It had been a month since Suho was discharged from the hospital. He and Hauen were staying at the Kim mansion, as Haraboji had insisted. But Suho seemed restless, despite being surrounded by family, he felt lonely. He missed Yerin terribly but couldn't see her, not even speak to her over the phone.
At first, everyone had given him constant attention and care. But as days passed, life went on for them, and Suho was left feeling lost. Only Hauen stayed by his side. She could see how stressed and distant he had become. His appearance had changed; he'd gained weight from the heavy medications, his facial scars were slowly fading, but the old charm in his eyes and smile seemed gone.
Suho was slowly sinking into depression, yet no one around him seemed to notice. People came to visit, but they didn't understand the inner pain and insecurity that had taken root after the accident. Hauen tried her best to keep him cheerful, but he seemed unwilling to open up. Deep down, he felt like a burden to her and worried that one day she'd leave him.
These days, his behavior has started to show small signs of frustration; he gets irritated over minor things and feels the need to call someone for every little task. Hauen quietly observed his silent pain, knowing he was struggling inside, even if he didn't show it.
That night, the mansion was quiet. Everyone was fast asleep.Hauen was dozing on the couch beside Suho's bed when she suddenly stirred awake. Instinctively, her eyes went to the bed. Suho was sitting upright, shoulders trembling, tears streaming down his face in silence.
Her heart sank. She sat up quickly and whispered, "Suho…"Walking up to the bed, she sat beside him. "Suho, are you okay? What happened?" she asked gently, her voice full of concern.
He didn't answer at first, just kept crying, trying to hold it in. She cupped his cheeks softly, forcing him to meet her eyes. His lips trembled as he spoke, voice breaking apart, "I can't live like this anymore, Hauen… It's suffocating. I hate this life."
Without thinking twice, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. "Hey, shh… it's okay," she whispered, caressing his back. "You're fine, Suho… don't say that. Everything will be fine, okay?"
But he shook his head against her shoulder, sobbing harder. "No, it won't. I can't stay here like this. I'm breaking from inside, Hauen… I'm done. I feel trapped, useless, like I've lost everything."
Her arms tightened around him as she whispered softly, "Listen… sometimes life throws us into our darkest moments. It breaks us, it pushes us to the edge. But that doesn't mean it's over. It just means we have to hold on a little longer."
She pulled back slightly, her thumb brushing away his tears. "It's okay to feel lost. It's okay to cry. But you can't keep holding it all in, Suho. Let it go… let it all out. When you let go of the pain," she continued softly, brushing away the tears from his face, "your mind starts to clear. And when your mind clears, you'll see the light, the one that's been trying to reach you all this time."
He broke down completely then, crying into her shoulder, every bit of pain, fear, and helplessness spilling out. She held him through it all, quietly comforting him, rubbing his back as he sobbed.
When his cries finally softened into quiet sniffles, she pulled back and looked at him gently. "Feeling a little better now?" she asked.
He nodded, still sniffing and wiping his tears roughly."Aigoo, don't rub your eyes like that, you'll hurt them," she said, stopping his hand and wiping his tears gently herself.
He avoided her gaze, embarrassed, and she smiled a little before ruffling his short, soft hair.Just then, his stomach growled loudly, and she heard it.
"Wanna eat some ramen?" she asked softly.He shook his head. "No, it's late. You should sleep."
She smiled. "Ramen tastes the best when you eat it late at night," she said, like she was sharing a secret.He let out a small chuckle.
"Come on, let's have some. You didn't even eat dinner properly," she insisted.
He sniffed again, wiping his nose with his sleeve. "I've already gained so much weight… eating ramen isn't good for me. I'll end up looking like a pig," he said with a weak smile.
She smiled teasingly, "Ohh, don't think like that. Who even told you that? Whoever said that is just jealous of your new glow-up! You know what, you actually look like a soft teddy bear. You know that?"
He looked at her quietly, raising an eyebrow like he was trying to figure out if she was joking.
She grinned. "Trust me, I'm serious! Want me to prove it?"Before he could reply, she quickly grabbed her phone, snapped a picture of him, and opened her gallery. Then she pulled up a photo of a cute teddy bear and held them side by side.
"See? Do you see any difference here?" she asked proudly.
He looked at the screen, then at her face, half amused and half suspicious. "Are you making fun of me?"
She shook her head quickly. "Not at all. I'm saying you've become cute now. Before, you were all handsome and sharp, but now you've evolved into this adorable, plushy version of yourself."
He blinked at her, a little flustered by her words, his ears turning slightly red.She bit back a laugh, enjoying his reaction.
"Okay, enough talk. Let me cook us some ramen. I'll be back in a minute," she said, jumping up.
