Ah-rin had just returned from the office. She entered her apartment using the spare key she carried with her. The moment she stepped inside, she frowned—something felt off. The house was oddly silent.
She walked into the kitchen and found Maggie warming food in the microwave.
"What happened? Something seems wrong!"
"Ask your twins rather than wasting your time here."
"What happened to them?"
"Go freshen up. Come back with them. I'm serving the food."
Ah-rin rolled her eyes and walked toward her room without arguing further. She knew something was wrong—very, very wrong.
Time skip — during dinner
They ate in silence.
Normally, dinner was the liveliest time in the house. Noah and Naomi would excitedly share every little detail of their day with Ah-rin. But today, they kept their heads low, not even looking at her.
Ah-rin slowly put her spoon down and called them out softly.
"Noah, Naomi."
They looked up at her almost at the same time.
"What happened at school today?"
"How do you know, Mommy?" Naomi said with surprise in her eyes
Now she was sure something definitely happened there with them. She remembered before coming here they were bullied in their previous school and they tried to hide it from her. She asked, this time more sternly.
"Tell me honestly. What happened?"
Naomi froze, realizing she had spoken too soon. She looked at Noah, who gave her a done look. Ah-rin noticed their interaction and suppressed a chuckle knowing the situation wasn't right.
"Noah, are you telling me or—"
"Actually, Mommy, our school asked us to make a family tree as an assignment."
"Oh… that's great. Then why are you both so gloomy?" Ah-rin was confused.
"But Mommy," Naomi said softly, "we only have six people total. You, Bunny Papa, Segcy Maggie, Jeon Grandpa, oppa, and me. But others have such big, big family trees."
Ah-rin glanced at Maggie, who only shrugged.
Ah-rin sighed and looked down. Guilt crept into her chest. She had always believed she was enough for her children. In her pride, she had convinced herself they didn't need anyone else.
She closed her eyes tightly, controlling her tears. She didn't want them to see their mommy weak. She had always shown herself as strong and independent.
Noah noticed the sudden change in her mood. He stood up from his seat and ran to her, hugging her tightly.
"We're not sad, Mommy. We're content as long as you're with us. We don't need anyone or anything if we have Mommy."
Ah-rin hugged him back, her heart aching even more. It should have been her comforting them—not the other way around.
After a moment, she cleared her throat and pulled back gently. Holding Noah's hand, she pulled Naomi closer.
"Babies… do you want to meet your grandparents?"
"But we already met Jeon Grandpa and Grandma!"
"No, not your Jeon grandparents. Your own grandparents. Want to meet them?"
"We have grandparents?!" Naomi asked with excitement.
Ah-rin chuckled at her excitement.
"Of course you do, just like others. Do you want to meet them?"
"Can we?"
"Of course you can. Tomorrow is your grandfather's birthday. They invited us. We'll go and celebrate with them. How does that sound?"
Naomi clapped her hands happily, giggling. But Noah stared at Ah-rin intently. Until now, he had kept quiet and noticed Ah-rin intently.
She noticed and chuckled.
"Baby, what happened now?"
"You didn't go to that house even for once all these years. Then why now? As much as I heard, you moved out when we were still inside your belly."
"Because—"
"Did they hurt you, Mommy?"
Her throat went dry. How could a five-year-old think so deeply?
She sighed and glanced at Maggie sharply. It was obvious—either Maggie or Bohyuk had said something. Maggie laughed awkwardly and escaped to the kitchen with an excuse.
Ah-rin sighed. Now she had to clean up their mess.
"Baby, we were in another country, right? That's why we couldn't visit them. But now we're in the same country—and they invited us."
"Then why didn't they call us when we were in the other country? Don't they know how to use a phone?!"
Naomi giggled at her own joke.
Ah-rin inwardly sighed and looked at Noah, who still watched her closely. She wondered whose brain did Naomi actually inherit? Surely not his father's dumb side—because he isn't dumb at all.
Just then, Maggie came to the rescue, carrying chicken cheese pasta—the twins' favorite.
"Dinner is here, guys. Come on, let's eat. It won't taste good once it gets cold."
Naomi was distracted immediately, but Noah still watched Ah-rin. Maggie pulled him toward his chair and served the pasta.
Ah-rin sat down as well.
The air between Noah and Ah-rin felt awkward. Of course, a mother being interrogated by her own five-year-old son was not normal—especially for Ah-rin.
