A few minutes later, Seyoung stepped out of her room, now dressed in soft pyjamas with a loose hoodie draped over her shoulders. Her hair was tied up into a ponytail, held in place with a simple headband, strands of it still damp from a quick face wash.
As she entered the living room, her eyes landed on the scene unfolding before her, and she couldn't help but laugh softly.
There was Jinhwan, sitting frozen on the sofa like a helpless mannequin. His usual sharp, violet hair was now decorated with an explosion of colourful hairpins, some shaped like strawberries, stars, and little animals. A few were clearly hers from childhood, and others probably belonged to their mom. All of them were now proudly stuck in his head like a chaotic crown.
The little girl was focused, utterly serious in her craft, using Jinhwan's head like it was her personal styling dummy. She had already dotted his cheeks with a bit of blush probably from an old makeup kit, and was now dabbing lip gloss across his mouth with intense concentration.
Jinhwan didn't even flinch. He had managed to calm the twin boy by handing him his phone, which the boy now held sideways, playing some bright, loud mobile game. But the girl, oh, she was on a mission.
Seyoung leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching it all unfold. Her expression softened, her eyes tracing over the scene. Jinhwan, still as a statue, was completely at peace, letting her siblings treat him like their personal doll without the slightest protest.
"You look stunning," she said, her voice laced with amusement, one eyebrow arched high.
Jinhwan turned his head ever so slightly, careful not to disturb the delicate chaos of colourful clips and pins in his hair. "Yeah? I'm thinking of making this my new look."
The little girl on his lap giggled.
"No, oppa! It's not done yet!"
"Okay, okay, I'm not moving," he said gently, his tone low and patient, eyes fixed on the determined artist in front of him. Her tiny hands hovered near his cheek again, fully focused, as if painting a masterpiece.
Just then, the sound of the front door opening echoed from the hallway, followed by the soft thud of it closing again. Footsteps approached, and Seyoung's father entered the living room, holding a few carry bags in both hands, groceries, maybe, or something from the pharmacy.
His eyes scanned the room, then landed on Jinhwan.
A full face of innocent chaos, lip gloss smudged just a little off-centre, mismatched blush, hair covered in a wild arrangement of pins, some glittery, some faded. He looked like a walking art project made with love and zero restraint.
Seyoung's father froze.
For a second, no one spoke.
Then, the corner of his mouth twitched.
He quickly turned his face to the side, lips pressed together tightly, clearly trying to keep it together. His shoulders trembled ever so slightly, on the edge of laughter.
A cough escaped him, not so much from his throat but from the effort of holding it in. He cleared it, composing himself, then turned back to face them, expression returning to something neutral, though his eyes still sparkled with unspoken amusement.
"Here, I got some groceries and meat. Give them to your mother, tell her to start dinner," her father said, holding out the bags toward Seyoung.
She stepped forward without a word, took them from his hands, and walked to the small kitchen. The quiet sound of bags rustling filled the room as she set them down neatly. Then she disappeared into another room, gently opening the door and closing it behind her.
Her father let out a small sigh and moved to sit on the sofa, not right beside Jinhwan, but not far either. Just enough distance to keep things comfortable. Between them, the little boy sat cross-legged, eyes glued to Jinhwan's phone, fully absorbed in his game, his tiny fingers tapping away like a professional.
Jinhwan shifted slightly, feeling the weight of the moment settle over his shoulders.
He took a slow breath in, then started, "About last time... I'd like to apolo-"
He didn't get to finish.
"You don't have to apologise," her father said, cutting in gently. His voice was calm, stripped of pride. "I was the one who overdid it."
He paused, glancing down at his hands before continuing, his tone low and sincere.
"I said some bad things that day. About your parents. I shouldn't have. I didn't know.. I didn't know you didn't have them."
A quiet settled between them. Even the boy's game seemed quieter somehow.
"I realised why you acted the way you did.. after Seyoung told me," he said, eyes now meeting Jinhwan's. There was no hardness in his gaze this time. Just something honest.
Jinhwan said nothing. He just stayed quiet, eyes lowered, his hands resting loosely in his lap.
Her father glanced at him for a moment, hesitating, then spoke, his voice gentle.
"If you don't mind... can I ask how it happened?"
He paused, as if unsure whether he should've asked at all.
"You don't need to if you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
Jinhwan was still for a beat, then slowly shook his head.
"It's fine. I can talk about it."
There was a short pause. His voice was calm, steady, but distant, like he was telling someone else's story.
[Episode 21 End]