Before he could protest, she had already rushed out of the room.A minute later, she returned, arms full, with a small electric stove, a pot, two serving bowls with chopsticks, two big ramen packets, and a couple of eggs.
He looked at her, half shocked and half amused. "Wait… are you cooking here?"
"Yes, because the kitchen looks scary," she said in a small, scared voice while setting the stove and pouring water into the pot. "I'm not brave enough to stand there alone at midnight… It's almost 3 a.m. and I'm scared."
He chuckled, amused by her expression. "Scared of what?"
"Of course, ghosts!" she said, eyes wide in mock fear.
He burst out laughing at her dramatic tone. She smiled quietly, relieved to see him laughing again, really laughing, for the first time in days.
Within minutes, the water began to boil. She added the ramen, seasoning, and eggs, and soon the cozy room was filled with the warm, savory aroma of instant noodles.
"Mmm… this smells so good," she said, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply.
He smiled softly, watching her. She turned off the stove and carefully served the ramen into two bowls, handing one to him.
"Here you go, midnight meal, chef's special," she said proudly.
He accepted it with a small smile. "Thank you."
She grinned. "You're welcome, husband."
He shook his head, laughing. She'd been calling him that lately, husband, as a joke, but somehow it always made the air between them feel warmer.
As they ate quietly, he spoke after a long pause. His voice dropped softer, almost breaking.
"I'm… not feeling good here, Hauena. I feel lonely, even though everyone's around. I miss Yerin so much. I can't even meet her, and in calls, I'm not able to speak with her properly."
She looked at him quietly, her heart softening. She could see the pain hiding behind his tired smile, the kind of pain words couldn't really fix. She reached out and held his hand gently.
"Don't worry," she said softly.
He took a shaky breath, his gaze falling on the half-eaten ramen. "Sometimes I feel like… I'm troubling her. Like I've become a burden. I don't want her to feel tied down because of me. But my stupid heart doesn't listen, it keeps craving her, no matter how much I try to control it."
Hauen listened quietly, then spoke in her calm, steady voice. "Don't think like that, Suho. You both love each other. Just because life threw something unexpected at you doesn't mean you don't deserve her anymore. Love isn't just about being happy together; it's about standing by each other when things fall apart. I'm sure Yerin will stay by your side. Don't let the darkness in your head convince you otherwise."
He looked at her, eyes soft, a faint smile appearing on his face. "I don't know about Yerin…" he said after a pause, "but you're definitely standing by my side, even when you don't have to."
Her heart raced as she said, "Don't say that. It's my duty to stay with you. I'm your wife in front of the world, and I can't just leave you like this."
He looked at her for a moment and asked, "How long will you stay? In six months, our contract ends, and you'll be free. If you want, you can break it now."
Her heart sank. She held his hands tightly and said, "No, I won't leave you. According to the contract, I was supposed to give you a child, but I couldn't. You've already paid the price for that. But I can't leave you now, I have to make it up to you this way. Otherwise, I won't be able to live in peace. You saved my dad, my family…" she said softly.
He looked down and smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Hauena. The money I gave you means nothing compared to what you're doing for me."
She replied firmly, "The money may have been small to you, but it saved my family when we were at our lowest. Now it's you standing in a difficult phase, and I can't leave you just like that. Remember, I promised to help you be with Yerin. Let me keep that promise."
He chuckled, "You're so stubborn sometimes."
She smiled and shrugged, "I am."
"Okay… now listen," she continued. "Since you're missing Yerin so much, I have a plan."
"What plan?" he asked.
"How about we go back to the penthouse? The atmosphere there will be different, and you can meet Yerin whenever you want," she said, wiggling her eyes.
He paused for a moment. "But… how? I don't think Haraboji will allow it," he said, doubting the idea.
She smiled confidently. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him. If I explain how much you're suffering and how going back will help, he'll understand. He'll definitely agree if I make it emotional," she said, trusting her plan completely.
He laughed softly. "You and your ideas…"
She frowned playfully. "Why? Wait until tomorrow. Once I come up with good news, you'll appreciate me," she said, teasingly.
"Okay… we'll see," he said, handing her the empty ramen bowl after finishing it.
She smiled, "Do you want anything else?"
He shook his head, "No… I'm full and relaxed now. Thank you. You should sleep too, so you can execute your idea tomorrow."
She grinned, "Wait and see, husband," and he laughed softly.
She helped him lie back on the bed, tucked the blanket neatly around him, cleared the dirty dishes, and returned to the couch to rest. She dimmed the light and watched him drift back to sleep peacefully. Her heart felt full seeing him so calm, and with a soft smile, she closed her eyes and fell asleep too.