You Promised Me, Mr. Lee San-ha - Chapter 128



Only Noblemtl

Episode 128 Where is my friend’s house?

When we arrived at the address that Ahn Hee-yeon had given us, a palace-like house appeared.

“If we have soldiers, we could even do a siege.”

I rang the bell while adjusting my clothes.

The fruit basket in his hand looked shabby… … but for a freeloader, this was also a big expense.

An Hee-yeon opened the door with a bright smile.

She was wearing a black one-piece dress, the kind you might wear to a party or something.

“If there was a dress code, you should have told me. If I had known in advance, I could have just rented a tuxedo.”

“That’s not it. … … My clothes, aren’t they a bit too much?”

“It’s pretty, but what.”

“Ah, that… … thank you.”

An Hee-yeon opened the door wide, stammering as if she was broken.

I walked through the front door with a light bow and stepped inside the house.

In contrast to the Western-style exterior, the garden with its oriental-style pond caught my eye.

I entered the front door past a few neatly arranged fountains.

An Hee-yeon opened the front door, which was larger than the main gate of an average house.

“Mom, Sanha is here.”

“hello.”

As soon as I opened the front door, I could smell various foods.

The rich aroma of the sea is released every time the bubbles in the crab meat soup burst.

Citrus scent from fresh salads and dressings.

The smoky flavor of brisket slowly cooked in the oven.

Just smelling it filled me with excitement.

Soon, Ahn Hee-yeon’s mother, the ‘great actress’ Lee Mi-eun, greeted me.

“Oh my~ You’re here? I’m so sorry. I’m not ready yet.”

“Oh my goodness, you’ve prepared so much for me. I’m sure you still need to recover… … .”

“Thanks to Mr. Sanha, I’ve improved a lot. And he’s our family’s benefactor, so this isn’t enough.”

What’s the point of telling someone to stop preparing food when it’s almost ready?

I politely handed over the basket of fruit.

“I didn’t want to come empty-handed, so I bought some of this. And please feel free to talk.”

“Why even something like this… … Then, can we talk more comfortably? Since we’ll be seeing each other often, it would be better to be more comfortable.”

I responded with a slight smile.

“Then what should I call you… … this gentleman―.”

“Hmm! Hmm! Sanhaya? This way.”

An Hee-yeon glared at her mother and then dragged me into the living room.

Then he sat me down on one of the long sofas facing the garden.

“Would you like something warm to drink?”

“No, it’s okay. But is it okay if I don’t help you cook?”

“I was usually going to help you, but this time you insisted on doing it all yourself.”

I understand your feelings, but… … it was still burdensome.

The amount of food was like a party buffet.

As I looked around the living room, I saw a picture of Ahn Hee-yeon with a musical actor.

“So that’s why you said we were acquaintances.”

“huh?”

I pointed to the photo.

“Eunsol-ssi. When you went to see the musical, you first introduced me as an ‘acquaintance.’”

“That’s… … I did. I thought that if I looked up who Eunsol’s aunt was, I would quickly find out who my mother was… … .”

An Hee-yeon just fiddled with her fingers, feeling embarrassed.

Is it because a long-kept secret has been revealed that the shame has exceeded its limit?

She continued with a smile.

“If you think about it, it wouldn’t have changed the way you treated me just because you knew my mother’s true identity. I guess I worried unnecessarily.”

An Hee-yeon raised her head and looked into my eyes.

“I feel a bit relieved now that it’s like this. Because now I have nothing to hide from you.”

I felt truly grateful for her absolute trust.

Even when she took me to a motel room out of the blue, Ahn Hee-yeon showed unwavering faith in me.

‘Hee-yeon. Do you trust me?’

‘always.’

The answer she gave me at the time gave me more strength than any words could have said.

Thanks to that, I was able to endure great pain.

Suddenly, Ahn Hee-yeon looked around.

“By the way, I don’t see Heechan. Where did he go to play?”

They say even a tiger will come if you call it.

I heard someone running down the stairs.

Hee-chan Ahn came down the stairs and gave a 120-degree bow.

“Sanha, huh! Come quickly!”

“I can tell from your voice that you’ve gotten a lot healthier. You don’t go to dangerous places these days, do you?”

“Yes! Thank you for saving me!”

It puts my mind at ease to see your cheerful smile.

After a while, Yim Eun’s voice was heard.

