Hyun Soo and Kang Ho collapsed on the couch like overfed cats.
"Food coma... is real," Hyun Soo groaned, flopping dramatically.
Jaewook, not buying it, folded his arms.
"You two handle the dishes.
Minah cooked. She's not the maid."
Both men straightened instantly like trained soldiers.
> "Sir, yes sir—sponge and soap, deploying now!"
---
Meanwhile, Jaewook turned to Minah with a gentle smile.
"Come with me."
Curious, Minah followed him upstairs—this time, into his room.
He pulled out a small box from the closet and opened it carefully.
Inside was a slightly worn, but well-loved stuffed lion.
> "Remember this?"
"You gave it to me on my birthday," Jaewook said softly.
"I kept it. All these years."
Minah stared at it, stunned—then slowly nodded.
A quiet, glowing smile curved on her lips.
Then Jaewook pulled out a photo.
A younger version of himself seated at a piano…
And a tiny Minah beside him, smiling with a lollipop in hand.
Her chest tightened.
---
Jaewook took her hand gently and led her down the hallway—to a door she hadn't noticed before.
"I renovated this room recently," he said.
"But I never brought anyone in."
The room was simple, elegant.
White walls. Warm lighting.
And in the center—a beautiful grand piano.
"This room reminds me of you," he confessed.
"You always stood beside me while I practiced.
Even when I cried from frustration…
You stayed.
You smiled.
You gave me candy."
Minah couldn't remember every detail.
But the warmth in her chest… felt familiar.
Her fingers curled tightly around the photo.
Jaewook gestured to the piano bench.
"Sit."
She did.
He took his place beside her, closed his eyes—
And his fingers danced across the keys.
"Moonlight Sonata."
The notes echoed through the room—
Mournful. Gentle. Beautiful.
Minah sat quietly, eyes fluttering shut.
Then—without a word—she leaned her head on Jaewook's shoulder.
He didn't stop playing.
He didn't say a word.
But the corners of his mouth lifted, just slightly.
And for a few precious minutes…
There were no secrets.
No past. No danger.
Just music, memory, and peace.
---
Downstairs, the great dishwashing duo—Hyun Soo and Kang Ho—had just stacked the last plate with victorious flair.
"Dish duty: complete," Hyun Soo said, wiping imaginary sweat from his brow.
Then—
Music.
Gentle. Poised. Familiar.
They both froze.
"Is that… piano?" Kang Ho whispered.
"But Jaewook never plays anymore…"
Their curiosity snapped into overdrive.
The two tiptoed upstairs like nosy goblins on a spy mission.
They reached the closed piano room door—the forbidden room, as Hyun Soo called it.
Kang Ho put a finger to his lips.
Hyun Soo slowly, carefully—dramatically—cracked the door open.
And there it was.
Jaewook… playing.
Minah… peacefully leaning on his shoulder.
The sunlight kissing the edge of the piano.
A moment so gentle it could melt steel.
Hyun Soo gasped like he'd just walked in on a romance scene mid-filming.
> "Am I hallucinating?" he whispered.
"Someone pinch me," Kang Ho replied, stunned.
But then—
CLATTER.
Hyun Soo's phone slipped from his hand and clattered loudly on the wooden floor like a cymbal crash in a string quartet.
Jaewook and Minah both turned, startled.
Their eyes locked on the two intruders at the door.
Hyun Soo froze mid-bend to pick up the phone.
"...Hi?"
Kang Ho immediately looked away like the wall suddenly became fascinating.
Jaewook stared at them with the most terrifying calm.
"What did I say… about not entering this room?"
Hyun Soo gulped.
"That it's off-limits unless the house is on fire."
"Is the house on fire, Hyun Soo?"
"No sir."
"Get. Out."
Kang Ho grabbed Hyun Soo by the collar and yanked him out like a bouncer removing a drunk best man from a wedding.
"Abort mission. Leave the lovebirds alone."
The door clicked shut.
Minah chuckled silently into her sleeve.
Jaewook sighed and shook his head, but the faintest smile curved on his lips.
"Ignore them," he said.
"Where were we?"
And the music began again.