CH 60.2

“No. This is my job. And the house owner told me to take good care of you. He asked me that you don’t move much, so that you can rest as much as possible.”

“…”

“Please, sit. If you take my work away from me, I’ll be very troubled. I get paid for this.”

As she said that and insisted that it was inevitable, Yoo-hwa couldn’t take away the lady’s work. She sat in front of the kitchen island, which now felt like it was her spot, and looked at the food the lady had prepared for her. It was food that was easy to digest, such as soft steamed eggs, grilled tofu, fish fillets, seasoned bean sprouts, etc.

“Do you want some porridge? Or rice?”

“Porridge, please.”

“Porridge in the morning makes you feel comfortable.”

The lady smiled nicely and placed a warm bowl of porridge in front of Yoo-hwa. It seemed to be vegetable porridge, as she could see some bits of colorful vegetables. As she stirred it with the spoon, the warm steam rose. Before taking a spoonful, Yoo-hwa looked at the lady who was cleaning the sink.

She thought she would be someone as stiff as a robot because she was a housekeeper hired by Woo-hyun, but she was surprisingly friendly.

However, what caught her attention was something else. Her profile, with her hair rolled up into one section, seemed like her mother. Yoo-hwa saw the image of her mother, who was no longer here, in the strange lady, and fell into thought. Her appearance came to her mind, but she couldn’t imagine what life would be like.

If her mother, who desperately wanted to be loved, hadn’t gone through such a thing and lived to this day, would she have lived with the love she wanted?

Come to think of it, her mother’s incomprehensible appearance back then, wanting to be loved by someone, was not very different from her own right now.

Yoo-hwa smiled bitterly.

“Do you not like the food?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“You didn’t eat anything…”

“I was thinking about something else for a while.”

As she said that, Yoo-hwa slowly took a spoonful. The savory and tender porridge tasted the same as the one she ate previously. It seemed that the porridge Woo-hyun gave her before was made by this lady. When she confirmed that Yoo-hwa was eating properly, the housekeeper quietly stepped aside.

She didn’t know if it was because she was hungry or because her body was healing, but she emptied the bowl quickly. Each of the side dishes was delicious, so she dived right in as if not having an appetite was a lie.

“Leave it. I’ll clean it up.”

As Yoo-hwa tried to soak the bowl she had finished in the sink, the housekeeping lady appeared suddenly, out of nowhere. As if Yoo-hwa doing chores was a big problem, the lady quickly took the bowl from her hand and pushed her back.

“Go and get some rest. That’s what you can help me with. You’re exactly as the landlord said.”

“What did he say?”

“He said you would surely make something to eat and clean up after yourself.”

“…”

“He told me not to let that kind of thing happen.”

Seeing that Woo-hyun said even that much, Yoo-hwa made an awkward expression. As much as she knew him, she could actually feel how much he knew her too. It was strangely uncomfortable, like not wearing your clothes the right way.

“So please, go inside.”

“… Then, thank you for your care.”

Seeing her strong reaction, Yoo-hwa turned around reluctantly, unable to be any more stubborn. It was awkward because it was the first time she saw anyone acting like this. Yoo-hwa, who was walking while thinking that she should be quiet as if she didn’t exist, stopped in her tracks. Yoo-hwa’s gaze scanned the interior of the house in a straight line.

She thought the atmosphere in the house was exceptionally strange today. She had that thought as soon as she opened the door, but she thought it was because of the housekeeper, who talked to her affectionately. Turns out, it was because of those.

A vase of flowers was placed on the table, and a small planter of flowers was placed in front of the window. In addition, there were also flowers on the bookshelf and on the table next to the sofa.

“What are these flowers?”

They weren’t there until yesterday.

“The landlord asked me to do it, so I hurriedly decorated the house this morning. Do you like them?”

“… Yes. They’re pretty.”

Yoo-hwa approached the table slowly, as if she was possessed. Every time she remembered her mother, she also thought about the reason why she named her Yoo-hwa, so she felt strange as if her thoughts had been discovered.

As she sat on the sofa and looked at the flowers, Yoo-hwa’s expression became softer. She hadn’t seen flowers in a long time. Yoo-hwa, who was looking at the flowers, squinted her eyes and tilted her head. Reaching out and silently touching the pink petals, Yoo-hwa spoke in a sinking voice.

“… These are fake flowers.”

Instead of moist liveliness, she felt a soft, thin fabric. Come to think of it, they were too flawless to be real flowers. The petals were perfect without any scratches.

“Yes. He asked me to decorate the house with fake flowers.”

The housekeeper replied with a bright smile as she wiped the table with a cloth. While Yoo-hwa sat staring at the flowers without a word, the housekeeper added.

“I asked if he really meant fake flowers and not real ones,”

“…”

“And he said it would be better if they were fake flowers, so that they don’t wither.”

Those words pierced her like a thorn.

… So that they don’t wither.

Yoo-hwa couldn’t give any answer.