The Lotte Hotel suite was bathed in a warm, amber glow from the recessed ceiling lights, casting soft shadows across the expansive, cream-colored bed.
Large floor-to-ceiling windows offered a breathtaking view of the Seoul skyline, where the distant city lights shimmered like fallen stars against the dark Han River.
In the center of the plush bed, Hajun was energetically jumping between his grandparents, his laughter ringing through the quiet room.
Jin-ho and Young-sook watched him with fond smiles, while Jin-woo lay with his head resting in his mother's lap, finally allowing the tension of the day to drain away.
Young-sook slowly patted her son's head, her touch gentle and grounding, as she looked down at him with motherly concern.
"Jin-woo, I know your heart was shattered when your brother and sister-in-law passed away in that accident six months ago," she said softly, her voice trembling slightly.
"But you cannot continue to neglect yourself like this. We see how much you adore Hajun and how you've shouldered everything alone, even when we offered to help."
She leaned down, her eyes searching his. "Is there anyone you like, Jin-woo? If there is, please tell us. We only want you to be happy, as long as she has a good heart."
At the mention of someone he liked, Eun-soo's face immediately flashed in Jin-woo's mind—the way she looked at him in the park and the grace she held at the restaurant.
But the memory of her sitting with Kang Min-ho followed quickly, causing him to let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Mom, I don't have anyone yet," he said, staring at the ceiling. "But if I ever find someone, I promise I will tell you first."
Young-sook exchanged a knowing glance with her husband, Jin-ho, who cleared his throat and decided to speak up.
"What about that teacher from today, Jin-woo? She was exceptionally pretty, and I saw the way you looked at her. Your eyes didn't leave her for a second."
Jin-woo felt a pang of discouragement at his father's observation. "Dad, she clearly has a boyfriend. Didn't you see her with the Kang Group heir?"
He closed his eyes, his voice dropping an octave. "Besides, she is Hajun's teacher. And she seems to come from an incredibly wealthy background if she's dining with someone like that."
Jin-ho waved a hand dismissively, his expression stubborn. "What does being rich have to do with anything? Are you not the CEO of a successful AI company now?"
"Your mother is the principal of Seoul High School and I am a retired physics professor from SNU," Jin-ho continued. "Our family lacks nothing in status or intellect."
"And as for the boyfriend—this generation changes partners like the weather. What matters is who she chooses to marry in the end. Why can't that be you?"
Jin-woo looked at his father, surprised by his uncharacteristically open-minded—and somewhat absurd—logic.
"Dad, would you really want me to be with someone who cycles through boyfriends? Besides, Miss Eun-soo doesn't seem like that kind of woman at all."
He sat up, his expression serious. "If it is my destiny, I will find someone. If not, I have Hajun. That is enough for me."
He reached out and pulled a giggling Hajun into a tight hug. "Hajun, do you like your Uncle Jin-woo?"
The boy stopped jumping and hugged Jin-woo back, nodding his head vigorously. "Yes! I love Uncle the most!"
Jin-woo's heart lightened at the boy's pure affection, and he lay back down in his mother's lap, feeling a brief moment of peace.
His parents sighed, knowing their son was a man of deep, hidden warmth who struggled to navigate his own complicated emotions.
They spent the next hour talking quietly about upcoming festivals, Jin-woo's plans for the "heart" cluster, and Hajun's progress in his school activities.
As the night grew darker, Jin-woo requested a blanket and bedsheet from the hotel staff and prepared a spot for himself on the floor near the large bed.
Hajun climbed under the covers between his grandparents, falling asleep almost instantly as the room went quiet.
Jin-woo lay in the dark, his mind drifting back to the restaurant and how beautiful Eun-soo had looked in her black-and-white dress.
He tried to push the thoughts away, telling himself she belonged to another world and another man, but a strange heaviness remained in his chest.
He stared at the city lights through the window until his eyes grew heavy, but even in his dreams, the feeling of something or someone missing wouldn't leave him.