Early the next morning, Eun-soo got ready to go to the gym after freshening up.
Due to her recent trip to Jeju Island, she hadn't been to the gym in a while and wasn't feeling like herself.
Eun-soo stepped into the elevator and headed downstairs to the gym floor.
After arriving, she looked around, but Jin-woo and Hajun had not arrived yet.
So, she began her workout alone.
On the other floor of the building, Hajun was sleeping peacefully while Jin-woo prepared some milk for him.
After putting the milk on to boil, he went to Hajun's room and began to shake him lightly.
"Hajun, get up. We need to go to the gym," Jin-woo said.
"Uncle, let me sleep. I do not want to go," Hajun mumbled.
"Okay, if you do not want to go, then I will go meet your teacher Eun-soo alone," Jin-woo countered.
Hajun slowly opened his eyes, looked at him, and then closed them again.
"Okay, you can go alone. Anyway, I will see Teacher Eun-soo at kindergarten later," he replied.
Listening to this, Jin-woo didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Hajun was getting more and more intelligent as time passed.
Since coming into contact with Eun-soo, he had also begun to emerge from the shadow of his parents' death.
However, he was also becoming increasingly naughty.
Since Hajun wasn't getting up, Jin-woo scooped him into his arms and headed toward the bathroom.
Hajun continued "playing dead" in his arms, but Jin-woo knew the boy needed complete comfort to sleep and he wouldn't find that while being carried.
He took him to the sink and put a toothbrush in his mouth.
Hajun annoyingly opened his eyes, looked at his uncle, and finally began to brush his teeth.
Both uncle and nephew prepared for the gym together.
Once ready, they took the elevator down to the gym floor and entered the facility.
Jin-woo sent Hajun to the kids' corner and then went to start his own exercise.
He saw Eun-soo running on the treadmill but didn't disturb her; instead, they simply shared a nod of acknowledgment.
After an hour, Jin-woo and Eun-soo finished their workouts at the same time and headed to the kids' corner to get Hajun.
As always, the moment Hajun saw Eun-soo, he stuck to her leg.
"Why were you late today, Hajun?" Eun-soo asked, looking down at the boy hugging her leg.
Jin-woo smiled slightly and looked at the boy. "Tell your teacher, Hajun. Why were you late today?"
Hajun, seeing his uncle put him on the spot, stammered, "I... I... I overslept."
Seeing him acting so guilty, Eun-soo picked him up in her arms, hugged him, and said, "It's alright to oversleep sometimes."
"Is it?" Hajun asked, looking back and forth between Jin-woo and Eun-soo.
Jin-woo intervened, saying to Eun-soo, "Don't give him reasons to wake up late, otherwise he will use that excuse regularly. You don't know how smart this kid is becoming."
Then, Jin-woo looked at Hajun sternly. "And as for you, I'm going to tell your grandmother that you're becoming too clever for your own good."
Eun-soo watched Jin-woo lecture the boy, who held his head down.
She began to laugh and said, "Jin-woo Oppa, don't tease him. Hajun is obedient; he won't do it again," she added, patting Hajun on the head.
Jin-woo, who had been in the middle of lecturing Hajun, suddenly became stunned at the sound of Eun-soo calling him "Oppa."
He looked toward her, blinking. "Oppa?"
Eun-soo, seeing his stunned expression, became a little shy and lowered her eyes.
"Can I not call you Oppa?" she whispered.
"I mean... you can if you want to," Jin-woo replied, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.
He then ventured, "Can I call you Eun-soo, then?"
Eun-soo simply nodded her head without saying a word.
Hajun looked at his teacher and his uncle, not quite understanding what was happening, but he sensed a change.
"So, Teacher and Uncle are now friends?" Hajun asked.
Eun-soo looked at him and nodded. "Yes, your uncle and teacher are now friends."
Hajun became very happy and exclaimed, "Yeah! Then I can call Teacher 'Aunty' from now on!"
Eun-soo turned shy again but eventually nodded. "You can call me Aunty... but not at school."
Hajun looked confused as to why he couldn't call her that at school.
Eun-soo just shook her head. "There's no specific reason, you just can't call me Aunty in kindergarten. Let's make a pinky promise."
Seeing her insistence, Hajun relented. "Okay, pinky promise."
They linked pinky fingers to seal the deal.
Afterward, all three entered the elevator.
The lift stopped at Jin-woo's floor first. Before stepping out, Jin-woo turned to her.
"I will drop you off and pick you up from kindergarten with Hajun. Is that okay with you, Eun-soo?"
Hearing Jin-woo becoming so much more direct now that she had called him "Oppa," her face turned bright red.
She slowly nodded and whispered, "Okay."
Jin-woo took Hajun's hand and they stepped out of the elevator toward their apartment.
"Goodbye, Aunty!" Hajun called out.
Eun-soo smiled warmly at him. "Goodbye, Hajun."
As the elevator doors closed, Eun-soo's heart began to beat faster and faster.
She had been acting calm on the outside, but inside, she was panicking.
"How could I suddenly call him Jin-woo Oppa?" she whispered to herself.
"Doesn't that make it obvious that I like him? Why, why did you do that, Eun-soo?"
She began to scold herself, but after a few moments, her expression softened.
"Whatever, it's better this way. I already called him 'Oppa' and he didn't have a problem with it. Doesn't that mean he likes me too?"
Then, Eun-soo's mind began to wander in a different direction.
"This could be considered our unofficial first day. Even though we haven't called each other boyfriend and girlfriend, the intent was obvious."
"So... what should I wear today?"
Eun-soo began to ponder, resting her long, soft fingers against her lips.
"I have to go to the kindergarten, so I can't wear anything uncomfortable. Let's see what I can find once I'm back in the apartment."
Just as she finished that thought, the elevator reached her floor. She stepped out and hurried into her home.
After entering her apartment, she began to prepare for the day.
She took a quick bath and then started to make her breakfast.
As she was cooking, a sudden thought came to her, and she decided to call Jin-woo.
On the other side, Jin-woo was busy getting Hajun ready for school and himself ready for the office.
He accepted the call, looking a bit confused since they had just parted ways minutes ago. "What happened?" he asked.
"Nothing," Eun-soo replied. "I just wanted to ask... have you had breakfast yet?"
"Not yet. Why?" Jin-woo asked.
"Since you are giving me a ride to the kindergarten, I thought I would prepare breakfast for you and Hajun. Is that okay?"
Hearing this, Jin-woo smiled slightly. "That's okay, but you don't have to go to the trouble. we could even grab something on the way to school."
Eun-soo felt a warm glow at his concern and smiled. "It's fine. I've already started preparing it anyway."
"Okay, then," Jin-woo said. "Call me when you're ready, and we will meet at the elevator."
"Hmm, okay. Bye, Oppa!"
"Bye, Eun-soo."