Side Story 1
This was like a second gift that came to love him more.
* * *
“Boss, how old are you this year?”
A man with pomade hair asked Idam.
“Old enough,” Idam replied, hiding his discomfort.
“Anyway, you’d like an Americano, right?”
“Yes, boss. Please make it with lots of ice, as cold as your heart towards me.” The man winked and sat near the counter, watching Idam.
Just as Idam was trying to ignore him and make the drink, a male employee hurriedly approached.
“I’ll take care of this, boss.”
He took the coffee tamper from Idam and started making the Americano.
“Alright, Sangcheol. I’ll leave it to you then.”
Idam naturally stepped away from the counter. He surveyed the four-story cafe. Despite the large space, it was crowded with people today too. Moreover, almost all the bread and cakes made today had been sold.
As Idam was feeling satisfied and about to smile, his phone vibrated. He took it out of his apron pocket and checked it.
<I’m in front of the cafe now.>
A message had arrived from Taemin. At the same time, Idam felt sweetness spreading in his mouth as if he had swallowed sugar. With excited fingers, he quickly typed a reply.
<I’ll finish up and come out now.>
Idam couldn’t help but smile at Taemin’s ticklish message.
After sending the reply, Idam felt his heart growing even warmer.
“Oh? The profile picture has changed?”
Idam tapped on Taemin’s chat profile. It was set to a photo they had taken recently at the beach. They were both soaking wet, having just come out of the sea, but their expressions were joyful. And in Taemin’s arms, a small baby was smiling brightly. This baby was a little fairy who had inherited their blood.
One year ago, Taemin, who had nearly died from the Jeramy poison, fully recovered after a few days. After attending Ji Taehwa’s funeral, he soon proposed marriage. Although Ji Taehwa wasn’t a good person, Idam opposed the idea of having the ceremony so quickly.
‘Wouldn’t it be better to get married a bit later? Or we could do it after I give birth.’
‘That’s too late. I want you to be my real wife as soon as possible.’
Feeling Taemin’s passionate heart, Idam couldn’t argue further and accepted. He also wanted to be officially by Taemin’s side.
The wedding ceremony was held as a traditional Korean wedding at Baekwol Corporation’s hanok hotel. Hayun came, and Sujeong and her brother also came to congratulate them. Through this marriage, Idam became Taemin’s real wife, not a pretense or fake one. The joy of that day would be unforgettable for a lifetime.
They spent their month-long honeymoon resting on Jihwado. It was chosen because Idam’s belly had grown considerably, and Jihwado’s scenery was so beautiful that it seemed good for prenatal education. After finishing their honeymoon, they returned to Korea. Six months later, under Taemin’s care, Idam gave birth to their baby fairy.
It was a boy who perfectly inherited Idam’s orange hair and Taemin’s blue eyes. He was so cute that they wondered if there could be a prettier baby in the world. They discussed the name with Taemin. They named him Jimin, using the Chinese characters for 知 (ji, meaning “to know”) and 暋 (min, meaning “strong”). It carried the meaning of hoping he would live strongly.
Now almost 7 months old, Jimin smiled brightly and was very energetic. He was currently crawling around and making messes. They were worried about what he might do once he started walking.
“Are you leaving now?” Sangcheol, who had finished making the Americano, approached Idam.
“Yes, Sangcheol. I have plans this evening, so I’ll leave a bit early. Please take care of closing up.”
“Understood, boss. Take care on your way home.”
At Sangcheol’s farewell, the other employees in the kitchen also said goodbye to Idam. Idam politely bowed in return and left the cafe. There was a three-dimensional sign reading “Fairy Tales Cafe” on the exterior, which looked like a European castle transported here.
“Hah… I’m still not used to it. Me being the boss…”
Idam rubbed the back of his head, feeling embarrassed.
Seven months ago, after safely giving birth, Idam took care of Jimin for a while. Although a babysitter helped, Idam handled most of it.
Then one day, he received a call from Sujeong.
‘Idam, our cafe has been selected as a top restaurant! So we’re on TV. Take a look.’
The cafe that Sujeong and her brother were running had apparently become famous enough to appear on broadcasts. Watching TV, Idam was reminded of his time working in Cheongdo. Though the days were tough, they were also enjoyable. Especially the thrill he felt when his egg sandwiches became popular was indescribable.