“The meal is ready. Everyone come and sit down.”

Eun-i Lee sat at the head table with her back to the kitchen.

To her right sat Ahn Hee-chan, and to her left sat Ahn Hee-yeon and I side by side.

On the spacious table, there was an enormous amount of food piled up, so much so that the word “feast” could not be described as an understatement.

Boeuf bourguignon, wrapped in bread,

Thinly sliced ​​and neatly plated brisket,

Cobb salad, Caesar salad, avocado salad,

Homemade crab meat soup,

Grilled abalone seasoned with butter,

Salmon steak with lemon sauce… … .

There were so many that it was difficult to even check the menu one by one.

“There’s also dessert, so take your time and eat comfortably.”

It’s such a large amount that even a mukbang BJ wouldn’t be able to finish it all, but I can’t help but be grateful that they prepared this much for me.

I could tell as soon as I took a spoonful of soup.

The reason why Ahn Hee-yeon was able to grow into a gourmet with a sensitive palate.

‘I’ve been eating this kind of thing since I was little.’

How did Eom Yi-eun acquire such cooking skills despite her busy schedule?

During the heyday, we had to film dramas every single day.

“Does it suit our taste?”

“It’s so delicious. I can’t even exaggerate; I want to eat it every day.”

“There is a way to eat it every day. Sanha is our son-in-law―.”

At that moment, Ahn Hee-yeon started coughing.

“Knock knock! Hey, Mom? What are you talking about all of a sudden… .”

Yim Eun-eun answered with a smile.

“No~ Well, that’s just what I’m saying. When a son-in-law who is so polite, kind, and handsome comes in, there’s nothing more a mother could wish for~.”

“Oh, Mom~! I said I wouldn’t make Sanha uncomfortable!”

I never thought I’d see Ahn Hee-yeon throwing a tantrum in my life.

An Hee-yeon seems to be a completely different person than usual when dealing with people close to her.

I should say it feels like the tension is gone.

Eom Ji-eun covered her mouth with her hand and laughed.

“Oh, was that so? My memory is a bit hazy~.”

An Hee-chan, who had been listening quietly, spoke with his mouth full of cherry tomatoes.

“I like Sanha hyung and noona getting married!”

“Heechan!?”

An Hee-yeon looked down at An Hee-chan with surprised rabbit eyes.

“You, you told me not to talk with food in your mouth?! As punishment, you are not allowed to talk until you finish eating.”

An Hee-chan, who had swallowed all the cherry tomatoes, tilted his head and asked Im Eun-i.

“Was there such a rule?”

“Your sister is so embarrassed that she says anything. She’s a total dictator, isn’t she?”

Eun-i Yi turned her head towards me.

“Hee-yeon has a side like that. Can our San-ha understand a little more?”

“Oh, Mom!”

An Hee-yeon’s face turned so red that she couldn’t blush anymore.

If you print it as an RGB value, it will probably come out as 255, 0, 0.

She cooled her face with a fan.

“I’m really sorry. Everyone is a bit too excited… … No, isn’t that a bit too much?”

“Am I good?”

“Uh, uh… … yes?”

“You all want to treat me like family. I’m grateful.”

“What… … If you’re okay with it, then there’s nothing I can do about it… … .”

Is it because of my mood?

Before I knew it, a bunch of meat dishes were piled up in front of me.

Eom Ji-eun kept pushing plates towards me.

“Eat a lot, eat a lot.”

“I can’t eat this much.”

I can’t not eat it because you look at me so happily.

I tried to talk them out of this infinite plate defense.

“Come to think of it, how did your mother endure it?”

“What?”

“It’s a side effect of tension. It must have been really hard for you when you first debuted as an actor.”

“Hee-yeon told me about our family history? This is something that is rarely talked about.”

Eom Ji-eun smiled meaningfully at Ahn Hee-yeon.

“In a way, I was really lucky. I was just cast based on my looks, so I didn’t really think much about acting. Since I didn’t think about acting well, I was able to continue acting without much difficulty.”

It is said that there was controversy over Eimieun’s acting skills in her early works.

However, because he was so prolific, his acting skills forcibly improved and the controversy gradually died down.

‘I think actress Lee Mi-eun was at her peak when she was around Hee-yeon’s age now.’

I looked closely at the faces of Ahn Hee-yeon and Lee Mi-eun.

Then, my eyes met with Ahn Hee-yeon’s.

