at the bottle again before she put it back into the basket and slowly walked out of the kitchen.

-------------------------------------------------------------

DCM Corporation’s Office…

“What??” Yim Si Wan’s voice was almost piercingly loud, his eyes widened in shock.

Min Ho was startled by him and quickly closed his laptop, giving his full concentration to his best friend. “Can you calm down and talk softer? Do you want the whole building to know I have a wife and an ex-wife staying in my house?”

“Calm down? How do you want me to calm down? Are you out of your mind? How can you let Se Yeon stay in your house? You are insane.” Si Wan continued to shout at him. “I thought I saw a ghost when I went to your house yesterday. Why didn’t you tell me earlier? If I didn’t see her myself, are you going to hide this from me?”

A deep sigh escaped Min Ho’s lips as he looked up at Si Wan with a helpless gaze. “What do you want me to say? I know exactly what you think and what you mean. Do you think I don’t know the risk of letting an ex-wife staying under the same roof with my current wife? But you know Shin Hye. She said Se Yeon’s condition is getting better and it could help her to recover if Hyun Jun stays close to her. She wants them to spent more time together.” He pressed his lips together and inhaled deeply. “I disagreed with her at first but… if I’m too insist not letting Se Yeon to stay in my house, she would think something is wrong and thought I’m trying to hide Se Yeon from her. She will then start to think something irrelevant and it will only make things worse. Since she doesn’t mind to stay together with her, what else can I say? And this is just temporary. Once Kim Soo Hyun settle his problem in Taiwan, he will come back and bring her back.”

“Settle his problem and bring her back?” Si Wan let out a sarcastic chuckle. “Have you forgot how upset she was when she saw Kim Soo Hyun in the hospital that night? Do you think she will follow him to go back to Taiwan obediently? Okay… let’s say she really forgive him and willing to follow him back, but how long we will need to wait? One month? One year? Or ten years? Don’t be so naïve, Lee Min Ho. Two women and a man under the same roof… it only mean one thing.” He paused and glared at Min Ho. “The beginning of a disaster.”

“You are exaggerating the situation.” Min Ho disagreed with him. “They are fine. Even though it’s only three days but they seem… fine. I mean… of course they are not BFF but at least they are polite to each other and don’t seem to dislike each other.”

Si Wan chuckled again. “You know your ex-wife very well and you know your wife very well too. If Se Yeon wants something, do you think she will easily let it go without a fight? And Shin Hye is definitely not her match. That was how her beloved hairband went to Se Yeon’s head sixteen years ago.”

“They were just a kid at that time. Kids tend to fight for the same thing. Just like you and me. We always fight for the same thing too.” Min Ho argued as his eyes narrowed at him. “And why do I feel like you are taking Shin Hye’s side now? I thought Se Yeon was your first love.”

“This is not the time to be jealous, idiot.” Si Wan scolded him and continued to glare at him. “You are right. She was my first love and that’s why I know her very well. The moment I saw her in the hospital that night and when she keep asking for you, I already know all this will not be as simple. I don’t want to guess who she love more between Kim Soo Hyun and you. But if she needs to find a lifebuoy, you are the best candidate for her.” He paused and heaved a deep sigh. “If you are single, I really don’t care whether you let her stay in your house or in your room. But now you already have Shin Hye. She is my friend too. I care for her and I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“I will not hurt her.” Min Ho snapped and stared at him with a stern gaze. “Yes, I admit that I still care for Se Yeon and she still have a very important place in my heart but… my stance stay the same. I love Shin Hye and will not do anything to hurt her. Shin Hye knows about all this and she trust me.” He exhaled slowly, closing his eyes momentarily. “I know Shin Hye can be very jealousy sometimes… but she is also a reasonable and rational person. As long as I can prove my heart to her, she will understand.”

Holding his gaze for a long moment, Si Wan finally released a deep sigh and nodded in defeat. “Well… if you are so confident, what else can I say anymore? But don’t say I didn’t warn you. The situation in your house now is like… putting two lions in one den and you are the innocent lamb. It’s very dangerous. If that two lions got hungry, you will definitely be the first one to become their meal.” He smirked and stared at his best friend with a sympathy gaze. He wasn’t sure he should praise him for being overly confident or pity him for being too optimistic.

“And another gentle reminder for you. Don’t ever believe what woman says to you when they are rational. All the promises they made will go right into the drain once they become irrational.” He added.

Min Ho couldn’t help but laughed at Si Wan’s overly suspicious mind. “You are unbelievable. The way you describe women is like… they are some kind of extremely dangerous species.”

“They are, especially the beautiful ones. And you have two at home now.” Si Wan said.

“Should I tell my secretary about how her boyfriend think about women?” Min Ho playfully.

Si Wan smirked. “Don’t drag my girlfriend into this. We are different from you. At least there are only two of us in this relationship.” He paused and his smile slowly faded as his expression turned serious again. “Unlike you… yours is way too complicated.”

Min Ho understood what he means but he could only let out a long, breathy sigh. The situation has already become like this now and the only thing he can do is to be extra careful and not to make things become more complicated. “I’m sure we are all… different now. We will be mature enough to handle everything. I still believe that Shin Hye is different and she will trust me.”

“As your friend, I have already said what I have to say and the rest will be depend on you.” A sincere smile slowly appeared on Si Wan face as he stared into Min Ho’s eyes. “Good luck.”

------------------------------------------------------------

One week later…

Bedroom…

“Eomma… eomma… are you okay?” Hyun Jun knocked the door urgently.

After they had their dinner an hour ago, Shin Hye went straight to her room and didn’t come down since then. When Hyun Jun went up wanted to look for her in her room, he was shocked to hear her vomiting sound in the bathroom. He was so scared and quickly ran down and asked Se Yeon to come up with him.

“Eomma… Eom…” Hyun Jun’s voice was cut off when the door opened and Shin Hye was now standing in front of him.

“Eomma… are you okay?” He asked again.

Shin Hye let out a faint smile and nodded her head softly. “Eomma is okay.”

“But… you are vomiting.” Se Yeon, who was standing behind Hyun Jun cut in and stared at her. “Are you not feeling well anywhere?”

“I… I’m fine.” Shin Hye smiled weakly at Se Yeon. “I think… I ate something wrong this afternoon.”

“But