He wanted to feel that satisfaction once more. But with Jimin still so young, he couldn’t bring himself to mention it and kept quiet. As this regret continued, one day Taemin spoke up as if reading Idam’s mind.
‘Honey, isn’t it hard just doing childcare? How about having some personal time during the day while leaving Jimin with the babysitter?’
So Idam told Taemin he wanted to work part-time at a cafe.
‘Why work part-time? That’s too hard.’
Taemin seemed to oppose the idea. Idam was taken aback. Why was he saying this when he had suggested having personal time? He wondered if he shouldn’t have said anything. But then…
‘I’ll just set up a cafe for you, so you can be the boss.’
‘What?’
Idam’s eyes widened at Taemin’s suggestion.
‘You want me to run it?’
‘Why? Do you think it’ll be too difficult?’
‘Yes… Honestly, I’m not confident…’
‘I’ll hire professional staff for you, so don’t feel burdened.’
‘B-But… I could just work part-time…’
‘You’d eventually want to open your own cafe after gaining experience as a part-timer, right? Just think of it as that moment being moved forward a bit.’
‘What? I never thought about having my own cafe…’
‘Just accept it.’
And so, with Taemin’s insistence and help, Idam opened the cafe. Moreover, as Idam started selling the egg sandwiches he had made at the Cheongdo cafe again, the cafe was thriving.
But just as there is darkness behind success, Idam was troubled by difficult customers like the pomade-haired man from earlier sticking around. Especially…
Idam looked at the message he had received earlier with heavy eyes.
Idam quickly deleted the message.
“This is hard…”
Sighing deeply, Idam left the cafe.
“Huk.”
He saw the pomade-haired man who had been flirting with him earlier loitering around. Feeling afraid, Idam hesitated.
Why is that person still here and not gone? If we meet, he’ll surely cause trouble…
Idam hesitated on how to avoid him. But this worry was short-lived. Soon, the man disappeared into an alley with someone who seemed to be his companion.
“Phew…”
Idam sighed in relief and came out onto the street. He hoped there wouldn’t be any more such encounters in the future. After walking for a while, he soon saw a familiar sedan. A smile bloomed on Idam’s face, which had been gloomy for a moment. He approached with lighter steps. Soon the sedan door opened and Taemin got out. He had been busy lately preparing for a new business. So he was neatly dressed in a black suit, having come straight from work. Taemin slightly opened his arms, and Idam quickly went and nestled into his embrace. It was very cozy.
“Honey, did you finish up at the cafe?”
“Yes! Other employees will handle closing.”
“You worked hard today too.”
Taemin whispered affectionately and kissed Idam’s cheek. Idam also sweetly felt his love.
“Hello, madam.”
Secretary Kang got out of the driver’s seat and greeted him.
“Hello.”
After returning the greeting, Idam immediately looked into the sedan.
“Where’s Jimin?”
“He’s sitting quietly.”
Taemin opened the back door. Jimin could be seen sitting in the car seat.
“Baba!”
Tiny hands like fern fronds reached out towards Idam. His cute babbling also seemed to flutter like butterflies. Meeting his little one, Idam felt a burning exhilaration and sat in the back seat. He hugged Jimin tightly.
“Baba.”
Jimin also buried his face in Idam’s neck as if burrowing in. He was full of sweet baby scent.
“Jimin, daddy’s here. Are you happy?”
“Uung uung uung! Daa!”
Jimin’s eyes curved prettily and he laughed brightly. He truly was their precious little one that they couldn’t love more. Idam kissed Jimin’s chubby cheeks.
“Kya, kaa.”
Jimin was so happy he didn’t know what to do with himself. He looked ready to fly if Idam kissed him one more time. Taemin also sat next to Idam.
“Honey, Jimin called me ‘daddy’ earlier.”
“Really?”
“Yes, just for a moment though.”
“Wow! Jimin, say ‘Idam daddy’ again.”
Idam urged excitedly. But Jimin just touched Idam’s cheek with puzzled eyes. In fact, he couldn’t even properly say “daddy” yet, so it seemed unlikely.
“Did he really call you ‘Idam daddy’?”