“What are you looking at like that?”

“It’s so similar that it’s almost uncanny. It looks like it was copied and pasted.”

Yim Eun-i stroked Ahn Hee-yeon’s head.

“Compared to when I was young, our Hee-yeon is much prettier. If I were being greedy, I would have wanted her to become a celebrity too… … . You know how stubborn I am, right?”

“It’s my heart.”

An Hee-yeon puffed out her cheeks and made a loud noise.

It’s a day to discover many new sides of her.

* * *

After a long meal, lime sherbet was served for dessert.

Eom Ji-eun looked at me with a worried expression.

“I wonder if there wasn’t a shortage of sheep.”

“No, I’ve already had enough… I’ve eaten so much I feel like I’m going to die.”

No matter how much I thought about it, it wasn’t an amount that a person could eat.

Shouldn’t we bring a lion or a bear?

I looked around, shoving dessert into my full stomach.

A kitchen furnished with ornate decorations and luxurious cooking utensils.

I understood why Ahn Hee-yeon said, “My house isn’t like this either…” while looking at Sanha’s snack bar.

“Does our Sanha like this style of interior design too?”

“Oh, yes. The marble interior definitely has a clean yet solid feel.”

“Mrs. Choi, who lives next door, also contacted us about interior design because she thought our house was pretty, but she got scammed… … She got scammed in a similar way. She even paid a deposit to import the materials, but they gave all of them to a snack shop. She’s probably still in the process of getting a refund.”

That’s… I’ve heard this story a lot.

Even after we finished eating dessert, the conversation continued without stopping.

Suddenly a question arose in my mind.

‘Isn’t your father at home?’

It could be a sensitive topic, so I didn’t bring it up.

‘I think I’ve heard of it before, but I should have at least looked it up.’

But Ahn Hee-chan was the first to resolve that curiosity.

“When is dad coming?”

“Dad won’t be home for a while because he’s busy with camp work.”

Yim Eun-eun stroked Ahn Hee-chan’s head.

Judging from the word “camp”, I guess he is an explorer working overseas.

An Hee-yeon also turned towards me.

“That’s right. Dad is also very grateful to you, but he is very sorry that he couldn’t come today due to circumstances. Can you make time for him again later?”

“Anytime.”

It took a very long time for me to get up from my seat, even after I had finished drinking my coffee.

At the front door, Eun-i Yim held my hand tightly.

“I know it sounds boring, but thank you so much for saving my family.”

“I know it sounds boring, but I just did what I had to do.”

Eun-i Lee nodded with a happy smile.

“… … As expected, he is our son-in-law.”

“Mom! Please!”

Ahn Hee-yeon closed the front door and pushed Lee Mi-eun and Ahn Hee-chan into the house.

She and I walked in the garden.

“At the hospital, I… whined so much… … I’m sorry.”

I can’t believe I’m still reminiscing about something that happened several days ago.

An Hee-yeon also has a secretly timid side.

I answered in a serious voice.

“Everyone has hard times. Rather, it was thanks to you coming to your senses that I was able to save my little brother. I was able to understand the situation better because you were honest with me. I am grateful for many things.”

“… … .”

The moment I was about to leave after being escorted to the front gate, Ahn Hee-yeon’s hand grabbed my sleeve.

“I remember when we tried to do it at a motel before…?”

I don’t quite remember if my brain reset due to the big shock.

I answered truthfully.

“Sorry. What did I say then?”

“… … Actually, I forgot too.”

“What is that?”

“I know.”

An Hee-yeon covered it up with a smile as if she had no face.

I made eye contact with her for a moment, then said a brief greeting and left.

* * *

An Hee-yeon stood at the gate and watched him melt into the darkness and disappear.

She was recalling the moment when she had melted into the darkness with him in the motel room.

Today, unlike then, I was neither afraid nor anxious.

But my heart still hurts as if it’s being torn apart.

“… … That’s it.”

The words that she couldn’t say until the end lingered in Ahn Hee-yeon’s mouth.

I wanted to swallow these words, fearing that if these precious words were to be scattered, these feelings would also be scattered.

An Hee-yeon swallowed a large pill as if swallowing a large pill.

But words are not bound to anything.

Words came out of her mouth like a gasp.

“I think I cherish you more than I thought… … .”

The words I couldn’t bring myself to say are scattered into the winter air.