As they all sat down for dinner, the clinking of cutlery and quiet chatter, barely registered in Ah-rin's mind. Her fork hovered above her plate, untouched, as memories she had buried for years clawed their way to the surface.
The thought of going back to that house—the one that had abandoned her when she was at her lowest—sent a cold shiver down her spine. The very walls that were supposed to protect her had become a cage, a reminder of betrayal. How easily they had turned their backs on her… on her children… on the tiny lives she had fought so desperately to protect.
Her chest tightened as she looked at Noah and Naomi, sitting quietly beside her. Their eyes, so young and innocent, held questions she couldn't yet answer, emotions they didn't fully understand. She had shielded them from the world's cruelty, carried the weight of their survival alone, and yet here she was, realizing the depth of what they had lost—not just parents' attention, but the love and safety that should have been theirs from birth.
And then there was Joon-woo. He knew they existed. Somewhere in his mind, he held that knowledge—but he didn't know the truth. He didn't know they were his own children. The bitter twist of fate gnawed at her. How could he possibly understand the depth of her suffering, the sleepless nights, the constant fear that someone would take her babies away? How could he comprehend the years she had spent building a life of protection around them while his image of her remained frozen in the past?
Ah-rin closed her eyes briefly, swallowing the lump in her throat. She had survived. Her children had survived. But the scars—the invisible ones—remained, etched into every heartbeat. Every laugh, every smile at this table, carried the weight of battles fought quietly, without anyone to witness them.
She glanced at her children again, their small faces illuminated by the soft glow of the dining light. Despite the heaviness, a small warmth settled in her chest. They were here, alive, laughing… even if only quietly tonight. And as long as she could breathe, she would fight to keep it that way.
But deep down, a question lingered, sharp and unyielding: How would Joon-woo react when he finally learned the truth? Could he bear it, or would he too turn away, just like the rest of them had?
Ah-rin pushed the thought away. Not yet. Not tonight. Tonight, she would focus on the small, fragile peace they had, fragile as it was. Tonight, she would let herself just be a mother—and hope that one day, the rest of the world would understand the lengths she had gone to protect them.
To lighten the mood, Maggie suddenly spoke.
"Tomorrow we're going shopping, okay twins?"
"Yeee! I love shopping!" Naomi clapped her hands with happiness.
"Why shopping suddenly?" Noah inquired being suspicious.
"Ayoo! Isn't tomorrow your grandfather's birthday? Do you want to go there without a gift? And it's your first time meeting them. You should wear beautiful clothes. So tomorrow, after your mommy goes to the office, we'll go shopping. How does that sound?"
"Segcy idea, just like you, Maddie!"
Naomi gave her a thumbs-up.
Maggie sighed before speaking with a force smile.
"For the sake of Mother Mary, it's Maggie—not Maddieeee! Forget it. It's useless talking to you guys."
The twins giggled at her irritated face. Dinner finally became light and warm again.
What they didn't notice was Noah catching Ah-rin silently mouthing thank you to Maggie—and Maggie winking back and whispering something in her ear.
Noah smiled.
At least someone was there for their Mommy.
He knew his mother had trust issues. She trusted only them, Jeon Grandpa, Bunny Papa, and Maggie Aunty. He was glad she wasn't alone back then—when they hadn't yet come into her life.
He finally focused on his food.
Meanwhile, Maggie whispered near Ah-rin's ear—
"I want a paid holiday tomorrow."
Ah-rin raised an eyebrow hearing her demand.
"What! I'm taking your children shopping for your sake. You'll benefit, not me. I deserve a paid holiday!"
Ah-rin sighed but chuckled nonetheless.
"Such a drama queen."
Maggie winked and stuffed pasta into her mouth, moaning happily.
"I'm such a great cook. I deserve the 'Master Chef' title."
"Yeah, yeah. Someone who only knows how to make pasta and boil eggs."
"You're just jealous. Hmph!"
They continued bickering like a happy family before heading to bed.
Ah-rin tucked the twins in, kissed their foreheads, and left once they fell asleep.
Back in her room, she closed her eyes.
Memories came crashing back, one by one, each like a knife to her heart. Her laughter, her love, the warmth of a life she once knew—it had all been ripped away in an instant, leaving only emptiness and ache behind.
She didn't even realize when tears slipped down her cheeks.
She fell asleep crying silently.
To Be Continued…