Idam looked at Taemin suspiciously. Taemin raised both hands with an aggrieved face.
“Yes, he definitely did. I’m not lying.”
Thinking about it, Idam realized there was no reason for Taemin to lie about this.
“If he said it once, he’ll probably say it again soon.”
Idam smiled and rubbed his cheek against Jimin’s. The soft and squishy sensation was very warm.
“Honey, was everything okay today? No strange customers or anything?”
“Yes, it was fine.”
Idam recalled the pomade-haired man from earlier and the text message he had received, but he deliberately answered that everything was fine. He didn’t want to give Taemin anything to worry about. Taemin looked at Idam meaningfully before nodding.
“That’s good then. I made a reservation at that Korean restaurant we went to last time for dinner.”
“Yes, I like that place.”
That Korean restaurant had private rooms and also provided baby food for customers with children. As Idam was feeling the fatigue from the day melting away, he felt his phone vibrate. When he looked at it, his face turned pale.
“What’s wrong?”
Taemin’s expression hardened, sensing something was off.
“No, it’s nothing. I, uh, have someone to meet nearby quickly. I’ll be right back.”
“Huh? Who are you meeting?”
“I’ll tell you when I get back.”
“Alright.”
Taemin was puzzled but didn’t press further and moved back so Idam could get out of the back seat. Idam ran into an alley. Taemin watched Idam’s retreating figure with a strange feeling.
At that time, Taemin didn’t know. That he would be parting with the ‘current’ Idam.
* * *
30 minutes had passed since Idam left the car.
“This is strange…”
Taemin tilted his head while holding Jimin. Idam, who said he’d be right back, was nowhere to be seen. Feeling anxious, he tried calling, but it just rang without connecting.
“Why isn’t he answering?”
Taemin, growing more anxious, handed Jimin to Secretary Kang.
“Secretary Kang, I think I need to go look for Idam.”
“What? No, I’ll go look.”
“I can’t sit still, I’m too worried. You take care of Jimin.”
“Ah. Understood.”
Secretary Kang skillfully took Jimin. Since he had seen Jimin often since Idam started the cafe, Jimin also quickly nestled into Secretary Kang’s arms.
“Should we deploy the men to search, just in case?”
“Yes, do that.”
Taemin hurriedly got out of the sedan and looked around for Idam. But he was nowhere to be seen.
After wandering for a while, he gradually sensed Idam’s pheromones. It was the unique floral scent, but different from usual. The concentration of the scent was gloomy, as if flower petals had been crushed. Feeling an even stronger sense of foreboding, Taemin entered the alley as if entranced. At that moment, Taemin’s heart sank.
Because Idam had collapsed.
“Idam!”
Taemin rushed over and checked Idam’s carotid artery on his wrist. Fortunately, there was a pulse, but it was clearly a dangerous situation. Taemin hurriedly picked Idam up. He saw an injection mark on his pale neck.
* * *
“So… you’re saying the madam was collapsed in an alley?”
Secretary Kang, who had just entered the hospital room, looked at Idam lying in bed with a hardened face.
“Yes.”
Taemin also had a grief-stricken expression. Jimin in his arms was also whimpering as if he knew his parent’s condition wasn’t normal.
“How did this happen?”
“According to the doctor, it appears someone injected poison into Idam’s neck with a syringe.”
“Gasp. So someone attacked the madam?”
“Hah, yes.”
“How is the madam’s condition? Is it very bad?”
“They’ve given him detox treatment, so his life isn’t in danger. We’ll know more details when Idam wakes up.”
Taemin felt his insides burning black. What kind of madman would dare touch his fairy?
Just then…
“Mmm…”
Idam’s eyelids slowly lifted and he opened his eyes. His caramel eyes seemed to shine like jewels. Taemin immediately made eye contact with Idam.
“You’re awake? Honey?”
At Taemin’s voice, Idam’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Um… Who are you, mister?”
Taemin’s eyes widened at Idam’s words. Why didn’t his fairy recognize him?
“You don’t know me? We’re married.”
“What? I’m married?”
“Yes…”
“I’m only fourteen… What do you mean I’m married?”
As Idam claimed to be fourteen years old, Taemin felt dizziness washing over him.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
